I've read several race reports from Shamrock, and thought I'd do my own because it seems I have a different perspective on races than most. Maybe it's because it's not like I'm going to place or anything, or because of the number of races I've done (getting close to 30 now).
I don't get nervous the night before a race. So long as I confirm the start time, know what time I need to get up and leave the house and where I need to be, I'm good. I sleep just fine after that, and here's why: Ambien.
Before I went to bed, I confirmed the start time for the 15K and so I knew when I needed to get up, etc. Before I fell asleep, I realized I didn't remember where the race's start was. All I remembered from last year's Shamrock was pouring rain and a million people and somewhere on the waterfront. I couldn't get up to go check where the start was at that point, lest the Ambien kick in while I'm, say, on the stairs. That stuff is, I'm awake, I'm awake, I'm awake, hey it's morning. You don't get up once you take it. I knew it would only take a second to check the race start online so I didn't sweat it.
Soon the alarm is going off. For some reason, I decide I'm not in a hurry. I mean, my pre-race routine is basically just get dressed, eat and drink a little in the car on the way there, and then go race, but still. I don't lay out my stuff the night before. I have an idea of what I'll wear depending on how the weather is when I get up, but that is the extent of it. I don't get my fuel belt together. In fact, I usually don't decide if I will be taking a fuel belt. So I have no idea why I don't think I need to get up right away. Consequently, I was already running late when I got up.
In keeping with the "race on the fly" attitude, I also don't pin my bib on before I get out of the car at the race. I didn't even have safety pins set out; I figured I had enough in the car by now. I had to mix up some powerade that morning, fill my Nathan bottles. I pulled some cash and my ID, stuff that and my phone and some shot bloks and Gu into my fuel belt and called it good. My inhaler and chapstick went into my pocket. A granola bar (100 calorie) completed the ensemble. Late late late.
However, I wouldn't have been quite so late if it wasn't for all of the blocked streets downtown. Thankfully I hadn't tried to take Barbur all the way in, but I did get caught in the Naito re-routing, such that I had to go over the Hawthorne and loop back over to the Morrison to get west of Naito. I finally found a parking garage that was open, and dashed out of my car.
The 5Kers were well into their race by now, and I couldn't cross through them. I ended up on the west side of Naito, dodging through all the spectators, trying to figure out how to get to the other side. I was not alone; there were a lot of 15Kers with me, also trying to get through. Eventually we made it past the start and finish lines and climbed over a barrier to finally get close enough to the corrals. I realized at some point in there that I had forgotten to leave my glasses in the car; I never run with them on.
The lost 15Kers and I had ended up at the very beginning of the race pack. It wasn't too tightly smooshed with bodies, however, and I would have started in the first wave (staying way to the side since they'd all pass me right off the bat) but my iPod wouldn't connect. So I scrunched out of the way of the runners until I could reset Chip. I got him going in time to go with the second wave, and again since it wasn't all packed up I decided just to go. Reading the other race reports, it sounds like it was packed up in the back of the corral; I would have tried to move farther back out of the way of the speedy people but there were just too many people.
I felt well rested and had a good start. Then we started to climb towards Terwilliger. I had to stop and walk a few paces here and there just to catch my breath; if I try to pace people early on, I start out too fast and pay for it later. I was doing well with pace but I just hadn't warmed up enough yet for my breathing to have settled. People were passing me the entire time but we were still spaced out fairly well and I stay to the side as it. (It doesn't bother me to be passed, except at the very end of a race.)
In short order, I got used to the eternal uphill climb and mostly didn't notice it anymore. I walked very little in this race after the first 1.5 miles. It was warmer away from the waterfront, so once I ditched my jacket sleeves I was very comfortable. The new shoes were fantastic; much better shock absorption on the downhill in particular.
They ran out of cups at the second and third water stops. Being as I am usually at the very end of any race, I hate when they run out of supplies by the time I get there. They also were out of finishers' medallions, although it sounds like they just ran out. But sheesh, they know how many racers are registered. They're supposed to know I didn't get a medallion (based on finishing times and when they ran out, I was told) and mail me one. At least they still had chowder and beer; I skipped the beer since I didn't want to fall on my lips shortly thereafter. I did the rounds of the park but never did spot anyone I know. Next time, we need a plan. I also never found any food other than chowder; I was dying for a bagel.
