Every Day Is Run Day

The Non-Marathon Birthday Weekend

2013-05-12T13:14:00.003-04:00

If there was one thing I definitely wanted to do the weekend of my 27th birthday, it was run a marathon. Unfortunately, after last week's River Towns Marathon, I developed some right leg issues and had to forego this weekend's race.

Right leg aside, my recovery actually went picture perfect and all of the residual soreness went away by Tuesday. I doubled up on PT exercises and foam rolling, slept every night in my compression shorts and sleeves, iced all of my aching parts, and even got a sports massage on Wednesday.

I did run 3 miles on the treadmill on Thursday and while they weren't explicitly painful, they just didn't feel right. When I woke up Friday morning my right quad definitely felt inflamed and at that point I decided to drop out of Sunday's race. It was a really hard decision to make, but when I started bargaining with myself about how I would let myself start the race, but promise to drop out if it started hurting, I realized I shouldn't be running in the first place. My races this month were all about having fun, but how can I have fun if I spend a whole race worrying about whether something will start hurting too much? If you think there is a good chance you will DNF, save yourself the prolonged injury and just back off.

I have a doctor's appointment this Thursday and hopefully we will get things sorted out. I've never really had a right leg problem before. It's always in my left. And this time the pain isn't in one specific place. It comes in waves of tingling and moderate spurts of pain over the top and interior side of my quad and sometimes in my IT band right above the knee. I'm still continuing all of my hip strengthening exercises that solved my IT band pain in the winter and I've also been rolling out my lower back, which has helped immensely. I'm thinking it might be nerve related, but we shall see.

Despite my running plans being ruined, I still had an awesome birthday weekend. I had some fun shopping and then Mike took me to my favorite Philly restaurant, Audrey Claire.

Dessert was from Crumbs Cupcakes:

Overall, a great weekend. And, marathon or no marathon, I still got to run one last weekend, so I can't really complain!

How to Pace Yourself Like an Idiot: River Towns Marathon Recap

2013-05-06T12:03:00.001-04:00

I had two goals going into this race, which I briefly mentioned in my last post: take it easy and practice pacing myself. I failed miserably at both.

Because you're just going to scroll down to the bottom anyway, I finished in 3:51:44. If you had asked me prior to the race what number I had in my head, this is about right. About six minutes slower than my current PR, but well enough under 4 hours to still feel like a solid time.

So yes, I finished with a time I was hoping for, but I took the worst possible way to get there. Before we get there, however, lets back up a bit.

Choosing what to eat the night before a marathon (or any long distance) is always tough for me. So far though, I've found fish to be a good pre-race meal. I had salmon teriyaki the night before JFK and it hit the spot, fueled me up, and didn't give me any stomach issues. Friday night we headed to the local thai place for salmon pad thai. It was cargo-loading deliciousness all around.

Saturday morning we were up at 3:15 am. The race started at 7 am and was about a 2.5 hour drive. I actually slept pretty decent albeit for only 6 hours.

3:30 am fake energy. Yay.

We were in the car by 4 am and started the long drive. Since Mike wasn't running, we brought the pups along. They were thrilled to be rudely awakened at an ungodly hour and carried to the backseat of the car.

"Why the hell are we up so early? You know I need 20 hours of sleep a day."

The River Towns Marathon is a very, very small race on a pretty straight forward 13.1 mile out-and-back course. The full marathon had 106 sign ups and about 90-some people made it to the start line. There was also a half marathon with about 500 sign ups, but the half didn't start until 9 am. This is pretty much the opposite of every race I've ever done that had a full and a half. Both have always started together and around mile 13 the half marathons detour to the finish while the full marathoners keep going, usually finding the roads to suddenly be much emptier, which can definitely wear on your motivation when you need it later on.

At this race however, the marathoners would be on their own for the first 75% of the race and meet back up with the halfers around mile 20 when they hit their turn around. This sounded pretty nice to me. I figured that if at any point during a marathon having more runners around me would be helpful, it would probably be during the last 6 miles when I'd most likely be struggling.

At 7:05 am the race director drew an "official" start line across the road with orange spray paint, counted down to zero and we were off!

Wear bright compression socks if only so your significant other can find you in a crowd

I truly (truly!) tried to run by feel at the beginning of this race. Since we were only 90-some runners the crowd thinned out very quickly. By mile one we were already out of the little town of Danville and onto the scenic River Road where a majority of the race would be.

As I passed the mile 1 marker I looked down at my watch to see 7:53 staring back up at me. Umm, too fast! By mile 2 I calculated that I'd run the second mile in about 8:20. Better, but still too fast.

P.S. I don't wear a GPS watch. I use a regular old $20 stopwatch. I find that calculating the splits out in my head gives me something to do (though the math gets a little shaky after 20 miles).

At mile 3 I calculated that I'd done a 9 minute mile, but by mile 4, it showed that I must have done a 7 minute mile. It was pretty apparent by that point that the mile markers were not placed correctly. There was no way I was sliding between 7 minute miles and 9 minute miles that quickly, especially since my energy output each mile felt the same. I decided to just keep going as I was, figuring I was probably doing around an 8:30, but really having no idea.

As I said, the course was a 13.1 mile out-and-back course. The first 9 miles were on a scene road along the river. We weren't really that close to the river, but it was sort of in view at times. Mostly it was just a lot of foliage on either side of the road and towards mile 8, some houses. Very pretty, but I had a feeling I wouldn't like it too much on the way back. There was absolutely no tree coverage along the road. At 7 am, this didn't matter much, but it was supposed to go up to the low 70s and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

For those first 9 miles I ran alongside a guy who was doing his first marathon. We didn't say more than a few words to each other, but it was nice to be near another person. There was a pack of three people about a hundred yards ahead of us and a few people way behind us. Other than that, however, I may as well have been running alone. I suppose that is what happens with a 100 person marathon though, right?

At mile 9 we finally veered off the main road and made our way towards to the short 1.5 mile trail section. I was a little annoyed by the time I got over to the trail because, frankly, it was slowing me down. Even though I couldn't be sure of my actual pace, I knew I was going pretty fast, probably even on target for a PR (the PR I wasn't supposed to care about, remember?). At least the trail was pretty and we went over a very scenic bridge.

Courtesy of the River Towns Race Series Facebook Page

We were back out on another road by mile 12. They didn't take splits at the halfway point, but my watch was showing 1:48:45 when I made the turn around (8:17 pace). On its own this would have been a half marathon PR for me by 1.5 minutes. I only set the previous PR back in March and that had felt ridiculously challenging. I definitely didn't have another 13.1 miles in me after that race and I had no idea if I would this time around. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to maintain the same pace, but I'd be lying if delusions of a sub 3:40 finish weren't starting to trickle through my head.

On top of this, after I passed the turn around, people running in the opposite direction of me started yelling as they went by "you're the third woman!" Like I said, small race. Still, it would be pretty neat to get a top 3 finish.

By mile 14 I could feel my legs starting to wear. I started trying to mentally prepare myself for the last 9 miles of the course when I'd be back on that awful road. The sun was really out at this point and it would just get worse. At mile 17, when we got back on that road, I turned my music on, hoping it would help me power through. It had the opposite effect, however, and I shut it off after three songs.

At mile 18, the fourth woman passed me. I wasn't even upset at that point. She looked like she was feeling great and was even carrying on a conversation with someone next to her. I, on the other hand, was dying. I don't think I've hit so many walls in one race as I did here. Probably six walls over the last 7 miles. I was so tempted to pull over to the side of the road and just curl up in a ball and start crying. My quads started cramping. My knees were aching. I started walking through every water stop.

At mile 20 (assuming it was correctly placed) my watch read 2:53, which means since the halfway point I'd slowed to a 9:15ish pace. It was around this point that the half marathoners joined our course. The half marathoners at their turn around were about 50 minutes into their race, meaning these were 1:40 half marathoners. Here I was, slow and dying in the sun, with a bunch of speedy, relatively fresh looking runners whizzing past me. I thought there presence would perk me up, but instead they just made me feel even slower.

Mentally I felt a little better by mile 21, but physically my body was shot. It wasn't hard for me to give up any PR dreams. I reminded myself what I had wanted out of this race and that I also had another marathon in 8 days that I'd really like to run. At mile 24 I started walking more. I decided if my body really felt like it needed to walk, I should just let it. No sense getting injured right then and there. Thankfully, the course unexpectedly veered off that terrible death road around mile 24.5. I was so ridiculously happy to be on a new part of the course, that I decided to just push it to the finish at that point.

