ok, fine...final chapter of the training went about like this.
good taper schedule the 2 weeks prior to the race, really easy the actual few days before (aka, lazy me!) 2 pairs of socks all of the time for the last week before the race to insure the healthiest blister-free heels for race day (HAHAHA, that didn't work too well as we will see at mile 4!)
slight stress 2 days before traveling, dad fell on his head and knocked himself around a little, great shiner though & he looked pretty tough with the arm roadrash too!. got in to arizona on a stress free flight, smooth sailing, great plane nap. met with the 'rents, waited for the wongs, all got the van and headed north to sedona. LOVED sedona, very pretty, full of energy, cool little new agey town with an eclectic, somewhat posh feel. got to flagstaff, FROZE (only looked at the weather for pheonix which was about 40 degrees warmer), spent the night in our awesome vacation house. woke up, headed to scottsdale for the expo and the pasta lunch. almost missed the pasta lunch, got there just in time, LOTS of inspiration, really got to see into the mission of TNT. met with the VA team for last minute instructions and such, went to the expo to get our numbers & retail therapy. met up with mom, went to eat some dinner, dad came and met up with us after meeting with his team. Food, back to the hotel for luggage retrieval and goodnight to mom and dad. lisa and i spent the next hour or so getting our stuff together for the big early AM departure for the start line. quick aside, have NEVER seen Lisa that crazy, totally freaked out, funny as all get out. this chick was cool as a cucumber on her wedding day, totally wigging out before the race....hysterical. fully dressed in race attire, off to bed for 12 minute increments of sleep, between fear of oversleeping and fear of miranda night terrors, there was little actual rest going on. woke bright and early to find the door decked out with decorations from both VA and East Bay teams as well as finish line streamers across the door. the whole hotel looked like a dorm during rush (delta delta delta!!!) with signs and streamers, pretty darn cool! off to the lobby to meet with the team, quick bagel and cream cheese, some water, a pee break, and we were on the bus headed to the race.
on the bus, suddenly realize what i am about to do and bagel threatens a repeat performance. manage to calm down, stand in a porta-potty line for a LONG time with Lisa, don't have to go yet but figure i will by the time i get up there. grammy st.clair is proud, i worked out some drops. lisa heads to her corral and i see dad moseying on over. meet him and bea for some warm up and confidence building time. head over to our corral for start. wave starts happen every 2 minutes, we are in corral 25, almost an hour into the race and we haven't started yet. turns out, the winner of the half marathon will be crossing the finish line 16 minutes after we cross the start (aka mile 1!). finally get out and moving and it is great! sunny day, cool, but clear. there are SO MANY PEOPLE!!! having fun, trucking along at a respectable pace of about 15 min mile give or take. see frank at mile 3ish, he and miranda are there to take pics and miranda yells "GO TEAM" at anything purple.
about mile 4 the heel starts to tell me there is a bit of a chance of a blister, but i have put a prophylactic blister band-aid in place so i'm not too worried. since i have been battling blisters throughout the training, i am pretty sure i have this figured out and under control. just like in the training, i have on 2 pairs of socks, the running socks against my feet and the cotton ones over to provide extra cushion. decide to check in on the hot spot to be sure, better safe than sorry later right? WRONG! take off the shoe, the band-aid is gone, mysteriously shed into my sock. dry off the heel with tissues i packed for just this reason, put on a new band-aid (i have 2 full boxes worth in my pocket to be safe), re-lace the shoe and take about 5 steps before it feels like a cheese grater is running up and down my achilles tendon. stop again, take off the shoe and this band-aid is gone too! figuring i didn't get the heel dry enough, i really wipe it off and even let it air out for a minute or so before putting on the new band-aid. re-lace, head out, screaming pain in the heel. this continues on and off for the next mile and a half until at mile 6 i take the sock off completely and i figure out the problem....the inner sock is wicking, the outer one isn't. the inner sock is sitting there soaking wet (which i couldn't feel because it was so arid out, i didn't even know i was sweating) with no place for the moisture to go. Meanwhile, that great race time that we started with is quickly going away and we are getting closer and closer to not finishing in time to get a finishers medal and being picked up by the sweeper. finally, the sweeper comes by and tells us we have to get moving or be done. with that, i took off the wet sock and only wore the dry outer one, tied my shoe as tight as i could to put the strain on the ball and arch of my foot rather than the heel and just sucked it up and went on.
