my boston registration is in

Now it feels real.

Together we rise

I traded morning jogs around an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, for a basement treadmill from my childhood.

30 min jog/walk disco party on a treadmill, courtesy of IndieSoupRunner. Nearly 2 miles.

Favorite Trails 4: Towpath! Finally! (Cleveland, OH)

Before:

It's been months since I got in a long run at the famed towpath. Today, it was a sloppy, muddy twelve miles (the path had mostly dried by the time I turned around to head back, but by then I was already caked in mud of various consistencies from knee to toe). 50 degrees, sunny, and I'm pretty sure I did it in about two hours (for context, my last long run on the towpath was October-ish and it was ten miles in about the same time)!



Remember, this map shows only outbound. I about cried seven miles in, from aching quads and a realization that I was still five plus miles away from my car. Then the Clif Shot Bloks seemed to kick in (always testing stuff, I am) and I felt strong enough all the way back to the car. I think I even sped up. I hurt, yeah, and probably shouldn't have attempted such aggressive mileage after seven miles yesterday, but I reasoned that I am hardcore and badass and should be able to do it. There's no crying on the towpath.

After:

Favorite Trails 3: Smithsonian to Zoo (D.C)

Time of Day: 11:00 a.m.
Approximate distance: 4.42 miles
Time: 47:56
Temperature: 64 degrees
Running buddy: Johnny from CRC



Today my pal Johnny and I met at the Mall entrance to the Smithsonian metro for a pre-football run. We had planned on just running the Mall, but decided to meander off toward the Lincoln Memorial and see where our whimsy took us. The weather stayed balmy as we picked up Rock Creek by the Kennedy Center and followed it all the way to the zoo, stopping at the side furthest away from the panda exhibit. Several other winter runners scooted past us going the opposite way. Surprisingly, there was one dude decked out in full black CWX gear. He must have been quite warm given the temperature! We took a cooldown walk through the zoo, stopping to admire ostriches and orangutans along the way. We continued walking to the Cleveland Park metro stop, where we happily chomped our way through California Tortilla burritos.

I'm thankful for the warm weather (which occurs so often that it's no longer unseasonable) and good running buddies. I often worry about running buddies becoming irritated with my slowness and think that this worrying affects the first ten minutes of any buddy run. After the first ten minutes, my muscles have usually warmed up and I'm usually settled into conversation, and the rest of the run turns out much better than expected. I've been lucky with Cambridge running buddies and blogidarity ones--James and Sam are both good running buddies, and I bet that Wendy, Liz, and run.happy must be too!

good morning

Today I set off on a 20-minute run around 8:30 a.m., armed with a bandanna, Pearl Izumi tights, and a new Underarmour hoodie. Yesterday's 38-minute run (so far this break I've been tracking minutes rather than miles) had been an exercise in what not to do, aka eat spaghetti too soon before running), and I laced up my shoes with the expectation that I'd feel that sluggish again. The difference in mood hit me as fast as the cold air stung my hands and Fergie's voice boomed through my headphones.

Bounding along like a My Little Pony, I scooted through empty Arlington neighborhoods onto the W&OD. I thought of my VA blogidarity buddies, with whom I'd run these trails before, and vowed to say "good morning" to at least one person on the trail that day. I said "good morning" to an ipod and hat-bedecked lady and she just looked surprised in return. Five minutes later, a cheery old man biked toward me, waved and said "happy new year!"

When I don't meet my promise

I'm not sure what the consequences are for not having run even 3 miles last week. I did play badminton and walked 2 miles? The week prior, I ran 3 miles. I'm going to have to either rescind my accountability measure on this blog, or lose some kind of blogging priviledge. Bad on me. Shame upon us all.

100th post!

Things that are making me run happy this week:

-Reebok Cold Compress running gear: In a pre-Reindeer Run fit of desperation and fear (of hypothermia), I snagged a mock turtleneck from this line of gear from Dick’s (where all Reebok gear was and still is on sale, FYI). I have since bought another AND a pair of tights*. I am truly in love! The tights are lightweight and stretchy, yet warm (they were fine on a mid-20 degree night run); the mock turtlenecks made for a most effective base layer. Although I found it strange that the tights have no drawstring or zippers at the bottom, they stay put comfortably (and I think I must look cuter in them than the old man pants).


-Adidas Trediac GTX 2: Finally decided on (and purchased) some trail shoes for winter running. I test-drove the Trediacs this past Wednesday night when the sidewalk were icky with slush and snow. They kept my feet dry (made with Gore-Tex, so totally waterproof) and the aggressive tread made me feel sure-footed on the iciest of surfaces. They’re also ridiculously cheap for so much shoe ($85 MSRP).

-IndieSoupRunner.com: Like me, these guys like indie rock, and they like to run. They combine the two with music reviews and themed mixes, available as podcasts on iTunes. I listened to the second hour of the marathon mix on the treadmill today, and it was awesome.

I have been holding up pretty well this week so far. I have gotten on the treadmill when necessary (rather than using the weather as an excuse to curl up with a book), and sticking to the mileage plan I wrote for the week. With the 3.35 route I did on Wednesday with the running club (and I learned that yes, this is paid time), plus the five miles of intervals I did this afternoon, I am at twenty-four miles for the week, set to hit thirty-one after an easy (ha!) seven-miler tomorrow.

A holiday/100th post celebratory puppy (the groomers gave her a candy cane bandanna):

*Since this is a Dick's-exclusive line, the photo is obviously from dickssportinggoods.com

night running

After moving to Northern Virginia from Charlottesville five years ago, I ceased my night running because I didn't feel as safe running in Arlington as I did in the neighborhoods around UVA. My outside runs stayed in Arlington neighborhoods and the Custis trail for two years, then to the W&OD trail for another two. Most other runs occurred on the Ballston or Tysons' Gold's Gyms treadmills. There were a couple of 5:30 a.m. runs in Arlington (before I was used to an early schedule) and a few night runs on the Fairfax W&OD with a boyfriend who, unlike me, wasn't afraid of being accosted on the trail at night. When I first moved to Boston, I was still a major Nervous Nellie while walking around my neighborhood in the day, so I didn't even consider running around it at night. Thank goodness that's changed! I got a lot more serious about running during summer 2008 and soon grew to cherish the blazing heat and humidity that accompanied my training runs.

Last night I went on my second night run of the winter. Armed with a Patagonia Capilene baselayer, InSport tights, pants, ski hat, and my 2008 Boston Marathon volunteer jacket, I trotted out into the Central Square cold. I'd skipped my CRC track workout (which I should go do right now, in fact) because I felt like crap, but my roommate convinced me to just go outside and go around the block. Her wily powers are good...when used for good. Like she said, there were plenty of other runners scooting around, and I ended up scooting down to the river, over to Harvard Square, and back to our apartment. I could get used to this night running. I'll stick to the well-lit and well-traversed areas (no going east of Prospect Street for me, I've already been harassed there in mid-day), get some more UnderArmour and enjoy this cold scooting!

treadmill runs this week

I've only run twice this week (2.55 miles 23:39 on Monday, 3.45 miles 30:00 today). I'm not sure what I was thinking with my 7-days of workouts + 35 miles goal; I have to work up to that. On Monday I didn't even make it to three miles because my stomach started cramping up (likely from not eating for most of the day). Today felt better, but I'm still trying to shake a lot of stress and the malaise symptom of wanting to slink out the door and onto the T the second I see a treadmill. I came into the gym incredibly unhappy instead of psyched to run off the stress. I hope this changes. I've never trained for a marathon in the winter; Boston 2009 training should be a mental test of strength as well as an adventure.