Since it was freezing on the waterfront, I decided to head home. Somewhere around mile 7, I'd gotten so into the groove I had forgotten that I was running. I was still running on autopilot, but was thinking about this and that and admiring the view -- both St. Helens and Hood were out and beautiful as we came down Barbur. Anyhow, as part of that I suddenly realized that.... I wasn't entirely certain I remembered where I'd parked my car. I had an idea of where I thought I'd parked so I headed that way, and came across another woman who was also looking for her car. We chatted about the race as we walked and then she headed more west than where I was going. Turns out I did remember where I parked, but only because I had intentionally parked in a garage with which I was familiar, the one I usually park in for the ballet. That's the only way I found it. Then I had to actually find my car in the garage, trying to remember if I had gone up the stairs or down the stairs on my way out. I had stumbled upon Chipotle while looking for the car and picked up lunch so I headed home to eat and then stretch out for several hours.
All in all, a great race. My official time was 2:08:19, which was faster than double my 5-miler from last weekend so I'm happy with what I did yesterday. It also is a good indicator, I think, of how the marathon will go. Next up I'll be running a 5K race the day before the Race for the Roses half marathon. Here's hoping the half goes just as well!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Heading into Week 10 and how Cilley got her groove back
I took several days off from training this week and as today's 15K went pretty well I think the rest did some good. I was hoping to finish in 2:15, and I finished around 2:08. I had hoped to meet up with friends before or after the race, but either no one met up or maybe I missed the memo. Oh well. I know I'm fabulous, and I'm fine on my own. It's just that some times it's nice to not be on your own.
Here's how Week 9 went:
Mon/Day 57 - Rest. Done.
Tue/Day 58 - 4 miles. Done. Logged 4.01 miles.
Wed/Day 59 - Rest. Done to the extreme. My hip and back went out so I took Wednesday and Thursday off work to be flat on my back for a while.
Thu/Day 60 - 7 miles. Gack! I should be able to finish this in about 85 minutes; we'll see. Nope. Still flat on my back.
Fri/Day 61 - 4 miles. Nope. Low back still very sore.
Sat/Day 62 - Rest. Done. I thought about running, but I went to work instead.
Sun/Day 63 - 16 miles. This will be another split run, with the 15K Shamrock followed by the balance somewhere. Did the Shamrock and logged 10.14 miles per my iPod. Felt great for that -- I even hit that point where I forgot I was running, I got so into the zone -- so I decided not to ruin my high with more miles.
Next week I will work to be back on track with my training. Mentally I'm having a hard time with the longer mileage during the week; worried I won't get finished in time. I just need to get over it -- if I'm late to work, I'm late to work. And this weekend will be an uninterrupted long run, which I am masochistically looking forward to.
Here's Week 10's schedule:
Mon/Day 64 - Rest.
Tue/Day 65 - 5 miles.
Wed/Day 66 - Rest.
Thu/Day 67 - 8 miles.
Fri/Day 68 - 5 miles.
Sat/Day 69 - Rest.
Sun/Day 70 - 16 miles.
I am off to get in some puppy loving, which from their perspective probably involves me feeding them. I hope everyone who ran Shamrock had as great a race as I did. Here's wishing you a wonderful week as well.
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Here's how Week 9 went:
Mon/Day 57 - Rest. Done.
Tue/Day 58 - 4 miles. Done. Logged 4.01 miles.
Wed/Day 59 - Rest. Done to the extreme. My hip and back went out so I took Wednesday and Thursday off work to be flat on my back for a while.
Thu/Day 60 - 7 miles. Gack! I should be able to finish this in about 85 minutes; we'll see. Nope. Still flat on my back.
Fri/Day 61 - 4 miles. Nope. Low back still very sore.
Sat/Day 62 - Rest. Done. I thought about running, but I went to work instead.
Sun/Day 63 - 16 miles. This will be another split run, with the 15K Shamrock followed by the balance somewhere. Did the Shamrock and logged 10.14 miles per my iPod. Felt great for that -- I even hit that point where I forgot I was running, I got so into the zone -- so I decided not to ruin my high with more miles.
