So I feel like my body is not what it used to be. This is both good and bad.
On the good side, I am now 13 lbs lighter than I was before I was pregnant. This worried me a little bit at first because my BMI was right on the healthy/unhealthy line, and I felt like I looked a bit skeletony in some of my wonderful brightroom pics. However, now that I have added some more muscle I'm actually okay with my weight. Also, I am really packing away the calories and paying attention to how much I eat (which is a LOT) so I know that I am okay. (This also meant that I got to get new running clothes and also that I am not so annoyed when my shirt rides up a bit while I'm running).
Also on the good side, I am way more flexible than I was before. I can actually touch my toes, and I really don't remember the last time I could do that. I contribute this to taking some time off of running this winter, but my bootcamp teacher said it is also because your body limbers up during pregnancy. (You just can't tell because who is really trying to touch their toes over a huge belly?)
Also, since I've lost some extra poundage now I can see some of my muscles! Hurrah!
On the not good or bad side I can eat us out of house and home. This is good because I love food, and the food I love is not particularly healthy. But it is also bad because I feel like I am eating ALL THE TIME which can get boring and expensive.
But on the bad side, I feel like I am starting over running again. I guess this is okay if you manage expectations (which I have been doing). For instance, my goals have changed tremendously. I am now happy with a sub 10 minute pace on longer races and a sub 9 on shorter races. I am going a lot slower even though I feel like I am working just as hard and sometimes even harder.
In fact, I was so super sore after last week's 16 mile run. Like after-the-marathon-sore. I don't know if this is because I am pushing myself harder or if it is because I am more out of shape than I was running in 2009. (I actually feel more in shape, but that the numbers are lying to me).
I am also really ramping up on the cross-training (which is a lot easier to get in than running because of baby). I am doing lots of old-school exercises...push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, lunges, etc.
I also signed up for a mommy and baby bootcamp class. It's lots of fun. We do all of those boot camp exercises too, but using baby as a weight. Oy. This is HARD. The first class was good and I had that nice achiness in my abs that makes me feel like a six-pack is on it's way (ha!). The second class was KILLER. None of the other moms showed up so I got a private lesson and she pushed me because she knows I am athletic. She didn't give me a break on ANYTHING. I did three burpee sets (of 12) alternating with 12 skaters with no rest in between. By the last set I looked ridiculous. I was like "I can't..." (and I've never felt like that during a workout) and she said "That's okay, just do the modified version." (Yes, that only helped a little.) Liam of course, thought all of this was hilarious. Needless to say I was sore after the workout (no waiting until the next day for me).
Anyway, I kind of got off topic. So I'll reel us back in...
So at baby bootcamp I had to do sit-ups (which I HATE). I especially hate these post-partem because I feel like my tail bone is GRINDing into the floor. It is very painful. I thought that maybe this is because I have less meat back there. But I asked the instructor about it and she said she had the same thing shortly after pregnancy. She said your back kind of gets looser and discs move around and stuff. She told me it would get better though as long as I kept working out. No problem. And it got me out of sit-ups (I got to do crunches instead.)
So yeah. Very sore. Body isn't what it used to be. We'll see how that works out tomorrow. I'm supposed to do 18 miles.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Hill Month
So last night's practice officially kicked off "hill month" at Team in Training. I was kind of looking forward to the workout (I guess because I am a masochist?) because even though those workouts kill me I always end up feeling like I actually accomplished something awesome.
Last night was a doozie. We ran up the entrance hill at 72nd street at 85% effort and then DOWN the back of the hill at 85% effort and finished with a recovery along the road to do it again. Effectively we were making a triangle. What kind of sucked is that the recovery was all too short. We did this 12 times. Yuck.
I decided this would not be a good workout to do in the Vibrams, even though my Tuesday night runs are usually "barefoot". I am sure glad because I am super sore today.
I really took those hills hard. And I think the downhill part was just as hard as the uphill...at least I took it that way. I have the sneaky suspicion that the rest of my teammates took it as sort of a recovery. I say this because the same people who would pass me on the uphill were easily passed by me on the downhill.
I also figured out something else about my running form. I seriously think that I was built for distance. My stride is so efficient that it almost looks like I am walking when I run (I used to get so mad at Bill for saying this). But I also say this because I noticed in my hill and speed workouts I end up somewhere in the middle of the advanced group, even though I am one of the slowest runners of the group. People will always pass me on the speed part and I end up passing them on the recovery part. I always thought that this was because I was going too fast on the recovery. But when I check my heartrate, I can almost get it down to my walking heartrate. I'm breathing easily, and I feel fully recovered in time for the next repeat. So then I was like, maybe I'm not pushing myself hard enough on the speed part. But I know this is not true because I am really truly busting my butt (sweat pouring from everywhere, breathless, grunting, tired by the end, etc.) And when I ran this idea by Bill he was like "No, I've seen you do speedwork. That's not it." Anyway, these people who I pass on recovery will usually pass me again on the speed part...the first time or so. After awhile I just get too much of a lead on them and they can't pass me. So I start off the workout at the back (sometimes even the last) and end them in the middle or middle top. This just tells me that I am truly an endurance runner.
I guess this is why half marathons are my favorite event. (Bill also mentioned to me this weekend that since having Liam I have already completed 5 half marathons! That made me feel awesome!)
At any rate, at the end of the workout I was super spent and today I am super sore. But I am happy about that because it means I am building my muscles. Sometimes I think I am crazy.
P.S. Speaking of being built for distance, Bill pointed out this cool article to me about how scientists explain how Usain Bolt is truly built for speed. Kind of cool.
Last night was a doozie. We ran up the entrance hill at 72nd street at 85% effort and then DOWN the back of the hill at 85% effort and finished with a recovery along the road to do it again. Effectively we were making a triangle. What kind of sucked is that the recovery was all too short. We did this 12 times. Yuck.
I decided this would not be a good workout to do in the Vibrams, even though my Tuesday night runs are usually "barefoot". I am sure glad because I am super sore today.
I really took those hills hard. And I think the downhill part was just as hard as the uphill...at least I took it that way. I have the sneaky suspicion that the rest of my teammates took it as sort of a recovery. I say this because the same people who would pass me on the uphill were easily passed by me on the downhill.
