Running Commentary

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October 31, 2004

Too hot

I was joking with Matt last night that I was going to be too hot running today since it was so mild out, but when I went outside this morning, I couldn't believe how warm it really was! I knew today was the Marine Corps Marathon, though, and that it had to be even hotter in Washington, so I tried not to feel too bad for myself.

Even so--maybe because of the heat and maybe because of some other unknown factor, I had a pretty bad run. It wasn't even so much my knee, it was more my butt and upper hamstring area, which hadn't been bothering me lately. I felt like it was all tight and restricting my stride and even stretching a few times didn't do much. I foam rolled when I came back and will try to be discliplined tonight to do it again before I go to bed.

I was very thankful for the extra hour of sleep we all got last night. We went to an MIT Halloween party and I had invited the people from my class, too, so it was like a big mixer. It was a lot of fun, actually. I went looking for a costume but didn't find anything in time, so I just pinned on a race number and put a medal around my neck and became...a marathon runner. It was a real stretch, I know. But at least it was comfortable! I met one guy from the Ukraine who told me that he used to be a gymnast and would have worn his old uniform too if he had thought of it! It was cute.

Tonight I got in a little ellipticalling and a quality lifting session, and now we're heading to dinner with some of Matt's "teammates" from business school. I don't love going out on Sunday nights, but I'll make the sacrifice if I don't have to cook!

Posted by becky at 6:40 PM | Comments (1)

October 30, 2004

Wet but "warm"

Note to self: even when the forecast calls for temperatures to be in the mid-60s, it is still chilly in the morning, especially when it's drizzling. My core wasn't so cold, it was just my hands that were cold and clammy. I was trying to retie my shoes at some point and my hands were too stiff to do it! Aside from those problems, I felt pretty good today. My knee was aching a bit until about a half hour into the run, and then it stopped bothering me--weird. I explored a little bit today because I'm getting tired of the same old routes and found some nice back streets and didn't even get lost. I do have a good sense of direction most of the time. Everywhere I went, especially when I was near the T stations, there were tons of people heading downtown for the Red Sox victory parade. I can't say I feel very badly that they are getting rained on...

I have a lot of schoolwork and errands to do this afternoon, but I'd like to lift either today or tomorrow. I am also still looking for a Halloween costume, but I just don't feel very motivated to go looking for one. My cop-out costume is always "marathon runner." I wore a bunch of medals around my neck and running shorts last year for our work Halloween party, and people seemed to like it. Hey, at least it's comfortable...

Posted by becky at 1:28 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2004

One planned run and two coincidental meetings

I met Alison this morning for a run in Franklin Park before the Big East races started. We talked almost the whole time and now I know where the 5K, 6K and 8K courses go. The park is pretty big, but neither one of us are too familiar with anything but the cross-country course, so we just did a few loops and watched the teams warm up. We ran for a little less than an hour at a pretty easy pace; it was nice. My knee was on the achy side today, though, despite the Advil I took before leaving my apartment.

When I was changing into dry clothes after the run, a car pulled up next to mine and someone inside was wildly waving. It turned out to be a friend from Washington, although she's originally from Somerville, not far from where we live now. She ran at Notre Dame and was in town for the Red Sox parade tomorrow so she and her dad were watching the meet. I'm so glad I ran into her because I had actually lost her email address! We watched the races together so that was fun.

The men's race was exciting since it really came down to the final kick. Bobby Curtis looked really happy to win, so that was nice. And the Notre Dame men eked out a win by one point because they have a great four-person pack. If their fifth man was just a little closer, they would be even more impressive. As for the women's race, I just couldn't believe how big of a lead Kim Smith had, even at the mile mark (probably before, but I didn't see it.) She went through in 4:50 and never let up much. She looked steady and strong the entire time--wow. The next two Providence runners closed well and I think that their team will give Stanford at least a little competition at NCAAs next month. Too bad that's not a local meet!

Other meet observations...Molly Huddle looked like she was about to pass Mary Cullen for second at around the 5K mark, but she seemed to hit a wall of sorts when they went up Bear Cage hill the final time and looked to be hurting coming down the stretch (in fourth, I think.)...Villanova's top runner has a really weird running form. Definitely not one that Dr. Brady would approve of (so it made me feel better!)...One final note: no matter what all the pictures show, all of these top D1 runners are super-skinny. I'm sure glad I don't have to hang around them often, or I would get a complex!

After the Big East, I went to the gym to shower and do some abs and then went in search of a Halloween costume in some consignment shops. Unfortunately I didn't have much luck, but I did run into someone from my high school who I hadn't seen in about ten years. I had no idea she was in Boston, but she has been for several years and is now studying documentary filmmaking--so cool. We talked for about an hour and exchanged info so that we can get together sometime. She just started running, too, so I'll try to be a good influence.

Tonight we're heading to the North End section of the city for some yummy Italian food. I've been there once as a tourist but not since moving here, so I'm looking forward to it. Now back to the costume hunt...

Posted by becky at 5:56 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2004

Long (short) week

This quarter (basically the next eight weeks or so), I managed to schedule myself Fridays off. I'm excited mostly because I can sleep a little later after four early days in a row! And I will have time to get more schoolwork and errands done, of course :) Even though it's almost my "weekend", this week has felt really long and I'm not sure why. At least the World Series is finally OVER. (There is a victory parade near Fenway on Saturday morning and I am SO glad that we don't live very close by. It's going to be nuts.)

My run this morning was better than average. (Or average lately.) I did a lot of foam rolling on my quad and upper knee area last night--it requires me to get into contortionist-like positions, an added bonus for my audience--and it did feel a little looser this morning. It was a beautiful day and it was light enough out by time I got to Fresh Pond that I could get off the road for 3/4 of a mile or so.

