Finally got another long one in today. Here is how it went:
Warmed up with 1.35 on the treadmill. Then headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day with Ed. Did 4.5 with him---my 4-5 mile route that goes up Erie Ave. and back on Observatory. We turned at Stetiniums which makes it 4.5. Had a Powergel back home with some water. Then I took Maggie out for 3 miles around the park. This was maybe too much for her because she hasn't been running with me in a long time and she is kind of heavy now. And she's no spring chicken either. She wasn't in distress and she wasn't limping, but we had to go very slowly. Back at home, had another Powergel with water. And then I finished up with a slow 3.05 on the treadmill, which was pretty much agony the way the last few miles always is.
But I got it done! It took forever but I got it done!
In other news, they finally posted the results from our Reindeer Romp on Saturday. Well, I guess I should have hung around for the awards. Turns out I won my age group and they had me as third woman overall. Really I was fourth woman but they placed me ahead of that young woman who finished just ahead of me. They did give us the same time, and she wasn't in my age group so it doesn't really matter. But dang, I didn't realize the race was that small. I thought there were tons of people ahead of me, and I didn't know how deep they were going on the awards so I didn't bother to stay. Never thought I'd win my age group!
I was1 of 4 in the AG, 3 (really 4) of 44 women, and 22 of 82 runners overall. I guess one reason I didn't know how few people were really ahead of me is that the 10k runners were out there too, and there were about 30 of them ahead of me for most of the race.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Easy Sunday
Did a 3-miler around the park with Ed. Yes, almost 10 minutes slower pace then we raced at yesterday, but that's because I let him stop to pee and poo as much as he needs when we're on a training run. It's a dreary, drizzly day but not so cold, so it was good to do the run outside, and with Ed, of course.
The streaking thing is going really well. My streak is two weeks long! Maybe soon I will feel worthy to actually join the streak association and pay the fee. It is helping me keep my weekly mileage up, and that can only help.
So what is up for this week? Well, I really want to try to get a 12-miler in tomorrow. Wednesday I'll hit the treadmill for intervals again, this time at 7 mph pace. Then take it easy until later in the week, when Eddy & I will probably do the Eggnog Jog in Mt. Adams, which should be our last race together this year.
The streaking thing is going really well. My streak is two weeks long! Maybe soon I will feel worthy to actually join the streak association and pay the fee. It is helping me keep my weekly mileage up, and that can only help.
So what is up for this week? Well, I really want to try to get a 12-miler in tomorrow. Wednesday I'll hit the treadmill for intervals again, this time at 7 mph pace. Then take it easy until later in the week, when Eddy & I will probably do the Eggnog Jog in Mt. Adams, which should be our last race together this year.
Reindeer Romp Race Report
Ventured west of town on Saturday morning for another 5k with my best running buddy. This was the 3rd annual Reindeer Romp, which includes a 5k, a 10k and a kid’s fun run. The races are on flat, fast, USATF-certified courses that are a nice mix of scenic country roads and a paved bike trail. The event benefits the Crosby Kringle Chest, which provides Christmas toys for needy children, and includes a post-race pancake breakfast in the Crosby Township Senior Center.
I would have opted for the 10k, but with Eddy I need to stick to the 5k. Had the weather been snowy with a risk of ice and/or salt on the roads, I would have left him home. But it was clear and dry, although quite cold (low 20s at the start). I had considered doing this race last year, but I remember the weather was really miserable that weekend so I stayed home.
This is about a 35 minute drive from my house. Eddy and I arrived slightly less than an hour before the start of the race, which I thought might be too early, but the small parking lot was already full and we had to park on a grassy field next to the building. I picked up my race packet, deposited my toy donation (Holiday Barbie), visited the restroom, and went back to the car to get Ed.
The race shirt (included with registration) is better than most. It’s long-sleeved navy blue cotton with a cute red & white design.
Eddy & I headed out for our warm-up on the little quarter mile trail in front of the senior center. After I was warmed up and I was satisfied that Eddy was as “empty” as possible, we headed back over to the registration area to hang out. Eddy was the only dog in attendance at this event. He got to meet some new people, and we did some “breed education” as it seemed that nobody there had ever seen a Flatcoat before. He was a good ambassador for Flatcoats.
Since I didn’t know much about the course, I had previously emailed the race director to make sure that Eddy would be welcome. She advised me that we should be sure to line up in the back of the pack, on the outside of the curve and just in front of the walkers, to avoid getting in the way of the faster runners. The race used chip timing but only for the finish line. Still, it wasn’t such a big crowd so I wasn’t too concerned about where we started, and I certainly didn’t want to cause any accidents with Eddy’s presence.
Even starting in the back of the pack, we were much less boxed-in than at last weekend’s race, so it really didn’t cost us much. Hit the first mile marker in 8:40, which was slightly faster than our average pace last weekend. Just like last weekend, my goofy boy was all business once the gun went off. He is a very focused racer!
I stopped at the water station for a drink. I assumed it was water but it was some sort of sports drink, which I really didn’t need for a winter 5k. I swallowed it and immediately realized it was a bad idea. Eddy just rolled his eyes at me. He really does not like to stop during these races! And then he took off like a rocket, seemingly intent on passing all ten or so people who had gone by us during the break.
Mile 2 was an 8:34. So now it was looking pretty good for us to beat our time from last week and get a new PR for Eddy. I started getting warm, so I unzipped my jacket and removed my hat. It was a pain to carry the hat in one hand and the leash in the other, but I just had to deal. The brim of the hat was too big to cram into my jacket pocket.
Eddy definitely had a lot left, and I had to hold him back a bit in the last mile, because I could not go that fast or I was going to toss the sports drink. Did not hit my watch at the 3 mile but our time was 9:01 for the last 1.1, about 20 seconds faster than last weekend at the end. The time on my watch was 26:15, or about 44 seconds faster than last weekend. The course was flat, and I am learning how to race again.
In the last half mile, we were passed by a tall blonde woman. I was pretty sure that she was not in my age group, so I let her go, but post-race it is really bothering me. In the last stretch, she was slowing down and we for sure could have caught her, even if it did mean I would have thrown up the sports drink. I am not letting that happen again. Letting somebody beat us like that, I mean. Throwing up, that just happens sometimes.
Post race I played some Frisbee with Ed in the field next to the senior center. Maybe we should have done the 10k after all. Then I put him in the car and went inside to change into dry clothes. The pancakes smelled really good, but I didn’t feel right about hanging out while he waited in the car, and so for the second week in a row I left a race without getting any food! I am going to have to start bringing food with me to these things.
Have no idea how we finished in the pack, because the results are not online yet. It would be nice to think that I placed in my age group but I really have no idea. But I enjoyed this little race, and I am loving running these things with Eddy, so I think we will be back next year.
I would have opted for the 10k, but with Eddy I need to stick to the 5k. Had the weather been snowy with a risk of ice and/or salt on the roads, I would have left him home. But it was clear and dry, although quite cold (low 20s at the start). I had considered doing this race last year, but I remember the weather was really miserable that weekend so I stayed home.
This is about a 35 minute drive from my house. Eddy and I arrived slightly less than an hour before the start of the race, which I thought might be too early, but the small parking lot was already full and we had to park on a grassy field next to the building. I picked up my race packet, deposited my toy donation (Holiday Barbie), visited the restroom, and went back to the car to get Ed.
The race shirt (included with registration) is better than most. It’s long-sleeved navy blue cotton with a cute red & white design.
Eddy & I headed out for our warm-up on the little quarter mile trail in front of the senior center. After I was warmed up and I was satisfied that Eddy was as “empty” as possible, we headed back over to the registration area to hang out. Eddy was the only dog in attendance at this event. He got to meet some new people, and we did some “breed education” as it seemed that nobody there had ever seen a Flatcoat before. He was a good ambassador for Flatcoats.
Since I didn’t know much about the course, I had previously emailed the race director to make sure that Eddy would be welcome. She advised me that we should be sure to line up in the back of the pack, on the outside of the curve and just in front of the walkers, to avoid getting in the way of the faster runners. The race used chip timing but only for the finish line. Still, it wasn’t such a big crowd so I wasn’t too concerned about where we started, and I certainly didn’t want to cause any accidents with Eddy’s presence.
Even starting in the back of the pack, we were much less boxed-in than at last weekend’s race, so it really didn’t cost us much. Hit the first mile marker in 8:40, which was slightly faster than our average pace last weekend. Just like last weekend, my goofy boy was all business once the gun went off. He is a very focused racer!
I stopped at the water station for a drink. I assumed it was water but it was some sort of sports drink, which I really didn’t need for a winter 5k. I swallowed it and immediately realized it was a bad idea. Eddy just rolled his eyes at me. He really does not like to stop during these races! And then he took off like a rocket, seemingly intent on passing all ten or so people who had gone by us during the break.
