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May 31, 2006
Starting to pack up
I rode my bike trainer this morning for about an hour and a half while watching Regis and Kelly (although it was Donald Trump and Kelly today for some reason) and part of one of my all-time favorite movies, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Despite the entertainment--and conversations with Matt, who was up and about for most of the time I was on the bike--the time passed slowly and my butt hurt. I think my knee is almost ready for some running, but I've put in all this time already so I don't want to set myself back.
We started packing up our apartment today despite the fact that we still haven't signed a lease anywhere in DC yet! Actually, today was more of a cleaning up day. We now have several bags of clothes, shoes and coats to donate to charity.
I went for a massage today, but it wasn't exactly what I anticipated. I called this massage school in Watertown last week having heard good things about them, but I made sure to schedule an appointment with one of the professional therapists, not the students. I got lost on the way there today and was not happy to hear that the receptionist who scheduled me had made a mistake and scheduled me with a student. The plus side was that it was only $20 (for an hour!) I explained to the student about my knee and she said she would be careful. I think she was too careful--the massage was relaxing, but I don't think it worked out any of the tightness in my hamstring. Oh, well!
Tonight Matt and I walked to Davis Sq. (about a mile and a half each way) for dinner. We rarely go there and we got a table outside just as the temperature was cooling down, so it was nice. We might as well take advantage of the "cool" weather while we can as it was 95 in DC again today...
Posted by becky at 9:50 PM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2006
Tuesdays are terrible...
...when I know that I won't be able to do my club's track workout. To be honest, my knee is feeling a lot better. I slept a lot better last night than I have in about a week because it wasn't bothering me every time I moved. But I don't want to rush it just to feel less guilty about not having done a track workout--I want it to heal so I can enjoy running again. It's hard to be "good" but I hope it'll pay off in the long run (pun intended?)
I sucked it up and swam for about an hour this morning. Mostly just pulling, but since kicking doesn't hurt too much anymore, I mixed it up with the kickboard a bit. It was pretty boring and I felt like I was swallowing water on every lap. Other than that, it was just great! :) I rode the spin bike for a bit in the afternoon and lifted. That was fine except that I got really hungry toward the end so I cut it a little short.
In non-workout news, Matt and I went shopping today for a couple of hours, which is a pretty rare occurence. He got some new t-shirts at Banana Republic and I got shorts and a skirt at J. Crew and a free pair of underwear at Victoria's Secret thanks to a coupon that came in the mail. It was nice walking around today; the humidity was gone by the afternoon and it wasn't too hot. (I heard it was 95 and blazing in DC today. Yes!)
That's about it from me. We still haven't made a decision on an apartment yet but hope to within the next day or so.
Posted by becky at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2006
Full day of outdoor fun
The time I spent biking this morning on my trainer (the gym was closed) was the most time I spent inside today. I could have gone for a real ride, but I wanted to watch my tape of the Prefontaine Classic, so it worked out well. I biked pretty easily for what felt like forever but was probably an hour and a half (I messed up my watch timer) because I have a sneaking suspicion that the "hill" repeats I've been doing may not be so great for my knee. It felt pretty good while biking today, and even after I got off the bike. I was really hot and sweaty the whole time despite the fact that the air conditioning was on. I'm sure at the gym it is set at a much lower temperature.
Matt and I decided to spend a lot of the day outside since it was so warm and sunny. We intended to spend most of our time at Walden Pond, but when we drove up, there was a sign that said the parking lot would reopen in 2 hours. We looked for somewhere else to park, but it is all residential around there and there is no street parking. We checked out the map and saw that there was a bird sanctuary/nature preserve nearby so we went there. We ate our sandwiches and discovered that there were some nice hiking trails, so we walked around until it was time to go back to Walden. It was really hot, especially in the sun, while we were walking around, but I didn't mind as much as I might have had I run in it that morning. In any case, we had fun exploring and made it back just as the parking lot was opening up again at Walden.
