So, my car isn't squealing anymore. That's about the only good news I have for this post.
I started my final 20 mile run this morning on the treadmill. I had never done that before, so it was kind of an experiment. It was just too cold and dark for me this morning (I know, I'm a wimp). I had a nice, new pair of shoes that I was breaking in. I had everything ready to go. The first 7 miles were great. I felt really strong and I wasn't going insane on the treadmill. Around mile 7 the right side of my right foot started hurting. I ignored it, because pain comes and goes all the time while I run--even in short runs. Well, the pain slowly got worse and worse--enough to force me to hobble. After a good mile or so of this, I was getting really frustrated. Everything else was feeling fine. I can handle a little pain, but this just kept getting worse. So, I got off the treadmill and switched to another pair of shoes. Ooh, it got worse. I was really gritting my teeth and trying to breath through the pain. It wasn't working.
After a few man growls, I slapped the stop button on the treadmill (I hate doing that!), stomped off, grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen, threw a couple in my mouth, gave out another man growl, and stomped back onto the treadmill. I was going to finish this run if it killed me. So, the pain kept getting worse and I finally allowed myself to try to walk it off until the ibuprofen kicked in. I was now limping as I walked. Not good.
At mile 10, I picked up the phone and called Dad. With a quivering voice, I said, "Um, Dad... my foot hurts. I can't run." He told me all the right things. Since I literally couldn't run anymore, he told me that my body was probably just telling me that I need to rest. He said two weeks before a marathon is a really good time to rest, so don't push it. I thought I might try finishing the run later tonight, but it's hurting just walking around the apartment. So, I'll probably keep off of it for a while. After I got off the phone with Dad, I remembered that I had this same issue during training for my last marathon. The pain first showed up during work, though--not on a run. I remember I had to take a few days off of running, and then finally the pain just went away on its own. It was never an issue again. So, I'm hoping this is the same thing. I really want to complete the marathon in two weeks. I'll keep you posted.
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Long Run
I tried out some new gear today for my long run. I wanted to bring my new MP3 player and an extra snack with me. This is in addition to my phone, water bottle, two snacks, and key that I usually bring on long runs. So, I got out this really nice running belt that my dad gave me a while ago. You put your water bottle in the middle, and then you can zip up some snacks and stuff in the side pockets. There was plenty of room for everything I needed to take. I ran around the apartment a little before I left to see if everything would stay in place. It seemed to work. Then, I got my MP3 player all ready to go. This would be the first time to use it on a run (I got it for Christmas--thanks, Mom!). It didn't fit in my pocket, so I figured I would just hold it while I ran. I was really excited about this run. I got to carry everything with me, which would allow me to venture further away from my car. I was ready to explore.
So, I drove to where I wanted to start the run. I got all my gear on. I ran for about a minute and everything went wrong. The ear pieces kept falling out of my ears (serious question: are there special ear pieces for runners?). And the belt around my waist kept getting higher and higher--taking my shirt with it. And it felt like the water bottle was going to fly out if there were any sudden movements. So, here I was showing more skin than anyone around me cared to see, awkwardly running back to my car so as not to lose my water bottle. I threw everything into the trunk and got out my trusty old water bottle hand strap. I put my phone in the pocket, kept all the snacks in the car, and set off. I ended up splitting the 18 miles into 6-mile sections. I stopped at the car after the first two sets to refuel. I brought honey roasted peanuts. I'm telling you, they're the best.
I also got to practice my race pace for a couple miles. On the way to the port-o-john. Yeah, I think I'll skip the milkshakes on the night before a long run...
Other than those few incidents, it was a great run. I couldn't have asked for better weather--high 40's and cloudy. And I'm still lovin' the shoes.
***********************
I talked to Dad afterward. So, he just had a quadruple bypass a couple weeks ago and HE LOGGED 40 MILES THIS WEEK. I'm training for a marathon (and I didn't just have my chest torn open) and I logged 30 miles. Is there something wrong with this? He said the mileage gets to him (he's walking around a 19 min/mile pace right now) and he's completely worn out afterward. But... he keeps doing it. I asked him why and he said he's got to be ready for that Fall ultramarathon. If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is. Dad, you rock!