Many miles, lots of Gu, really great cheerleaders, good music and my infallible partner in crime Pop by my side, we trekked the rest of the way. somewhere around mile 8 we started playing this game of missile command where we set our eyes on someone and just worked to pass them. then, at first, dad would say "toast" when we passed them. eventually this generalized to other carbohydrate products and breakfast goodies, so when we passed 3 or 4 people at a time, it became "stack of pancakes" or "brioche".
around mile 10.5 we saw bea, who was an AWESOME help and not the least bit put off by the fact that i had stopped being sociable about ten minutes earlier (i was just digging deep trying to block out the blisters that had now moved into the other heel too!). at the last bend, mile 12 we came over the bridge and there was mom holding up a TNT sign for us and cheering her butt off. she took some great pics, almost lost her phone, and got a nasty shin goose egg from bumping into a bench while trying to document our success. she even ran ahead with bea to get some pics! Finally, mile 12.6, 1/2 mile to go and we were almost out of juice. dad and i broke into a gallop trying to drop that final time down just a little. at this point, we were just so slap happy, and running on endurance and glucose, plus we were really working to bring down some of the time we had lost on the band-aid malfunctions. at the highest, with all of the stops, we were averaging about a 24 minute mile, and we had to do some serious trucking to bring it back down. in fact, i think that if you figured the actual pace we were going every time we were moving, we would have finished in less than 3.5 hours. after all was said and done, we made it in at 4 hours, one minute and seven seconds for dad, eight seconds for me. i was hoping for under 4 hours, but a finish is a finish and a medal is a medal! Lisa was there waiting for us at the finish line, she had been there for almost 2 hours because once you leave you can't go back in. she waited with no food, no blanket, just first aid and ice so that she could be at the finish line. as soon as i saw here, i knew we really did it! dad and i crossed that finish line together & there with my sister, the whole family of champions! what an experience!
So in all, great day, amazing success, heels blistered up like bubble wrap packing material and only wearing birkenstocks with no backs for the next week or so, but all 3 of us made it in, no major injuries, 3 personal best times (til next time!). the actual picture of the finish line is a little different than the one i carried for so many months (i'm sweatier and my hair is less Farrah Fawcett feather and more Vinnie the Auto Mechanic greasy) but we are all there together and it's real and that makes it SO much better!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
ummmm, i'm a L-A-M-E-O!
ok, so after giving all the other family bloggers crap about big expanses of time without blogs, i missed a full month! life has been good and crazy busy with holidays and finishing the fund-raising and all, but i'm still a lame blogger. rather than give a full training synopsis, here is the extremely abbreviated one....did 10 miles in a little over 3 hours, went home and then couldn't get out of my car to go inside to change. not that it hurt or anything, just couldn't communicate to my legs the series of events that needed to happen in order to stand from a sitting position, they had temporary amnesia. also, made the mistake of scheduling 2 clients for massage that day. the first one was unbelievably tough, my legs shook throughout the entire session, though i spent a lot of time on her neck, which coincidentally is much easier to do when sitting (hooray!!!). then, my second client called to tell me that she wasn't feeling well and needed to reschedule. i've never been so happy to have a cancellation :). did the regular 3 or 4 midweek mile trainings, then went to Tampa for Christmas and training with dad and the suncoast team. there, we did 12.5 miles. we meant to only do 12, but dad and i got a bit lost on the route and did some back and forth doubling back stuff for a little bit. the distance was tough, but it was really nice to train on flat ground. i missed the recovery of the downhills, but my cute butt didn't miss the uphills of VA at all! also managed to get a great lesson on band-aid adhesives and petroleum jelly which will prevent delays on race day (they say to do all of your trial and error stuff in training, that was BIG error!) got home to do the tapers, no problems with the training, legs and lungs feeling good, got lots of rest over the break since i didn't have to get up for work for a few days, tried doing the 2 pair of socks trick to alleviate the blister problem which is working really well and will be a race day addition (as well as a handful of blister band aids and NO bacitracin!!!). went yesterday to Dicks to stock up on Gu and Stingers and bought my $5 disposable sweatshirt from Target for keeping warm before the race and a really fuzzy fleece for after. and now it seems, that with just about a week left, i'm ready for race day!
so here is what i have taken from all of this. there is a really long distance between "not easy" and "hard" and an equally long one between "hard" and "impossible". i knew this would be hard, in fact at times i thought it would be impossible, but i have come to realize that there is great joy in pushing to those places and seeing that i can survive. and not just survive, but really be good. maybe not right away, i certainly didn't feel great while giving that massage on the day of the 10 miles, but i did it. and my client never knew the difference. i pushed myself beyond what i EVER thought i was capable of and not only didn't just die, but went on with life as usual with a slightly weird limp. (to be honest, it wasn't even a limp, i just couldn't get my knees to work so i walked like a gingerbread man all day, which was actually highly amusing to me!). and during the 12.5 mile trek, when my band aid kept falling off and it felt like a steak knife was rubbing up and down on my heal, i just kept sitting down and trying to fix it. because i kept thinking, "well what are you going to do? just go home because your foot hurts? your didn't get up this early and put on these clothes and come out here to go home without completing this distance, now get it together and fix this silly problem!" that's new. that's what i am taking from this and i can't wait to apply it to other parts of my life. to know that once something is no longer easy it doesn't necessarily mean i need to give up on it, that maybe if i dig in and work a little harder, i can succeed. i can't tell you how much that is worth to me. certainly more than the amount i had to fund raise to get here. i have taken far more from this than i ever expected.