The final 1.5 miles
Courtesy of the River Towns Race Series Facebook Page

Finally, I crossed the finish line at 3:51:44. I ended up coming in as the 6th woman. Hey, if Kara Goucher can be happy with 6th place, so can I! I don't think I've ever been so tired after a race. Not even after JFK. I literally collapsed on the grass afterwards and now, two days later, my legs are still extremely sore.

So, even though I ended up with a time I'm happy with, I really took a jackass route to get there. You know how they say to be careful not to go out to fast? This is why. Because you fucking die at the end. To recap, I ran the first 13.1 at an 8:17 pace and the second 13.1 in a 9:30 pace. Textbook poor pacing, my friends. The funniest part about this whole experience was that I could probably have finished with the same time by running even 8:50 splits the whole way and not felt like death for the last 7 miles.

I think a lot of things contributed to my demise. The course was nice, but not 26.2 miles nice. Being alone out there for that many miles with no shade was not fun. Clearly I wasn't the only person who suffered on the way back. The 1st place female was probably on track for a 3:30 finish (based on when I saw her at the halfway point), but finished in 3:41, only 10 minutes before me. It appears we all died a slow, painful death in the hot sun. Also, not having properly placed mile markers doesn't help.

Hopefully my legs will be back in action by Sunday. I'm taking it super easy this week. If I do make it to the start line Sunday morning, my number one goal will be proper pacing. At least I can't mess it up more than this race, right?

Monster May - The Game Plan

2013-05-01T13:39:00.001-04:00

Even though I've been running again for a full four months since my injury, I've only done one race between now and then. Though I would have liked to have raced more (so many good March and April races!), I decided to give my body ample rest and recovery time. I think it ended up being a good decision. Not only do my legs feel great, but mentally I am raring to go! I can't wait to toe the start lines and get race season into full gear.

I have three big events in the next 25 days (aka Monster May):

5/4 - River Towns Marathon
5/12 - Delaware Marathon
5/26 - Dirty German 50k

Ideally, I'd love to PR the 50k (my current PR is 6:10). I don't care so much about PR-ing in the marathons. That is what the fall season will be for. Really, I just want to have a lot of fun this month, practice my pacing, and get some new race bling.

As big as this month seems in terms of racing, I keep thinking about last October when I ran 270 miles, PR'd a marathon, ran back-to-back 20 milers, and did a 50 mile weekend. And I did all that without getting injured. So, I feel pretty confident going into this month with regards to staying healthy. Nevertheless, injury prevention is still a top priority.

Overall, I'm pretty good about keeping an injury prevention routine, but I will be tweaking some things this month:

- Right now, 5-6 nights a week, I foam roll, do a varied set of PT exercises and stretching, and complete 250-350 reps of core work. This month I am going to make sure these things are happening every single day, no exceptions.

- Last year I was all about high mileage all the time, even between and leading up to races. As nice as it is to say I've run such-and-such number of miles every month, I've realized I rather do the races and run less in between, than not even make it to the start line because I overdid it. The next few weeks will consist of a lot of short, slow runs leading up to race days and several forced recover days afterwards.

- I will also be adding in more cross training. Now that the cold weather has finally ceased, I can bike to work without my toes freezing off. The biking should also help take the edge off my calorie burning desires since I won't be running as much during the week. Who knows, maybe I will even get back to the pool.

What makes up your weekly injury prevention routine?

Change of Plans

2013-04-26T08:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry for my absence the last week. I have been in a full on, end of semester flurry of activity. I do so enjoy working a full 8 hour day and heading straight to the library for a couple of hours afterwards to research Hellenistic philosophy (sarcasm, if you can't tell).

As I mentioned last week, my team was looking for another runner for our Ragnar Cape Cod ultra team. So far, I have yet to participate in a Ragnar with a full team. The last two Ragnars I did, PA and DC, we had less than 12 people. Between making up those miles and night time pacing, I ran 30+ at each event. Last November Mike and I decided we should just go ahead and start an ultra team since we had been running ultra miles anyway.

Two weeks ago, one of our teammates got injured. I was stressed about finding someone, but was mentally prepared to run 38-40 miles if I needed to. Luckily the team member had the shortest legs, so it would have been doable. But this week another team member dropped due to injury. As much as I love long runs, splitting 200 miles among 4 people just isn't feasible, especially since I'm running the Delaware Marathon the following weekend, and would prefer to be somewhat recovered by then.

Initially I was heartbroken. I was really excited about this event. I've never been to Cape Cod and I was excited to hang out with everyone in the van. We could join another team, but they will likely want another registration fee and honestly, since I've only ever run ultra distances at these relays, I can't justify a trip up there and even more money spent for a measily 15 miles of legs. On top of that, I totally did not bother looking at the academic calendar for next weekend back in November when we registered. I have a final exam due the following Monday and last week my professor informed the class that she wasn't even going to distribute it until next Wednesday. So I would have basically had to rush to write it as soon as I returned from Boston on Sunday morning, when I would probably just want to pass out from exhaustion.

So, long story short, we are not running Ragnar Cape Cod next weekend. I am however, still taking next Thursday and Friday off work. I can write my final and be done by the weekend, which means I have a few more days to enjoy freedom before my summer class starts in mid-May.

Of course, since I was really looking forward to running an event next weekend, I had to go find something to fill it with:

Next Saturday I will be running the River Towns Marathon in Danville, PA. It was cheap, local-ish (2 horus away), and well reviewed. It is a very small race, which is perfect because I'm not trying to PR or run ridiculously fast (which large crowds tend to make me do). Call it a training run for the Delaware Marathon.

On a last note, I don't know how any ultra team makes it to the start of a relay race with all their runners intact!! What is their secret!?!

A Once in a Lifetime Blog Post About Weight Loss

2013-04-18T13:11:00.000-04:00

To be clear, this is a running blog, not a weight loss blog. I don't believe running and weight loss automatically go hand in hand. Sure, weight loss can be a nice side effect of running, but it is by no means guaranteed. If your #1 reason to run a marathon is to "lose weight," then in my opinion you are probably doing it for the wrong reasons. When it comes to adding miles, its actually fairly easy to gain weight by overeating. I gained a few pounds during my first marathon training cycle. I didn't mind however, because weight loss wasn't important. Crossing the finish line was.

I love food and I strive for moderation, but truthfully overeating has always been a problem for me. Fortunately I've still picked up a lot of good habits over the past years that have helped transform my diet. I've learned that adding healthy habits one at a time is the best way to go. If you do it all at once, it can be too overwhelming. Over time I replaced soda and juice with water, white grains for brown, french fries for salad and veggies. My tastes have changed and now I legitimately enjoy eating healthy foods. I will always look for a side of brussels sprouts on a menu before anything else and dinner at the Every Day Is Run Day house is usually pretty healthy:

Quinoa patties

Salmon and wild rice

Turkey burger and green bean "fries"

All that said, I really enjoy dessert too and I don't think I could live without sugar. Don't steal any of my chocolate chip cookies unless you're looking to get smacked.

Pinkberry

Crumbs

The most importrant part of the day - dessert table

In my short running career I have been injured twice and each time I stopped running completely for about 6-7 weeks. I don't know about some people (aka my husband), but I was not born with a runner's physique. So after about 3 weeks of not running, despite whatever cross training I am doing, my body starts to take on weight again. Each injury I've gained about 6-8 pounds and even after I've started running again, the weight does not easily come off (like I said, running and weight loss don't necessarily go hand-in-hand). After the first injury I forced the weight off because I had to fit into my wedding dress (very stressful, I don't recommend!). This time, I didn't have a pretty outfit that I had to wear in front of a hundred people motivating me to lose the pounds. So, in a last stitch effort to get back down to my racing weight (and fit properly into my pants again), I joined a DietBet game.

I found out about DietBet through some other blogs and after looking into it more I decided to give it a whirl. Essentially, you bet money to join a game and have 28 days to lose 4% of your body weight. You submit photos (only seen by the mods) at the beginning and end of the game with your starting and final weight. At the end of the 28 days everyone who has lost 4% splits the pot. The game is set up sort of like a Facebook newsfeed, with participants posting their work out details, accomplishments, motivational words for others, etc. Even though its online, there is definitely a community aspect that I could see being helpful to a lot of people.

For me, I didn't join for the message boards or the support network. I joined because I like money and hate losing it. I figured if I actually laid money down on the line, it would actually motivate me enough to moderate my eating habits and get back to base. Turns out I was right:

Sweet!

