Dice, n. Small polka-dotted cubes of ivory, constructed like a lawyer to lie on any side, but commonly the wrong one.
--Ambrose Bierce,
The Devil's Dictionary
3.27.2009
Friday Foto
This is Beka, the Fair Weather Runner, and me after the 2008 River Run 10k in Wichita, KS. (Mad props to Beka, who worked her photoshop magic on this picture) The 2007 River Run 10k was the first race that I EVER did, so this event will always hold a special place in my heart.
I've never really "trained" for a River Run before with any sort of strategy. So, I'm really looking forward to this year's race because after training for a half marathon and marathon, I feel like I've never been in better running shape. I have a plan to whip last year's River Run time by over TEN minutes.
Another thing I'm looking forward to is the 2010 River Run. Yes, it seems a long way off - but I'm looking foward to it because I have a friend from Texas coming to run it with me. This particular friend has just started running in a Couch to 5K program, and I like to think that I helped inspire her a little bit to take those steps towards becoming a runner. I met this woman through my involvement on a site called Spark People, which I joined when I was training for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Several of us on the Spark site were training for the half, and when my friend read my story about training as well as another woman's story about training for and completing the half marathon (who is far more amazing, wonderful, and dedicated than I ever will be) she was inspired enough to try running herself. So she's committed to doing her first 5k in April, and decided to come do the 2010 River Run with me.
3.26.2009
Finally...a good run
Last night's run was beautiful, the type of run that makes me remember why I started running in the first place. The weather wasn't particularly wonderful (in fact, it was still a little windy, and chilly) and I wasn't particularly speedy, but it was just a nice, hard, constant effort and I felt really good at the end of it. I ended up doing 7 miles well under my goal marathon pace. I didn't feel great the entire time, but I'm particularly happy that I pushed through the difficult parts of that run and finished strong at the end. It was exactly the sort of confidence boost that I needed after having two extremely disappointing long runs in a row.
3.23.2009
20 Miles DONE
You know it's going to be bad run when you get to the park and can't even open your car door because it's so windy. When I left my house yesterday, the forecast said sustained winds of 16 mph with gusts up to 22 mph -- but let me tell you, it was WORSE than that at the park. And the wind just got stronger and stronger as my run progressed.
But when you have to run 20 miles, what else are you going to do but run outside? So I told myself to just quit thinking about it and go, and I stayed on the inside loop of the park for the most part to keep myself somewhat sheltered. The first 14 miles or so were fine, I was actually feeling really good and even managing to keep a pretty good pace on the stretches where I was forced to run directly into the wind. The last 6 miles...well, let's just say that I'd rather not relive that experience. At some point after I'd been running for at least 2 1/2 hours, I saw another guy pull up in the parking lot and get out for a run. I was thinking, "good luck, buddy." Of course, he came cruising along and passed me, and eventually got so far ahead of me that I couldn't see him anymore. When I finally made it back to the parking lot on that loop, he was getting in his car to leave. I wanted to yell at him, "yeah, I could have run a lot faster, but I've already been out here running for THREE HOURS!!!" Clearly running straight into the wind for 1 mile out of every 3 that I was running yesterday was making me a little crazy.
The most frustrating part of the whole run yesterday was feeling afterward that if it hadn't been for the ridiculous wind, I would have had a great run. Instead of getting the heavy, aching feeling that I'd gotten in my last couple of long runs, my legs felt great the whole time. I didn't have any pain in my hip joints or nagging stomach cramps. Other than getting hit by blasts of wind that would literally stop me dead in my tracks, it was a pretty good run. And I feel surprisingly good today, with minimal soreness - not at all how I expected to feel after my first 20 mile run.
The only positive about the wind is that at least I'm prepared for it if it's windy on marathon day in OKC. I won't enjoy it any more, but I am prepared. And I am glad that I ran yesterday instead of today, when the winds are 39 mph sustained gusting to 49 mph.