***********************
I signed up for the National Marathon in Washington, DC on March 21.
So, I drove to where I wanted to start the run. I got all my gear on. I ran for about a minute and everything went wrong. The ear pieces kept falling out of my ears (serious question: are there special ear pieces for runners?). And the belt around my waist kept getting higher and higher--taking my shirt with it. And it felt like the water bottle was going to fly out if there were any sudden movements. So, here I was showing more skin than anyone around me cared to see, awkwardly running back to my car so as not to lose my water bottle. I threw everything into the trunk and got out my trusty old water bottle hand strap. I put my phone in the pocket, kept all the snacks in the car, and set off. I ended up splitting the 18 miles into 6-mile sections. I stopped at the car after the first two sets to refuel. I brought honey roasted peanuts. I'm telling you, they're the best.
I also got to practice my race pace for a couple miles. On the way to the port-o-john. Yeah, I think I'll skip the milkshakes on the night before a long run...
Other than those few incidents, it was a great run. I couldn't have asked for better weather--high 40's and cloudy. And I'm still lovin' the shoes.
***********************
I talked to Dad afterward. So, he just had a quadruple bypass a couple weeks ago and HE LOGGED 40 MILES THIS WEEK. I'm training for a marathon (and I didn't just have my chest torn open) and I logged 30 miles. Is there something wrong with this? He said the mileage gets to him (he's walking around a 19 min/mile pace right now) and he's completely worn out afterward. But... he keeps doing it. I asked him why and he said he's got to be ready for that Fall ultramarathon. If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is. Dad, you rock!
***********************
I signed up for the National Marathon in Washington, DC on March 21.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Travelers Rest Half Marathon
Today I ran the Travelers Rest New Year's Resolution Half Marathon with my friend, Crystal.
Here's my report:
I didn't sleep very well the night before. I read somewhere that before a big race you should try to relax by closing your eyes and imagining yourself running the best possible race. So, I laid in bed Friday night imagining myself running my best race. And then I couldn't get to sleep. I fell in and out of sleep all night. I woke up thinking about the race and fell asleep thinking about the race--all night long. I'm really not sure why I get so worked up about these races.
Anyway, I met Crystal at the start and we stood around being all nervous together. I was really excited for Crystal because this was her first half marathon. She did GREAT! She said she only stopped to walk through the water stations twice--which is even more amazing considering her longest run before today was only 7 miles. And she got in around 2:35--awesome!
So, I started off probably too fast. My dad always tells me to pace myself at the beginning, but it's just so hard. I see all those people in front of me, and I just want to pass all of them (I don't even get close). Anyway, around mile 2 a nice man named Leonard ran up next to me and said, "Hey, are you going to be my pace girl?" I told him definitely not, but I would be okay if he paced me. So, I told him my goal was under 2 hours. He had the same goal. His last half marathon was 2:01 and mine was 2:00:46. We seemed to be about the same level, so we pushed on together. I didn't think we would actually run the whole thing together (I assumed I would eventually wave him on and slow down). But we ended up pushing each other the whole way. We ran the first few miles at a hard but do-able 8:34 pace. There were MANY hills that slowed us down, but we usually ended up back at an 8:30-9:00 min pace.
Did I mention the course was hilly? Whoa! Everyone talked about "the hill" that would be coming up around mile 6. Frankly, that was cake compared to some of the other hills we encountered. It was just hill after long hill after hill--the whole way. Before the race, I told my dad about the big hill that everyone was talking about. So, he gave me some pointers. He told me to take short, quick strides up the hill and pretend I'm a boxer with my arm movements. And then on the downhill, lengthen the strides and land on my forefoot. Well, it was pretty comical watching me pretend to be a boxer. It was like watching Rocky in slow motion. I literally was moving in slow motion. But, I made it to the top and enjoyed the downhill.
Leonard and I had a few people who joined us along the way with the same time goal as us. It was fun talking to them and hearing their running stories. They all ended up dropping behind before we made it to the end. And let me tell you, there is absolutely no way I could have run that fast on that hilly course if it wasn't for Leonard. We just kept pushing and pushing each other. I would get tired and Leonard would speed up. He would get tired and I would speed up. And thankfully he talked the whole time, which kept my mind awake (my biggest problem in long races is the getting tired part). I asked him how long he's been running, but he thought I asked how long he's been married. So, he went off for a few miles talking about his wife and what they both do and they've been married 25 years, etc. It was pretty funny. Honestly, though, he was such a blessing today. I'm confident I would not have made my goal without him.