Over the 28 days I didn't change what I ate, as much as how much I was eating. I still enjoyed dessert on occasion, but didn't fill up my bowl quite as much at dinner (usually a major source of my overeating). I also watched my food choices a little more on the weekend. I don't consider what I did a "diet." I just used a little more self-control without causing any feelings of deprivation.

At the end of the game, I lost 7 pounds and won $43. Good deal!

Running and weight loss - what are your thoughts? Have you ever done a DietBet?

Come Sweat With Me!

2013-04-17T08:38:00.002-04:00

Okay folks, here's the deal. My Ragnar Cape Cod ultra team is short one runner and I'm looking for someone to join! Here is everything you need to know:

- The event is May 3-4

- This person would fill Runner #11 and #12 (26 miles)

OR

- Either Runner #11 or #12 (10 miles and 16 miles respectively)...we're not picky, we'll take any help we can get!

- You get to hang out with myself and Sara for an awesomely sweaty 24-30 hours.

- This will be your running backdrop:

If you are interested in joining or know someone who is, please email me ASAP at everydayisrunday@gmail.com!

Why It Hurts So Much

2013-04-15T21:11:00.001-04:00

I spent Monday morning at my desk doing work and watching the elites running the Boston Marathon. I watched the winners cross the finish line, elated and exhausted. I checked up on the finish times of a few friends and started to think about how I could be at the same start line in a few years if I work hard enough. Then went on with my day. I was in a meeting when I started getting texts about the explosions. I had to run to class immediately afterwards and could only briefly get online during our 10 minute break.

When I got home, my husband wrapped his arms around me and I just started crying. Not because I have been at countless start and finish lines and now suddenly felt so vulnerable. But because everything that the Boston Marathon means, everything that running means, was attacked. Boston represents our potential to be our best, to be strong, to be confident. My heart is broken to think that someone tried to steal that.

I may not have a BQ (yet), but I know the type of work it takes to get there. You pour blood, sweat, and tears. Months of early mornings, missed social occasions, and long hours on your feet. There is a reason that I tear up every time I pass an ongoing race. It could be a 5k or a 50k. It doesn't matter. What matters is that the people doing that race, pushing themselves to cross that finish line, embody the triumph of the human spirit. Pushing past everything you thought you could do. Finding out what you're made of. Reaching deep down for that last inch of strength.

I, for one, will keep running. And if I do end up at the Boston start line in the future, I will run for everything that was lost today.

What the Doctor Ordered

2013-04-14T16:32:00.003-04:00

First of all, thank you all so much for your comments and emails on my last post. I promise that even if I don't reply, I do read everything you guys send me (often more than once!) and truly appreciate it. One of the best things about being part of the running blogger community, is how supportive we all are of each other. So, thank you!

On that note, I promise this will be a much less depressing post than my last one. To be honest, I rewrote that post so many times, I didn't realize how depressing it sounded until Mike told me and everyone started texting me and asking if I was alright. Last weekend was rough. Very rough, actually. But thankfully a very good week followed it and I don't think I will be hitting bottom again. 95% of the time I'm a pretty optimistic person. As Elle Woods would say, "exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy." Truth, but you can still get yourself down sometimes.

Anyway, here are a few reasons my week turned out better:

1. The weather

Enough said

2. A good set of weekday runs

All of my Tuesday-Thursday runs were fantastic this week. I ended up doing two our four of them on the treadmill (it was actually too hot out at lunchtime at 85 degrees), but finally caved and bought a Spotify Premium membership, so I jammed to that the whole time.

3. Embracing Flexibility

This weekend was another busy weekend with lots of things on my to-do list. I wanted to attempt a 20 miler, continue researching my paper, write 10 pages of said paper, and get some other homework done as well. Leading up to this weekend I felt okay, but on Thursday I was up all night dealing with work stress and it melted into Friday when I started to freak out about getting everything done this weekend. I was actually sick to my stomach over it on Friday morning and barely got down my breakfast (nothing usually keeps me from my oatmeal). Eventually I made an executive decision to hold off on one of my assignments and leave it for next week. Sure, it would have been great to have done it this weekend, but with a Monday deadline for my paper, that was the priority. After the decision I felt much less stressed and went into Friday night feeling super.

4. My Long Run

Which brings us to Saturday morning. This weekend I decided to do my long run on Saturday. Really, that's how it should always be. I always wake up stressed out on Sunday because I feel like I have a million things to do. Running for three hours on top of it, is just a recipe for disaster (see last weekend). I knew if I wanted to run and do everything else, that I had to run early. I can't be stressed about running instead of doing homework if I would have been sleeping anyway, right? I set my alarm for 5 am Saturday, snoozed it until 5:30, and was out the door by 6.

Right from the start, it was a great run. The sun was coming up. The roads were empty. The cherry blossoms had bloomed and their was a gentle dew all over the river grass. A thick fog enveloped the river, but here and there I could make out the crew teams rowing through it.

This was my first 20 miler in five months (JFK was almost exactly 5 months ago). After such a long hiatus, 20 miles definitely felt a little scary. My past experience has shown me that the first 20 miler of any training cycle is always rough, so I hadn't really been looking forward to this run. Even though I mapped it out, I didn't really pay attention to the mile markers.

Good morning Philadelphia!

Even though I love being close to the trails where we live now, I really miss living downtown. A nice run through the empty 7 am streets was just what I needed.

Since I didn't know the mile markers I just assumed I was going at about a 10 minute pace, which was totally fine. I like to run long and slow for these kinds of distances in training. Even though the run started great, I was feeling fatigued after an hour and a half already. When I got back to the river to head home I checked my watch to try and figure out how fast I had been going. I knew at that point that I was about 6 miles from home and was kind of shocked to see a 2:12, instead of a 2:20 on my watch. Since there is no sense in wasting a speedier-than-I-thought run, I decided to try and kick it into gear the rest of the way home. I put on some tunes, passed a bunch of people, and made it back to my front door 3 hours and 2 minutes after I left. Not the 3:20 I was expecting. I actually remapped my whole run to see if I had run less than I thought, but I didn't. Turns out I ran the first 14 miles in a 9:15 average and the last 6 in an 8:31 average. Negative splits for the win!

After peeling through all my running data, I figured out that not only was this my fastest 20 mile training run, but my fastest by a whole 9 minutes. I've run a fair share of 20 milers (I think 7 alone in JFK training), but they always ended up in the 9:30s or slower. This run was a HUGE confidence booster, especially since a) it was my first in 5 months and b) I didn't really feel like I was trying that hard. I really don't have any plans to PR at the Delaware Marathon in May, but at least now I feel better about trying to run reasonably well.

5) A visit from my favorite person

After such a great morning I had no doubts that day would be fantastic, especially since my Mom was coming up from DC for an afternoon visit. I know I'm almost 27 years old and an adult, but I still feel like a little girl who needs her mommy sometimes. We hung out for a few hours, shopped, ate, and all my stress just melted away. A mommy-daughter day was exactly what I needed.

Plus amazing goat cheese salad from our dinner

So yes, it was a better week. My to-do list certainly won't be any shorter in the coming weeks, but I feel like I got some of my mojo back, and that makes a whole lot of difference.

Losing My Running Mojo

2013-04-08T09:21:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning I work up at 7am, put on a pair of shorts and compression socks, gobbled up a banana and granola bar, sipped on a cup of water, and set my stopwatch to zero. I let my dogs out back and stepped outside to get a taste for the temperature. Then suddenly, as I stood there dressed and ready to go, I realized my 18 mile long run was not going to happen. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Instead of turning on my music and heading out the door, I went back upstairs, defeated, and broke down. In my two and half years of running, and barring injury, I have always sucked it up, gone out there, and finished my run. This time was different.

Mentally I consider myself to be a strong runner. Bad runs happen, by overall, I don't deal with a lot of self-doubt. Finding success in running helps boosts my confidence in other areas of my life, which is one of the reasons I love it. But this weekend I let anxiety and self-doubt win. Instead of feeling like my usual capable self, I felt defeated. I failed.

This has been a tough semester for me and, as we fully dive into April, otherwise known as the end of the semester, I've been feeling more and more overwhelmed. Sunday morning everything came crashing down. The thought of running for 3 hours and then sitting down to do hours upon hours of work seemed impossible.