Tonight I ellipticalled a bit and lifted. I was sitting on a bench doing some arm stuff and this girl looked at me and said, "You're jacked!" very admiringly. It was a nice compliment, especially since I had just come from my nutrition class where I found myself to be borderline obese using many of the traditional "optimal body weight" measures. I'm chalking it up to my extra muscle mass, or else I'll get freaked out.

Tomorrow I am planning to meet Alison for a run in Franklin Park and then watch the Big East meet. I am really excited to see Kim Smith, Molly Huddle and lots of other studs in person! (It doesn't take much for me to get excited.) And as for the running part, I am a little nervous since I still feel out of shape (especially compared to Alison) but hopefully some Advil and a good attitude will do the trick!

Posted by becky at 7:26 PM | Comments (3)

October 27, 2004

Let there be light!

I tried out the new headlamp this morning, and I'm definitely glad I got it. It really doesn't bounce much and gives off a lot of light, but you have to make sure your head is pointing in the direction you want to illumninate. This seems like it would be obvious, but I had some issues with that. There's one part of this loop I did that is extremely dark, and I did feel better with the light (although still paranoid that someone was going to jump out of the bushes at me.)

On the downside, my knee was annoying me today. I think I haven't been keeping up with my exercises, foam rolling, etc. so I'll go back to that. I was also VERY sore from the lunges I did (and I didn't do all that many, so that is a clue that I do need to work on that area) and it might have affected my stride today. I am planning to swim tonight after I'm done with classes so that should loosen me up a little.

This afternoon, a friend of mine from Cornell (also a runner, of course) is coming to visit my school and come to a class with me. It should be fun! I have about an hour until she gets here to meet me for lunch and I'm seriously contemplating a nap here in the library...I've been known to nap in much stranger places, but shockingly I'm not that sleepy right now. (I went to bed on the early side again last night; I think this is a clue that it's working well for me.) But maybe if I just closed my eyes for a little while...

Posted by becky at 11:43 AM | Comments (3)

October 26, 2004

A better day by all accounts

I did end up going to sleep earlier than usual today and it did seem to make a difference (except during one class, but I think it's the subject matter.) I didn't have to run quite as early and although it was still dark when I woke up, I knew it wouldn't be for long, and even less so next week after we change the clocks. Running at 6:30 am feels natural to me, because I did it for so many years with my morning running partners in Washington. (Who I miss a lot these days.)

It was nice out this morning, I wore my gloves the whole time but no other cold-weather layers necessary. Perfect for me! My knee did feel better today, although it bothered me somewhat near the end but I massaged the area right above it for a few seconds and that seemed to help. I did one of my new staple loops through Somerville, around Tufts and back along Mass Ave, which (note to self) is quite crowded at 7:15 am.

I decided not to do tonight's workout because this is the last one they are doing outside for the season, then they are taking a break and moving indoors in about three weeks. I will try to do some pick-ups and tempo-like stuff between now and then and aim for mid-November for my return to the track with other people. (I haven't run indoor in years but--oddly considering my aversion to hot places--I loved it in college.) If you had asked me in June how long it would be before I would be on the track again, trust me, my answer would not have been five months--not after missing about three weekly track workouts in about four years.

I took a walk over to REI today and bought the recommended headlamp. I am easily bothered by things when I'm running so I hope I don't mind it! I'll try it out tomorrow.

This afternoon, I did the elliptical for a bit, then lifted and then did some lunges and plyometric-type stuff, which I haven't done in awhile but I know are good for me. I even did some step-ups, a Leilani special, and now I'm all jelly-legged. It kind of feels good though!

Hmm, the apartment is vibrating. I'm going to see what's going on. If the Red Sox game wasn't in St. Louis tonight, I'd blame the fans!

Posted by becky at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2004

I want to glow in the dark

I forgot to mention that I'm seeking recommendations for a comfortable reflective running vest. Mine is definitely reflective, but it flops around and drives me nuts because it only can be adjusted on the sides. Any suggestions?

Posted by becky at 9:50 PM | Comments (2)

Short run, long day

Even though I went to bed on the early side last night, I did not want to get up this morning and it was pitch dark as usual. (Haven't gotten around to picking up that head lamp yet...) When I did finally drag my butt out the door, my knee was achy, which I should have expected after two decent hour-long runs in a row. It was also kind of humid (in a way that only I would experience) so I was regretting bringing my long-sleeve and having to tie it around my waist. The whole run was just kind of annoying, so I only did about 5 miles and was kind of in a bad mood when I finished. Oh, well--you have to have to bad days to make the good ones seem that much better, right?

I had two two-hour classes in a row this morning, and unless we were having a discussion, I was falling asleep in both. I'll say it once, I'll say it again: I need to get more than 5 hours of sleep--it's very hard for me especially since Matt tends to stay up at least until midnight.

I had a little time in between classes this afternoon, so I hopped on the bus back to Cambridge and had just enough time to get a swim in. It's kind of a pain to go back and forth, but I may do it some weeks this quarter because my schedule has a lot of down time in the middle of the day.

Tomorrow I may attempt to do part of a workout with one of the clubs around here. I've been putting it off because I'm scared. I think I'll go for a little run in the morning and see how my knee is doing, then decide.

