Summer Running

Happy Almost-June to my handful of readers!

As the weather gets warmer (or skips warm altogether and hops right to "smoldering" in my neck of the woods), I find myself excited for the transition from winter/spring running to summer running.

All seasons have their pros and cons (although winter definitely has more cons). I got out yesterday morning around 5:30, thrilled that the sun was up, it was light, and almost 70. It was very humid, but I realized that the pros of summer running is not anything found during the run itself...my pros all come AFTER the run (except for that initial early-morning feeling of a hot day, especially after walking out of my house which does not have central air)!

1) Sitting on the porch. After a summer run on cool to mild mornings, my post-run treat is a glass of Gaterade, a banana (if I have any), and the paper on the front porch swing.
2) The pool. On the hot mornings when I return with the disgusting film of sweat, the jump in the pool with everything but the shoes still on does wonders. On mornings I don't do this, I find the sweating process lasts much longer than the shower.

The Memorial Day weekend was a great way to kick off the beauty of summer running. No, I did not get out--I opted for drunken bocce ball, grilling, and impromtu engagement parties (YAY JACK AND ROBIN--IT'S ABOUT FRIGGIN' TIME). But yesterday morning's run before work was the best Memorial Day send-off/enter summer running experience.

Here's to three more months of sweaty film layers, soaked tank tops, breathing strips, and post-run pool-plunges!!! Summer...what a beautiful thing.

Recovery

So I guess my recovery from Broad Street should soon be over...I don't think two weeks of recovery is necessary from a 10-mile run. I have been out and running some between then, but really no more than 10 miles a week. If I'm serious about the distance run in September, I should probably get my act together, because it will be here before I know it.

For those of you wondering, I did return the Supernova's to Dicks for another pair of shoes. It was a seamless return, and I finally settled on New Balance W845NC. A tried on Nike and Asics, too, and both those felt like they would rub the same place the Supernova's did. The New Balance felt fine and so far I have no problems with them. I have almost 15 miles on them, I guess, so they're a keeper.

I. Do. Roads.

Here I sit, at the airport in Greenville, and I am pleased to inform you I actually was one of the lucky ones whose gate is finally the very first gate, therefore avoiding lugging the carry-on the whole way down the aisles to the last gate. Of course, the airport at Greenville is hardly that large and I think I can see the last gate from where I sit...

Today was a beautiful day, and because the two glasses of wine from dinner last night and being menstrual made waking up extra un-pleasant, I decided I needed a run more than I probably realized. I did take some precautions and asked the front desk where they would recommend (or not recommend), and headed out. I ran about three and a half. It was warm, and I could have used a breathing strip which did not make the trip, but I have run in worse air without them. I ran through developments and apartment roads, seeing some of the most beautiful houses in one road, then some worn-down apartment buildings with shady characters on the next. In the end, I was happy I went out and I felt much better than before I left.

So now I leave beautiful sunny weather to rainy Philly. But Ted is there waiting for me...how much sunnier can it get than that?

I. Don't. Do. Treadmills.

Okay, maybe the better terminology is "can't". Or "won't". No...I guess "can't".

Here I am in Greenville, SC. I'm traveling, checking out a manufacturing tradeshow (let me state for the record that scales designed to weigh pallets are NOT good scales to use to monitor your current weight). The hotel is on a busy road...there is a sidewalk, but one of the downsides to me running in a unknown place is A) what do I do if I run a tenth of a mile down the road and the sidewalk ends? and B) Is running on this road socially acceptable? So when I travel, if I am not with a co-worker who runs, is to hit up the fitness center. I haven't touched a treadmill in over a year. I now remember why.

I trained for my first 5K on a treadmill and loved every minute. Then I stepped outside for the first run once the great thaw hit, and swore I'd never look back. I tried to get over the fact that I had forgotten my tunes at home, so I had no headphone or music or magazines or anything. All I had was Harry Potter, and I purposely left him in the hotel room. I stepped into an empty fitness center (my favorite!) and adjusted the television to something that seemed to be somewhat entertaining, and stepped on the treadmill.

A vast layout rivaling the cockpit in the plane this morning lay before me. Did I want the "Quick Start" option? Did I prefer the "Fat Burn" choice? Or was "Manual" more up my alley? I chose "Quick Start" becuase it looked easy, and I wasn't about to let the cute little red heart on the "Heart Healthy" option get me! I almost bisected myself on the console when I started to run, not realizing soon enough the treadmill was starting me out at 0.000001 speed. I adjusted the speed to what I wanted, and was good until the treadmill started asking me questions. "What is your weight?" haha, Treadmill. If you are so smart, talk to the pallet scale down at the expo center. "What is your goal?" How long have we got? Fortunately, like any good machine, if you ignore it long enough the questions go away and the display is set at my speed and time and distance.

I focus in on the television...but the display is mocking me. I find myself staring at every second that goes by. Five minutes later, I jump off and run over to the magazine rack, retuning with the only two magazines there...Sports Illustrated. I repeat the start-up process, lay the magazines across the display, and focus in on the television. Okay, good to go, we're cooking with gas now! (or is it fire?)