Obviously no one has a gun to my head telling me to run. It's something I put on myself and its only as important as I believe it to be. On the one hand I am glad that I didn't force myself to run when I really didn't want to. Its important to be flexible and take breaks when your body and mind tells you to. On the other hand, I feel like I'm in this vicious cycle. The doubt I've felt in some of the non-running areas of my life has now negatively affected my running, And when I lose confidence in my running, I in turn lose confidence in other areas of my life. And around and around it goes.

Eventually Mike convinced me to go out for a shorter run with him. We settled on 10 miles, but I still wasn't remotely excited about it. Truthfully, it was one of the hardest 10 mile runs of my life. I wanted to quit every mile, and probably would have if my husband weren't by my side. The whole time I kept wondering how the hell I ran 50 miles when getting to the next stoplight seemed so hard.

I wish I could tell you that I felt better after the run, that my anxiety levels deflated and I regained my confidence, but I didn't. I hope that this weekend was the turn around point and that my running mojo is out there somewhere ready for me to find. I'm ready to feel strong again.

Old Habits Die Hard

2013-04-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

In the two and a half years that I've been running, you could say that the five months I spent training for JFK last summer and fall stand out. Fitness-wise, I was in the best shape I've ever been. Mentally, I was as tough as nails. I will always be proud of crossing that finish line on race day, but I am equally proud of the months of work I put in.

Just ran 50 miles. NBD.

While there were some things about training that I will not miss (70 mile weeks, work, and graduate school leave little time for anything else), there are plenty of things that I really did like about it. Like enough, that I would love for them to be part of my weekly routine whether I'm training for anything or not. It's amazing what you get used to over five months and I quickly found myself missing my old "habits."

Now that I'm practically 100% back-to-normal since my injury, I've started incorporating some of these elements back into my routine. Even though I don't have any 50 mile races on my calendar this year, I don't think they could hurt. My goals for the rest of 2013 are really just to stay in consistant marathon shape, which they would benefit.

Double Runs

I wish I could find the energy to do longish runs before or after work (like this super cool person), but right now in my life it just doesn't work for me. Instead, I prefer to split up a run one day a week to get in some more miles. Usually these double runs add up to anywhere between 10-14 miles depending on my energy level that day. Not only is it a way to feel super accomplished on a regular old Wednesday, but, for me, it means I can happily run only 5 days per week instead of 6 and let my legs enjoy the extra rest day.

Hill Work

One of the very first things I noticed this winter as I started running again outside, was that my hill endurance was shot to hell. Last year hills felt easy, fun, and were a welcoming part of my run. So far this year they've felt like death every time and not the "but I feel accomplished when I get to the top" kind. More like the "why is this so hard and I'm going to go home and sulk" kind.

Finally I got fed up with it and scheduled myself for some good old hill repeats this morning. Hills are definitely not a rarity in my neighborhood, so its pretty easy to come up with 5-6 miles of ups and downs without feeling bored.

Surprisingly they first few didn't feel so bad and I started to think that I would get through the whole thing without any issues. Then I forgot about the 3rd and 4th hill. The steepest section on hill 3 is a lovely 17% grade, which doesn't sound terrible, but you actually feel like your going to fall off the sidewalk and plummet to your death if you don't lean into it enough. Overall, the workout was a success and I already feel more confident. The Delaware Marathon is known to be a bit hilly so I'm hoping I can counteract that with some weekly hill repeats.

Back-to-Back Long Runs

For my first marathon I followed a Hal Higdon plan with a few variations. Like most marathon plans, it had me run long one weekend day and either rest or run very short on the other. Looking back, I can't believe I actually used to take Sundays off. Now, I can't imagine doing anything better with my weekend than spending both days hitting the pavement or trails for several hours. JFK training had a pretty standard Saturday long run (16-25 miles) and a 10 mile Sunday run. I've slowly eased back into that set up over the past few weeks. I don't know that I'll be doing any back-to-back 20 milers anytime soon, but for now this feels pretty good!

Burn Out and Race Registrations

2013-04-01T15:12:00.004-04:00

After sitting on my ass for five full days after my wisdom tooth surgery I was as ready as ever to start running again. I felt like one of those wind-up toys that's ready to make a break for it the second you set it down and let go.

Finally, last Tuesday my mouth felt healed enough to run. I slammed out 7.28 miles of pure awesomeness. I can't remember the last time my legs felt so fresh and ready to go. After days of trying to keep my blood pressure low (so as not to dislodge the bloodclot in my mouth) I eagerly pushed up a few hills and each labored breath felt fantastic. So yes, Tuesday's run was awesome. So awesome that I apparently used up all of my week's allotment of awesome run feelings, because the rest of the week sucked.

Somehow I managed to have a good speed workout on the treadmill during lunch on Thursday, but other than that I was seriously dragging on every other run.

Two 15-minute sets and some extra on the end to get 4 miles

Saturday was 9 miles of "running, I hate you" in what should have been perceived as lovely spring weather, but felt like "why is is so hot already?" and "eff this shit."

On Sunday's 16-miler I actually had to stop after 2 miles and give myself a pep talk before continuing. I felt a little better after I got to the 8 mile turn around, but probably only because I knew the only way I'd make it home is if I ran back and complaining wasn't going to change that. That's the nice thing about out-and-backs and not carrying a cell phone: you're forced to run the miles no matter how you feel about them.

Overall, a pretty shitty-feeling week of running after Tuesday stole the thunder. I'm well aware that not all runs are good runs, but usually I can at least average a good week. Hopefully running and I will get along better this week. I've got an 18 miler on schedule for Saturday, so fingers crossed that the happy, "omg I love running" beam of sunshine hits me square in the face at some point.

In other news, I'm officially registered for all of my fall races. My bank account is crying, but its nice to know that I probably won't be pulling out anymore registration fees from it for anything else happening this year.

Mike and I both managed to get into the Marine Corps Marathon. In case you haven't heard, active.com sucks and made a bunch of runners angry when their site went doen 1.5 minutes after registration opened last Wednesday (a la Chicago). I got in after 20 minutes and Mike got in after an hour. Totally worth giving up my lunch hour for.

I also registered for the Philadelphia Marthon this morning and as the first 1000 people to do so, I scored registration for only $80, which makes my bank account cry slightly less. Philly was my very first marathon in 2011 and I look forward to running it again as, what will hopefully be, my sixth this fall.

So, to sum up this post: I hated running this week, but decided to spend hundreds of dollars signing up for a bunch of marathons. Makes perfect sense I think.

The Science of the Long Run

2013-03-27T11:02:00.001-04:00

I love running. In fact, the only thing I love more than running is running long (and also maybe chocolate chip cookies).

After scaling back my mileage the past two weeks due to the RnR USA Half and then my widsom teeth removal, I am ready to pick it back up and get into serious long run territory. I'm hoping to score an 18 and two 20 milers in April, which should set me up nicely for a busy race schedule in May.

The last time I ran 20+ miles was at JFK in November. Needless to say, it's been awhile and I'm eager to test out my endurance. I'm sure the first 20 miler won't be enjoyable. Let's face it, sometimes long runs just plain suck, especially when you run out of new running routes. Mapping 20 milers are always difficult for me. Its a game of "which parts of Philadelphia will I hate the least on this particular day."

That said, I really do love running long. I love the slow, steady burn, the hours to myself to work out my thoughts, and of course the post-run satisfaction that comes along with sitting on my ass the rest of the day (I deserve it).

While perusing r/running on Reddit this morning I found a link to Wiki page called The Science of the Long Run. Luckily for us 2013 folks, Wikipedia isn't nearly as trecherous as it was when it started. My teachers are even vocally supportive of it (Need a quick date on something? Wiki it!). If the author's references are as relible as they seem, then it makes for some very interesting data on the long run.

The study looks for correlations in data between the number of long runs in the last two months of marathon training and marathon time, injury rate, etc.

Source

There is obviously a lot more analysis that could be done on future data, but overall I found it very interesting, especially since it seems to support the idea of more long runs for better performance. Yay long runs!

A Rest Week and a Birthday Marathon

2013-03-22T13:15:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday I got all four of my wisdom teeth out.

The first thing I asked was "when can I run again?" to which the dentist replied, "7 days."

WTF man? I reiterated my frustration again in sign language after they gave me the gas. P.S. Get the gas. It's awesome.

I'm still debating with myself on how long to actually hold off. The internet can be your best friend ("I ran the next day and was fine!") and your worst enemy ("I ran 5 days later and got the most horrible infection ever!"). Sometimes it's best not to even google it.

