Some stuff that happened over the past month:
1) A lot of bad runs as the temperature went up/humidity increased.
2) One very bad half-marathon, during which I felt sick around mile 4 and never got better.
3) One really good 6-mile run on a night where the humidity was low. That was fun! So it isn't all hopeless, apparently.
4) An 11-mile run on the treadmill, which seemed endless.
5) I BOUGHT A TREADMILL!!!!!!! Not the same one as the 11-mile run. But my very own. So I can run on it and watch the Red Sox.
Stuff that is happening in the future:
1) I am going to Australia. It's winter there. I hope that this bodes well for running.
2) I'm doing a 5k in Australia. Because hey, why not?
3) Then I get to do the Beach to Beacon 10k. I am hoping to set a new PR here. My goal is under 11:00 mile splits. Doesn't have to be much under them. Could be 10:59. But that would still be a PR. My current PR is 11:15 and I have spent years trying to break that one.
4) All that's left after that is a marathon. No biggie.
I am trying to stay positive in the face of much negative with running. Still working off the stomach bug that hit me during the half-marathon and running has not been going so well since then. Still trying to remember that it is only one glitch and sometimes glitches happen. Not doing great with all of these sentiments.
I'm sad that the half-marathon didn't go better for a number of reasons. The conditions were really good for running (in the 50s!). The course was really good for running: only one real uphill and very scenic besides. My stepmother would have done very well if we could have just run the course. So I was very annoyed at the outcome. At the same time, it's really hard to run when you're sick and there is a bug going around. I am not the only one to suffer through it.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
What doesn't kill you...might almost kill you.
Today was speedwork. The running plan is going okay. Not great. I've had to do lots of reshuffling. However, reshuffling is better than throwing my hands in the air and giving up, so I'm seeing this as a positive thing.
Anyway, today was speedwork. And it was not easy. I went to the gym to use the treadmill. The workout itself should not have been that hard: it was mostly at a fast speed, but not very far.
I did not feel well. At all. Also I was very sweaty.
I was ready to throw in the towel (towels are mandatory at my gym) and concede that I let myself get too out of shape. Maybe the time had come to hold back on this training plan. Then I looked at the thermostat.
It was 26C. I think that they showed it in Celsius so that you wouldn't break down crying right then and there. That's almost 79F.
That's warmer than I keep my house.
Sure, it didn't kill me, but it felt very close. The good news: rumor has it that this experience should have made me stronger. We will see.
Anyway, today was speedwork. And it was not easy. I went to the gym to use the treadmill. The workout itself should not have been that hard: it was mostly at a fast speed, but not very far.
I did not feel well. At all. Also I was very sweaty.
I was ready to throw in the towel (towels are mandatory at my gym) and concede that I let myself get too out of shape. Maybe the time had come to hold back on this training plan. Then I looked at the thermostat.
It was 26C. I think that they showed it in Celsius so that you wouldn't break down crying right then and there. That's almost 79F.
That's warmer than I keep my house.
Sure, it didn't kill me, but it felt very close. The good news: rumor has it that this experience should have made me stronger. We will see.
Monday, April 30, 2012
I'm running a freaking marathon....again!
Lots of exciting running developments over the past week. Let me start by announcing that I am running another freaking marathon! No, not New York. I didn't get in to New York and I am far too lazy to get a bib via fundraising (anyway, I am saving all of my fundraising mojo from this point forward for another event). So after much contemplation--by which I mean a whole evening of thinking and sleeping on it before registering--I decided to do the Philadelphia Marathon. Why? Here are a few reasons:
And that is that! It is November 18, so the weekend before Thanksgiving. To celebrate, I have officially ordered my first carton of caffeinated sport beans.
I'm not quite on schedule for the half-marathon, although some of it is by choice. Last week, for instance, I decided to pool run one of the 5-milers because it's hot out and I haven't been totally keeping up with the plan, so I didn't want to injury myself. Yesterday, I was supposed to do the 10-mile run, but I just completely was not feeling it. Lousy reason, maybe. But I am doing it later today, so it's not a total loss. After talking to someone yesterday about the myriad of advantages to running later instead of earlier at this time of year, I had even convinced myself that this was the better way to go.
- It's in November, so the weather should be pleasant
- It is mostly flat
- I've heard good things about it from others
- The course is awesome, as I know from running some of it last summer. Yay scenic courses!
- When I was driving into work the morning that I did not qualify for the NY Marathon, I heard Elton John's 'Philadelphia Freedom.' Obviously, it is very easy to substitute the lyrics, 'Philadelphia Marathon.' So I mostly have Elton John to thank for this.
- Most importantly, there were still spots open
And that is that! It is November 18, so the weekend before Thanksgiving. To celebrate, I have officially ordered my first carton of caffeinated sport beans.
