At least I beat the dragon

It was a great day to run.  I was in Phoenix this weekend, escaping the New England winter for the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon on Sunday.  Fifty-five degrees and overcast. Seriously, I could not have asked for better conditions. 

It's too bad my legs did not agree.

I started well, running right on pace for the first 3 miles and feeling good.  Then in the middle of mile 4, my quads started to tense up.  Like a light switch, the loose, relaxed and smooth run I had started disappeared.  I tried to run through it until mile 5 where I stopped to stretch for a minute.  I jumped back in and felt a bit better, but soon enough my quads felt like bricks again. 

At that point, I knew my race goal was pretty much gone, as was probably the chance of a PR.  So I readjusted my plan.  My goal was to hit my goal pace for one mile.  I would focus on just one mile at a time.  Between miles 6-13, I came close twice, though never quite hit it.  Surprisingly though, it didn't stop me from trying with each next mile. 

I'm not extremely proud of my finishing time this weekend, 1:45:33, but I am proud that I kept my head in the race.  Once I lost my original goal, I tried to focus on achieving something on this less-than-ideal race day. 

Today, my legs are sore.  Like I ran hard sore.  So I know my effort was there, the execution just was not.  I'm still puzzled by the leg thing however.  In training run after training run, my legs have never tensed up quite like that.  Yet, I have had a few races where this has happened, to various degrees and at various points in the race.  I'm not sure if there is a link, nor how to prevent it in the next race.  I've got some work to do on that piece.

The PF Chang's dragon. It ran the half and those who beat it were awarded restaurant coupons. Unfortunately, I was a little too distracted at the finish to pick my coupon up, but at least I beat the dragon.

Short and Sweet

Much like my runs this week, I'll keep this post short and sweet.

The week before a big race can bring nerves, excitement and a bit of hypochondria.  But it also brings a drop in mileage.  While I look forward (usually) to my runs each week, it has been kind of a treat to do a "long" run of 8 miles on Saturday and a 4 mile run this evening.  And not because I cut my regular run short.

The weather Saturday was great for a run of any distance in Boston.  While I was done before the high temps of 57(!) degrees hit, I was hardly cold on my run.  Not bad for January 7. Not at all the same as last January when I did a 15 mile run out and back twice on a 3.5 mile stretch because it was the only stretch of road that was reasonably clear of snow and ice. 

But despite the unseasonable weather in Boston, I still plan on appreciating the warm weather in Phoenix when I run the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon on Sunday.  If the weather forecast holds, it should be a lovely 48-52 degrees during the race.  Sounds like a great day to run.

 

Imperfectly Welcoming 2012

Hello again!  I apologize for the longer-than-I-liked hiatus in posts.  Life got crazy and some things, well, just had to give.  Unfortunately, since no ones pays me to write this blog, I had to set it aside for a bit (however, if you know someone who would pay me...let's talk!)

I did keep running however.  You didn't miss too much - a great 6.6 miler Halloween weekend, a few mildly disappointing 5Ks and most recently a few successful long runs.  Oh, and all this is leading up to the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Arizona in 2 weeks.  But more to come on that.

One thing I realized about not writing the last few months was part of the motivation for my New Year's resolution.  You might remember my resolution last year was to sleep more.  Er, let's just hope this resolution lasts a bit longer...

My resolution for 2012 is to not let the inability to do something perfectly keep me from doing, or trying to do it perfectly at all.  I have a problem with this.  I'm not perfect nor was this a giant revelation.  But sometimes I set high standards for myself and rather than fail trying to reach my goals and learn from the process, I sometimes just shut off completely.  For example, please let me know if any of the following reasons will keep you from reading this blog:
1) My blog design has not been updated.
2) A post it too short.
3) The post comes later than I would have liked to write it.

Dealbreakers?  Probably not?  But in part, why I have waited almost 3 months to write again.  I bet I would have enjoyed writing short, late posts on my outdated blog, but I didn't think it was what my blog should look like, so I waited.  And waited.  I started this blog because I like writing and as result of my perfection obsession, instead of writing a little and enjoying it, I haven't been writing at all.

And it's not just writing.  I started working on this with my running a few weeks ago and it also led me to translate it to life in general.  As for running, I'm trying to learn from the process of training or races, rather than have the outcome of any one run or race determine what I think of myself as a runner.  And that means missing the mark sometimes.

As 2012 is only a few hours away, I can't help but think of the year ahead.  I wish you a very happy and healthy new year and I hope you'll keep reading in 2012.  I'm looking forward to it and sticking to this resolution/experiment.  I'm sure I'll do so...imperfectly.

Happy Anniversary!

Distance running and I celebrated our 10th anniversary when I ran the BAA Half Marathon this morning.  In the summer of 2001, a coworker told me about this new half marathon in Boston that would take place Columbus Day weekend.  I had been running a bit and decided training for this would be a good goal.  Mind you, I had never run more than 7 or 8 miles before.  But, why not?