We sped up in the last mile to make it into the finish at 1:58:46 (I don't have the official time, yet). And you'll never guess who was waiting at the finish line in the stinkin' cold... My favorite people in the whole world--the Smiths! I couldn't believe it. They even had post-race drinks for us! It's nice to have such supportive friends.
Crystal and I were pretty pleased with our fabulous plastic medals (hehe) and pleased with ourselves for starting the new year off right. I can't wait for my next half marathon to hopefully shave off another minute or two...
Crystal and Lisa
Lisa, Crystal, and Jenna
Here's my report:
I didn't sleep very well the night before. I read somewhere that before a big race you should try to relax by closing your eyes and imagining yourself running the best possible race. So, I laid in bed Friday night imagining myself running my best race. And then I couldn't get to sleep. I fell in and out of sleep all night. I woke up thinking about the race and fell asleep thinking about the race--all night long. I'm really not sure why I get so worked up about these races.
Anyway, I met Crystal at the start and we stood around being all nervous together. I was really excited for Crystal because this was her first half marathon. She did GREAT! She said she only stopped to walk through the water stations twice--which is even more amazing considering her longest run before today was only 7 miles. And she got in around 2:35--awesome!
So, I started off probably too fast. My dad always tells me to pace myself at the beginning, but it's just so hard. I see all those people in front of me, and I just want to pass all of them (I don't even get close). Anyway, around mile 2 a nice man named Leonard ran up next to me and said, "Hey, are you going to be my pace girl?" I told him definitely not, but I would be okay if he paced me. So, I told him my goal was under 2 hours. He had the same goal. His last half marathon was 2:01 and mine was 2:00:46. We seemed to be about the same level, so we pushed on together. I didn't think we would actually run the whole thing together (I assumed I would eventually wave him on and slow down). But we ended up pushing each other the whole way. We ran the first few miles at a hard but do-able 8:34 pace. There were MANY hills that slowed us down, but we usually ended up back at an 8:30-9:00 min pace.
Did I mention the course was hilly? Whoa! Everyone talked about "the hill" that would be coming up around mile 6. Frankly, that was cake compared to some of the other hills we encountered. It was just hill after long hill after hill--the whole way. Before the race, I told my dad about the big hill that everyone was talking about. So, he gave me some pointers. He told me to take short, quick strides up the hill and pretend I'm a boxer with my arm movements. And then on the downhill, lengthen the strides and land on my forefoot. Well, it was pretty comical watching me pretend to be a boxer. It was like watching Rocky in slow motion. I literally was moving in slow motion. But, I made it to the top and enjoyed the downhill.
Leonard and I had a few people who joined us along the way with the same time goal as us. It was fun talking to them and hearing their running stories. They all ended up dropping behind before we made it to the end. And let me tell you, there is absolutely no way I could have run that fast on that hilly course if it wasn't for Leonard. We just kept pushing and pushing each other. I would get tired and Leonard would speed up. He would get tired and I would speed up. And thankfully he talked the whole time, which kept my mind awake (my biggest problem in long races is the getting tired part). I asked him how long he's been running, but he thought I asked how long he's been married. So, he went off for a few miles talking about his wife and what they both do and they've been married 25 years, etc. It was pretty funny. Honestly, though, he was such a blessing today. I'm confident I would not have made my goal without him.
We sped up in the last mile to make it into the finish at 1:58:46 (I don't have the official time, yet). And you'll never guess who was waiting at the finish line in the stinkin' cold... My favorite people in the whole world--the Smiths! I couldn't believe it. They even had post-race drinks for us! It's nice to have such supportive friends.
Crystal and I were pretty pleased with our fabulous plastic medals (hehe) and pleased with ourselves for starting the new year off right. I can't wait for my next half marathon to hopefully shave off another minute or two...
Crystal and Lisa
Lisa, Crystal, and Jenna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)