Next week I will work to be back on track with my training. Mentally I'm having a hard time with the longer mileage during the week; worried I won't get finished in time. I just need to get over it -- if I'm late to work, I'm late to work. And this weekend will be an uninterrupted long run, which I am masochistically looking forward to.
Here's Week 10's schedule:
Mon/Day 64 - Rest.
Tue/Day 65 - 5 miles.
Wed/Day 66 - Rest.
Thu/Day 67 - 8 miles.
Fri/Day 68 - 5 miles.
Sat/Day 69 - Rest.
Sun/Day 70 - 16 miles.
I am off to get in some puppy loving, which from their perspective probably involves me feeding them. I hope everyone who ran Shamrock had as great a race as I did. Here's wishing you a wonderful week as well.
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Day 58 and trying easier.
It's a little eerie when I blog out all my feelings about how hard marathon training is and that I am vowing to try harder, to do this OR ELSE -- and then that evening I pick up the Whitsett book only to find the entire chapter for that week addresses EXACTLY what I'm going through, and introduces the concept of trying easier.
Trying easier is basically to let up on yourself, to find the fun in training again and if it's not there, if maybe this marathon isn't the one you are meant to do, that's okay. You need to not be so rigid that you break before you can bend.
All of which is difficult to remember at o'dark thirty, particularly when you're fairly certain your femur is a tad out of its socket. I didn't run this morning, but I will after work, and I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow afternoon to see about this hip problem. And then I'm just going to take each day as it comes. Can I do this marathon even if I don't follow the training program to the letter? I think so, physically. It's mentally that I am having problems -- where everyone has problems, really. I think I will go back through the Whitsett book and refresh myself on the mental teachings it has to offer.
I got my official five miler results this morning: 1:10:41. I noticed as I was updating the sidebar that that is just about a minute slower than the Fanconi Anemia 8K, so considering the 8K is just a smidge less distance I give myself a "good job!" overall. Especially remembering the hill of despair. Oh, and I pulled a photo from the race:
Clearly, I had an itch. Actually, I spotted the photog a fraction of a second later (she was up in a tree -- sneaky!), and realized there'd be a goofy pic of me scratching my head. Oh well. You can just barely see the neon pink in my shoes -- there were some other photos of me where it's sunnier and they are just glowing. I absolutely love that Pearl Izumi jacket; the sleeves zip off, which I did about three minutes after this photo was taken when we got out of the woods and into the sun.
Oh, and behind me in the white t-shirt, in the distance -- lady with a cane! Who I found out this morning is 69. 69! 69 and she finished ten seconds behind me. I really need to work on my mental training.
I also snagged this photo for my mom:
I don't know him, but he looks A LOT like my stepdad. Who needs to start exercising, particularly since he shattered his ankle a couple of years ago and he needs to rehab it. I told her to pass it along to my stepdad, give him something to aim for. I looked up this guy's age today, he's about 12 years younger than my stepdad but still. He could do it.
That's all I've got for now. Have a great Tuesday!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Trying easier is basically to let up on yourself, to find the fun in training again and if it's not there, if maybe this marathon isn't the one you are meant to do, that's okay. You need to not be so rigid that you break before you can bend.
All of which is difficult to remember at o'dark thirty, particularly when you're fairly certain your femur is a tad out of its socket. I didn't run this morning, but I will after work, and I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow afternoon to see about this hip problem. And then I'm just going to take each day as it comes. Can I do this marathon even if I don't follow the training program to the letter? I think so, physically. It's mentally that I am having problems -- where everyone has problems, really. I think I will go back through the Whitsett book and refresh myself on the mental teachings it has to offer.
I got my official five miler results this morning: 1:10:41. I noticed as I was updating the sidebar that that is just about a minute slower than the Fanconi Anemia 8K, so considering the 8K is just a smidge less distance I give myself a "good job!" overall. Especially remembering the hill of despair. Oh, and I pulled a photo from the race:
Clearly, I had an itch. Actually, I spotted the photog a fraction of a second later (she was up in a tree -- sneaky!), and realized there'd be a goofy pic of me scratching my head. Oh well. You can just barely see the neon pink in my shoes -- there were some other photos of me where it's sunnier and they are just glowing. I absolutely love that Pearl Izumi jacket; the sleeves zip off, which I did about three minutes after this photo was taken when we got out of the woods and into the sun.