A fellow teacher and fellow CRCer have offered their Boston training schedules. I'm going to look at both and see what works better for me during the upcoming 18 weeks. I'm also looking forward to starting up yoga, lifting, and spinning. I don't anticipate being as cheerful or as excited about running as I was this summer, however. For the past few weeks I've been feeling alternately powerless, stressed, or distraught and I've been using running as a distraction mechanism, and it's only going to continue.

Complete Running

We are the newest members of the family (as of 6:34 PM, EST).

Also, I think we should be friends with these guys.

Bah!

Intestinal disaster that knocked me on my ass* for all of Friday (and still echoed through Saturday) botched my last two runs, too. Well, I'm blaming it, anyway.

Yesterday, I did three miles of intervals on the treadmill (same formula as before: 3 minutes @ 4.0 and 1%, then alternating 1 minute @ 8.0 with 3 minutes @ 6.0 until I hit my mileage, cool down). I was trying for 4-5 to make up for being knocked on my ass all weekend, but was felled early by discomfort in my lower abdominal region.

Today, same cramping/aching occurred about three miles in. I forced myself to five miles; I am proud of my fortitude (and so is some lady on Lalemont Rd., who cheered me on while raking). On the upside, I mapped (and ran) a legitimate three-mile route that, when run in combination with the two mile zig-zag, will yield an actual five- or seven-mile run!



Note to self (and perhaps others who train in cold weather): it is actually worse to be too warm and overdressed than a little chilled. I'd have been fine, even better, if I had left my vest and maybe my headband at home.

*In all honesty, folks, don't accidentally grab fiberfull yogurt- the pressure it created in my belly was intense and agonizing for 36 hours straight on ONE serving!

Any interest...

...in getting ourselves listed here? We may increase readership and it could tap us into a community or communities in our geographic areas.

Just a thought.

CRC track workout

A1 & A2:
Carioca, weird jumping things, a-skips, b-skips, high knees, butt kicks, seals, walruses
3-4 x 1600 at 10K pace with 5:00 rest or 800 jog in between

I ran to the track in the rain and did 3 1600s:
#1: 9:19
#2: 8:30
#3: 8:41

At the end of the last one my stomach started cramping up--I wonder if it was because I didn't drink enough water today. I'm still having trouble pacing myself properly too. 8:30-8:41 is about my 5K pace now, not 10K. This is a good start though. I'm looking forward to the track workouts getting harder over the winter!

I ran for ten minutes to cool down and made the bad decision to walk a mile home without putting on the pants I'd worn over my shorts. The only pants I had other than the Quasar sweats I wore home from work were black sorostitute pants, and they had soaked up a ton of water on the run to the track. Three people yelled rude things at me in Central Square, and I wanted to kick them with my frozen legs.

P.S. At home I ended up not doing yoga...the two-a-days might have to wait until 12/23!

Big day.

Today, I ran a lot. I did my almost-five miler around noon (forced myself to slow it down and focus on form and breathing) in about 46 minutes. It had stopped spitting precipitation of indeterminate form as I dressed for the treadmill, so I took the chance that it would last and added a few layers. In fact, despite the 34 degree weather, I got a bit too warm. It's good to know I can overdo it; I learn more and more each run.

Then tonight, in a show of workplace solidarity and all-around trooper-ness, I went in and ran with the Striders on my day off. My boss did not acknowledge my presence (but I had the sneaking suspicion he gave me the evening off so that I would come in and run). I was glad I showed up; a customer to whom I'd sold some really nice shoes last week came! She's recovering from some serious shin splints and reduced fitness/activity, and I'd recommended she come on Wednesdays so she'd have a route and pacers (not to mention encouragement). Here's the route the slowpokes* and I took:



I was mostly pleased that there were so many runners (biggest turnout I've seen yet), and that there was a range of fitness levels and speeds (i.e., people slower than I am!). It also upped my mileage for the day from a shaky almost five to a solid eight.

And then I went straight to Zumba, which was actually kind of fun. Not super intense, cardio-wise, but it got my heart rate up, and I could feel different muscles working than just the ones I use to run. I think it will be good cross-training. I may even become coordinated and fancify my footwork! For $3 at the local Bally's, even I can afford to make it out there once or twice a week.

So I'm curling up in sweatpants and gearing up for runs the next couple of days. I think I will rest tomorrow (some slow yoga, lots of green tea), do 12 miles on the towpath on Friday (since I have it off), and follow it up with an almost-seven-miler on Saturday. Ass = pretty much back in gear this week!

*No offense! It was nice to have a poky run. It was also nice to have progressed enough in less than a year so that 3.35 miles at 10:30-11:00 pace felt sort of poky and relaxed (i.e., not like death was imminent).

inspired

Inarticulate, non-substantive post here mostly to make myself accountable. Tomorrow I'm going to run a few miles in the morning and then do a CRC track workout at night.

Yearning and yawning for a jog

Does anyone run at the crack of dawn or after they are extremely tired from coming home from work? I find it nearly impossible to do either, so I reserve running for the weekends, as a social activity. I also ran to the bus stop today and realized that my lungs were heaving. It was a sign that I'd lost a lot of ground since summer.

Learning to love the treadmill.

Yesterday, I tried a little interval-like experiment on the treadmill. I have rules this winter for treadmill running, the most important of which is that I will run no fewer than three miles at a time, but will not force myself to go beyond five. Yesterday, I felt good, so I did four.

I wish I could program in what I want to do, but maybe having to pay attention and change the speed every few minutes made it feel less mindless. Anyway, I set the elevation to 1% to mimic the effort of running against the wind. I walked for a few minutes (4 mph/15:00-ish minute mile pace), then alternated one minute at 8 mph/7:30 pace with three minutes at 6 mph/9:52 until I got to four miles, then walked to cool down. It was a good workout, and I think I will do it again (probably this afternoon), but increase the difference between the speeds (recovery pace a little slower and interval pace a little faster).

I think tomorrow night I will run with the store's running club again, now that I have some decent cold weather gear (and the snow should melt today!). Running that 5K netted me some Fiber One cereal and a series of Dick's coupons, so I snagged another compression mock-turtleneck (this time in a smaller, actually compressing size). Am also thinking of trail runners to keep me more sure-footed in the snow, but budgetary restraints what they are...

I still think we should try something blogidarity-/accountability-wise. Any takers? And I think I want to air some resolution thoughts for 2009: run the Cleveland Half-Marathon in May in under two hours, try a full marathon in the fall? You can see why I might need some accountability.

movie recommendation: run for your life

A bunch of CRCers gathered over pizza and salad (and pistachio macaroons!) tonight to watch Run For Your Life, a documentary about Fred Lebow, the founder of the New York Marathon. I highly recommend it!

Run For Your Life tells the inspirational story of Lebow's efforts to start the NYC marathon, including lots of archival footage and interviews (e.g., Grete Waitz, Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and the founder of Runner's World).

Having always taken for granted that the New York City Marathon would have lots of runners, spectators, and support from the city itself, I was amazed to see how far Lebow took it from its inception as a Central Park race with fewer spectators than runners. His creative efforts such as getting Playboy Bunnies to run in an all-women's Crazylegs Mini Marathon both amaze and amuse.