thanks pops. thanks sister.
so here is what i have taken from all of this. there is a really long distance between "not easy" and "hard" and an equally long one between "hard" and "impossible". i knew this would be hard, in fact at times i thought it would be impossible, but i have come to realize that there is great joy in pushing to those places and seeing that i can survive. and not just survive, but really be good. maybe not right away, i certainly didn't feel great while giving that massage on the day of the 10 miles, but i did it. and my client never knew the difference. i pushed myself beyond what i EVER thought i was capable of and not only didn't just die, but went on with life as usual with a slightly weird limp. (to be honest, it wasn't even a limp, i just couldn't get my knees to work so i walked like a gingerbread man all day, which was actually highly amusing to me!). and during the 12.5 mile trek, when my band aid kept falling off and it felt like a steak knife was rubbing up and down on my heal, i just kept sitting down and trying to fix it. because i kept thinking, "well what are you going to do? just go home because your foot hurts? your didn't get up this early and put on these clothes and come out here to go home without completing this distance, now get it together and fix this silly problem!" that's new. that's what i am taking from this and i can't wait to apply it to other parts of my life. to know that once something is no longer easy it doesn't necessarily mean i need to give up on it, that maybe if i dig in and work a little harder, i can succeed. i can't tell you how much that is worth to me. certainly more than the amount i had to fund raise to get here. i have taken far more from this than i ever expected.
thanks pops. thanks sister.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
brrrrr & hahahaha
tuesday night and time for my midweek 3 mile training session. it is really flipping cold outside (low 20's) and pitch black as there seems to be no moon in sight. got a late start getting out for the walk/jog so by the time i actually went it was already 9:45 pm so really settled into the darkness. the session itself was nice, due to the cold, the stars were really bright, and the layers actually kept me quite warm though i think i may need a bike short for extra thigh warmth if the race is anywhere near this cold. at any rate, the session was strong, muscles complied with all that was asked of them, was a little low on fuel so i decided to try out the new energy stuff i got on advice of the c'ville running store guy. it's called "stinger" and it is this gu-like substance but it is a little less.....gu-ey (gooey?) as it is a little softer or thinner or something, but it is made of honey and pretty much just tasted like eating a rather large packet of honey (one of those things you either like or think "ewwww", i personally am a pooh-bear sized proponent of honey, so i was on board) i am a fan, perhaps my new fave.
so here is where we get to the hahaha (the brr was the 20 degree stuff), walking back from the track, and as i have mentioned in past posts, there are no street lights or sidewalks in my neighborhood. got to the cool down spot (300 yards from home) when a car was coming from behind me. now, as a good little safety scout, i was on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic to be able to get out of the way as needed of drivers who don't see little old me on the road. and though i was wearing light colored clothes, i was probably a little tough to see. in front of me, walking toward me on the same side of the road (NOT a good safety scout!) was a 50-ish man obviously out for the same goal as me, a brisk night exercise session. Apparently the factors aligned just right so that between the late hour & cold weather he assumed he was alone, and with having to drop his eyes to not get blinded by the oncoming headlights he didn't see me at all. as we were passing i said "hey, how are you?" or something of the sort and apparently scared the poor man half to death (unintentionally, i really thought he saw me too, but i have really good night vision and wasn't looking into headlights). he jumped about 5 feet sideways and replied "oh whoa my wanna holy huuuuummm" or something along those lines. poor guy, i think he got more cardio than he was planning on!
oh, also one "tada" moment. getting ready for work this morning i was looking for some pants to wear and went into the closet to see what was there and clean. in the back was a pair of brown dress pants that i haven't thought much about so they have been just sitting there on a hanger. on a whim i tried them on and they fit great. turns out the reason that i haven't given them much thought is because they are a size smaller than i have been wearing for about 3 years. in fact, i think it was probably 2002 or so since last i wore the pants. they are my new official work pants!!!
