This week has been a roller coaster. Last week I didn't do a long run because I was out of town and everything there seemed to make it hard. My sleep was off, my food, the weather, things just weren't going too great. There weren't great/safe places for me to run long distances and I refuse to run laps; it's just not for me. I turn miserable in a hurry. Perhaps that's an area I need to work on improving.
Sunday I drove 8+ hours back to Florida to start my week. Monday morning I was suppose to run but thankfully (I shouldn't say that) I woke up to a small thunderstorm and opted out. Later in the morning I headed to Orlando and bought myself a new pair of shoes. Yeah! My feet were very thankful.
Tuesday I went out and decided that I had enough energy, somehow, to run a tempo run which I haven't done in a really long time. I ran 5 miles in 48:45, not too bad. I was happy since like every other day here it was 80+ and humid at just past 6am.
Wednesday I set out to run 8 miles. At mile 2.5 I thought about turning around and cutting it to 5, but my head told me I was being lazy and I needed to push on. I continued, counting the tenths of a mile as they past because I was feelong so badly. At the 4 mile mark, I turned around, walked for a minute, drank my water and decided I should run again. By mile 5 I had had it. I just couldn't go on. I was hot, hungry, bored, tired... everything I didn't need. I decided it was ok to walk home from here, 3 miles :( I walked and walked, occassionally running a few feet and then walking. Near the 7 mile mark there's a cold water fountain. I stopped for a drink and decided I would run the last mile, mainly because I would be passing one of my cheerleaders and I didn't want them to see me walking. So, I ran the last mile and was so thankful to be done. I had completed what I think is possibly the worst run of all my training.
Thursday was an off day! Yeah. Because of events in town I wanted to run my long run on Friday and possibly a 10k on Sunday. Thursday I ate tons :) I wasn't over stuffed, just happy.
All week my sleep has been off after recovering from my trip last week and so I knew getting up early on Friday would be a challenge, but that was still the plan. So here goes: 4 am, alarm sounds, 4:09 am, alarm sounds again, but I'm already up. I bodyglide from head to toe, seemingly, put on my clothes, stretch, and put the final touches on it all. By 4:45 Irfan and I are heading out the door. We are set to go.
50 ft into the run, yes only 50 ft! My belt falls off and my garmin goes flying. It's happened before. I reach down to pick it up and see the pin popped out that holds the strap. Great! Now what?! Irfan fixes that. In the mean time I realize that one of my gu packets also fell off. I work trying to get that fixed and finally settle on a different arrangement. Fine. I'm now flustered, tired, my stomach ached today, but I was still willing to give this another shot.
I run about 0.1 miles and my belt is so heavy it's bouncing like crazy. I feel like it's going to fall any minute and so I stop. I can't have this belt bouncing for 20 miles. I'll have no skin left or sanity. I stop, sit on a bench and yell to Irfan I'm not running. He's a great guy and comes back to find out what the problem is. He tells me to tighen my belt and try again. I already know how this works, but to humor him, I comply.
We start running again, now we're really ready. I hit the road, because at 5am there are very few cars. Something in the back of my mind just kept telling me this wasn't a good idea. Everything seemed to be going wrong and I felt like today could be my last. I just some how couldn't get the picture of someone running over me, most likely a drunk driver, out of my head, but I kept running anyway, focusing on getting started.
At 0.8 miles my belt flew off for the last time today. I had had it! I couldn't take it. I wanted to cry. I had gotten up so early and was suppose to be having this great run, but nothing was working. This was a sign. I turned around and walked home. Irfan decided to join me. Today I will have to trouble shoot what to do about my belt coming apart repeatedly. I have a couple of ideas. I hope one works.
Irfan wanted to jog back, I did not. Instead I suggested we ditch our belts after walking home and run a magic mile (1 mile sprint to gain an estimated finish time for the marathon). We are always commenting on how much we would like to run one, but it's too hot; we really need to do it while it's still dark. Today would be perfect. We settled on that plan.
We set off running north. Irfan takes off, but I stay a few feet behind. As the seconds pass, he moves farther ahead but never really leaving me. I wanted to stop at around 0.25 miles then at 0.33 and so on. I kept telling myself to focus. There's a lot of information that comes out of this one mile sprint. I need to do it. I want to do it. Run! Run! Run! The chase is still on.
It's nice because around 0.33 miles, we round a slight bend and then can see the finish line, a well lit glass enclosed bridge over the road. I tell myself it's just a little farther. I need to stay focused. Focus! Focus! Run! Run! I start guessing what I think my time will be, but resist the urge to look at my watch. At last I see Irfan stopped, leaning on a fire hydrant. One would have thought he had been there for minutes instead of less than the 40 sec ahead of me that he finished.
I finished in a mere 7 min 21 sec, my best mile time since the 6th grade! That far exceeded my goal of 7:30 (a lofty dream I thought) or a more realistic 7:45-55 mile pace. It was magic! That invisible string that pulled me though my half marathon, pulled me though this mile and hopefully I'll find a lead for the marathon too. According to the calculators, I should be able to run the marathon in 4:08-4:10. There's so much that it depends on though, but it's nice to think of what the possibilities are.
So what started as a bad running day, ended up with a really great finish and tomorrow we'll try again for 20 miles!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
300 Miles!
Today I reached 300+ training miles! I find it so hard to believe that I've run 300 miles in less than 4 months! My training is going wonderfully well!
I want to take a minute and say thank you again to all my friends and family that have been so supportive and have endured hours of endless rambling about running.
Yesterday, I finally bought a new pair of shoes to finish my last 2 long runs in and of course my marathon. The big day is just over 5 weeks away. I'm getting really excited. Pinal and I laughed as we both talked about how much we're ready to start packing our bags for S.F. We don't want to forget anything and there are so many things we should take. It's difficult to think of everything you "might" need. It's much more than just your shoes and running clothes. Thankfully we both have found several lists of "must haves" for the big day. We'll compile our lists and take way too many things, but it will be fun.
Overall, I'm in really good shape, but recently my heals have started to hurt a little. At the running store, they told me I can have no more bare feet until after the marathon. I was very sadden by this, but I know that it is best. So today, I retired my first pair of training shoes to daily wear. I wore them all day except when I was sleeping. I do think they help, especially when I'm cooking. They even help my back, so perhaps after the marathon, I'll keep wearing them around the house.