Luckily, right now, I don't have enough energy to run anyway. None of my teeth were impacted so they just pulled them right out, which left behind four lovely open sockets just waiting to get stuck with food. So, I've been sticking with smoothies, yogurt, applesauce, and chocolate pudding. No carbo loading going on over here.

OJ, greek yogurt, 2 bananas, mango, blueberries, and two spoonfuls of almond butter

While I'm loathing my running hiatus however, I've been busy making plans for future running. I really wanted to run a marathon this spring. I didn't want to run one in April (too soon!) and I couldn't find a good one in June, so that left May. May is already pretty busy. I am running Ragnar Cape Cod on May 3rd and 4th as an ultra team (31.5 miles for me) and running a local 50k on Memorial Day weekend.

After thinking long and hard I decided to go ahead and sign up for the Delaware Marathon on May 12th. Its only 8 days after Ragnar, but I think if I take it slow and consider doing a zero week in the days leading up to marathon, I will be fine. Plus, this race is within an hour's drive and my birthday is on the 11th. Frankly, there's nothing I rather do on my birthday weekend than run a marathon! Five years ago it would have been spent at the bar. Times sure do change.

Oh, and Alyssa is running it too. The last time/only time we hung out was miles 44-50 at JFK, which is obviously the perfect time to get to know someone after you've been running for 9+ hours straight.

Pluses and Minuses: Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon Recap

2013-03-17T18:18:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ran the Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon, almost four month to the day since my last race, the JFK 50. Between then and now I spent 7 full weeks on the bench with an IT Band injury, and the rest of time building back up from one mile at a time. I was originally signed up to run the full (hence the blue marathon bib), but about 6 weeks ago I decided it would't be a good idea to rush 26.2.

On Friday Mike and I took a half day at work and drove straight down to the expo. I made it in and out pretty quickly, except for one little stop at the Newton booth. I mentioned in an earlier post how badly I wanted to try them (and how many store trips I made to do so). Well, in a matter of 8 minutes I was handing the guy my credit card and walking out the door with them. I took them on a 7 mile recovery run today as yes, they were totally worth the money and might be my favorite shoe ever.

True love at first run <3

After the expo we met up with my mom for dinner and got Pinkberry for dessert, which PS if you didn't know, is the best froyo ever. I would be easily 10 pounds heavier if they put one in Philly.

We slept pretty good and got up around 5:15 to get ready. The race day forecast looked like we would be dealing with mid-40s and rain, so I decided to bring a hat, which ended up seeming like the worst idea ever around mile 4. We were out the door by 6:15 and took the bus down to the start line on the National Mall.

I've run one Rock 'n' Roll race before, my last half marathon in Philly a year and a half ago. I remember having no issues at that race other than maybe a very long bathroom line. This race did not seem to have the same organizational wonders going for it. The bag check was ridiculous (on the way in and out), there were no where near enough bathrooms for 30,000 people, and they ended up not having enough volunteers to fill drinks later in the course, which was probably 10 times more frustrating for the thousands of people in the corrals behind me. The race started right on time. Mike was a few corrals ahead of me so I started on my own (though his speedy ass would have left me soon enough anyway).

I had both zero goals for this race and also so many goals for this race, if that makes any sense. On the one hand, this was my first post-injury race. I should't expect a lot and I shouldn't be disappointed with any performance. On the other hand I know exactly where my fitness level was only a few months ago in the fall and no matter what I have high expectations for myself. The distance of this race was never going to be the problem. It was all about pace.

My previous half marathon PR, which was from a year and a half ago, was 1:52:31. During the Baltimore Marathon last fall I ran the first half in 1:51 and then ran another 13.1 miles and the whole thing felt pretty easy and doable. So realistically, in my head, I should be capable of far better than that. Despite the injury, the PR pressure was definitely on.

So, the race started and off I went. Unfortunately, by mile 2 I started to realize that it was not my day and I wasn't enjoying myself. My legs and breath just weren't up to par like I'd hoped. I was also insanely thirsty and stopped at the aid station by mile 3 or 4. Not all race days are perfect though. And, it never ended up raining (70% chance my ass), so I just ended up sweltering in my hat and debated tossing it.

At mile 6 we headed out of Rock Creek Park via a ridiculous hill. By the time I got to the top I was totally wiped and didn't know how I would keep up the pace for the second half. I hit 7 miles exactly one hour into the race (8:34 average). Luckily the second half was mostly downhill, but there were a few small sneaky climbs here and there and each one felt like death.

The last few miles were really rough, but I did not want to let a PR slip by, no matter how much it hurt. Usually I can sprint the last 100 meters of a race. I even managed this at JFK after 49 something miles, but this time it was a no-go. I was completely zapped of energy. I crossed the finish like in 1:50:16, 2+ minute PR and a horrible 17 seconds from a sub-1:50 (damnit).

I spent most of yesterday feeling neither super happy nor super upset at my performance. I just felt kind of blah. Yes, PR-ing is a total plus and I shouldn't be upset about that. And I even ran negative splits, running the last 6.1 miles with an 8:14 pace. Still, I could't help but dwell on my drop in fitness since the fall. Running that pace would never have felt so ridiculously hard. I went to bed feeling kind of indifferent.

Today, however, I went out for a nice easy recovery run and it felt awesome. If yesterday running felt like death, today it felt like heaven. Yes, the race didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped, but I didn't give up either. If JFK taught me anything, its that not giving up is the greatest thing you can do for yourself. How can you possibly know what you are capable of unless you try. Every race has its pluses and minuses. Its how you take the minuses and turn them around for next time. Now I've got work to do and I can't wait to get to it!

Speedy Confessions and 2013 Plans

2013-03-13T08:39:00.001-04:00

Confession: I would love to run a BQ (that's sub 3:35 for me). I would also love to run a sub-1:40 half. And a sub-5:30 50k. And on and on and on.

I want to be speedy. I also hate speed. Give me 50 slow miles any day.

I haven't really talked about what I want for 2013, but in two more weeks we will nearly be a fourth of the way through it (wow that was fast), so its as good a time as any to lay out the rest of the year.

While I am running pretty much back to normal post-injury, I am still feeling very anti-training. Training scares me. I much rather "wing it" and run when I want and when it feels right, than feel forced to run by what some number on a chart tells me.

My goals this year do not include a 50 mile race. Not that I'm done with them forever (and there is still a 100 miler somewhere in my future), but this year I just want to kick back and have fun. And fun to me means marathons. At this point I don't have any real intentions of gunning for a BQ, but it would be nice if it happened. I surprised myself in the fall by running a 24 minute PR of 3:46 that was both completely untapered and in the middle of JFK training. Is a sub-3:35 possible? Maybe.

So, going back to speed, I really dislike it, but it also makes me feel really good when I do it. And, while I do not set training plan at the moment, I can still mess around with speed workouts just because.

For me, the worst thing about going fast is the discomfort. My lungs and burning, my legs are burning, and I just want it to end. The longer you run fast, the more it hurts. So, yesterday, I decided to run some speedy treadmill intervals one minute at a time, because hey, you can do anything for a minute, right? This is what it looked like:

I did two sets in a row, running 4.75 miles in 40 minutes and finishing up the quarter miles for kicks at whatever pace I felt like. While 5 miles on the treadmill is usually boring as hell, this time it flew by. And, as I suspected, speding one minute at a time at each pace wasn't mentally devastating. Those 7:30 pace minutes felt a little rough the second time through, but overall I felt pretty strong.

Lastly, in case anyone is curious, I've already lined up my fall race schedule. Most resgistrations are opening within the next month, so as much as I'd just like to think about warmer weather and spring, you snooze and you lose with race registrations!

September 8 - Lehigh Valley Marathon - A flat, fast, potentially PR-friendly race that's also only an hour away from me. Sold.

October 27 - Marine Corps Marathon - Registration doesn't open until later this month and it sells out in hours, but if I can get in I hear this is one of the best races in the country.

November 17 - Philadelphia Marathon - A great race, right outside my doorstep, and also where I ran my first marathon.

What's on your fall race schedule?

The Latest

2013-03-06T09:35:00.004-05:00

I haven't been posting a lot lately, if you've noticed. Every few days I start formulating something in my head and then I get lazy and feel like its not enough to warrant a full post. So, here is a mixed bag of updates and things going on:

1. I've officially "graduated" from physical therapy

After six weeks of PT, I had my discharge session this morning and passed my final evaluation with flying colors. As I should have assumed, my problem was much bigger than just a simple IT Band issue. My body was literally off balanced and out of whack. I'm surprised I was even walking around okay. I've learned a lot in the past six weeks to help me move forward and stay in check. And, as much as I like my therapist, I really hope I don't find myself back there anytime soon.

