Four miles today and check it:
Mile 1: 10:17
Mile 2: 9:38
Mile 3: 15:08
Mile 4: 10:13
Uhhh. What happened at mile 3?? Well, apparently all that not-so-good-for-me food I've been stuffing into my pie hole recently finally got the best of me. Still 2 miles from my car, still 3 miles from a porta-potty, I decided to speed walk (ahem, not so speedy) as fast as I could without setting anything awry. Then, apparently, it passed. (TMI? Nah, we're runners! We're not embarrassed by "Runners Trots"!) Who knows? If it hadn't been for that little dealy, mile 3 would have been much better and I'd be much happier with those splits. But hey, I'm still pretty proud of those splits, especially since mile 4 felt like a recovery jog. I looked down at the Garmin at the end and you could have knocked me over. I couldn't believe it!
I have to say, I've been feeling much better this week and last. I've been sleeping better and feeling stronger out there on the road. I think I realized how critical of myself I've been so I've been trying to give myself a little credit. After all, if running is 98% mental and that 98% is negative, there's no way I'll get this thing done. Just no way. I can't listen that little voice inside of me that says "You can't do it" because then I'm sure to fail. Positive thinking is the way to go, dudes.
So, I press on and nurture my dings. For a sports bra that's not supposed to chafe, I sure have a lot of stingy spots when I hop in the shower. OWIE! And my toenail finally fell off. Thank you, thank you! It was a long time coming and I wasn't quite sure it was going to hop ship, then 2 nights ago, there it was. It was a proud day here in my house.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Adios Humidity
You may have noticed a slightly orange countdown clock on the left hand side of this little corner of the internet I claim as my own. It's been steadily ticking off the seconds until marathon day for quite a few months now and today is the first day we are now in double digits.
99 days to go and counting!
I have had a much better week of running. Tuesday's "easy" 3 miles turned into a "medium" 3, Wednesday's 6 was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC and even Thursday's easy 3 was nice and easy. So I'm feeling quite optimistic about tomorrow's cut back week of only 9 miles.
Didja hear that? I said only 9 miles. This is why I love training for a marathon. I can say things like "I only have to run 9 miles on Saturday" and totally mean it. I remember not too long ago when my "long run" was a whopping 4 miles. Now I'm preparing to hit my first -teen since I ran the 1/2 marathon in April.
Which reminds me. My schedule calls for a 14 mile run next Saturday but I am going to be driving to the fascinating metropolis that is Terre Haute, IN for my little sister's bridal shower. I thought about trying to squeeze it in early early on Saturday morning but if my run goes anything like it did last Saturday, I'll be in a pickle. I could move it to Sunday, but I'm running another 1/2 marathon on July 28th and that's a little too close together. So, I think I'm going to try and do it Friday after work.
That should be interesting. I'm going to start praying for low humidity starting now.
99 days to go and counting!
I have had a much better week of running. Tuesday's "easy" 3 miles turned into a "medium" 3, Wednesday's 6 was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC and even Thursday's easy 3 was nice and easy. So I'm feeling quite optimistic about tomorrow's cut back week of only 9 miles.
Didja hear that? I said only 9 miles. This is why I love training for a marathon. I can say things like "I only have to run 9 miles on Saturday" and totally mean it. I remember not too long ago when my "long run" was a whopping 4 miles. Now I'm preparing to hit my first -teen since I ran the 1/2 marathon in April.
Which reminds me. My schedule calls for a 14 mile run next Saturday but I am going to be driving to the fascinating metropolis that is Terre Haute, IN for my little sister's bridal shower. I thought about trying to squeeze it in early early on Saturday morning but if my run goes anything like it did last Saturday, I'll be in a pickle. I could move it to Sunday, but I'm running another 1/2 marathon on July 28th and that's a little too close together. So, I think I'm going to try and do it Friday after work.
That should be interesting. I'm going to start praying for low humidity starting now.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Thank You
I am truly touched at the response I got from my last post. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement.
Mike: You're right. 12 miles was on the schedule and I did it. That's something to be proud of no matter what the pace.
Brittney: I'll try and listen for "Me" in there somewhere from now on. I know she's in there somewhere!