To many of you it won't be a surprise when I announce my next big athletic/life challenge as I have hinted about it to a few of you. For those of you who don't know, hopefully I'll be able to wait a little longer and get my plans finalized. Look for the announcement in the next few weeks. I'm already getting really really excited.
I want to take a minute and say thank you again to all my friends and family that have been so supportive and have endured hours of endless rambling about running.
Yesterday, I finally bought a new pair of shoes to finish my last 2 long runs in and of course my marathon. The big day is just over 5 weeks away. I'm getting really excited. Pinal and I laughed as we both talked about how much we're ready to start packing our bags for S.F. We don't want to forget anything and there are so many things we should take. It's difficult to think of everything you "might" need. It's much more than just your shoes and running clothes. Thankfully we both have found several lists of "must haves" for the big day. We'll compile our lists and take way too many things, but it will be fun.
Overall, I'm in really good shape, but recently my heals have started to hurt a little. At the running store, they told me I can have no more bare feet until after the marathon. I was very sadden by this, but I know that it is best. So today, I retired my first pair of training shoes to daily wear. I wore them all day except when I was sleeping. I do think they help, especially when I'm cooking. They even help my back, so perhaps after the marathon, I'll keep wearing them around the house.
To many of you it won't be a surprise when I announce my next big athletic/life challenge as I have hinted about it to a few of you. For those of you who don't know, hopefully I'll be able to wait a little longer and get my plans finalized. Look for the announcement in the next few weeks. I'm already getting really really excited.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
My Most Amazing Run Ever!
The alarm sounds, it's 4am. I hit snooze, just a few minutes more. 4:09, snooze. 4:17, it's time to get rolling, many miles lie ahead just waiting to be covered.
Irfan and I begin our rituals. The first stop, scale. It's important to have an idea of how much weight is lost on the long runs so you can be sure to refuel enough at the end. I weigh in and am happy to see that I've put on about 1.5 pounds. It seems necessary to have a really good long run. Your body needs fuel for 3+ hours of running. Next, it's time to put on my running skirt and top, no shirt. It's too hot. I like to be as naked as possible. If I could run completely naked, I would. I take my time stretching for about 15 minutes. If I skimp on this, the run starts off badly and getting started is one of the hardest parts of it all. I can't afford to skimp. Trip to the bathroom. Fill-up on liquids, not me, but the bottles. I fill my four 8-oz. bottles, 3 with gatorade, 1 with water. I pack my pouch on my fuel belt, contents: student ID, condo keys, $3.75, 1 paper towel, 1 raspberry cliff shot, 1 vanilla cliff shot. The pouch barely closes. Another trip to the bathroom. Put on my shoes, then my belt. Humm, maybe one last trip to the bathroom. You may wonder how many times one can make use of such facilities in 1 hour. If you're running long distance, a lot. Finally, I put my belt back on, I think I'm ready, finally. Oh, grab my gps watch a Garmin 305 Forerunner. Now it's out the door and to the start.
5:05am on the sidewalk in front of our condo; the tide is too high on the beach. The sun won't rise for another hour and a half, by then, I'll be almost 9 miles into my run. I learned a valuable lesson last week on my 16 mile run. I started at 5:50am, and by mile 14, the sun was so hot and the air so still, it was almost too hard to run. I had to start earlier.
Today, the air is cooler at 74 degrees. Shortly after the sun rises, it will be 80. I press start on my watch and I'm off moving at a rather brisk pace. Irfan takes off and I chase after him, knowing he'll be out of sight in only a few moments. The sidewalks line the street rising and falling with the shops. I venture to the road, there are no cars. I pass a family walking, where could they possibly be headed at 5am?
I complete the first mile in just over 9 minutes, not too far behind Irfan. I reach the top of the bridge and pass a tall scruffy looking man walking up, I continue. Ahead I see Irfan who waits to be sure I pass the man uninterrupted. We continue in the dark with only an occasional car.
I'm keeping good pace and only slow around mile 4 to take my first gu shot (vanilla). What's gu? It's a high concentration carbohydrate sodium mixture to help keep energy high over long duration exercise. Previously I had tried gu only 2 other times. The nice people at the running store who have provided good general guidance on a few things informed me that taking gu was not so easy in the beginning. I had been told it was hard on your stomach and didn't taste very good, so to try to adapt to it, mix it with water. On my first 8 mile run, I did that. And immediately after, my gag reflex set in. I stopped running, doubled over and hoped the feeling would pass. I didn't have any more gu that day. On a later run, I took the rest of the gu-water mixture and drank it just fine. Don't get me wrong, it tasted horrible, they weren't joking, but I managed to get it down.
This was my first time taking the gu straight. I struggled with the packaging and eventually managed to rip a small hole where I could squeeze it out. I squeezed more than half into my mouth. I was so thick and gooey. I don't even know that I've had anything to equate it to. It's a very unique texture. I hold it in my mouth and finally swallow. My mouth is still gooey. I take a nice big gulp of water to wash it down, then I finish off the packet followed by some more water. It really wasn't that bad. I kept wondering why everyone made such a big deal about it. Oh well. I find a trash can at taco bell and discard the packet.
I'm still within eye shot of Irfan, barely. I'm running on the road (actually the parking lane) and he's on the sidewalk. Every once in a while, he ventures to the road to get a clear look back at me. Yep, I'm still here, still plugging away. We are passed by a few cars and motorcycles. On a park bench was a homeless man slumped over sleeping.
After the gu, I begin to feel amazing. I think I finally reached 'flow'. As described in my training book, it's like feeling almost weightless and running seems near effortless. I sit back and just enjoy how easy the running is. I see sprinklers watering a parking lot. I don't think they are going to get more parking spaces by watering it, but none-the-less, they continue watering. I think it's a great opportunity. One of the sprinklers looks broken and it appears more like isolated rain. I venture off the road for a brief shower and laugh as I feel so child-like running though the water. My glasses are covered and seeing is difficult. Oh well, it will dry.
