Running Commentary

« August 2005 | Main | October 2005 »

September 30, 2005

Long day

It was a long time ago when I ran today since I haven't had a chance to update this until now, but I am happy to say that it was downright chilly this morning! It was the first time that I wore long sleeves during the whole run--always a cause for celebration in my book. As for my run, it was decent. I kept snoozing when my alarm went off, knowing that I was only planning to run for about 45 minutes today. When I was getting ready to leave, a phonebook on top of the fridge slipped off and onto my hand, which was holding a glass of water. (The glass shattered.) After cleaning that all up, I really didn't have any more than 45 minutes to run. I felt okay for most of it but kind of weak the mile, I think because I was hungry.

Today I had class and then drove up to Freeport, Maine, for a baby shower for my friend (and loyal blog reader) B. It was a longer drive than I thought, especially on the way up because of the Boston traffic, but well-worth it. Although I was only there for a couple of hours we made sure to get in some running gossip, like predicting who will do well at Twin Cities this weekend! B. is an excellent runner and has continued to run throughout her pregnancy so I'm sure that she will come back stronger than ever. After all, pushing that jogging stroller helps whip you into shape, as I found out earlier this year when I tried out another friend's stroller!

I haven't thought in advance as much about tomorrow's long run as usual, mostly because I've been busy. I hope that isn't a bad sign! Happy October (month of candy corn creations, hooray!)

Posted by becky at 11:20 PM | Comments (1)

September 29, 2005

Athletic supporter

Today I was grateful to have support at a very early hour for my run and then had fun being a supporter this evening as Mary did a tough track workout. In the morning, Alison was crazy enough to agree to leave her house at 5:30am to meet me. It was very dark but I didn't wear my head lamp because I knew I'd have company and that we'd stick to main roads (mostly.) I was tired from all my running yesterday and neither one of us wanted to run too far. We headed to Fresh Pond but bypassed it because running all the way around would have taken too long. So it wasn't the most scenic run, but time passed quickly with good conversation and like I said, I was grateful not to be alone out there at that hour!

I again had a hard time staying awake in class, but I think today it was more the subject matter than the fact that I got up early. Although right now it's not even 9 and my eyes are feeling very heavy, so maybe the lack of sleep is getting to me more than I care to admit. Anyway, I digress. After class I bought a gift for a baby shower I'm going to tomorrow afternoon in Maine, and then I went home to do some work. As usual, I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but I at least got a start on the research for a paper that's due this week.

I was planning on swimming or lifting tonight, but Mary wanted help motivating to get to the track and she convinced me to jog over to one of the tracks around here (actually one I had never been to) and be her coach. It was actually a lot of fun, and the weather was nicer than it had been all day. She did great especially having no one to pace with. I did strides and some drills on the turf while I timed her to keep myself busy. I should do strides more often but I never have time at the end of runs.

Tonight I was supposed to meet Matt at a bar for someone's birthday. I just can't motivate to actually put on nice clothes and do that when I know I should get into bed. It sucks that our schedules are not overlapping as much as I would like, but with early classes 4 days a week, it's just not so easy for me to meet him out for an hour. Maybe next semester will be better. I hope so!

Posted by becky at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2005

More running than I planned

I need to go to sleep so I will keep this brief! Or try, at least...I actually felt decent this morning, which means that I'll probably be hating life tomorrow morning since sometimes track affects my legs 2 days later. I was a little stiff today, but I had time to stretch out pretty well before I left and then I made sure to take it really (really) easy. I had my music and I was enjoying the nice, cool weather (although my sweating mechanism has not slowed down and now I'm getting COLD at the end of runs!) and everytime I felt like I had sped up, I ratcheted back my pace. No reason to push it and I wanted a true recovery run, which I felt I hadn't had in a while. So all was fine in the morning.

Fast forward to 5pm (nothing too exciting in between then except a couple of fabulous slices of pizza and sitting at work) when I met up with the MIT XC team for practice. My running time in the morning was about 59 minutes so I'll call it around 7. I had lifted before practice and was hoping to run with the group going the shortest distance, which I mistakenly believed was 4 miles. Unfortunately it was 7 miles and they were hauling ass even though it was supposed to be a recovery day for them as well and this was the slowest group. They told me they wanted to run 7:55-8:05 pace and that was most definitely NOT what they were doing. During the last mile, when we were stopped at a light, I casually mentioned that we had not been going 8 minute pace, so we brought it in very easy. They then had to go right into a "full speed 400" around the track which I was very glad not to do. Their faster runners were going through in about 68-69 and I mentioned to the women's coach that I probably would have been 20 secs behind, especially after a run. (I can't just go right into running fast anymore.) He told me that's what I get for turning myself into a marathoner. Well said!

Anyway, all of that made me tired. I scarfed down dinner and then had a phone interview with someone for a paper I'm writing. She was awesome, but I'm even more tired and planning to go running at the butt-crack of dawn tomorrow. This does not look promising!

Posted by becky at 9:28 PM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2005

Fast, for my tired legs

It was still kind of wet and humid when I did my morning run today--I think it rained most of the night, and I could hear the wind chimes on a neighboring house before I fell asleep. Speaking of sleeping, I had trouble getting up this morning and by the time I got out the door, I had to basically sprint my easy, pre-track run to get back in time so I wouldn't be late. This 8am class is killing me, and it's only going to get worse when it's cold and dark in the morning!

Usually running wakes me up, but I had a hard time staying awake in class. I even had a good-sized mug of coffee. There is a temperature problem with the classroom for this class (the prof talked about it today) and even I think it's freezing in there, making it especially uncomfortable for me because I am sweaty from walking with my backpack when I get there and then I get SO cold. My friend and I realized today that even the desks are cold--we couldn't even stand to keep our hands on them! Oh well--I'm sure I'll be complaining about the blasting classroom heat soon enough.

During this point in the semester (for another month or so) I am lucky enough to have time to take a nap after my early class. I really needed it today and it helped. I did some work after that, caught up on some emails and did laundry. Then I ran up to the track. My ankles were really tight and sore on the way there, and even stretching didn't help. They hurt at the beginning of Sunday's long run, too. Usually taking my shoes off and really massaging my feet and ankles helps, so I did that when I got to the track. It helped some but I was not feeling my best. (And I kept thinking about the fact that I had just done a very long run two days before.)

