It's Mind Over Matter

Brutal 13 miles last Friday. I think I can attribute it to fatigue in my legs. I did hills on Tuesday, lots of leg work in the weight room Wednesday, ran 4 miles at a good clip on Thursday and then RS and I decided to knock out our long run early on Friday instead of waiting until the weekend. It was a big blow to my confidence to struggle up the hills. It’s mind over matter at that point and it helps to have an encouraging running buddy who won’t let me quit, even if I do feel like tripping her sometimes when she has more energy. Not really. I love you. (I’ve seen her fall and it ain’t pretty.) Still, I finished with an 8:53 pace. It felt like 11:53. I’m proud of myself for running through the pain.

I ran an easy 3 with the bonehead on Sunday to work out that lactic acid in my quads. We both appreciated the relief. Weights on Monday - I love weight days – and treadmill speed work today. I did 4x800’s, but should have done 5 or 6. I ran out of time and breath. Running fartleks, or intervals, are usually enjoyable for me, but these allergies are killing me. I know my friends are sick of hearing me complain about it! I kept reminding myself that I could do anything for a short period of time. On the treadmill, that mind control kicks in with about 1 ½ minutes left in my interval. Convincing myself that any amount of time is surmountable is a theme that seems to carry over into my life right now.

The tendinitis in my right knee is still aggravating, but I’ll take it compared with the chrondomalacia that nearly killed me training for Chicago in 2004. Ice, ice baby. And lots of Advil liquid-gels. Bless the guy who came up with that idea.

Lots of good ju-ju in the last week. My mind finally feels better than my body. I will find equilibrium eventually. Now if I could just find someone with magic hands to rub down my legs…

The Confidence Builds with the Miles

Eleven miles last Friday. The furthest distance I’ve run since February. It was agonizing to hear the alarm at 5 a.m., knowing I would have to get my muscles in gear in an hour. I have to get up at least an hour before I want to hit the road. It takes me awhile to organize my thoughts, eat something and make sure I have all the necessary items: watch, sweat hankie, the right socks, hat, sunglasses, Body Glide, allergy meds, and water bottles if I’m on a long run. If I’m not together, it seems to throw off my running groove. Maybe a little OCD. I get it honestly.

I ran with the GOTR group because I felt like I should make an effort to meet some of members of Team Tiara. As I was driving to the GOTR office, I was hoping I would be able to connect with someone who was interested in running my goal pace of 9:15-9:30. I tried not to think about how much it would suck if I had to run really or fast to have some sort of friendly conversation. I wasn't interested in a solo run. Luckily, I hooked up with Karen, a GOTR volunteer coach, who “said” she was a slow runner. It was a great run - I was even able to sprint the last 1/4 mile - and it was interesting to talk to a new person for an hour and thirty-seven minutes. I learned that Karen, like me, had only run one marathon before and she was thrilled with her accomplishment. She was glad to be able to do it for fun and didn’t seem to have the goal of being a “super runner”. I got her email address so that I could let her know our pace after I went home to calculate it. As it turned out, our relatively comfortable run resulted in an 8:48 pace instead of the 9:30 I was shooting for. She was in disbelief, said she had never run that pace and that it was a great confidence boost for her. I’m glad I was there to share it!

I gained a little more confidence myself, which is exactly what I need in my life right now…maybe if I put everything I’ve got into this training, I CAN run an 8:35 marathon pace for a 3:45 to qualify for Boston. Who knew I would feel great with "gas in the tank" as R.S. says, at the end of 11 miles? Great things are beginning to happen in my mind and on the road.

Hill Repeats...ugh!

6 x up a long steady hill with four minute (rest) jogs in between.

6 x my inner thighs are on fire = this sucks.
6 x my right quad is too tight = this sucks.
6 x I feel like I'm breathing through a cheese cloth = this sucks.
6 x I can't make my leg turn over any faster! = this sucks.
6 x I passed a squashed bug on the road = sucks for him.

Still, I managed to get a little faster with each trek up. The rewards of running hill repeats won't be immediately apparent, but increased speed and endurance are what I'm guaranteed eventually.

That + my determination to see this through with everything I've got = a feeling that does not suck as I cross the finish line under my goal time.

Words to live by...

This past week of training has been a little challenging. It’s only week three and the mileage hasn’t been difficult, but my allergies have been killing me! It’s hard to run when you can’t breathe. I’m also really concerned about my pace. The mapping site my running partners and I use most, www.mapmyrun.com and the pace calculator seem to be a little off. According to the site, I’m consistently running an 8:15-8:20 pace. That can’t be right, because my breathing would be much more labored in the distances I’m covering. I have to get this sorted out or I’ll have a big shock and disappointment on October 12^th.

Physically, my very minor plantar fasciitis and my knee pain, which I’m self-diagnosing as my medial collateral ligament (MCL) strain, aren’t debilitating yet. I know they’re both something I need to pay close attention to when I wake up in the morning and they both ache before I’ve even gotten out of the bed. My pain preventions steps:

§ I got shiny new shoes for my birthday (thanks JC!)-Asics Gel Nimbus 9.

§ I’m trying to ice my knee 1-2 times a day.

§ I take NSAIDs to keep the inflammation at bay.

§ I’m working on further strengthening of my quads with 45˚ light leg extensions.

§ I’m trying not to wear flip flops every day.

I’m know I need to be smarter with my body in training for this marathon because I’ve experienced the pain that comes from abuse and ignoring the warning signs and it ain’t pretty.

Emotionally, I’ve had a much better week. Last week, I was an emotional basket case. Everything that is going on in my life (or isn’t) hit me like a ton of bricks. I think I’m going to chalk it up to hormones, because I was so out of control inside. Very unlike me. Thank God for my ability and love of running. Sometimes I think it’s the only thing that keeps me moving forward. The opportunity to put everything behind me and concentrate on my foot falls, breathing and enjoyment of being outdoors is incomparable. As Dr. George Sheehan says, “Running becomes and addiction that has positive rather than negative effects.” Amen, brother.

Being alone with music while I’m tackling the hills and covering the distance has a significant impact on me too. For some reason, I’m addicted to lyrics and try to use them to fit my mood at that moment. Two lines from Edie Brickell (did you know she’s married to Paul Simon?) were worth noting this week:

“…don't look back, look up and then look around”

“I know that when I get back on my feet I will walk away from misery.” Or , more appropriately for me, run.

This week’s words to live by.