Finally our route turns and I think I saw Irfan round the corner, then another as I continue the chase. I see he's 100-200 yards ahead. I'm relaxed and feeling well. The cooler morning has really helped although the sun is starting to rise. I see I'm closing in on Irfan. I pick up the pace since I'm feeling so great. I'm very focused on my breathing and my stride, always keeping my arms low and loose. At last around mile 8 I'm only a few yards behind and I yell for Irfan to change his route. He was nearing the turn off and I was going to be going on alone. He was shocked to see me. He asked if I had sprinted to catch up. No! I'm just moving so well. He usually runs 1-2 minutes faster than me per mile! For me to have caught him, he must have been having a bad day and/or I was having a good day. It doesn't matter though. For the first time in our training we ran together, each at a comfortable pace.
He changed his route to run with me; we ran side-by-side for the next 4 miles. It was really nice to have his company, but now it was time for me to turn back. He was running 15 miles while I was running 18. I finished the first 12 miles at an average pace of 10:26 min/mile. I was at my scheduled water stop. My belt holds 32 oz. not enough to finish all 18 miles. I stop at a park that has a restroom and soda machines. I put in $1.25 and get 20 oz of cold water. It feels GREAT! I refill 2 of my bottles and drink the rest. I take a third gu. Luckily for me, Irfan brought one that he wasn't going to use, so he gave me his. What a nice guy :)
I start running again and am not feeling so well. Too much water and probably too much gu. I push on, but finally I have to walk for a minute to try and let my stomach settle. I make it over my 3rd bridge and I'm back on the street where I caught up with Irfan. I smile and push ahead. My overall energy level is waning. I cross over the last bridge, it's more like a small bump in the road at this point. I approach the intersection where I parted ways with Irfan and prayed that the light would turn red so I could cross without stopping, and it did. I celebrated to myself and headed down the ramp to the beach.
Once I reach the beach, I know I'm on the final stretch. By now the sun is high in the sky and I'm rapidly approaching 15 miles. I flash back to last week at this time. It was around mile 14 when I learned that I too suffer, like most female distance runners, from extreme bloating and cramps on long runs. The pain became so intense I thought my intestines were going to fall out. I could no longer run. I would double over in pain occasionally and look frantically for a bathroom, but there are none on the beach. I would hobble a few minutes and then walk, hobble and walk. Finally I got home and laid on the floor curled up, in too much pain to move. Somehow, I eventually pulled myself from the floor and went to the restroom. I did feel better. The solution, as given repeatedly online is a quick does of imodium before a long run.
Today, it had done the trick. By mile 15 the only thing that hurt was my right knee which has never fully healed since before my half marathon more than 1 month ago. The pain came on slowly and I pushed on until it was screaming. When the pain shot through, I finally walked then hobbled, but quickly walked again. My pace was really good, why did this have to happen now I wondered to myself. I obsessively watched my time. I wanted to finish with a sub-11 pace. I wanted it badly. So after a little more than a mile of hobbling, with 1 mile to go, I ran. By this time in my training I know there are going to be times of discomfort, but I also know that running is no longer a matter of physical endurance, it's mental endurance. This was not about the physical pain, it was mental now and I had to get past it. I started slow for the mile and tried to maintain a constant pace. I set visual targets to get me through, but after 0.35 miles, I needed a break. I walked. I took one last glance at my watch and new if I wanted to make my time goal, I had to run. I ran.
Not only did I run, I ran the last quarter a mile at just over a 9-minute mile. So after 18 miles, I still had it in me to run hard and to finish and oddly enough, my knee quit hurting. I will take this lesson with me on my last 2 long runs and eventually to the finish line in San Francisco.
Despite the pain, this was an amazing run. At the finish, like I do each week, I throw my hands into the air and celebrate. Today, a lady and her husband were walking by watching me when I finished and as I celebrated they smiled. It was almost 8:30am and they had no idea I had come so far. I finished in 3 hours 17 min 45 sec, a pace of 10:58 (including my 5 min water stop). I met my goal!
Irfan and I begin our rituals. The first stop, scale. It's important to have an idea of how much weight is lost on the long runs so you can be sure to refuel enough at the end. I weigh in and am happy to see that I've put on about 1.5 pounds. It seems necessary to have a really good long run. Your body needs fuel for 3+ hours of running. Next, it's time to put on my running skirt and top, no shirt. It's too hot. I like to be as naked as possible. If I could run completely naked, I would. I take my time stretching for about 15 minutes. If I skimp on this, the run starts off badly and getting started is one of the hardest parts of it all. I can't afford to skimp. Trip to the bathroom. Fill-up on liquids, not me, but the bottles. I fill my four 8-oz. bottles, 3 with gatorade, 1 with water. I pack my pouch on my fuel belt, contents: student ID, condo keys, $3.75, 1 paper towel, 1 raspberry cliff shot, 1 vanilla cliff shot. The pouch barely closes. Another trip to the bathroom. Put on my shoes, then my belt. Humm, maybe one last trip to the bathroom. You may wonder how many times one can make use of such facilities in 1 hour. If you're running long distance, a lot. Finally, I put my belt back on, I think I'm ready, finally. Oh, grab my gps watch a Garmin 305 Forerunner. Now it's out the door and to the start.
5:05am on the sidewalk in front of our condo; the tide is too high on the beach. The sun won't rise for another hour and a half, by then, I'll be almost 9 miles into my run. I learned a valuable lesson last week on my 16 mile run. I started at 5:50am, and by mile 14, the sun was so hot and the air so still, it was almost too hard to run. I had to start earlier.
Today, the air is cooler at 74 degrees. Shortly after the sun rises, it will be 80. I press start on my watch and I'm off moving at a rather brisk pace. Irfan takes off and I chase after him, knowing he'll be out of sight in only a few moments. The sidewalks line the street rising and falling with the shops. I venture to the road, there are no cars. I pass a family walking, where could they possibly be headed at 5am?
I complete the first mile in just over 9 minutes, not too far behind Irfan. I reach the top of the bridge and pass a tall scruffy looking man walking up, I continue. Ahead I see Irfan who waits to be sure I pass the man uninterrupted. We continue in the dark with only an occasional car.
I'm keeping good pace and only slow around mile 4 to take my first gu shot (vanilla). What's gu? It's a high concentration carbohydrate sodium mixture to help keep energy high over long duration exercise. Previously I had tried gu only 2 other times. The nice people at the running store who have provided good general guidance on a few things informed me that taking gu was not so easy in the beginning. I had been told it was hard on your stomach and didn't taste very good, so to try to adapt to it, mix it with water. On my first 8 mile run, I did that. And immediately after, my gag reflex set in. I stopped running, doubled over and hoped the feeling would pass. I didn't have any more gu that day. On a later run, I took the rest of the gu-water mixture and drank it just fine. Don't get me wrong, it tasted horrible, they weren't joking, but I managed to get it down.