Oh, and behind me in the white t-shirt, in the distance -- lady with a cane! Who I found out this morning is 69. 69! 69 and she finished ten seconds behind me. I really need to work on my mental training.
I also snagged this photo for my mom:
I don't know him, but he looks A LOT like my stepdad. Who needs to start exercising, particularly since he shattered his ankle a couple of years ago and he needs to rehab it. I told her to pass it along to my stepdad, give him something to aim for. I looked up this guy's age today, he's about 12 years younger than my stepdad but still. He could do it.
That's all I've got for now. Have a great Tuesday!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Monday, March 8, 2010
Day 57 and the second half of marathon training, PLUS the return of the lady with the cane!
Deep down, I think I thought this would be easy. Well, maybe not easy, but not incredibly hard. More than doable, I mean. But you know what?
Marathon training is fucking HARD.
Amazing that it's taken me eight weeks to truly reach that conclusion, isn't it? Feel free to smack me around, like the doofus I am.
It was another LONG long run yesterday. Thinking about stopping the insanity of training. But now I can't quit. My mom is definitely coming down for the marathon, and while she is kinda short she is also scrappy. She definitely could still thump my ass if she wanted to.
So I keep going. Very slowly, but I keep going. I may really die trying.
Sunday I had to split up my long run again, since I had to do the five mile race first. I say "had to do" because I have realized that I really, really do not like splitting up my runs. It sounded ideal at the time but mentally, it does not mean good things for either part of my run. Like how my second half yesterday averaged 17 minute miles. Because I walked almost the entire eight-plus miles.
Let me back up. First of all, the new shoes are working out great. I decided to make the race their inaugural run. I threw my old shoes into the car, so that if I needed them for the second part of my long run I could change shoes (I ended up doing all my Sunday miles in the new shoes, with no real problems). I had my goal of finishing the five miler in 1:10, which I did: 1:10:54 according to my Nike+, I think about ten seconds under than according to the race results (official results aren't posted yet). I was happy about that. Especially since.... Lady with the cane was back!
Right after I got to the race course, I joined the porta-potty line, like you do. I'd been in line for about five seconds, admiring my new shoes, when BAM! A cane slams into the ground, next to my pretty shoes. I'm really not making this up. It would have been like a gauntlet, except that she didn't do it on purpose; she just had to quickly fix her shoe. But for me, it was on. I had to beat the lady with the cane. (Whose name is Carol, I learned. I really hope she's not doing Eugene.)
The Red Lizard 5-Miler course is deceptively not easy. It seems like it should be, as more or less an out and back, but a lot of it involves a slow but steady upwards grade, plus there is the hill of death at roughly 3.3 miles. I've never seen anyone really run up this hill, probably because all of the actual running people are long gone but the time I get there. I felt like crawling up this hill this time. And since I was going so slow, I was in a perfect position to notice... the squished little lizard in the middle of the hill. A real lizard, flat as a pancake, and in the Red Lizard logo position. That gave me the energy to get up the rest of the hill, lest I end up like the lizard.
Lady with the cane caught up with me right after that, so I had to spend the rest of the race keeping myself ahead of her shuffle-shuffle-thump. I know, I'm so sad. But it's good to have goals, right?
For the rest of my long run, I took the Ambitious One's advice and decided to go around Oswego Lake. It was supposed to be 6.8 miles. It isn't. Which was okay, since I was aiming for nine miles. But it was just one more thing to grumble about during this part of the run. And my brain and body found lots to grumble about.