Mile 2 was an 8:34. So now it was looking pretty good for us to beat our time from last week and get a new PR for Eddy. I started getting warm, so I unzipped my jacket and removed my hat. It was a pain to carry the hat in one hand and the leash in the other, but I just had to deal. The brim of the hat was too big to cram into my jacket pocket.
Eddy definitely had a lot left, and I had to hold him back a bit in the last mile, because I could not go that fast or I was going to toss the sports drink. Did not hit my watch at the 3 mile but our time was 9:01 for the last 1.1, about 20 seconds faster than last weekend at the end. The time on my watch was 26:15, or about 44 seconds faster than last weekend. The course was flat, and I am learning how to race again.
In the last half mile, we were passed by a tall blonde woman. I was pretty sure that she was not in my age group, so I let her go, but post-race it is really bothering me. In the last stretch, she was slowing down and we for sure could have caught her, even if it did mean I would have thrown up the sports drink. I am not letting that happen again. Letting somebody beat us like that, I mean. Throwing up, that just happens sometimes.
Post race I played some Frisbee with Ed in the field next to the senior center. Maybe we should have done the 10k after all. Then I put him in the car and went inside to change into dry clothes. The pancakes smelled really good, but I didn’t feel right about hanging out while he waited in the car, and so for the second week in a row I left a race without getting any food! I am going to have to start bringing food with me to these things.
Have no idea how we finished in the pack, because the results are not online yet. It would be nice to think that I placed in my age group but I really have no idea. But I enjoyed this little race, and I am loving running these things with Eddy, so I think we will be back next year.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My Foot Hurts
Did 5+ miles on the treadmill. First I did a little bit of the hill program at a walking speed. Ugh, remember never to do that again. Really aggravated the achilles. Then I did a bunch on the speed interval program at level 6. So, I'm glad I got the run in, but now my foot is really hurting. Maybe it's from the stupid snow boots.
Trying another template
I like this one better. Too bad I am not creative enough or knowledgable enough to create something on my own.
I just decided to add my personal records to the sidebar. Saw another blogger who had done that. Maybe it will inspire me. Of course, her PRs were fairly new as it looks like running is fairly fresh for her. My PRs are 7-9 years old! I don't know, it might still inspire me.
I just decided to add my personal records to the sidebar. Saw another blogger who had done that. Maybe it will inspire me. Of course, her PRs were fairly new as it looks like running is fairly fresh for her. My PRs are 7-9 years old! I don't know, it might still inspire me.
Want to make it prettier
I have been trying to change the colors of this blog away from the template, but have been unsuccessful. Maybe I am stuck with this.
Am going to try to do 5 on the treadmill today. It's cold outside, even if it is sunny.
Signed up to do the Reindeer Romp over in Harrison on Saturday morning, hoping to bring Ed. There is a 5k and a 10k, and if I was going by myself I'd do the 10k but with Ed it has to just be the 5k. But I wonder if I will really feel like doing it if it turns insanely cold by then, or even if I will want to bring Ed if there is a risk that they will have salted the roads.
I emailed the race director to ask whether dogs were allowed, and she said it was okay but would prefer I line up in the back so as not trip anybody at the start. I'm cool with that as long as we don't get impossibly blocked in. Mostly am just wanting to get Ed out of the house and away from Zen, who is in season.
Am going to try to do 5 on the treadmill today. It's cold outside, even if it is sunny.
Signed up to do the Reindeer Romp over in Harrison on Saturday morning, hoping to bring Ed. There is a 5k and a 10k, and if I was going by myself I'd do the 10k but with Ed it has to just be the 5k. But I wonder if I will really feel like doing it if it turns insanely cold by then, or even if I will want to bring Ed if there is a risk that they will have salted the roads.
I emailed the race director to ask whether dogs were allowed, and she said it was okay but would prefer I line up in the back so as not trip anybody at the start. I'm cool with that as long as we don't get impossibly blocked in. Mostly am just wanting to get Ed out of the house and away from Zen, who is in season.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Interval Day!
Did the same interval workout as last Wednesday on the treadmill, but a little faster. Long w/u, followed by 4 x 1/2 mile @ 6.9 mph (about 8:42 pace, or just about current 5k race pace) with 3 minute recoveries (1 minute @ 3.5 mph or walking, 2 minutes @ 5 mph or a slow jog), followed by a short cool down @ 5 mph and then the cool down setting on the treadmill for 5 minutes.
I feel better when I run faster than when I am slogging at 5 mph. Wore the NB 1130s again today, am loving them.
I feel better when I run faster than when I am slogging at 5 mph. Wore the NB 1130s again today, am loving them.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Consistency is hard
So I'm running everyday but I'm not blogging every day.
Yesterday I did 4 miles on the treadmill. I did the speed interval program on level 5, with a tiny bit of level 4 near the end. My foot hurt in my old stiff Brooks Addiction shoes.
Today I did the bare minimum to keep the streak alive. Just 1.15 on the treadmill. Was going to go for 5 miles but am distracted by thoughts of my little girl dog, Zen, who is having surgery this afternoon to remove a blockage.
Yesterday I did 4 miles on the treadmill. I did the speed interval program on level 5, with a tiny bit of level 4 near the end. My foot hurt in my old stiff Brooks Addiction shoes.
Today I did the bare minimum to keep the streak alive. Just 1.15 on the treadmill. Was going to go for 5 miles but am distracted by thoughts of my little girl dog, Zen, who is having surgery this afternoon to remove a blockage.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Today's run
Today did the 4-mile "Mooney" loop with Ed. This was mid-day, after a morning 2-mile dog walk and giving Zen a bath. It was cold (low 30s and some wind) but sunny when we started. Glad we went out when we did because the sun was gone by the time we turned around, and if I had waited any longer I would have ended up on the treadmill.
We finished in 48:28 which is slow but that includes lots of pee breaks and one poop break for Ed. Had to let him have it since he was such a good boy yesterday!
We finished in 48:28 which is slow but that includes lots of pee breaks and one poop break for Ed. Had to let him have it since he was such a good boy yesterday!
Catching up
I am going to try again to post regularly. I am running regularly, I should write regularly.
So....first thing is, I have begun a running streak. This will enable me to become a member of the US Running Streak Association: http://www.runeveryday.com/ . Kind of a silly thing but what the heck? You only have to run one continuous mile per day to count it towards a streak. No reason I can't do that. And they let you do it on a treadmill. So why not do that? Even on the days I'm not planning to run, no reason I can't climb on the treadmill and do a mile. I don't even have to dress for that.
So I started the streak thing last Monday, and I've run every day since, and actually only Friday was a 1 mile day.
Second thing was I did the Born to Run race again in NJ the day after Thanksgiving. This year got my sister to do it. She resisted more and more the closer we got to the race, and even during the race tried to get me to leave her but I stuck with her because I didn't care how slow we went. She is always looking for a reason to quit. But we finished. I did not think our time was that bad for a jog/walk, but at that race it did put us pretty far back in the pack. 657 finishers and we were 643 and 644, so only a handful of people behind us. Funny, my sister cared more about that than I did. Well, if you want to do better, you have to train!
And third thing is, speaking of training, I decided I ought to get out there for a 5k, so I signed up for the Jingle Bell 5k for Arthritis on Saturday. Decided to bring Eddy along to run with me since he has turned into quite the running partner. And I knew that this race was okay to do with dogs because I walked it with Logan a few years ago. I would have left him home if we had snow though because I didn't want him to have to run through the salt on the roads. Fortunately, although it was cold we did not have precipitation.
Earlier in the week, I actually did some 1/2 mile repeats to see what kind of pace I could stand. I usually do them (Yasso 800s) for fast marathon training but I have found in the past they seemed to approximate my 5k pace also. So I got on the mill and did a few at 6.7 mph, which is just under a 9:00 pace. And that felt okay, not too challenging, so I figured I should be good for at least a sub-28:00 5k. I really hoped that I wasn't going over 28 minutes because I don't know if I've ever raced a 5k that slow in my life. I know I'm getting decrepit but I want to hold that off as long as I can.
Eddy was great at the race, a perfect gentleman. I kept him on a very short leash, and we were able to run in the thick of the pack without getting in anyone's way. He did not once try to pull away to pee on anything, and we took care of the pooping before the race started. Of course, there really isn't any nice grassy area to poop along that course anyway so it was especially important to take care of it ahead of time. We got lots of compliments on how handsome and well-behaved he was.
We had a good race, me and Ed. 8:55, 8:45, 8:27 and 52 seconds for the last bit, for a finish time of 26:59. This put me 7th of 43 in the age group, not enough for a placement (they only went 5 deep), but I was pretty pleased anyway. And Eddy was the first dog. Not that there is any kind of prize for that but it was fun anyway. As we came around the last bend, people started cheering for him and yelling "first dog" the way they do for the first man or woman. I am proud of my Ed and looking forward to many more races with him.
