Sunday, February 24, 2013

Body knows best

Training for a marathon takes a lot...of everything.  It takes a lot of miles on the road, a lot of hours stretching and lifting to support those muscles, a lot of ice for post-run recovery, a lot of  oatmeal and peanut butter (my favorite pre-run breakfast) and a lot of time.  A combination of all of these seem to have caught up to me this week.  After returning from St. John, I have been pretty determined, working out almost everyday for the last 2 weeks.  In the meantime, I also returned to real life, where I have a job, volunteer, fundraise for the marathon and try to maintain some kind of social life.

Somewhere in that list, I try to sleep each day.  But I admit, it is never the priority it should be.  So I should not have been too surprised when I woke up on Thursday at 7:00am with zero recollection of my 5:00 alarm ever going off.  After initially being annoyed with myself, I realized this was my body's way of yelling at me after it had tried to tell me for the last few days that I could not keep up my current schedule.  If I was not going to get to bed early enough, eventually my body was just not going to wake up when I wanted.

Like most runner's, I'm compliant with a training schedule, and a missed run can, in the moment, seem catastrophic.  However, just as I trust my body to get me through 26.2 miles, I also need to trust it when it tells me to take better care of myself. 

My disappointment in my missed run earlier in the week was quickly overshadowed by a very successful 18 miler on Saturday.  After struggling through my last 2 long runs, I was nervous how I might survive my longest training run thus far.  But it was great!  I felt strong the entire run, both physically and mentally.  Now, whether or not I would have felt this good if I had not missed my run the Thursday before, I will not know.  But what I do know is that missing that run did not seem to negatively affect me.

My goal for the next 7 weeks is to make getting the rest I need a priority, to recover from all the work my body is doing these days.  And while the plan is of course to stick to the training plan during that time, I will try to listen to my body more, so next time it does not need to yell to be heard.

Monday, February 18, 2013

A cold day to run, but warm and fuzzy inside

1 pair of socks
2 pairs of running tights
2 long sleeved shirts
1 jacket
1 pair of gloves with flip-top mittens
1 ski hat
1 pair of sunglasses

This was my attire for today's 16 mile long run.  The forecast at the time I ran was 23 degrees with 21 mph winds, making it feel like 10 degrees.  It was chilly.

After the Old Fashioned Ten Miler was cancelled on Sunday, I debated trying to go out and run in the wind and slush.  While I wanted to get the run over with (and running today was not roses), it seemed like the better alternative.  Either day I was going to be cold, at least today it was sunny and dry.

For the most part my choice of clothing was well-suited for the weather.  I had never tried running in 2 pairs of tights before, but I will say my behind and I are now huge fans.  And while I unzipped my jacket a bit while running with a tail wind, I zipped that bad boy all the way up and buried my chin as I faced the headwinds.

Not the most exciting run, I did 2 loops, or thereabouts, from Chestnut Hill Ave to the fire station and back on Comm Ave along the marathon course.  Mostly shoveled sidewalks and the plowed carriage road made for simpler navigation on a day when other roads were still a bit messy.

But it was still challenging.  Sixteen miles alone when the weather is not very friendly was not a great way to run.  The first 12 miles went ok, however the last 4 were ugly.  Eh, it happens.  Overall, for a cold, windy and hilly run, after 2 weeks on inconsistent training, it was not that bad.

What actually kept me going (and got me out there in the first place, I'll be honest) was the outpouring of generosity from friends and family towards my fundraising goals for the Alzheimer's Association this weekend.  Seventeen people made donations this holiday weekend!  So many that I cannot even keep up with sending thank yous!  (Sorry, they're coming!)  From family members to friends I have not talked to in months or years to my old high school volleyball coach, I am honored that they chose to support me and an organization I believe it so important.  And to have some of these folks thank ME for training for this race...well, it was pretty incredible.  It provided me with a solid reminder of why I needed to put on all that spandex and  go for a run today.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Being Flexible for February

You may know I am a big fan of yoga.  I try to make it a regular part of my weekly workouts to improve my mental focus, balance and flexibility.  And while it's fun to be bendy and make myself into a pretzel, I recently found a few new ways to test my flexibility.

I was fortunate to recently take an incredible vacation to the beautiful island of St John.  The beaches had the softest sand and the bluest water.  The weather was ideal with lows in the mid 70s and highs in the low 80s every day.  Perfect for a few days of running without hand warmers and layers of Under Armor.  Until I realized my potential running routes.




Hilly roads on the sides of mountains, with nothing for a shoulder, except a white line.  I thought about it, but after seeing a few runners attempt it, I was confident it was not a good idea.  So, for an entire week I woke up and did yoga and some strength training on the patio of our villa.  OK, so it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't running.

I didn't want vacation to end, but I looked forward to getting home for my Saturday long run with the Alzheimer's team.  Until Thursday, when the predictions for snow arriving in Boston Friday turned into predictions for a blizzard.

We made it to Miami and were rebooked on a flight to Boston Monday morning.

Again, a test of my ability to be flexible.  The plan was to return Friday to have the weekend to unpack, do laundry, go grocery shopping...get settled after being away for a week.  While Miami for 3 days was not part of the vacation plan, it wasn't so bad.  And I'm glad I was able to realize this then, and not just in retrospect.  I had great company, the weather was better than it was back in New England, and I finally got to go for a few runs in shorts!

I didn't however go for my long run.  So after I returned Monday afternoon to Boston, unpacked, and shoveled my car out, I hit the treadmill for 14.5 miles.  Three miles in my iPod died. (Oh, not my real iPod, I lost that on the plane.  This was my classic iPod mini, complete with playlists circa 2006.)  But I did it.

So far, February has tested my flexibility in a few ways.  I have rolled with the punches for the most part and am pretty proud of myself for the outcomes.  I may have wanted to use a different "F" word a few times, but instead, maybe this was all part of my training to get to the finish line on April 15th.