so here is where we get to the hahaha (the brr was the 20 degree stuff), walking back from the track, and as i have mentioned in past posts, there are no street lights or sidewalks in my neighborhood. got to the cool down spot (300 yards from home) when a car was coming from behind me. now, as a good little safety scout, i was on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic to be able to get out of the way as needed of drivers who don't see little old me on the road. and though i was wearing light colored clothes, i was probably a little tough to see. in front of me, walking toward me on the same side of the road (NOT a good safety scout!) was a 50-ish man obviously out for the same goal as me, a brisk night exercise session. Apparently the factors aligned just right so that between the late hour & cold weather he assumed he was alone, and with having to drop his eyes to not get blinded by the oncoming headlights he didn't see me at all. as we were passing i said "hey, how are you?" or something of the sort and apparently scared the poor man half to death (unintentionally, i really thought he saw me too, but i have really good night vision and wasn't looking into headlights). he jumped about 5 feet sideways and replied "oh whoa my wanna holy huuuuummm" or something along those lines. poor guy, i think he got more cardio than he was planning on!
oh, also one "tada" moment. getting ready for work this morning i was looking for some pants to wear and went into the closet to see what was there and clean. in the back was a pair of brown dress pants that i haven't thought much about so they have been just sitting there on a hanger. on a whim i tried them on and they fit great. turns out the reason that i haven't given them much thought is because they are a size smaller than i have been wearing for about 3 years. in fact, i think it was probably 2002 or so since last i wore the pants. they are my new official work pants!!!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Good week of training and some company for the mileage!
dad and i did lots of fun training on our thanksgiving get-together! we went out the first day he and mom got here and hit the track for a 3 mile walk that turned into a 3 mile jog/walk/holy crap run like the wind for the last part of the 2nd mile! it went something like this...
sun had set, kinda dark and about 4-5 oz of steak in my belly. bundled dad up a little as he isn't used to fall training especially fall with no sunshine! we headed out to the track that is 1/2 mile from the house and started with a nice fast paced walk. the first mile averaged out to about 14:45 so we decided to kick it up a little. the second mile involved walking all but the last 100 yards of the first lap which we decided to jog. the second lap we jogged for the last 200 yards (the half way point) and walked the rest, the third was the same. the last lap we walked (i was a little twinge-y on the outside of my right ankle, something i have been playing with for a few weeks) until just before the last 100 yards, then dad started to jog and i decided to give it my best. as i started jogging next to him, he pushed a little faster and pulled ahead a little. suddenly, we were both running and i just kicked in the turbo boosters and shot to the end of the track with a dad slightly behind (i had a combo of youth and a job that requires standing and therefor leg strength on my side!) whole walk/run was 3 miles in 43:45! averaging under 15 minutes!!
the next night, wednesday, we ate a pretty big and heavy dinner in charlottesville and i wasn't feeling like training. we finished up dinner by about 6, but by the time we got home it was closer to 8 and it was well after dark. it had been an unseasonably warm day however and was still quite lovely out and there was a pretty nearly full moon to light the way, so we decided, full belly or no, to go out and get in 3 miles again. this time, with respect to our digestion and a little stiff from the showing off the night before, i was only really wanting to walk, so there was very little actual jogging happening on this session.
thursday was supposed to be 3 miles, but since it was thanksgiving, the plans got a little off. we had meant to do the 1 mile hike at the natural bridge, but by the time we finished with dinner, it was getting pretty late and they wont let you go in after dark. since we couldn't hike, we decided to at least take the stairs down to see the natural bridge. the stairs, and i use this term somewhat loosely as they were really just unevenly cut pieces of stone stuck into the ground, led down to the bridge where we were to watch a really cool light show extravaganza. after walking the 150 or so stairs we walked out to and underneath the bridge and really got to experience it's size and majesty. it is a really cool thing! after the show (which was really cool except it was FREEZING!!!!) we went over to take the bus back to the top where the parking lot was. the first busload was already full and as cold as we were we decided to take the stairs back up rather than wait (not mom's favorite idea of the week). all in all, not quite 3 miles, but probably around 2 and some really good stair endurance.
saturday was the endurance walk. the team was meeting at 7 am, but we decided that it was too early for us so we headed out at 8 and got to c'ville around 8:45. i took dad on the 7 1/2 mile loop i took 2 weeks ago figuring we could finish up any additional we wanted to do (i was scheduled for 9 total this week) at the UVA track by the parking lot where my car was. after about 6 miles i made a judgment call that it was better to do 7 1/2 miles and be able to socialize than shoot for the 9 and need to spend the rest of the day on my tush at home, so we limited the walk to the original path. the walk was awesome, we went through campus as i usually do, but it was during the UVA/Virginia Tech football game which is a huge rivalry so there was LOTS of fun tailgating going on (many drunken frat boys!). due to the sudden plunge in temp, dad got to play around with thermals and layers (though he only brought running shorts and it was 26 degrees out so he borrowed my nylon running pants which were about 3 inches too short! very funny!) although it was cold, we had a great time, with potty breaks and all averaged 18 minutes a mile even with the substantial hills that this route provides. after finishing, we stretched and headed to smoothie king for some nutrients while waiting for mom to come to town. unfortunately, the combo of icy cold smoothie with wet though wicking under layers of clothing led to a somewhat deep chill and we headed out of smoothie king looking for someplace to change into dry clothes and get warm. in the interim, i turned the heat up to high in the car and drove to the school for a changing room. the school was closed (forgot about the holiday) and the heat in the car felt really good, so that, combined with the early wake up time and the overall fatigue from the walk led us to pull the car into the Giant grocery parking lot and take a nice 20 minute power nap while the heater blew full blast. ah yeah! good times!