Silly Lillie: I can be sort of a biotch too! But apparently I didn't have the fight in me on Saturday. My running is my running. My pace is my pace. I'm not out there to impress or please anyone else. Thank you for helping me realize I need to reclaim my own running experience.
Betsy: Thanks for the tip! I just might use Saturday's run during the last 6 miles of the marathon. I'll need some (ok, A LOT of) encouragement by then and I'll try to remember all the days I got out there and ran when I didn't feel like it, just so I could make it to those last 6.2 miles on race day.
Patty: Thanks for stopping by! I did check out your blog and I hope you have a better mental week ahead. I hope we all do!
Red: I never knew what the Miles game was all about before! And I have been passed by plenty of walkers. Though not at the mall. I think I'd have to tackle one of them.
Bridgette: She totally was a jerk! I should have pulled her stupid pony tail. Jerk.
There are a few things I've realized since Saturday. For starters, I'm putting way too much pressure on myself. I started this whole journey because I loved running. Running was fun, running was spiritual, running was my escape from my every day life. But over the past week or two, I've been beating myself up over a lackluster performance and not giving myself nearly the credit I deserve. I'm training for a marathon for craps sake!
The second thing I realized is that I really do love running. I couldn't say this 10 years ago with a straight face and back then I was easily pounding out 7 minute miles. These days, I usually fall in between 10-11 minute miles but I really do love it. In my old age and wisdom, I've discovered I'd rather be slow and happy than fast and miserable. (In a perfect world, I'd be fast and happy, but hey, let's not get greedy now!) I hope to be running for as long as my body will allow it, and if that means running slow, so be it. My goal is to enjoy the journey along the way.
And the last thing I realized, although I knew this already, is that runners are good people. Who else would leave me, a stranger, such genuine support and encouragement? I'm proud to belong in the same community as all of you and call myself....a runner.
Happy miles....
Mike: You're right. 12 miles was on the schedule and I did it. That's something to be proud of no matter what the pace.
Brittney: I'll try and listen for "Me" in there somewhere from now on. I know she's in there somewhere!
Silly Lillie: I can be sort of a biotch too! But apparently I didn't have the fight in me on Saturday. My running is my running. My pace is my pace. I'm not out there to impress or please anyone else. Thank you for helping me realize I need to reclaim my own running experience.
Betsy: Thanks for the tip! I just might use Saturday's run during the last 6 miles of the marathon. I'll need some (ok, A LOT of) encouragement by then and I'll try to remember all the days I got out there and ran when I didn't feel like it, just so I could make it to those last 6.2 miles on race day.
Patty: Thanks for stopping by! I did check out your blog and I hope you have a better mental week ahead. I hope we all do!
Red: I never knew what the Miles game was all about before! And I have been passed by plenty of walkers. Though not at the mall. I think I'd have to tackle one of them.
Bridgette: She totally was a jerk! I should have pulled her stupid pony tail. Jerk.
There are a few things I've realized since Saturday. For starters, I'm putting way too much pressure on myself. I started this whole journey because I loved running. Running was fun, running was spiritual, running was my escape from my every day life. But over the past week or two, I've been beating myself up over a lackluster performance and not giving myself nearly the credit I deserve. I'm training for a marathon for craps sake!
The second thing I realized is that I really do love running. I couldn't say this 10 years ago with a straight face and back then I was easily pounding out 7 minute miles. These days, I usually fall in between 10-11 minute miles but I really do love it. In my old age and wisdom, I've discovered I'd rather be slow and happy than fast and miserable. (In a perfect world, I'd be fast and happy, but hey, let's not get greedy now!) I hope to be running for as long as my body will allow it, and if that means running slow, so be it. My goal is to enjoy the journey along the way.
And the last thing I realized, although I knew this already, is that runners are good people. Who else would leave me, a stranger, such genuine support and encouragement? I'm proud to belong in the same community as all of you and call myself....a runner.
Happy miles....