So....first thing is, I have begun a running streak. This will enable me to become a member of the US Running Streak Association: http://www.runeveryday.com/ . Kind of a silly thing but what the heck? You only have to run one continuous mile per day to count it towards a streak. No reason I can't do that. And they let you do it on a treadmill. So why not do that? Even on the days I'm not planning to run, no reason I can't climb on the treadmill and do a mile. I don't even have to dress for that.
So I started the streak thing last Monday, and I've run every day since, and actually only Friday was a 1 mile day.
Second thing was I did the Born to Run race again in NJ the day after Thanksgiving. This year got my sister to do it. She resisted more and more the closer we got to the race, and even during the race tried to get me to leave her but I stuck with her because I didn't care how slow we went. She is always looking for a reason to quit. But we finished. I did not think our time was that bad for a jog/walk, but at that race it did put us pretty far back in the pack. 657 finishers and we were 643 and 644, so only a handful of people behind us. Funny, my sister cared more about that than I did. Well, if you want to do better, you have to train!
And third thing is, speaking of training, I decided I ought to get out there for a 5k, so I signed up for the Jingle Bell 5k for Arthritis on Saturday. Decided to bring Eddy along to run with me since he has turned into quite the running partner. And I knew that this race was okay to do with dogs because I walked it with Logan a few years ago. I would have left him home if we had snow though because I didn't want him to have to run through the salt on the roads. Fortunately, although it was cold we did not have precipitation.
Earlier in the week, I actually did some 1/2 mile repeats to see what kind of pace I could stand. I usually do them (Yasso 800s) for fast marathon training but I have found in the past they seemed to approximate my 5k pace also. So I got on the mill and did a few at 6.7 mph, which is just under a 9:00 pace. And that felt okay, not too challenging, so I figured I should be good for at least a sub-28:00 5k. I really hoped that I wasn't going over 28 minutes because I don't know if I've ever raced a 5k that slow in my life. I know I'm getting decrepit but I want to hold that off as long as I can.
Eddy was great at the race, a perfect gentleman. I kept him on a very short leash, and we were able to run in the thick of the pack without getting in anyone's way. He did not once try to pull away to pee on anything, and we took care of the pooping before the race started. Of course, there really isn't any nice grassy area to poop along that course anyway so it was especially important to take care of it ahead of time. We got lots of compliments on how handsome and well-behaved he was.
We had a good race, me and Ed. 8:55, 8:45, 8:27 and 52 seconds for the last bit, for a finish time of 26:59. This put me 7th of 43 in the age group, not enough for a placement (they only went 5 deep), but I was pretty pleased anyway. And Eddy was the first dog. Not that there is any kind of prize for that but it was fun anyway. As we came around the last bend, people started cheering for him and yelling "first dog" the way they do for the first man or woman. I am proud of my Ed and looking forward to many more races with him.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
To run today or not?
Trying to decide if I will run today. At the moment I am still digesting lunch, so I don't have to decide right away.
Ran the State-to-State half marathon in Oxford, OH on Sunday. Had a goal of 2:25 to 2:30, horrendously slow but matched my horrendous training. It went better than expected, and I finished under 2:19. Seven minutes slower than last year and a new PW but nice, even splits, which I haven't generally seen in this race. It's a hilly out and back and usually you're running into the sun on the way back. This year it was quite cool and overcast, which helped tremendously.
I have a streak going at this race, having finished every year since the inaugural event. So I had to go do it even if I wasn't up for it. This was the 7th year, and I'm hoping that if I keep going I might eventually be the only woman who has done it every year. They gave us autographed copies of a book for the 5th year, and at that time there were just a handful of women who had done all five races.
So I was a bit worried post race when I checked the results and they didn't have my time recorded. Fortunately, I contacted the timing company and the race directors, and they got it straightened out and I am in there now. Whew!
Just a week and a half to Baltimore. Looks like my sister and niece will be joining me there. We need to find someplace good to go for the pasta dinner.
Ran the State-to-State half marathon in Oxford, OH on Sunday. Had a goal of 2:25 to 2:30, horrendously slow but matched my horrendous training. It went better than expected, and I finished under 2:19. Seven minutes slower than last year and a new PW but nice, even splits, which I haven't generally seen in this race. It's a hilly out and back and usually you're running into the sun on the way back. This year it was quite cool and overcast, which helped tremendously.
I have a streak going at this race, having finished every year since the inaugural event. So I had to go do it even if I wasn't up for it. This was the 7th year, and I'm hoping that if I keep going I might eventually be the only woman who has done it every year. They gave us autographed copies of a book for the 5th year, and at that time there were just a handful of women who had done all five races.
So I was a bit worried post race when I checked the results and they didn't have my time recorded. Fortunately, I contacted the timing company and the race directors, and they got it straightened out and I am in there now. Whew!
Just a week and a half to Baltimore. Looks like my sister and niece will be joining me there. We need to find someplace good to go for the pasta dinner.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Feel Like Giving Up
The running has not been going well the past few months. I'm not even making 20 miles a week lately. I haven't gone further than 6-8 in over a month. No way I am ready for the half-marathon this weekend and the marathon in a couple of weeks.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Issues with my foot
Have been stuggling a lot lately with my sore right foot/bone spur/plantar fascia/achilles/whatever it's all connected anyway. Probably was not a good idea to run that 5k 36 hours before the Delaware Marathon. Also probably wasn't a good idea to run every day the week after the marathon, which I thought I had to do because after that I would have almost two weeks off at dog shows.
Then I really aggravated while we were at the FCR Nationals, running around the conformation ring with Zen. Felt a pain in it after I showed her the second day, and I could barely walk on it after that.
Then I got home, and before I had a chance to get better, I stupidly ran a fast 5k. Got sucked into entering by my daughter. It's a race in the neighborhood that I do like but it was a bad time for me to be racing. I told myself I was just going to jog but in the end the competitive fires got the better of me. It's one where the top 25 men and top 25 women get nice glass beer steins. I have two of them from previous years and I wanted a third. Bummer, I finished 31st but worse than that, I could barely walk afterwards. In fact, I couldn't walk home. We had to hitch a ride from a kind stranger.
So since then (early June) things have been bad. I got so desperate I even spent a ridiculous amount of money on off-the-shelf orthotics from The Good Feet store. What a rip off. Anyway, it's been six weeks or so now and I think that maybe it is slowly getting better. As usual, time off from running does not seem to help at all. I feel worse after skipping a day than if I run, somehow.
Am thinking about making and keeping a little log of my footwear and activity to see if there is any pattern, because it seems like I have to wear something a little different every day to keep it at bay. Some days I need the mega-inserts from The Good Feet store. Other days, I get relief from mere Powerstep insoles. And some days, I even feel best wearing just the insoles the shoe came with. I don't really see a pattern to it, so I'm wondering if there is one.
Then I really aggravated while we were at the FCR Nationals, running around the conformation ring with Zen. Felt a pain in it after I showed her the second day, and I could barely walk on it after that.
Then I got home, and before I had a chance to get better, I stupidly ran a fast 5k. Got sucked into entering by my daughter. It's a race in the neighborhood that I do like but it was a bad time for me to be racing. I told myself I was just going to jog but in the end the competitive fires got the better of me. It's one where the top 25 men and top 25 women get nice glass beer steins. I have two of them from previous years and I wanted a third. Bummer, I finished 31st but worse than that, I could barely walk afterwards. In fact, I couldn't walk home. We had to hitch a ride from a kind stranger.
So since then (early June) things have been bad. I got so desperate I even spent a ridiculous amount of money on off-the-shelf orthotics from The Good Feet store. What a rip off. Anyway, it's been six weeks or so now and I think that maybe it is slowly getting better. As usual, time off from running does not seem to help at all. I feel worse after skipping a day than if I run, somehow.
Am thinking about making and keeping a little log of my footwear and activity to see if there is any pattern, because it seems like I have to wear something a little different every day to keep it at bay. Some days I need the mega-inserts from The Good Feet store. Other days, I get relief from mere Powerstep insoles. And some days, I even feel best wearing just the insoles the shoe came with. I don't really see a pattern to it, so I'm wondering if there is one.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Delaware Marathon Part One
Got on the plane Saturday morning and flew to Delaware. Quads were a little sore, right foot was a lot sore. Took some Aleve.
Cathy picked me up at the airport and we headed to Wilmington, and after some confusion with the GPS (apparently Wilmington actually has two streets named Delaware Avenue!) we arrived at the Sheraton, where they let us check in early. Pretty good for a race hotel, with self-parking for just $12, only a mile to the start of the race (and we needed to drive to avoid the slums), and a spacious, comfortable suite for $99.
The small expo was down at the park where the race started and finished. First we hit the Riverfront Market for lunch. Kind of like a food court with a vegetable market in the middle, and like much of Wilmington, seemed a little down on its heels.
At the expo/packet pickup, I purchased a nice black water-repellant cap from the New Balance shop selling race logo wear. I also bought a t-shirt that had the names of all the registered marathon runners on the back. Kinda silly because the first time I wash it you probably won't be able to read my name anymore. Cathy also bought a hat. Not too much else there, just that logo-wear shop and another vendor selling running attire. Oh, and a booth with some local personal trainers or something of no interest to us travellers.