This was my first time taking the gu straight. I struggled with the packaging and eventually managed to rip a small hole where I could squeeze it out. I squeezed more than half into my mouth. I was so thick and gooey. I don't even know that I've had anything to equate it to. It's a very unique texture. I hold it in my mouth and finally swallow. My mouth is still gooey. I take a nice big gulp of water to wash it down, then I finish off the packet followed by some more water. It really wasn't that bad. I kept wondering why everyone made such a big deal about it. Oh well. I find a trash can at taco bell and discard the packet.
I'm still within eye shot of Irfan, barely. I'm running on the road (actually the parking lane) and he's on the sidewalk. Every once in a while, he ventures to the road to get a clear look back at me. Yep, I'm still here, still plugging away. We are passed by a few cars and motorcycles. On a park bench was a homeless man slumped over sleeping.
After the gu, I begin to feel amazing. I think I finally reached 'flow'. As described in my training book, it's like feeling almost weightless and running seems near effortless. I sit back and just enjoy how easy the running is. I see sprinklers watering a parking lot. I don't think they are going to get more parking spaces by watering it, but none-the-less, they continue watering. I think it's a great opportunity. One of the sprinklers looks broken and it appears more like isolated rain. I venture off the road for a brief shower and laugh as I feel so child-like running though the water. My glasses are covered and seeing is difficult. Oh well, it will dry.
Finally our route turns and I think I saw Irfan round the corner, then another as I continue the chase. I see he's 100-200 yards ahead. I'm relaxed and feeling well. The cooler morning has really helped although the sun is starting to rise. I see I'm closing in on Irfan. I pick up the pace since I'm feeling so great. I'm very focused on my breathing and my stride, always keeping my arms low and loose. At last around mile 8 I'm only a few yards behind and I yell for Irfan to change his route. He was nearing the turn off and I was going to be going on alone. He was shocked to see me. He asked if I had sprinted to catch up. No! I'm just moving so well. He usually runs 1-2 minutes faster than me per mile! For me to have caught him, he must have been having a bad day and/or I was having a good day. It doesn't matter though. For the first time in our training we ran together, each at a comfortable pace.
He changed his route to run with me; we ran side-by-side for the next 4 miles. It was really nice to have his company, but now it was time for me to turn back. He was running 15 miles while I was running 18. I finished the first 12 miles at an average pace of 10:26 min/mile. I was at my scheduled water stop. My belt holds 32 oz. not enough to finish all 18 miles. I stop at a park that has a restroom and soda machines. I put in $1.25 and get 20 oz of cold water. It feels GREAT! I refill 2 of my bottles and drink the rest. I take a third gu. Luckily for me, Irfan brought one that he wasn't going to use, so he gave me his. What a nice guy :)
I start running again and am not feeling so well. Too much water and probably too much gu. I push on, but finally I have to walk for a minute to try and let my stomach settle. I make it over my 3rd bridge and I'm back on the street where I caught up with Irfan. I smile and push ahead. My overall energy level is waning. I cross over the last bridge, it's more like a small bump in the road at this point. I approach the intersection where I parted ways with Irfan and prayed that the light would turn red so I could cross without stopping, and it did. I celebrated to myself and headed down the ramp to the beach.
Once I reach the beach, I know I'm on the final stretch. By now the sun is high in the sky and I'm rapidly approaching 15 miles. I flash back to last week at this time. It was around mile 14 when I learned that I too suffer, like most female distance runners, from extreme bloating and cramps on long runs. The pain became so intense I thought my intestines were going to fall out. I could no longer run. I would double over in pain occasionally and look frantically for a bathroom, but there are none on the beach. I would hobble a few minutes and then walk, hobble and walk. Finally I got home and laid on the floor curled up, in too much pain to move. Somehow, I eventually pulled myself from the floor and went to the restroom. I did feel better. The solution, as given repeatedly online is a quick does of imodium before a long run.
Today, it had done the trick. By mile 15 the only thing that hurt was my right knee which has never fully healed since before my half marathon more than 1 month ago. The pain came on slowly and I pushed on until it was screaming. When the pain shot through, I finally walked then hobbled, but quickly walked again. My pace was really good, why did this have to happen now I wondered to myself. I obsessively watched my time. I wanted to finish with a sub-11 pace. I wanted it badly. So after a little more than a mile of hobbling, with 1 mile to go, I ran. By this time in my training I know there are going to be times of discomfort, but I also know that running is no longer a matter of physical endurance, it's mental endurance. This was not about the physical pain, it was mental now and I had to get past it. I started slow for the mile and tried to maintain a constant pace. I set visual targets to get me through, but after 0.35 miles, I needed a break. I walked. I took one last glance at my watch and new if I wanted to make my time goal, I had to run. I ran.
Not only did I run, I ran the last quarter a mile at just over a 9-minute mile. So after 18 miles, I still had it in me to run hard and to finish and oddly enough, my knee quit hurting. I will take this lesson with me on my last 2 long runs and eventually to the finish line in San Francisco.
Despite the pain, this was an amazing run. At the finish, like I do each week, I throw my hands into the air and celebrate. Today, a lady and her husband were walking by watching me when I finished and as I celebrated they smiled. It was almost 8:30am and they had no idea I had come so far. I finished in 3 hours 17 min 45 sec, a pace of 10:58 (including my 5 min water stop). I met my goal!
The Slump
After completing the half-marathon trail run, I knew I was in for it. I could barely walk my knee was hurting so badly. The race was on Saturday and I spent ALL Sunday on the couch. My fiance was out of town and it was miserable being in so much pain all alone.
It was on this day that I more or less cancelled my "big" wedding. It really wasn't ever going to be "big". We were inviting about 80 people, but on this day, everything seemed over whelming and on Monday I sent out the notice, that only family was invited to the wedding. A few people didn't take this so well. Without Irfan around (he had already been gone for 2+ weeks and there was still another week left) I was falling apart, at least I felt like it. Knowing that I couldn't run for some time (unsure of how long that would be) was a bit unnerving and upset me a great deal. Put that together with me missing him; and I had fallen apart.