I also figured out something else about my running form. I seriously think that I was built for distance. My stride is so efficient that it almost looks like I am walking when I run (I used to get so mad at Bill for saying this). But I also say this because I noticed in my hill and speed workouts I end up somewhere in the middle of the advanced group, even though I am one of the slowest runners of the group. People will always pass me on the speed part and I end up passing them on the recovery part. I always thought that this was because I was going too fast on the recovery. But when I check my heartrate, I can almost get it down to my walking heartrate. I'm breathing easily, and I feel fully recovered in time for the next repeat. So then I was like, maybe I'm not pushing myself hard enough on the speed part. But I know this is not true because I am really truly busting my butt (sweat pouring from everywhere, breathless, grunting, tired by the end, etc.) And when I ran this idea by Bill he was like "No, I've seen you do speedwork. That's not it." Anyway, these people who I pass on recovery will usually pass me again on the speed part...the first time or so. After awhile I just get too much of a lead on them and they can't pass me. So I start off the workout at the back (sometimes even the last) and end them in the middle or middle top. This just tells me that I am truly an endurance runner.
I guess this is why half marathons are my favorite event. (Bill also mentioned to me this weekend that since having Liam I have already completed 5 half marathons! That made me feel awesome!)
At any rate, at the end of the workout I was super spent and today I am super sore. But I am happy about that because it means I am building my muscles. Sometimes I think I am crazy.
P.S. Speaking of being built for distance, Bill pointed out this cool article to me about how scientists explain how Usain Bolt is truly built for speed. Kind of cool.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Mind Games
So I decided that my goal for running this year is to (eventually) get back to my corral. I am pretty sure that NYRR must keep your best pace on file for two years, because my bib still says my fastest pace is an 8:03. This is so not true. I have been much much slower since pregnancy and haven't quite been able to get back to the times I was used to two years ago.
I ran the Run for Central Park this week with the idea that I would try to get around a 9:30 pace (baby steps, right?). I had extra cheering from my mom and dad who were visiting, and of course, Bill and Liam.
Unfortunately in the morning rush, I kind of forgot my Garmin. Oh well. No biggie. It was only a four mile race anyways. Bill suggested that I count my strides (now that I know that I do about 90 per mile normally). I was just going to wing it and run how I felt. This is often how I get my best times anyways.
And it was HOT, so I knew I would be making lots of pit stops for water (I hate chugging and running at the same time).
I felt pretty good, like I was keeping a nine minute pace, but I had no idea if this was true or not.
When I got to mile 2 the heat was kind of getting to me, which I know can make me very drained. So I decided to try the whole counting thing. I figured it was at least a good distraction from the little hills on the west side.
It actually was very distracting, which was great. So I decided to step it up a notch. I would count 100 footfalls on the right side and then start another 100. Each 100 would have to get progressively faster. It actually worked really well! I found it was a lot easier to pick up the pace bit by bit instead of thinking 'I should pick this up soon and then probably a little more'. Because inevitably my next thought is 'But I'm soooooo tiiiiiiiiiiired!' This way the whole pick up the pace thing seemed manageable. Mind games. It's what I've needed to work on with my running for so long and now I've finally figured it out.
By the last turn of the race I was flying! My final kick felt impressive. And I got a 34:01!!! That is a 8:32 pace! Hurrah! I was very proud of myself!
Oh yeah and did I mention that I ran the race in my Vibrams? That was fun too. :)
I ran the Run for Central Park this week with the idea that I would try to get around a 9:30 pace (baby steps, right?). I had extra cheering from my mom and dad who were visiting, and of course, Bill and Liam.
 |
| Liam and Mommy before the race |
 |
| Liam watches for mommy |
I felt pretty good, like I was keeping a nine minute pace, but I had no idea if this was true or not.
When I got to mile 2 the heat was kind of getting to me, which I know can make me very drained. So I decided to try the whole counting thing. I figured it was at least a good distraction from the little hills on the west side.
It actually was very distracting, which was great. So I decided to step it up a notch. I would count 100 footfalls on the right side and then start another 100. Each 100 would have to get progressively faster. It actually worked really well! I found it was a lot easier to pick up the pace bit by bit instead of thinking 'I should pick this up soon and then probably a little more'. Because inevitably my next thought is 'But I'm soooooo tiiiiiiiiiiired!' This way the whole pick up the pace thing seemed manageable. Mind games. It's what I've needed to work on with my running for so long and now I've finally figured it out.
By the last turn of the race I was flying! My final kick felt impressive. And I got a 34:01!!! That is a 8:32 pace! Hurrah! I was very proud of myself!
Oh yeah and did I mention that I ran the race in my Vibrams? That was fun too. :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Highly Efficient
One of the nice things about having a new head coach (Coach Ramon moved over to Team Determination, so Coach Christine is now our head coach) is that we aren't doing the same old workouts. Coach Christine has a much different spin on things, starting with her emails.
Her emails are quite lengthy but super chock-ful of great information. Each week she details an injury, gives us a sample cross-training workout and gives us something new to work on for our Tuesday night workout.
Last week we were supposed to work on running efficiency.
Even though I've been running marathons with running groups since 2007 I have never ever had a workout to concentrate solely on efficiency. I wouldn't even know what efficient running was.
According to Christine, "running with quick, short steps uses less energy than long strides, decreases stress on your muscles, and minimizes impact on your joints. Increased turnover should lead to improved speed, better efficiency, and fewer aches and pains. The most efficient runners have a cadence (number of footstrikes) of about 180 steps per minute. We want to get as close to that as we can."
So our Tuesday night workout consisted of a five mile loop where we counted footstrikes. For the first minute you would run normally and count how many times your right foot hit the ground for one minute. For the next minute you would try to increase that number to 90 (90x2=180). When Coach Sandy demonstrated to my group before practice she actually looked kind of funny...the goal was to swipe your feet up as quickly as possible. The way she demonstrated it looked very jaggedy and not smooth at all. But I also think she was exaggerating just to show us what she was talking about. Anyway, the rest of the workout would be 1 minute of running normal (not counting) and the next minute running while trying to get 180 footstrikes.
Obviously as you get more footstrikes you also start speeding up.
For my first minute I counted...91 footstrikes. What?
The next minute I counted 96.
Hmmmm.
So I counted the next minute and still got 91.
I was kind of confused about this and asked Coach Sandy as I saw her at 102nd Street if it was okay to go over 90. She said that this just meant I was a highly efficient runner.
Well, me being the competitive person that I am, used my "counting" minutes to get even higher turnover. It was fun. For the last three miles I was actually getting 110 each time. It also felt really good...like I wasn't expending an enormous amount of energy but was flying by.