Then come the commercials and while I feel good and could keep going, I'm so extremely bored I find myself wondering what voice messages I have waiting for me. Three minutes later, I start thumbing through the Sports Illustrated, and fifty seconds after that I find myself on the floor, pretending to stretch.

I stretch, do some sit-ups, and give myself a few minutes. Then I decide mabye I'll try the stairstepper, but one look at ITS console and I'm back to my friend Treadmill...I'm familiar with those buttons and know he's going to ask me trick questions. I knock out another five minutes before deciding this absolutely sucks and what I wouldn't give for my roads and streets at home.

Tomorrow morning I will try again, but I will take Harry Potter with me. Wish me luck! I will conquer the treadmill. I am now looking so much more forward to my run Thursday morning when I get home. Familiar routes, outdoors...no trick questions. Just me and the road.

Faster than the speed of lightning

Last night, Ted and I took a deep breath, laced up our running kicks, and found ourselves at the middle school track to get the first set of speedwork in before the rain came. It was about a three quarter of a mile jog to the track, which was our warm-up, and we decided to do one comfortable-paced lap around the track to see what the base time was. We did that lap in 2:05, and Ted, taking his role of coach very seriously, said we would do another lap, with the goal time in 1:50. After much whining and complaining by moi, he said okay, if we do it and it is not under 2 minutes, we do it again. Sucking it up, we started the second lap fast....and did it in 1:48. Woo hoo!!!!

(now that everyone has picked themselves off the floor from laughing so hard at the feeble attempt at speed, I'll continue)

It started to drizzle, so we called it a work-out and jogged home. The "fast" lap thrilled me to no end, as I thought surely he was jesting with the idea of a lap under 1:50. But I did it, then immediately put everything into perspective at the thought of those people who could do that speed 80 more times around that track, and still go home to mow the lawn.

Maybe there is a fast (or fast-er) runner trapped inside of me. I didn't think there would be...but then Ted was there to remind me that even a year ago, I didn't think there was a distance runner inside of me. All in due time, I guess. If I keep working at it, the next race is a 5K in July...dare I dream of averaging 8 minute miles for that? I believe I dare.

I'm working on my dance moves...GOSH

Last night was Movie Night. It was one of those few evenings where stars line up, NetFlix delivers on the same day there is nothing on television that Ted and I have sold our souls to. Napoleon Dynamite was waiting for us. Ted wasn't impressed. I thought it was pretty good. And I've decided that while I have the rhythm of Tina (AKA a llama), my new goal is not a half marathon, but to teach myself the way-cool moves from the end of the movie.

Okay, not really, but Mr. Dynamite can move. And Pedro rocks. And I KNEW that Summer girl looked like Hillary Duff!!!!

This morning I did pull myself out of bed for the first run since Sunday. It was also the first day I could walk down the stairs without scooting on my butt, so I went out and took it easy with 2 miles. The Moyer & Sons 5K is in July, and Ted decided my goal time for that is 24:00. We have awhile for that, and for today I was happy to go out and do an easy run without Broad Street hanging over my head.

Things I Learned...

Here I Am! 24 hours later, I feel like I've been beaten with board.

Broad Street was Sunday (for some of the best pictures, check out ShoreTurtle's blog, www.blog.shoreturtle.com). It was the quickest 10 miles I have ever run, but probably also the most painful.

My day started officially by heading out at 6:00. My plan was to eat a Cliff bar and coffee on the way down, then a second bar before starting, so I drank my coffee and ate my Cliff bar while heading down the Blue Route. Ted and I parked at the stadiums, then hopped on the subway for the trip up to Olney. They did not tell us which trains were express trains and which trains were local, so we crammed on the one looking like it was ready to go, and decided not to go over to the train that had pulled in for a seat or more room. After all, this was an express, right? Wrong. We stopped at every...single...freakin...stop up Broad Street. And I had my face in some guy's pit for the last three stops (I wanted so bad to be like "you are going to run 10 miles...can't you walk a mile up the street?"). We finally got off the train about 7:40 and made our way into the athetic fields were I was to meet up with Tom and Greg, two co-workers who talked me into this mess. I found them and then headed off to the porta-potties to wait for another half hour.

After that, it was time to head out to the start, and i decided I had too many nerves to risk eating the second Cliff bar (a decision I will come to regret). Ted left to me to head back to the start (for fear of being caught in the stampede...15,000 adrenaline-pumped people all facing the same direction will do that I guess) and I found Tom and Greg on the other side of Somerville (without realizing I had positioned myself in the 7-mile pace group).

The first three miles were great--the drum corps, the cheerleaders, the crowds, the adrenaline. At the beginning, the course runs underneath an overpass, and a drum corp sat underneath. The drums bounced off the overpass and the road and it was the most powerful sound...I admit I found myself choked up for a second! (wimp). By mile three, my blisters on my feet were starting to speak up, and by mile four, I had wished I had the Cliff bar.