I'm not quite on schedule for the half-marathon, although some of it is by choice. Last week, for instance, I decided to pool run one of the 5-milers because it's hot out and I haven't been totally keeping up with the plan, so I didn't want to injury myself. Yesterday, I was supposed to do the 10-mile run, but I just completely was not feeling it. Lousy reason, maybe. But I am doing it later today, so it's not a total loss. After talking to someone yesterday about the myriad of advantages to running later instead of earlier at this time of year, I had even convinced myself that this was the better way to go.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Owning last, only to learn that I am not actually last
I did the River'n'Rapids 10k last weekend. That's the race where it was at 9am, in April, in Florida. So in other words, the race that I really wasn't all that excited about. Considering the numerous reasons that this race could have caused me to hate life, surprisingly I did not hate life at the end of it. In fact, it was relatively pleasant...bearing in mind that it was April and 9am.
The race took place in Hillsborough State Park, which was insanely scenic and lovely. I felt silly that I had never been, despite the fact that it is just up the road from me. It is definitely worth a visit if you get the chance. Trail running was interesting because I had to spend a lot of time thinking about tree roots. This was my first official trail race and it was very easy to see how things could go wrong if you weren't careful with footing. Fortunately, for me, nothing went wrong.
Going into the race, I knew that it was possible I would be last. How? Because:
1) It was the inaugural race for this event. This means that mostly hardcore runners would be signed up for it. Us slower people would maybe not be signed up as much.
2) There were around 100 people. The likelihood of my being last in this situation seemed pretty good.
And for much of the race, as I was on my own in the woods, I assumed I was last. And I said, 'Yes. That's right. I'm last. Because dammit, someone has to be last. And today, that person is me. I've survived it before and I will survive it again...provided, of course, that I survive the heat.' Honestly, I was pretty okay with the whole thing. You can imagine my dismay to learn that I wasn't actually last, after all of these great pep talks I gave myself en route. There may even have been a few chants of, 'If you're not first, you're last.' Thanks, Ricky Bobby.
I did have to walk/run after a while, but that doesn't surprise me (incidentally, the group I started with had camelbaks. Camelbaks. These are serious people). The weather is starting to get tricky and I also suspect that in the forest itself, the humidity is higher (the weather report said in the 70% range, but I don't believe that).
I just looked at the race results, confirming that, indeed, I was not last. And you know what else? There were 13 people who didn't show up. So hey, at least I got out of bed and to the race. Victory!
The race took place in Hillsborough State Park, which was insanely scenic and lovely. I felt silly that I had never been, despite the fact that it is just up the road from me. It is definitely worth a visit if you get the chance. Trail running was interesting because I had to spend a lot of time thinking about tree roots. This was my first official trail race and it was very easy to see how things could go wrong if you weren't careful with footing. Fortunately, for me, nothing went wrong.
Going into the race, I knew that it was possible I would be last. How? Because:
1) It was the inaugural race for this event. This means that mostly hardcore runners would be signed up for it. Us slower people would maybe not be signed up as much.
2) There were around 100 people. The likelihood of my being last in this situation seemed pretty good.
And for much of the race, as I was on my own in the woods, I assumed I was last. And I said, 'Yes. That's right. I'm last. Because dammit, someone has to be last. And today, that person is me. I've survived it before and I will survive it again...provided, of course, that I survive the heat.' Honestly, I was pretty okay with the whole thing. You can imagine my dismay to learn that I wasn't actually last, after all of these great pep talks I gave myself en route. There may even have been a few chants of, 'If you're not first, you're last.' Thanks, Ricky Bobby.
I did have to walk/run after a while, but that doesn't surprise me (incidentally, the group I started with had camelbaks. Camelbaks. These are serious people). The weather is starting to get tricky and I also suspect that in the forest itself, the humidity is higher (the weather report said in the 70% range, but I don't believe that).
I just looked at the race results, confirming that, indeed, I was not last. And you know what else? There were 13 people who didn't show up. So hey, at least I got out of bed and to the race. Victory!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
It has begun
Wow, I didn't even realize how negligent I've been with this blog recently. It isn't because I haven't been running. I've been running. Kind of. Not as much as I might like, but still keeping a semi-regular schedule.
So what has begun? Summer. *shudder* Yes, in April. How can I tell? The temperature today was 90F. Here in Tampa, in the summer, the temperature gets to 90F pretty much every day in the summer. If it gets over 90, we consider it to be super hot (this is just the actual temperature. The Real Feel temperatures are more in the 100-120 range). Now the humidity today was not summer-level. The heating was not as evil as in the summer. But it was still pretty warm.
I really wish that my brain had conveniently forgotten that temperatures are taken in the shade and therefore it was closer to 100F in the sun. Boo brain. I remembered this a few steps into my run.