Since then, my relationship with running has been one of the most consistent things in my life.  We've had some rough patches - a stress fracture in my foot in 2007 and the torn labrum in my hip that had us together and apart for over a year and a half.  But we have survived.

And there have been plenty of good times too - now 3 fantastic Reach the Beach relays, the 2008 Boston Marathon PR and last year's return to racing at the 2010 BAA Half Marathon to name a few.  Running has also introduced me to many great friends and has shaped many important memories from the last 10 years for me.  We spend more time together every week than I do with just about anyone else on a regular basis, except maybe my office mate, Maya, who gets to see me for the better part of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Recalling this anniversary has also helped me get over a bit of a disappointing race today.  I had trained and felt pretty well prepared to run what I hoped would be a PR today.  I started off feeling good, running my goal pace comfortably for the first 6 miles.  I'm not sure what happened at mile 7, but I started to slip and slowly lost a bit of time with each subsequent mile.  I hung in there but just could not pick it up enough, for a long enough stretch of time, to get me closer to my goal.  I finished 3 seconds slower than last year, and over 3 minutes slower than I had been hoping for this year's race.

I'm still frustrated and need to think over a bit more what I could have done differently and what I need to work on going forward.  But, I did realize as I sat down to write tonight that in my first 1/2 marathon, 10 years ago, my goal was to finish, and secondly to try to finish in 2 hours.  I ran that race in 2:01.

This afternoon, I sat on the couch and questioned myself and whether or not I was meant to run any faster than I had this morning...maybe today's race was a accurate reflection of all I have.  Ten years ago I never could have imagined I would run a half marathon at a sub-8 minute/mile pace.  While I couldn't do it today, I did accomplish this earlier this year.  It was a reminder that with motivation and preparation, I have made it this far.  I'm not ready to be satisfied with my time today as the best I can do.  I'm pretty sure I have some motivation and preparation left in me to show myself I don't have to be.

My belated Reach the Beach post

It's shocking, I know, but sleeping 3 hours in a van last Friday REALLY hit me hard this week.  I have not been so tired, maybe ever.  Really.  I just could not get going at all.  I tried every night to get to bed as early as I possibly could (which was never that early given other commitments),and sadly, I just could not manage to make the time to write.

But aside from the sleep deprivation...what an amazing weekend!  As I mentioned briefly in my last post, Reach the Beach, is an approximately 200 mile team relay race.  Between 6-12 teammates run 36 consecutive, predetermined  legs.  For my team of 12, that meant running 3 times over the course of what would end up being approximately 28 hours.  It means running through the night with headlamps, sleeping on van seats and sealing my sweaty clothes in zip lock bags to keep the rest of my gear dry and odor-free.  I have been fortunate enough to run the race with many of the same people from the Run for the Memory program the previous 2 times I have participated.  We also use the event as a fundraiser.  (You can still make a donation by clicking here!)

This year, I was excited to have Brenna, Laura, Dale, Dale and Scott in my van.  I have shared a van with "the Dales" for all 3 of my RTBs and I couldn't imagine it any other way.  Dale Bob implemented a rule years ago that each runner has to do push ups after completing his/her leg.  And we're all crazy enough to oblige.  Do you get the idea of what our van was like?

I was a bit disappointed earlier in the week to learn Hurricane Irene made part of the course un-runnable and the re-routing cut my first leg of the run by over 6 miles.  My cumulative total for the race which was supposed to be just under 16 miles, would instead be just under 9.  As she has many times, Laura came to my rescue.  She was looking to shorten her run for the weekend and volunteered to trade legs.  I was pleased to now be running 15.8 miles for the race, but upon looking at the elevation maps for my legs, reassessed my excitement.  Ah well, the entire course is hilly.  It's not really possible to escape a few good climbs, and plus it makes all the regular hills I run at home seem like speed bumps.

Our team took off just before 10:00am on Friday morning.  I have never left Cannon Mountain for the start of this race while the sun was shining and this year was no different, alternating between rain and mist.  I was runner #4 and had some time to prep before it was my turn.  My first run was 3.8 miles.  The first 3 were fine, some hills, but nothing ridiculous.  The last .8 was the exact opposite.  Short, steep climbs that I could not see because they were around corners.  And on grass.  Wet grass.  That last .8 was considerably slower than the rest of my run. Still, I passed 2 people.

My second leg began at 11:00pm.  Wearing my fancy new headlamp, I still hate running in the middle of the night.  But it makes me run faster (the dark, not the headlamp).  I guess that's good because this was also my hilliest run.  6.5 miles with 2 hills approximately a mile long and steep with some smaller hills in between.  I knew they were coming though and got through them.  It was by far my slowest run, but not bad given even mountain goats were having trouble with the course.  Passed 6, passed by 1. 