Posted by becky at 7:39 PM | Comments (1)

October 24, 2004

Across town for cross country

While I wish I could have been running the Army Ten Miler with Leilani and Jessie, I did have a great run today with a new friend. I drove out to Jamaica Plain this morning, an area of Boston that is pretty close to my school but very foreign to me. A friend from DC Road Runners hooked me up with her friend Sarah (who also once worked with Alison!) who now lives and runs in JP, so we ran from her apartment. She and her fiance (also a runner, more on that later) live about a half mile from three awesome running locales: Jamaica Pond, Franklin Park and the Arboretum. I had heard about all three but not been to any of the three.

I was nervous about running with someone again, but looking forward to the company at the same time. The pace was a little fast to start, but as usual, I settled into it after a few minutes. Sarah was shocked that I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but you loyal blog readers know me. It was only in the 50s, I think! She said she's been wearing tights lately...and she's a MA native! Wow. Anyway, she took me on a loop that included Jamaica Pond (gorgeous) and the Arboretum (hilly, but lots of grass and trails to run on.) We talked the whole time and of course the run went by more quickly than when I'm by myself. I think the pace was probably close to my "old" pace, but faster than I've been running, judging from the way my legs felt when we were done (we ran about an hour.)

My butt felt good today, just a little tightness with my first steps. and my knee wasn't bad, just sort of a little ache about halfway into the run. I had a great time just seeing a new part of Boston that unfortunately I can't run in every day.

After the run, Sarah and I showered and went over to Franklin Park to watch her fiance run in the men's elite race at the Mayor's Cup cross country race. First we got to see the women's race, which didn't have as many big names as last year but was still exciting for me, since I'm such a fan of all these ladies. Atalech Ketema, a Westchester Track Club athlete, won by a landslide, and there were lots of familiar faces in there. I finally got to meet Zika Palmer, the director of ZAP Fitness who I interviewed last year for fast-women.com. She did pretty well in the race considering it was her first since high school (I think she was in the top 10.) The winner of the men's race, Mark Carroll, had as big of a lead by the end as the women's winner, but it was fun to cheer everyone on. I also ran into someone from Cornell who was a sprinter in college but has now started training seriously for the 800. As you can tell, I had a great time!

I biked and lifted after the meet since the gym was on my way home, and now I have to make a dish for a potluck we're going to tonight. I hope it goes over well since I'm not the world's best cook.

P.S. Do you know how hard it is to avoid watching the Red Sox game around here??? We do.

Posted by becky at 4:04 PM | Comments (4)

October 23, 2004

Fall foliage and crew fans

My pain in the butt flared up again as soon as I started running today, but I stopped to stretch it a few times and it did get better. Stopping for lights is the worst, so I tried to keep jogging in place even when I had to "stop." Everywhere I went today seemed really crowded, especially Harvard Square, so I quickly made my way out of there and did my Fresh Pond loop partly since a lot of the trail is dirt and partly because the leaves are so pretty there right now. There is an overlook there that is so breathtaking--I can't wait to see it in the snow.

I decided to loop back via the river, because Head of the Charles is going on this weekend and I have never been. Although I was disappointed to see how commercial it was (food and clothing vendors in tents along the river, etc.), it was really neat to see all those boats out there at once. It is pretty windy and chilly here today, so I felt kind of bad for all the athletes. Although I don't know what "ideal" rowing weather is--but I bet it involves the sun.

I wanted to lift today but we are going to meet my friend from college up near Salem, MA for an early dinner and it takes awhile to get out there. Hopefully I'll get a chance to hit the gym tomorrow after watching the Mayor's Cup. I'm running before that with a friend of a friend I haven't met yet but I've only heard great things about her! She lives in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston which apparently has lots of great trails. I can't wait to run with someone again... hopefully my nemeses, my knee and my butt, will behave.

Posted by becky at 3:54 PM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2004

Dreary Friday

It was really nice to sleep a little later this morning. I hung around here for a little while, then biked to the gym for a 45 minute swim followed by a half hour or so of pool running. Once I got into a rhthym, the swim felt better--definitely a good workout. The pool running was more like a recovery after that. I tried to do some laps faster than others--having one of the girls on the swim team doing a workout next to me helped motivate me.

My butt pain is marginally better, but still annoying me on and off. It is worst when I get up from sitting.

Today I'm just getting stuff done and then tonight we are going to my grandparents' for dinner with our Israeli cousins who are visiting. I was thinking about running in the Mayor's Cup 5K XC race on Sunday, but with my butt being weird I don't want to jeopardize the knee progress that I've made. So I'm going to meet a friend to watch it instead. I'll add this to the "next year's must-do races" list.

Happy weekend and good luck if you are racing!

Posted by becky at 3:22 PM | Comments (3)

October 21, 2004

Nothing like a fire alarm to get you out the door...

About five minutes after I had gotten out of bed this morning, I started hearing this weird noise. It didn't really sound like an alarm, but when I opened the door to see if anyone was out there, I could tell it was the fire alarm. (The strobe lights were a good hint.) I wasn't really ready to leave for my run yet, but I put on my clothes, gulped down some water and tried to get Matt up (it was 5:30 am.) I dodn't want to take the chance that I'd get stuck outside and not be able to run! When I opened the door to leave (Matt came too), I saw that the fire was actually in the apartment across the hall--it was all smoky and the firemen were in there checking it out. I asked if everything was okay and they said it was just a piece of food in the oven and we didn't have to go outside.

So Matt went back to bed and I got in the elevator with the firemen. One of them looked at me and said in a teasing voice, "Going for a run?" And I proudly said "Yup!" I told them that the fire alarm was a lot more motivating than the clock radio--they liked that. Of course, the whole ride down in the elevator I was thinking how they were probably huge Red Sox fans and all excited about the outcome of the game that we actually had to turn off out of embarassment...