More and more, I am regretting my decision to sign up for a run in April (much less another run in April, then one in May). But the upcoming one is the one that I am currently regretting the most. It's the River N Rapids 10k, a trail run, which makes it my first trail run. I have no idea what trail runs are like. It's in a state park in an area that should really be swamp. Whoo! Lastly, it starts at 9am. Why I thought that I would want to run something starting at 9am in April is beyond me. Possibly this occurred back when I was sick and running a fever.
As I was feeling very hot today on my run, I had a brief moment where I realized that I did not need to do this run simply because I signed up for it. Bold. Crazy thoughts here. But I don't want to quit on it. So I will do it but will plan for walk/running. If it isn't so bad, I can just run. If it is, then I have a strategy. This makes me feel better about the event. Now I can worry about being eaten by an alligator.
So what has begun? Summer. *shudder* Yes, in April. How can I tell? The temperature today was 90F. Here in Tampa, in the summer, the temperature gets to 90F pretty much every day in the summer. If it gets over 90, we consider it to be super hot (this is just the actual temperature. The Real Feel temperatures are more in the 100-120 range). Now the humidity today was not summer-level. The heating was not as evil as in the summer. But it was still pretty warm.
I really wish that my brain had conveniently forgotten that temperatures are taken in the shade and therefore it was closer to 100F in the sun. Boo brain. I remembered this a few steps into my run.
More and more, I am regretting my decision to sign up for a run in April (much less another run in April, then one in May). But the upcoming one is the one that I am currently regretting the most. It's the River N Rapids 10k, a trail run, which makes it my first trail run. I have no idea what trail runs are like. It's in a state park in an area that should really be swamp. Whoo! Lastly, it starts at 9am. Why I thought that I would want to run something starting at 9am in April is beyond me. Possibly this occurred back when I was sick and running a fever.
As I was feeling very hot today on my run, I had a brief moment where I realized that I did not need to do this run simply because I signed up for it. Bold. Crazy thoughts here. But I don't want to quit on it. So I will do it but will plan for walk/running. If it isn't so bad, I can just run. If it is, then I have a strategy. This makes me feel better about the event. Now I can worry about being eaten by an alligator.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The Final Half-Marathon...in this series at least...
All things considered, I got through my training plan pretty well. No, I didn't complete all of the runs, but I've started to accept that this is okay. I did what I needed to be in shape for the race. Unfortunately, I didn't quite make my goal, but the weather was a problem, which is simply one of the hazards of running at this point in the year around these parts.
What was cool is that I pretty much maintained exactly my goal pace for the first 10 miles. Then it got hot. With no shade. Boo. Many of us complained about the conditions at the end of the race, so I don't feel like it was only me--including some Half-Fanatic people (I didn't wear my shirt, but probably should have). These things happen. I was happy that I stayed on track for most of the race. Plus I got through the whole series!
There is one more on the agenda: a half-marathon in Niagara Falls in June. I really hope that the weather holds for it! I'll be revisiting the same training plan as the last time, although I am taking a bit of time off in between.
The most exciting development in my running life is the fact that I got in to the Beach to Beacon 10k, which takes place in Maine on August 4. The race filled up within 5 minutes of registration opening, so that feels like an accomplishment just getting in. I truly hope that this will be the 10k race where I finally do well! This is my most frustrating distance. I'm sure you'll hear all about it in the coming weeks.
What was cool is that I pretty much maintained exactly my goal pace for the first 10 miles. Then it got hot. With no shade. Boo. Many of us complained about the conditions at the end of the race, so I don't feel like it was only me--including some Half-Fanatic people (I didn't wear my shirt, but probably should have). These things happen. I was happy that I stayed on track for most of the race. Plus I got through the whole series!
There is one more on the agenda: a half-marathon in Niagara Falls in June. I really hope that the weather holds for it! I'll be revisiting the same training plan as the last time, although I am taking a bit of time off in between.
The most exciting development in my running life is the fact that I got in to the Beach to Beacon 10k, which takes place in Maine on August 4. The race filled up within 5 minutes of registration opening, so that feels like an accomplishment just getting in. I truly hope that this will be the 10k race where I finally do well! This is my most frustrating distance. I'm sure you'll hear all about it in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Being all hard-core runner
After falling during your run, walk past a young girl. She looks at your knee and says, 'You're bleeding!' You answer, 'Oh yeah, I know' and walk off nonchalantly.
Bonus points: be wearing your Half Fanatics singlet at the time.
PS - If you're curious, running has mostly been going well, apart from a slight cold that I had last weekend. More updates to come soon.
Bonus points: be wearing your Half Fanatics singlet at the time.
PS - If you're curious, running has mostly been going well, apart from a slight cold that I had last weekend. More updates to come soon.
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