Watching footage of those Bunnies made me even more grateful for the gender equality that I'd also taken for granted. One of the interviewees stated that women were not expected to run more than a mile at a time in the '70s...what would they have said to us wearing old-man tights and finishing entire marathons?

Reflective modifications.

At Vikash's suggestion, I checked out the local bike shop for reflective gear. I found the sticky strips for which I had been looking (see my Nimbuses?)!



I can sew this stuff on the jacket, too, but for now, I opted for a reflective mesh triangle that I can pin on and then remove for washing (or attaching to another article of clothing if need be). I counted, and I have two strips with 14 little silver boxes each left, so I'm thinking of maybe sewing Orion onto the back of the jacket.



As for Kristina's suggestion about earmuffs versus the dreaded, yet warm, headband, I have decided to just tough it out and look ridiculous. I will be running all winter in old man pants; what dignity do I have left?

Reindeer Run 5K

Old man pants!
Vikash and I ran together (ha, I just realized that Hermes didn't know what to make of a name like "Vikash"- nor a last name like "Goel," either- and so he finished with the females, 25-29), in 32:31. PRs all around! Next time, I'm going to see how much faster I can go!

Current mission: having discovered I like the quiet and anonymity of running in the dark, I am on the lookout for reflective tape to add some safety to my all-black cold weather running clothes (and some flash to my shoes). Will report on findings (and solicit for design ideas for the jacket).

*I have decided I do not particularly care for how the headband makes me look (but I still have ears, so, bonus). Seriously, it was so cold it took me until mile 3 to warm up.

First CRC track workout of the season

800 @8k pace, 3:00 recovery
2x1200 @ 10k pace w/ 4:00 recovery
4x400 @ 5k pace w/ 200 jog in between

Last night's track workout initially hurt as much as I expected it to, both physically and mentally. The second my feet hit the rubber track at MIT both my legs and mind did not want to go. I am so much slower than the rest of the A (meaning marathon training) group that I usually do the workout by myself. Hearing and seeing the hordes of fast people stampede by during the 800, 1200, and 400s added to the feeling of "wow I got out of shape," but by the end, endorphins had kicked in and I felt better.

I'm looking forward to this training season. Another teacher is going to send me his Boston training schedule and I might attend Quasar track workouts and indoor practices as well.

800: 4:35
1200s: 7:59 (did 1400 by mistake), 7:13
400s: 2:09, 2:15, 2:01, 1:52

Update.

I ran today, a 6.67 mile combination of the route featured below. It was awesome. Not fast, but I felt like I just dug in and pushed it out, controlling my effort the whole time. I almost wanted to keep going.

And I ran in my new bad-ass pants/tights! They remind me of old man pants: high on the waist, pockets at the hips sticking out a little, taper at the bottom is snug. But they keep me warm (and yet have ingenious breathing panels to keep me from overheating), are generous enough to allow a lighter pair underneath on really cold days, and have multiple zip pockets.

To verify old mannish-ness, I will take pictures this Saturday at the Hermes Reindeer Run 5K (now, I pretty much don't get out the door for under 5 miles, but a friend, a even newbie-er runner than I, asked me to run it with him, and I just wonder if the successful completion of a shorter race might not give me some much-needed confidence. Also, never having done a 5K, I wonder how fast I could do it).

I feel back in the saddle, ready to knock out some speed work on the treadmill, or maybe a lazy five miles tomorrow, and gung ho to yoga it up for some strength and flexibility. Let's just hope this optimism lasts at least through Saturday's race!

My regular run.

Not that I've been doing it much (I'm not a fan of the snowy sidewalks, and it's worse when they get all melty and then re-frozen). I'm trying to embrace the treadmill, but mostly I've been out so much lately (read: drinking more) that I feel dehydrated and crappy. Despite the beautiful sunshine the past two days, I have barely ventured out of the house, much less at speed. I think the investment in badass tights, some serious wind-blocking business, will make me more likely to venture out. Maybe a full week of not drinking alcohol, too.

Anyway, here's my neighborhood run. The little zig-zag portion is two miles, the longer loop about 2.7. I run them in various combinations to achieve a run of whatever length I feel like on a given day.



I think a "blogidarity" race sounds great. If I am still stuck here by May, I will probably run Cleveland (at least the half, though if I get off my ass sometime this month, I may consider the full). But I am ready and willing to travel for races (having now learned the hard way that I need to arrive more than twelve hours before the race).

Struggling lately with my weight (it's not up a LOT, and it's not going further up, but it's also not going DOWN, even after big mileage weeks)- any advice on how to embrace the pudge? I've been trying to tell myself it's cyclical and I'm just on the higher end of my natural weight zone...

Also, having a really hard time motivating myself to get out and run at all. I've got the time, the treadmill, the route...I could certainly use better tights, but acquiring more stuff hardly seems the most fiscally responsible way to jump-start my winter training. Advice? Maybe we should have a weekly mileage goal, say 150 for all of us together and each do our parts to make up that total? That way, we can all kind of run "together," even if we're far apart.

good news!

I got a Boston Marathon 2009 number! I'm ready to train hard and get in shape, winter be damned.

The countdown to April 20 begins...

Query: Winter Running

As winter descends upon Boston, I find myself missing long summer training runs. Yes, even those runs after which I am drenched in sweat and thirsting for Propel. I miss the salt on my Red Sox hats and the Champion sports bra tan lines. Headbands have replaced the hats and UnderArmour now covers up the sports bras.

Normally, I'd hibernate in the winter and hit up the YMCA treadmills, but I am hoping to be one of the ten lucky CRC'ers who gets a Boston 2009 bib without having to qualify. Bloggers: apart from clothing changes, how do you adjusting your race training in the winter?

Favorite Trails 2: B'more Landmark Run

Baltimore is an amazingly beautiful city once you get the chance to look closely at it. It's an old port city dating back to the colonial era and is grand in its tragedy. I'm a big fan of The Wire which tells the story of the city's ills in such a great literary fashion that is as moving as a Greek tragedy and as pretty as it is Gothic. On that show, the beauty of the Inner Harbor and the architecture of downtown are just as pretty as the vacant rowhomes that litter the inner-city. So, my favorite run is one that I've constructed for myself over the months I've lived in this city.

Distance: 10.45 miles (good for Half and Full Marathon Training)

Narrative: You start at Federal Hill Park and run through the Inner Harbor. After going through historic Fells Point, you see the gentrifying Canton area. Run past some empty and some gentrifying homes in East Baltimore, as you run back to downtown and past City Hall and up to the Washington Monument (elevation challenge). Come back down and pass Camden Yards before heading back to the starting point.

Positives: Lots of ground covered and beautiful for a city run. Pretty compact area. Good elevation challenge at the end going up to Washington Monument, but mostly flat other than that.

Negatives: Depending on time of day, may run into foot traffic. Also some sidewalks are poorly managed and may be injury-hazards.

Liz's first entry

I run long distances whenever I can... and I don't mind doing it on a treadmill. In fact, most of the year I train on a treadmill. It's my meditation. And, at the gym here, they have tv monitors on. Which I don't really understand.....

They call it "cardio theater" but the only stations offered are news, court tv, or the Spanish channel. Shouldn't I expect to see a movie? So, I just leave my iPod on and stare mindlessly at news hosts. Is that bad? Am I a tv addict?