It was chilly this morning, I actually wore my long-sleeve shirt the whole time, wow! Great running weather. I felt a little less tired than yesterday, and my hamstring/butt didn't bother me much during the run (afterwards was a different story.) Knee was okay, too. A little achy but still pretty damn good. I ran about 52 minutes or so and came back to a much calmer scene around my apartment building!

As I mentioned, my butt was killing me about an hour after the run. I was trying to walk quickly to the bus stop and I felt like my stride was restricted. I took some Advil when I got to school because sitting is the worst and I had a test to take first thing. It helped, and then felt better all day and fine on the elliptical tonight, but now it hurts again. I'm due for a cross-training day anyway so I think I'll swim tomorrow. It'll be boring, but it is always a good workout. Plus I have the day off from school so I can sleep in--I can't wait.

Posted by becky at 9:49 PM | Comments (1)

October 20, 2004

Damn Yankees

We'll see what happens tonight, but I was not pleased when I watched the game for an hour and a half instead of studying for my exam! I have another test tomorrow so I must get cracking on that. Especially since I know I'll be turning on the TV at some point!

As for my run today, it was a good one. It was very chilly and windy and I regretted not bringing a long-sleeve, but it was warmer when the sun was out. I thought about doing a track workout today, but I do much better with other people so I am going to try out some of the clubs around here in the coming weeks. I did some surges in today's run instead, which made me tired but didn't seem to bother my knee too much. My real speedwork was actually when I saw my bus pulling up to the stop and I started sprinting to get it. I made it, but I tweaked a muscle in my upper hamstring, very close to my butt. I hope the foam roller helps, because it's pretty sore right now. I thought swimming tonight would loosen it up, but it didn't seem to help much.

Time to hit the books!

Posted by becky at 8:30 PM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2004

Rainy run

I think it's finally stopped, but it was raining last night (I heard it in the middle of the night) and pretty much all day today. Even though I do like running in the rain, I was not exactly psyched to get out the door at 5:30 am today. (I stayed up too late AGAIN watching the Yankee game and just putzing around doing other non-critical stuff.) It was chilly out there and so DARK. I wore my reflective vest but I think I will make a visit to REI to order the headlight that Mary recommended. I haven't had to run before 6:30 am in a few years, and I don't mind the dark so much, but it's a little spooky and I twisted my ankle a little today. And this was just rain, not ice!

My knee felt pretty good today, about the same as it has the past few days. I think I was running a little gingerly after the aforementioned ankle twisting--between that and the elbow, I'm a walking catastrophe! Generally I try to avoid the sidewalks and run on the roads, but when it's dark and drivers are sleepy I'm too scared. And the sidewalks here are perfect traps for Calamity Janes like me. I'm sure they are very historically accurate and all that, but who needs red brick sidewalks anymore? It makes me miss Cornell, when we just were able to run on the shoulders of state highways! (Practically.)

Tonight I ellipticalled and lifted a bit and now I'm about to cram seven weeks of material into my brain for an exam tomorrow afternoon. Matt has gone off with some of his business school friends to Foxwoods for the night, so I have no distractions except myself. Oh yeah, and the Yankees.

Posted by becky at 7:18 PM | Comments (1)

October 18, 2004

Mind those elbows

These things seem to only happen to me.

This morning, I got up reasonably early (I have a late class today) despite staying up way too late watching the end of the Yankee game, and ran to the gym (about 3 miles) to bike a little and do some light lifting. All was going well, but when I left to run home I started feeling really low blood sugar-y. I did have Gatorade when I got to the gym, so I'm not sure why, but it happens sometimes. So I just took the shortest route back and was almost home when I turned down a narrow street (to add on a few minutes, feeling a little better at that point) and BAM! smashed my elbow on some part of a parked truck. It KILLED! I was doubled over in pain but I didn't want the workmen (whose truck I banged into) to see me, so I tried to start running again. No go--it was already swelling up and I just had to walk slowly and hold it still.

I was really close to my apartment at that point, so I finally started shuffling and ran upstairs to ice it. It still hurts a lot and I have a big bump. I think it was a sign that I need to concentrate on school this week and make sure my obsessive working out tendencies don't get in the way. This week is crazy for me and I just have to trust that doing a little less right now won't hurt me too much (it can't hurt more than the elbow!) So back to work I go.

Posted by becky at 11:57 AM | Comments (2)

October 17, 2004

Running, writing and reading

Well, the sushi last night was disappointing. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary either. We will continue our hunt for the perfect Tono Sushi replacement (our D.C. neighborhood joint.) We ended up walking to the restaurant and back, so it took awhile, and then I did a little work and gloated as the Yankees killed the Red Sox. I tried to go to bed on the early side so I could get out the door early today...but I still woke up (or stopped snoozing, I should say) later than I wanted to.

I didn't bring a long-sleeve with me on my run and was just wearing a tank top, and I was (amazingly) pretty chilly the whole way! I was sweating a lot as usual, but my hands were cold. Nothing like what Jessie described happens to her hands, but that does remind me that I should tell the story of my frostbitten toe last winter. I will remember to do that.

Anyway...my run was pretty boring, but I got a little lost and ended up out there a little longer than I wanted to be, mostly for time reasons. I felt decent, a few knee twinges but mostly okay. After about 45 minutes, though, I got really tired and lethargic all of a sudden. My legs were probably still recovering from the longish run yesterday since I hadn't done that in awhile. I know I have to be patient, but I feel so out of shape!