When I split up my runs, I spend the first half saying I should go slow since I still need to do X miles afterwards. Then I spend the second half saying no wonder I'm slow since I already did Y miles, so why speed up? I also don't like running in heavy traffic, which most of this lake path had (luckily only a few spots where I had to worry seriously about being hit), plus I spent the majority of the time not lost but thinking I wasn't where I thought I was. This is what happens when part of your map is to scale and the other part not so much. I also wasn't fueling enough and by that time I needed something solid other than Gu or Powerade, except that I felt nauseous from the peanut butter and bread I'd had earlier. So I felt sorry for myself, and I walked. 8.15 miles in 2:18:49. I should have been much closer to two hours. Did I mention that a good chunk of the south shore of Oswego Lake is all uphill? But I still should have been at least ten to twelve minutes faster overall.
Oh well, Week 8 is now officially over and I will be happy, shiny, and perky for Week 9. I can do this, and I will do this. I am a marathoner!!
Time for recaps and forecasts.
Week 8:
Mon/Day 50 - Rest. Check!
Tue/Day 51 - 4 miles. Check! 4.01 miles.
Wed/Day 52 - Rest. Check!
Thu/Day 53 - 6 miles. Check! 6.01 miles.
Fri/Day 54 - 4 miles. Nope! I needed a mental health day.
Sat/Day 55 - Rest. Check!
Sun/Day 56 - 14 miles. Close! I did 13.49 miles between the two runs. While I didn't actually hit the wall in the second run, I was feeling my way along it for a good four+ miles and could not imagine squeezing in another 0.5 miles to make my total.
Total mileage for the week: 23.51.
Week 9:
Mon/Day 57 - Rest.
Tue/Day 58 - 4 miles.
Wed/Day 59 - Rest.
Thu/Day 60 - 7 miles. Gack! I should be able to finish this in about 85 minutes; we'll see.
Fri/Day 61 - 4 miles.
Sat/Day 62 - Rest.
Sun/Day 63 - 16 miles. This will be another split run, with the 15K Shamrock followed by the balance somewhere.
I need a nap! And a masseur!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Marathon training is fucking HARD.
Amazing that it's taken me eight weeks to truly reach that conclusion, isn't it? Feel free to smack me around, like the doofus I am.
It was another LONG long run yesterday. Thinking about stopping the insanity of training. But now I can't quit. My mom is definitely coming down for the marathon, and while she is kinda short she is also scrappy. She definitely could still thump my ass if she wanted to.
So I keep going. Very slowly, but I keep going. I may really die trying.
Sunday I had to split up my long run again, since I had to do the five mile race first. I say "had to do" because I have realized that I really, really do not like splitting up my runs. It sounded ideal at the time but mentally, it does not mean good things for either part of my run. Like how my second half yesterday averaged 17 minute miles. Because I walked almost the entire eight-plus miles.
Let me back up. First of all, the new shoes are working out great. I decided to make the race their inaugural run. I threw my old shoes into the car, so that if I needed them for the second part of my long run I could change shoes (I ended up doing all my Sunday miles in the new shoes, with no real problems). I had my goal of finishing the five miler in 1:10, which I did: 1:10:54 according to my Nike+, I think about ten seconds under than according to the race results (official results aren't posted yet). I was happy about that. Especially since.... Lady with the cane was back!
Right after I got to the race course, I joined the porta-potty line, like you do. I'd been in line for about five seconds, admiring my new shoes, when BAM! A cane slams into the ground, next to my pretty shoes. I'm really not making this up. It would have been like a gauntlet, except that she didn't do it on purpose; she just had to quickly fix her shoe. But for me, it was on. I had to beat the lady with the cane. (Whose name is Carol, I learned. I really hope she's not doing Eugene.)
The Red Lizard 5-Miler course is deceptively not easy. It seems like it should be, as more or less an out and back, but a lot of it involves a slow but steady upwards grade, plus there is the hill of death at roughly 3.3 miles. I've never seen anyone really run up this hill, probably because all of the actual running people are long gone but the time I get there. I felt like crawling up this hill this time. And since I was going so slow, I was in a perfect position to notice... the squished little lizard in the middle of the hill. A real lizard, flat as a pancake, and in the Red Lizard logo position. That gave me the energy to get up the rest of the hill, lest I end up like the lizard.
Lady with the cane caught up with me right after that, so I had to spend the rest of the race keeping myself ahead of her shuffle-shuffle-thump. I know, I'm so sad. But it's good to have goals, right?
