I am officially in week 28 of the Goofy's Challenge training program! 28 weeks! Where in the world did all that time go?! But seriously, I can't believe the first leg of the race is only 5 days away and 6 days from now we'll be celebrating. I'm nervous, but I know I can do this. I have trained faithfully and am feeling good. My injury has healed and I am ready.
I have to admit that somehow all those interesting (at least to me) random thoughts I usually have while running have magically disappeared as the runs have gotten longer and harder. In all honesty, it's hard to think about much of anything when you're running 12 miles in a blizzard at 4am and know you have 24 miles to run the next day. Somehow all of those observations on life, nature and everything around you are lost in the never-ending shuffle just to complete your run that day. I had forgotten (so quickly) what it is like to run in the winter. I had forgotten how the brain's ability to dump everything out in that soothing way gets caught up in the ever-present thoughts of "don't fall on the ice", "where's the safest place to step", "umm . . . that car isn't giving me much room so think, think, think how can I get out of his way", "please don't snowblow your snow on me" and "wow, my ears (hands/face/feet) are really cold today!".
Certainly not the same effect as running on that beautiful spring, summer or fall day and letting your mind drift. But, then I remembered that I don't run in the winter to gain speed or find the tranquility. I run in the winter to maintain fitness so that I can get out and enjoy those beautiful spring, summer and fall days. And honestly, the change of pace (on so many levels) is quite okay.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
6 weeks and counting
It feels like I have been training for this race forever, and I really mean FOREVER. It's been a gradual buildup in miles and the longest training plan I have ever followed. I've usually stuck to 16 week plans for marathons and 9-10 week plans for halfs. But because of the intensity of running a half marathon and then getting up the next day and running a full, I found a plan and have pretty much stuck to it. This plan is 28 weeks (so it really has felt like forever). When I started the first few weeks of the plan it was early July, hot, humid and "long runs" were 3 miles long. Twenty-two weeks in and somehow I've managed to run a number of back to back short long runs followed by long long runs. Last weekend I managed a 10 miler before work on Friday and a 22 miler on Saturday. My first reaction was "Holy Crap! I'm really going to do this." I was exhausted, but shockingly two days later (today) I found the ambition to get out for a 4 mile run and felt pretty good. I know I still have a ways to go (7+ more miles), but I'm so close and I'm feeling okay. It really is shocking how the body learns to adapt to the abuse.
So here I am, knowing I only have one more back to back long run--almost 3 weeks away. Winter has left for the moment and even though I know it will return (probably tomorrow actually) I also know I can make this happen.
Six weeks left . . . what a journey this has been and I still have more to do. I'm ready. I can do this.
So here I am, knowing I only have one more back to back long run--almost 3 weeks away. Winter has left for the moment and even though I know it will return (probably tomorrow actually) I also know I can make this happen.
Six weeks left . . . what a journey this has been and I still have more to do. I'm ready. I can do this.
Friday, November 9, 2012
the Lake
Yesterday morning was one of those rare mornings in which my entire run was in the dark and there was very little wind. I decided to run along the Lake, one of my favorite places to run. I had to get up early to fit my 8.5 miler in before returning home for the usual weekday morning hustle and bustle and was looking to just get the run completed before today's 20 miler.
Approximately a mile in, I knew this run was going to be different. I wasn't feeling all that awesome or all that horrible and the weather was kind of ho hum, but the moment I spotted the ore ship docked in the lower harbor I just had a different feeling about the day. It was lit up like the biggest Christmas tree I had ever seen and the spotlight was shining across the harbor to the light at the end of the break wall. I could see the beam of light as it stretched across the harbor and everything was so still and quiet. It was early enough that I had almost the entire route to myself--I only saw 2 walkers and a dozen or so cars the entire time I was out there. It was so calm that there were no waves and the Lake was practically a sheet of glass. That spotlight reflected on the harbor in an eerily kind of mirror. As I rounded the corner by the coast guard station I could no longer see the ship or it's beacon above the Lake. I ran on for another mile and a half until I turned around to head home. Immediately upon turning around I could see the ship (to my surprise) and quickly realized it had already left port. Then I noticed that I could see a glow on the horizon, which was another ship. I could not see the lights of town and the upper harbor dock was behind me. Suddenly I had a sense of what it must have been like to be or live along this great lake 100 years ago. No sound of a car, no sound of people, not even the sound of the Lake. I couldn't really see the Lake at that point because it was so dark. It was just me, the darkness and knowing this beautiful lake was out there under that big ship. Within the next mile and a half the ship had moved so far offshore that I could barely see the glow of its lights and within the next half mile it was gone. Just like that, in less than an hour that spotlight was gone and the ship had moved on.