Tonight's workout was 6x800 (except for people doing Twin Cities since it is this weekend.) A lot shorter and faster than what I've been doing lately, but I was looking forward to the change. I was surprised when the first one felt really fast because it was 2 seconds slower than my goal pace. However, I had fallen in with a group of about 6 people and I concentrated on sticking behind a guy that was leading on the next one. It felt about the same effort but was about 3 seconds faster. And from there we just kept increasing our pace. I could feel the mileage in my legs but I also felt like my second lap was stronger than some of the guys I was running with who tended to go out fast. I hope that comes from my mileage base. On the last one, I did not want to lead but I did and I couldn't believe it when no one caught me. The time on that one was a workout personal best, at least in the past couple of years!

I jogged another mile or so (I lost count of my laps) slowly and then headed home (still slowly.) I was feeling decent, just tired, and then about a mile from home I realized I really needed to pee really badly! This hardly ever happens to me, especially with the amount I sweat, but it had gotten pretty cool by this point and I probably wasn't sweating quite as much as my body is used to. I really should have just stopped in a Dunkin' Donuts but I didn't...I made it home but it was a close call and I scratched my arm on the door of the apartment because I was running awkwardly to the bathroom! Ahh, the joys of bladder control.

I wanted to watch that new show with Geena Davis as the female Prez tonight, but I just missed the first half hour. Probably a blessing in disguise!

Posted by becky at 9:12 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2005

Run and chat

I was a little late to meet Alison this morning because it took me about 5 minutes to settle into a normal-slow pace. This often happens to me the day after long runs; I was just relieved that nothing hurt. My groin has still been bothering me in the first few steps of a run, but it hasn't been too bad. (Now, of course, it hurts walking around.) Knock on wood, my knee pain from last week seems to have subsided.

So although I was feeling decent, I didn't want to run too far because my weekend mileage (combined both days) was pretty high. And this is kind of the last opportunity I have for a "down" week before the last push to the marathon (and then the taper) so I am considering doing a little less mileage. We'll see how the week goes; I never know on Monday.

Anyway, we ran through Davis Sq. to the Minuteman bike path and took that to Arlington Center, where we got off and came back to Somerville on the roads. We were talking a lot so that took my mind off the fact that my legs were feeling tired! I was dismayed to realize that yesterday's cool and crisp weather had been replaced yet again by muggy weather. Lovely.

I spent most of the day at school and my part-time job and then I biked a little and lifted. I also stopped by MIT's XC practice to introduce myself as I am going to be helping them out on a (very!) limited basis for the rest of the season. I'm hoping that I can take on a bigger role during indoor track when I have more time. IF I have more time, that is...The team seemed very quiet but I'm sure that was because they hadn't gone for their run yet. I'm going to try and run with some of the girls on Wednesday.

My eyes feel like they are about to close but I have a lot of NYRRF work to do. SO not in the mood...

Posted by becky at 8:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2005

One of those really good long runs

So it turned out that waiting until Sunday to run wasn't so bad. Mary and I had an excellent long run (a bit over 3 hours) and reveled in the excellent, COOL weather. I kept saying how 30 degrees and no humidity makes such a difference in how one feels on a long run...it's just amazing. Even I only brought one Gatorade bottle with me today (and refilled at the halfway mark.) Love it.

We met at Mary's and headed to Winchester, since we've both done a lot of long runs there and it's nice and hilly. Since the loop I had done last time I attempted to run more than 20 was short, we took a turn somewhere we remembered running in the winter. Of course it was a large hill, but it was a pretty one, overlooking a huge golf course, and there wasn't much traffic--so that helped, a little. Mary kicked my butt up all the big hills as usual, and we discussed how it's probably mental for me since I'm generally able to pick my pace back up again once I've gotten up the hill. No matter what, I slow down on hills, though. Something to work on, but probably not for THIS marathon.

I think we were pretty consistent with our pace and we managed to have a lot of interesting conversations. (What else can you do in all that time?) We touched on diverse topics ranging from Ewan McGregor's recent film roles to Mary's study abroad in England when she was in college. You just have to go with the strange conversational flow on these runs! When we were almost back home, we ran right by the start of a 5K that neither one of us knew was going on. At that point, we were both glad that we did not have to run hard! I for one could not have.

I spent the day doing work, napping and grocery shopping. I am sick of cooking salmon and all the other usual fish types, so I made us some trout tonight and it was excellent. I also made us a good salad since I am terrible about eating salad. Matt is a big veggie eater and you'd think he'd be a good influence, but apparently not.

I must go and get some stuff done before the premiere of my FAVORITE HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm!

Posted by becky at 8:16 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2005

Part of a long run

[I forgot to post this yesterday--oops!]

As I mentioned yesterday, Mary and I shuffled things around in terms of our long run this weekend and decided to run on Sunday. However, the third person we were planning to run with couldn't join us on Sunday because she had somewhere to be, so she decided to run today anyway. I wanted to get an early start on the day since I had so much to do and I felt bad about switching days on her, so I told her I'd run about 10 miles of her 15-17 mile run.

We met at Porter Square, pretty much equidistant between us, and ran to Fresh Pond, twice around and came back a slightly longer way than we had gone over there. It was nice and COOL (yay!) so there were tons of people at Fresh Pond (and it was only about 7:30 when we got there) and it seemed like even more dogs off their leashes running around. I just have to assume that all of the dogs are relatively well-behaved, or else their owners wouldn't let them run wild...because if I worried about being bitten, I would never enjoy running there! I discovered that there is a nice bathroom there, too, today. I assumed it would be locked but it wasn't. Good to know, unless it is locked on the weekdays.

When we parted ways, I was kind of glad to have another day to wait until my long run, because my legs were tired, but I was also a little jealous that she was almost done with hers! I don't know how the rest of her run went but I hope it was good. At least she had some company for most of it!

I was really sleepy when I got back and ate breakfast, so I took a little nap before starting the pile of reading I had to do. It helped a little, but I decided that I wasn't going to get through all the reading so I should work on the writing I had to do. I did about half of an application for a federal jobs program I'm applying to, and then we went to our friends' apartment for dinner. This is our friend from Cornell, who is finishing up a doctorate at Harvard, and his girlfriend, who is Peruvian and also finishing a doctorate at the Ed School. They made us Peruvian food for dinner and it was awesome! They are so cute because they are always switching back and forth from English to Spanish. (I think it's cute anyway.) We had a lot of fun and they also made brownies a la mode for dessert--what could be better?