all in all, a successful week of training and lots of fun having someone to train with!
sun had set, kinda dark and about 4-5 oz of steak in my belly. bundled dad up a little as he isn't used to fall training especially fall with no sunshine! we headed out to the track that is 1/2 mile from the house and started with a nice fast paced walk. the first mile averaged out to about 14:45 so we decided to kick it up a little. the second mile involved walking all but the last 100 yards of the first lap which we decided to jog. the second lap we jogged for the last 200 yards (the half way point) and walked the rest, the third was the same. the last lap we walked (i was a little twinge-y on the outside of my right ankle, something i have been playing with for a few weeks) until just before the last 100 yards, then dad started to jog and i decided to give it my best. as i started jogging next to him, he pushed a little faster and pulled ahead a little. suddenly, we were both running and i just kicked in the turbo boosters and shot to the end of the track with a dad slightly behind (i had a combo of youth and a job that requires standing and therefor leg strength on my side!) whole walk/run was 3 miles in 43:45! averaging under 15 minutes!!
the next night, wednesday, we ate a pretty big and heavy dinner in charlottesville and i wasn't feeling like training. we finished up dinner by about 6, but by the time we got home it was closer to 8 and it was well after dark. it had been an unseasonably warm day however and was still quite lovely out and there was a pretty nearly full moon to light the way, so we decided, full belly or no, to go out and get in 3 miles again. this time, with respect to our digestion and a little stiff from the showing off the night before, i was only really wanting to walk, so there was very little actual jogging happening on this session.
thursday was supposed to be 3 miles, but since it was thanksgiving, the plans got a little off. we had meant to do the 1 mile hike at the natural bridge, but by the time we finished with dinner, it was getting pretty late and they wont let you go in after dark. since we couldn't hike, we decided to at least take the stairs down to see the natural bridge. the stairs, and i use this term somewhat loosely as they were really just unevenly cut pieces of stone stuck into the ground, led down to the bridge where we were to watch a really cool light show extravaganza. after walking the 150 or so stairs we walked out to and underneath the bridge and really got to experience it's size and majesty. it is a really cool thing! after the show (which was really cool except it was FREEZING!!!!) we went over to take the bus back to the top where the parking lot was. the first busload was already full and as cold as we were we decided to take the stairs back up rather than wait (not mom's favorite idea of the week). all in all, not quite 3 miles, but probably around 2 and some really good stair endurance.
saturday was the endurance walk. the team was meeting at 7 am, but we decided that it was too early for us so we headed out at 8 and got to c'ville around 8:45. i took dad on the 7 1/2 mile loop i took 2 weeks ago figuring we could finish up any additional we wanted to do (i was scheduled for 9 total this week) at the UVA track by the parking lot where my car was. after about 6 miles i made a judgment call that it was better to do 7 1/2 miles and be able to socialize than shoot for the 9 and need to spend the rest of the day on my tush at home, so we limited the walk to the original path. the walk was awesome, we went through campus as i usually do, but it was during the UVA/Virginia Tech football game which is a huge rivalry so there was LOTS of fun tailgating going on (many drunken frat boys!). due to the sudden plunge in temp, dad got to play around with thermals and layers (though he only brought running shorts and it was 26 degrees out so he borrowed my nylon running pants which were about 3 inches too short! very funny!) although it was cold, we had a great time, with potty breaks and all averaged 18 minutes a mile even with the substantial hills that this route provides. after finishing, we stretched and headed to smoothie king for some nutrients while waiting for mom to come to town. unfortunately, the combo of icy cold smoothie with wet though wicking under layers of clothing led to a somewhat deep chill and we headed out of smoothie king looking for someplace to change into dry clothes and get warm. in the interim, i turned the heat up to high in the car and drove to the school for a changing room. the school was closed (forgot about the holiday) and the heat in the car felt really good, so that, combined with the early wake up time and the overall fatigue from the walk led us to pull the car into the Giant grocery parking lot and take a nice 20 minute power nap while the heater blew full blast. ah yeah! good times!
all in all, a successful week of training and lots of fun having someone to train with!