2. Nike is sending my sister to Japan

At the beginning of this year my sister applied to join Running for Relief, a program sponsored by Nike and Tomodachi to aid with earthquake and tsunami recovery in Japan. A few weeks ago she was offered one of the 12 spots for Americans! She left today and will be spending the next 5 days helping with recovery, learning about Japanese culture, and running in the Nike Nagoya Women's Marathon (she is running the half). I'm going to make her write a guest post when she comes back.

Picture she sent me of all her swag. If you run with Nike, you have to look the part!

3. I updated my running shoe collection

A few weeks ago I realized that my Kinvara 3's were going to expire soon. As my go-to shoe I planned to replace them, but I usually rotate at least two pairs of shoes at a time so I set my sights on other shoes to fill the void.

I've been wanting to try the Newton Distance for awhile, having heard good things about them. At $155 a pop they are pricey, but I will shell out money for the right pair of shoes. Unfortunately, after visiting four different running stores, I couldn't track down a single pair, and I'm reluctant to order them online without trying them on (even if I can send them back).

For now, I'm giving up on the Newtons. Instead I re-ordered the Kinvaras as planned and also tracked down a first generation pair of Brooks PureFlow. I've gone through 3 pairs of PureFlows before this. They are a great shoe if you are looking for a minimalist profile with some cushion. They did come out with a new version in January, but I'm not entirely convinced by the updates. For one, my usual size 9 felt super big when I tried them on in the store and they did not have an 8.5 for comparison. Secondly, I think they the lacing update makes them look like clown shoes. And lastly, there is not a single appealing color (no, I don't like pink and yes, I'm vain and picky about show color). Overall, not a fan. It worked out okay for me though, because I was able to get the first generation Flows on sale for $30 less.

Who says you have to upgrade?

4. I finally feel like a "real runner" again

Last week I ran 41 miles including a 15 mile long run on Sunday. 40 miles is about my bare minimum for feeling like a real runner. *Please note that this is a personal judgment of my personal running. If you run 5 miles a week and call yourself a real runner then that's fine by me.

During my long run on Sunday I added in two massive hills in my neighborhood that used to be part of my weekly routine, but that I've since avoided in recovery. I fell in love with the hills in my neighborhood last summer. It felt good to be back, but boy did they hurt! The ups and the downs really killed me and I will spend the rest of this week keeping things flat so I don't overdo it.

They just never ever ever look as tough on camera

5. Real running means a real drain on my bank account

I'm thrilled to be running again and feel back to normal. The one good thing about being injured, however, is that it tends to seal up my bank account really tight. I don't buy any running clothes or shoes and I don't really sign up for races when I can't even run a mile. But now that I'm back my paychecks are already being spent in my head weeks before I get them. This race and that race and these shoes and those shoes (see number 3 above). Not to mention that spring is around the corner and so suddenly everything at Lululemon is cute again and I must have it now.

Size 6, ahem, when you get a chance

6. I'm getting stoaked for spring race season

I have my first race of the season next weekend: The Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon. I originally signed up for the full, but there's no point in re-injuring myself. I'm well prepared for the half (for distance, not speed necessarily) and I'll tackle a full after a few more months. Patience is key.

The warmer temperatures are also making my giddy for Ragnar Cape Cod in May. I already started scoping out other recaps and looking for pictures or running along the beach. I cannot wait!

My Kind of Weekend

2013-02-25T12:23:00.003-05:00

After seven weeks on the bench and six weeks starting from scratch on the treadmill I finally had a sort-of-back-to-normal week. I have approached my recovery very cautiously. That means no insane, out of the blue mileage increases, plenty of rest days, and no huge goal races to throw my priorities out of wack.

I spent the first four weeks of recovery running every other day. Weeks 5 and 6 I added two days in a row. Last week, week 7, I finally had a full five day running week and it felt long overdue. For several years I've kept a pretty consistant running schedule of T-W-R-Sa-Su, with the addition of a sixth day here and there. This is my base. My comfort zone. And I knew once I got back on this schedule I would start feeling like myself again.

Happy happy 5 days per week

Not only did week 7 bring back my old schedule, but I also left the treadmill behind for all but one day and ventured outside. I admit, I was actually starting to like the treadmill after spending six weeks on it, but there is no workout comparable to hitting the pavement or trail for a few hours on foot. I built more muscle on my legs last week than I did with the 100+ miles I have put on the treadmill since New Years. My first two runs outside were really, really difficult. I had gotten so used to the belt on the treadmill pushing me forward that I forgot what it was like to do it of my own volition. By the third run, however, I was starting to feel really comfortable again.

The shining moment of last week was not, however, just the 5 days of running or ditching the treadmill, but getting through my long run on Sunday in spite of both these things. Instead of driving down to the gym to use the treadmill for double digits, I woke up, put on my compression socks, laced up my Kinvaras and ran out the door for 13 glorious miles. I had no idea how my body would react. Not only would it be my longest run since November, but 6 miles further than I had run outside in a single stretch and after 4 days of running that week already.

It would be cruel not to take these pretties out for a run

Fortunately my body responded very well. Sure it was tough, but it felt good. So good, that I found myself pushing the pace and ended up averaging 9 minutes miles. A far cry from my old paces, but considering I've been doing 10 minute miles since I started running again, I'm going to call that a huge win.

I spent the rest of Sunday in my pivot shorts and compression sleeves on the couch doing homework. Maybe not my perfect weekend five years ago, but now it sounds like just about the best thing ever.

Another running weekend bonus? Dessert anything

Reflections on Running

2013-02-11T09:22:00.000-05:00

Today is a great day. For one, I successfully ran 10 miles yesterday, my first double digit run since November and I spent 4 of those glorious miles outside on the bike path. I won't lie. Running outside after five weeks on the treadmill felt more challenging than I expected. I was surprised how sensitive my body was to the minute changes in elevation and terrain. The best thing about running 10 miles yesterday, however, is how great I feel today. No aches. No pains. No soreness or weird tweaks.

But today is a great day for another reason. Today is my wonderful sister's 22nd birthday! I might be a little biased, but I have the best sister in the entire world and I could easily write 50 posts on how great she is. Last year Caitlin spent several months living in Senegal for school. She stayed with a host family, spoke almost exclusively French, and had the oppotunity to completely immerse herself in the culture (including getting up and close with all the mosquitos). One of the best things about running is all of the places it can take you. You could live in a city for 10 years and never really experience it until you hit the pavement. For me, running and travel go hand in hand. So, I'd like to share a poem that my sister wrote about running in Senegal (complete with some awesome pics). Happy birthday Caitlin!

Reflections on Running

Hello. This is where it begins

The home turf,

Where I learned to love to run.

Monuments streak past,

Photo-bombing a thousand tourists.

Ohayo Gozaimas. Black and deep,

The water undulating as a rolling cavern

Dips past me unaware.

Strange buildings loom over the river

As I run silently and alone through thick air.

A tranquil place,

Retaining the spirit of the old country

Amidst the electric modernism that surrounds.

Top o’ the morning! A field of curious cows

Turn their heads to follow us.

Sheep blocking the path,

We find unexpected undergrowth

Emanating from the country road.

We step swiftly over creeks, up mossy banks.

The air is pure, the smell of time slowed down.

Buenos dias. My muscles swiftly climb stone steps,

Rising above the historic city,

Exhaling memories of ancient festivals past.

Tienes frío? And me in my summer shorts—

Pack light.

Kalimera. Feet pound against cobblestone,

A veritable maze intended to ward off pirates,

Now feeding my momentum.

A different winding alley every other step,

Until I exit the puzzled old town,

Welcomed by the open sea.

Asalaam Maleikum. Pollution leeching into my lungs,

Grabbing hold for a future with better air quality.

Excusez-moi, I need to breathe with those.

Yet in another village, breath comes quickly

In the desert heat.

Mangrove forests to my left,

Orange African sun rising to my right.

Giant paw prints guiding my way across the sand.

— No greeting here, anti-social society.

A different home,

Where I learned to love distance,

Hard concrete pressing back against my feet.

My personal peace in the city

That never sleeps.

Climbing Back Up The Ladder

2013-02-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

Being injured is a lot like falling off a ladder. You may only fall down a few rungs or your ass might hit the ground. Either way, eventually you find yourself climbing back up agsin to where you were, maybe even hoping to go further this time around.