The following week, day-by-day my knee pain eased and then I allowed a few extra days of rest to be sure I wasn't going to re-injure myself. After 9 days off running, I'm not sure I felt like I was missing much. I had so much free time and was less tired. I think I was getting lazy. Luckily for me everyone knows I'm training for the marathon and a few ask about my running from time to time. A nice guy at work happen to stop by on Tuesday to ask me how my running was going. I had to tell him that I wasn't running...not for the past 9 days :( This didn't feel very good.
That night I went home and decided it was time to quit making excuses and being lazy. In the morning, I went for a short 2 mile run just to check things out (I was trying to get over my laziness more than anything). Oh my goodness!!! I never imagined taking off for a little more than a week could be so devastating! My upper back hurt, I was winded, etc but my knee didn't hurt, not much anyway.
The next day I went for 5 miles and my knee was a little sore, but nothing a little ice wouldn't fix. At last the weekend arrived and it was time for the real test. I was suppose to be running 16 miles, daunting having not run much for a couple of weeks. I went out for a ran 12 mile run instead. It was pretty good overall, but my knees were very sore afterwards, as were my muscles on the outer portion of my hip. I iced my knees and hoped for the best.
At least now I was running and the slump was over! :)
It was on this day that I more or less cancelled my "big" wedding. It really wasn't ever going to be "big". We were inviting about 80 people, but on this day, everything seemed over whelming and on Monday I sent out the notice, that only family was invited to the wedding. A few people didn't take this so well. Without Irfan around (he had already been gone for 2+ weeks and there was still another week left) I was falling apart, at least I felt like it. Knowing that I couldn't run for some time (unsure of how long that would be) was a bit unnerving and upset me a great deal. Put that together with me missing him; and I had fallen apart.
The following week, day-by-day my knee pain eased and then I allowed a few extra days of rest to be sure I wasn't going to re-injure myself. After 9 days off running, I'm not sure I felt like I was missing much. I had so much free time and was less tired. I think I was getting lazy. Luckily for me everyone knows I'm training for the marathon and a few ask about my running from time to time. A nice guy at work happen to stop by on Tuesday to ask me how my running was going. I had to tell him that I wasn't running...not for the past 9 days :( This didn't feel very good.
That night I went home and decided it was time to quit making excuses and being lazy. In the morning, I went for a short 2 mile run just to check things out (I was trying to get over my laziness more than anything). Oh my goodness!!! I never imagined taking off for a little more than a week could be so devastating! My upper back hurt, I was winded, etc but my knee didn't hurt, not much anyway.
The next day I went for 5 miles and my knee was a little sore, but nothing a little ice wouldn't fix. At last the weekend arrived and it was time for the real test. I was suppose to be running 16 miles, daunting having not run much for a couple of weeks. I went out for a ran 12 mile run instead. It was pretty good overall, but my knees were very sore afterwards, as were my muscles on the outer portion of my hip. I iced my knees and hoped for the best.
At least now I was running and the slump was over! :)
Friday, June 8, 2007
ASC Greenway Trail Half Marathon
The week following my 14 mile run from hell was not so great either. On Monday, I went for my 5 mile run and just past 2.5 miles the pain came with a vengeance. My right knee had stabbing pain. I stopped and stretched my quads hoping that my muscles were just tight. I hobbled along and tried to ignore the pain. Luckily Tuesday is an off day.
On Wednesday, I was visiting a friend in Maryland and ate yummy waffles before my run, probably not the best idea, but I did. The run was uneventful though, my knee ached, but there was no stabbing pain. Thursday rolled around and my knee was rather tender on the inside, so I opted out of my run to give it some extra rest. Tuesday off seemed to help, so I'll take 2 days off this time and hopefully everything will be ok.
At last it was Friday and my knee was mostly better by noon. So I jumped in my car and headed N 475 miles to Rock Hill, SC for the half marathon I had been eyeing for the previous month or more. It was a long drive, but the weather was peaceful and NPR was great company. Just after dark I located the park where the race would start in the morning and then checked into my hotel. It was 9:00 pm and I still needed dinner.
Cracker Barrel would do the trick. I had French toast and for dessert (which I never order) I had an apple strudel. Everything was yummy and I was sufficiently full. It was bedtime :)
I slept very well, just like any other night and woke up in time to complete my rituals: stretching, eating, etc. I gathered up all my belongings not knowing if I would complete the race fast enough to make it back for a shower and I was unsure whether I would be staying a second night at this point. It would greatly depend on how I felt after the race.
I had the misfortune of waking up and realizing that I needing female supplies prior to the race. No problem, I'll just get something from my emergency stash in my car. I get to the car and find there's nothing there. Eeeks! This is not what I need. No problem I thought, I'll just stop someplace after I pick my packet. I don't want to be too late getting it.
I hurried out the door running about 15 minutes behind my desired schedule but still with plenty of time. I entered the Greenway and the attendant pointed me towards a field that had a few cars in it. I parked and got out of my car; it was freezing! I walked over to the pavilion where things were just getting set up. I was the first person to show up to register on the race day (and probably the first one to get a packet at all). I would be sporting # 124.
I headed back to the car and left in search of supplies. I was a little paniced after stopping at a couple of places. Would I be able to find what I needed before the race? Finally I found someplace that was open and had what I needed :) Now I was ready to run!
I show back up at the race pavilion and sat in my car. I was by myself and most people were with 1-4 other people or their dog. I felt very alone and these people all looked so serious and fit and .... I was a little worried and began wondering what I was doing here. What was I thinking?
At last it was 10 minutes before the posted start time; people were headed to the starting line (I didn't even know where that was). I stoped short of the start in a group with others warming in the only small patch of sun. There was less than a minute from the start and no one was lined up. Finally we mosied over and in 3-2-1, we were off.
Everyone started moving pretty much together. I knew there was a creek crossing just 0.25 miles in. I also knew there was a bridge that had been roped off that no runners were suppose to cross. I trotted along talking with a nice lady. As we neared the creek there appeared to be confusion. Many people were crossing under the rope and using the bridge. The lady beside me told me it was better/safer and much faster to run through the creek, so I did.