Monday, November 12, 2007
saturday morning training
saturday training, actually did all of my midweek mileage going in to it (first time in a few weeks) got up and ate breakfast of instant oatmeal and oj and headed out the door with haste as i was running a little late. got into the car and headed to c'ville which takes about 30 minutes in regular traffic. unfortunately, this was NOT regular traffic, this was pokey-the-driving-slugmobile traffic. so i was a little grumpy that i hadn't gotten up and out earlier, then i was grumpy that i had to be up so darn early on a saturday morning anyway. then i was grumpy that i had no clients scheduled for the day which meant i was up early with no plans for the rest of the day after the training. then i was grumpy because i had been trying for 2 days to get a particular friend on the phone and she never answers, oh yeah, that's right, no one has been answering their phones since yesterday, now i am grumpy and feeling sorry for myself because i am all alone in the world and i have to do everything for myself because there is no on around to pick up the slack and it's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair (hold my breath 'til i turn blue and pass out, yes it was a temper tantrum, i'm aware thank you very much!). by the time i FINALLY got to the meeting spot for TNT group training, they had already headed out (not that it matters, i'm gonna have to walk by myself anyway, there are no other walkers, i'm the only one who can't run because i'm fat and why am i fooling myself into thinking this is a good idea? maybe i should just quit. i should just go home and watch tv, i don't want to walk now, no one would even notice either way, return to holding breath until blue again....).
so i started the car and got ready to leave. then i stopped. then i pulled the car back in to the parking spot. then i stopped. then i backed out again. then i drove the stupid car into the stupid spot and took the stupid keys out of the ignition (which was also stupid). i decided i was already there, i might as well walk. And even though i didn't have the map that my coach makes up for us for each session, i knew last time was 5 miles and this one was supposed to be 7, and i average about a 16 minute mile, so i would walk most of the 5 path and veer off for 16 minutes or so, double back and finish the 5 mile loop. so i headed out with my new water hip pack (probably the main reason i stayed, i was excited to try out the new hydration system) and began the walk. about 10 minutes in i was glad i decided to stay. about 45 minutes in i realized i LOVE charlottesville especially in the fall (i was unaware of it's beauty up close since i have spent the last 2 falls inside and inactive for the most part).
all in all, the walk was beautiful and uneventful. it's definitely getting easier to do the distances, my shins don't hurt at all any more. it's getting harder and harder to get my heart rate up to those really high numbers, the legs get wobbly before the lungs get too pant-y. my hamstring twinged a little at about mile marker 6 and by that night it was pretty mad, but a little icy hot took it out for the most part. but here's the part that makes this whole rant worthwhile...
when i finally got to the return loop to the parking lot where my car was parked, i looked up the hill and saw my car in the distance. i wasn't sure, but i thought i saw that my coach's car was still there too. i figured they weren't back from the 15 miles the full marathoners were doing and was pleasantly surprised to see that at least they weren't moving at double my speed (usually that happens, especially with the seasoned runners, we head out together and they are back at the end before me having done twice the distance in less time than me). as i made the final uphill (CUTE BUTTS!) my coach got out of her car and waved at me from across the parking lot. i couldn't believe she knew it was me. first off, she left before i got there and i hadn't emailed her to tell her if i was going to be there or not, so she had no reason to expect me. second, it was REALLY cold out, so i was bundled up in a jacket and a fleece hat, kind of incognito. when i got there, she apologized for heading out without me, and i told her that i was about 10 minutes late, no way would i have expected them to wait when they had no reason to know i was coming. Then i asked her how she knew i was there and out walking. she told me that Briana, one of the other participants, had recognized my car when they doubled back past the parking lot on their run. one of the other participants noticed it was me. my team knew i was there. wow. ok, now i get it, Go team...
really glad i stayed
so i started the car and got ready to leave. then i stopped. then i pulled the car back in to the parking spot. then i stopped. then i backed out again. then i drove the stupid car into the stupid spot and took the stupid keys out of the ignition (which was also stupid). i decided i was already there, i might as well walk. And even though i didn't have the map that my coach makes up for us for each session, i knew last time was 5 miles and this one was supposed to be 7, and i average about a 16 minute mile, so i would walk most of the 5 path and veer off for 16 minutes or so, double back and finish the 5 mile loop. so i headed out with my new water hip pack (probably the main reason i stayed, i was excited to try out the new hydration system) and began the walk. about 10 minutes in i was glad i decided to stay. about 45 minutes in i realized i LOVE charlottesville especially in the fall (i was unaware of it's beauty up close since i have spent the last 2 falls inside and inactive for the most part).
all in all, the walk was beautiful and uneventful. it's definitely getting easier to do the distances, my shins don't hurt at all any more. it's getting harder and harder to get my heart rate up to those really high numbers, the legs get wobbly before the lungs get too pant-y. my hamstring twinged a little at about mile marker 6 and by that night it was pretty mad, but a little icy hot took it out for the most part. but here's the part that makes this whole rant worthwhile...