Posted by becky at 4:34 PM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Still tired

The Dar concert was awesome last night, but it ended later than I thought it would and thus I stayed up too late once again. I felt okay running this morning (and my knee twinge was fractionally better) but as soon as I sat down in class a wave of tiredness reminded me that I need to be better about getting more sleep. It's especially hard when Matt and I are on such different schedules--we were just discussing the fact that his idea of going to bed "late" is after 3am. Whew!

I ran with Mary this morning since she returned a day earlier than expected from a work trip. We did a very boring route but had fun venting to each other about work and school frustrations. I forgot to bring my Gatorade with me for the first time in a few months and I was definitely wishing I had it after a half hour or so of running, but it wasn't TOO hot so I survived. (It's supposed to be cooler this weekend, which of course makes me happy.)

A few of us were going to do our long run tomorrow, but people's schedules got a little changed around and it looks like Sunday is the better day for me and Mary. I really don't like waiting until Sun. to run long, because I think about it too much AND because I don't get as much time to let my legs recover for Tues. track, but I've got to be more flexible. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow anyway, so I should probably get a good start on that so that I can nap after running on Sunday since I know I'll want to. I need to chill out when I change my running schedule around but that's the hardest thing for me.

Anyway...there are worse things than having to wait until Sunday to do my long run, this I know. We're heading off to a friend's wine and cheese (across the river, horror of horrors) and then hopefully we'll be back early enough so I can get a good night's sleep! Happy (first Fall) weekend!

Posted by becky at 7:23 PM | Comments (2)

September 22, 2005

Almost the end of the week?

I'm not sure why, but this week has seemed really long. I'm kind of glad it's Thursday. But today marked the first Thursday of my 8am class, meaning I had to be out the door at about 5:30 to get 10 miles in. I had originally planned to do a bit more than that, but I was not moving too quickly this morning and I snoozed a few too many times as well! I wore my headlamp because as I've said before, I don't love running in the dark, but it actually was pretty light out after about a half-hour, so I turned it off. I ran on the roads around Fresh Pond, not on the path, and then got on the path after looping around almost the whole thing and did a loop (about 2.5 miles I think) at tempo-ish pace. I'm bad at judging my pace but I just wanted to get my legs moving a little and I was also motivated by my desire to be on time to class! I made it back in time but I was running around crazily trying to get out the door.

I had the same issue with my left knee this morning--intermittent pain in kneecap. It seems to warm up after a few miles, and I'm pretty sure it's related to tight quads. It hasn't bothered me aside from when I'm running, knock on wood, which usually clues me into the fact that it's more than just soreness. Still, I'm not happy about it.

I swam tonight for about 40 minutes, still trying to work on my technique. I need a swim buddy to encourage me; it gets boring in there! Now I'm running out the door to meet a friend for a quick bite before we go to a Dar Williams concert. Yay Dar!

Posted by becky at 6:24 PM | Comments (2)

September 21, 2005

Eh

Despite being tired from my workout, I felt slightly better on my run this morning than I did yesterday. It sure took me a long time to warm up and work out the kinks, though. That's something I've been noticing a lot lately--since I've been building my mileage back up, I feel better at the end of runs (stronger) but more sluggish and stiff and sore at the beginning. Not sure if this is even related to mileage, but just an observation. I've also had to start getting up earlier for classes the past couple of weeks, and that could definitely be a factor! Anyway, I was mostly on main roads this morning, and the bike path in Arlington for a bit, so nothing too exciting, but that's usually how I like it. When I woke up and opened the window, it seemed chilly (or at least less humid, hooray!) but then I was broiling and ripping off my shirt a mile into the run. Oh, well--one of my friends mentioned that tomorrow (or the next day?) is the last day of summer, so that makes me happy! (I know, only me.)

I stayed on campus most of the day after my class, working at my job for a few hours. Then I took the bus back to Cambridge and stopped at MIT for a couple of easy miles on the treadmill (all bikes were taken) and some time on the bike once one was free and a solid day of lifting. I was almost done by the time the 5pm rush crowd came in, so it wasn't too crowded for most of my routine. I even got to use the bench press--it's been a while, ouch! Aftet the gym I met up with a couple of friends from school near Harvard Square and we walked to the home of our department chair, who was hosting a cocktail party to kick off the year. It was a little awkward at first, but once everyone had a glass of wine (or sparkling water, in my case), it was fun to chat with some faculty members I didn't know so well. And her house was pretty cool--I think her husband is an artist and they had some very distinctive pieces.

I feel like I haven't seen Matt much this week since our schedules haven't overlapped much! He's out tonight at a weekly gathering of his classmates at a bar in Beacon Hill (shocker) and I'll probably be asleep or on my way when he gets in. Right now I actually have a lot of reading to do, but since I know there's no way I'll get it all done by the morning, maybe I shouldn't even attempt to do any of it and just go to sleep. I'm such a model student! :)

Posted by becky at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

Sub-par day and workout

Today was definitely one of those days where I just felt blah and not really like myself. Part of it has to do with the fact that Matt came home pretty late last night (11:30), after I had gone to bed, and then had work to do until about 3:30 am. I never sleep well when he's up and I'm in bed, so I kept waking up and tossing and turning. I had to get up at about 5:30 so that I could fit in a pre-track short run before the first day of my early class (I'm already dreading being out the door at that time on Thurs. when the class meets again and I intend to do a regular run..) Anyway, when I woke up I was very groggy and my run was pretty awful. My knee hurt and it was dreadfully humid (still 80+% humidity right now) and I was just very sluggish.

Later in the semester I will have busier Tuesdays, but for now I had the afternoon free to come home and nap since I was still so tired from not sleeping well last night. The nap helped, but I was dreading going to track because it was still so humid and I knew I was not at the top of my game. Plus, now that it's getting dark out earlier--and especially since it was a cloudy day today--I knew I would be running home in the dark from the track and I don't like that a whole lot.

The workout was a strength one for the third week in a row, which I suppose is good for me since I'm marathon training. Some of the group was doing 6x800 at 5K pace, but my workout was one mile at tempo and 4xmile at 10K pace with a one minute rest in between each mile. Luckily I didn't have to do the whole thing alone because there was a girl there I met at the 30K this weekend. We were very controlled on the first one (tempo) and then were only supposed to go about ten seconds faster for the 10K pace ones. We did 3 of them together, pretty much right on target, and then I was on my own for the last one since she's just coming back from an injury. I have run 10K pace miles much faster than that, but I know I don't do well in this weather and with my tiredness, I was just glad to complete a long workout. I didn't enjoy jogging home in the dark by myself but it was still on the early side so there were lots of people out and about.