Running on the treadmill has its pros and cons. Importantly, I don't use elevation as much as I should. But, it does help me train mentally for the task of being alone with my thoughts for a long period of time while moving my legs. For me, and I think for other distance runners, training to do something for 2 or 4 or more hours is 50% of the game. I need mental strength more than anything. For some lucky reason, I don't get a lot of leg cramps (one of the trainers at my gym here In Shape City thinks my big legs help avoid this because they can provide more oxygen to muscles). The trick for me is being in the right mentality.

When I started running I was actually running away from things in my life that I did not like. The longer I stayed out on a run, the longer I could avoid having to deal with other aspects of my daily life. That was good - it was my therapy (and helped me get into great shape!). Now, all-in-all, my life has been much better. I don't really have those same things to avoid or try to escape. So, why do I keep running?

Part of the reason might be that I am afraid to stop. Afraid I would never be in such good shape again. Afraid I will get bored. What happens to people who used to run but don't anymore?

Favorite Trails 1: Cambridge, MA

(click to enlarge)

My favorite running spot in Cambridge (and Boston) is the Charles River, hands-down. I live about a mile from the river, and usually pick it up at Western Avenue, River Street, or the Harvard Bridge and extend the loop from 3 miles to 15 miles with an add-on through Harvard Square. I love being able to see the Boston skyline, sailboats, rowers, Harvard stadium, the Museum of Science, and the Hatch Shell all in the same run. I used to miss the W&OD and Custis trails terribly when I first moved up here, but I'm now converted!

race report: arlington turkey trot

Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: 26:32
Pace: 8:34 miles
Place: 245/1130

Happy belated Thanksgiving! James, Sam, my sister Susan, her friend Diane, and I all ran a Turkey Trot starting in Lyon Park. After seeing my friend Farrokh dressed as a Hare Krishna with two other men at the start, we were off! Well, most of us were...Sam got there ten minutes late and still managed to beat a ton of people. The course was pretty hilly and full of walkers, dogs, and small children, but it was still quite fun to go scooting around Arlington neighborhoods. Afterward, we all went to Silver Diner for coffee, biscuits, and blogidarity.

Catch-Up Post: MCM 2008 (KQB's Version)

It's been over a month since I ran my 2nd MCM (I know, I know, the "more updates to come" has been a long time coming). Since then I've done a couple more races (time trial with the JQUS boys cross-country team and a blogidarity Turkey Trot).

MCM #2 was infnitely better than MCM #1. I came down to D.C. as ready as I could be given the derailing effects of my first two months as a teacher and a knee injury in the Nahant 30K, but still buoyant from a summer of training hard on the Charles River and at CRC track workouts. I felt well-prepared, having learned my lesson after overheating from MCM #1's outfit of UnderArmour, long pants, and a jacket. I came down armed with a suitcase full of tutu, ibuprofen, a phone holder, vanilla Gu, RaceReady shorts and non-chafing sports bra tank top.

JTT's and my joint MCM evite had alerted our friends and family to our running plans, and my parents finally understood how important it was for me that they come out and spectate. The night before, Kristen made me some lovely pasta with sausage and veggies and we caught up while carbo-loading. I woke up bright and early the next day, packed up my stuff, put on an old pair of pants and a sweatshirt, and went with my dad to Rosslyn. I walked to the start line and got there in time to deposit all my stuff at bag check, put on the tutu, and safety pin the tutu to my shorts. I learned an important lesson: do not safety pin shorts to a tutu unless you have already peed. Undoing all that clothing in the port-a-potty was quite traumatic, but not as traumatic as being late to the start in 2005--I absolutely detest being rushed and late at a race start. In spite of all the tutu re-doing, I was still able to meet James at the 4:29-5:00 start pillar. Note to self: line up a half an hour faster than goal time because the first six miles do not thin out whatsoever. Other note to self: RaceReady shorts have a pocket that is perfectly sized for an LG VX8700, which enabled me to find James in the mess of people.

The starting gun went off and it took us about five minutes to get to the actual start line from our place in the crowd. I was so glad to have James to chat with as I ran. Usually I listen to an ipod but I don't like to do that for races. James' cheerfulness kept me going, as did the cheering crowds. Almost bit of the course was lined with proud spectators. I may start the era of TutuGirl--I got so many cheers for my bizarre outfit, and they kept me smiling even though knee pain and fatigue. I first saw my parents near the Spout Run Giant, holding a Go Hoos foam finger and happily cheering. I hugged them both and said "see you on the Mall!" as James and I scooted off. I only started feeling pain around mile 15-16--the same pain from the Nahant 30K, but I took four ibuprofens and decided to finish the race.

By then we had made it through Hains Point (thankfully much earlier in the course) and sung Livin on a Prayer at 13.1 miles. We made it to mile 19 together, seeing my parents and siblings near the National Mall as well as James' pals holding awesome signs for him. I saw old runner friends brandishing beer while dressed as cops and robbers near mile 22--that put a smile on my face as the weather got hotter and my enthusiasm started to flag. Miles 22-26 were definitely the hardest. I was so tempted to walk, but started hearing my old cross-country coach saying "anything's better than a walk" in my head. I unexpectedly saw Janet and Jay cheering in matching Chris Cooley jerseys at mile 25, for which I am forever grateful. Route 110 felt much lonelier than Hains Point, and their smiling faces got my spirits back up. Soo and AQB appeared again in mile 26, and AQB ran with me until the beginning of the Iwo Jima ascent.

The trek up the last hill felt different than the first time. Back in 2005 I'd felt incredibly happy just to finish and sprinted up the last bit of it, bursting into tears of joy at the end. This year, I could only muster up the sprinting for the last 50 yards or so, and only cried a little bit at the end, but I felt infinitely prouder. Next year, I'm going for 4:15!

A Catch-up Post: MCM 2008

Disappointment spills over everything sometimes. It's like a dark ink that just permeates your favorite shirt. Even if it really is just a small stain, it seems magnified and enormously obnoxious everytime you glance down and you just hope the ink isn't as indelible as it may be. With that lengthy metaphor, I introduce my personally disappointing fourth Marine Corps Marathon post.

Now, I did in fact finish the run, but it was certainly longer than what I felt I should have achieved or could have achieved. My final time was 4:46:41, more than Oprah. My PR was in Cleveland earlier in May, at 4:42:43, and in 2006 when I last ran MCM it was a 4:59. So, I was hoping to do better than my last set PR, and with more training, I think I should have bested the last PR and beat Oprah.

But, beyond that disappointment, I of course have to acknowledge the wonderful support of friends and the great changes to the race course this year. I had the pleasure of running with fellow blogger KQB this year as well. First, the weather conditions were great. It was a bit chilly in the morning in the high 40s, and warming up into the 50s when the race started at 8:00. In my previous years of running this race, runners were fortunate to have Daylight Savings Time end, so though the start time was 8:00 AM, it still felt like 9:00 AM. The most striking feature of the early part of the race course was perhaps the fog. As you run out towards Spout Run Parkway in Arlington towards the Key Bridge and Washington, you just see this ground-level fog blanketing everything. Roosevelt Island was like a mystical island covered in wispy cotton.

The best course-change this year was perhaps the shifting of the dreaded Hains Point. Previously this had been in 16-18 mile portion of the race, which is when crowd support and when heavy winds are least appreciated. This year, this portion of the race was shifted earlier with the half-marathon mark at the furthest eastern point of the landmass. Now, instead the tough miles leading up to crossing the 14th Street Bridge back into Virginia were on the crowded and noisy National Mall and near the Capitol, which were much appreciated by the runners and their support crowds.