In addition to our race t-shirts, which were New Balance technical tops but unfortunately for me in a man's size and cut, the race goody bags also included a souvenir beer glass and a sticker for your car window.
I needed sunscreen and vasoline and snacks and food for Sunday morning breakfast, and Cathy had forgotten to pack underwear. I decided the food court did not have good enough quality fruit, so we headed off in search of a mall or supermarket. Found a large, new Shop-Rite supermarket down along the riverfront area, where we were able to fulfill all our requirements. For snacks, we ended up with Pepperidge Farm Mint Milanos and Chips Ahoy cookies, along with a quart of skim milk. For breakfast, I got some bananas and some chocolate iced cake donuts.
Then it was back to the hotel where Cathy took a nap until it was time to head for the pasta dinner (she had been up until 4 am gambling in Atlantic City that morning before she picked me up).
Around 5:30, we headed to the pasta dinner, which was held at the Joe's Crab Shack, about a mile from the race start. Should have been a clue about the quality that they had chosen this as the restaurant. But the race organizers had made it sound like it would be a fun time. And how hard is it to serve up a decent plate of pasta and sauce?
I guess it was too hard for Joe's Crab Shack. Absolute worst pasta dinner I have ever attended. Just disgusting.
First problem was, we had expected that there would be a private room or section set off just for the runners, but in fact it seemed like they had us all mixed in with other people. We were seated outside, with two guys, a father and son who were also doing the race. The promised band was playing, a group of doctors from the local hospital (race sponsor), and it was impossible to have a conversation over the din of their "music."
While we were waiting impatiently for service, I suggested that we go somewhere else, but Cathy didn't agree, perhaps because we had already paid and would have to push to get our money back, or she didn't want to make a scene.
The guys sitting next to us were served first as they had been seated before us. Teeny little salads, but I wasn't expecting that much from the salad so was not too alarmed. But then their pasta arrived and it was cold! So they older guy sent his back.
They were having the marinara sauce, which is bad enough cold, but we had ordered the olive oil. The pasta was available with and without shrimp, and we went out on a limb and ordered the shrimp. We were of course expecting full-size shrimp. But no, we got just those tiny little prawns. And worse, in a luke warm and rancid tasting sauce. Not sure if it was even really olive oil. It was truly disgusting. So after eating a little and pushing it around on the plate, we said goodbye to the guys, wished them luck on the race, and got up and left.
On the way out, I stopped at the registration table and let the guy taking people's money know that it was the worst pasta dinner ever. Didn't try to get my money back because we had already eaten half of the food, but we did tell everyone waiting online that they would be better off going someplace else, and some of them did.
We ended up at a brew pub right next store, and got a table at the bar just in time to watch the Preakness, which was better anyway. This food was pretty good and didn't cost much more than we had already spent on the pasta dinner. I need to remember that few of those pasta dinners are really worth attending.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to watch a little bit of TV before going to bed early. I forgot that the Adidas Track Classic was on ESPN2, and I only got to catch a few minutes of it before bed.
Sunday morning, I got up at 4 am for my pre-race coffee and breakfast. Cathy got up at 5 and we headed down to the start around 6. Cathy had already decided that she was not going to do the half-marathon she was registered for, because she really was not trained for it. So she was mostly just there to support me, and she did an excellent job.
We had to drive to the start even though it was not that far from the hotel because the area in between the hotel and the riverfront is basically a slum. There was a race shuttle from the hotel but seating was limited, so they were encouraging people to drive. Plus the shuttle was leaving at 5:20 and that was too early for me. Everyone we had spoken to the day before had said that we should park over by the Joe's Crab Shack and walk from there, but I was skeptical because that was almost a mile away. So I suggested we drive down close the start and see what we found, and in fact there was a lot directly across the street from the start where we could park all day for $3.
We sat in the car until about 6:30---it was quite cold and a bit rainy---before we went over to the start area. I was wearing a throw away old cotton t-shirt and nylon anorak over a short-sleeved technical top and my CW-X capri tights. And of course, a hat---this time, the hat from my most recent marathon in Chickamauga because it was fairly water repellant and even matched my shirt (light gray).
Ducked into a portapotty where there was no line. Found out after that was because it was reserved for people with medical "issues." Cathy said this was okay because I am crazy and that counts as a medical issue!
Then we found a park bench where we could sit and wait for the race to start. There was dj playing upbeat tunes from the 80s, but otherwise it was all fairly low key. The race was full but they put a pretty low cap on it because I guess they wisely realize that the course will not accomodate a very large field. Most of the out of state runners are, like me, members of the 50 States Club or the Marathon Maniacs or both.
Just before the race was to start, of course the wind picked up and it started raining harder. I had ditched the throw away cotton shirt but had to keep the anorak. Ended up putting it on and taking it off throughout the race as we turned corners and faced headwinds and rain. It's really quite a mess, shredded on the bottom and at the cuffs, and now with some gigantic holes from one occasion when Zen got a hold of it. And at one point it got stuck in the zipper of my fanny pack and I yanked it out so now it is even worse. But it survived to come home with me again anyway.
I am getting tired and will finish this later.
Cathy picked me up at the airport and we headed to Wilmington, and after some confusion with the GPS (apparently Wilmington actually has two streets named Delaware Avenue!) we arrived at the Sheraton, where they let us check in early. Pretty good for a race hotel, with self-parking for just $12, only a mile to the start of the race (and we needed to drive to avoid the slums), and a spacious, comfortable suite for $99.
The small expo was down at the park where the race started and finished. First we hit the Riverfront Market for lunch. Kind of like a food court with a vegetable market in the middle, and like much of Wilmington, seemed a little down on its heels.
At the expo/packet pickup, I purchased a nice black water-repellant cap from the New Balance shop selling race logo wear. I also bought a t-shirt that had the names of all the registered marathon runners on the back. Kinda silly because the first time I wash it you probably won't be able to read my name anymore. Cathy also bought a hat. Not too much else there, just that logo-wear shop and another vendor selling running attire. Oh, and a booth with some local personal trainers or something of no interest to us travellers.
In addition to our race t-shirts, which were New Balance technical tops but unfortunately for me in a man's size and cut, the race goody bags also included a souvenir beer glass and a sticker for your car window.
I needed sunscreen and vasoline and snacks and food for Sunday morning breakfast, and Cathy had forgotten to pack underwear. I decided the food court did not have good enough quality fruit, so we headed off in search of a mall or supermarket. Found a large, new Shop-Rite supermarket down along the riverfront area, where we were able to fulfill all our requirements. For snacks, we ended up with Pepperidge Farm Mint Milanos and Chips Ahoy cookies, along with a quart of skim milk. For breakfast, I got some bananas and some chocolate iced cake donuts.
Then it was back to the hotel where Cathy took a nap until it was time to head for the pasta dinner (she had been up until 4 am gambling in Atlantic City that morning before she picked me up).
Around 5:30, we headed to the pasta dinner, which was held at the Joe's Crab Shack, about a mile from the race start. Should have been a clue about the quality that they had chosen this as the restaurant. But the race organizers had made it sound like it would be a fun time. And how hard is it to serve up a decent plate of pasta and sauce?
I guess it was too hard for Joe's Crab Shack. Absolute worst pasta dinner I have ever attended. Just disgusting.
First problem was, we had expected that there would be a private room or section set off just for the runners, but in fact it seemed like they had us all mixed in with other people. We were seated outside, with two guys, a father and son who were also doing the race. The promised band was playing, a group of doctors from the local hospital (race sponsor), and it was impossible to have a conversation over the din of their "music."
While we were waiting impatiently for service, I suggested that we go somewhere else, but Cathy didn't agree, perhaps because we had already paid and would have to push to get our money back, or she didn't want to make a scene.
The guys sitting next to us were served first as they had been seated before us. Teeny little salads, but I wasn't expecting that much from the salad so was not too alarmed. But then their pasta arrived and it was cold! So they older guy sent his back.
They were having the marinara sauce, which is bad enough cold, but we had ordered the olive oil. The pasta was available with and without shrimp, and we went out on a limb and ordered the shrimp. We were of course expecting full-size shrimp. But no, we got just those tiny little prawns. And worse, in a luke warm and rancid tasting sauce. Not sure if it was even really olive oil. It was truly disgusting. So after eating a little and pushing it around on the plate, we said goodbye to the guys, wished them luck on the race, and got up and left.
On the way out, I stopped at the registration table and let the guy taking people's money know that it was the worst pasta dinner ever. Didn't try to get my money back because we had already eaten half of the food, but we did tell everyone waiting online that they would be better off going someplace else, and some of them did.