Wow, it's almost time for bed...or at least the time when I SHOULD go to bed. But I'm waiting for Matt to come home from a Cornell alumni event that I missed out on and I promised him I'd help him with some HTML stuff...

Posted by becky at 8:47 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

Not windy by the river, for once!

I usually find running by the Charles either boring or too windy, but today it agreed with me. Alison and I met at our usual spot (although I was late because I mistakenly lowered the volume on my alarm clock) and picked up the Charles River path on the Cambridge side near Harvard Square. My hip/groin was feeling okay but today's most noticeable ache was right in the center of my knee. Stretching my quad seemed to help--I've had soreness in my left quad off and on for weeks now so I'm sure it's all related. We followed the path across a couple of major intersections and then cut up to the road in Watertown (I think) near the Mt. Auburn cemetary. When we ended up right near my place I decided to run Alison part of the way home, which meant basically going up and then back down a big hill. Alison looks forward to hills on her runs, but most of them still intimidate me--I know they are good for us but they always hurt!

I spent a few hours at my new job today and got some projects started. Everyone there is very nice and it is cool to have a quiet cubicle as an escape from school. In the late afternoon, I quickly went back to MIT (about a 10 min. bus ride) to bike and lift and then returned back to school for a meeting. I was starving when I got to the meeting and took advantage of the free pizza, and now I'm feeling slightly ill. I'm sure it will pass in an hour and I'll be ready for dessert!

OK, I have some things to work on for the Foundation and an early class tomorrow, so that's all for now.

Posted by becky at 8:06 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2005

Company--good; Humidity--bad

Even though I used the foam roller a couple of times yesterday and tried to stretch well, I was still really stiff when I woke up this morning. I had to start out really, really slowly...but the good news was my groin felt better. It bothered me a little bit during my first few strides, but a lot of things tend to be creaky in my first strides so I don't think it's getting worse. (Although I am probably jinxing myself.)

Mary had a friend in town who is also a runner, so I slow-motion ran the 5 minutes to her place and met them. We ran to Fresh Pond and around twice, then came back. I was the only one who thought it was very humid, but I swear it was. My frozen Gatorade bottle was melting the way it only does when the humidity is high--it's like my own personal barometer. I was feeling pretty tired especially on the second loop of FP, but having those guys with me helped me just try to enjoy the run. We had to dodge many dogs and even avoid some that came charging at us. This experience reminded me why I've not been going to FP as often as I did last year. I'm glad the dogs were having fun, but can't they do that at dog-only parks?

Matt played tennis for more than two hours this morning, so neither he nor I felt like doing much more than reading the paper today. But we both had a little work to do so we balanced the two sedentary activities. I also fit in a quick nap :) In the late afternoon I went to the pool for a short swim because I wanted to work on my technique before I forgot what my friend told me the other day. I worked hard to try and correct some of the problems with my stroke that I'm aware of, but since I can't see myself it's hard to know if I was doing a good job. Either way it was a nice, leisurely swim and somewhat relaxing.

I just got really tired, so I'm going to finish what I need to do and go to bed. Have a great week, all!

Posted by becky at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2005

Beating the guy with meaty arms

As all of us marathoners know, long runs can get boring, especially when you do them alone. I love how the NYRR has a lot of organized training runs leading up to the marathon, even if they involve loops of Central Park. Here in the Boston area, the big marathon (obviously) is in the spring, so there are fewer long races and group runs leading up to fall marathons. Today I did a 30K basically to have people to run with--and it helped. It was a pretty small race, but very well-organized and it had tons of uphills and downhills which I always think are good to do in long runs (although painful.) I was worried about my hip/groin but it seemed better when I woke up, hopefully owing to the fact that I swam and didn't run yesterday.

The race wasn't too far away and when I got there and got my number and everything, I debated warming up. I wanted to loosen my hip up a little but not do a real warm up because I wanted to remind myself that there would be no racing here, at least not for the first ten miles. So I jogged briefly around the parking lot and then stretched. I knew it would hurt when I first started out but then would be better once it got truly warmed up. I also debated whether to bring my double water bottle carrier or just the single. It was humid but cool (65 or so) and I figured it would be nice to be a little lighter with the single and also stop at every other water/Gatorade stop. That plan worked out fine except I got very chafed because I'm more used to my double.

I started out slow and tried to find some people to run with. I stayed with one guy for about 5 miles and then got ahead of him. There was another guy with the meatiest arms (for a runner) I've ever seen. He varied his pace a lot so I ended up seeing him many times throughout (and finally passing him for good at about mile 17.) The race course was basically a big loop with parts that were out and back. We were along the ocean for much of it, which was pretty. If it had been windier, I wouldn't have been very happy. When we weren't running on the path parallel to the water, we were in the neighborhoods surrounding it, which very very hilly. No major climbs, but not much flat.

I ran my fastest miles in the middle part of the run, which is sort of new for me. I tried to pick it up for the last 1.6 miles but my legs were pretty dead. One woman blew by me on a hill just after mile 17 and it didn't do much to motivate me, unfortunately. I was glad to finish, but I wasn't dying or anything. It was a lot more like a quality long run than a race, which is exactly what I wanted, so I was happy. I jogged a little bit when I was done to make sure my hip didn't tighten up but didn't do a real cool down since my goal for today's mileage was 18-20 and I was well within that. Plus, my left arch was really bothering me as soon as I untied my shoes. I forgot to mention above that I had a little bit of that numb feet feeling I had in the Bronx Half Marathon back in July today for the first few miles...I wonder if that's why my arch is so sore. I iced it when I got home and hopefully it will feel better soon.

I don't know where this day has gone but I better go do something productive!!

Posted by becky at 2:49 PM | Comments (1)

September 16, 2005

Taking it easy

My hip/groin was still bothering me a lot yesterday even walking around, so I made plans to swim with my Somerville native friend today before she leaves to go back to Baltimore tomorrow. She's always been a good runner but I didn't realize she swam all through high school, so it's no wonder that she's had immediate success in triathlons! She had never been to MIT's pool and didn't mind paying the guest fee so that's where we went. We each did our own thing (she is so much faster than I am that it's like she does double the laps I do in the same time period) but she critiqued my stroke a little and gave me some helpful tips. Still, I know I have a lot to work on. The two main things she noticed were that my arms weren't close enough to my body and that my hands were entering the water a little too close to my face--I need to extend my arms more to finish the stroke. I totally understand what she is saying, but it seems impossible to correct those things!

