Faster with family

When I first started running, the idea of running with someone else was kind of scary and just not something I wanted to do. That's why I adjusted my typical "I want to run a 5K" goal to "I want to be able to run the 5K distance but not actually do a race because that would mean running with people". Ironically, changing that goal to better suit my abilities at the time is what gave me the confidence to actually run my first 5k race, and the subsequent five races I've run this year to date.
However, I've still not been one to run with other folks aside from at races. But, my brother has been getting more into running since I started (it's contagious!), and we've talked about doing a short run together for awhile and since I love my new running route in Southie, he came out to visit last night and we did a 3-mile loop.
Pat had to stop after about a mile or so and we walked the rest of it, since he's been plagued with knee pain. (which sounds very much like ITB syndrome, but he refuses to go to the doctor. I have e-mailed all our friends at his work and instructed them to harass them until he makes an appt.)
So we only really managed about a mile run, but hoo boy was that the fastest and most consistent mile I've ever run. My bro is 6'4" with long legs and I am most decidedly not that. His slow jog is my all-out sprint.
This morning I was reading this post, which got me thinking about running with friends. For me, it is not easier at all. It's harder, and that's probably why it's good. It's "Faster With Family".

Minor League Ouch

Welcome, it is time for out weekly installment of Aches & Pains : Whinging About Stuff that Hurts. It's a nice time for a break from all that wacky positive self-talk. Let's dive right in.

-Saturday is my cross training day. I hate cross training, because that usually means I have to go to the gym. I really hate the gym. Last Saturday I used the stationary bike for half an hour. It wasn't much fun, especially because the only thing on TV was that Lifetime movie about Amy Fisher starring Alyssa Milano. I kind of wanted to light myself on fire.
This past Saturday, I decided I didn't want to go to the gym and that I'd be "lazy" and stay home and do a kettlebell circuit for 30 minutes while watching the Red Sox get their arses handed to them. That's basically 30 straight minutes of minor squatting and swinging around 15 solid pounds of iron. Throw in some pushups and lunges and stuff, and you know what you get two days later? That's right, Tight Biker Shorts of Pain. I had a good 4 mile run on Sunday, but that didn't really help the TBSoP sitch. Currently I am hobbling around like an old cowboy. Stretching would probably be a good idea, I should get on that.

-Tuesday on my schedule says "2 miles or cross". So today I strapped on my trusty backpack again and ran to work. Boy, was it a perfect morning for a run. Sunny, cool, breezy. The problem is, I can not run in the morning. That worries me in and of itself, but is a discussion for another time. Anyway, I rolled my L.A. out of bed this morning, threw on my clothes and backpack, had some iced coffee and set off. It was tough. Yes, my 2-mile run is the toughest run of the week. Maybe because I had a backpack on, maybe because of the TBSoP, maybe because I had the wind in my face the ENTIRE WAY, maybe because I kept running past people walking around in their work clothes and wanted them to think I was badass so I ran faster than I should. It. Was. Harrrrd. To add insult to injury, I totally ate pavement right in front of South Station in the middle of the biggest crowd of suits ever. I did my best not to look at any of them and just got up and kept running. Urgh. My palms are all skinned.

-My knees are starting to bother me. I'm a bit oversensitive to pain since I started running, because I've historically had a habit of ignoring stuff until it turns out I have two sprained wrists or pneumonia or whatnot. So every time I have a twinge, the referee in my brain throws a flag on me faster than I can blink. I don't want to develop knee problems. I also don't want to have to buy new shoes every two months, which is what seems to help every time the knees start wimping out.

-Speaking of shoes, mine are too small and they make my toes go numb. I'm okay with this because I'm in the minority and like my shoes to fit small, especially in the forefoot. My feet are tiny, delicate flowers made of bones and stuff and they like to be cradled closely in the confines of high tech mesh and foam and not sliding all around in a "roomy toe box". My Asics are the same size as my street shoes (7) which I believe is somewhat unusual for running shoes. I'll probably go up a half size on my next pair.

-Also my back hurts and I think I'm coming down with a cold. And I have to go to the dentist today. Wah.

Running vs. jelly beans

Nike+ lies. But oh, what sweet lies it tells.
Look! I am so fast! Wheeeeee!
I also have absolutely no sense of pace, apparently. That's a cold hard truth right there.



This was one of those "I need to get these miles in and I'm going to run as fast as I can because it's 10:30 at night and what I really want to be doing is lying in bed eating jelly beans" runs. And I realized a few things.
1) I can run faster than I thought (but not as fast as that shifty Nike+ tells me).
2) Running faster than a 9 min/mile pace feels like an all-out-lung-busting-sprint.
3) I probably shouldn't eat candy in bed anyway.