Ted had taken the subway down to his father's in South Philly, and they were there to cheer me on as I went past the 8-mile mark. I tossed my shirt to Ted (which was wet with a combination of sweat and fire hydrants) and he later commented that for me to run in only my sports bra meant I was either very hot or very comfortable. I told him I was comfortable...we both know the truth. The temperature wasn't that warm, but the sun was strong and I was doing anything I could to help make myself more comfortable. I ran out of fuel by about the 8.5 mark (it really was before then, but not noticably until that point). I struggled to enter the Navy Yard, and pushed myself through. The announcer said it was "400 yards to the finish line!" and the cheering of the spectators was so powerful, but I did almost ask a spectator at one point where the friggin' finish line was already.

The support on the course from other runners is pretty amazing, too. Whenever I started to slump, someone was there to cheer me on (as they blew me away) and yes, at the time I was ready to poke their eyes out, but looking back that was very nice of them. My final chip time was 1:50:20, so I was doing about 11-minute miles. Not terrible....can't complain. Yesterday after the race I was swearing off anything beyond a 5K. Today I found myself analyzing small changes that would make a world of difference for when I do the half (this is such a sickness):

1) Eat more. I should have eaten the Cliff bar before starting, regardless of the nerves. I was fine when the race started, and knew I would be.
2) Power gels. I have never used power gels, and a race was not the time to start, but I think I'm going to use them on training runs to have during races. They seem to be very popular and I've heard good things.
3) New shoes. The poor tragic shoes must go back. After 20+ miles on them, they are still rubbing my arches horribly. Plus they are starting to rip in the back? I wonder if I got a faulty pair...
4) Just train better. I didn't exactly have the best pre-race training this time...with being a bit under the weather last weekend. I need to do more speedwork and just nail down on myself and train myself to push through the exhaustion instead of stopping. I need to focus in the upcoming weeks on dropping a few pounds and increasing my speed and endurance.

That's my analysis! Congrats to everyone who completed it--it amazes me just to see the array of people that run in races. I saw all shapes and sizes, including someone wearing denim cut offs...who beat me? I wonder the chafing problems that caused. (I also saw a juggler and a man in a chicken costume).

Philly Distance Run or bust....

Two days...

I'm not sure I've ever been this calm before a race. Maybe it hasn't truly sunk in the 10-mile run is Sunday. Maybe becuase it's a distance I've never raced before, I have nothing to prove to myself or any PRs to break. I'll be thrilled to do it. Maybe it's because I don't know what to expect! :-)

I'm feeling ready for it, my biggest fear is the new shoes and if the blisters will return. I probably should wear my old ones, but they feel pretty beaten and I would rather wear new shoes, feel the support and do better and have blisters than shin splints. Ted's father lives in South Philly, so we'll park there and take the subway up to the start. He'll watch the start, then ride the subway back down and wait for me at the end. The weather should be perfect--mostly sunny, low 45, high 68. I'll need to remember to take my sunglasses.

Last evening, we stopped by the hospital to meet our friends' new baby boy. What a perfect little bundle he was! Simply adorable. I'm excited he was born--partly because I love new babies, and partly because his mother ran Boston a few years ago, and I'm hoping she'll get back into running after she recovers. I'd love to have a running partner, especially one to help me and push me towards the 26.2 mile mark! (she just doesn't know that yet...)

Wish me luck on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it, I think.

Five Days to Go...

Can I say that I am going through different levels of anxiety? I just passed through the denial level...the Broad-Street-is-still-far-away-i-have-plenty-of-time. Now, after reading what ShoreTurtle has to say about the 10 miles on Sunday...and knowing I'm going to be there too...I have entered the slightly-paniced level.

I thought I would be fine, and in all honesty, I really probably should be. Of course, the definition of "fine" is going to be wide open for debate...

My last kinda-sorta long run was 6 miles Friday morning. Sunday was supposed to be long, but all day I fought off a baby migraine (the pain was there but I wasn't down for the count) but it did wear me out, and Monday the exhausion continued. I went out Monday afternoon and did the 1.25 mile loop that hardly counts for anything beyond not totally stiffening up. I completed it, took a shower, and had to lay down. Today i feel better, and tomorrow at some point I'm planning on doing 4-5 miles...then just baby 1.25 miles here and there Thursday or Friday. Sunday is the big day.

I'm sure I'll be fine. I've trained hard for it. I've done 10 miles, without passing out. And those 10 miles had hills and no people, while Broad Street is a flat course (at least flat compared to what I am used to running on) and the other racers and the crowd will carry me.

I think one of these days I'm going to talk about how running is a drug. I sit her whining that I am scared, that it hurts me, that I have blisters and ugly feet, and in the same breath I'm wondering my strategy for the Philly Distance Run in September...

Another little tidbit of useless Maggie information...I measured my waist this weekend. The horror. I have 5 inches to drop. Lord Almighty help us all.