At least once a day someone that I work with makes a comment something like this:
"I just think it's crazy to run that much."
"Why would you ever want to do that?"
"Don't you think your injury is a sign that people shouldn't be running this far?"
It's getting a little difficult to deal with the naysayers, especially when I'm now less than 10 weeks from running my first half marathon and desperately trying to keep myself in good shape (i.e., not injured or sick) until the race. So it helped today that on another forum I belong to, someone posted this blog about why marathoners make good employees. And, in general, how training for a marathon changes you for the better.
http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/why-runners-usually-make-great-employees/
2.23.2009
Sweet 16
Those of you who've been following my foot saga probably know why I was feeling a little iffy about the 16 mile run I had planned yesterday. On top of the foot saga, I'm still trying to fight off the sinus infection I came down with just before last week's long run. I purposely ran at the park again so that I would never be too far away from my car if my foot started to hurt and I needed to stop running.
For the first four miles I was overly focused on my right foot, constantly analyzing every step, waiting to see if pain was going to start. But the first four miles were fine. After that, I started to relax a little more. At eight miles, I still had no pain in my foot and was feeling great. Around mile twelve my hips were starting to get a little tight on me, but nothing so bad that it affected my pace. At that point, I was just thrilled that I'd made it through the majority of my run without any stomach pains or cramps. As I set out for the last four miles of my run, I wasn't thinking about my sore hips or whether my foot was going to start hurting, I was just really, really excited that I was going to finish my 16 mile run. I think on those last four miles I experienced a little bit of the elusive "runners' high" - from mile 15 to mile 16, I was so ridiculously thrilled with myself that I wanted to sing along to my mp3 player out loud at the top of my lungs, even though my hips were really getting to me at that point.
Today I am S-O-R-E, but it feels amazing to get that run under my belt before the half marathon. Tomorrow I have to deal with a bone scan, but for today I'm just going to really enjoy the fact that I ran 16 miles yesterday.
For the first four miles I was overly focused on my right foot, constantly analyzing every step, waiting to see if pain was going to start. But the first four miles were fine. After that, I started to relax a little more. At eight miles, I still had no pain in my foot and was feeling great. Around mile twelve my hips were starting to get a little tight on me, but nothing so bad that it affected my pace. At that point, I was just thrilled that I'd made it through the majority of my run without any stomach pains or cramps. As I set out for the last four miles of my run, I wasn't thinking about my sore hips or whether my foot was going to start hurting, I was just really, really excited that I was going to finish my 16 mile run. I think on those last four miles I experienced a little bit of the elusive "runners' high" - from mile 15 to mile 16, I was so ridiculously thrilled with myself that I wanted to sing along to my mp3 player out loud at the top of my lungs, even though my hips were really getting to me at that point.
Today I am S-O-R-E, but it feels amazing to get that run under my belt before the half marathon. Tomorrow I have to deal with a bone scan, but for today I'm just going to really enjoy the fact that I ran 16 miles yesterday.
2.19.2009
And the quote of the day is...
"Some women your age run marathons. I say good for you...leaves more margaritas for the rest of us."
From a Hallmark card given to me by my mom.
From a Hallmark card given to me by my mom.
2.18.2009
Happy Birthday to Me!
To all of you out there in blog-land, I just want you to know that today is my birthday. I plan to stuff myself with delicious Mexican food from my favorite restaurant, and then indulge in at least two slices of my very favorite kind of cake (thanks to my mom, who is making it for me). Tomorrow I will be wheeled into work in a wheelbarrow.
Adventures in Skirt
Last night my new turquoise running skirt (a Valentine's gift from my parents) was begging to be taken on a "test run" at the gym. It felt pretty comfortable when I tried it on, but I wasn't about to go for a long run in that thing until I was sure it was at least comfortable for two or three miles. So after several rounds of "do you think I'm too fat to wear this?" "No." "Okay. But seriously, am I too fat to wear this? Does it look bad?" "No." with my husband, I decided to stop being self-conscious and take the skirt to the gym.
I must say, I think I look pretty good in that thing. I'm just not sure "skirt culture" has caught on here and was afraid that I was going to get a lot of "what the..." looks from people at the gym. No one was really looking at me though, which is actually kind of a shame because - as I said - I do look pretty good in that skirt. At any rate, the skirt ended up being very comfortable to run in. It may be making a half marathon appearance in a couple of weeks.