I'm not sure how to describe the feeling I had from the experience. Most people would just say it was a ship on the Lake . . . wow (likely with sarcasm). And I'm not really looking for a metaphor from the experience but quite honestly it was beautiful and peaceful and kind of awe-inspiring. In short, just what I needed to start the day and a big reminder of why I love to run so much.
Approximately a mile in, I knew this run was going to be different. I wasn't feeling all that awesome or all that horrible and the weather was kind of ho hum, but the moment I spotted the ore ship docked in the lower harbor I just had a different feeling about the day. It was lit up like the biggest Christmas tree I had ever seen and the spotlight was shining across the harbor to the light at the end of the break wall. I could see the beam of light as it stretched across the harbor and everything was so still and quiet. It was early enough that I had almost the entire route to myself--I only saw 2 walkers and a dozen or so cars the entire time I was out there. It was so calm that there were no waves and the Lake was practically a sheet of glass. That spotlight reflected on the harbor in an eerily kind of mirror. As I rounded the corner by the coast guard station I could no longer see the ship or it's beacon above the Lake. I ran on for another mile and a half until I turned around to head home. Immediately upon turning around I could see the ship (to my surprise) and quickly realized it had already left port. Then I noticed that I could see a glow on the horizon, which was another ship. I could not see the lights of town and the upper harbor dock was behind me. Suddenly I had a sense of what it must have been like to be or live along this great lake 100 years ago. No sound of a car, no sound of people, not even the sound of the Lake. I couldn't really see the Lake at that point because it was so dark. It was just me, the darkness and knowing this beautiful lake was out there under that big ship. Within the next mile and a half the ship had moved so far offshore that I could barely see the glow of its lights and within the next half mile it was gone. Just like that, in less than an hour that spotlight was gone and the ship had moved on.
I'm not sure how to describe the feeling I had from the experience. Most people would just say it was a ship on the Lake . . . wow (likely with sarcasm). And I'm not really looking for a metaphor from the experience but quite honestly it was beautiful and peaceful and kind of awe-inspiring. In short, just what I needed to start the day and a big reminder of why I love to run so much.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I'm back!
Did I mention that I hadn't taken 4 weeks off from running in a row other than the weeks after each of my children were born? Being injured was tough for me and I did not take it well. Needless to say, when the doctor told me to take 4 weeks off I cut it short by a day or two (really, it was only a day or two) and didn't exactly go back at it as slowly as I'm sure he wanted me to.
Which leads me to today. After a couple of mostly comfortable runs I decided to keep at it. After 18 days of "keeping at it" I decided to run the Fox Cities 1/2. I signed up for it a couple weeks before the injury and Sunday was supposed to be a 13 mile training run for Goofy's and since I was feeling pretty good on my runs I thought I would take it easy and see what I could do.
Race day arrived and I was nervous . . . much more nervous than I usually am before a race! I kept telling myself it was time to see what I was made of, but deep down I was worried that I couldn't do it. Was it because I had only been back for 2 1/2 weeks? Was it because my longest run in 2 months was a 9 miler only 8 days prior? Really, I just wanted to finish to prove to myself that I could do it. I knew I could run a 1/2; I've run almost a dozen over the last few years. But could I run a 1/2 with the limited training in the final weeks? Was I tough enough, mentally and physically, to pull it off? Would my injury rear its ugly head mid-race?
Well, I'm happy to report that all went well. My husband and I started off together slowly. I was mostly hoping just to finish, but I also wanted to do so with respect. I wanted to run the entire race and I wanted to be under an 11:30/mile pace. The first few miles hovered around an 11:00/mile pace, which was comfortable. By mile 6, we were speeding up, but I still felt good. By mile 11, I knew I would be okay and the last 1.1 miles were my fastest of the race (by quite a bit). I have to admit I was giddy at the finish and I knew I had my mojo back!