Tonight I swam and realized that I am very out of swimming shape now, too! When I wasn't running at all this summer, I was swimming 5x a week or so, and it really whipped me into swimming shape. Now it's a struggle to go 20 minutes. I think part of it was due to my tiredness from running, though--I had been swimming as my first (and often only) workout of the day, and now it's just a supplemental thing. I want to keep it up, though, so I don't completely lose it. Plus my gym has such an awesome pool that it's a pleasure to swim there. The synchronized swimming team (club?) was practicing tonight...what a riot! But I'm sure it's very challenging :)

Back to work...and to watch The Wire, our new favorite HBO show.

Posted by becky at 8:24 PM | Comments (2)

October 16, 2004

I'll take it

For the second day in a row, my knee felt pretty good! I don't like putting that in writing, knowing I'll probably jinx it, but I just did. I ran about an hour and twenty minutes and although I was dragging at the end, it was because my legs were tired and I'm out of shape, not because my knee was really hurting. It was a reminder that I have to build back my long runs slowly. Ideally, when I'm not training for a marathon I like to run between 1:30 and 2:15 once a week. It was easy in D.C. because my club sponsored a long run every Saturday.

When I started running today, I noticed that it was really windy and that there were leaves flying everywhere. Just as I had that thought, a leaf flew into my mouth! Gross! I spit it out right away but it was pretty disgusting. I guess it's better than a bug, we've all had that experience. There were also tons of dogs running all around the loop at Fresh Pond, and I just had to stay calm and trust that none of them were out to get me. My friend Camille is even more afraid of dogs than I am: she would hate this loop and have to hide behind me (though she's quite a bit taller!)

Today is quiet; we are doing work and I don't really have time to go lift or swim (I like to do it one weekend day, so I'll go tomorrow after I've accomplished more.) Tonight we plan to have some sushi! I can't wait--we had sushi almost once a week in D.C. but have only had it once here. Yum!

Posted by becky at 3:12 PM | Comments (2)

October 15, 2004

I just don't get it

Further complicating my knee/injury issue, I felt...pretty good today. As in, my knee behaved well and I didn't get my usual worsening after 20 minutes. Hmm. The whole time, I was sort of waiting for it to bother me more and it never happened. The only difference between yesterday and today was that yesterday I wore the patellar strap (and ended up taking it off because I thought it might help, but it felt the same) and today I didn't wear it. But I'm not going to jump to the conclusion that that was the reason--I'm taking it day by day and trust me, I'm happy with a good day but it is still perplexing that things can change so much in a day. We'll see what happens.

The rest of my day was pretty busy and I didn't get to the gym for any lifting or cross-training. My grandmother called and said she had lots of food for me to pick up at their house, so I headed over there. She is the best cook in the world, and having food in my freezer for next week (very busy and lots of tests) is worth missing a workout!

As always, happy Friday and good luck to all those racers!

Posted by becky at 6:51 PM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2004

More frustration

Why is it that my knee bothered me more today, after *not* running yesterday?? Ugh. It was really dark this morning and I was all excited about doing one of my (new) favorite routes and it pretty much hurt right out the door. Not any worse than it's been, but not any better, either. I actually began to feel better after about 30 minutes, making me think that maybe I had loosened something up.

I am going to give it a little more time, but I am considering cross-training for 5 days or so and seeing if there's any improvement. But, as Alison has mentioned recently, it takes so much more time and in my case, I think I tend to overdo whatever it is that I am doing and that might not be helping my knee anyway. I know that it doesn't hurt on the elliptical, though, and while pool running I only feel it occasionally.

I'm still trying to pinpoint whether this is IT band pain or what. It's on the outside middle of my knee most of the time and I do have tight IT bands, I think. Anyone know the markers for the "typical" running knee injuries? Knowing me, I probably have some weird combination, but it would help to know.

I intend to lift and do some ellipticalling tonight and then hopefully catch up on sleep--I can't keep my eyes open today.

Posted by becky at 12:55 PM | Comments (2)

October 13, 2004

Cross-training day

I realized that I had run more than 7 days in a row and figured I better take a day to cross-train. Like Jessie said about herself, I used to pride myself on running every day. I hope to get back to that point (or close to it, anyway) but I know now that it's important to take things slowly, especially since my knee is still bothering me.

I biked to the gym and ellipticalled for a little more than an hour (for you people who elliptical for 90 minutes plus, what is your average stride rate?) I was definitely working hard and my sweat level was getting pretty unbearable (i.e. I was slipping on the foot pads.) Gross, I know, but I'm used to it :) Tonight I did a swim/pool run combo. I swam in the only pool that was available (shallow) until the deeper one opened up, and it was disgustingly warm. Of course I was freezing when I got into the "big" pool, but it was worth it. I always feel like I'm swimming in a bath when it's that warm.

Well, I'm off to put my laundry in the dryer. The excitement never ends.

Posted by becky at 9:09 PM | Comments (3)

October 12, 2004

Not the best day

My run in the dark this morning was probably the best part of my day today. I kept wondering why it wasn't getting light out, and then I started feeling raindrops--that was why. It's hard to tell in the morning sometimes if it's cloudy or just dark :) Luckily the rain had just started when I was almost done.

My knee felt pretty good until the last 10 minutes or so of the run. Some of the knee issues I'm having are definitely patellar-related, but I also think my IT band is tight so I will do a little foam rolling later on.

I had an awful test in the morning that I'm sure I didn't do well on--or even decently. Not that this is an excuse, but after I finally got off the train and back to my apartment last night, I dug into my purse for my keys and...no keys. Yes, I had left them in the apartment and Matt had not noticed when he left and locked the door on Sunday. It was already almost 10:30 and he wouldn't be back for another couple of hours. So I called the building manager and even though he didn't sound very thrilled about it, he came and opened the door for me. So it was a much more eventful pre-test night than I had hoped for!