For the rest of my long run, I took the Ambitious One's advice and decided to go around Oswego Lake. It was supposed to be 6.8 miles. It isn't. Which was okay, since I was aiming for nine miles. But it was just one more thing to grumble about during this part of the run. And my brain and body found lots to grumble about.
When I split up my runs, I spend the first half saying I should go slow since I still need to do X miles afterwards. Then I spend the second half saying no wonder I'm slow since I already did Y miles, so why speed up? I also don't like running in heavy traffic, which most of this lake path had (luckily only a few spots where I had to worry seriously about being hit), plus I spent the majority of the time not lost but thinking I wasn't where I thought I was. This is what happens when part of your map is to scale and the other part not so much. I also wasn't fueling enough and by that time I needed something solid other than Gu or Powerade, except that I felt nauseous from the peanut butter and bread I'd had earlier. So I felt sorry for myself, and I walked. 8.15 miles in 2:18:49. I should have been much closer to two hours. Did I mention that a good chunk of the south shore of Oswego Lake is all uphill? But I still should have been at least ten to twelve minutes faster overall.
Oh well, Week 8 is now officially over and I will be happy, shiny, and perky for Week 9. I can do this, and I will do this. I am a marathoner!!
Time for recaps and forecasts.
Week 8:
Mon/Day 50 - Rest. Check!
Tue/Day 51 - 4 miles. Check! 4.01 miles.
Wed/Day 52 - Rest. Check!
Thu/Day 53 - 6 miles. Check! 6.01 miles.
Fri/Day 54 - 4 miles. Nope! I needed a mental health day.
Sat/Day 55 - Rest. Check!
Sun/Day 56 - 14 miles. Close! I did 13.49 miles between the two runs. While I didn't actually hit the wall in the second run, I was feeling my way along it for a good four+ miles and could not imagine squeezing in another 0.5 miles to make my total.
Total mileage for the week: 23.51.
Week 9:
Mon/Day 57 - Rest.
Tue/Day 58 - 4 miles.
Wed/Day 59 - Rest.
Thu/Day 60 - 7 miles. Gack! I should be able to finish this in about 85 minutes; we'll see.
Fri/Day 61 - 4 miles.
Sat/Day 62 - Rest.
Sun/Day 63 - 16 miles. This will be another split run, with the 15K Shamrock followed by the balance somewhere.
I need a nap! And a masseur!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 54 and a mental health day
It was so nice not to have to rush off early to bed last night and to sleep in this morning. Not that I got up any later than I would for any other rest day (not really.... okay, maybe five or ten minutes later), but it just had a different flavor to it. You know?
I went back to the running store last night and emerged triumphant! with new shoes. MUCH better experience this time around, really the kind of experience I've always had with this store (until Monday, at least). The salesman listened to what I wanted to address with my current running shoes, what I liked and didn't like about the new Brooks, and then he brought out at least four pairs of shoes for me to try. After the first two pairs, we were able to narrow down what specifically was not working (my feet are so very flat that a strong shank -- what most flat footed runners need -- is very uncomfortable for me) and so he brought out a pair of Nike Lunarglides that I think will be perfect. He even had me try on one shoe of new New Balance 769s with the Nike Lunarglides to compare them side by side. When we were doing the official exchange at the register, I thanked the guy for his help about a dozen times.
What really tipped me off that these were the right shoes? They are dark grey with neon pink soles. They basically glow in the dark. I know, because it was getting dark while I was testing them outside and they were glowing. So now I am replacing the shoes that looked like I dismembered a muppet to make them with the shoes that look like I've been stepping on muppets. It's awesome!
Oh, and I also wore them to work today to see how my feet would feel in them, other than in the middle of a run. So far, so good.