That is, until I got to the last 1.7 miles. That's when my brain kicked in and ruined me (like it always does). Some new guy who didn't know his way around the park asked if there were any TNT people near (most of the group had dropped off because they were doing 4 miles instead of 5). I raised my hand and when he caught up with me he told me that he didn't know where he was going so he would follow me and then he said "I'll race you." ARGH! Of course that puts that in my mind and now I'm not even counting my turnover but just trying to run fast. Total fail. He was pretty far ahead of me and I was out of breath and feeling the heat by the time my watch beeped signaling the next minute.
So I told myself that I WAS going to beat him by the end of the 1.7 left, but that I was just going to continue on my efficiency workout. I was pretty sure that by doing that I could beat him. And I did! By a lot. He was actually huffing and puffing his way in :)
So anyway, I learned a lot of really good lessons. First, that I am an efficient runner, which is great! It definitely gives me more confidence on my runs. And then secondly that I can beat my mind (that tends to psych me out constantly) by concentrating on something else (in this case, turnover).
Her emails are quite lengthy but super chock-ful of great information. Each week she details an injury, gives us a sample cross-training workout and gives us something new to work on for our Tuesday night workout.
Last week we were supposed to work on running efficiency.
Even though I've been running marathons with running groups since 2007 I have never ever had a workout to concentrate solely on efficiency. I wouldn't even know what efficient running was.
According to Christine, "running with quick, short steps uses less energy than long strides, decreases stress on your muscles, and minimizes impact on your joints. Increased turnover should lead to improved speed, better efficiency, and fewer aches and pains. The most efficient runners have a cadence (number of footstrikes) of about 180 steps per minute. We want to get as close to that as we can."
So our Tuesday night workout consisted of a five mile loop where we counted footstrikes. For the first minute you would run normally and count how many times your right foot hit the ground for one minute. For the next minute you would try to increase that number to 90 (90x2=180). When Coach Sandy demonstrated to my group before practice she actually looked kind of funny...the goal was to swipe your feet up as quickly as possible. The way she demonstrated it looked very jaggedy and not smooth at all. But I also think she was exaggerating just to show us what she was talking about. Anyway, the rest of the workout would be 1 minute of running normal (not counting) and the next minute running while trying to get 180 footstrikes.
Obviously as you get more footstrikes you also start speeding up.
For my first minute I counted...91 footstrikes. What?
The next minute I counted 96.
Hmmmm.
So I counted the next minute and still got 91.
I was kind of confused about this and asked Coach Sandy as I saw her at 102nd Street if it was okay to go over 90. She said that this just meant I was a highly efficient runner.
Well, me being the competitive person that I am, used my "counting" minutes to get even higher turnover. It was fun. For the last three miles I was actually getting 110 each time. It also felt really good...like I wasn't expending an enormous amount of energy but was flying by.
That is, until I got to the last 1.7 miles. That's when my brain kicked in and ruined me (like it always does). Some new guy who didn't know his way around the park asked if there were any TNT people near (most of the group had dropped off because they were doing 4 miles instead of 5). I raised my hand and when he caught up with me he told me that he didn't know where he was going so he would follow me and then he said "I'll race you." ARGH! Of course that puts that in my mind and now I'm not even counting my turnover but just trying to run fast. Total fail. He was pretty far ahead of me and I was out of breath and feeling the heat by the time my watch beeped signaling the next minute.
So I told myself that I WAS going to beat him by the end of the 1.7 left, but that I was just going to continue on my efficiency workout. I was pretty sure that by doing that I could beat him. And I did! By a lot. He was actually huffing and puffing his way in :)
So anyway, I learned a lot of really good lessons. First, that I am an efficient runner, which is great! It definitely gives me more confidence on my runs. And then secondly that I can beat my mind (that tends to psych me out constantly) by concentrating on something else (in this case, turnover).
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
TNT Runs
So already I am slacking because I missed my first long run with TNT to go to the beach for my friend Donna's 30th birthday :) But I think it was worth it...come on...the beach!
I guess I paid for it the following Tuesday though when we had our first speedwork practice. Speedwork...haha, I haven't done that since October of 2009. And it was rough. Mostly (I think) this was due to the weather, which was extremely muggy and somewhat hot.
The workout was a nice little 1 mile warmup and then 2:00 intervals for the upper 5 mile loop. Yuck. It started out okay, but by the time I reached Harlem Meer at the top of the park I felt like I was swimming through Jello. Hot Jello. And I was running with one of the mentors and I couldn't figure out if she was staying with me because she didn't want me to be left behind (I was at the back of the Advanced pack) or if she was struggling too. So I told her she could go ahead. But I did this as she simultaneously told me I could go ahead. After completing Harlem Hill (stopping for water in the middle) I realized that we both thought this run sucked, so I didn't feel so bad about her running with me.
Side note: I absolutely HATE it when I feel like I am holding someone back from their workout. Which is funny because sometimes I will run with someone a little bit easier so that they have someone to run with, and that doesn't bother me.
When I hit 102nd on the west side (we had like 30 blocks to go at this point) I was getting annoyed at the incessant beeping of my watch indicating new intervals. I said "Look, I think I'm going to scrap the intervals at this point." She was like "OK, me too." And I could kind of tell that she was relieved. And then when we finished the little hills on the west side we noticed the group in front of us was walking their slow interval. So she was like "Hey, they're walking!" and I said "I'm okay with that." So we walked the uphill and then ran the rest of the way.
Somewhere along the way MY mentor passed us, along with some other people, which made me feel even better that we weren't the last ones. This is not schadenfreude, it's just that I was feeling that my workout was going so badly because I was severely out of shape, not because it was a hard workout.
And then after a short cool down I was feeling better again. And that I actually did well. I mean 5 miles of intervals in hot muggy weather is hard, no matter how you slice it.
Saturday was a long slow distance run. I stuck with the 10 minute mile group and did a nice, extremely enjoyable 9 miles along the Hudson. And when we ran past my apartment building I had the cutest little boy waiting in the park to give me a kiss :) Liam is definitely a good running cheerleader. Maybe that's why the remaining 8 miles at that point didn't seem so bad ;)
I guess I paid for it the following Tuesday though when we had our first speedwork practice. Speedwork...haha, I haven't done that since October of 2009. And it was rough. Mostly (I think) this was due to the weather, which was extremely muggy and somewhat hot.
The workout was a nice little 1 mile warmup and then 2:00 intervals for the upper 5 mile loop. Yuck. It started out okay, but by the time I reached Harlem Meer at the top of the park I felt like I was swimming through Jello. Hot Jello. And I was running with one of the mentors and I couldn't figure out if she was staying with me because she didn't want me to be left behind (I was at the back of the Advanced pack) or if she was struggling too. So I told her she could go ahead. But I did this as she simultaneously told me I could go ahead. After completing Harlem Hill (stopping for water in the middle) I realized that we both thought this run sucked, so I didn't feel so bad about her running with me.