It was around mile 22 while approaching the end that I hit my wall. Leg cramps were threatening and did happen finally slowing me down. This is where I was most disappointed in myself. I certainly had fun and appreciated the support from my friends, but again, it was just myself to blame. So, with best hopes, for the next year, I look to work on strength training and building up a better training schedule and sticking to it for the next year. And in the meantime, I'm working on washing that shirt.

Live blawrging: Running on the mind

Running is a remnant of my childhood that, like a Star Wars collection for the middle-aged fanatic, will follow me wherever I go. When I do it, I am often transported back to an original state of being a young immigrant in suburban America. I first joined the track team in high school, in a state of teen angst that you could only surpass in the height of the 1980s. Meanwhile, running's also a source of strength and power. Also, I tend to think in haphazard angles, like a shopper trying to find her way through the aisles at Costco.

you're always on my mind

as i start to run again, this blog is helping me feel like i'm part of a virtual track team, minus the loser feeling of coming in last amongst my peers. there's no dirty looks and silent begrudgement for bringing down the liver donation capacity of the human race, due to my fattiness. you're always on my mind, friends.

Ho-hum.

I haven’t posted lately because was afraid of dominating the discussion with not-so-interesting posts. Also, I took a small leave of absence to lick my wounds over my failure to run the Fleet Week Half-Marathon. My training had been going so well! But I learned a valuable lesson or two about travel and budgeting my time before race day. My sleep schedule was so screwed up I felt like hell by race time. I think it was the best decision for my body not to run, but I still feel like a quitter.

Since then, my foot is better than ever, I’ve had great runs, and I have increased my mileage. I’m shooting for about thirty miles a week (up from the seventeen to twenty-four I was tending toward over the summer and early fall), and I am taking my shorter runs up to five to seven miles each (lately, I have been running five miles almost everyday, which is up from doing three to five earlier this year) and my long runs up to twelve miles on the tow path (was running eight miles of the path in the spring and ten there this fall). I am struggling with a little bit of weight gain (maybe it’s muscle, yeah, which is some 18% denser than fat, but I mostly blame the Costco sheet cakes my mother has been buying and sharing). I am also adapting to the colder weather (last year I ran wholly on the treadmill while it was cold).

Today was the coldest run I’ve had in years- about 35 degrees when I left- with the wind chill cutting it to about 26. But my newly cobbled together winter gear did the trick (the running jacket I picked up at Target was fantastic- light, yet still kept the wind out. Its hood will be perfect when I need it- it zips right up to my chin!). I definitely need to spend a little money on some gloves or mittens that resist getting soggy. I got fed up and took mine off with a mile left to go, but that may not fly when it gets colder.

Today, Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” and then N.E.R.D.’s “She Wants to Move” (BPM 115) got me up the first hill. Not the most inspired choices, I admit, but they WORKED.

P.S. What do we think/do about honking? I used to get it only occasionally, but lately it has been at least twice every run. Maybe since there are fewer runners out there in the cold, I’m taking the honks that might have been distributed more evenly? I can’t tell if it’s menacing or supposed to be a compliment. Mostly it makes me worry my tights have split or that someone is about to run me over. For fun, honkers be damned, I am plotting to buy obnoxiously red track tights* (the shiny kind for under HS track uniforms) and wear those, if only because we don’t sell purple ones.

*image from insport.com

Leadership from behind

If the authors of this blog were to run together in real life, I'd be the leader that closes the pack. Like an exclamation point, we'd be a clump of runners, and then there would be me, separated and behind. I probably have more weight to lose, and perhaps the least likely to take up modern dance (or ballet) as an alternative sport. I'm the least likely, I bet, to go to the gym, or even to resist eating an entire set of Kit Kat candy bar, a cookie and a brownie in the course of a six-hour, sit-down, catered meeting.

And yet I believe that I can beat my speeds- through consistent practice, and by setting up social situations that will goad me into engaging in one of the simplest practices of physical fitness I can commit to and enjoy.

so behind

and sorely tempted to quit. I haven't even written a race report from Sept 14, let alone the one from my jubilant 2nd MCM.

Most of my motivation is lost. Laziness = weight gain + associated malaise. Sometimes I just don't care anymore.

How do you take care of the soles of your feet?

Just wondering if all you asphalt-pounding runners exfoliate the skin on the bottom of your feet. Are your soles calloused like the fingertips of a guitar player, or soft as the palm of a blue-blood who's never done dishes by hand?

Hey, I ran a mile today

Hi everyone:

I think it's great that people here run marathons. I like to think it rubbed off in a mild way because I ran a good 20-30 minutes this morning. I liked the crisp air that burned through my lungs. I could feel my body resisting after about 5 minutes of running. So I was grateful to have a buddy joining me, to keep me going.

The motivation was a badly angled photo of my growing chin line. I soon found myself making plans to meet up with people for weekend morning jogs. Saturday's run led me to a world of golden-flecked and burning red trees, hugging a lake that mirrored them and the clear blue sky. The view was worth millions of dollars.

I hope to restart my weekend run-blogs.

Tchus!

race report: marine corps marathon

Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:44:33
Pace: 10:51

Updates to come...

Marine Corps Excitement!

Two of the bloggers for this site will be running in the Marine Corps Marathon tomorrow. We are looking forward to it! For those that are in the area, we will be meeting at the Rhodeside Grill afterwards.

Rhodeside Grill

1836 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201

703-243-0145

Good luck to all!

Fleet Week!

I have decided (based mostly on the facts that Boston was full and I have some people to see in Virginia) and registered for the Fleet Week Half Marathon in Norfolk! I am, as always, terrified that I will fail, but I think I might be in better shape than the last time I ran a half. I would love to come in at or under two hours, but I'd be happy just to beat my last "PR" of 2:13.

With that in mind (although the foul Boston weather followed me home), I must get on that training stuff and hop on the treadmill.

Wish me luck!

High mileage.

I haven’t written much (mostly to let others have a turn), but have been bustling with good news. The last two weeks have been my highest mileage weeks ever (well, this week will be after tomorrow’s five miles)! Also, after skipping a run on Sunday (dehydration and ennui), I doubled up on Monday with five miles before and after work. For the last five miles, far from being sluggish as I feared I might be, I ran fast the entire way. I must have started doing around nine-minute miles and sped up each mile, ending somewhere under an eight-minute mile for the fifth (tenth?), averaging about 8:30. Trust me, this is fast for me, particularly to maintain. It just felt good, so I kept upping the pace, and never quite reached a point that felt like too much.

Have also managed two ten-milers on the towpath since my last post. The first felt okay, though slightly like death by quads by the last mile. I finished stronger today, though overall think I should have been faster (I averaged 11:18, but I think I ran the first three around 11:30-11:00, 10:00-9:00 for the next four, then 11:00-10:00 for the last three), and MAN am I exhausted! I suppose there’s just something to be said for completing longer runs (these two were the longest since the half-marathon in May, and ten miles each, though I’m used to running eight at a time). I have had more altercations with deer (and a poll of customers who use this particular trail has yielded advice to make noises at them, not just wave), though today it was mostly woolly bears.

Also, to spare you all the drudgery, and to improve my running habits, I started a running log and have been attempting to detail each and every run to determine trends and chronicle successes (and failures). I will let you know how that goes.