I have a fairly relaxing weekend planned. At least, a weekend without work. For Saturday: sleep in late, replacement ballet tomorrow afternoon, and then nothing nothing nothing. For Sunday: run 14 miles, and then nothing nothing nothing. The nothing nothing nothing will be occupied with sleeping, food, napping, petting puppies, a quick clean to the yucky spot on the carpet, laundry, TV, more napping, and more food. I can't wait!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
I went back to the running store last night and emerged triumphant! with new shoes. MUCH better experience this time around, really the kind of experience I've always had with this store (until Monday, at least). The salesman listened to what I wanted to address with my current running shoes, what I liked and didn't like about the new Brooks, and then he brought out at least four pairs of shoes for me to try. After the first two pairs, we were able to narrow down what specifically was not working (my feet are so very flat that a strong shank -- what most flat footed runners need -- is very uncomfortable for me) and so he brought out a pair of Nike Lunarglides that I think will be perfect. He even had me try on one shoe of new New Balance 769s with the Nike Lunarglides to compare them side by side. When we were doing the official exchange at the register, I thanked the guy for his help about a dozen times.
What really tipped me off that these were the right shoes? They are dark grey with neon pink soles. They basically glow in the dark. I know, because it was getting dark while I was testing them outside and they were glowing. So now I am replacing the shoes that looked like I dismembered a muppet to make them with the shoes that look like I've been stepping on muppets. It's awesome!
Oh, and I also wore them to work today to see how my feet would feel in them, other than in the middle of a run. So far, so good.
I have a fairly relaxing weekend planned. At least, a weekend without work. For Saturday: sleep in late, replacement ballet tomorrow afternoon, and then nothing nothing nothing. For Sunday: run 14 miles, and then nothing nothing nothing. The nothing nothing nothing will be occupied with sleeping, food, napping, petting puppies, a quick clean to the yucky spot on the carpet, laundry, TV, more napping, and more food. I can't wait!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 53 and dealing with burnout
Sigh.
Based on Dr. Google, I appear to be suffering from training burnout, overtraining, dehydration, lack of sleep, and onomotopeia. I may be lying with one of those. I may also be misspelling with one of those. And did you know that "misspelling" is one of the most commonly misspelled words? It's right up there with making people who lisp say "lisp."
Anyhow.
The shoes must definitely go back. I found out in my run this morning that my arches still feel bruised. Oh well, either I'll end up with a better pair of shoes that are suited to me, or I'll be buying another pair of 769s. Works for me.
I do feel burnt out. I've realized that for the past couple of weeks I'm just not looking forward to my runs anymore. I'm also running around a minute slower per mile. It was the longest freakin' six miles this morning EVER.
I'm going to take tomorrow off from training. Unless I wake up just bursting with joie de vivre. Joie de tootsies. You get the idea. I wish I could take a mental health day from work as well, but sadly, no. I've already told Le Boss that I'm not working this weekend. I need to recharge. I actually thought about quitting marathon training this week. I'm not going to quit, but having that thought pop up in my head was definitely disturbing. Because I don't want to quit. But at that moment, it sounded like a really good idea. That's when I realized I am burnt out.
I'm off to return these shoes. And perhaps beat on a salesman.
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Based on Dr. Google, I appear to be suffering from training burnout, overtraining, dehydration, lack of sleep, and onomotopeia. I may be lying with one of those. I may also be misspelling with one of those. And did you know that "misspelling" is one of the most commonly misspelled words? It's right up there with making people who lisp say "lisp."
Anyhow.
The shoes must definitely go back. I found out in my run this morning that my arches still feel bruised. Oh well, either I'll end up with a better pair of shoes that are suited to me, or I'll be buying another pair of 769s. Works for me.
I do feel burnt out. I've realized that for the past couple of weeks I'm just not looking forward to my runs anymore. I'm also running around a minute slower per mile. It was the longest freakin' six miles this morning EVER.
I'm going to take tomorrow off from training. Unless I wake up just bursting with joie de vivre. Joie de tootsies. You get the idea. I wish I could take a mental health day from work as well, but sadly, no. I've already told Le Boss that I'm not working this weekend. I need to recharge. I actually thought about quitting marathon training this week. I'm not going to quit, but having that thought pop up in my head was definitely disturbing. Because I don't want to quit. But at that moment, it sounded like a really good idea. That's when I realized I am burnt out.
I'm off to return these shoes. And perhaps beat on a salesman.
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 52: Breaking up is hard with shoes.