Saturday, July 07, 2007
The Power of Negative Thinking
I started this morning before 7:00am. I knew it was going to be another hot one and I'd planned accordingly. I had enough water in my body, around my waist and hidden in bushes along my route to get me through the 12 miles Hal told me to run this morning. My plan was to divide the run into 3 parts: the first 4 miles would be easy at a comfortable 11:00/mpm. The following 4 miles would be ramped up to a 10:45/mpm and I'd finish the run with the last 4 miles at 10:30mpm (or as close as I could get to it, depending on how I felt).
I started out perfectly. Each mile came effortlessly at 11:00mpm and I thought I'd have a great run ahead of me. My legs felt fresh, my lungs open, my spirit ready to fly...
At exactly mile 3.5, I heard some runners coming up behind me. No problem, I thought to myself. Runners pass me all the time. I moved over to the side of the bike path so they'd be sure to have enough room to pass me. I thought I heard about 4 or 5 of them behind me but I counted 5, then 10, then 20, then I lost count and concentrated on not getting trampled. I recognized some of them as belonging to a local marathon training group that often does group runs along the same path on Saturday mornings. I smiled and waved hello as they passed and kept on my po-dunk little pace.
A few minutes went by until I heard another wave of the group coming up behind me. I turned around to see how many there were and I couldn't even see the end there were so many! I decided to hop off the trail on to the grass to be sure I was out of their way.
After the second wave passed, a third and a fourth went whizzing past me. By this time, I'd talked myself into such a stinking hole of self loathing, it's a wonder how I ever managed to finish all 12 miles. Myself and I had another conversation around mile 4 that went something like this:
Myself: You're too slow.
I: I know
Myself: And you're pretty fat.
I: Yeah, I know.
Myself: And you're ugly.
I: I know.
Myself: And that's why no man will ever date you.
I: Well, that makes sense.
Myself: So what are you doing out here anyway?
I: Huh?
Myself: I mean, running!
I: I don't know.
Myself: They are the real runners!
I: I know.
Myself: Who do you think you're kidding?
I: I don't know.
Myself: You suck!
I: I know.
Myself: You should quit.
I: Ok.
I was minding my own business, wallowing around in my own self pity when out of nowhere, one of the girls whizzing by elbowed me smack in the middle of the chest. The force was so blunt and so brutal that it sent me flying off the bike path and knocked the wind right out of me. It took me a few minutes to catch my breath and recover but when I did, she and the rest of her cohort were long gone. I doubt she even noticed she did it.
Feeling utterly defeated and beat up, I headed back towards my car. Myself was right, I didn't belong out there.
But when I got close to my car, I kept running. Eight miles later, I stopped. I'm not sure what kept my legs going out there today and those eight miles were anything but pretty (nowhere near the paces I wanted them to be), but they're in the books. I was never so happy to see a run come to an end as I was today and for a little while I contemplated quiting my training altogether. I've never had a run turn into such a mess of self deprecating negative self talk as was today and, I have to say, I hated it.
I haven't quit, and I won't, but today was a scary experience. I'm not sure where all that stems from (I know it wasn't all the people passing me, that happens all the time!) but I'd like to get to the root of it so I know how to more effectively deal with it should I be surprised with it again.
I started out perfectly. Each mile came effortlessly at 11:00mpm and I thought I'd have a great run ahead of me. My legs felt fresh, my lungs open, my spirit ready to fly...
At exactly mile 3.5, I heard some runners coming up behind me. No problem, I thought to myself. Runners pass me all the time. I moved over to the side of the bike path so they'd be sure to have enough room to pass me. I thought I heard about 4 or 5 of them behind me but I counted 5, then 10, then 20, then I lost count and concentrated on not getting trampled. I recognized some of them as belonging to a local marathon training group that often does group runs along the same path on Saturday mornings. I smiled and waved hello as they passed and kept on my po-dunk little pace.
A few minutes went by until I heard another wave of the group coming up behind me. I turned around to see how many there were and I couldn't even see the end there were so many! I decided to hop off the trail on to the grass to be sure I was out of their way.
After the second wave passed, a third and a fourth went whizzing past me. By this time, I'd talked myself into such a stinking hole of self loathing, it's a wonder how I ever managed to finish all 12 miles. Myself and I had another conversation around mile 4 that went something like this:
Myself: You're too slow.
I: I know
Myself: And you're pretty fat.