We ended up at a brew pub right next store, and got a table at the bar just in time to watch the Preakness, which was better anyway. This food was pretty good and didn't cost much more than we had already spent on the pasta dinner. I need to remember that few of those pasta dinners are really worth attending.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to watch a little bit of TV before going to bed early. I forgot that the Adidas Track Classic was on ESPN2, and I only got to catch a few minutes of it before bed.
Sunday morning, I got up at 4 am for my pre-race coffee and breakfast. Cathy got up at 5 and we headed down to the start around 6. Cathy had already decided that she was not going to do the half-marathon she was registered for, because she really was not trained for it. So she was mostly just there to support me, and she did an excellent job.
We had to drive to the start even though it was not that far from the hotel because the area in between the hotel and the riverfront is basically a slum. There was a race shuttle from the hotel but seating was limited, so they were encouraging people to drive. Plus the shuttle was leaving at 5:20 and that was too early for me. Everyone we had spoken to the day before had said that we should park over by the Joe's Crab Shack and walk from there, but I was skeptical because that was almost a mile away. So I suggested we drive down close the start and see what we found, and in fact there was a lot directly across the street from the start where we could park all day for $3.
We sat in the car until about 6:30---it was quite cold and a bit rainy---before we went over to the start area. I was wearing a throw away old cotton t-shirt and nylon anorak over a short-sleeved technical top and my CW-X capri tights. And of course, a hat---this time, the hat from my most recent marathon in Chickamauga because it was fairly water repellant and even matched my shirt (light gray).
Ducked into a portapotty where there was no line. Found out after that was because it was reserved for people with medical "issues." Cathy said this was okay because I am crazy and that counts as a medical issue!
Then we found a park bench where we could sit and wait for the race to start. There was dj playing upbeat tunes from the 80s, but otherwise it was all fairly low key. The race was full but they put a pretty low cap on it because I guess they wisely realize that the course will not accomodate a very large field. Most of the out of state runners are, like me, members of the 50 States Club or the Marathon Maniacs or both.
Just before the race was to start, of course the wind picked up and it started raining harder. I had ditched the throw away cotton shirt but had to keep the anorak. Ended up putting it on and taking it off throughout the race as we turned corners and faced headwinds and rain. It's really quite a mess, shredded on the bottom and at the cuffs, and now with some gigantic holes from one occasion when Zen got a hold of it. And at one point it got stuck in the zipper of my fanny pack and I yanked it out so now it is even worse. But it survived to come home with me again anyway.
I am getting tired and will finish this later.
Note to self: it is not a good idea to race a 5k 36 hours before a marathon
So I did go ahead and enter the Kilgour race, and though I thought I was going to just jog it, somehow I ended up racing anyway. Was feeling pretty good Friday afternoon and decided to go for it. Okay, did not run all out down the hills like I would have if I didn't care about my knees and didn't have a marathon to run in 36 hours. But pushed it pretty hard.
Ended up with a 27:10, which is a little slow for that race in the direction we ran this year, but still hard for me in my fat and untrained state. 2 of 4 in my age group (first race as a 50 year old) and 21 of 161 women, 75 of 200 overall runners. This is the first year I didn't finish in the top 10 women, although it was not my slowest time ever at this race.
Ended up with a 27:10, which is a little slow for that race in the direction we ran this year, but still hard for me in my fat and untrained state. 2 of 4 in my age group (first race as a 50 year old) and 21 of 161 women, 75 of 200 overall runners. This is the first year I didn't finish in the top 10 women, although it was not my slowest time ever at this race.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A Rare Good Day
Had a good run today. Haven't felt this good in months. It was just a four-miler, including a lap of the Kilgour 5k route. I took the Powersteps out of my shoes and put the original insoles back in. I think the Powersteps made the shoes too snug, so they were causing more problems than they solved. Anyway, it was nice to feel good on a run for a change.
Felt so good that I am now thinking about entering the Kilgour 5k, even though that is the Friday night before the Delaware Marathon on Sunday. But I already know that I am going to suck at the marathon, because my weight is way up and my training is way down. So it's not like I am going to blow a Boston qualifier by running that 5k less than two days before. And it is a pretty fun little race. And I don't have to run it hard. She says.
Felt so good that I am now thinking about entering the Kilgour 5k, even though that is the Friday night before the Delaware Marathon on Sunday. But I already know that I am going to suck at the marathon, because my weight is way up and my training is way down. So it's not like I am going to blow a Boston qualifier by running that 5k less than two days before. And it is a pretty fun little race. And I don't have to run it hard. She says.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Back at it
The cold cost me a week of training. Well, to be honest, the cold plus dog shows cost me a week of training.
Got a little in last week, still felt a bit weak.
Then, travelled to NJ to visit my sister and run the MORE half-marathon in Central Park on Sunday. Yeah, I should have been doing a 20-miler. What else is new. I figured the race would be enough. Could have done the full as a long run, but had heard enough bad things about the event to make me shy away from that. Two laps of Central Park would have to be enough.
Well, it turned out to be unseasonably hot, so they cancelled the race at the last minute. What they did was, they totally cancelled the full marathon (so glad I wasn't signed up for that!) and told us that we could all run the half-marathon as a "fun run," and we should turn in our chips because they wouldn't be timing us. Oh, and they were now only going to keep the course open for 3 hours instead of 6 1/2, so if you were a walker who would take more than 3 hours (or if you could not make it to mile 7 in 1:45) you should only do one lap.
I decided right then that one lap would be enough for me too. So we decided I would run my one lap, then maybe run back to Cathy and walk in with her. She was definitely only doing one lap. I had previously set a goal pace of 9:00 so I would theoretically break 2 hours. Don't know how I thought that was going to happen after I couldn't even run sub-9:00s for the 15k a month ago. And then after I got sick and was so under-trained anyway, I just thought I'd go out there and see what would happen. Still thinking I might pleasantly surprise myself.
Not. Anyway, it was immediately evident that the race organizers had no choice about the cancelling of the race. It was pretty damn hot. I started with Cathy back in the 10:00 corral. It took us over 6 minutes to get to the start, mostly walking. I was passing people the entire way but I wasn't exactly tearing it up. First two miles were both 10:27s. I took water and Gatorade at the water stops, and walked through those. They had water stops every mile and they were well-staffed and well-stocked, but I wonder what it was like the second time around (and what it would have been like for lap 3 and 4 if you were doing the marathon).
In miles 3 and 4, I picked it up a bit with a 9:31 and a 9:29. I guess those must be the downhills? Then I remember we were going uphill and there was no shade and I started thinking maybe I was risking heat stroke, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I was really sucking down the Gatorade at the fluid stations.
Mile 5 was 10:17, mile 6 was 10:24, and I was wondering why they didn't just make it a 10k. I was still passing people, though. Coming up on mile 7, I started looking for a place to drop out. Looked like everybody else was going around for a second loop. I was just about the only one quitting. But I just couldn't see any point to continuing. By dropping out, I would enable us to get home sooner and get lunch! It wasn't a race anymore anyway. Plus, I was cooked.
So finally, I cut over to the grass, and started walking toward the finish area, just in time to see Magdalena Lewy Boulet win with a time of 1:18 or so. She was the unofficial winner because it wasn't a race anymore. That's right, she almost lapped me! I ran 7 miles in 1:10:33, she ran 13.1 in 1:18.
I headed down to the food tables and I was probably the first person there, because most people were still going around for their second lap, and the fast women don't eat. I had a delicious chocolate chocolate chip bagel, a banana, and more Gatorade.
Tried to call Cathy but she wasn't answering. Walked back to look for her, but eventually got bored with that and was too tired to walk or jog towards where she might be, so I headed for a bench near 64th street where we had parked the car, and hung out there until Cathy showed up. She said she did her loop in around 1:45, with a sub-15:00 pace, so she was pretty happy. Honestly she was in a lot better shape than I was. She kept talking about how nice the downhills were. All I remember were the uphills!
Today I made it out for a little 3.1 mile jog on the route I call "Shady Lane." It was slow. It's still really hot, and this was mid-day after walking the dogs. Have put Powerstep insoles in my shoes, which seems to help but now I am wondering if I need to go up a half-size in the shoes, back to a 7. With the heat and the Powersteps, it's getting pretty snug in there.
Got a little in last week, still felt a bit weak.
Then, travelled to NJ to visit my sister and run the MORE half-marathon in Central Park on Sunday. Yeah, I should have been doing a 20-miler. What else is new. I figured the race would be enough. Could have done the full as a long run, but had heard enough bad things about the event to make me shy away from that. Two laps of Central Park would have to be enough.
Well, it turned out to be unseasonably hot, so they cancelled the race at the last minute. What they did was, they totally cancelled the full marathon (so glad I wasn't signed up for that!) and told us that we could all run the half-marathon as a "fun run," and we should turn in our chips because they wouldn't be timing us. Oh, and they were now only going to keep the course open for 3 hours instead of 6 1/2, so if you were a walker who would take more than 3 hours (or if you could not make it to mile 7 in 1:45) you should only do one lap.