For the love of food

I have a secret. I'm not very good at secrets, so I've managed to keep it for a whole week. Sort of. I mean, I told my friend McG and she told everyone we know because she's kind of like a proud mama, so I guess it's not really a secret any more. But I digress.
Anyway, here it is, for the whole internet to witness.
I'm training for a half marathon.
That does not necessarily mean I am going to ACTUALLY RUN a half marathon. That is Crazy Talk. I am however following a training plan (the Hal Higdon Novice plan) at the end of which I will suppooooossedly be able to run 13.1 miles straight. We'll see about that. I mean, the last day of the plan does just happen to coincide with the Manchester City Marathon & Half Marathon, and I do happen to be a stone's throw away from good ol' ManchVegas. But that's just a coincidence.

Anyway, the point of this is that in order to step up my running and general fitness level, I have to step up my eating habits as well and I just don't know how to do that. I've noticed that since I started running more, I have been absolutely RAVENOUS. I don't generally have a huge appetite (especially in the summer), and I use most of that appetite eating tasty things that aren't good for me, so this newfound hungryness is kind of hard to deal with.
Yesterday was my "long run" day, and I ate a bag of butter lovers popcorn and half a pan of brownies for my after-dinner snack.
Now, I'm not sure if this is related, but this morning when I got to work and started sucking down my iced coffee as per usual, I started to feel so incredibly ill I almost didn't make it through the day. After a lunch of Pepto and saltines (reason #467 to love self-checkout) I started feeling better, but I still had to come home and take a nap.
I need sustenance. I need healthy sustenance and enough of it that I don't run out of all the healthy stuff in the house and start digging into the sour patch kids at 4pm on any given weekday. That is not going to make me feel good. At all. I'm starting to think that frankly, I can't eat vast amounts of candy any more or my blood sugar level is going to plummet, leaving my gasping for breath and dragging my feet halfway through a four mile run. And that will just not do.
I'm also wondering if I should try and give up caffeine. Just for a bit. The thought of that turns my blood to ice, but I can probably do it for a whole week. Next week. Or maybe the week after.
Also beer. But only crap beer, which I shouldn't be drinking anyway, because it is gross and I hate it. I refuse to give up Guinness. Guinness is good for me.
This should be interesting.

Dread the tread.

I have always loathed the treadmill. It is evil, and I historically have partially blamed it for my running quitatude every winter. I have used it as a metaphor for my life when feeling particularly broody and existential. It is boring, it is annoying, and it hurts.
When I decided to really make the commitment to run again (by which I mean more than a mile or two, which was my former max) I took a different approach. I started my training on the treadmill in the winter. Poof, there went one quitting excuse (as this rapidly-flying summer draws to a close, it is remains to be seen how I will approach the winter months. But that is for a later date).
Many years ago when I was a youngster, I was at the gym with my baby bro and he decided to use the treadmill. He was maybe 11 or 12, and wanted to run to get ready for basketball season. Precious. Anyway, he gets on the 'mill and starts it up and starts chugging along. Soon, he realizes his shoe is untied and hops off the machine. He ties it, and hops back on. Without stopping the belt. Needless to say, he gets flung off the belt and against the wall. It was funny enough and nobody was hurt, but when I started treadmilling it up for serious back in January that image kept playing in my head like some sort of wacky Brain YouTube. I was afraid to set the darn thing above a 5mph pace lest I get thrown against the wall.
The last time I got on a treadmill was several months ago, back when it was still cold and I was still on a walk/run plan. So today when I was trying to squeeze in some quick lunchbreak miles, I went back to face my old foe.
Two miles, at a pace of between 6mph & 7mph.
And I didn't fly off.
Take that, treadmill.

Anyway. One more treadmill problem is that it kills my legs. It really really bangs the heck out of my shins. I don't know what it is, I always hear that a treadmill is an easier surface to run on, and I do most of my runs on concrete, but when I'm done with a treadmill workout my lower legs hurt something fierce. They hurt to the touch. Which I'm pretty sure is the very opposite of good.
I'm not sure what to do about that. I think I should keep my treadmill runs to a minimum of 2-3 miles, but in the winter I'm sure there will be some days I won't be able to hack it outdoors. I just won't. I'm being honest here.
The other solution is just, well, go faster. Then it'll all be over sooner. Right?

rainy day people

Yeah, I ran to work this morning.
In the rain.
With a full backpack.
No big deal.

Falmouth Road Race - Race report

the way i'm going to go on about this you'd think i'd run a marathon or something.

last night my landlords had a rager of a party in the backyard.
they were playing outkast & justin timberlake very very loudly.
it was still going on when i got up (notice i didn't say "woke up", that would entail sleeping) at 4:30 this morning.my dad picked me up at 5.
he'd had to stay up all night. i already had arranged a ride courtesy of the extreme generosity of a good friend/part-time superhero, but my dad insisted on taking me, i believe for the following reasons.
1) he hates the idea of me imposing on anyone who isn't in the family (understandable).
2) he felt bad about saying he'd take me and then forgetting (the forgetting is TOTALLY understandable, he and mom were kind of homeless. been there, dudes.)
3) i think he sometimes still thinks i am 14 and shouldn't have friends who are boys.
needless to say, dad was a loopy mess for the entire day, but he's generally funniest that way.

