Racing the T

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Afternoon Run
5.2 miles Easy Run
Road

Run home from work.  Why ride?

This is the only way I could see to fit in my workout and still make it home in time for the trick or treaters to come around.  Thankfully the rain held off.  I made it home just in time to shower and only ended up missing the first group of kids!  I love how resourceful running has made me.

The run itself was pretty tough.  Legs felt heavy and it was like I couldn't get my body to "want to".  It's crazy when these supposedly easier runs take it all out of you.  Unfortunately, with running, it sometimes just depends on the day.

Christ Tomlin's,  Our God is Greater, was playing in my head most of the way.  This song definitely lifts my running spirits.  BUT...what lifted my running spirits even higher was when I looked over and found that I was neck and neck with an MBTA bus.

I passed the station just as the bus was pulling out.  It would pull over, let someone off or on, I would pass and it would catch up later down the road.  This went on for a few blocks...to the point where I could tell people on the bus were recognizing me and even routing for me-- in my head at least.  "Go, Cha. Go."  They were saying.

And, I was going.

My back straightened up a bit, my legs quickened and the run felt a little less painful.  I was winning and that's all that mattered at that moment.  Traffic was on my side... but who's counting?  The thing had four wheels and an engine! 

I was feeling pretty pumped about racing the T and winning until the point when I realize I'd been running for a few minutes with no sign of the bus.  Silly thing had turned.  Punk.  Afraid to lose to a girl?  I was back on my own.  Good thing I had only about a mile and a half to go.  The residual excitement carried me through to the end.  Good times.


Super side-note...

Even though this particular run was hard I definitely woke up this morning feeling thankful and blessed by this marathon training; all of it.  With only 3 weeks to go, I look back at the hundreds of miles I've logged in the last 3 months, some easy and some just as difficult as today's, and I'm filled with gratitude.  God has been so gracious to me in this process and I honestly don't believe it will end on race day.  Race day's going to be a great big party no matter what happens!  The hard work's already been done.  Shoot.

20 miles!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Afternoon Run
5 miles Easy Run
Treadmill

I never really got a chance to sit down and put my thoughts on the distance to paper.  I recently completed my first 20 miler (hopefully the first of 2 during this training) with my running partner.  The run, completed a week and a half ago already, ran up through Belmont to the edge of Lexington and back.  I don't know how else to describe it.  Running 20 miles is something special.

It takes a special kind of mental prep

If you've ever set out on your first 20 I think you can relate.  It takes some bravery even to get out the door.  Knowing that you'll be pounding out there for that long, the longest you've ever gone or for most, ever dreamed of going, is intimidating stuff.

I must admit I was a little intimidated starting out.  I wouldn't say I was nervous about finishing-- I was pretty sure that with all this training we were fully prepared-- I just wasn't sure how painful it would be.  I was fine all week but when Saturday morning came, suddenly, I was obsessing over small-ish issues trying to make sure everything was perfect.

I was having wardrobe anxiety.  The day was cool, but even still I knew I would sweat a lot.  So, I had to wear just the perfect combination of layers to not get too hot running and to not get too cold once I started sweating.  I donned a short sleeve over a long sleeve (both moisture wicking) and capri tights.  I still don't think I got it right but oh well.  I spent the last few miles cold and my hands were freezing the whole time (gloves are on the shopping list).  I was worried about my food not being enough.  I took along a couple power bars and ended up carrying twice as many fruit snacks as normal.  Also, at the last second I was freaked out that my nose might start to run.  I'm no good at improvising with snot on the road.  So, along came some tissues in a ziplock.  My pack was packed.

The thing about going for so long is you have to remember to pace yourself.  I think we started out a little faster (for me) than we should have-- it's hard to hold back and not just run when you feel good.  There was a spot when I was leading that I was definitely guilty of pushing the pace a little harder than necessary for which I paid on the next sequence of hills.  The good thing is, even if you get tired, you have 20 miles to get yourself a second and even third wind.  This is what happened to us, we stuck with it and the energy came in waves.

Running 20 produces a special kind of pain

...like you wouldn't and can't experience any other way...but, you run through it because that's what you're doing; running.   After all, it is self-imposed, isn't it?  As ultra marathoning champion, Scott Jurek, wrote over and over again in his autobiography/recipe book, Eat and Run, "pain only hurts".