Leg 3 was by far my favorite.  Yes, it was mostly downhill, but after 20+ hours in the van, I was stiff, tired and recovering from an earlier unhappy stomach.  But somehow, I felt great as I left the starting area at about 10:00am.  5.5 miles and I was actually running, not jogging or shuffling!  I finished with my fastest pace, passing 8 along the way and getting passed twice. After my van finished running, we drove to Hampton Beach to meet our final runner from Van 2, Nicolle as she scorched the sand and crossed the finish line together as a team.

While the weekend may sound crazy, even to me, it continues to be, by far one of the most fun events in which I take part.  I continue to laugh at the jokes that took place in the van and along the sides of the road, and shared in a few follow up emails among my teammates this past week.  Maybe I miss the team sports I participated in all through high school and college.  Or maybe I just am lucky to be stuck in a van for 28 hours with some really great folks,doing what we love and making a few more great memories along the way.

A+ Training week

I'm not one to brag, but this week was probably the best training week I have had, maybe ever.  Really.  I think the holiday last Monday put things off to a good start.  It all began with a track workout where I managed to hit all my splits, despite dancing around an unusually large number of geese who periodically wandered off the infield and onto the track.  I ran home only to take a quick shower, that was pretty pointless and go sweat it out a bit at yoga.  It was a nice treat to make it to the 9:30 class led by my favorite omgal, Rebecca.

After some cross training on Tuesday, Wednesday's plan was for a 6 mile fartlek workout.  Pressed for time and with rain pouring outside, I admit I did this workout on the treadmill.  It was no less painful, I promise.  But 48 minutes later, I had done it.  I stuck to my paces and did not get thrown from the treadmill trying.  Success!  I also identified my new least favorite workout.

Thursday was an easy 6 miler.  I'm sad our days are so much shorter now.  Seeing the darkness outside my window when my alarm goes off makes it a bit tougher to get up now.  But I made it, and to my pleasant surprise, it had stopped raining.  Or so I thought.  By the end of my first mile it was drizzling and by the end of 2, it was full out raining.  By mile 4, I'd call it pouring.  But it was actually kind of fun, and at that point, I really didn't have much choice but to run home.  Later that night, I was fortunate to be able to make it home in time for my second yoga class of the week that night, stretching out all that was still tight and sore from that darn fartlek run.

Saturday was a short long run with the last 8 at my half marathon race pace.  Running with pal Brenna, we changed up all our usual routes, starting in Cambridge, heading to the Charles and then running up Comm Ave, through the Boston Common and back.  It was quite a pretty run, and not nearly as crowded along the sidewalks as I would have imagined.  My legs felt really heavy to start, and never felt great, but I hit my 8 miles at race pace much more comfortably than I had run 6 miles at this pace a few weeks back.

The BAA Half Marathon is now less than 4 weeks away.  This week was a huge confidence builder that I can run this race well and I'm really looking forward to it.  Before that though is Reach the Beach next weekend, where I'll run approximately 15 miles over 28 or so hours, fueled by peanut butter and jelly and little to no sleep.  Once again, I'll be running with a team of friends from the Run for the Memory program, and raising money and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association.  My goal is to raise $400 for this event, and if you'd like to help me reach this goal, you can donate here.

Hello old friend, it's been a while...

Today, I decided to run my long run on the hills of Newton along Comm Ave and Washington Street in Newton/Wellesley. I'm pretty sure I have not run these hills since the marathon. However, with the BAA Half Marathon and its rolling hills just 5 weeks away, it was time to stop running flatter courses.

I'm not sure why I decided today was a good day to come back to the hills. I had a 10 mile run with 6 miles at 10K pace in the middle. Sure, I'll run hills for the first time in months and it will be fine to run them harder than my typical long run pace. Good idea.

Actually, it wasn't so bad. It helped tremendously that the weather was um, awesome. Sunny, but a nice breeze that made even a headwind feel nice. It didn't stop me from sweating like a running faucet though.

Slightly intimidated by the tempo portion of my run, I did plan my route so that my first fast miles were down hill. Smart decision or not, I'm not sure. I felt great the first mile and good miles 2 and 3. Mile 4 was more difficult and Mile 5 landed me running up not-called-Grossman's-Hill-anymore hill.* I won't lie, I did not hit my split for that mile. But I'm glad I ran it because a) I have a pace to beat next time and b) I then got to run down it for my last fast mile.

I coasted back to my car for my last 2 miles at a very comfortable pace. I was happy to be done, sweaty, but not dead tired. This possibly means I could have run those middle miles a bit harder. But nonetheless, I ran the 10 miles faster than I would have for a training run, hopefully preparing me for the half in a few weeks.

While I may have needed a little space following the marathon, I think the hills and I can be friends again. See you next week, pal.

*Not-called-Grossman's-Hill-anymore hill is a .4 mile hill in Wellesley/Newton Lower Falls along Washington Street where Grossman's Lumber used to be. I've been corrected for still referring to it as Grossman's hill, but as it is still the way I identify that hill, I have altered it's name slightly until the construction of the new store in that location is completed.