I decided right then that one lap would be enough for me too. So we decided I would run my one lap, then maybe run back to Cathy and walk in with her. She was definitely only doing one lap. I had previously set a goal pace of 9:00 so I would theoretically break 2 hours. Don't know how I thought that was going to happen after I couldn't even run sub-9:00s for the 15k a month ago. And then after I got sick and was so under-trained anyway, I just thought I'd go out there and see what would happen. Still thinking I might pleasantly surprise myself.
Not. Anyway, it was immediately evident that the race organizers had no choice about the cancelling of the race. It was pretty damn hot. I started with Cathy back in the 10:00 corral. It took us over 6 minutes to get to the start, mostly walking. I was passing people the entire way but I wasn't exactly tearing it up. First two miles were both 10:27s. I took water and Gatorade at the water stops, and walked through those. They had water stops every mile and they were well-staffed and well-stocked, but I wonder what it was like the second time around (and what it would have been like for lap 3 and 4 if you were doing the marathon).
In miles 3 and 4, I picked it up a bit with a 9:31 and a 9:29. I guess those must be the downhills? Then I remember we were going uphill and there was no shade and I started thinking maybe I was risking heat stroke, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I was really sucking down the Gatorade at the fluid stations.
Mile 5 was 10:17, mile 6 was 10:24, and I was wondering why they didn't just make it a 10k. I was still passing people, though. Coming up on mile 7, I started looking for a place to drop out. Looked like everybody else was going around for a second loop. I was just about the only one quitting. But I just couldn't see any point to continuing. By dropping out, I would enable us to get home sooner and get lunch! It wasn't a race anymore anyway. Plus, I was cooked.
So finally, I cut over to the grass, and started walking toward the finish area, just in time to see Magdalena Lewy Boulet win with a time of 1:18 or so. She was the unofficial winner because it wasn't a race anymore. That's right, she almost lapped me! I ran 7 miles in 1:10:33, she ran 13.1 in 1:18.
I headed down to the food tables and I was probably the first person there, because most people were still going around for their second lap, and the fast women don't eat. I had a delicious chocolate chocolate chip bagel, a banana, and more Gatorade.
Tried to call Cathy but she wasn't answering. Walked back to look for her, but eventually got bored with that and was too tired to walk or jog towards where she might be, so I headed for a bench near 64th street where we had parked the car, and hung out there until Cathy showed up. She said she did her loop in around 1:45, with a sub-15:00 pace, so she was pretty happy. Honestly she was in a lot better shape than I was. She kept talking about how nice the downhills were. All I remember were the uphills!
Today I made it out for a little 3.1 mile jog on the route I call "Shady Lane." It was slow. It's still really hot, and this was mid-day after walking the dogs. Have put Powerstep insoles in my shoes, which seems to help but now I am wondering if I need to go up a half-size in the shoes, back to a 7. With the heat and the Powersteps, it's getting pretty snug in there.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
no running today
Caught Susan's cold. Actually it started for me yesterday, so this is day 2. Yesterday I definitely knew I had a cold but I managed to get out for a walk in the rain with the dogs anyway. Got progressively worse during the day and miserable last night. And now I'm in that weak state, with the chills. So didn't even make it out for dog walks today. On Ed's insistance, we did manage 45 minutes of backyard frisbee, however.
Susan wants to try her 20-miler on Thursday afternoon. I might join her for five miles of it if I recover enough.
Susan wants to try her 20-miler on Thursday afternoon. I might join her for five miles of it if I recover enough.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Pavillion Loops
Yesterday I wanted to do 15 miles and, if remotely possible, 20. Had originally planned to do 20 at Lunken Airport with Sooze, but she got sick. Thought about trying to do my three loop ten-miler twice. But that is mostly on sidewalks and couldn’t deal with the pounding.
Prompted by a guy that Tommy and I (or actually, just Tommy because I was oblivious to it until he pointed it out) have seen running loops around the pavilion in Ault Park, I decided that maybe I would give that a try.
I figured out that it is about .75 miles from my house up to the pavilion, and that the pavilion loop is about .65 miles around. A 20 miler is about 30 loops. Somehow that did not seem insane to me sitting here at my desk contemplating it.
The reality was far different.
Anyway, it was a pretty nice day for a long run. Temperatures in the upper 40s but bright sun and not too much wind, and the temps were climbing to the low 60s later in the day. But it was still in the 40s when I headed out.
I wore my CW-X tights, a black short-sleeved technical tee shirt from the New Year’s 5 mile race last year, my light blue hat from the Lady Distance Classic, and my hydration vest filled with ice water. Had not worn that vest for awhile, and it was more comfortable than I remembered. On my feet, I was wearing the NB 763s.
My knee felt a little worrisome as I ran up the street. I attribute this sudden rush of knee disability to moving the furniture around the living room on Friday night, and a couple of days of running with Ed. Yes, Ed was staying home for this one. Anyway, by the time I had gone a half mile, the knee was okay.
Started the first loop in my customary direction (counter-clockwise) and all was well. Took 9:44 to reach the start of the circle and 7:10 for the first lap, which included a one-minute walking break soon after I started the loop. Decided that 7 minute pace per loop would be acceptable. Decided to change direction at the beginning of each new loop. Had considered changing less often but that was the easiest way to remember. Kept track of my laps by using the split counter on my Nike running watch.
Well, I only made it 12 times around. It was a lot harder than I expected. Part of the problem was psychological. With it being Easter Sunday, and a lovely day, the park was unusually full of people, and I became acutely conscious that it was obvious to some of them that there was a crazy lady running loops of the pavilion. Also, there were at least two guys doing something similar, except they were walking, and that weirded me out too because I kept lapping them. I really would have preferred to be alone out there. Or else with some company, like Susan.
Splits were: 1) 7:10, 2) 6:53, 3) 6:26, 4) 6:39, 5) 6:57, 6) 6:47, 7) 6:46, 8) 6;57, 9) 7:10 (at this point decided that if I had two loops over 7 minutes in a row I would quit), 10) 6:40, 11) 6:53 and 12) 7:09 (at which point I decided I was really sick of the park and wanted to at least go someplace else).
Oh, also there was this old guy on a bicycle also doing loops of the pavillion. I've seen him before so that didn't bother me, but what did creep me out a bit was that he decided to change his route the same time I did and I ran into him again twice on my way home.
So I headed out of the park the way I normally would on my 3 mile loop, then decided that maybe I would try to see how much of my regular 10 mile run I could fit in, now that I was all warmed up. So instead of stopping at the top of the stairs the way I usually do, I headed back down the hill and the trail to my house.
But when I got to the house, I saw Susan’s car was here so I decided I should go in and see her. I thought maybe she was over her cold and we could go out for another five miles. Well, turned out she was just here to do laundry and hang out, and still sick so she couldn’t run. And by that point I didn’t really want to go back out so that was it.
Anyway, I got in about 10.25 miles, which is better than nothing. And now I have a cold too, so that might be it for the week. We’ll see. Time was 1:55:12, which is quite slow but it is a hilly run, and I thought my loop times were pretty consistent if you consider that the walk breaks occurred at various places on each loop. I think I might try this strategy again on a day when I can have the park to myself.
Prompted by a guy that Tommy and I (or actually, just Tommy because I was oblivious to it until he pointed it out) have seen running loops around the pavilion in Ault Park, I decided that maybe I would give that a try.
I figured out that it is about .75 miles from my house up to the pavilion, and that the pavilion loop is about .65 miles around. A 20 miler is about 30 loops. Somehow that did not seem insane to me sitting here at my desk contemplating it.
The reality was far different.
Anyway, it was a pretty nice day for a long run. Temperatures in the upper 40s but bright sun and not too much wind, and the temps were climbing to the low 60s later in the day. But it was still in the 40s when I headed out.
I wore my CW-X tights, a black short-sleeved technical tee shirt from the New Year’s 5 mile race last year, my light blue hat from the Lady Distance Classic, and my hydration vest filled with ice water. Had not worn that vest for awhile, and it was more comfortable than I remembered. On my feet, I was wearing the NB 763s.
My knee felt a little worrisome as I ran up the street. I attribute this sudden rush of knee disability to moving the furniture around the living room on Friday night, and a couple of days of running with Ed. Yes, Ed was staying home for this one. Anyway, by the time I had gone a half mile, the knee was okay.
Started the first loop in my customary direction (counter-clockwise) and all was well. Took 9:44 to reach the start of the circle and 7:10 for the first lap, which included a one-minute walking break soon after I started the loop. Decided that 7 minute pace per loop would be acceptable. Decided to change direction at the beginning of each new loop. Had considered changing less often but that was the easiest way to remember. Kept track of my laps by using the split counter on my Nike running watch.
Well, I only made it 12 times around. It was a lot harder than I expected. Part of the problem was psychological. With it being Easter Sunday, and a lovely day, the park was unusually full of people, and I became acutely conscious that it was obvious to some of them that there was a crazy lady running loops of the pavilion. Also, there were at least two guys doing something similar, except they were walking, and that weirded me out too because I kept lapping them. I really would have preferred to be alone out there. Or else with some company, like Susan.