Kicking, even lightly, was bothering my hip so I pulled the whole time. J. had to get to work so we didn't get to swim quite as long as we wanted (we had planned for about an hour but hit traffic getting there.) It was definitely a good workout as my arms were shaking when I was finished and I could hear my stomach growling!

I'm doing my best not to feel guilty like I always do about taking a crosstraining day, but it's hard for me. I'm worried about my latest aches because they came on so suddenly and I was feeling pretty good and keeping my mileage up. I most importantly want to be able to run the ING NYCM because I'm getting excited about it and because my last two marathon preparations were cut short by injury. Keeping that in mind makes me feel (a little) better about taking it easy.

Today was my last free Friday since my class at the Education school starts next week. I was mildly productive; did some cleaning and went to see my grandparents as usual. Tomorrow I am planning to take advantage of a nearby 30K race to have some people to run long with. If I weren't worried about my leg I might try to run the second half as a tempo-ish run, but at this point I'm just going to run easy. It's supposed to be pretty rainy and windy in the morning so that could be messy! (But fun.) It's been a long time since I did a long run in the rain, so I'm kind of looking forward to it. However, it is still very humid so that could be very nasty with all my sweating...in fact, I'd bet on it!

Posted by becky at 7:40 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Sweating in the rain

I hope the rain we are having here today means the weather is going to change, but I won't hold my breath. It was grossly humid out again this morning--I can always tell when it's really bad because my frozen water bottle starts to sweat and drip on me when I'm just stretching for a moment outside. I ran about 2.5 miles to meet my friend J. who I ran with in the Fells this weekend since she is still in town until Saturday. She had just biked for about an hour and wanted to do a 30 minute run, so I joined her for that. I had hoped that the biking might make her legs tired and slow her down some, but no such luck. I kept up fine, but I knew that I might be in trouble later.

It started raining just as I dropped J. back off at her house, and I liked it at first but then realized that I was already soaked from sweat and the rain was making me even soggier. Yuck. The side of my foot was hurting a little (I'm pretty sure it's from stepping funny in [low] heels at the funeral the other day) and my inner hip/groin was not happy either. I should have just gone straight back home but I added on a few miles. About 2 miles from home, I had zero energy (despite drinking mucho Gatorade) and I crawled home. It was not pretty.

I had some errands to do over at school today so I had lunch with a friend and got my tasks accomplished. Then I went to the gym, read Paula Radcliffe's book while biking and lifted a little. My computer is currently making a noise I'm concerned about (it does this every so often) so I am going to end here and restart.

Posted by becky at 6:24 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2005

An 'A' for effort

Well. The workout was attempted this morning, but neither I nor my faithful workout partner Mary felt like ourselves or could hit the paces we managed quite easily last week. I'm guessing this was mainly due to the stifling humidity (we hit the track just as the sun was coming out, too) but the heavy/dead leg factor was also at play (half marathon PR for Mary on Sunday; long run on Sat. for me.) The workout was 4-6 times a mile alternating marathon and tempo pace. Although our watches didn't reflect it, our efforts were right on and in fact it felt to me like a tempo run a lot more than a speed workout, which I guess it was. Anyway, the times aren't important and it really didn't go as well as my workouts have in the past three weeks or so (since it's been marginally cooler, anyway) so I'm going to just move on--I was due for a sub-par week anyway.

My hip/groin is still bothering me when I start out runs (or get up from sitting and walk around, for that matter.) I had this once before and traced it back to something I did on the adductor (or abductor, I always forget which is which) machine. So I will avoid that for awhile, keep massaging it with the foam roller and take Advil. It is a particularly difficult spot to get to with the foam roller, unfortunately.

I lifted tonight and amazingly got to use the bench press--it's been constantly in use by the burly MIT students (really) the past couple of times I've been there. I did the rest of my usual routine, minus any leg stuff because I feel like my legs have been especially sore from just running a lot and I don't want to make them angry at me!

Today I accepted a part-time job at a research institute affiliated with my school. I will be doing communication stuff not unlike what I've been doing for the NYRRF since the summer. I like the people there and I think it will be a good way to keep up with the childhood obesity prevention field because this place does research on using school-based exercise programs to prevent obesity. I actually wrote my application essay for my public health program about it, but I am just now getting around to figuring out how it works. Better late than never!

Posted by becky at 7:00 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

The only thing harder than a workout...

...is NOT doing one when you usually do! (At least for me.) No, as much as changing my running (and life in general) routine drives me insane, I was glad to have an extra day of a recovery run today before hitting the track. I ran one of the routes I ran often this summer since we stayed over at Matt's mom's house, and my legs felt like dead weights. My left hip also hurt me at the beginning of the run again; not sure what's going on with that. (Probably overuse soreness.) It was disgustingly humid out today, even early in the morning--especially for September. I didn't have Gatorade with me (just ice water) because the bottle of Gatorade that I keep at Matt's mom's house had disgusting black things floating in it. Has this ever happened to anyone else's Gatorade? It is not very old!

Anyway, I was glad I had my iPod today because my run was just not too enjoyable. My hip did start to feel better once it warmed up, but I was grumpy about the weather and also because I knew I had to miss track tonight and one of the things I like most about it is the social aspect. I was glad to finish running and come back into a heavily air conditioned house.

Matt and I met his mom and sister at his aunt's funeral in Yonkers, not too far away from where I grew up. Thankfully, neither one of us has been to many funerals so we were both a little nervous. I was thinking that since I didn't know his aunt well at all I wouldn't feel emotional, but when I walked in and saw Matt's two cousins (her daughters) and how upset they were, I realized that I couldn't help but be affected. The funeral service itself was very nice because the rabbi had known Matt's aunt very well. On the ride to the cemetary, Matt and I talked about how being involved in a temple is nice for other reasons besides enrolling your kids in Hebrew School, etc.

While we were driving 30 miles an hour on the highway as part of the funeral procession, we heard a loud pop and wondered if we had just gone over something. Sure enough, we soon realized, we had a major flat tire. The cemetary was right near Westchester Community College where I used to run sometimes, so I remembered that there was a gas station as we got off the highway. Matt's mom, in another car in front of us, saw us pull in to the gas station and we got a ride to the cemetary from her while the tire was being fixed. Talk about unfortunate timing!

The burial was especially sad because she wasn't the first member of the family to be buried. Matt's aunt had a third daughter who died when she was almost 4, so her gravestone was right next to the plot where we were burying. Both mother and daughter died of cancer, reminding me how widespread a disease it really is.