Tomorrow, I’m off to Boston for a quick vacation. Kristina and I have tentative plans for a run over the weekend (pending her knee situation, though I have no details- get well soon!), during which I may just demand she wear that tutu. Terribly excited about Boston (and very proud of myself for high speed and high mileage weeks!).

Everything is possible

Tonight I was reminded that running reduces stress and alleviates mood disorders, while reading a back issue of Best Life magazine. It's funny because I actually completed a run this very morning. As much as running is billed as a solitary sport for the rugged individual, I have to disagree. I think I'm just as influenced by my peers and by public literature, when it comes to running.

What I like about running is that no matter what is going wrong or is pushing you against a wall in life, you can feel satisfied in the accomplishment of putting yourself through a pointless exercise of endurance, and surviving to conquer the pointlessness, for the sheer exhilaration of it.

Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles.

Well, I have successfully done TWO sessions of lifting/core work this week, one Sunday night during Mad Men, and one this morning to the podcast of Car Talk. And I must have done a good job the other night, as I hurt all over on Monday morning (but in that good, I-just-used-all-my-muscles way). My quads were tight and my neck stiff, so I held off running that day and instead did a reasonably quick five miler last night. Quads complained, but held up and I made it through feeling quite strong. I want more of my runs to feel like this. All of my runs (short of three ever since 2005) make me feel better after, even if I don’t run as far or as fast as I set out. Maybe a little more than half make me feel awesome and powerful while actually running (the others, while almost never painful, just don’t feel like I’m in control; I feel off balance, overextended, or just like stopping). I want to develop or cultivate a relationship with running in which I love the act itself (more), not just enjoy its rewards. And I want to reap those rewards, too: a leaner musculature, faster PRs, more mileage (the longer the run, the greater the feeling of purification and release). I want to set goals and MEET them, whether that’s as huge as running a whole marathon or having flat abs, or as small as fitting back into my skinniest jeans (and I can still zip them, it’s just not okay) or setting the treadmill faster and/or its incline just a little higher next time, and finishing strong.

Tomorrow, bright and early, I will attack the towpath again! It’s been weeks since I’ve been out to run there, and therefore weeks since I’ve run longer than five miles at a stretch. Since this week has felt so good, I’m shooting for ten miles (also, the longest single run since the half-marathon in May). Wish me luck!

Lots of mediocre music lately, but my playlist has somehow swelled to 189 songs! Toward the end of my run Tuesday, “Hey Bulldog,” by the Beatles came on (BPM 156), hence the title.

Updates.

Have been plodding along as usual, slowly but surely. Generally making mileage close to what I want, but looking forward to a long run this week to be better on target. Have been cheered (and clothed) by Target's sale on athletic wear, so it will be with new sartorial vigor that I attack the towpath.

Am also terribly excited to go to Boston at the end of the month, partially to see the Red Sox, but also because Kristina and I have agreed to go on a run together! It will be "New Sights" in stereo!

Tonight, I will attempt to do some lifting and resistance training, get my core more in shape. I KNOW it is appropriate and good to cross train, and to cultivate muscles in places other than my legs, but have poor follow through in this area. I am publicly (i.e., now) making a commitment to do core/ab work and light lifting two to three times a week from here on out. You are all witnesses.N. B., photo obviously a Nike ad...

race report: ollie road race five miler

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 42:21
Pace: 8:29/mile
Overall: 521/1049
Age Group: 64/184
Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Temperature: Hades + humid

When I woke up this morning, I peeked out my window at what appeared to be cool, rainy weather. I packed up a little bag with a jacket and thanked my lucky stars that the late start time wouldn't be accompanied by the hot Mexican sun.

When I stepped outside, I realized that my assumptions were quite wrong. Humidity hung in the air like a wet sock and I began to dread the impending scoot around South Boston. A few stops down the Red line and a bus ride down the Silver line later, the dread intensified as I picked up my race packet and goody bag (which did include a cool metal water bottle, pistachio green shirt, and City Sports backpack). I saw some CRC dudes at the start, which reminded me that I need to get a singlet or something CRC-branded to run races in.

The race itself felt like running while breathing through a wet sock. Even the breeze down by Castle Island didn't help much, and there was very little crowd support compared to the Cape Ann 25K. I'm glad it was a flat out-and-back, because major hills on a day like today would have rendered me useless. Many runners did stop to walk around mile 4 because of the humidity--I was sorely tempted but knew that starting up again would feel even worse than just continuing. I was also surprised at how many women wore pants to the race. They must have been miserable. At the end I wanted to barf and pass out, but the immediate provision of ice cold water, bananas, PowerBars, hot dogs, Naked juice, Nantucket Nectars, Turkey Hill duetto, free books, free City Sports gear, and Harpoon IPA distracted me. I will definitely do this race again if only for all the schwag.

I think I started my timing wrong because my watch read 42:11 at the end. Here are the splits I recorded on my watch:

Mile 1: 8:45
Mile 2: 8:38
Mile 3: 8:15
Mile 4: 8:16
Mile 5: 8:15

race report: cape ann 25K

Today I ran the Around the Cape 25K in Gloucester, MA.

Distance: 15.56 miles
Time (as determined by my watch): 2:34:45
Pace: 9:57/mile
Age Group: 42/56
Overall: 390/508
Time of Day: 9:00 a.m.
Temperature: varied from 65 to 80 degrees

The registration form describes the race as: "Challenging USATF-certified 25K (15.56 miles) course along scenic coastal Gloucester and Rockport. Ocean views and old New England villages with waterfront sections spread throughout the course. (Oh, and did we mention the sixteen major hills?) Mile markers and times, refreshment stations, post-race festivities, unique awards, cash prizes, raffle, and much more!"

The ocean views and quaint villages added a unique adorability factor (see also: toddlers spraying down overheated runners with hoses and families playing Eye of the Tiger out of their car stereos to motivate us). Adorability aside, challenging and hilly is right! We were warned of the hills beforehand, so I definitely started with the mindset of taking it easy, especially since my last long run was so bad. I also came in a little paranoid that I would be running alone for most of the race in a repeat performance of the 2006 Leesburg 20K, so I brought my ipod to accompany me. However, there was a good range of runners because of the Gloucester spirit (not just crazy running spirit).

The initial shade and frequent water stops made it much better than my long runs, but after mile 8 and many of the major hills, I started feeling quite bedraggled and discouraged. Adding to this was the biggest and most unexpected challenge--the course is not closed to cars. Some of the beach roads got pretty packed, and on at least one occasion, a cop pulled over a car for almost hitting a runner. One of the CRC guys mentioned that a runner next to him punched a car after almost being hit. I hated being smushed into the side of the road and the fear of being sideswiped--my slowest miles were definitely on the most crowded roads. One of the CRC guys ran with me for the last 1.5 miles. That totally helped my sagging morale--it's amazing how much of a difference a running buddy can make.

Splits:
9:59.20
9:44.60
9:55.35
9:55.62
9:42.01
10:11.63
9:42.36
9:47.96
10:08.10
9:54.62
9:40.72
10:15.60
10:49.95
10:10.61
9:44.44
5:41.17 (last .56 miles)

Two CRC members won awards (one was second overall and the other won her age group). After the ceremonies, we headed over to the CRC president's parents' house for a yummy brunch of lobster omelets, lobster rolls, veggies, fruit, and cupcakes. What a fun Labor Day race!

New toys.