Upon crossing the creek, which came up to the middle of my calves I felt accomplished and ready to tackle the challenge that lay ahead. I continued on passing some goats, then cows with bells hanging from their necks. We rounded the bend, crossed a road and headed down into the woods to never see the light of day again. Ok, that's not really true, but at times I felt that way.
The path was well packed dirt, occasionally sandy, always rocky, rooty, hilly and very narrow. Most places were barely wide enough for 1 person and passing initially was very difficult. You had to plan at what place to make your move. I passed a few people early on and then I was alone.
My feet were sliding in my shoes as I was "flying" uphill, downhill and around the curves. I felt great and was having a blast! .... Until I rolled my left ankle. I got up, hobbled a few steps, cursed for having this happen so soon and wondered if I would be able to go on. I was fine, just a little shaken. I pushed on. It was still early in the race.
It wasn't long after this, I was running down a hill that ended with a sharp curve lined with a large stone and a tree. As I started falling, I reached and latched onto the tree and slid down it finally stopping with my knee on the rock and dirt/sand everywhere! I was now being passed by a runner who would take me with some invisible thread through the race. She's yelled to me I was ok, just get up. She told me she too had fallen already. I looked back at her as she approached and saw nothing but blood from the knee down. She didn't stop, but kept going and so would I.
I got up, more shaken than before, but managed to chase after her. I began to count how many times I had almost twisted my ankle. I lost count. The rocks, roots, twists and turns were almost too much for me, but I was hanging on.
Prior to falling, I was all alone for what felt like quite a while. There was no one in front of me and I wasn't going to look behind to see if anyone was there. I couldn't hear anyone. After the fall it was just the nice runner, Anna, and I. We ran and ran. Up the hills, down the hills, over one bridge and then the next. There were few water stations. Thankfully I wore my fuel belt full of gatorade. I spent most of the race feeling exhausted. My legs weren't used to the elevation change. According to my gps there was a whopping 9800 ascent total in the race and it recorded only 10 of the 13 miles. The other 3 miles were spent gaining satellite locations after crossing though tunnels.
As the race progressed, I would occasionally pass people and sometimes, someone would pass me too. To ease the pain, because there's no doubt about it this race was painful, I walked...a lot. A whole lot. I would run fast to catch Anna and then I would slow down and walk up the hills. She ran a nice even pace the whole time. My goal became to always keep her in sight, which meant I could never let her get more than about 30 or so feet ahead or else I would lose her. This is what kept me going mile after mile. It was the "invisible thread" that I felt was pulling me and pushing me to keep going.
At the second creek crossing, Anna took the bridge, I chose the creek. Besides, my feet were hot and it was refreshing. I passed her as we climbed up the bank. I told her to go ahead. She told me it was my turn to lead, but I waited for her. She was what motivated me to run and without her in front of me, I would have slowed down a long time ago.
At the last water station, Anna ran though it. I did not. She was gone. I, by this time, was ok with that. I was just too tired to keep up any longer and I needed to pee, but there was no time, nor place. Yes, of course I could have gone into the woods, but I didn't want to waste the time.
I pushed on, walking quite a bit from this point on. The final stretch of the course was uphill. What were these guys thinking!?!? Oh well, I finished in 2:20:03. I have nothing to be ashamed of and all to be proud of. I finished my first half marathon and it was a trail run and according to others who run "lots of trails", this one ranks up with the best of them: rugged and very tough.
Incidentally, I spoke with Anna following the race and she runs lots of these. She couldn't believe this was my first. Since I trailed her for almost the entire race, she predicted my time for a road race half marathon would be much closer to 2 hours. Wouldn't that be thrilling to try!
I hung around, ate some bagels, had some water and a glance at my watch told me I wasn't too late. I headed to the car and sped off for a shower before my long drive back to Florida. What a day!
On Wednesday, I was visiting a friend in Maryland and ate yummy waffles before my run, probably not the best idea, but I did. The run was uneventful though, my knee ached, but there was no stabbing pain. Thursday rolled around and my knee was rather tender on the inside, so I opted out of my run to give it some extra rest. Tuesday off seemed to help, so I'll take 2 days off this time and hopefully everything will be ok.
At last it was Friday and my knee was mostly better by noon. So I jumped in my car and headed N 475 miles to Rock Hill, SC for the half marathon I had been eyeing for the previous month or more. It was a long drive, but the weather was peaceful and NPR was great company. Just after dark I located the park where the race would start in the morning and then checked into my hotel. It was 9:00 pm and I still needed dinner.
Cracker Barrel would do the trick. I had French toast and for dessert (which I never order) I had an apple strudel. Everything was yummy and I was sufficiently full. It was bedtime :)
I slept very well, just like any other night and woke up in time to complete my rituals: stretching, eating, etc. I gathered up all my belongings not knowing if I would complete the race fast enough to make it back for a shower and I was unsure whether I would be staying a second night at this point. It would greatly depend on how I felt after the race.
I had the misfortune of waking up and realizing that I needing female supplies prior to the race. No problem, I'll just get something from my emergency stash in my car. I get to the car and find there's nothing there. Eeeks! This is not what I need. No problem I thought, I'll just stop someplace after I pick my packet. I don't want to be too late getting it.
I hurried out the door running about 15 minutes behind my desired schedule but still with plenty of time. I entered the Greenway and the attendant pointed me towards a field that had a few cars in it. I parked and got out of my car; it was freezing! I walked over to the pavilion where things were just getting set up. I was the first person to show up to register on the race day (and probably the first one to get a packet at all). I would be sporting # 124.
I headed back to the car and left in search of supplies. I was a little paniced after stopping at a couple of places. Would I be able to find what I needed before the race? Finally I found someplace that was open and had what I needed :) Now I was ready to run!
I show back up at the race pavilion and sat in my car. I was by myself and most people were with 1-4 other people or their dog. I felt very alone and these people all looked so serious and fit and .... I was a little worried and began wondering what I was doing here. What was I thinking?
At last it was 10 minutes before the posted start time; people were headed to the starting line (I didn't even know where that was). I stoped short of the start in a group with others warming in the only small patch of sun. There was less than a minute from the start and no one was lined up. Finally we mosied over and in 3-2-1, we were off.
Everyone started moving pretty much together. I knew there was a creek crossing just 0.25 miles in. I also knew there was a bridge that had been roped off that no runners were suppose to cross. I trotted along talking with a nice lady. As we neared the creek there appeared to be confusion. Many people were crossing under the rope and using the bridge. The lady beside me told me it was better/safer and much faster to run through the creek, so I did.