Now it's time to train for Goofy's. I have 3 1/2 months and a lot of injury-free miles to cover.
Which leads me to today. After a couple of mostly comfortable runs I decided to keep at it. After 18 days of "keeping at it" I decided to run the Fox Cities 1/2. I signed up for it a couple weeks before the injury and Sunday was supposed to be a 13 mile training run for Goofy's and since I was feeling pretty good on my runs I thought I would take it easy and see what I could do.
Race day arrived and I was nervous . . . much more nervous than I usually am before a race! I kept telling myself it was time to see what I was made of, but deep down I was worried that I couldn't do it. Was it because I had only been back for 2 1/2 weeks? Was it because my longest run in 2 months was a 9 miler only 8 days prior? Really, I just wanted to finish to prove to myself that I could do it. I knew I could run a 1/2; I've run almost a dozen over the last few years. But could I run a 1/2 with the limited training in the final weeks? Was I tough enough, mentally and physically, to pull it off? Would my injury rear its ugly head mid-race?
Well, I'm happy to report that all went well. My husband and I started off together slowly. I was mostly hoping just to finish, but I also wanted to do so with respect. I wanted to run the entire race and I wanted to be under an 11:30/mile pace. The first few miles hovered around an 11:00/mile pace, which was comfortable. By mile 6, we were speeding up, but I still felt good. By mile 11, I knew I would be okay and the last 1.1 miles were my fastest of the race (by quite a bit). I have to admit I was giddy at the finish and I knew I had my mojo back!
Now it's time to train for Goofy's. I have 3 1/2 months and a lot of injury-free miles to cover.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Time keeps moving on
It's been awhile since I've landed at my blog. My biggest hang up has the the inability to run. It all started with a great backpacking trip and a run 3 days after returning home. Two miles into that run, it hurt a little and then a lot. I just had to get home . . . hoping it was just shin splints. Four weeks and 2 doctor appointments later (and an x-ray to be on the safe side) and it was determined that I needed to take some time off, might have a stress fracture although I was told it was unlikely, and that it was probably some tendinitis. So, for the first time in my life I missed a race I had signed up for and watched all the racers run by without me.
For only the 3rd time in 10 years I took more than a week off from running (and the other two times were after giving birth to my two children), and almost 9 years since I had an injury. It's unbelievable how stressed out all of this made me and how bad I was jonesing for a run. Yes, I could ride my bike and I was allowed to swim (although I probably would have drowned if I had tried), but it just doesn't compare to the release and the great workout of a run.
So after 4 week without a run, I gave it a try last week. It was ugly and painful, but not in the leg-hurting kind of way. So, I tried again a few days later. Leg still felt good and I actually felt like I was running again. It's not real shocking how much my stress level has gone down the last few days also.
I'm hoping this means I'm back, but only time will tell . . .
For only the 3rd time in 10 years I took more than a week off from running (and the other two times were after giving birth to my two children), and almost 9 years since I had an injury. It's unbelievable how stressed out all of this made me and how bad I was jonesing for a run. Yes, I could ride my bike and I was allowed to swim (although I probably would have drowned if I had tried), but it just doesn't compare to the release and the great workout of a run.
So after 4 week without a run, I gave it a try last week. It was ugly and painful, but not in the leg-hurting kind of way. So, I tried again a few days later. Leg still felt good and I actually felt like I was running again. It's not real shocking how much my stress level has gone down the last few days also.
I'm hoping this means I'm back, but only time will tell . . .
Monday, July 2, 2012
Unplugged
I tried something today I haven't done in 5 years, I ran without my heart rate monitor on. When I started running I never wore it. Really at that point, I just wanted to get from point A to B back to A without dying, passing out, thorwing up, having an asthma attack or embarrassing myself in some really major way (which I have done more than once, by the way). I had no idea what a heart rate monitor was or why anyone would ever use it.
But then 5 years later I found myself pregnant with my first child and my doctor told me I could run as long as I kept my heart rate low enough. Thus, the search for a reliable heart rate monitor. I will admit it was weird at first and I found myself checking it quite regularly . . . say every minute or so. But over time, it became second nature to know it was there and to only check it when going up hills or doing something else that made me think maybe, just maybe, I should slow down from my already snails-pace. I always liked to track my miles also, so I ended up wearing my Polar watch/HR monitor along with an old-school, early-edition Garmin (which was huge, slow and bulky). A few years back I upgraded to a Garmin thanks to my wonderful husband who bought it for me for an anniversary gift. This was a great upgrade, allowing me to have my HR, mileage, pace, etc. available at all times. And so it came to be that I never went for a run without having all of that information at my fingertips.