I: Yeah, I know.
Myself: And you're ugly.
I: I know.
Myself: And that's why no man will ever date you.
I: Well, that makes sense.
Myself: So what are you doing out here anyway?
I: Huh?
Myself: I mean, running!
I: I don't know.
Myself: They are the real runners!
I: I know.
Myself: Who do you think you're kidding?
I: I don't know.
Myself: You suck!
I: I know.
Myself: You should quit.
I: Ok.
I was minding my own business, wallowing around in my own self pity when out of nowhere, one of the girls whizzing by elbowed me smack in the middle of the chest. The force was so blunt and so brutal that it sent me flying off the bike path and knocked the wind right out of me. It took me a few minutes to catch my breath and recover but when I did, she and the rest of her cohort were long gone. I doubt she even noticed she did it.
Feeling utterly defeated and beat up, I headed back towards my car. Myself was right, I didn't belong out there.
But when I got close to my car, I kept running. Eight miles later, I stopped. I'm not sure what kept my legs going out there today and those eight miles were anything but pretty (nowhere near the paces I wanted them to be), but they're in the books. I was never so happy to see a run come to an end as I was today and for a little while I contemplated quiting my training altogether. I've never had a run turn into such a mess of self deprecating negative self talk as was today and, I have to say, I hated it.
I haven't quit, and I won't, but today was a scary experience. I'm not sure where all that stems from (I know it wasn't all the people passing me, that happens all the time!) but I'd like to get to the root of it so I know how to more effectively deal with it should I be surprised with it again.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
On Consoling Myself
Ok, this is why having a Wednesday off is a total crapper. Thursday feels like Monday so it's really like having TWO Mondays in one week. Guess who had a case of the Mondays today?
Yeah, yeah. I'm complaining about having a paid holiday. Moving on.
I had a somewhat better tempo run yesterday than my first try. I got all six miles in (though the last one, or, cool down mile wasn't pretty) and kept the middle 4 at a pretty steady pace between 9:45 and 10:00. I had to make more stops than I would have liked due to (what else?) the heat and humidity to catch my breath but I've decided to go easy on myself. Beating myself up over taking a break isn't going to help anything.
So I give myself a much needed hug and head out the door for an easy easy easy 3.
Until Saturday my fellow runners and friends....
Yeah, yeah. I'm complaining about having a paid holiday. Moving on.
I had a somewhat better tempo run yesterday than my first try. I got all six miles in (though the last one, or, cool down mile wasn't pretty) and kept the middle 4 at a pretty steady pace between 9:45 and 10:00. I had to make more stops than I would have liked due to (what else?) the heat and humidity to catch my breath but I've decided to go easy on myself. Beating myself up over taking a break isn't going to help anything.
So I give myself a much needed hug and head out the door for an easy easy easy 3.
Until Saturday my fellow runners and friends....
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Having a day off in the middle of the week is weird, but I ain't complainin'!
Anyone else having trouble singing into blogger? It quite possibly could be just me but I went the round-about way and finally got here. Couple that with the fact that I had to have a 3 hour phone conversation with 'Dexter' from AT&T Tech Support just to get my internet browser up and working again and it's easy to see how I came to the following observation: holy poop I'm bad with computers!
But I digress.
My entire body was tired after my long run on Saturday. So much so that my Sunday cross training consisted of a brisk 30 minute walk and some weight training. Not exactly swimming or yoga but I figure something is better than nothing. I was feeling back to my old self on Monday and had a hard time resting even though I've committed to this schedule. When Hal says to rest, I rest. Good thing too because I over estimated my abilities out there today. I was supposed to be doing 3 medium paced miles and I clocked 3 miles at 10:00/mile each, which, if you've been keeping score at home, is faster than my 10K pace. Certainly not "all out" but far from easy. Finishing was a struggle and I know I was not properly hydrtated. This could have been a much better run, what without all the oppresive humidity and all. Who knew learning how to run easy would be so difficult!
So, did I run my long run to fast? I told the Garmin to keep me at 11min/miles. I started ok but each mile was a tiny bit faster than the one before so by the end, mile 11 clocked in at 10:25. Aren't these things supposed to be going the other way around??