Side note: I absolutely HATE it when I feel like I am holding someone back from their workout. Which is funny because sometimes I will run with someone a little bit easier so that they have someone to run with, and that doesn't bother me.
When I hit 102nd on the west side (we had like 30 blocks to go at this point) I was getting annoyed at the incessant beeping of my watch indicating new intervals. I said "Look, I think I'm going to scrap the intervals at this point." She was like "OK, me too." And I could kind of tell that she was relieved. And then when we finished the little hills on the west side we noticed the group in front of us was walking their slow interval. So she was like "Hey, they're walking!" and I said "I'm okay with that." So we walked the uphill and then ran the rest of the way.
Somewhere along the way MY mentor passed us, along with some other people, which made me feel even better that we weren't the last ones. This is not schadenfreude, it's just that I was feeling that my workout was going so badly because I was severely out of shape, not because it was a hard workout.
And then after a short cool down I was feeling better again. And that I actually did well. I mean 5 miles of intervals in hot muggy weather is hard, no matter how you slice it.
Saturday was a long slow distance run. I stuck with the 10 minute mile group and did a nice, extremely enjoyable 9 miles along the Hudson. And when we ran past my apartment building I had the cutest little boy waiting in the park to give me a kiss :) Liam is definitely a good running cheerleader. Maybe that's why the remaining 8 miles at that point didn't seem so bad ;)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Toe Shoes!
So I FINALLY got to run in my Vibrams
for the first time. I was a tad nervous because the woman at the store said to start off SLOWLY and that I would definitely be sore in my shins afterwards.
I had my first TNT practice, which was a short little fun run. I thought this was the perfect place to try them out. Our run was only going to be 3.4 miles (two lower loops) and we were supposed to take it easy so that we could talk to people and meet everyone on the team. Turns out the shoes were a great conversation starter. I had a million people ask me about them. I thought everyone was trying them out (it sure seems like it when you go for a run in the park). In fact, I felt kind of lame jumping on the bandwagon so late. But it turns out that most people are too freaked out to try them.
Me? I LOVE THEM!!! I actually love the feel of my feet on the pavement. And that's another thing...there is definitely more sole to these than you would think. I am running in the Bikila
which has a 3mm sole. So while you get a good feel for the ground it's not like you are running barefoot with lots of calluses (which is what I thought it would feel like).
And it totally does change the way that you run. My turnover was definitely different. I'm not sure EXACTLY how to describe this...I think I will have to run in them a few more times...but I know it is different.
And yes, as a result I did have sore legs – but not my shins, just my calves, and that went away after a day.
But the best (lamest) part about the whole thing? I felt like some kind of modern warrior princess running in them. Especially since I bought into the whole feather hair extension thing on top of the crazy pink toe shoes :)
for the first time. I was a tad nervous because the woman at the store said to start off SLOWLY and that I would definitely be sore in my shins afterwards.I had my first TNT practice, which was a short little fun run. I thought this was the perfect place to try them out. Our run was only going to be 3.4 miles (two lower loops) and we were supposed to take it easy so that we could talk to people and meet everyone on the team. Turns out the shoes were a great conversation starter. I had a million people ask me about them. I thought everyone was trying them out (it sure seems like it when you go for a run in the park). In fact, I felt kind of lame jumping on the bandwagon so late. But it turns out that most people are too freaked out to try them.
Me? I LOVE THEM!!! I actually love the feel of my feet on the pavement. And that's another thing...there is definitely more sole to these than you would think. I am running in the Bikila
which has a 3mm sole. So while you get a good feel for the ground it's not like you are running barefoot with lots of calluses (which is what I thought it would feel like).And it totally does change the way that you run. My turnover was definitely different. I'm not sure EXACTLY how to describe this...I think I will have to run in them a few more times...but I know it is different.
And yes, as a result I did have sore legs – but not my shins, just my calves, and that went away after a day.
But the best (lamest) part about the whole thing? I felt like some kind of modern warrior princess running in them. Especially since I bought into the whole feather hair extension thing on top of the crazy pink toe shoes :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Brooklyn!
 |
| Me, Gina and Pam post-race (look at my shirt! isn't it cute? it says "running chick") |
Now, I would not recommend this, being that it is stupid, but it is pretty amazing that my body can handle this.
I also say this because I only got 2.5 hours of sleep the night before the half. Mostly this was because we had to get up so darn early (start was at 7am...in Brooklyn). But also because I just could not get to sleep the night before.
To top things off, we (me, Gina, Pam) decided to take a cab to the park because it would be so much easier. We must have had the most idiotic cab driver ever. I have no idea why he went the way he did, but we basically ended up making a circle around Manhattan. The whole ride was $50!!! That is more than it takes to get to JFK! Ridiculous. So when we went to drop off our bags some guy was yelling at us that baggage was going to close...so we had to run. And then some other guy yelled at us because we were late and our truck was full (the start was at Prospect Park, but the finish was at Coney Island, so the bags were loaded on trucks according to your number) so we had to go to "late baggage". And then the portolet line was like a million people long. Oh yeah, and it was the hottest day (by like 20 degrees) that I've run in yet.
If this was two years ago this would all have destroyed my psyche completely and I would have probably passed out at the second mile. But I was just in it for the fun this time.
Us three girls just ran easy the whole time. It was actually a great time to catch up. Prospect Park is known for these awful awful hills, and we had to run the loop twice, but it wasn't that bad because we were all just chatting away. In fact, it may have been the most enjoyable half marathon I have ever run.
The coolest part about the race is that it ends on the boardwalk in Coney Island. So it was fun to end on a beach even if we weren't going swimming. :)
And after all of this, plus stopping at just about every water stop AND stopping for a restroom break, we still ended up with a 2:17! Pretty good! I could definitely go for some more half marathons like that.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Brooklyn!
So I have yet another half marathon this weekend. This one is part of the NYRR Half Marathon Grand Prix. It is the only one of the Grand Prix that I have never raced, and the one that everyone talks about. From most people I have heard that this is the best one, but from a couple of friends I have heard it is the most difficult. I am inclined to believe both.
I think it will be super cool because it runs all through Brooklyn and ends in Coney Island where there is a huge beach party. However, it is supposed to rain all weekend, so that probably won't be as cool as it seems.