The rest of the day wasn't bad, but I just felt kind of out of it since I hadn't gotten much sleep. I managed to go to the gym late this afternoon to elliptical and lift, but I wasn't feeling too into it. I have a later class tomorrow so I'm going to try and get some sleep tonight and hopefully that'll brighten my mood.

Posted by becky at 8:13 PM | Comments (1)

October 11, 2004

Stuck in New Haven

(Amazingly, I am picking up a wireless connection and able to post!)
I knew my last-minute decision to go to New York this weekend would come back to haunt me. I had it all planned out so I’d get back to Boston at a reasonable hour and be able to study a bit. All was going according to plan (except for the fact that I didn’t have a seat) until the train reached New Haven (about 40 minutes after I got on) and they announced that we were experiencing an “indefinite delay” due to an electrical fire in a tunnel about 5 miles ahead of us. Just what I wanted to hear.

I did some studying, but I really need to look something up in my textbook, but I did not bring it (of course.) And now I’m really antsy and mad that I will get home late and it will be even harder to get out the door to run at 5:30am. But, I know that this is just one of those situations that you can’t plan for and I need to just deal with it. Thankfully I have my iPod and two books. Everyone around me seems to be studying for something, so maybe I should join the party….

Posted by becky at 6:11 PM | Comments (0)

I want my hill legs back

Every time I run in my hometown, I am in for a hilly one. When I was at Cornell, running at home on breaks wasn't so bad because I was so used to (even bigger) hills. Even in D.C., my running partners and I did a lot of hilly runs. But now that I have to go out of my way to find hills AND I'm not quite back into shape yet, this morning's run at home was HARD! I've got to get over near Boston College and run some of those (in)famous hills.

Thankfully, my knee felt pretty good and the weather was great, cool and breezy but sunny. I know a lot of the mile markers from running here over the years and I was shocked to see that I was under 8 for the miles I checked...I certainly feel like I'm running 10 minute miles. Good to know, though.

If I didn't have a four-hour train ride later I'm sure I would be going to the gym to lift and do some cross-training. But I'll enjoy my long weekend and spend the time studying instead and get back on my usual schedule tomorrow.

I just saw that Christopher Reeve died. Not that I was a huge fan of his acting career or anything (in fact, I don't think I've ever seen Superman), but he really was committed to walking again and helping others in the same situation, too. Hopefully his wife will continue the great work they've been doing.

Posted by becky at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2004

A long but fun day

I was out running pretty early this morning for a weekend, before 7am, so I could make my train to New York (or Stamford, CT to be exact.) My knee felt decent, but my stomach was bothering me. It has been kind of unsettled for the last two days for no apparent reason; must have been something I ate. I just ran easy for about 40 minutes and by the end it was feeling a little better.

Matt dropped me off at the train station and then I was able to get some studying done on the train and catch up on some emails. I still have a lot to do, though, and I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those short weeks that feels long.

This afternoon I went for a quick bike ride with my parents, but I had to use my sister's bike since that was the only option! It's some sort of cruiser or something, and a nice bike but it felt weird since I'm now used to a racing/road bike. It was a pretty nice day though so it was good to get out for a couple of hours after sitting on the train. Tonight we went to NYC for a great dinner--I love eating out in New York.

While I was on the train, my friend L. called to tell me the great news that our other friend B. had broken 3 hours in her marathon! I was so psyched for her--she trains alone and is super-dedicated. (and talented.) B. called me on her way to the awards ceremony and sounded great. She went out a little fast, but obviously still had a kick in the end when she neared the finish line and saw how close to 3 hours she was! (I can't wait to see the pics.)

I haven't had much time today to peruse the results, so that's what I'm about to do...

Posted by becky at 9:14 PM | Comments (1)

October 9, 2004

Maybe the running goddesses have cursed me, too...

Yesterday I picked up a new patellar strap (worn under the kneecap to help with tendonitis pain) because I lost mine and the only one I had is too big. The new one is better since it has a little rubber pad to hold in at the right spot on the knee, too. And it could have been a placebo effect but I felt good today wearing it. It sort of felt like it was moving around, though, so I kept making it tighter. When I got home and took it off, the back of my knee was hurting! I'm pretty sure it's from having it too tight, but that area of my knee is what was injured in the first place, so I am super-paranoid about it. I am icing and I'll see how it feels tomorrow.

There was a race going on at Fresh Pond while I was there today--I think they have it every Saturday morning and it's pretty informal. I didn't see many women, but the lead guys were passing me one by one and they made me feel so slow. When I crossed the "finish line", I think the timers thought I was in the race, but since I kept going they probably got the idea.

Today I'm just studying and then we are going to dinner at a Cornell friend's house. I think a few people from my sorority who I haven't seen in years will be there, so that should be fun. I'm trying to fit in a swim or pool run before dinner, so back to the books!

Posted by becky at 3:27 PM | Comments (3)

October 8, 2004

Sports bra weather

Yup, fall has been overtaken by summer again for a few days. However, I wasn't as hot as I thought I would be while running--I think I was expecting a humid August day when in fact it was pretty beautiful out. Oddly, I felt strong while running although my knee hurt. It was a strange combination, but I'd rather feel somewhat good than not good at all--I'll take what I can get these days. I didn't run too far today and only did one workout as I am still trying to make myself take one day where I don't feel like a slave to my exercise routine.

Of course I'm sitting here feeling like I didn't do enough, but I'll get over it.