But when you have to run 20 miles, what else are you going to do but run outside? So I told myself to just quit thinking about it and go, and I stayed on the inside loop of the park for the most part to keep myself somewhat sheltered. The first 14 miles or so were fine, I was actually feeling really good and even managing to keep a pretty good pace on the stretches where I was forced to run directly into the wind. The last 6 miles...well, let's just say that I'd rather not relive that experience. At some point after I'd been running for at least 2 1/2 hours, I saw another guy pull up in the parking lot and get out for a run. I was thinking, "good luck, buddy." Of course, he came cruising along and passed me, and eventually got so far ahead of me that I couldn't see him anymore. When I finally made it back to the parking lot on that loop, he was getting in his car to leave. I wanted to yell at him, "yeah, I could have run a lot faster, but I've already been out here running for THREE HOURS!!!" Clearly running straight into the wind for 1 mile out of every 3 that I was running yesterday was making me a little crazy.
The most frustrating part of the whole run yesterday was feeling afterward that if it hadn't been for the ridiculous wind, I would have had a great run. Instead of getting the heavy, aching feeling that I'd gotten in my last couple of long runs, my legs felt great the whole time. I didn't have any pain in my hip joints or nagging stomach cramps. Other than getting hit by blasts of wind that would literally stop me dead in my tracks, it was a pretty good run. And I feel surprisingly good today, with minimal soreness - not at all how I expected to feel after my first 20 mile run.
The only positive about the wind is that at least I'm prepared for it if it's windy on marathon day in OKC. I won't enjoy it any more, but I am prepared. And I am glad that I ran yesterday instead of today, when the winds are 39 mph sustained gusting to 49 mph.
3.16.2009
Running is a mental sport, and we are all insane
Hi, my name is Kristen, and I...am a runner. There, I said it. I've fallen victim to the addiction that must grip everyone who decides to train for a marathon, because I've decided there's no way anyone would ever do something so ridiculous unless someone was addicted. And I knew it had hit me when I found myself duct taping - yes, DUCT taping, as in the stuff they tape ducts with - over the raw spots my shoes wore on my ankles during the half marathon so that I could run 18 miles this weekend. Duct tape. To cover raw spots. Seriously.
It's a good thing that I'm addicted and maybe a little insane, because if I weren't nothing, and I mean NOTHING - not even my small, obnoxiously chipper running partner the Fair Weather Runner - would have kept me going through the 18 miles of pure hell that was this weekend's run. Don't get me wrong, the run was perfectly fine for the first 3 miles or so, I was even pleasantly surprised at the pace I was keeping being just a week removed from my race. Then we turned south. Into the wind. The gale-force, take-your-breath-away-and-suck-the-life-right-out-of-you Kansas wind. That wind. After about a mile of that, when we'd finally turned another corner, Beka looked at me and said "that was like running into an effing wall."
The Kansas wind comes at you from all sides, there's no avoiding it, no matter how much you try. And try we did - running 18 miles (me) and 20 miles (Beka) we had plenty of time to try and figure out how to avoid running directly into the wind for extended periods of time. The only thing we figured out is that it wasn't possible to avoid the wind. Every mile into the wind sucked more and more life out of my body, until there was nothing left for running. My legs were like complete dead weights. I seriously doubt that I've ever wanted to quit a run as much as I wanted to quit that one. And I seriously doubt that I've ever questioned my sanity in training for this marathon quite as much as I did during that run.
I can't even say that I gained any wisdom or insight from that run. The only things that I learned are:
1) running into the wind sucks, and
2) having duct tape on your ankles when you're running also sucks.
Next weekend I need a good 20 miles. With no wind.
It's a good thing that I'm addicted and maybe a little insane, because if I weren't nothing, and I mean NOTHING - not even my small, obnoxiously chipper running partner the Fair Weather Runner - would have kept me going through the 18 miles of pure hell that was this weekend's run. Don't get me wrong, the run was perfectly fine for the first 3 miles or so, I was even pleasantly surprised at the pace I was keeping being just a week removed from my race. Then we turned south. Into the wind. The gale-force, take-your-breath-away-and-suck-the-life-right-out-of-you Kansas wind. That wind. After about a mile of that, when we'd finally turned another corner, Beka looked at me and said "that was like running into an effing wall."