Upon crossing the creek, which came up to the middle of my calves I felt accomplished and ready to tackle the challenge that lay ahead. I continued on passing some goats, then cows with bells hanging from their necks. We rounded the bend, crossed a road and headed down into the woods to never see the light of day again. Ok, that's not really true, but at times I felt that way.
The path was well packed dirt, occasionally sandy, always rocky, rooty, hilly and very narrow. Most places were barely wide enough for 1 person and passing initially was very difficult. You had to plan at what place to make your move. I passed a few people early on and then I was alone.
My feet were sliding in my shoes as I was "flying" uphill, downhill and around the curves. I felt great and was having a blast! .... Until I rolled my left ankle. I got up, hobbled a few steps, cursed for having this happen so soon and wondered if I would be able to go on. I was fine, just a little shaken. I pushed on. It was still early in the race.
It wasn't long after this, I was running down a hill that ended with a sharp curve lined with a large stone and a tree. As I started falling, I reached and latched onto the tree and slid down it finally stopping with my knee on the rock and dirt/sand everywhere! I was now being passed by a runner who would take me with some invisible thread through the race. She's yelled to me I was ok, just get up. She told me she too had fallen already. I looked back at her as she approached and saw nothing but blood from the knee down. She didn't stop, but kept going and so would I.
I got up, more shaken than before, but managed to chase after her. I began to count how many times I had almost twisted my ankle. I lost count. The rocks, roots, twists and turns were almost too much for me, but I was hanging on.
Prior to falling, I was all alone for what felt like quite a while. There was no one in front of me and I wasn't going to look behind to see if anyone was there. I couldn't hear anyone. After the fall it was just the nice runner, Anna, and I. We ran and ran. Up the hills, down the hills, over one bridge and then the next. There were few water stations. Thankfully I wore my fuel belt full of gatorade. I spent most of the race feeling exhausted. My legs weren't used to the elevation change. According to my gps there was a whopping 9800 ascent total in the race and it recorded only 10 of the 13 miles. The other 3 miles were spent gaining satellite locations after crossing though tunnels.
As the race progressed, I would occasionally pass people and sometimes, someone would pass me too. To ease the pain, because there's no doubt about it this race was painful, I walked...a lot. A whole lot. I would run fast to catch Anna and then I would slow down and walk up the hills. She ran a nice even pace the whole time. My goal became to always keep her in sight, which meant I could never let her get more than about 30 or so feet ahead or else I would lose her. This is what kept me going mile after mile. It was the "invisible thread" that I felt was pulling me and pushing me to keep going.
At the second creek crossing, Anna took the bridge, I chose the creek. Besides, my feet were hot and it was refreshing. I passed her as we climbed up the bank. I told her to go ahead. She told me it was my turn to lead, but I waited for her. She was what motivated me to run and without her in front of me, I would have slowed down a long time ago.
At the last water station, Anna ran though it. I did not. She was gone. I, by this time, was ok with that. I was just too tired to keep up any longer and I needed to pee, but there was no time, nor place. Yes, of course I could have gone into the woods, but I didn't want to waste the time.
I pushed on, walking quite a bit from this point on. The final stretch of the course was uphill. What were these guys thinking!?!? Oh well, I finished in 2:20:03. I have nothing to be ashamed of and all to be proud of. I finished my first half marathon and it was a trail run and according to others who run "lots of trails", this one ranks up with the best of them: rugged and very tough.
Incidentally, I spoke with Anna following the race and she runs lots of these. She couldn't believe this was my first. Since I trailed her for almost the entire race, she predicted my time for a road race half marathon would be much closer to 2 hours. Wouldn't that be thrilling to try!
I hung around, ate some bagels, had some water and a glance at my watch told me I wasn't too late. I headed to the car and sped off for a shower before my long drive back to Florida. What a day!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
My 14 Mile Killer Run
So yes, I'm finally back. I should back up though and recap some of the past month. I'll pick up where I last wrote, almost a month ago. I'm very sad it's been so long, but I just haven't felt up to it.
The week after my 12 mile run went well. My Dad and step-mother, whom I was visiting in CO, and I went for a "float" trip down the Colorado River. We put in the water around 8am and took out around 7pm. Of that time, we figured we paddled for almost 9 hours!!!! So much for floating! I have to say though, the trip was beautiful and when it ended, we were thankful that it was over, but we are all very happy that we went, even if it turned out to be a terribly long day. The views from the river up at all the canyon walls was ah inspiring! You just don't get those views and the wilderness anywhere else; not to mention we were alone on the river for almost the entire trip. It was simply spectacular. As the hours wore on and the sun was dropping, we weren't sure if we were going to make it off the river and so we started discussing what we would do if we had to spend the night somewhere along the way. We didn't, but it sure crossed our minds.
I'm writing about my amazing paddle trip to take into account all the activity of the week leading up to my 14 mile run. My week began with 6 miles on Monday and 4 on Tuesday morning before packing up for our trip. Wednesday we paddled ALL day. Thursday we headed back to Lake City on a scenic drive. It was beautiful. We were looking for a good place to run, but after such a long day paddling, I wanted to run only on something flat and we could never find a stretch of road that was flat. So I didn't run until we returned to Lake City at almost 9 pm. We had picnicked along the way and had eaten a few snacks on the drive home, but I was still hungry. However, I went and completed my 4 miles that night around 10 pm.
It was actually the best run I had the entire time I was in CO. It was chilly, but not freezing and there are NO lights in Lake City and thankfully very few cars. So that night, I set out, in the dark. Before walking out the door however, I was asked 2 things: 1) Where's your flashlight? and 2) Where's your bear spray? Neither of which I had or intended to carry. So I left. I ran on the only paved road in town and because it was so dark, I couldn't even see my feet; to avoid tripping, I ran in the middle of the road. Yep, right in the center of oncoming traffic. Traffic is such a relative term. I think maybe 2-3 cars moved the entire time I was on the road. I made 2 laps through town and was finished. I spotted lots of deer and enjoyed my quiet run under the stars. My time wasn't great compared to that of FL, but none the less, I ran a 10:30 pace (quite a bit faster than most of my runs at almost 9000 ft).