anyway, i was overly paranoid about getting there on time, and we ended up getting to the buses before 7am. there was NO traffic. so i got on the first bus which took me to the starting line, where i had approximately 3 hours to wander around, do nothing, and get really nervous. luckily, i happened to walk by a small church right as the morning mass was starting, and hung out in the back for a little bit. there was one other runner there, so i didn't feel extremely weird, but weird enough not to stay for the whole thing. still, i left with the usual sense of calm that accompanies such ventures.
that left me with about an hour and a half to stretch, use the toilet eight times, lie around on the grass, listen to other people's conversations, and barge through ridiculous crowds of people with reckless disregard for human life to try and deduce the source of where everyone was getting those free bananas (no luck).

the wheelchairs took off first, and then the elite runners (those people don't even touch the ground. they hover. it's unreal.) with close to 11,000 runners, it was more than a little congested at first, but the use of several different starting groups helped. the streets were lined with spectators, and the Hood blimp hovered above as we waited at the start.
honestly, i didn't think i was going to finish. i'd never run more than five miles, i'd been lax in my training for the past couple weeks, and i was exhausted and starving. i gave myself permission to take walk breaks if i needed to, and as long as i finished, i'd be satisfied with that. but then the gun went off, and so did i.
the race course is so gorgeous i can't even describe it. after we went up the first hill and past the lighthouse, it was a beautiful view of the ocean and then into the woods for some much-appreciated shade. after that it's pretty much all ocean again for awhile until the last mile or so which is residential and then back around another lighthouse and down a hill to the finish.i remember telling myself that i could easily do 5K and then if i had to walk, i'd walk. that went by pretty quickly, so i told myself i've done five miles and if i do just a little bit more, i can walk. next thing i know i'm passing the 6 mile marker, and when i got to the final hill (it's a doooooozy) i realized i was going to finish the whole damn thing and started grinning like an idiot. then i saw my dad on the sidelines and had to wave at him and jump around because he didn't see me. it was all downhill to the finish, which was marked by a gigantic american flag hoisted into the air by a crane. it was beautiful, and i started to tear up a little, and next thing i know, i was done and i'd finished a 7.1 mile road race without stopping or walking (except for drink water/walk fast breaks of a couple seconds, choking doesn't help anyone run faster).
i am capable of so much more than i ever thought.
1:11:24

i hear tell that the winner ran the thing in 32 minutes or something absolutely insane.but you know what was really amazing? the blind runners, those with Down Syndrome, with various disabilities, running with guides helping them to the finish. the people with knee braces on who were pushing through it anyway, the older folks who shuffled their way from start to finish. even, as my mom would so graciously say, "all the fat girls". they have more determination and perseverance in their little fingers than i do in my whole body. they were all truly inspiring. and

the spectators were amazing. they lined the streets for nearly the whole course, handing out water and spraying us with their garden hoses. rows of young children waited with their hands outstretched as if we were all famous athletes. if there's anything that keeps a sista going, it's a little-kid-high-five.

after it was over i wandered around in a haze collecting race shwag and eating popsicles. the RMH folks had a cookout, and we went to that for a bit, but dad was about to pass out so we headed home.

hilarious dad moment - dad : "I probably should lock up the car, I have half my wardrobe, a TV, and a Winchester rifle in there". (this is true, he did have all of those things in the car).

the countdown

Good solid 4 miles tonight. I might even dare call it a tempo run. Aside from a block or so of shuffling, I was really chugging along. By the time I rounded the corner to home and started cooling down, I was really getting into it and felt like I could probably go a few more.
Hopefully I will still feel that way on Sunday.
Getting some knee pain, and starting to feel like my shoes are not cutting it. They're still the best shoes I've worn, I just really feel like I need to replace my shoes every 50 miles or so. Which isn't practical. Anyway I'll just try and do some stretching, and relax until Sunday!

Eating a dinner of skittles and microwave popcorn is probably NOT good pre-race nutrition...or pre-anything nutrition.

FINALLY

Managed to have a good run tonight, about five miles. Lately I've been plagued with the dreaded side-stitch again, which is the reason I was never able to run in the first place. I'd found a trick to make it go away, and hadn't had any problems since but for the past week or so it was back with a vengeance and there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't something I could run through, it was more along the lines of what appendicitis is probably like. I had to shuffle home bent over. So I've just been doing my best to keep hydrated, and that seemed to work.
Months ago when I started running, I joked that the pain just migrated around my body. Once I figured out how to beat the stitch, it was my shins next. Once I got past that, it was my lungs. Then my right shoulder (weird). Every time I got rid of a pain, it'd move somewhere else.
I'll never get over how amazing the view of Boston is at sunset from the Castle Island causeway. It's breathtaking.
OMDSFLKJJSDFLKSJDFLSDKF the race is NEXT SUNDAY!