when i finally got to the return loop to the parking lot where my car was parked, i looked up the hill and saw my car in the distance. i wasn't sure, but i thought i saw that my coach's car was still there too. i figured they weren't back from the 15 miles the full marathoners were doing and was pleasantly surprised to see that at least they weren't moving at double my speed (usually that happens, especially with the seasoned runners, we head out together and they are back at the end before me having done twice the distance in less time than me). as i made the final uphill (CUTE BUTTS!) my coach got out of her car and waved at me from across the parking lot. i couldn't believe she knew it was me. first off, she left before i got there and i hadn't emailed her to tell her if i was going to be there or not, so she had no reason to expect me. second, it was REALLY cold out, so i was bundled up in a jacket and a fleece hat, kind of incognito. when i got there, she apologized for heading out without me, and i told her that i was about 10 minutes late, no way would i have expected them to wait when they had no reason to know i was coming. Then i asked her how she knew i was there and out walking. she told me that Briana, one of the other participants, had recognized my car when they doubled back past the parking lot on their run. one of the other participants noticed it was me. my team knew i was there. wow. ok, now i get it, Go team...
really glad i stayed
Saturday, November 3, 2007
ok, back to the schedule
so i ended up taking 10 days off from training due to a lovely upper respiratory tract infection that left me with no energy and even less voice (kinda freaked out poor miranda when she wanted to chat with aunt jen the other day and got a croaky monster on the line!). finally decided i was ready to get back on the road on tuesday. went out with no intention to worry about time, only to get my legs moving again after so long. during the down time i was actually "itchy" to get back out, i think i have developed exercise restless leg syndrome. went out for an easy 3 miles and set the watch only to keep time to see how much of a back slide happens with 10 days out of commission. wouldn't you know, the first mile was 15:38, the second was 14:10 and the third was 14:13! the whole thing was under 45 minutes, finally back to the time i had been doing before i got sick last time! apparently, the down time did me good. went back out on thursday and had an equally good walk, did a little hill training, so the times were a little slower, but not bad and my heart rate was staying nicely in the 130's to 140's (and the cute butt chant is less frequent, guess the hills are getting a little easier if i don't need the encouragement)
today i did an open house with my friend Ed who is a chiropractor in town, i did chair massage for 3 hours and we set up a table of my now famous "cancer curing cookies" which have improved with the addition of some butterscotch chips. spent a lot of time getting to know some of the great people in my neighborhood and raised another $45 for TNT and have a few people who went home with promises of web donations. after 3 hours of chair massage, i was a little tired, but today was an endurance day and the weather was absolutely perfect for a walk, so i went home, changed into walking gear and headed out. the schedule for today was just 6 miles, but as i was going, it felt so good i decided to pass the turn around point and keep going. finally i found myself at the main gate of lake monticello which is over 3 and a half miles from my house. there i high fived the stop sign and turned around and headed home.
the walk back was great and i noticed that i had picked up a nice cadence to my walk that began to turn to a nice, easy jog. i decided to just go with it and ended up jogging for about 3/4 of a mile before i started to feel winded. for the rest of the way home, i traded off jogging until my heart rate got to 150ish and then walking it back down to the 130's. unfortunately, it was starting to get dark and as there are no sidewalks in my neighborhood, dusk isn't the safest time to be out on the road. i picked up speed to try to get off of the main roads and finally found myself back on the road that leads to my road, 3/4 of a mile from home. at this point, the final little hill of the route comes in and normally it isn't really that tough. today however, that hill was a mountain! i guess this was the point that my legs were done. i started getting a little wobbly and was having a little trouble getting my legs to point in a straight line. fortunately, there is very little traffic on this road, so i had the whole area to sort of stagger up the hill. when i got to the playground 1/2 mile from home, i went over to the water fountain for a drink and found that they have closed it for the fall/winter. i must have looked like a lunatic fumbling around where the handle is supposed to be but wasn't. can you believe it? they just took the handle off and replaced it with this metal plate. my brain was struggling to comprehend this (now, post hydration, i have figured it out!) and my legs were screaming for a break. so i stopped, took a deep breath and dug down deep to get a little reserve. then i got back on the road and headed in the direction of the house. finally, i rounded the corner to Loving terrace and sprinted my way to the front door. i got inside, ripped off my shoes and plopped down on the floor for a few minutes of rest before stretching.