Well, I was wearing the wrong shoes. The 1120 offers arch support I don’t need and probably exacerbates my supination. I know this. But I wasn’t aware that they are a half size smaller than I need. My 10-11 in normal shoes does NOT translate into the same in running shoes. Apparently, I need to be in 11.5 in women’s and 10 in men’s. Barf. In the right shoes, my feet look like boats.

I took home a Mizuno Wave Precision 9 and an Asics Gel-Nimbus 10 in ungodly large sizes. Totally different shoes, by the way, but both a good type of shoe for my foot (even though Eddie said I would tear through the Mizuno in a mere 150 miles, I suspect meaning due to my biomechanically inefficient stride). The Precision felt light and not particularly flexible, but seemed to make sense to my foot after a half mile or so (they have a fascinating technology, Mizuno running shoes. Read the details on the website). After 3.5 miles I threw on the Nimbi and got back on the treadmill for another 1.5. After the lightweight Precision, the extra-cushioned Nimbus felt almost cumbersome. But wearing the Nimbus also feels like running in pillows probably feels like, which is desirable and good. I think the Nimbus is the true keeper, just because they ought to last longer, but I can’t help adoring the sexy little Mizunos. They’re shiny and red and almost like racing flats. Surely I can keep them just for short runs and racing, right?

So I did about five miles total on the treadmill this afternoon and barely noticed my (almost completely healed) left foot. I think I over-diagnosed. It appears I simply had a bruise. Standout track of the day: “Matter vs. Space,” by Beulah, at 146 BPM.

Sesamoiditis

Well, boo on that run Friday night, because I think I have injured myself. The last mile and a half, I could feel the ball of my left foot hurting, and I thought perhaps I was developing a blister. Still sore and swollen the next day, I asked around at the store and conventional (and some medical) wisdom held that I should take ibuprophen and ice it (which, by the way, is a horrifying experience: try sticking YOUR foot into an ice bath and holding it there 20-30 minutes). Also, for the next time around, I should look for a shoe with more cushioning (particularly since the pain set in as I’m nearing the 300-400 mile marker in my current shoes). As I look at my feet and my stride, I think the 1120 is more of a corrective shoe than I need, anyway, and might over-correct for a problem I don’t have (i.e., I think I underpronate). Anyway, I have quit running for the weekend, iced the foot twice, and taken a few pills. These have resulted in a marked improvement. Failing to find much information online because of an inability to accurately describe my symptoms to WebMD, I stumbled across an article in August 2008’s Runner’s World about sesamoiditis (and, luckily, how to treat it and prevent its return). Figures I would survive knee surgery without slowing down, only to be felled by a less common and decidedly unpronounceable malady.

Here’s to an early rise and run tomorrow, and to new shoes next paycheck!

P.S. Kristina, will keep you posted about the Boston Half. One of the nice things about working at a running store- they completely understand when you request time off for a race.

long run today

Distance: 13.54 miles
Time: 2:30:04
Pace: 11:05/mile
Temperature: 70 degrees
Time of Day: 8:45 a.m.

The malaise is back. Earlier this week I ran 38:34 at what I think was 8:10 pace (I just mapped it so I might have messed up) but noticed that my left hamstring was acting up. I played 187 points of ultimate last weekend (no women subs for seven games) and took so many ibuprofens that I might not have recognized any hamstring injury. Today I stopped running after 2.5 hours because both hamstrings and hip flexors on each leg were starting to cramp up. Arrgh!!

After spending the day helping runners find the shoes and information they need, I put it to practice myself. I now have a semblance of the tools I need to self-diagnose shoe and foot issues. I have a normal foot, normal arch, and can take a totally neutral, cushioned shoe. I happen to run in an Asics Gel-1120, which is more support than I need. It works, so I’m not too concerned at the moment. But you can bet I’m taking advantage of every opportunity to try on shoes at the store in preparation for my next pair!
As for today, I found the post- “Jeopardy!” time slot an ideal time to run. It was nearly dark, so the sidewalks were mostly clear, and the temperature had dropped off considerably.

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 45-50 minutes
Pace: first three miles, around 10:30; the last two, around 9:00
Temperature: 85 degrees
Time of Day: 8:00
Wildlife: dead bunny curled up at the intersection of Green and Groveland, very sad. Then I saw the Silsby bunny in the neighbors’ tree lawn post-run (very much alive) .

Feeling very happy with today’s run. Lots of good music today, but the standout track would have to be “Only the Good Die Young,” by Billy Joel (and hits the BPM jackpot at 158).

Excuses, excuses!

Hi. I’ve not really been good at running this week (two meh treadmill miles on Monday). But I have a couple of good excuses!

1. Insomnia- I couldn’t sleep on Monday night and it kind of threw me off all week.

2. I have just started not one, but TWO jobs! The best part is that one is at a specialty running store, so I am learning quite a bit about shoes, for one, but also about the running community in Cleveland. I think it will be a boon to my fitness (since I am allowed to write up my schedule based on when I run so that it doesn’t interfere with work).

Still thinking about fall races (but feeling less confident about a half-marathon in under two hours): USAF 10K with Jimmy Page on September 20th? Boston half-marathon on October 12th? Both? None of this REALLY matters if I can’t get myself out the door to train, but there’s something about paying for the race that really pushes (shames?) me.

The plan for tonight is five miles in the (hopefully cooling) evening after hydrating all day at the store. Worst case, half an hour or so of speedwork on the treadmill. Must get it into my head that these fall races are only a few weeks away!

Praise be to all who raise their heart beats

I'm happy to rejoice with you about running. I'm also, for personal and professional reasons, anonymous. I'm worried that this blog will eat up much of my time, but the benefits will be:

1) better running & health,
2) a creative writing outlet, and
3) a communal internet space.

This blog is a new relationship for me, so here's the best link I could find on my framework for healthy vs. unhealthy realtionships.

I recently passed a hump point with running. I released myself from having to run 5 km at a time, and have started anew. No more criteria, just free running for now.

3.46 km, jogging and walking, 29 minutes.

Mmm…munching on gnocchi with pesto after what was my best run in recent memory. I don’t know if it was my mood (maybe I should always start off a run grumpy and distracted?), the music (standout track: “Where Is the Love?,” by the Black-Eyed Peas, BPM a mere 94), or the timing (I went out in the evening), but everything just felt perfect. I switched up my two-mile and three-mile routes and ran them out of order, so maybe I tricked myself into thinking it was a shorter run? I think the dusk played a factor, the dying light playing tricks and making me feel speedier. Also, I think I was distracted by the scenery, because, unlike the mid-mornings when I usually run, people are out walking their dogs en masse when it’s a clear and cool evening in August in Cleveland. I had to step around a dog/walker pair at least every block. Saw only two other runners, though: a real jock running shirtless (probably a JCU athlete, newly back on campus), and a young skinny guy with a bouncy gait wearing a shirt from Second Sole (where I’ve never been, and which reminded me that they have a running club that I must check out).

Whatever it was tonight, I am the closest to high from running I’ve ever been. I felt spry and lithe and gazelle-like and indefatigable. I felt like I’d won the race when I pounded into my driveway as the sun went down, and was unsurprised to see that I’d run faster than I expected. Though I have been trying to run more slowly than race pace (my last race, the half, was at 10:11, so I’m aiming for 11:00 or so) on long-ish runs, I think I ran these five miles between 9:45 and 9:30, so it was an unintentional tempo run, I guess.