As you may guess, sadly, the new shoes and I are not meant to run happily ever after. While the additional motion control was exactly what I need, after five minutes my arches started cramping and felt bruised for the entire run (and still do). About a mile into it, my calves and glutes started to feel like I'd been running up hills or stairs instead of the obscenely flat indoor track surface. So I will be exchanging these shoes and starting over again. Maybe the Mizunos; one reason I didn't go with those is that they felt almost exactly like my current shoes. I'm thinking that was a mistake. At least the store has a great return policy, and I will be getting a different salesperson this time.
I've got to take this weekend off from work, because I am so tired -- mentally and physically -- all the time right now and something has to go so that I can catch my breath. Work will be it this weekend, as I am going to the replacement ballet performance on Saturday (and now returning my shoes since I'll be downtown anyway) and then running a five mile race Sunday morning followed by an additional nine miles to complete my 14 mile long run. Also in there will have to be grocery shopping, laundry, and much pooch-pacifying -- they're pretty pissed off that I'm gone all the time these days. I'd also like to catch up on my DVR'd TV programs and maybe read a little. Oh, and sleep. A lot.
I've been toying with setting a goal for Sunday's Red Lizard 5-miler. This was the second race I did last year (and ever). My friend S did it with me, and she can't run because of bad knees so we walked nearly all of it. My finishing time was 1:19:30. I want to beat that for sure, but I also want to aim for closer to an hour as well. This is actually a fairly challenging course with plenty of rollers plus one big one. I believe I will set a goal for this race of 1:10. This is what I did the Fanconi Anemia 8K in, and that course is much flatter than the Red Lizard course. Consistency is the key! Or the hobgoblin of small minds. Hmmm. Can't win with this one, can I?
I am also working on the issue of leg cramps overall, new shoes notwithstanding. The most common causes of leg cramps when running are: overtraining, dehydration, potassium and/or magnesium deficiency, and poor nutrition. I don't think it's overtraining or poor nutrition, I think it's a combination of the other three. With more stress I drink more caffeine and not as much water, so I'm chugging the clear stuff. I usually have a banana a day during the week but lately that hasn't been happening. Bananas are now on the agenda. I've also been slacking off on taking a magnesium supplement in addition to whatever is in my multivitamin (should check that out). Magnesium is now on the agenda as well. Once I work out the shoe issue, we'll see if this makes a difference.
Speaking of food and water, it's lunch time!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
I've got to take this weekend off from work, because I am so tired -- mentally and physically -- all the time right now and something has to go so that I can catch my breath. Work will be it this weekend, as I am going to the replacement ballet performance on Saturday (and now returning my shoes since I'll be downtown anyway) and then running a five mile race Sunday morning followed by an additional nine miles to complete my 14 mile long run. Also in there will have to be grocery shopping, laundry, and much pooch-pacifying -- they're pretty pissed off that I'm gone all the time these days. I'd also like to catch up on my DVR'd TV programs and maybe read a little. Oh, and sleep. A lot.
I've been toying with setting a goal for Sunday's Red Lizard 5-miler. This was the second race I did last year (and ever). My friend S did it with me, and she can't run because of bad knees so we walked nearly all of it. My finishing time was 1:19:30. I want to beat that for sure, but I also want to aim for closer to an hour as well. This is actually a fairly challenging course with plenty of rollers plus one big one. I believe I will set a goal for this race of 1:10. This is what I did the Fanconi Anemia 8K in, and that course is much flatter than the Red Lizard course. Consistency is the key! Or the hobgoblin of small minds. Hmmm. Can't win with this one, can I?
I am also working on the issue of leg cramps overall, new shoes notwithstanding. The most common causes of leg cramps when running are: overtraining, dehydration, potassium and/or magnesium deficiency, and poor nutrition. I don't think it's overtraining or poor nutrition, I think it's a combination of the other three. With more stress I drink more caffeine and not as much water, so I'm chugging the clear stuff. I usually have a banana a day during the week but lately that hasn't been happening. Bananas are now on the agenda. I've also been slacking off on taking a magnesium supplement in addition to whatever is in my multivitamin (should check that out). Magnesium is now on the agenda as well. Once I work out the shoe issue, we'll see if this makes a difference.
Speaking of food and water, it's lunch time!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
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