The Kansas wind comes at you from all sides, there's no avoiding it, no matter how much you try. And try we did - running 18 miles (me) and 20 miles (Beka) we had plenty of time to try and figure out how to avoid running directly into the wind for extended periods of time. The only thing we figured out is that it wasn't possible to avoid the wind. Every mile into the wind sucked more and more life out of my body, until there was nothing left for running. My legs were like complete dead weights. I seriously doubt that I've ever wanted to quit a run as much as I wanted to quit that one. And I seriously doubt that I've ever questioned my sanity in training for this marathon quite as much as I did during that run.
I can't even say that I gained any wisdom or insight from that run. The only things that I learned are:
1) running into the wind sucks, and
2) having duct tape on your ankles when you're running also sucks.
Next weekend I need a good 20 miles. With no wind.
3.13.2009
Friday Foto
I have two Friday Fotos this time - this is me with my husband and my parents after running the Disney Princess Half Marathon on 3/8/09.
3.12.2009
2:10:43
I really can't imagine a better weekend to have done my first half marathon than the Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend. Everything from the race expo to the course to the crowd support was just incredible, and it was that much more amazing to be able to share the whole experience with my husband and my parents.
The weekend started off for me with the race expo on Friday. Since I love to shop, the race expo was almost heaven. After I'd picked up my packet and goodie bag and other necessary items the challenge became to restrain myself from overspending. It was more difficult than you might think - because it was a women's race, the race expo was full of all sorts of cute running skirts, sparkly tops, fun jewelry, interesting bags - you name it. I settled on some of the "official" race gear which I decided I wouldn't wear until I'd actually finished the race.
Saturday my husband and I woke up early to go experience the Magic Kingdom. Much to my surprise, we were able to walk right on to every ride without a wait. I took tons of pictures of Cinderella's Castle, and even had my picture taken with the Fairy Godmother. After a few hours in the park I was ready to rest my legs, so we headed back to the hotel for a break. Saturday afternoon I headed off to Downtown Disney to meet up with the ladies from my Disney Princess Half Marathon Spark Team. What a great experience!! It was so nice to put faces with the people who I've become friends with over the last few months of training. Most of us chatted like old friends, but eventually we all had to go our separate ways so that we'd be ready for the race. I had a nice pre-race pasta dinner with my parents and my husband, and then it was back to the hotel to get things ready for the race and head to bed.
Sunday morning came really soon - I woke up at 3am, because I wanted to give myself plenty of time to eat and get ready and be on a bus for the race by shortly after 4. I ate a couple of pieces of wheat bread with peanut butter and a banana (thanks to my parents, who went grocery shopping), downed a bottle of gatorade, grabbed my gear, and headed out to catch the bus. Because it was still dark outside, when we got over to Epcot where the race started the giant Epcot ball was still lit up and looked beautiful from a distance. My nerves were really starting to get to me at that point, and I realized we still had a long time to go before the race started. Luckily, my parents bought me entry into the race retreat, and as soon as I got there I recognized some familiar faces from my Princess Spark team. The race retreat was money well spent because it gave me a place to be and something to do in the time that I was waiting for the race to start. I had my picture taken with Goofy and with Snow White and was able to stretch and relax, and gradually tame some of my nerves. Eventually, though, it was time to start heading to the start corrals.
The walk to the start corrals was painfully long, but I was glad to have friends to walk with and friends to hang out with once I made my way into Corral A. As soon as we got into the corral I was wishing I had a camera with me, because I'll probably never be that close to a start line again in a non-local race. It was cold that morning, but not painfully cold, and I had a throw-away sweatshirt with me to keep me warm. There were still 25-30 minutes left to race time at that point, and the minutes seemed to tick by really slowly. The nerves were definitely mounting when someone sang the national anthem, and then all of a sudden - the gun went off, and we were making our way toward the start line. I hit the start on my Garmin, and it was time to run.