ONLY one drawback: I realized at about mile 4.9 that my blister from these moccasins (photo from Target.com) had not, in fact, completely healed. But I’m over it.

CRC track workout

A2 400-400-800-400-400-1200-400-400-2000
400s at 1 second per lap slower than current 5k fitness pace, 800s at 5k pace, 1200 at 2 seconds per lap slower, 2000 @ 4 seconds per lap slower than 5k pace. Recovery is 50-90% of the time it took to do the previous interval.

After throwing the frisbee for about fifty minutes, I ran a few laps to warm up and did the following splits:

400 --> 1:56 (7:44 pace)
400 --> 1:54 (7:36 pace)
800 --> 3:59 (7:58 pace)
400 --> 1:53 (7:32 pace)
400 --> 1:51 (7:24 pace)
1200 --> 5:48 (7:44 pace)
400 --> 1:47 (7:08 pace)
400 --> 1:52 (7:28 pace)
2000 --> 9:56 (7:57 pace)

I still need to figure out what my 5K pace is. I wasn't dying after each interval the way I was at Quasar track workouts (where I ran 400m splits in about 1:27). Maybe I have just gotten faster this summer. I signed up for a 5 miler and a 25K in the first week of September--those will tell me if I've actually gotten faster or not!

beep you, malaise

Distance: 5.98 miles
Time: 55:44
Pace: 9:20/mile
Temperature: 72 degrees
Time of Day: 4:00 p.m.

The sun is back and so are my happy spirits. I made a last minute decision to go further down Concord Ave than I usually go (instead of investigating the "butt hill"). I turned left on Walden St because it seemed familiar from my walk to Danehy fields last week. However, once it turned into Reservoir St I realized that Cambridge geography could not possibly be that simple. I asked a kind passerby at the corner of Reservoir St and Huron Ave what the quickest way to the river was, and she directed me right to the intersection of Brattle and Mt. Auburn. Sweetness! The lieutenant of the toes is doing a little better.

At the risk of sounding too cutesy (and with rainbows!)...

Quick three-miler this morning, first since I've been back. I have been out of town (driving through the Catskills, Poughkeepsie, and Ithaca, accompanied by nearly perfect weather and rainbows as apologies when the weather wasn’t quite ideal). There was nothing remarkable about this run: it was my normal route (down Belvoir to Fairmount, east to Green, then back up Green to Baintree, across Belvoir and then home), the weather was pleasant, my joints felt good, and I was generally happy to be out moving again after a few days stuck in a car. A few nights ago, I was talking with a good friend who asked in passing about my running. I talked about mileage and goals and said mostly that I was happy that it was making me feel strong. He said simply, “You always were strong, Wendy; the running just made you realize it.” So today when I ran, I ran with the knowledge that I was already strong, and it made me veritably fly across the concrete, humming “Melt With You,” by Modern English (158 BPM).

the lieutenant of the toes

has fallen off. Rather, the toenail on the ring toe of my right foot has fallen off. With it has gone the malaise...I think. The sun is out, I have a new green quilt, and am feeling more comfortable about school (just crossing my fingers that I'll get a schedule finalized by the end of the week). Today I will try to explore the hills in the Porter Square neighborhood. My friend Sarah had an Olympics party recently, and I accidentally walked up a huge hill to get to her house. She and her roommates apparently all have amazing butt muscles from traipsing up that hill every day--time to fire up the ipod and see if the "butt hill" could be a new place for hill repeats!

the malaise

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 35:15
Pace: 10:05/mile
Time of Day: 10:30 a.m.
Temperature: 66 degrees

Today I have the running malaise. I didn't run on Friday because of an ultimate frisbee tournament on Saturday, and I didn't run on Sunday because I felt like I got hit by a bus when I woke up. I felt the same way I did on one of my first runs in Cambridge--mentally discouraged and slow in spite of the cool weather and the fact that I've been running regularly all summer. Back in June 2007, a 2.5 mile bridge loop felt like a big deal; now that's barely a warmup on one of my long runs. I'm hoping that both the rain and this malaise go away soon.

track workout

Today I went to the Cambridge Running Club track workout for the first time in ages. It felt good to be back!

The workout:

Everyone:
15-25:00 warm-up; drills; 4x100 meter strides

A1 4x2000@ 10k pace; recovery is 50-90% of the time it took to do the previous interval
A2 3x2000 @ 10k pace; recovery is the same as above

I got there late because of traffic so I skipped the warmup, drills and strides. My usual running partner was not there so I decided to go for 9:00 mile pace on the A2 workout.

My results:

1) 2:08.53, 2:05.83, 2:05.80, 2:07.50, 1:57.71, total = 10:25.98, pace = 8:20.8

2) 2:09.11, 2:02.11, 2:01.74, 1:57.50, 1:51.94, total = 10:02.86, pace = 8:02.3

3) 2:00.27, 1:57.34, 1:56.12, 1:55.58, 1:46.69, total = 9:36, average = 7:40.8

I am proud of myself--I did a lot better than 9:00 mile pace today! I think I got in 5K pace mode by mistake though. I'm looking forward to next week.

short run today

Distance: 4.64 miles
Time: 40:11
Pace: 8:40/mile
Temperature: 63 degrees
Time of Day: 7:00 p.m.

As I walked back to my apartment after a stomach cramp 40 minutes into my run, I looked up at the gray sky and thought, "the weather's finally starting to turn again." I'd felt this way in May when I ran the Boston Run to Remember--back then, the hints of sun that hit my shoulders felt like a sweet contrast to the chilly wind of late winter/early spring. My tan is starting to fade and the days during which I curse the "hot Mexican sun" for making my Propel turn warm after a mile are now few and far between. Sigh...guess it's time to retire the Champion sports bras and bring out the shirts...I almost miss D.C. heat and humidity.

Wendy 2, deer 0

I arguably ran eight miles this morning…closer to ran six and walked here and there to a little over eight miles covered. Ostensibly, the walking bits were where/when I wanted to take in the scenery along the towpath (map at left courtesy of orcno.com), but I’ve also felt kind of sluggish lately (although when I got back to the car and checked the time, I realized I must have been running faster than I thought). I’m not sleeping well, and have resorted to sleeping pills on more than one occasion. Then again, if I were running more, I think I’d be sleeping better…

It was the first time I’ve run the towpath alone. I saw slugs (out in full force, maybe 50 of them here and there), two matching caterpillars, a heron, a few sparrow-type birds, and had a showdown with a deer. This happened the last time I ran the path, too. Deer are a little scary up close; they look like they could kick you to next week, particularly if they seem to be guarding a fawn. These park deer seem to be fairly used to people on the path and this one merely stared back at me as I slowed my approach, then shuffled off to the side to let me pass. Unfortunately I didn’t see any eaglets, though the park website says it's out and we can make noise on the path again.

I’m frustrated that my endurance seems to have taken a beating, though I didn’t feel that tired when it was over. I think I need to work on slowing myself down, and running steadily (though I keep reading that interspersing bouts of walking in a long run can improve endurance over time, better than running alone). By now, a few hours after showering and lunching, I feel strong. If only I could have felt this capable while actually RUNNING.

And guess which four-mile “interval” run I didn’t do yesterday? Yep, THAT one. I think I ran early enough this morning to allow myself to make it up tomorrow afternoon, even if I follow it up with an easy five-miler on Friday morning. Weekend off!

Standout track of the day: “M 79,” Vampire Weekend (BPM unknown, but it’s not for pace, it's for joy!)