Being injured and recovering from injury each have their unique challenges. When you're injured you agonize over when you might be better and how you might get there. When you're recovering you fear having a setback. Luckily I'm fully into recovery now. Five full weeks into it. Five weeks that I've been running again. When I fell off the ladder though, I feel all the way to the bottom. I start with one mile, then two, then three, etc, etc. It's terribly slow and it feels like you will never get back to where you were. Patience is of the utmost importance.

Now five weeks after that miraculous one mile test run I'm feeling more comfortable with the miles, but there are some other things I have to deal with. There are certain rungs on the ladder that I have to face up to one at a time.

1) Back-to-back runs

Once upon a time I ran six days a week. While I'd like to get there again, I'm more interested in getting back to base, which would be running on Tue, Wed, Thurs and Sat, Sun. Finally, after 4.5 weeks of running every other day I finally ran two days in a row. It was the most terrifying 4 miles of my life, but it turned out fine. Last spring when I was injured I started running multiple days in a row after only two or three weeks, but this time I felt more hesitant.

2) Getting off the treadmill

Never before in my life have a logged so many treadmill miles. In fact, in the past five weeks I've only logged treadmill miles. 55 of them in January and 35 so far this month to be exact. I think before this the longest consecutive run I'd ever done on the treadmill was 5 miles on vacation when it was too hot to run outside. Last Sunday I peeled through 8. While that might be a little much for my attention span, I've actually started to like the treadmill for shorter runs. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to hit the road again, but I'm terrified of it. The treadmill is my safe haven. My cushy, bouncey, speed-controlled running home. Outside there are pavement, hills, uneven surface. Insanity!

3) Wardrobe diversity

The first week I was running again I wore compression shorts during every run. Whether or not they were really keeping my IT band in line, mentally they made me feel secure. Fast forward to today and I'm still wearing those damn shorts during every run. They are awesome (seriously, you should try them!), and they were a staple of my post-run recovery during JFK training, but I have got to stop relying on them. Just like the treadmill, I don't feel safe without them. Mentally, however, I know I need to let go (not to mention all of my Lululemon clothes are feeling neglected).

It's hard to know when your body is ready to move to the next level, but the lesson is that if you never try, you'll never know. Obviously there was a time when these three things came easy to me. One day they will again.

What have you struggled with during recovery from injury?

On Being Back

2013-01-13T18:44:00.000-05:00

Hello there! Nice to see you again. After taking a five week break from blogging and nearly an eight week break from running I'm happy to be back doing both again!

I won't go into all of the horrible details of the past two months. Suffice to say that while I almost (emphasis on the almost) enjoyed the first few weeks of my running break after JFK, as soon as my semester ended and I found myself with loads more free time and my inability to run put my mood in the dumps. What I thought was runner's knee ended up being a nasty case of ITBS. I start PT next week, but I'm already feeling better after I revisited many of the PT exercises I learned in the spring when I had shin splints. Apparently weak hips is just my thing. The road ahead is still long and I'm not running very far or very often, but baby steps will turn into big girl steps in no time at all.

I've done a lot of soul searching about what I want 2013 to bring. In 2011, my first full year of running (and my first year of racing) I signed up for and ran 12 races, peaking with my first marathon in November 2011. Last year, I signed up for 18 races, but only ended up running 10. A spring injury forced me to abandon my first 50 mile attempt in the spring among other races. While I did eventually make it 50 miles, I spent most of the year being overzealous and trying to take on too much, too fast. Hence the injuries.

So this year, while I really, really do want to tackle another 50, I'm giving myself a break. Or, rather, I'm giving myself a different sort of challenge. Instead of focusing on distance, I want to focus on speed. Particularly speed in the marathon and 50k. I want to PR both distances at least once if not twice during the year.

Ready to start adding more to my rack

My spring set up includes a March marathon and a May 50k. There will probably be more additions later on, but I'm trying to do a "less is more" kind of thing, so holding back is also a goal. Not signing up for a 50 miler was really difficult. I had been scoping out the Finger Lakes Fifties 50 Mile in July for quite some time. Afraid that I would actually commit to it once I was completed recovered from my injury (when my arrogance was back), I conveniently booked our annual summer vacation for the same weekend. If I still feel like I'm missing out on July 6th when I'm frolicking in Europe, then something must be really wrong with me.

I will revisit 50 miles in 2014. Until then, bring on the speed!

How Many Pills Does It Take To Get a Runner Going?

2012-12-10T17:28:00.000-05:00

As I deal with this knee thing, every day I'm constantly questioning what I can do to get better and stronger. This of course includes resting and icing and working out other muscles that can support the injured area, but in my case (and probably some of your's as well) it also includes a daily regimen of supplements. A part of me feels like I'm being a responsible runner and making sure I get all of the nutrients I need to be healthy. The other part of me worries about what sorts of chemicals I'm really putting in my body and whether its worth it. Right now I take a multivitamin, fish oil, calcium, and glucosamine supplement every day. That's just enough to make me feel like I'm slightly overdoing it.

The bigger problem, however, is not the supplements, but the pain meds. I sort of touched on this in my JFK recap, when I felt forced to take pain meds during the race, which I religiously never do. Even though I try never to take it during or before exercise, however, I have been taking it a lot afterwards. In fact, last week I realized that I have probably taken at least one Ibuprofen after my workouts every day for 5+ months since JFK training started and definitely more than one a day since my knee issue. It just became a standard part of my day and I didn't think twice about it.

As I was mulling over my discomfort last week the NY Times coincidentally published an article about this very predicament. Likewise, Runner's World has a small paragraph in their January 2013 edition about what recovery methods should and should not be employed.

NSAIDS - "Skip it!"

Every time I get injured or have a hard workout I always hear "ice, compression, anti-inflammatory, rest." But is taking Ibuprofen really the answer to reducing inflammation? Or rather, is it worth reducing inflammation if might cause more serious problems down the line? For me, the answer is no, its not worth it. So late last week I made an executive decision for myself not to take it anymore.
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My immediate next question was "what can I do to reduce inflammation around my knees (or other injured areas) without taking meds?" Not surprisingly the answer was just a Google search away. Just a sample of the many articles here, here, and here. A number of different foods appear on any one list, but there are a few that keep coming up. Mainly:

- Broccoli (and other cruciferous greens)
- Salmon
- Ginger
- Green tea
- Olive oil
- Blueberries (and berries in general)

Obviously these are all good things to eat anyway, but now that I know they double as good anti-inflammatories I will be upping my intake on all of the above. Luckily these are foods I already incorporate into my daily diet. Broccoli and brussels sprouts are like candy to me and I have green tea every morning and ginger tea every night. So maybe I am already doing a lot to keep inflammation down. And who knows, maybe the Ibuprofen wasn't even helping because I was already eating the right foods.

Load 'em up!

Do you take supplements every day? What are your thoughts on anti-inflammatories?

Rehoboth Beach Marathon: Spectator Report

2012-12-09T14:36:00.003-05:00

Confession: I was actually signed up to run this race. I know, I know. Its only three weeks after JFK. Stupid, right?

I was actually hoping to decide about signing up for this race the week of, since it is a small event and doesn't usually sell out. After the whole NYC Marathon debacle, however, runners were scrambling for races and I had to make a decision fast or risk losing a spot. So about two weeks before JFK I paid the $130 knowing that there was a good chance that I either wouldn't be ready or wouldn't feel up to running the race. After Baltimore I really had marathon fever though, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to run 26.2 one more time in 2012.

Well, we all know what has happened since JFK. A big bunch of nothing! But while I'm cooling my heals and taking a running breather, my husband was still ready to roll with Rehoboth and had been keeping up on training pretty decently. So, at 3:30 am Saturday morning we headed out the door and made the drive down to the beach.

Even though I wouldn't be running the race, I wasn't too bummed to be missing out. Thankfully I was super sore from hot yoga on Thursday and the idea of moving my legs that much sounded terrible. Secondly, Mike has supported me on countless numbers of races, and I really owed it to him to be there and support him from the bench. I was excited to cheer him on and finally have a day that was all about him.

Up for 4 hours and it still dark out

As I said, this race is pretty small. Only about 1800 runners split evenly between the full and half marathon. I think they ended up over selling a little bit after welcoming some of the displaced NYC runners, but it was still way smaller compared to the other two marathons I've done in Philly and Baltimore.

We arrived around 6 am, picked up our packets, and headed back to the car so Mike could change and fuel up. The weather ended up being perfect. It was fairly warm out in the low 50s, but the overcast sky and ever-so-slight mist coming down made for perfect racing conditions.