For the first mile or so, the course was very congested. I couldn't go any faster than an 11-minute mile for quite some time, until I eventually got frustrated and started to jog off the trail in the grass to get out of the pack. Eventually the crowd thinned out and I struggled for a little while to get into a comfortable pace, finally settling somewhere around a 9:15 or 9:20 pace. I didn't want to push it too much at the start, but I was feeling good and decided to go with it. The first few miles of the course were pretty uneventful, until the dip in front of the Contemporary Resort. The "dip" is by far the steepest uphill portion of the course but not the worst hilll I've ever run up, and as soon as we got over the dip I knew we were headed into the Magic Kingdom. Running onto Main Street USA and through the crowds of specators on our way to Cinderella's Castle was awesome, and I was still feeling really good at that point. Somehow I'd managed to time my playlist just right, because right before I stepped through the Castle - about the halfway point of the race - I heard "whoa, we're halfway there, whoa-oh, livin' on a prayer!!" Incredible. I threw my hands up for the photographer on the other side of the castle, I was in such a good mood.
The mood started to fade, though, and as we headed into mile 7 my legs were starting to feel pretty heavy, and I could tell I was starting to struggle. I was still maintaining my pace but definitely feeling the effects. By mile 8 I was definitely struggling, and the course had gotten significantly less interesting. But I could tell from my Garmin and the race clock that I was still on pretty good track to come in around my goal time of 2:10. All of the overpass ramps and uphill slopes on the course seemed to be concentrated at the tail end of the course, and I was struggling with the pain in my quads and pain in my ankles where my shoes were rubbing little raw spots. The last few miles were mostly about survival less than enjoyment, up until mile 12 where we rounded a corner to run up another (!) bridge - and could finally see Epcot again. Once I passed mile 12, I knew I was going to finish, I knew I could finish without walking, and I knew that I was really close to making my goal time, so I buckled down and gave it all I was worth for the last mile. The last part of the race course winds around several times through Epcot, and according to my Garmin I'd already run over 13.1 miles and still couldn't see the finish, and was so frustrated because my legs were like dead weights and it was taking every ounce of effort I had to keep going. It was an overwhelming feeling to finally turn one last time, see the finish line, see Mickey and Minnie standing there, see the huge crowd, and realize that I was going to finish my first half marathon. So I ran as hard as I possibly could (which wasn't that hard, at that point). 2:10:43 - not too bad for my first half marathon.
I'm thrilled with my first half marathon experience. Part of me wants to sit here and second-guess myself, second-guess all the places I could have shaved off 43 seconds, wonder if the last few screwed-up weeks of training and missed tempo runs cost me some time. But most of me doesn't care - most of me is just happy that I did it, happy that I enjoyed it, happy that I can finally walk down stairs again today without grimacing in pain. Happy to be going for a run again tonight. And slightly mortified that I'm going to attempt an 18-miler this weekend.
The weekend started off for me with the race expo on Friday. Since I love to shop, the race expo was almost heaven. After I'd picked up my packet and goodie bag and other necessary items the challenge became to restrain myself from overspending. It was more difficult than you might think - because it was a women's race, the race expo was full of all sorts of cute running skirts, sparkly tops, fun jewelry, interesting bags - you name it. I settled on some of the "official" race gear which I decided I wouldn't wear until I'd actually finished the race.
Saturday my husband and I woke up early to go experience the Magic Kingdom. Much to my surprise, we were able to walk right on to every ride without a wait. I took tons of pictures of Cinderella's Castle, and even had my picture taken with the Fairy Godmother. After a few hours in the park I was ready to rest my legs, so we headed back to the hotel for a break. Saturday afternoon I headed off to Downtown Disney to meet up with the ladies from my Disney Princess Half Marathon Spark Team. What a great experience!! It was so nice to put faces with the people who I've become friends with over the last few months of training. Most of us chatted like old friends, but eventually we all had to go our separate ways so that we'd be ready for the race. I had a nice pre-race pasta dinner with my parents and my husband, and then it was back to the hotel to get things ready for the race and head to bed.