It is probably the hardest because of all of the hills...mostly those Prospect Park hills. I have run Prospect Park a couple of times and it is always rough. The way I picture Prospect Park is sort of like an Escher drawing. It seems like the whole route is uphill. This cannot be physically possible, because Prospect Park is a loop, but it really truly seems like there are no downhills. And for some reason the hills seem so much harder than Central Park. This is weird too, because I think the hills in Central Park are much steeper and there are definitely more of them.
At any rate, I am still looking forward to it. I really want that stupid patch that they give to everyone that completes at least 4 of the 5 half marathons...AND it will get me guaranteed entry into the NYC Half next year. :)
I think it will be super cool because it runs all through Brooklyn and ends in Coney Island where there is a huge beach party. However, it is supposed to rain all weekend, so that probably won't be as cool as it seems.
It is probably the hardest because of all of the hills...mostly those Prospect Park hills. I have run Prospect Park a couple of times and it is always rough. The way I picture Prospect Park is sort of like an Escher drawing. It seems like the whole route is uphill. This cannot be physically possible, because Prospect Park is a loop, but it really truly seems like there are no downhills. And for some reason the hills seem so much harder than Central Park. This is weird too, because I think the hills in Central Park are much steeper and there are definitely more of them.
At any rate, I am still looking forward to it. I really want that stupid patch that they give to everyone that completes at least 4 of the 5 half marathons...AND it will get me guaranteed entry into the NYC Half next year. :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Flying Piggies
Yay! Just got back from Cincinnati and one of my favorite races, The Flying Pig. This time however I did the half and not the full. (And boy am I glad!)
Even though this event is hard it is so much fun. I actually went back and forth on whether or not Bill and I should drive the course beforehand so I could see what I was in for. I eventually just let it up to chance though...no need to make myself crazy. I am kind of glad that I didn't drive it, because there were some majorly unexpected hills that might have psyched me out and lots of unexpected down hills which I would have been looking for way too early I'm sure. I was already feeling a bit nervous since I hadn't logged a single mile in three weeks (yikes).
This time my for real goal was 10:30 pace (lately I've been telling people 10:30 and secretly hoping for lower). I figured this was a good goal considering my lack of training and the difficulty of the course.
Of course, it was pouring down rain at the start. Yuck. I don't mind running in the rain, but I hate standing around in it, sopping wet, knowing that I will be uncomfortable because of it later. For this reason (and others) I was so glad that I wasn't in for the whole thing.
Right off the bat, I forgot about the minor hill leading up to the road to the bridge. Small but steep, it reminded me of some of the hills in the Queens half marathon. Bleh. My legs didn't react well and I knew I was kind of in for it.
But here's the funny thing: all of the hills I remembered as being torturous were actually not so bad. It was the little ones I didn't remember that sucked. So I just held back in the first few miles and took it easy.
The thing that is great about the Flying Pig is all of the crowd support. It seems to multiply every year. There weren't really any places on the course that were too deserted, and some places (like in front of my old workplace) were as crowded as they are for the NYC marathon.
I am pretty sure they changed the course a little bit though, adding a killer hill in right before we went into the park. Luckily, my all time favorite water stop was there to inspire me. (In the FP the water stops are manned by different volunteer organizations who compete for best water stop.) For some reason I find the guys at this water stop hilarious. (I think they are the Avondale Running Club). I never know if this is because I am tired/not looking forward to the worst hills on the course or if they really are truly inspirational/hilarious. Anyway, they play music over loud speakers and then the guys were singing "Running on, and running on, and running on. The Gatorade is in the green cups, the Gatorade is in the green cups. And running on, and running on..." and they are very enthusiastic and clap and tell you you are awesome and it's just very fun.
I was so dreading the Eden Park hill, remembering that Gina and I thought it was way worse than Harlem Hill. But you know what? Running it this time I was like "Wait. What was the big deal?" I'm pretty sure there are actually worse hills on the course. And this hill actually has a bit of a plateau in the middle of it. Not bad at all!
At this point I felt great, AND I knew from my segmentation of the course (which was ingrained in my head from so many years/times of running the course) that the worst parts were over!
When I got to the split though (marathoners to the right, half marathoners to the left) I was like "all right already." I also decided that I needed to cut myself some slack...as in, not sign up for so many difficult races. I mean seriously, am I a glutton for punishment? It kind of made me laugh.
On Gilbert some woman was like "It's all downhill from here!" But having heard this a million times on a million courses and found it not to be true I was skeptical. And then I saw a man on the side of the rode that said "Once you hit that cell tower you have about 2 miles of downhills!" THAT I could believe because it was so specific. :) The cell tower looked close, but it seemed to take forever to get there. And boy was he not kidding. There was so much downhill that I had to slow way down in order to make sure I didn't hammer my quads.
By mile 11 I was mentally done. So it was a good thing I saw the Avondale Running Club again. This time they were singing "You can make it, you can make it." Which is, consequently what I had stuck in my head for the rest of the race.
As I turned into the finishing corral I was spent, but spent in a good way. I felt like I couldn't have done any better for that race, so I was happy.
Oh yeah, and I averaged a 10:12 pace. Pretty good :)
Even though this event is hard it is so much fun. I actually went back and forth on whether or not Bill and I should drive the course beforehand so I could see what I was in for. I eventually just let it up to chance though...no need to make myself crazy. I am kind of glad that I didn't drive it, because there were some majorly unexpected hills that might have psyched me out and lots of unexpected down hills which I would have been looking for way too early I'm sure. I was already feeling a bit nervous since I hadn't logged a single mile in three weeks (yikes).
This time my for real goal was 10:30 pace (lately I've been telling people 10:30 and secretly hoping for lower). I figured this was a good goal considering my lack of training and the difficulty of the course.
Of course, it was pouring down rain at the start. Yuck. I don't mind running in the rain, but I hate standing around in it, sopping wet, knowing that I will be uncomfortable because of it later. For this reason (and others) I was so glad that I wasn't in for the whole thing.
Right off the bat, I forgot about the minor hill leading up to the road to the bridge. Small but steep, it reminded me of some of the hills in the Queens half marathon. Bleh. My legs didn't react well and I knew I was kind of in for it.
But here's the funny thing: all of the hills I remembered as being torturous were actually not so bad. It was the little ones I didn't remember that sucked. So I just held back in the first few miles and took it easy.
The thing that is great about the Flying Pig is all of the crowd support. It seems to multiply every year. There weren't really any places on the course that were too deserted, and some places (like in front of my old workplace) were as crowded as they are for the NYC marathon.