We had lunch when we got back to Matt's mom's house and hit the road for Boston in the mid-afternoon. I slept most of the way so it wasn't a bad trip for me! I sort of felt like running a couple of miles when I got home, but I knew I was doing it just because I hadn't gone to track and felt guilty, so I convinced myself the healthier thing to do would be to take a little walk with Matt. Perhaps that decision will pay off in the morning when Mary and I attempt the workout on our own...I hope so!

Posted by becky at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2005

A longish weekday run and a swollen elbow

I woke up really groggy this morning despite the fact that I got a decent amount of sleep (in my case, more than 6 hours.) I was also really hungry, probably still attributable to my long run this weekend! I met Alison at our usual spot and stretched a bit when I got there, which helped loosen me up a little. But my ankles were really stiff and sore, probably from running on trails yesterday. They didn't loosen up until about 30 minutes (maybe more) into the run. In general, my mileage has been tiring my legs out and I just hope it is making me stronger!

We ran the same first hour of my long run on Saturday today and then turned to go back to our neighborhoods. It was definitely very hot later in the day today, but it wasn't too bad yet this morning. When we were almost back, I whacked my elbow on the metal surrounding one of those buttons pedestrians press to get the light to change. I had to stop for a minute because the pain was so intense. I've done this before (I run with my bony elbows at a weird angle) and I wasn't surprised to see my elbow swell up immediately. It was pretty disgusting and I was sorry to have to expose Alison to it! The pain wasn't too bad though after the initial impact, and it's just sore now and less swollen. Anyway, we ended up both running for around 1:40, I think. I got to end with a big downhill while Alison had to go up a slight uphill. It's hard to avoid that when our apartments are basically separated by a large hill!

We found out yesterday that Matt's great aunt died (she had been ill for a couple of years) and that the funeral would be Tuesday. I only met her once, but Matt's mom was pretty close to her and Matt and his sister know their cousins (who are a bit older than us) fairly well. In any case, we had to decide if we were going to the funeral, when, etc. When I got back from my run we talked about it and decided to drive to New York tonight (we're in the car as I write this) and come back tomorrow after the funeral. This is fine in the grand scheme of things, but in my little running-obsessed bubble, this throws a wrench into my usual schedule of Tues. night track workout. But I'm trying to go with the flow and Mary has graciously offered to do the workout with me Wednesday morning instead! We'll have to go early but maybe the weather will be cooler.

I know I won't get a chance tomorrow, so I biked and lifted this afternoon. It was very hot in there and there were a lot of people in frat shirts working out. It never ceases to surprise me that MIT has such a big Greek scene!

Anyway, typing in the car is making me feel a little sick, so I'm going to end here!

Posted by becky at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Dreading the 'near-record highs'

Well, at least the weather today was still awesome (no humidity and not too hot) because tomorrow and Tues. are supposed to be really hot again. I knew this stretch of fall weather was too good to be true. But anyway--for the day after a very long run, I felt decent today. The friend who I ran with on Thursday is still in town and asked if I wanted to run at Walden with her. Of course that sounded great! But then we were short on time because I needed to get back to my apartment at a certain time, so we went to the Fells instead. Alison has explored the Fells a lot since she's been here in the Boston area, but for me it's still pretty much a mystery. But my friend grew up running in the Fells, so she knows it well. (In fact, the only other time I've run in there before today was with her when I was visiting my grandparents one Thanksgiving.)

Despite her familiarity with the trails, it's a big place and we did get a little turned around a couple of times. And two mountain bikers almost ran us down. But aside from that, it felt great to be running on trails and just follow along and not have to think about where I was going! My left hip hurt me for the first five minutes of the run (which were downhill) but then seemed to loosen up. It's been bothering me a bit so I will watch it.

I swam for a bit this afternoon to loosen up my legs a little. It felt pretty good but I kept feeling like I was swallowing water and my throat was burning. Maybe that's from not being used to swimming again, I'm not sure.

I've got to go help Matt with something so he doesn't overwrite a Web site he's trying to update!

Posted by becky at 8:54 PM | Comments (1)

September 10, 2005

Boy, did that last hour drag

I know I'm going to be unhappy with the weather later in the week, so I'll just go ahead and say this now: the weather was awesome for a long run today. It was actually chilly when I started (I wasn't wearing much) and I was even seeking sun for awhile. Hopefully all the fall marathoners will be lucky enough to get a day like this--or even cooler--for their race day.

I met up with W., one of the girls I met last winter doing indoor workouts and who did a lot of long runs with me when I was training for Boston at 7am and we set off to Winchester, the land of long runs this fall. (It's just that I don't really know where to go, but Winchester has some good hills and is scenic, so it's always our fallback option.) W. is doing Reach the Beach next weekend and wanted to run less than 2 hours. I was shooting for 3, so we were able to run together for about an hour and 15 minutes before she turned around and I continued on my way. It was great to have her there especially for that first hour, because I was feeling very lethargic. I don't really know why--I didn't get tons of sleep, but I got enough. My legs were just heavy and I kept thinking about how much further I had to go. W. is a very cheerful person and a good conversationalist, so it's always fun to have her along.

I started to feel a little better after W. and I parted ways and I ate some energy bar pieces (I hate the consistency of gels and Gu, so whatever works...) I had mapped out a route some time ago that I thought was about 21 miles, but when the clock said 2 hours, I knew it wouldn't take me a whole hour to get back to my apartment. So I had to think about where to add on about 20 minutes or so, which is always mentally challenging for me. I decided to repeat most of the run I had done yesterday, since it's mindless, and it was pretty much right on in terms of time (3 hours) when I got back. My hamstrings were really tight and I am paranoid that I was running 10 minute pace, but I am proud of myself for actually running the amount (at least in terms of time) that I had planned for once.

Now my legs are even more sore (the run had a lot of up and downhills) so I'll have to go to town with the foam roller once I have more energy. We're waiting for our friends to arrive from New York and I suppose we will go walk around Boston or something like that. I would like to get in a nap today, but it's not going to happen--maybe tomorrow, although I do have a bit of schoolwork to do. Oh, our friends are here, gotta go!