Sunday morning came really soon - I woke up at 3am, because I wanted to give myself plenty of time to eat and get ready and be on a bus for the race by shortly after 4. I ate a couple of pieces of wheat bread with peanut butter and a banana (thanks to my parents, who went grocery shopping), downed a bottle of gatorade, grabbed my gear, and headed out to catch the bus. Because it was still dark outside, when we got over to Epcot where the race started the giant Epcot ball was still lit up and looked beautiful from a distance. My nerves were really starting to get to me at that point, and I realized we still had a long time to go before the race started. Luckily, my parents bought me entry into the race retreat, and as soon as I got there I recognized some familiar faces from my Princess Spark team. The race retreat was money well spent because it gave me a place to be and something to do in the time that I was waiting for the race to start. I had my picture taken with Goofy and with Snow White and was able to stretch and relax, and gradually tame some of my nerves. Eventually, though, it was time to start heading to the start corrals.
The walk to the start corrals was painfully long, but I was glad to have friends to walk with and friends to hang out with once I made my way into Corral A. As soon as we got into the corral I was wishing I had a camera with me, because I'll probably never be that close to a start line again in a non-local race. It was cold that morning, but not painfully cold, and I had a throw-away sweatshirt with me to keep me warm. There were still 25-30 minutes left to race time at that point, and the minutes seemed to tick by really slowly. The nerves were definitely mounting when someone sang the national anthem, and then all of a sudden - the gun went off, and we were making our way toward the start line. I hit the start on my Garmin, and it was time to run.
For the first mile or so, the course was very congested. I couldn't go any faster than an 11-minute mile for quite some time, until I eventually got frustrated and started to jog off the trail in the grass to get out of the pack. Eventually the crowd thinned out and I struggled for a little while to get into a comfortable pace, finally settling somewhere around a 9:15 or 9:20 pace. I didn't want to push it too much at the start, but I was feeling good and decided to go with it. The first few miles of the course were pretty uneventful, until the dip in front of the Contemporary Resort. The "dip" is by far the steepest uphill portion of the course but not the worst hilll I've ever run up, and as soon as we got over the dip I knew we were headed into the Magic Kingdom. Running onto Main Street USA and through the crowds of specators on our way to Cinderella's Castle was awesome, and I was still feeling really good at that point. Somehow I'd managed to time my playlist just right, because right before I stepped through the Castle - about the halfway point of the race - I heard "whoa, we're halfway there, whoa-oh, livin' on a prayer!!" Incredible. I threw my hands up for the photographer on the other side of the castle, I was in such a good mood.
The mood started to fade, though, and as we headed into mile 7 my legs were starting to feel pretty heavy, and I could tell I was starting to struggle. I was still maintaining my pace but definitely feeling the effects. By mile 8 I was definitely struggling, and the course had gotten significantly less interesting. But I could tell from my Garmin and the race clock that I was still on pretty good track to come in around my goal time of 2:10. All of the overpass ramps and uphill slopes on the course seemed to be concentrated at the tail end of the course, and I was struggling with the pain in my quads and pain in my ankles where my shoes were rubbing little raw spots. The last few miles were mostly about survival less than enjoyment, up until mile 12 where we rounded a corner to run up another (!) bridge - and could finally see Epcot again. Once I passed mile 12, I knew I was going to finish, I knew I could finish without walking, and I knew that I was really close to making my goal time, so I buckled down and gave it all I was worth for the last mile. The last part of the race course winds around several times through Epcot, and according to my Garmin I'd already run over 13.1 miles and still couldn't see the finish, and was so frustrated because my legs were like dead weights and it was taking every ounce of effort I had to keep going. It was an overwhelming feeling to finally turn one last time, see the finish line, see Mickey and Minnie standing there, see the huge crowd, and realize that I was going to finish my first half marathon. So I ran as hard as I possibly could (which wasn't that hard, at that point). 2:10:43 - not too bad for my first half marathon.