I am pretty sure they changed the course a little bit though, adding a killer hill in right before we went into the park. Luckily, my all time favorite water stop was there to inspire me. (In the FP the water stops are manned by different volunteer organizations who compete for best water stop.) For some reason I find the guys at this water stop hilarious. (I think they are the Avondale Running Club). I never know if this is because I am tired/not looking forward to the worst hills on the course or if they really are truly inspirational/hilarious. Anyway, they play music over loud speakers and then the guys were singing "Running on, and running on, and running on. The Gatorade is in the green cups, the Gatorade is in the green cups. And running on, and running on..." and they are very enthusiastic and clap and tell you you are awesome and it's just very fun.
I was so dreading the Eden Park hill, remembering that Gina and I thought it was way worse than Harlem Hill. But you know what? Running it this time I was like "Wait. What was the big deal?" I'm pretty sure there are actually worse hills on the course. And this hill actually has a bit of a plateau in the middle of it. Not bad at all!
At this point I felt great, AND I knew from my segmentation of the course (which was ingrained in my head from so many years/times of running the course) that the worst parts were over!
When I got to the split though (marathoners to the right, half marathoners to the left) I was like "all right already." I also decided that I needed to cut myself some slack...as in, not sign up for so many difficult races. I mean seriously, am I a glutton for punishment? It kind of made me laugh.
On Gilbert some woman was like "It's all downhill from here!" But having heard this a million times on a million courses and found it not to be true I was skeptical. And then I saw a man on the side of the rode that said "Once you hit that cell tower you have about 2 miles of downhills!" THAT I could believe because it was so specific. :) The cell tower looked close, but it seemed to take forever to get there. And boy was he not kidding. There was so much downhill that I had to slow way down in order to make sure I didn't hammer my quads.
By mile 11 I was mentally done. So it was a good thing I saw the Avondale Running Club again. This time they were singing "You can make it, you can make it." Which is, consequently what I had stuck in my head for the rest of the race.
As I turned into the finishing corral I was spent, but spent in a good way. I felt like I couldn't have done any better for that race, so I was happy.
Oh yeah, and I averaged a 10:12 pace. Pretty good :)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sick of Being Sick
I think if I make it through this upcoming half marathon with a halfways decent time I will be extremely surprised.
I feel like for the past month I have been on-again off-again sick. Bill and I have just been passing sicknesses back and forth to each other and since we are both run-down they totally take their toll on us. I used to be able to get over something like a cold in a couple of days tops, but now I'm lucky if I get over them in a week. So my running has definitely been suffering.
Last Sunday (the 10th) I did get out for a nine-miler. And it actually felt really great. But I got sick right after that and haven't run in an entire week. I have so many missed runs this season it isn't funny. But I'm not going to dwell on it. It is what it is. And I have found that it is much better to wait until the sickness passes completely before getting back out there to work out. So even though it KILLS me not to go out for a run today I'm going to have to skip it.
I do have two fun upcoming things though in the world of running!
Firstly, I signed up to train with Team in Training again for the fall season. I think this is the best thing I could do. I need some structure to my workout plan because with all that is going on (work, baby, running) I've found that running is often put on the chopping block. Plus, it will be great for me to get out of the house twice a week and be around adults. And of course, Team in Training is also just fun, and it's nice to raise money for something worthwhile. Our first group training session starts the Tuesday after the Flying Pig Half Marathon. Already!
Also, this week I will be covering the JackRabbit NYC Running Show. Its the first year JackRabbit is putting it on, as sort of a kick-off to the NYC running season. It's only $10 for a ticket and for the price of the ticket you actually get $15 off event merchandise (awesome!). There are all kinds of exhibitors plus a lot of cool speakers. I am especially interested in seeing Scott Jurek and going to the Women's Running session. And there is a barefoot/minimalist running panel which should be interesting.
I'm also going to be looking for something fun to run in for the Flying Pig Half since none of my running clothes fit me anymore (in a good way! I've lost a ton of weight!)
Anyway, I am super psyched because I have press credentials for this show which means I get to go early to check it all out! Can't wait for Friday!
I feel like for the past month I have been on-again off-again sick. Bill and I have just been passing sicknesses back and forth to each other and since we are both run-down they totally take their toll on us. I used to be able to get over something like a cold in a couple of days tops, but now I'm lucky if I get over them in a week. So my running has definitely been suffering.
Last Sunday (the 10th) I did get out for a nine-miler. And it actually felt really great. But I got sick right after that and haven't run in an entire week. I have so many missed runs this season it isn't funny. But I'm not going to dwell on it. It is what it is. And I have found that it is much better to wait until the sickness passes completely before getting back out there to work out. So even though it KILLS me not to go out for a run today I'm going to have to skip it.
I do have two fun upcoming things though in the world of running!
Firstly, I signed up to train with Team in Training again for the fall season. I think this is the best thing I could do. I need some structure to my workout plan because with all that is going on (work, baby, running) I've found that running is often put on the chopping block. Plus, it will be great for me to get out of the house twice a week and be around adults. And of course, Team in Training is also just fun, and it's nice to raise money for something worthwhile. Our first group training session starts the Tuesday after the Flying Pig Half Marathon. Already!
Also, this week I will be covering the JackRabbit NYC Running Show. Its the first year JackRabbit is putting it on, as sort of a kick-off to the NYC running season. It's only $10 for a ticket and for the price of the ticket you actually get $15 off event merchandise (awesome!). There are all kinds of exhibitors plus a lot of cool speakers. I am especially interested in seeing Scott Jurek and going to the Women's Running session. And there is a barefoot/minimalist running panel which should be interesting.
I'm also going to be looking for something fun to run in for the Flying Pig Half since none of my running clothes fit me anymore (in a good way! I've lost a ton of weight!)
Anyway, I am super psyched because I have press credentials for this show which means I get to go early to check it all out! Can't wait for Friday!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The More Half Marathon
 |
| Post-race with my favorite cheerleader |
I was so nervous for the More Half this weekend. I have no idea why. I felt totally prepared. But there I was, packing my bag (and Liam's) super early the day before, carb-loading, laying out my outfit, checking my alarm clock a dozen times, going to bed early. Bill was like "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" I said "I must be. I don't feel like it, but I'm acting like it." I usually blow half marathons off as I would any other race but I was treating this one like it was the full.
It's kind of funny how much other stuff you have to worry about when you are racing as a mom. I guess mainly just the breastfeeding thing...making sure all of the timing works out. Luckily it did. I also realized that the days of seeing Bill cheering me on at 50 different places on the course were over. But that is fine by me. I am happy to see them once (especially since Liam is there!).