Also, why do all the books and training guides say I have to run my long runs at 45 or 60 (depending on the book) seconds slower than MP? If I'm consistently running slower than MP, how will I know if I can run my goal pace for the 26.2 miles without bonking?
I'm going to change my blog caption to be The more miles I run, the more I figure out I don't know what in the world I'm doing. I'm getting frustrated with myself.
Happy 4th of July, all!
But I digress.
My entire body was tired after my long run on Saturday. So much so that my Sunday cross training consisted of a brisk 30 minute walk and some weight training. Not exactly swimming or yoga but I figure something is better than nothing. I was feeling back to my old self on Monday and had a hard time resting even though I've committed to this schedule. When Hal says to rest, I rest. Good thing too because I over estimated my abilities out there today. I was supposed to be doing 3 medium paced miles and I clocked 3 miles at 10:00/mile each, which, if you've been keeping score at home, is faster than my 10K pace. Certainly not "all out" but far from easy. Finishing was a struggle and I know I was not properly hydrtated. This could have been a much better run, what without all the oppresive humidity and all. Who knew learning how to run easy would be so difficult!
So, did I run my long run to fast? I told the Garmin to keep me at 11min/miles. I started ok but each mile was a tiny bit faster than the one before so by the end, mile 11 clocked in at 10:25. Aren't these things supposed to be going the other way around??
Also, why do all the books and training guides say I have to run my long runs at 45 or 60 (depending on the book) seconds slower than MP? If I'm consistently running slower than MP, how will I know if I can run my goal pace for the 26.2 miles without bonking?
I'm going to change my blog caption to be The more miles I run, the more I figure out I don't know what in the world I'm doing. I'm getting frustrated with myself.
Happy 4th of July, all!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Back to normal
Computer is fixed and I feel like everything is right with the world again. It's a little disconcerting to realize how much I've come to depend on this thing and a 5 day hiatus from the internet was a little refreshing.
That being said, I swooned when my savvy tech friend handed my computer back over like it was a long lost child. "I've missed you so much, you sweet beautiful piece of technology. Let's never part again." My friend tried to explain to me exactly what went wrong and I just stared blankly back at him.
"So I can check my email and play Free Cell again?" I asked.
Computers and cars both belong in the same "I-don't-know-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-it" category. When all goes wrong and the mechanic (or technician) tries to graciously explain the details to me, my eyes glaze over. I just don't get it.
As far as running is concerned, this week had it's highs and lows like every other week. On my sorta long run Wednesday, the humidity was at 90% and the temperature was sill in the upper 80's even at 8:00pm. I did what I could and nearly collapsed after on 5 miles (was supposed to be 6). However, Saturday's 11 mile run couldn't have gone better. I was properly hydrated and fueled and didn't need to make any unscheduled stops. I was going to try the gels like I mentioned but ended up sticking with the beans. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. With this last full week of running, my total mileage for the month is right at 92, my highest ever!
Now, I've got to get off my butt and do some cross training. Ugg. Swimming or Yoga? Can't decide....
That being said, I swooned when my savvy tech friend handed my computer back over like it was a long lost child. "I've missed you so much, you sweet beautiful piece of technology. Let's never part again." My friend tried to explain to me exactly what went wrong and I just stared blankly back at him.
"So I can check my email and play Free Cell again?" I asked.
Computers and cars both belong in the same "I-don't-know-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-it" category. When all goes wrong and the mechanic (or technician) tries to graciously explain the details to me, my eyes glaze over. I just don't get it.
As far as running is concerned, this week had it's highs and lows like every other week. On my sorta long run Wednesday, the humidity was at 90% and the temperature was sill in the upper 80's even at 8:00pm. I did what I could and nearly collapsed after on 5 miles (was supposed to be 6). However, Saturday's 11 mile run couldn't have gone better. I was properly hydrated and fueled and didn't need to make any unscheduled stops. I was going to try the gels like I mentioned but ended up sticking with the beans. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. With this last full week of running, my total mileage for the month is right at 92, my highest ever!
Now, I've got to get off my butt and do some cross training. Ugg. Swimming or Yoga? Can't decide....
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