I'm thrilled with my first half marathon experience. Part of me wants to sit here and second-guess myself, second-guess all the places I could have shaved off 43 seconds, wonder if the last few screwed-up weeks of training and missed tempo runs cost me some time. But most of me doesn't care - most of me is just happy that I did it, happy that I enjoyed it, happy that I can finally walk down stairs again today without grimacing in pain. Happy to be going for a run again tonight. And slightly mortified that I'm going to attempt an 18-miler this weekend.
3.03.2009
When the gun shoots...
"When the gun shoots, you got to go." ATO BOLDON
I haven't done a Runner's World thought for awhile, but I liked this one because as of today, my first half marathon is five days away. FIVE DAYS. After several months of training, all the ups and downs, the good runs, the really bad runs, the cold weather running, the injuries, the physical therapy, the new injuries, more physical therapy, the two sinus infections, the stress fracture scare, and the road testing of multiple running skirt/short combinations, it's hard to believe that in five days it all comes down to something so simple - when the gun shoots, you got to go.
But in the end, it really is that simple. I like to think that I've done everything in my control to make sure that I'm ready for this race. Did I miss a couple of training runs? Yes. But I'm human. I've taken care of my body as best I know how, eating properly, hydrating properly, strength training, remaining as faithful to my regular yoga practice as possible, going to physical therapy, and allowing myself to rest when I was injured or sick. I hope that my dedication to my training plan and my efforts to take care of myself pay off on race day. The fact is, at this point there are a lot of variables out of my control. I can't control the weather, whether it's going to be 65 degrees or 85 degrees, sunny or cloudy, windy, or incredibly humid. I haven't trained in warm weather, and there's nothing I can do about that. I can't entirely control how my body will respond to the heat and humidity. I can't control the other runners or the fact that it will likely be congested during the first part of the race.
What can I control? Myself. When the gun shoots, I will go. I will put my heart, my soul, and my body into this race just as I've committed myself to my training for the last few months. I will run with everything I have. Whether I finish under my loftiest goal time or not, I will be proud of myself for finishing my first half marathon. I'll cross the finish line with a smile on my face, even if I feel pain. And I'll remember - when the gun shoots, I got to go.
I haven't done a Runner's World thought for awhile, but I liked this one because as of today, my first half marathon is five days away. FIVE DAYS. After several months of training, all the ups and downs, the good runs, the really bad runs, the cold weather running, the injuries, the physical therapy, the new injuries, more physical therapy, the two sinus infections, the stress fracture scare, and the road testing of multiple running skirt/short combinations, it's hard to believe that in five days it all comes down to something so simple - when the gun shoots, you got to go.
But in the end, it really is that simple. I like to think that I've done everything in my control to make sure that I'm ready for this race. Did I miss a couple of training runs? Yes. But I'm human. I've taken care of my body as best I know how, eating properly, hydrating properly, strength training, remaining as faithful to my regular yoga practice as possible, going to physical therapy, and allowing myself to rest when I was injured or sick. I hope that my dedication to my training plan and my efforts to take care of myself pay off on race day. The fact is, at this point there are a lot of variables out of my control. I can't control the weather, whether it's going to be 65 degrees or 85 degrees, sunny or cloudy, windy, or incredibly humid. I haven't trained in warm weather, and there's nothing I can do about that. I can't entirely control how my body will respond to the heat and humidity. I can't control the other runners or the fact that it will likely be congested during the first part of the race.
What can I control? Myself. When the gun shoots, I will go. I will put my heart, my soul, and my body into this race just as I've committed myself to my training for the last few months. I will run with everything I have. Whether I finish under my loftiest goal time or not, I will be proud of myself for finishing my first half marathon. I'll cross the finish line with a smile on my face, even if I feel pain. And I'll remember - when the gun shoots, I got to go.
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