Splits were: 1) 7:10, 2) 6:53, 3) 6:26, 4) 6:39, 5) 6:57, 6) 6:47, 7) 6:46, 8) 6;57, 9) 7:10 (at this point decided that if I had two loops over 7 minutes in a row I would quit), 10) 6:40, 11) 6:53 and 12) 7:09 (at which point I decided I was really sick of the park and wanted to at least go someplace else).
Oh, also there was this old guy on a bicycle also doing loops of the pavillion. I've seen him before so that didn't bother me, but what did creep me out a bit was that he decided to change his route the same time I did and I ran into him again twice on my way home.
So I headed out of the park the way I normally would on my 3 mile loop, then decided that maybe I would try to see how much of my regular 10 mile run I could fit in, now that I was all warmed up. So instead of stopping at the top of the stairs the way I usually do, I headed back down the hill and the trail to my house.
But when I got to the house, I saw Susan’s car was here so I decided I should go in and see her. I thought maybe she was over her cold and we could go out for another five miles. Well, turned out she was just here to do laundry and hang out, and still sick so she couldn’t run. And by that point I didn’t really want to go back out so that was it.
Anyway, I got in about 10.25 miles, which is better than nothing. And now I have a cold too, so that might be it for the week. We’ll see. Time was 1:55:12, which is quite slow but it is a hilly run, and I thought my loop times were pretty consistent if you consider that the walk breaks occurred at various places on each loop. I think I might try this strategy again on a day when I can have the park to myself.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Broadview with Ed
Another run with Ed. I have actually run all seven days this week. Not far but something. Today I wanted to go out for just a little one right after our morning dog walk, and Ed insisted that he wanted to come along even though we had just returned from a two-plus mile walk.
A nice, sunny morning, temps in the upper 40s. Very pleasant and not too warm for Ed. I wore an old, white turtleneck and an old pair of thin lycra tights. We ran the route that I am calling "Broadview," which is down the hill, a loop around Broadview, back up the hill, and a little side jaunt through the neighborhood. Ends up being about 3.1 miles. Our time was 32:54, not too bad on this hilly route and again, with plenty of pee breaks for Ed.
A nice, sunny morning, temps in the upper 40s. Very pleasant and not too warm for Ed. I wore an old, white turtleneck and an old pair of thin lycra tights. We ran the route that I am calling "Broadview," which is down the hill, a loop around Broadview, back up the hill, and a little side jaunt through the neighborhood. Ends up being about 3.1 miles. Our time was 32:54, not too bad on this hilly route and again, with plenty of pee breaks for Ed.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Shady Lane with Ed
Ran the route I call “Shady Lane” this afternoon with Ed. This is a 3.1 mile loop with a turnaround here. I call it Shady Lane because that is the street where you turn. Temps in the high 50s. Wore my old blue and turquoise print capri Moving Comfort tights, and a royal blue turtleneck. I know I didn’t need the turtleneck, but thought it would make me feel a little more like Ed if I was hot.
Ed is a wonderful running buddy. If I could just get him to stop cutting in front of me and stopping to pee on every other tree during the first mile.
Our time was 32:35, which is pretty good considering all the times he stopped to pee!
Ed is a wonderful running buddy. If I could just get him to stop cutting in front of me and stopping to pee on every other tree during the first mile.
Our time was 32:35, which is pretty good considering all the times he stopped to pee!
So much for that
Well, so much for that idea. I did run yesterday, but ran out of time to blog about it. Well, I’m doing it now. And I might not run today.
Anyway, I was once again out in the mid-afternoon, but this time by myself because I deemed it a bit too warm for Ed. Did the 4.25 mile loop that includes an out-and-back on the Murray Ave. bike trail. Wore capri tights and a thin long-sleeved shirt---the one from the Thanksgiving Day race a few years ago that has my name across the back. Was a little warm on the way out so rolled up the sleeves. Did put on sunscreen. Nice breeze on the way back so the sleeves were back down.
My time was a very slow 48:15. Felt pretty good at first and didn’t even have foot pain when I started, and was all congratulatory to myself about how my new strategy of wearing old running shoes to walk the dogs instead of my stiff trail shoes seemed to be paying off. But then after about a half mile the pain started and continued pretty much until about 2.5 miles in. Very sad.
A nice afternoon for a run though. Passed a young mother with a baby in a stroller, a balloon, and a pretty little toddler girl. Passed a young women with two German Shepherds pulling her around---gave her a wide berth! Thought about giving her instruction in how to properly hold the leashes when walking two big dogs. But kept my mouth shut.
Anyway, I was once again out in the mid-afternoon, but this time by myself because I deemed it a bit too warm for Ed. Did the 4.25 mile loop that includes an out-and-back on the Murray Ave. bike trail. Wore capri tights and a thin long-sleeved shirt---the one from the Thanksgiving Day race a few years ago that has my name across the back. Was a little warm on the way out so rolled up the sleeves. Did put on sunscreen. Nice breeze on the way back so the sleeves were back down.
My time was a very slow 48:15. Felt pretty good at first and didn’t even have foot pain when I started, and was all congratulatory to myself about how my new strategy of wearing old running shoes to walk the dogs instead of my stiff trail shoes seemed to be paying off. But then after about a half mile the pain started and continued pretty much until about 2.5 miles in. Very sad.
A nice afternoon for a run though. Passed a young mother with a baby in a stroller, a balloon, and a pretty little toddler girl. Passed a young women with two German Shepherds pulling her around---gave her a wide berth! Thought about giving her instruction in how to properly hold the leashes when walking two big dogs. But kept my mouth shut.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
3 miles with Eddy
So here is the new thing I am going to do to make myself blog. I am going to write about my run each day. Today’s run was just a little three miler around Ault Park with Eddy.
Time: A little after 3 pm.
Place: As I just said, Ault Park.
Distance: About 3 miles, maybe a little over.
Company: Eddy
Weather: Sunny, high 50s. Kinda nice. Not too warm for Mr. Ed.
Attire: Long gray tights, long sleeved-technical tee shirt from Dayton half-marathon (2002?), light blue hat from Lady Distance Classic.
Time: 32:32 (pretty good on this hilly course)
Ordinarily I start this one by running up the street from my house to the stairs. But my neighbor had just gotten home and was walking her Boxers up the street. I didn’t want to run by them with Eddy because it would just be too awkward. So instead we started out by going up the trail into the park. I suppose Eddy thought we were going trail running for a change and I considered it but I was not wearing my trail shoes, and you never know whom you are going to run into on the trail (i.e., could be other dogs who don't get on with Eddy).
So after we got to the top of the hill we just proceded on our normal route around the park. Eddy seems to understand the difference between our running route through the park and our walking route. Without he me telling him, he made the turn to go around the pavillion counterclockwise. When we walk, I always go clockwise. In fact, we did that walk just this morning.
We did encounter a few dogs out walking with their owners, and he did give them the stare, which of course generally made the other dogs jump around and bark at us while he just kept trotting along beside me. He is so full of himself.
Anyway, it was a nice little run and I didn't even have any major foot pain for a change. To make up for not running the little piece up the street, we kept going down the stairs and back down the street to the house.
Time: A little after 3 pm.
Place: As I just said, Ault Park.
Distance: About 3 miles, maybe a little over.
Company: Eddy
Weather: Sunny, high 50s. Kinda nice. Not too warm for Mr. Ed.
Attire: Long gray tights, long sleeved-technical tee shirt from Dayton half-marathon (2002?), light blue hat from Lady Distance Classic.
Time: 32:32 (pretty good on this hilly course)
Ordinarily I start this one by running up the street from my house to the stairs. But my neighbor had just gotten home and was walking her Boxers up the street. I didn’t want to run by them with Eddy because it would just be too awkward. So instead we started out by going up the trail into the park. I suppose Eddy thought we were going trail running for a change and I considered it but I was not wearing my trail shoes, and you never know whom you are going to run into on the trail (i.e., could be other dogs who don't get on with Eddy).
So after we got to the top of the hill we just proceded on our normal route around the park. Eddy seems to understand the difference between our running route through the park and our walking route. Without he me telling him, he made the turn to go around the pavillion counterclockwise. When we walk, I always go clockwise. In fact, we did that walk just this morning.
We did encounter a few dogs out walking with their owners, and he did give them the stare, which of course generally made the other dogs jump around and bark at us while he just kept trotting along beside me. He is so full of himself.