My plan I announced to the world was that I was going to try to do a 10:30 pace. My plan in my head was that I would be happy with any pace with a 10 in front of it. :)
I knew that I had to run this thing smart because I had some nasty hills scattered throughout the course (it was two and some change loops of Central Park). I also know that I have a tendency to run fast in the beginning and regret it later. I planned on keeping it nice and easy on the first six and then figure out if I needed to go faster after that. I wasn't going to worry about the first mile too much because that's always the "finding your pace in the madness of the crowd" mile. I also was going to only look at my pace on the mile, not my overall pace.
My first mile felt like I was dragging, but nope, I was clocking a 9:48. Whoops. Time to slow it down. I found two girls going at what felt like a snail's pace, but looked like the pace I was supposed to be maintaining. I forced myself to get behind them. Sure enough, the next mile I did was 10:30. Yay! Right on target! But oh no! They stopped for water. So I had to concentrate concentrate concentrate to keep the same pace. Unfortunately I could feel myself getting faster.
I kept the next mile in the low ten range and told myself to SLOW DOWN.
As I rounded the top of the park (the dreaded Harlem Hill) I decided to stop for my GU. It was a little early, but I found that since I've been feeding Liam I need them more quickly in my runs and more often. Let me tell you, it was the BEST GU
I'VE EVER TASTED. (It was Strawberry Banana.) I kept putting my tongue up to the top of my mouth to get the aftertaste because it was just that good. Then I started laughing to myself (not out loud) because four years ago I was literally choking these things down and I could only do vanilla.That mile was a 10:15. I was kind of mad about this because not only did it include Harlem Hill (and therefore should have been slower) but it also included a long water/GU break. So this is where I started staging this inner battle in my head: Should I just run and not worry about pace? I seem to be feeling good...No, 10:30 is an admirable goal considering how I've been running and I need to slow down to do that. But I feel so GOOD! But you are only in the fourth mile. But in the Bronx Half you ran how you felt and got a huge PR! But that was... and so on and so on. In the end, practicality won. I decided to stick with the original plan.
Boy, I am glad I did! Because after I finished Harlem Hill the second time it was game over. I only had three miles to go but I was so tired. My legs didn't hurt or anything, I was just lethargic...like I wanted to go to sleep. Yuck. At this point I was just working on maintaining. I was in the low 10 and high 9s for the past few miles anyway, so I was very happy.
I almost didn't want to look at my watch for the next mile because I knew it was really slow. But surprise! It was a 10:04!
I knew I would see Bill and Liam soon and was soooooo looking forward to that. And Liam really was the cutest ever. If I hadn't been so incredibly exhausted at the point I would have stopped for a Liam kiss. But I knew if I did that there was no way I would finish running.
As I was coming up on the finish I finally looked at my overall pace: 9:58!!!!
Whoo-hooo-hooooooooooooo! I was so proud and happily accepted my medal.
(Later on I checked the results and they had me listed as having a 10:03 pace. Stupid Garmin. It had me running more than 13.1. I am still counting the 9:58 pace.)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Balance
Okay, so this whole balance thing is working out a little better for me, but maybe that's because I haven't actually worked out in a whole week :) I have had this pesky cold that would NOT go away. I figured out that having a cold while not getting a full night's sleep every night basically makes a cold last about ten times longer. Liam (of course) had a cold too, so neither of us were at our best last week.
However, it seems the whole work thing is working out a little better now. We have a girl coming in to watch Liam once a week so that I can get work done during the day and not from nine to whenever I finish. It makes me WANT to work out again and look forward to those midday runs.
I think that is the best part about working from home -- I can run during the day.
I do feel like I need to kick my butt in gear trainingwise. I have the More Half Marathon coming up in (eek) 11 days and I am feeling very unprepared. Taking a week off due to sickness is always frustrating. But I have to remember that up until last week I was totally on track with my training.
I think this one is not going to be run for time, but to finish. I feel like that is a major copout, but I'm just not feeling it yet...which is one of the things I want to work on this year. I have this theory that running for me is far more mental than physical. That's why I can kick butt in practice but not live up to my expectations for the race. I am still looking for that marathon that I can be happy with. I'm hoping it's right around the corner in November :)
However, it seems the whole work thing is working out a little better now. We have a girl coming in to watch Liam once a week so that I can get work done during the day and not from nine to whenever I finish. It makes me WANT to work out again and look forward to those midday runs.
I think that is the best part about working from home -- I can run during the day.
I do feel like I need to kick my butt in gear trainingwise. I have the More Half Marathon coming up in (eek) 11 days and I am feeling very unprepared. Taking a week off due to sickness is always frustrating. But I have to remember that up until last week I was totally on track with my training.
I think this one is not going to be run for time, but to finish. I feel like that is a major copout, but I'm just not feeling it yet...which is one of the things I want to work on this year. I have this theory that running for me is far more mental than physical. That's why I can kick butt in practice but not live up to my expectations for the race. I am still looking for that marathon that I can be happy with. I'm hoping it's right around the corner in November :)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Barefoot!
So I've been looking for something to get me so totally pumped about running that I just can't wait to go out for quite awhile now. I started by reading Once a Runner 
(you know, that book that is supposed to be the be all and end all of running?). I must say, I pretty much hated that book. It was terrible! Terribly written and I hated the characters and I only sort of cared if he could make his goal in the mile. Then I realized that this wasn't the book that was recommended to me by all my running friends...Born to Run
was! So I went ahead and ordered it, and since I know that after reading it I am going to want to become one of those "barefoot" runners I just went ahead and got the shoes.
After some extensive reading on the subject, I got the model meant specifically for running – the Bikila
. And while I was at it, I opted for the magenta ones.
They are kind of a pain to put on, but once they are on they are very comfy. I've only walked around them in the house and they don't feel as barefooty as I thought they would, but I'm sure I will feel differently after I've run in them.
You're supposed to start off super slow with them...like logging only 1-2 miles slow and wearing them only every other day. The girl at Super Runners told me that my calves will definitely hurt. I'm hoping that means I will get some crazy(er) calf muscles. I'm wondering if they will truly make me run differently. And THEN I wonder if I should be running in some less cushiony shoes then I'm used to in my races so that I don't lose my form too much after I've changed it. But I guess I am getting ahead of myself.