All in all, i think today i finally found the wall. i have yet to push quite this hard up to now, though i have definitely been close. but best of all i noticed something on my walk today....i feel less cumbersome. that's the best way to describe it, like my body doesn't get in it's own way. it's a pretty darn good feeling. and holy cow, i made it to the main gate and back! in total, it was 7.25 miles in 1:55! so that means that 14.5 miles would take under 4 hours, and we only have to do 13.1, so YEAH!!! now, if i can figure out how to double the distance without falling down on my face......
today i did an open house with my friend Ed who is a chiropractor in town, i did chair massage for 3 hours and we set up a table of my now famous "cancer curing cookies" which have improved with the addition of some butterscotch chips. spent a lot of time getting to know some of the great people in my neighborhood and raised another $45 for TNT and have a few people who went home with promises of web donations. after 3 hours of chair massage, i was a little tired, but today was an endurance day and the weather was absolutely perfect for a walk, so i went home, changed into walking gear and headed out. the schedule for today was just 6 miles, but as i was going, it felt so good i decided to pass the turn around point and keep going. finally i found myself at the main gate of lake monticello which is over 3 and a half miles from my house. there i high fived the stop sign and turned around and headed home.
the walk back was great and i noticed that i had picked up a nice cadence to my walk that began to turn to a nice, easy jog. i decided to just go with it and ended up jogging for about 3/4 of a mile before i started to feel winded. for the rest of the way home, i traded off jogging until my heart rate got to 150ish and then walking it back down to the 130's. unfortunately, it was starting to get dark and as there are no sidewalks in my neighborhood, dusk isn't the safest time to be out on the road. i picked up speed to try to get off of the main roads and finally found myself back on the road that leads to my road, 3/4 of a mile from home. at this point, the final little hill of the route comes in and normally it isn't really that tough. today however, that hill was a mountain! i guess this was the point that my legs were done. i started getting a little wobbly and was having a little trouble getting my legs to point in a straight line. fortunately, there is very little traffic on this road, so i had the whole area to sort of stagger up the hill. when i got to the playground 1/2 mile from home, i went over to the water fountain for a drink and found that they have closed it for the fall/winter. i must have looked like a lunatic fumbling around where the handle is supposed to be but wasn't. can you believe it? they just took the handle off and replaced it with this metal plate. my brain was struggling to comprehend this (now, post hydration, i have figured it out!) and my legs were screaming for a break. so i stopped, took a deep breath and dug down deep to get a little reserve. then i got back on the road and headed in the direction of the house. finally, i rounded the corner to Loving terrace and sprinted my way to the front door. i got inside, ripped off my shoes and plopped down on the floor for a few minutes of rest before stretching.
All in all, i think today i finally found the wall. i have yet to push quite this hard up to now, though i have definitely been close. but best of all i noticed something on my walk today....i feel less cumbersome. that's the best way to describe it, like my body doesn't get in it's own way. it's a pretty darn good feeling. and holy cow, i made it to the main gate and back! in total, it was 7.25 miles in 1:55! so that means that 14.5 miles would take under 4 hours, and we only have to do 13.1, so YEAH!!! now, if i can figure out how to double the distance without falling down on my face......
Sunday, October 21, 2007
cookies
not so much a training post as a fundraising one...
bake sales are fun, making cookies is time consuming but enjoyable (and there are lots of beaters to lick) watching little kids eat your creations while their parents feel good about donating to a good cause is even better. However, one word of advice, frosting and direct sunlight do not go together....my cupcakes got a little on the saggy side about 35 minutes into the sale, and by the end, the frosting was kinda squishy (though the cookies were warm and soft like fresh from the oven!) the cupcakes left over got scraped and re-frosted to sell tomorrow at work. So far, I have raised about $65, so we'll see what the total is after work. I'm doing another sale on the 3rd of November when my friend Dr. Lauterbach, who owns the office where I had the sale today, is having an open house, and the gourmet pet place next door is having their one year anniversary extravaganza which they have been massively advertising and I am going to ride their tails like a flea.
here's what my sign said....
"These cookies cure cancer! (and the cupcakes aren't bad either)"
catchy, huh?
bake sales are fun, making cookies is time consuming but enjoyable (and there are lots of beaters to lick) watching little kids eat your creations while their parents feel good about donating to a good cause is even better. However, one word of advice, frosting and direct sunlight do not go together....my cupcakes got a little on the saggy side about 35 minutes into the sale, and by the end, the frosting was kinda squishy (though the cookies were warm and soft like fresh from the oven!) the cupcakes left over got scraped and re-frosted to sell tomorrow at work. So far, I have raised about $65, so we'll see what the total is after work. I'm doing another sale on the 3rd of November when my friend Dr. Lauterbach, who owns the office where I had the sale today, is having an open house, and the gourmet pet place next door is having their one year anniversary extravaganza which they have been massively advertising and I am going to ride their tails like a flea.
here's what my sign said....
"These cookies cure cancer! (and the cupcakes aren't bad either)"
catchy, huh?
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