I must say, I think I look pretty good in that thing. I'm just not sure "skirt culture" has caught on here and was afraid that I was going to get a lot of "what the..." looks from people at the gym. No one was really looking at me though, which is actually kind of a shame because - as I said - I do look pretty good in that skirt. At any rate, the skirt ended up being very comfortable to run in. It may be making a half marathon appearance in a couple of weeks.
2.16.2009
Me vs. The Road, Part II: Me - 1, Road - 1
The Road didn't even see it coming.
On Sunday I set out for a solo 14 mile run. Saturday I'd starting to come down with something, and on Sunday I woke up feeling like total crud. Dragging myself out of bed on Sunday felt like a monstrous effort, so I did not have particularly high hopes for my run. I just hoped that I'd be able to at least finish it, even if I had to walk several miles. Mindful of what happened on my last run, I armed myself with a veritable arsenal of water and sport beans and GU before I left the house. Coupled with my multiple articles of clothing that I took along because I wasn't sure what the weather would be like, I think I looked like I was about to go trek Mount Everest instead of just go for a run around the park.
Eventually myself and my 30 pounds of gear arrived at the park, and I decided I needed to just start running before I had a chance to think about how much the next two and a half hours of my life were about to suck. The park where I run has a four mile outer loop and three mile inner loop, so my plan was to run the four mile outer loop twice and the three mile inner loop twice. I set out on my first four mile loop, deliberatly going slow and telling myself not to get my hopes too high because I know the first loop for me is always the most difficult. The first part of the loop was, unfortunately, directly into the north wind. But once I turned and had the wind at my side, I settled into a pretty comfortable, albeit slightly slower than normal, pace. Much to my surprise, the first four miles were easy, and after a quick stop at my car for some sport beans and a drink, I started out on the next four mile loop.
I told myself at this point it wasn't going to get any worse, because this was the last time I'd have to run directly into the north wind for any significant distance. It turned out I was wrong about that, but it was a comforting thought at the time. I kept expecting for the cramps or the pounding sinus headache to begin again, but they never did. The second four miles was just as easy as the first, and I even picked up some speed along the way. At my second break, I grabbed a vanilla GU and some water, and then started off on the first of two three mile loops.
I had thought that the three mile loops would be a little sheltered from the wind, because they are lined by trees and wind through the middle of the park for the most part. I was wrong. And I think the wind had picked up by that point in the afternoon. But I wasn't about to turn around and go back to the car and spend time fussing with my layers, so I just kept on going and figured that eventually the wind would be at my back again and I'd warm up. After mile 9, I could feel my stomach start to cramp on me a little. Having a head cold was bad enough, so I just thought to myself "no, I am not going to put up with THAT today, so you can just knock it off." And to my surprise, my stomach did knock it off. Turns out that miles 8-11 were the fastest that I'd run so far, and I wasn't even remotely tired when I stopped at my car to grab one last drink before the last three miles.
Back into the wind for another mile and a half or so, and my mind is really wandering at this point. For the first time, even though I've never noticed it before, I realize that somone has graffitied the words "follow your heart," "dream big," "push yourself," and "believe" at various points along the running path. I start to think about that for a minute, then look at my garmin and realize that I've run 12 miles already. I think to myself that during the half marathon, this is the point where I'm really going to want to push it, and decide that I feel good enough to push myself to race pace for at least a mile. Much to my surprise, race pace comes easily and at 13.1 miles I have this thought:
"Congratulations - you've just run a half marathon. AND YOU'RE NOT TIRED."
So I kept going at race pace until I completed my last loop and had finished 14 miles. No hip pain. No stomach cramps. Not a single step walked. I GAINED speed along the way. I defeated the road.
Top 10 things I learned along the way?
1. It's good to have a complete day of rest before a long run.
2. I can still run well even if I have a cold.
3. Having a new playlist helps.
4. I can gain speed over the course of a run if I'm careful about conserving energy at the start.
5. Blue sport beans are good, and BONUS - just happen to be my favorite color.
6. After 8 miles of running I'm just delusional enough to think that a vanilla GU tastes like a tasty ice cream treat.
7. Sometimes it pays to read the graffiti along the path.
8. It's frightening what I think about during a long run when I don't have real people around to talk to.
9. I'm perfectly capable of running a half marathon.
10. And, most importantly - having one bad run does NOT mean that my training is failing or that every run after that will be also be bad.