Lots of big races and marathons on tap this weekend! (And the Manhattan Invitational!) I am curious to see what happens in Chicago; I can't believe it was a year ago already that I was there. I think Jenny Spangler might just get her goal of breaking 2:30. And a very good friend of mine is running a smaller marathon this weekend so she'll be the one I'm keeping my eye on when I check constantly to see if results have been posted yet! I won't be watching the Tufts 10K because I decided to go home to NY Sunday-Monday for my mom's birthday, but I'm still excited to see what happens. Plus there's the Army 10-miler back in D.C.! So much to keep track of...

Good luck everyone and enjoy the long weekend! Think of me (and Audrey) studying biostatistics while you enjoy the weather outside :)

Posted by becky at 5:47 PM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2004

So much for the frost

Okay, it was admittedly a little chilly during my early am run, but my weather intuition warned me that it was going to be much warmer today than it had been the past two days. I'm glad I put a pair of shorts in my bag to put on after I was done lifting tonight! Yes, it was "nice" out today by normal-person standards, but I prefer the 50s to the 60s.

I had a so-so run today. In the middle of it, it was still pretty dark and I really thought I was lost. But I realized I had biked near the spot of confusion before and was able to point myself in the right direction. (Phew.) My knee was kind of achy but not quite as bad as yesterday. It always starts to bother me around the 17-minute mark of my runs...I like to take note of when I start feeling discomfort so that I can keep track of whether it's improving.

Tonight, I lifted both arms and what leg stuff I can do to improve my quad and hamstring strength, both of which are knee-related. I also tried to stretch pretty well before I left, which is something I've been neglecting now that I've been busier.

Now onto a new topic--did anyone see the transcript of the online chat with Sara Bei? I think it took place earlier this week. Anyway, I think I've read interviews with her before and noticed this, but she is very religious and focused on "following God's plan" for her, which right now includes running at a high level. She mentions in the chat that Alicia Craig is also religious and that the Stanford team has started a Bible Study group, I'm not at all religious so I was just wondering what people think of this link between faith and running performance. I'm just interested because it is pretty foreign for me.

I'm off to an Apprentice-watching party at a friend's house...I am so whipped by reality TV.

Posted by becky at 6:41 PM | Comments (3)

October 6, 2004

A visit to the track

Despite the fact that the weather was awesome and I had a lot of sleep, things just weren't clicking for me today. I ran pretty comfortably (knee-wise) up to the Tufts track. Then I did about 2 miles of a variation of what we used to call in college "in and out 200s." In college, it was a 200 at pretty close to all out and then a 200 at regular run pace to recover. (If I'm remembering correctly.) Today, it was more like a 200 at 5-10K pace and then a jog to recover. Like when I've done strides, my knee feels good when I do more faster stuff. I am so out of fast-running shape though, so it was pretty ugly :)

The 200s didn't take a lot out of me, but on the way home my knee was aching. It put me in a bad mood, because one day it can feel okay and the next day a lot worse. I did start taking glucosamine again; I figure it can't hurt. I used to like the ones made by Advil (I can't remember what they were called) but they were discontinued. The CVS ones are cheaper but are horse pills. I don't have access to a Costco or else I would go there.

While I was at the track today, two women were walking and chatting loudly in a language I didn't recognize in lanes 1 and 2. It's not like it was such a huge effort to go around them once or twice, but don't they see me go around them and back into lane 1 and think to themselves that maybe they should move?? I guess not.

I swam tonight for a bit and the MIT water polo team was getting ready to play a game against (I think) Harvard. During the warm-ups, they were blasting music so loud that I could hear it underwater--it was awesome! Actually, someone in school said that there are pools that DO play music underwater. I wonder if that's true, I would love it!

Posted by becky at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)

October 5, 2004

Frantic Five

Last night, setting my alarm, I had a weird feeling that I was going to oversleep in some way. Well, my alarm definitely went off (several times) but I must not have looked at the clock until 5:45, when I had wanted to be out the door 10 minutes earlier. I made the best of the time I had left, though, and was lucky that my geographic intuition about what would be about a 40-minute loop was correct!

I felt pretty good today. Of course my knee was bothering me for the second half of the run as usual, but I felt like I was able to move more quickly today, which is a good thing. I passed two people along the way and noticed that both were wearing about double the amount of clothes I was (my long-sleeve lasted 11 minutes today.) Later, when I was waiting for the bus, I saw someone in full tights, a jacket and a HAT! I shudder to think of how hot I would be in such an outfit on a fall day.

Although I feel guilty about running less than I wanted to (I had intended to do 55 minutes or so), I'm happy that at least what I did went well. (And I was actually early to the bus stop, making me think, 'I could have done 5 more minutes!' :) I'll probably go to the gym later for some ellipticalling and lifting, which will make me feel better in my sick and obsessed way.

I feel like there are all these big races here this weekend (BAA half and Tufts 10K) that I will probably watch, but would rather be a part of! Oh, well--there's always next fall.

Posted by becky at 11:07 AM | Comments (2)

October 4, 2004

Elliptical Excitement

OK, my title is a bit of a stretch, because I never find ellipticalling that exciting. In fact, I find that the time goes by really slowly when I'm cross-training. But since I ran the past six days in a row and I am technically still coming back from an injury, I decided to suck it up and go to the gym. Besides, I wanted to lift since I have to stay late at school tonight and can't do it later, so it worked out pretty well.

I was actually a bit chilly biking down to the gym this morning and even wore long sleeves, a good start to the day. I heard a rumor that we are supposed to have our first frost this week, whoo-hoo! I know I'm the only one who is looking forward to that, but I don't mind being in the minority. Basically, I have the opposite temperature sensitivity that Alison has.