Until today, when I realized about 30 seconds into my run that I had forgotten to put the HR strap on. I almost went home to get it but really, was it all that necessary? I'm happy to report that my run went fine. I tried to judge my effort by how I was feeling, which was a little difficult due to the heat, but overall it was a successful run. It felt kind of liberating to not have it, like I was in control of my run instead of the little computer attached to my wrist. I typically forgo other electronics (such as an iPod) while running, other than to carry my cell phone in case of emergency. And I think going forward I'm going to try to leave the HR strap at home a little more often.
But then 5 years later I found myself pregnant with my first child and my doctor told me I could run as long as I kept my heart rate low enough. Thus, the search for a reliable heart rate monitor. I will admit it was weird at first and I found myself checking it quite regularly . . . say every minute or so. But over time, it became second nature to know it was there and to only check it when going up hills or doing something else that made me think maybe, just maybe, I should slow down from my already snails-pace. I always liked to track my miles also, so I ended up wearing my Polar watch/HR monitor along with an old-school, early-edition Garmin (which was huge, slow and bulky). A few years back I upgraded to a Garmin thanks to my wonderful husband who bought it for me for an anniversary gift. This was a great upgrade, allowing me to have my HR, mileage, pace, etc. available at all times. And so it came to be that I never went for a run without having all of that information at my fingertips.
Until today, when I realized about 30 seconds into my run that I had forgotten to put the HR strap on. I almost went home to get it but really, was it all that necessary? I'm happy to report that my run went fine. I tried to judge my effort by how I was feeling, which was a little difficult due to the heat, but overall it was a successful run. It felt kind of liberating to not have it, like I was in control of my run instead of the little computer attached to my wrist. I typically forgo other electronics (such as an iPod) while running, other than to carry my cell phone in case of emergency. And I think going forward I'm going to try to leave the HR strap at home a little more often.
Monday, June 18, 2012
New goals, bigger ambitions
More than two months after registration opened, we finally signed up to run Goofy's Marathon and a Half. It was my idea and I've been thinking about how I really feel the need to do this for so long that it's kind of hard to believe we've actually committed ourselves to the race. Holy wah! I can't believe we've signed up for this race. I'm excited for it, but I have to admit that it is intimidating!
We found a training program online. It is a 28 week program, and starts in 12 days. Because I'm running at least one half marathon between now and then (and hopefully two half marathons) I won't really start the official "training" program until after those races as I will be training for those races and then jump into that training program after I complete the halfs. This will leave me with 16 weeks to devote to training exclusively for Goofy's but I should have a great base going into it at the 12-week mark (I hope!).
On another note I am trying a new training program for the half(s) coming up this fall. I started last weekend and it is quite aggressive. I'm not that I will be able to complete each workout as called for, but I'm going to give it my best shot. If I can complete it, stay healthy and not have any more unexpected medical issues I'm really hopeful that I can PR, even if I can't break 2 hours.
Okay, seriously . . . I really can't believe I'm going to run a half marathon and then a marathon the very next day . . . I know many wouldn't agree, but this is going to be fun!
We found a training program online. It is a 28 week program, and starts in 12 days. Because I'm running at least one half marathon between now and then (and hopefully two half marathons) I won't really start the official "training" program until after those races as I will be training for those races and then jump into that training program after I complete the halfs. This will leave me with 16 weeks to devote to training exclusively for Goofy's but I should have a great base going into it at the 12-week mark (I hope!).
On another note I am trying a new training program for the half(s) coming up this fall. I started last weekend and it is quite aggressive. I'm not that I will be able to complete each workout as called for, but I'm going to give it my best shot. If I can complete it, stay healthy and not have any more unexpected medical issues I'm really hopeful that I can PR, even if I can't break 2 hours.
Okay, seriously . . . I really can't believe I'm going to run a half marathon and then a marathon the very next day . . . I know many wouldn't agree, but this is going to be fun!
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