Anyway, it was a nice little run and I didn't even have any major foot pain for a change. To make up for not running the little piece up the street, we kept going down the stairs and back down the street to the house.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Trail Run with Tommy
We did Tommy's 3 mile loop of the trails by our house today. Although I am quite slow and a bit sore from yesterday, we were two minutes faster than the last time I ran it with him---which was all the way back in September, but I'll take it.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Carrot Run
Actually had time to get a long run in this weekend instead of attending a dog show. Planned to run with my daughter. She needed to do 12 and I needed more like 15 but decided 12 with company would be good enough. Anyway, earlier this week I realized there was a 10k race scheduled on a bike trail not far from our home, and I suggested maybe we could do the race and then hang around and do another lap of the bike trail as a cool down. Combined with a warmup mile, that would give us about 12.
Susan agreed so we signed up for the race. The event is put on by a group called the Nutrition Council. This is their web site: http://www.nutritioncouncil.org/ . They promised that there would be a lot of good and healthy snacks post race, and about that more later.
The bike trail where the race was held goes around a municipal airport, public golf course and park. It's mostly flat, and a fairly boring place to run. Nonetheless, I have done a number of significant long runs there over the years, including some memorable 3-4 mile loops of the trail. But that was back in the day, as they say. Nowadays, I don't go there with the intention of doing more than one loop because I just can never seem to make myself get back out the second time.
So I knew this was going to be tough for us but figured with company it would be easier.
We did a one mile warm up prior to the race. Susan had never done that before a race, so she was skeptical, but I think she would admit now that it was a good idea. As for the race, we decided not to run together, but instead that I would run back towards her after I finished and then we would head right back out on our second loop.
So while I was saying when we signed up that I wasn't going to "race" the race, I had pretty much decided that racing was the only way to go. My goal was about 54 minutes, which according to all those little predictor tables translates into a 4:04 marathon---I need a 4:05 to BQ. So, about 8:45 pace.
But, my left knee has been acting up, and my right foot is not great. Plus it was unseasonably warm, all of a sudden. I mean, it went from about 11 degrees the other morning to over 70 this afternoon. And there was the subtle mental pressure of knowing that I was going to have to run another five mile loop after I finished the race.
So I wasn't going to run hard right from the gun, and blow the doors off in the first couple of miles. I was definitely going to run harder than I do on a training run, but nothing crazy.
They had a big crowd for this race and the bike trail is pretty narrow, so there was a lot of congestion at the start. I lined up with the pace team leaders for the 9:00 team. I could stay with them but it wasn't as easy as I might have hoped. First mile was 9:13, plus another 10 seconds to cross the start line. I was wearing my old water bottle carrier/fanny pack, and I've never worn it in a race before, and it felt a little snug. Second mile included the short, steep uphill. Time was 9:10, and I was beginning to wonder where the water stops were, and was glad to be wearing my fanny pack after all. It was getting warm and I realized I was overdressed in my capri tights. And though it was flat, there was a fair amount of wind.
Third mile was 9:04, and shortly thereafter I came upon the first aid station. Had some water along with a GU, since this was now mile 4 of my 12 miler, and I needed to fuel up.
Mile 4 was 9:23, and I'm not quite sure what happened except I guess I zoned out a bit. Mile 5 was 8:55, and just as I was thinking that this was a very sucky race with only one aid station, I found they did have a second one. I started to increase my pace and see if I could pass a few people. Mile 6 was 8:29. I did pass 5 or 6 people in the last mile and then another two in the chute before the finish line as they slowed down. Last .2 was 1:41, for a final time of 56:05.
So, not what I had hoped and not as easy as I had hoped, but not too awful. The plan was that I would try to grab some food and stash it in the car before running back to meet Susan, but I just could not deal with the thought of food at that point, so I immediately turned around and started my slow and painful jog backtracking the last mile of the course. This was a lot harder than I anticipated, but I was afraid that if I stopped I would completely stiffen up.
Finally found Susan, probably over a half mile back at that point, and could just barely keep up with her trudge to the finish. She finished in a little under 1:14. We took a quick look around for the promised "delicious" soup and bagels and other food items. All we really found were styrofoam cups of water and some sad bananas. Once again, a race fails to deliver good eats at the finish line.
So we stopped by the car so I could refill my water bottle. Susan doesn't carry water and she is really going to need to work that out before her marathon. Plus she needs to figure out the GU thing, or if it is going to be Gatorade for her or Gummy Bears or what. Anyway, I got more water. I also needed to change shoes. I had been wearing my Adrenaline 7s that have pretty much lost all their cushioning, and so I switched to my new NB 763s.
We had a hard time getting going but soon settled into a steady plod. For me, it was quite a dramatic difference from my earlier race pace, but for Susan it was not as much of a drop off. But since she hadn't pushed herself in the race, she was feeling surprisingly good and there was much less complaining than usual. So, while it took forever, it was overall a pleasant mother-daughter time.
Now just waiting to get the race results to see where I placed, and trying to console myself about not getting the 54 minute time and the reasons why. A BQ is not looking good for me at the moment, however.
Susan agreed so we signed up for the race. The event is put on by a group called the Nutrition Council. This is their web site: http://www.nutritioncouncil.org/ . They promised that there would be a lot of good and healthy snacks post race, and about that more later.
The bike trail where the race was held goes around a municipal airport, public golf course and park. It's mostly flat, and a fairly boring place to run. Nonetheless, I have done a number of significant long runs there over the years, including some memorable 3-4 mile loops of the trail. But that was back in the day, as they say. Nowadays, I don't go there with the intention of doing more than one loop because I just can never seem to make myself get back out the second time.
So I knew this was going to be tough for us but figured with company it would be easier.
We did a one mile warm up prior to the race. Susan had never done that before a race, so she was skeptical, but I think she would admit now that it was a good idea. As for the race, we decided not to run together, but instead that I would run back towards her after I finished and then we would head right back out on our second loop.
So while I was saying when we signed up that I wasn't going to "race" the race, I had pretty much decided that racing was the only way to go. My goal was about 54 minutes, which according to all those little predictor tables translates into a 4:04 marathon---I need a 4:05 to BQ. So, about 8:45 pace.
But, my left knee has been acting up, and my right foot is not great. Plus it was unseasonably warm, all of a sudden. I mean, it went from about 11 degrees the other morning to over 70 this afternoon. And there was the subtle mental pressure of knowing that I was going to have to run another five mile loop after I finished the race.
So I wasn't going to run hard right from the gun, and blow the doors off in the first couple of miles. I was definitely going to run harder than I do on a training run, but nothing crazy.
They had a big crowd for this race and the bike trail is pretty narrow, so there was a lot of congestion at the start. I lined up with the pace team leaders for the 9:00 team. I could stay with them but it wasn't as easy as I might have hoped. First mile was 9:13, plus another 10 seconds to cross the start line. I was wearing my old water bottle carrier/fanny pack, and I've never worn it in a race before, and it felt a little snug. Second mile included the short, steep uphill. Time was 9:10, and I was beginning to wonder where the water stops were, and was glad to be wearing my fanny pack after all. It was getting warm and I realized I was overdressed in my capri tights. And though it was flat, there was a fair amount of wind.
Third mile was 9:04, and shortly thereafter I came upon the first aid station. Had some water along with a GU, since this was now mile 4 of my 12 miler, and I needed to fuel up.
Mile 4 was 9:23, and I'm not quite sure what happened except I guess I zoned out a bit. Mile 5 was 8:55, and just as I was thinking that this was a very sucky race with only one aid station, I found they did have a second one. I started to increase my pace and see if I could pass a few people. Mile 6 was 8:29. I did pass 5 or 6 people in the last mile and then another two in the chute before the finish line as they slowed down. Last .2 was 1:41, for a final time of 56:05.
So, not what I had hoped and not as easy as I had hoped, but not too awful. The plan was that I would try to grab some food and stash it in the car before running back to meet Susan, but I just could not deal with the thought of food at that point, so I immediately turned around and started my slow and painful jog backtracking the last mile of the course. This was a lot harder than I anticipated, but I was afraid that if I stopped I would completely stiffen up.
Finally found Susan, probably over a half mile back at that point, and could just barely keep up with her trudge to the finish. She finished in a little under 1:14. We took a quick look around for the promised "delicious" soup and bagels and other food items. All we really found were styrofoam cups of water and some sad bananas. Once again, a race fails to deliver good eats at the finish line.
So we stopped by the car so I could refill my water bottle. Susan doesn't carry water and she is really going to need to work that out before her marathon. Plus she needs to figure out the GU thing, or if it is going to be Gatorade for her or Gummy Bears or what. Anyway, I got more water. I also needed to change shoes. I had been wearing my Adrenaline 7s that have pretty much lost all their cushioning, and so I switched to my new NB 763s.
We had a hard time getting going but soon settled into a steady plod. For me, it was quite a dramatic difference from my earlier race pace, but for Susan it was not as much of a drop off. But since she hadn't pushed herself in the race, she was feeling surprisingly good and there was much less complaining than usual. So, while it took forever, it was overall a pleasant mother-daughter time.
Now just waiting to get the race results to see where I placed, and trying to console myself about not getting the 54 minute time and the reasons why. A BQ is not looking good for me at the moment, however.
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