Running 20 miles is supposed to be uncomfortable.  I'm supposed to get tired.  Usually at stop lights my running bud would ask, "ready?" and I would say either, "yeah," or  I would answer "no, but I'm going anyway", however, towards the end of this run when she was would ask, "ready?" I started to respond with just, "no" and she would counter with something like, "too bad" and off we'd go.  She is a good friend.  Sometimes, when I'm out there by myself and I get distracted and complainy, I think to myself "zip it and run" and it helps.

I started to tire around mile 13...with a lot more miles to go.  My legs started to tighten up more than I've ever experienced to the point where I started noticing a little cramping when I would push off too hard on my right calf.  Moving in such a repetitive motion for that long, the legs start to kinda stick in a rhythm.  I started finding myself doing strange motions for variety and stretching at every stoplight.  Stoplights are my best friends on long runs.  Thankfully, there was no serious pain or cramping.

Running 20 produces a special kind of joy

Even though, things start to fall apart towards the end, there is nothing like the mega dose of endorphins one gets while out on a 20 mile run.  I was definitely exhausted but at points I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  I think at one point coming back on Mass Ave. we stopped at a light and I couldn't get my drunken legs to stop moving.  I had to keep pacing.  My upper thigh was pretty stiff but my legs were so wobbly every time I stopped.  It was quite ridiculous and I laughed.  Towards the end also, every time I took my mind off of my form, I would start shuffling a little sideways; an old crooked runner who lives in a little crooked house.  I would kinda start and stall, start and stall like a broke-down old Chevy and tripping over absolutely nothing became the norm as my feet were hardly leaving the ground at times. 

Watching my form and getting my legs to keep up took most of my mental energy.  The last couple of miles, my running partner coached me to start counting my steps.  Counting your steps helps you keep your legs moving by developing a rhythm to follow.  You count 1, 2, 3, 4-10 or 12 every time your right foot hits the ground.  At first it helped so much that I wondered why I didn't start counting sooner.  I was sort of keeping pace again.  Then, after a few blocks, I started to loose track and forget the numbers and I laughed.  Ridiculous.  Running 20 makes it so I can't even count to 10!

It was funny and it wasn't at the same time.   If I any one who knew me saw me out there those last couple miles, I'm pretty sure they would have offered "to help".  You know those people who run by and you think, "that looks like it hurts".  Well, that was me and it did hurt.  But, there's something about running 20 that infuses you with pride.  You say, "I may look busted but I've just gone 18 miles with only 2 left to go.  Boom.  How was your afternoon?"  You keep running because you a boss.

When it was all over, I got home, sweating and shivering, able to stand up straight but unable to stop moving.  I downed some Vitamin Water and jumped in the shower to try to warm up a bit.  When I got out, the fatigue and hunger and everything caught up to me all at the same time.  I ate a few Sun Chips, curled up on my bed and went straight to sleep (wet hair and all) .  I literally couldn't do anything else.

Running 20 makes you want to run another 20.

Toast to a Faster, Stronger Cha

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Afternoon Run
8 miles Tempo Run
Road

Run home! 

We conquered this one.  

This was definitely good confirmation that I'm getting stronger and faster.  PTL!  Sometimes as I'm trailing my running buddy barely keeping up, or as I look at other runners effortlessly making their way down the street, I'm discouraged at my slow progress.  I want to be faster and I want to be faster now!  Today, the pace wasn't lightning by any stretch of the imagination but I felt like I was holding my own well enough and it felt good.

We took off from work, dressed in our fall appropriate running clothes-- praise the Lord, insane sweating season is over-- outfits complete with our hott running backpacks.  We literally turn heads running through town like this.  We took it up through Downtown Crossing, around the Commons, up Comm to Mass Ave, forever on Mass all the way to the bike path and home.  I love running over the Mass ave bridge.  I always get an extra boost of energy as it's the best/prettiest part of this route. 

The run started out slow but we steadily increased the pace until we were sprinting the last stretch on the bike path.  My heart beat was running away like "boom, badoom, boom, boom, bass".  I could literally feel it beating through my shirt but, it was all good.  I was just happy to be keeping up.  My legs felt great (even after a recent 20) and my breathing was steady most of the way.  8 miles of glory.

Midweek mileage is now 5, 8, 5. 

It has been hard to fit this much running into the work week so running home has been the best way to do it and still maintain some sort of normal life schedule. Though this is the last week of running this 5, 8, 5 sequence, this will be the first week that I will actually complete it.  Different things kept coming up during the last few weeks that kept me from completing all my scheduled runs.  Also, all this rain we've been getting has left fewer options for fitting runs in...and we know how I feel about running in the rain.  C'est la vie.  The great thing about running plans is that they aren't set in stone.  I'm still pretty confident in my progress even though I've had to move (or nix) some workouts.