Audrey, frequent eliterunning.com blog commenter and fellow grad student, just reminded me to write that I taught someone about blogging today. Another one of classmates had never heard of bloging, so I whipped out my computer to show her, and she was very impressed with our community. Yay for us!

Posted by becky at 3:02 PM | Comments (2)

October 3, 2004

Lazy Sunday

I slept a lot again last night and I felt like it made me groggy today. Hmm. Not like I have too many chances to sleep too much! Once I finally did drag my butt out of bed, it was a really nice day outside. I ran about 45 minutes and felt great for the first half (knee-wise) and decent for the rest. I deliberately incorporated a lot of hills into the run since I haven't done many lately. I'm just extra-careful on the downhills since they tend to bother my knee.

On my way back toward home, I ran by the finish line of a 5K. I knew it was going on, but I didn't want to pay $15 to jog a 5K; I'm not in racing shape right now, obviously. (Nice long-sleeve t-shirts, though--perhaps I should have entered!) When I checked the results later today, I was surprised to see that a friend of mine placed third. She recently married one of Matt's best friends, so I don't know her all that well, but I didn't realize she was a sub-20 minute 5Ker. She told me she runs a lot, but you never know what people mean by that. We'll have to hook up for some training runs!

So besides my run this morning, I did some work, enjoyed the sun coming in to the apartment, and did a quick swim/pool-run combination. After the pool, I had some errands to do and it seemed like everyone else in the world did, too. I had to make a special trip to Trader Joe's to get these veggie burgers I love--no other store around seems to carry them.

I noticed some really fast women's marathon times this weekend from Akron, Twin Cities and Emily Levan at Maine. Many under 2:40, which is encouraging. I've never been to Minneapolis but have heard great things about Twin Cities, and the weather tends to be on the cool side. I'll put that on my "to do" list...

Posted by becky at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)

October 2, 2004

Fun Saturday

Today's run feels like a long time ago, longer than it should! I slept for a good nine hours or so, which was very nice. I thought I would never be able to fall asleep because our neighbors were having yet another party outside, but who am I kidding? I never have trouble. They were loud though. And they are at it again tonight; I hear them despite our closed windows. Damn students.

So I ran to Fresh Pond and around it again, but this time came back a different way and didn't get lost! My knee kind of hurt on and off, but nothing major. The weather was very weird, sort of chilly but humid at the same time. The kind of weather where I'm sweaty but it makes me colder--not my favorite but I'd rather that than be sweaty and really hot!

This afternoon, I got my hair cut (rather significantly because it was getting way too long) and then met Alison, who was in town for a HS XC race today and her own race tomorrow, in Harvard Square. We went to check out a sidewalk sale at Marathon Sports, a really nice running store, and I thought I had found a pair of Brooks Ariels in 8.5 for $40 but then realized they were wides. I was excited there for a moment, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Then we went to dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, which was really good. I have Ethiopian infrequently but got to like it when we lived in DC since there are a lot of great ethnic restaurants there. Anyway, it was fun to see Alison since I hadn't in a really long time, and I think she'll have a great race tomorrow because she didn't seem at all nervous. I think that's the best way to be before a race!

We're staying in to do work and laundry tonight and I don't mind one bit. I also have a lot of emails to answer. Even though I only did one workout today I feel kind of tired from walking around a whole lot. Luckily I was wearing my Chacos so my feet didn't mind. Does anyone else have Chacos? I am a big fan. OK, time to be productive!

Posted by becky at 8:23 PM | Comments (1)

October 1, 2004

TGIF

Back in my days as a "real runner" (i.e. a non-injured one), I used to do an easy 5-mile loop on Fridays and make it a point to do no other running, lifting, cross-training, etc. the rest of the day. Usually I would get my nails done after work instead! Part of the reason I made it the easiest day of the week was because I would do my long runs on Saturdays, but it was nice (since I didn't take days off) to have some time to myself one afternoon a week. Since I've been running less and cross-training more, I feel guilty ever doing only one workout a day, so I've been treating Friday like any other day.

But I really want to get back into the mindset of giving myself a "break" one day a week--and this is more of a mental break than anything, almost like a "get out of compulsive exercising free" pass. Someday not too far off in the future, when I have kids, I'll most certainly have to be more flexible about my running, so this is good practice (I hope.) So today was a one-workout day, and I actually felt good about it.

I contemplated ellipticalling this morning instead of running, but it would have taken a little longer and I wanted to sleep as much as I could so I would not fall asleep in class today (it's been an issue lately.) Plus it was a beautiful day. I ran about 5 miles or so, maybe a bit less, and felt pretty good (knee-wise.) I did notice when I came down a hill, my knee/lower quad hurt more and then felt better, which makes me think it is probably just my patellar tendonitis acting up again. Perhaps I'll try the glucosamine/chondroitin regimen again since that helped me before.

Ever since Dr. Brady told me again how asymmetrical I am when I run, I am constantly thinking about it and wondering if people I pass by are noticing. When I run by store windows, I'm taking sideways glances to see if my stride is choppy...ugh! I hate thinking about it so much. Hopefully it'll fade with time as most things do.

One thing that made me smile this morning was when I passed by a woman walking with her kid in a stroller, and I was thinking, "Please don't call me a jogger, please don't call me a jogger..." and I heard her say to her kid, "Look at the runner!" I felt very vindicated since I definitely feel more like a jogger these days. I'll take what I can get.

Good luck to all weekend racers! I can't believe the big marathons are right around the corner. Fall is here for sure.

Posted by becky at 9:48 PM | Comments (0)