Posted by becky at 12:29 PM | Comments (2)

September 9, 2005

Light day of running

I'm definitely due for a cross training day soon (I tend to take them on Fridays) but today I slept in a bit and it was easiest just to go for a short run. So that's what I did. I did an old standby route because I didn't feel like thinking about where to go, but I brought my iPod so I had some entertainment. It was still cool out this morning, but definitely more humid than it's been in the past week. I heard today that it's supposed to be fall-like this weekend, but then (just my luck) temperatures in the 90s will be returning mid-week. Still, I know (hope?) that these summery days will dwindle down sooner rather than later...

I did some cleaning today since we're having friends stay over this weekend, and then met some friends for lunch in Harvard Square. As usual on Fridays, I spent the late afternoon and early evening with my grandparents. I brought home leftovers for Matt and now we're having a quiet night together--very nice after a fairly busy week! Happy weekend!

Posted by becky at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2005

Thursday thoughts

I intended to fall asleep while the tennis match was on last night, but my tiredness seemed to disappear once I got into bed. It was very weird. I turned the TV off at about 11:45, but Matt still wasn't home and I never sleep well until I know he's back. He came in about an hour later, at which point I think we had a conversation and then I fell back to sleep. But I had a hard time waking up and getting out the door, even though I was meeting an old friend I hadn't seen in about a year.

This friend grew up in Somerville but lives in Baltimore now (I met her when she lived in DC.) She is staying at her parents' house for a couple of weeks while she works on a freelance project for a magazine in the area. She is faster than I am (she ran at Notre Dame) but is always willing to slow down a little for me! Now she's into triathlons so I wasn't sure how much she had been running. Anyway, I ran to meet her (about 2 miles) and then we did a big loop of Somerville. It was nice to catch up with her. When I dropped her back off at her house. I added on a bit near Fresh Pond. I thought about doing a loop of the pond, but my legs were really heavy, I think from lifting yesterday. It was a solid run, though.

I spent most of the day writing up an elite runner interview and rewarded myself with a nap when I finished. Recently when I've napped during the day, I've had variations on the same nightmare. The basic premise is that (in the dream) I can't open my eyes. It's like I am so tired that they literally won't stay open. I'm always trying to hide the fact that I can't stay awake and pretend I'm just fine. It doesn't sound that scary, but I always wake up sweating and with my heart pounding. I wonder what it means??

Matt actually called in the middle of the dream this time, so I roused myself off the couch, calmed myself down, had a snack and then went to lift. I went at a particularly crowded time (5:15 pm) and the place was hopping. As long as I can get the bike I want and the weights I need, I like when it's busy in there. It gives me something to look at between sets! Now I'm finishing up dinner on my own (prepared by Whole Foods, I was feeling lazy) while I wait for Matt to get home from a late class. Hopefully he won't get home TOO late!

Posted by becky at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2005

Too cool for skool

Alison was nice enough to volunteer to run with me at 6:15 am when she didn't have to go that early. It still wasn't easy to get out of bed, but it made it a little better. And I was really happy to have company, especially post-track. I wasn't dragging as much as I do sometimes, but I'm sure that's because last night's workout wasn't at 5K pace. Alison and I ran a loop that is not particularly scenic or exciting, but somehow it's comforting to me because I've done it so many times. While we were running, we were talking about how every runner develops their own "standby" routes so differently. Someone should look at how personality correlates to route development.

Can you tell I've been back to school again? I had my first day of a class on intimate partner violence prevention, which seems pretty interesting. It is a three hour class, though, and time never seems to fly when you're stuck in a classroom for that long. I was also (if you can believe it) freezing because the air conditioning was turned up so high in the building. When I'm cold, you know the temperature regulation is faulty.

After my class, I went to an open house for one of the research institutes affiliated with the school and heard about some part-time job opportunities that sound really good. I'm still committed to my work with the Foundation up until the (INGNYC) Marathon, but I think I could probably handle a few hours a week more of non-schoolwork.

I stopped at the gym on my way home from school to bike and lift. The one towel rule was really pissing me off today because I couldn't get comfortable on the bike partly due to my dripping all over myself. I keep thinking someone will notice and just start throwing towels at me, but it hasn't happened yet. Despite the towel situation, the gym was uneventful and I got my first decent lifting session of the week in.

Matt is out at various beer drinking/B-school social events tonight so I've been doing laundry and working on an interview I've been meaning to get to for a week now. I am very tired though so I am going to get into bed and read while I keep the US Open on in the background. I probably won't even make it through the first set! Go James Blake!

Posted by becky at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)

September 6, 2005

Good weather for a longer workout

I must say a quick thank you to the weather gods who have almost made me forget about my suffering earlier this summer. Oh, I'm sure that we'll have another couple of runs of humid days, but for now, I'm enjoying myself.

Anyway...I was only running a few miles this morning so I didn't mind being on my own, but about a mile into the run, I heard someone call my name. It was this guy I ran with a couple of times last fall; he is a grad student at MIT and had recognized me from DC, where he was in the same club I was. He moved up to my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago so I'm sure I will see him again. He didn't have a set route so he ran with me back to my apartment. It was nice to have unexpected company.

Today I went to school to "register"--which really just meant picking up a new ID card--and have lunch with someone. I tried to go to the bookstore but it was filled with Harvard Med students. Too scary for me to wade through. Who needs books the first week of class, anyway?

Tonight I dragged Mary with me to the track, even though she ran the Cape Ann 25K yesterday. (She ran pretty easy, but still.) We ran up to the track and got there just in time for the start of the workout. It was an interesting one--2 x 2 miles, the first one at "marathon pace" (30 seconds slower than tempo pace) and the second one at tempo pace. There weren't too many people there tonight so it was very spread out. Mary and I stuck together for the first one and managed to run comfortably, but not easy. My legs felt springier than I expected. For the second one, I set my sights on another woman I sometimes run with and caught her on the 6th lap. I ran about 80 seconds faster for the second 2 mile, but it still felt under control. I was very happy with it.

OK, I gotta run, it's Matt's b-day and I'm trying to balance running and life (again)!

Posted by becky at 8:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2005

Feeling good, finally

I've only got a minute--our action-packed long weekend of fun continues with dinner and a movie--but I did have a pretty good run this morning. I ran the same way around Swains Lake that I did yesterday, and then I took a road leading away from the lake that met up with Route 4, the major road in town and made a big loop ending up back at the lake house. It was breezy and not too warm at all--I loved feeling a little chilly when I started. Anyway, the hills were tough and I was definitely tired, but I felt stronger than in past days. I ran probably a little more than 11 miles. We also went kayaking later, and it seems that lifting weights does not build up kayaking muscles. Too bad!

More tomorrow.