5 more weeks.  Woo Philly!

Recap: Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Yesterday, I took another break from marathon training to run the Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women.  This is my second year running the race and I have been looking forward to it all year.

This was a really good race. 

I woke up Monday morning not feeling the greatest.  So right then after assessing the situation, I decided that I would run but that I would make the day more about having "fun" than breaking any records -- I didn't think I had it in me.  When I got started running however, I felt good.  Around the 2nd mile I thought, "hey, I may be able to do this".

You see, for a year now my goal has been to race a 10k in under an hour.  I'm talking 59:59 or better.  After coming in at 1:01:04 at the BAA 10k back in June, this year's Tufts 10k was my last chance for the year.  I spent most of the summer thinking about it.

I decided that I would carry my water so that I could by pass the water stops.  This really helped shave a few minutes off but in the end what really hurt me was not keeping track of the time.  I had intended to bring my watch to keep track personally but forgot it at home.  The race clocks were really hard to see and I missed half of them which made it really hard to tell how I was tracking.

So my final time?... 01:00:00

Does that even happen!?  One second off of my goal.

There's so much to be said for what happened to that one second-- my spandex were bugging me the whole time...I may or may not have been posing for the cameras along the course, etc, etc.  Let's not dwell in the past... 

Even though I didn't make my goal, I say this was a really good race because I felt so strong.  I realized around mile 5.5 that I was going to finish the race without stopping once.  I have never raced without stopping.  I've definitely come a long way from last year's 1:07:44 finish!  That one second doesn't scare me.  What it boils down to is this girl will be running another 10k and Lord willing, smashing her goal next time!

http://www.tuftshealthplan.com/tufts10k/index.php
About the Race

I really appreciate how the race is organized and the energized atmosphere on race day.  It's really quite inspiring to run with 6,000 or so other women just celebrating being awesome.  This year the money raised from the race went to support The Family Van.  Here's a little blurb from the Tufts website that explains what that is:
"The Family Van provides compassionate curbside care in urban neighborhoods through its mobile clinics. The Family Van supports preventing screening, testing, and education for thousands of people each year."

Is it Okay if I Say it?: Rest Rocks!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

I did not run today.  

       I did not run yesterday...or the day before [or the day before that].

4 days off and...is it okay if I say it?...it is wonderful. 
  
This is the longest break I've taken since I was sick back in May.  Only, then I was pulling my hair out because I desperately wanted to run.  I couldn't believe the injustice of getting sick during half marathon training and thought I would lose my mind.  I think I may have even started out a few times only to be grounded by my fluid-filled lungs.  Then, I was a prisoner confined against my will to only walking (and slow-walking at that).

Now, I am gladly enjoying this break.

After Friday's run I knew I had to do some major resetting.  When I hit the treadmill and my head immediately started pounding (an allergic reaction of some kind, I'm sure), I knew it was going to be a long run.  5 miles later (and only halfway in), I had to put a stop to the madness.  My body and mind had had enough.  I decided I needed to hop off and stay off for a while.
This was the perfect weekend for an extended break from running.  I was away all weekend at a church retreat which made taking Saturday and Sunday off easier to justify.  There were some in the group who went out running along the beautiful wooded roadsides but the thought of joining them made me want to cry.  Monday morning, I woke up with the same feeling so I promptly declared-- to myself of course-- that my running week would start on Tuesday!

Then, today it rained.

Somewhere along the way the treadmill has earned my disdain (I'm just "hating" right now...it'll pass) so I wasn't prepared to go to the gym after work.  And, we all know how I feel about running in the rain...even light rain.  So, today is out-- and, is it okay if I say it?-- I don't mind one bit. 

I came home, made dinner and ate it.  Checked my email, responded to some, read a bit of a magazine, and then packed up and went to Starlight.  I can't remember the last time an evening went like that...all relaxed like.  Training is hard stuff and I have to admit I didn't miss it much these past few days.

I guess this is what they call burning out...

Don't get me wrong.  I still like running.  Maybe I do need to write that post on exactly why I do after all this.  I'm just enjoying sitting still for a few days.  I can already feel the good a bit of extra rest has done for me overall.  Lord willing, I'll run again tomorrow.