Following the run, we had a nice pasta dinner and then hit the bed. I was up early, knowing I had a long run ahead of me. I walked to their house from my cosy cabin and had a quick snack before setting out to my starting point. That morning we decided the best route for me was not the one we had mapped out previously and so we set out, driving south of town clocking the miles.
At last we were 12 miles past the lake and this was a good starting point; besides, the road became more of a steep trail past this point. I got out and started running. The miles seemed to pass very slowly on this day. I'm not sure why. The scenery was great and I was quite relaxed. The sun was out, so it was warm for a change. Luckily I had put on tons of sunblock because I knew this was going to be a long run. Then, like I had begun in recent times, applied my body glide. I think it was around mile 6 that I realized sunblock and body glide don't mix! My arms began chafing and I was not happy. I continued running, feeling great except for my arms :(
I was nearing the lake with the mountains surrounding and all was well. I had just passed 9 miles and was feeling great. As the next few miles came and went, I grew more and more tired and by mile 12, my legs hurt, my knees hurt and I was no longer "feeling good". I pushed on, but by 12.5, I had to walk. No big deal (although this was the first time I walked). I walked for another 0.15 miles and then gathered myself up and ran to mile 13.
Then it hit with a force I have never felt before. As I passed mile 13, I felt like I had been stone walled. I walked, but was in so much pain, walking seemed impossible. I kept moving, but very slowly. I rounded the corner where my step mother wast waiting for me. She thought surely I must be finished, but I told her I stilled has almost a mile to walk. She had already walked several miles while I was running so she was relaxing in the shade, just waiting for me finish.
I walked around the bend in the lake and turned back. How does this happen. I just ran 13 miles and now I can barely walk 10 feet! I pushed on, inching back towards the car. I couldn't go on. I couldn't even walk the last mile. I was finished. Joanne, being the strong supporter, leapt eagerly from the car and helped motivate me by walking with me. At last, there was just 0.1 miles to go. We walked in a large circle in front of the car. As my gps turned to 14.00, I was finished! I fell into the car having taken not 1 step more than 14 miles, but now I could say, "I finished!"
The week after my 12 mile run went well. My Dad and step-mother, whom I was visiting in CO, and I went for a "float" trip down the Colorado River. We put in the water around 8am and took out around 7pm. Of that time, we figured we paddled for almost 9 hours!!!! So much for floating! I have to say though, the trip was beautiful and when it ended, we were thankful that it was over, but we are all very happy that we went, even if it turned out to be a terribly long day. The views from the river up at all the canyon walls was ah inspiring! You just don't get those views and the wilderness anywhere else; not to mention we were alone on the river for almost the entire trip. It was simply spectacular. As the hours wore on and the sun was dropping, we weren't sure if we were going to make it off the river and so we started discussing what we would do if we had to spend the night somewhere along the way. We didn't, but it sure crossed our minds.
I'm writing about my amazing paddle trip to take into account all the activity of the week leading up to my 14 mile run. My week began with 6 miles on Monday and 4 on Tuesday morning before packing up for our trip. Wednesday we paddled ALL day. Thursday we headed back to Lake City on a scenic drive. It was beautiful. We were looking for a good place to run, but after such a long day paddling, I wanted to run only on something flat and we could never find a stretch of road that was flat. So I didn't run until we returned to Lake City at almost 9 pm. We had picnicked along the way and had eaten a few snacks on the drive home, but I was still hungry. However, I went and completed my 4 miles that night around 10 pm.
It was actually the best run I had the entire time I was in CO. It was chilly, but not freezing and there are NO lights in Lake City and thankfully very few cars. So that night, I set out, in the dark. Before walking out the door however, I was asked 2 things: 1) Where's your flashlight? and 2) Where's your bear spray? Neither of which I had or intended to carry. So I left. I ran on the only paved road in town and because it was so dark, I couldn't even see my feet; to avoid tripping, I ran in the middle of the road. Yep, right in the center of oncoming traffic. Traffic is such a relative term. I think maybe 2-3 cars moved the entire time I was on the road. I made 2 laps through town and was finished. I spotted lots of deer and enjoyed my quiet run under the stars. My time wasn't great compared to that of FL, but none the less, I ran a 10:30 pace (quite a bit faster than most of my runs at almost 9000 ft).
Following the run, we had a nice pasta dinner and then hit the bed. I was up early, knowing I had a long run ahead of me. I walked to their house from my cosy cabin and had a quick snack before setting out to my starting point. That morning we decided the best route for me was not the one we had mapped out previously and so we set out, driving south of town clocking the miles.
At last we were 12 miles past the lake and this was a good starting point; besides, the road became more of a steep trail past this point. I got out and started running. The miles seemed to pass very slowly on this day. I'm not sure why. The scenery was great and I was quite relaxed. The sun was out, so it was warm for a change. Luckily I had put on tons of sunblock because I knew this was going to be a long run. Then, like I had begun in recent times, applied my body glide. I think it was around mile 6 that I realized sunblock and body glide don't mix! My arms began chafing and I was not happy. I continued running, feeling great except for my arms :(
I was nearing the lake with the mountains surrounding and all was well. I had just passed 9 miles and was feeling great. As the next few miles came and went, I grew more and more tired and by mile 12, my legs hurt, my knees hurt and I was no longer "feeling good". I pushed on, but by 12.5, I had to walk. No big deal (although this was the first time I walked). I walked for another 0.15 miles and then gathered myself up and ran to mile 13.
Then it hit with a force I have never felt before. As I passed mile 13, I felt like I had been stone walled. I walked, but was in so much pain, walking seemed impossible. I kept moving, but very slowly. I rounded the corner where my step mother wast waiting for me. She thought surely I must be finished, but I told her I stilled has almost a mile to walk. She had already walked several miles while I was running so she was relaxing in the shade, just waiting for me finish.
I walked around the bend in the lake and turned back. How does this happen. I just ran 13 miles and now I can barely walk 10 feet! I pushed on, inching back towards the car. I couldn't go on. I couldn't even walk the last mile. I was finished. Joanne, being the strong supporter, leapt eagerly from the car and helped motivate me by walking with me. At last, there was just 0.1 miles to go. We walked in a large circle in front of the car. As my gps turned to 14.00, I was finished! I fell into the car having taken not 1 step more than 14 miles, but now I could say, "I finished!"
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