Posted by becky at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

September 4, 2005

Feels like fall, except in the sun

It turns out that we have excellent wireless access here at Matt's aunt's house in New Hampshire. We're right on one of the many lakes here (Swains Lake) and there aren't too many other houses around, but they have their own network, so it's all good. I love how it feels remote here but there are still all the conveniences I'm used to!

Miracle of miracles, the mechanic we brought the car to yesterday (recommended by AAA) was able to fix it by 3pm so we were able to drive our own car up to NH. We chilled out at home for awhile while we waited for the mechanic to call, and I decided that even though I was tired from my long run, the quickest way for us to get the car back would be for me to run the 2 miles there. So when the mechanic told us it was done, I jogged over there and paid the bill (the radiator had blown a couple of other things were wrong) and was back in 10 minutes. We got up to NH by 5pm or so and had a really nice barbeque with lots of family who are also visiting for the weekend. It's really beautiful here, and of course I loved the fact that I had to wear a sweatshirt last night!

I asked around and it seemed like the best place to run here was around the lake. There isn't a path, but you can run on the surrounding roads. I just made sure I kept the lake on my left and it was okay. It ended up being about 8 miles total, and that was enough for me today. My legs are stiff and sore from yesterday and my IT band bothered me for a few miles. At least the weather was great--dry and breezy. The roads around here are definitely hilly, but it was kind of nice for a change.

I hope to be able to swim a little in the lake later (and maybe join the other "kids" in their football/frisbee playing) and also just do some reading in the sun. I know once school starts in a couple of days things will get even busier. I should take advantage while I can!

Posted by becky at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

September 3, 2005

Less than I had hoped for

I've only got a couple of minutes to update this before we leave. Our plans to drive up to NH today got slightly derailed when our car overheated and basically died while Matt was picking up his sister and her boyfriend from the airport this morning. We now have to rent one. Anyway, I shouldn't have set out to run for 3 hours this morning when I hadn't been feeling that great this week. But that was the goal in the back of my mind.

I started out feeling pretty good and was excited to meet up with some friends I hadn't run with in a few months as well as Alison and Mary. There were 6 of us for the first hour of the run--wow! We went through Medford and around the Mystic Lakes, and then Alison and I went one way and the rest of them cut it a bit shorter because there are a lot of long races going on for Labor Day on Monday. After we parted with the group, I started feeling more and more tired. I drank lots of Gatorade but it didn't really help. I had to (once again) talk myself into finishing the run. I felt bad that I had to stop a couple of times since Alison was with me, but she helped me through the last few miles.

Anyway, I ran for 2:22 total so it was not the effortless 20+ miler I had been hoping for. I want to get about 3 more 20+ runs in over the next 2 months, which I know I can do, but my track record is not good. It wasn't even too hot today!! I'm going to try really hard not to dwell on being disappointed for not acheiving my mileage goal today and enjoy the weekend on the lake in NH. We'll see how it goes!

Posted by becky at 12:22 PM | Comments (2)

September 2, 2005

Feeling like one with Thoreau

This morning's weather--cool but warming up--was perfect for the little adventure that Mary and I went on. She drove us out to Walden Pond, which I think is officially in Lincoln, only about 20 minutes away, and we parked there. We started our run on the main trail around the Pond and quickly got off of it since we wanted to explore. Mary had heard there were tons of trails behind the Pond, but neither of us really believed it. But we crossed over the commuter rail tracks into what we think is Lincoln Conservation Area, and we found awesome trails! We just did an out and back run, taking turns wherever we felt like it, and it was so pretty. The footing was great, there were uphills and downhills, and we went along a bunch of streams which are probably part of the Sudbury River. We realized that there are a lot of miles of trails back there and we hope to go back soon for a longer run.

We finished our run and pretty much got right into the Pond for a swim. I was thinking it wouldn't be a big deal to go across the Pond and back (about a mile) but I quickly realized that I'm not quite ready for that after taking the summer off from swimming! It was also my first time in open water in many, many years. But the water was so warm and it was very soothing just to be in there for a little while. I was impressed by Mary's comfort in the Pond (not to mention her speed) but she has been tri training all summer and it is paying off.

I cleaned and worked on a Foundation article I had been putting off for most of the day today, and then Matt and I went for an early dinner at my grandparents' house. Now I must pack for our weekend at his aunt's lake house in New Hampshire. I'm doubtful that I'll have any internet access, so I'll update when I return on Monday if need be. Happy Labor Day weekend!

Posted by becky at 8:32 PM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2005

Trying not to be so hard on myself

I really wish that I didn't have to be so hard on myself all the time. With running, that means that when I make a plan for a specific workout or mileage, and I don't meet that goal, I feel really bad about it. I know I need to learn to be more flexible and listen to my body instead of being stubborn. But I haven't gotten there yet. Today, I woke up feeling pretty crappy. My throat hurt a little bit more and I had a headache. But since I had planned to do a semi-long run (at least 11), I decided to try anyway. Of course, about 3 miles into the run, I realized that I really felt crappy and was even tempted to (gasp!) turn around and go home. But I plugged on and ended up doing a little more than 8 miles or so. The weather was better, and I ran a lot of it near the river so the breezes kept things cool, but I really didn't feel well. When I (finally) got home, my legs felt weak and I was kind of dizzy. All signs that indicate I should have listened to my gut instinct at the beginning of the run.

I made sure I didn't have a fever (it was very low, like 96 point-something) and then rested for a couple of hours. (I was supposed to meet Audrey and Alison for lunch, but I bailed.) I have 2 interviews to write up and somehow I just didn't make any progress since I kept falling asleep. I better feel better tomorrow...

This afternoon I did feel slightly better so I went over to a bar near school where we were having a little mixer so that our cohort (the 2nd year Master's students) could meet the new ones. I didn't get a chance to talk in-depth with too many of them, but the ones I met seem nice. They have a much smaller class than we do. My first year "buddy" was a runner at Princeton and we are going to try and run together soon. She seems overwhelmed by the first week of school, and I don't blame her. Running always helps me when I'm stressed with school, though, so hopefully we can get to know each other that way.

OK, I'm beat and I still have a few things to take care of before I can go to bed. Ciao!

Posted by becky at 9:23 PM | Comments (0)

Good headphones for running?

I meant to post this last night. My sister is looking for running/working out-friendly headphones to use with her iPod. We got a suggestion for some Aiwa ones but she is having trouble finding them. Anyone have any recommendations?

Posted by becky at 12:01 PM | Comments (1)