On Sunday I set out for a solo 14 mile run. Saturday I'd starting to come down with something, and on Sunday I woke up feeling like total crud. Dragging myself out of bed on Sunday felt like a monstrous effort, so I did not have particularly high hopes for my run. I just hoped that I'd be able to at least finish it, even if I had to walk several miles. Mindful of what happened on my last run, I armed myself with a veritable arsenal of water and sport beans and GU before I left the house. Coupled with my multiple articles of clothing that I took along because I wasn't sure what the weather would be like, I think I looked like I was about to go trek Mount Everest instead of just go for a run around the park.
Eventually myself and my 30 pounds of gear arrived at the park, and I decided I needed to just start running before I had a chance to think about how much the next two and a half hours of my life were about to suck. The park where I run has a four mile outer loop and three mile inner loop, so my plan was to run the four mile outer loop twice and the three mile inner loop twice. I set out on my first four mile loop, deliberatly going slow and telling myself not to get my hopes too high because I know the first loop for me is always the most difficult. The first part of the loop was, unfortunately, directly into the north wind. But once I turned and had the wind at my side, I settled into a pretty comfortable, albeit slightly slower than normal, pace. Much to my surprise, the first four miles were easy, and after a quick stop at my car for some sport beans and a drink, I started out on the next four mile loop.
I told myself at this point it wasn't going to get any worse, because this was the last time I'd have to run directly into the north wind for any significant distance. It turned out I was wrong about that, but it was a comforting thought at the time. I kept expecting for the cramps or the pounding sinus headache to begin again, but they never did. The second four miles was just as easy as the first, and I even picked up some speed along the way. At my second break, I grabbed a vanilla GU and some water, and then started off on the first of two three mile loops.
I had thought that the three mile loops would be a little sheltered from the wind, because they are lined by trees and wind through the middle of the park for the most part. I was wrong. And I think the wind had picked up by that point in the afternoon. But I wasn't about to turn around and go back to the car and spend time fussing with my layers, so I just kept on going and figured that eventually the wind would be at my back again and I'd warm up. After mile 9, I could feel my stomach start to cramp on me a little. Having a head cold was bad enough, so I just thought to myself "no, I am not going to put up with THAT today, so you can just knock it off." And to my surprise, my stomach did knock it off. Turns out that miles 8-11 were the fastest that I'd run so far, and I wasn't even remotely tired when I stopped at my car to grab one last drink before the last three miles.
Back into the wind for another mile and a half or so, and my mind is really wandering at this point. For the first time, even though I've never noticed it before, I realize that somone has graffitied the words "follow your heart," "dream big," "push yourself," and "believe" at various points along the running path. I start to think about that for a minute, then look at my garmin and realize that I've run 12 miles already. I think to myself that during the half marathon, this is the point where I'm really going to want to push it, and decide that I feel good enough to push myself to race pace for at least a mile. Much to my surprise, race pace comes easily and at 13.1 miles I have this thought:
"Congratulations - you've just run a half marathon. AND YOU'RE NOT TIRED."
So I kept going at race pace until I completed my last loop and had finished 14 miles. No hip pain. No stomach cramps. Not a single step walked. I GAINED speed along the way. I defeated the road.
Top 10 things I learned along the way?
1. It's good to have a complete day of rest before a long run.
2. I can still run well even if I have a cold.
3. Having a new playlist helps.
4. I can gain speed over the course of a run if I'm careful about conserving energy at the start.
5. Blue sport beans are good, and BONUS - just happen to be my favorite color.
6. After 8 miles of running I'm just delusional enough to think that a vanilla GU tastes like a tasty ice cream treat.
7. Sometimes it pays to read the graffiti along the path.
8. It's frightening what I think about during a long run when I don't have real people around to talk to.
9. I'm perfectly capable of running a half marathon.
10. And, most importantly - having one bad run does NOT mean that my training is failing or that every run after that will be also be bad.
2.13.2009
Nothing like it?
"There's nothing quite like your first marathon. The adrenaline just flows." -- Sister Marion Irvine
On April 26, after I've just run 26 miles, I'll tell you whether this is true.
On April 26, after I've just run 26 miles, I'll tell you whether this is true.
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