Super nice Brooks long sleeve tech shirts. And you bet your ass I'm wearing mine even if I didn't run.

I have actually never spectated a race from beginning to end, so I was really excited to see the elites up front. All guys of course.

The race ended up starting about 7 minutes late, which was kind of lame. They also didn't seem to have nearly enough port potties for the field size. I don't know what the required ratio is, but I think I saw 10 or less port potties at the start for 1800 people and the lines were about 50 people long.

Finally the race got going, I waved Mike goodbye, and started walking down to meet him again at the 5 mile marker.

It wasn't long after I got there that the first half marathoner came through. He was totally alone with the next guy at least few minutes behind. I ended up seeing him finish the race. He ran a 1:12 half and the second place male was a full 5 minutes behind! Ridiculous.

Mr. So-speedy-it-makes-me-nauseous-to-think-about

Mike rolled past me at mile 5 just under 40 minutes, right on target. He ran his first marathon just two months ago in Baltimore and ran a 3:39:58. His main goal going into Rehoboth was just to set a PR and also pace himself through the first half better.

After mile 5 the runners took of north along the beach and then through a park. It sounded really pretty and serene especially with the fog and mist coming down. I didn't see Mike again until he finished. I stuck around the finish line to see the winners come in and spent some time huddled in the Starbucks across the street. I'm usually great about paying attention to race day weather, but as a spectator I totally dropped the ball and was freezing my tuckus off outside!

When the clock hit 3:20:xx I commandeered a spot right before the finish line with a great view of the runners coming in. Mike may have been skeptical about his running time, but I had a feeling he would come in sooner than expected.

Rounding the corner to the finish!

Mike's final stats: 3:36:40, 8:12 pace and a 3+ minute PR!

In case anyone is curious about how he pulled off two marathons in eight weeks, he took the first week after Baltimore easy, then did five more weeks of 15-20 mile weekend long runs, and a two week taper.

He had really doubted that he would beat his Baltimore time especially after no sleep the night before. I was sad not to run, but thrilled that I got to support him and be there to watch him set a new PR. Of course, after this race his marathon PR is almost a full 10 minutes ahead of mine. The gauntlet has been thrown!

A Running Q&A

2012-12-06T10:10:00.003-05:00

Just because I'm not running doesn't mean I can't talk running. A runner's survey has been floating around the blogosphere the past few days. I swiped it from this girl. Surveys are fun, so let's do this thing!

1. FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?

Other. As in pretzels, Fig Newtons, Swedish Fish, raisins, animal crackers, M&Ms, you get the idea. Once upon a time I actually used gels and all of that crap, but then my stomach decided it wasn't cool with that anymore. It worked out nicely because ultras tend to have "real" food anyway and my stomach is ready to roll with that. My absolute fav? Darrell Lea Liquorice. Mango flavor is the best. Drooling right now thinking about it.

Pre-JFK shopping

2. Race Length: 5K, 10K, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?

Marathon. Hands down. I love the extra challenge of ultras, but 26.2 miles is just like heaven to me. A 20 mile long run + a 10k race. Sweet and simple. I used to dabble in shorter distances, but eventually decided that I rather save my money for marathons and ultras.

3. Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants, or Other?

Shorts. Specifically Lululemon Speed or Turbo Shorts. I do own one sparkle skirt, but rarely have an occasion to wear it.

4. Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?

Water and salt pills during the run. Electrolytes afterwards. I fell in love with Gatorade this summer for post-run delights. 95 degrees and 100% humidity will make your body beg for it.

5. Running temperatures: HOT or COLD?

Cold. 44 degrees to be precise.

6. Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brooks, Asics, or Other?

I spread the wealth to most of the major brands, but my one true love is the Saucony Kinvara. So many colors, you have to try them all!

7. Pre-Race Meal: Oatmeal. Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?

Banana and Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar.

8. Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?

In a perfect world? Mondays off. That's it.

9. Music: Have to have it or go without it?

Both. I dig it on weekend long runs. I will not run with music in the dark, which pretty much counts out any early morning or evening weekday runs (in the fall/winter anyway). For marathons I usually try to get until mile 17/18 when I need the mental boost.

10. #1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for social reasons or other?

Pure love baby. It makes me feel limitless (and the cupcakes don't hurt either).

Smiling at mile 49.9

Is It Worth It?

2012-12-05T10:32:00.002-05:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking since running JFK two and a half weeks ago. I'm still dealing with knee pain. I tried running 3 miles on Monday and it started to ache at mile 2.5. I biked to work on Monday and Tuesday, which I think was good and bad. Good because I felt like my quads were getting stronger. Bad because bending the knee that much doesn't help anything. This morning I tried to run again, felt pain around mile 2, gave up a half mile later and walked home sulking.

The thinking I have been doing is about whether or not I really want to continue running ultras. Well, I want to do them, but I'm just not sure I want to deal with the aftermath. On the one hand its nice to have a goal race to train for and who knows how many miles I would really put down every week if I didn't have a 50 mile race looming in the back of my mind. On the other hand, in exchange for running so many miles in one day I have to give up miles on other days.

I love to run. I would run at least 10 miles every day if I could. The problem with loving to run so much, however, is that when I have to back off of running because of that big goal race it makes me hate that big goal race.

Other than laying down 50 miles in a single day on November 17th, I feel like I haven't really run much since October. Between a three week taper, which I hated, and the almost three weeks I've spent recovering/injured, which was okay at first but now officially sucks, I've lost a month a half because of JFK.

What would I really prefer to have? 6 weeks of regular running back in my life? Or a challenging race completed and checked off my list? Truthfully I don't know. I love challenging myself with ultras, but right now, honestly, I just rather be running.

Sidenote: This post will probably be completely null and void as soon as I'm uninjured and start wanting to feel like a badass again who runs 50 miles.

November 2012 in Review

2012-11-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

11 months down, one to go!

Mileage Recap

A year ago - November 2011: 148

January: 181.21

February: 86.84

March: 6

April: 89.59

May: 128.43

June: 137.72

July: 200.1

August: 177.48

September: 230.85

October: 270.09

November 2012: 152.91

Interesting thing #1: I ran more miles this November than last November even though this month I only ran 17 times and last year I ran 21 times.

Interesting thing #2: A third of this month's mileage was done in a single day. Crazy.

Cross Training Recap

109.55 miles road cycling
1 boxing class

A pathetic month of cycling for sure but for good reason! For one, its not worth putting the extra strain on my knees. Secondly, its freaking cold out man! Do you know what you don't do when you cycle? Warm up. 30 degrees, no thank you.

I finally had the energy to go back to boxing. I went three days before JFK, which meant that I was monumentally sore the next day and even still a bit sore at the starting line. I think I needed the extra core strength though.

What went well

Um duh, I ran 50 freaking miles! Looking back JFK still seems so surreal, like an out of body experience. I wish I could ingrain it in my memory more, but when I think about the last five months I start thinking less of the actual race day and more about all of the training miles I put in. That's where the work comes in. Waking up early 6 days a week to run in the summer humidity or the crisp fall breeze. Trudging through 20+ miles every weekend. Sure, I'm proud to have crossed the finish line, btu I'm also proud of the 20 weeks leading up to it.

What didn't go well

The knee thing. Luckily I have actually "enjoyed" not running much in the past two weeks. I put that in quotes because I'm actually not sure if I really don't care about not running or if I'm just too busy to care. I have a feeling that next week after I turn in some of my papers and have a breather that I will be dying to run again and be super dramatic if I can't.

The rest has been good though, both mentally and physically. Imagine if I trained for two big races a year and put in five months of training for each. That's 10 months a year in training. So a break is nice every so often and I appreciate not feeling like I have to get up and run at 5 am before work.

That said, I did run one whole pain free mile this morning. I diligently rested my knees all week. I even stopped crossing my legs when I sat down to remove any stress on the knee cap. I iced, I stretched, and adding quad strengthening exercises. All in all the knees feel good. Running one mile probably isn't enough to tell whether they are really good to go, but its a start!

December 2012 Goals

I've got nothing planned for December. Its wide open, which I really think I will like. I think I am going to start a new training cycle in January so I want to relax this month as much as possible. Goals are to:

Continue resting when I feel my body needs it
Core work, stretching, and PT exercises every night
No specific mileage goals
Start finalizing spring 2013 racing schedule
Enjoy many holiday treats
Get to the pool
Go to a yoga class