I was all pumped and ready to go on a run with them and then I got this disgusting cold that is making me super run down. I'm hoping I can go out tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
(you know, that book that is supposed to be the be all and end all of running?). I must say, I pretty much hated that book. It was terrible! Terribly written and I hated the characters and I only sort of cared if he could make his goal in the mile. Then I realized that this wasn't the book that was recommended to me by all my running friends...Born to Run was! So I went ahead and ordered it, and since I know that after reading it I am going to want to become one of those "barefoot" runners I just went ahead and got the shoes.After some extensive reading on the subject, I got the model meant specifically for running – the Bikila
. And while I was at it, I opted for the magenta ones.They are kind of a pain to put on, but once they are on they are very comfy. I've only walked around them in the house and they don't feel as barefooty as I thought they would, but I'm sure I will feel differently after I've run in them.
You're supposed to start off super slow with them...like logging only 1-2 miles slow and wearing them only every other day. The girl at Super Runners told me that my calves will definitely hurt. I'm hoping that means I will get some crazy(er) calf muscles. I'm wondering if they will truly make me run differently. And THEN I wonder if I should be running in some less cushiony shoes then I'm used to in my races so that I don't lose my form too much after I've changed it. But I guess I am getting ahead of myself.
I was all pumped and ready to go on a run with them and then I got this disgusting cold that is making me super run down. I'm hoping I can go out tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Oh Freetime, I Miss You So
I pretty much haven't been writing about running because I pretty much don't have time to write about running :)
I HAVE been running, though not as much as I want to. It's funny because I was going to say that I haven't been running very much, but in comparison to how many days I used to run it's pretty much the same...3x a week. However, I haven't been able to get ANY cross training in. AND those 3x a week that I run seem all the more precious/vital/frustrating because I have no freetime to do anything else (you know, like clean my apartment, which currently looks like a bomb hit it).
Frazzled?
Yes, to say the least. I am still trying to figure out this whole balance thing. I always thought that having the flexibility to work from home would be great because I could have the best of both worlds -- staying at home to take care of Liam, yet still feelling fufilled by working. Instead it just means that I have to work around everyone's schedule except my own. So, even though Liam is getting 12 hours of sleep a night, and Bill is getting 8 hours of sleep a night, I am going going going from the time I wake up (7am) to the time I go to bed (1am on the nights that I work). This means that my runs (and my life) is exhausting AND runs are pretty much the last thing I want to do when I have time to myself.
I am hoping that this will work itself out soon. :( But in the meantime I am trying to back off of myself a little. This means (deep breath) no Flying Pig Marathon. I kind of decided this a couple of weeks ago when I missed two long runs and felt my mileage was now totally screwed up. But I talked to Bill and we decided to "wait and see"...keep training for the marathon, but decide on the day of it whether or not to do the whole or the half. This sounded good at the time.
Then I went through this whole "why do I run" thing. I mean seriously, I was kind of hating on running. A lot. And let's face it: I think I was trying to do this spring marathon to prove to myself that I was still the same old me who could run 2 marathons a year, and to prove to everyone else that I was truly hard core, and to get some kind of crazy body that I've never actually had (more muscular, flat six-packy abs). That's not fun. Running used to be fun. I started thinking about when I trained for my first marathon and how it was so fun and even though it was hard it was kind of an adventure to go for those long runs. I felt so accomplished. And I felt part of a cool tribe of people. I wanted to be like the multiple marathoners in the Roncker's group. They were such cool people. And I also felt like I was becoming one of them. I mean, come on, I used to cry a little sometimes on long runs because I loved them so much and felt so moved by them.
So the new goal is to get back that love. And to run the half marathon. And enjoy it. And not worry so much about all the other crap.
Of course I came to this revelation on a run. (How cliche.)
I also felt like if I ran the marathon and didn't do well I would be crushed...even though just completing the marathon would have been a great accomplishment. That would have made it even harder to run my next one. And since my next one is NYC in November, I want to be in a good place (mentally) with running. I have been waiting to run this race for three years.
Erghhhhhhh. Change. I never deal with it well.
So, we're back to where we started 3 years ago. Not worrying about time, not worrying about past runs, just going out there to have a good time.
I HAVE been running, though not as much as I want to. It's funny because I was going to say that I haven't been running very much, but in comparison to how many days I used to run it's pretty much the same...3x a week. However, I haven't been able to get ANY cross training in. AND those 3x a week that I run seem all the more precious/vital/frustrating because I have no freetime to do anything else (you know, like clean my apartment, which currently looks like a bomb hit it).
Frazzled?
Yes, to say the least. I am still trying to figure out this whole balance thing. I always thought that having the flexibility to work from home would be great because I could have the best of both worlds -- staying at home to take care of Liam, yet still feelling fufilled by working. Instead it just means that I have to work around everyone's schedule except my own. So, even though Liam is getting 12 hours of sleep a night, and Bill is getting 8 hours of sleep a night, I am going going going from the time I wake up (7am) to the time I go to bed (1am on the nights that I work). This means that my runs (and my life) is exhausting AND runs are pretty much the last thing I want to do when I have time to myself.
I am hoping that this will work itself out soon. :( But in the meantime I am trying to back off of myself a little. This means (deep breath) no Flying Pig Marathon. I kind of decided this a couple of weeks ago when I missed two long runs and felt my mileage was now totally screwed up. But I talked to Bill and we decided to "wait and see"...keep training for the marathon, but decide on the day of it whether or not to do the whole or the half. This sounded good at the time.
Then I went through this whole "why do I run" thing. I mean seriously, I was kind of hating on running. A lot. And let's face it: I think I was trying to do this spring marathon to prove to myself that I was still the same old me who could run 2 marathons a year, and to prove to everyone else that I was truly hard core, and to get some kind of crazy body that I've never actually had (more muscular, flat six-packy abs). That's not fun. Running used to be fun. I started thinking about when I trained for my first marathon and how it was so fun and even though it was hard it was kind of an adventure to go for those long runs. I felt so accomplished. And I felt part of a cool tribe of people. I wanted to be like the multiple marathoners in the Roncker's group. They were such cool people. And I also felt like I was becoming one of them. I mean, come on, I used to cry a little sometimes on long runs because I loved them so much and felt so moved by them.
So the new goal is to get back that love. And to run the half marathon. And enjoy it. And not worry so much about all the other crap.
Of course I came to this revelation on a run. (How cliche.)
I also felt like if I ran the marathon and didn't do well I would be crushed...even though just completing the marathon would have been a great accomplishment. That would have made it even harder to run my next one. And since my next one is NYC in November, I want to be in a good place (mentally) with running. I have been waiting to run this race for three years.
Erghhhhhhh. Change. I never deal with it well.
So, we're back to where we started 3 years ago. Not worrying about time, not worrying about past runs, just going out there to have a good time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