We lucked out and found a relatively quiet spot away from the throngs of people at the pond. It took me about 20 minutes of standing around in the water, but I eventually did get in for a short swim. It actually felt really good once I got over the initial shock of the cold water! We spent the rest of the time just reading and relaxing and it was really nice--the kind of thing I'd like to do again if we were not leaving the area.
I wish my leg felt better enough to try and do the track workout tomorrow, but I think I owe it to myself to give it at least a full week. Plus, I'm still not pain-free. I think it's coming along, but obviously not at the pace I would have hoped for!
Posted by becky at 9:46 PM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2006
More of the same
I had a small window of opportunity to get a workout in today, and I tried to make the most of it. I could sneak into Washington Sports Club using my sister's ID card, but they didn't open until 8:30 am and we had an appointment to see an apartment at 11. So, I walked the half mile or so to the gym, biked for a tiny bit more than an hour (hard), did my ab routine and walked home. When I woke up, my knee felt better--a lot less stiff and sore. It doesn't hurt while I'm on the bike, but it definitely stiffens up. Plus I'm sure all the walking around we did yesterday and later on today didn't help. Anyway, I will go crazy if I don't do anything, so at this point biking is where it's at. The MIT gym is closed tomorrow or else I would swim...
We saw a few more apartments today but left DC without signing a lease. We put in an application for one that we like and have a couple of fall back options. Unfortunately nothing really blew us away, but I am pretty confident that we'll be okay. Because tomorrow is a holiday, we will probably have to wait until Tuesday to figure things out.
I am off to read today's New York Times--I feel very removed from current events these days!
Posted by becky at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2006
Early morning ride
Well, we're back in DC continuing our housing search. We had a 9am flight from Manchester this morning (almost an hour away) so I got up as early as I could stand (5am) to test out my new bike trainer. It was nice to be able to roll out of bed and work out, I must admit. I watched a lot of Monster-in-Law while I pedaled and sweated away, and that definitely helped pass the time. It was a decent workout and I knew it would be all I would have time for today.
We walked around pretty much all day and the weather was nice and soupy, just the way I like it :) We saw a few decent apartments and will probably have to make a decision tomorrow. Tonight we went to dinner at "our" sushi place in our old neighborhood with Matt's sister and a friend of hers who is in town. As hot as it was during the day, it was a nice night to sit outside. Anyway, I'm pooped! I will limit myself to checking NCAA regional results and then head to bed.
Posted by becky at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2006
One reason I'd rather be working out inside
It's humid all of a sudden! I'm trying to think positively about my injury and the fact that I'm not running, so this morning I (tried to be) glad that I was biking in the air-conditioned gym rather than running outside. Today there was a woman on the spin bike next to me who was also working pretty hard. Although she wasn't showing any evidence of sweating and I had a major puddle. Anyway, she looked like she was doing some sort of workout so I did hill intervals to break up the monotony too. My leg felt okay doing those--admittedly not 100%, but better. The time actually did go by quicker and I think I got a decent workout in. It's hard to compare any non-impact activities to running because the feeling you get after running, even running easy, is much different.
I cleaned my apartment for an hour or so this afternoon and did a couple of other things around here. Then I went to a bike store nearby and bought a trainer for my bike so that I can use it for cross training inside. I've wanted to get one for a long time and this latest injury combined with the fact that my mom said she'd buy it for my (upcoming) birthday sealed the deal. I stayed at the bike store a long time to make sure I really understood how to put it together and mount the bike on it. I think I get it now and will hopefully try it tomorrow.
After the bike store, I stopped by my grandparents' for a little while and then Matt and I went to a barbeque. It started raining pretty hard about an hour before the party but the couple was resourceful and put up tarps and it was just fine. It was still quite warm out so it ended up being a nice night to be outside.
We're headed to DC pretty early in the morning to do (hopefully) a final housing search, so I better hit the sack. Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Posted by becky at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2006
A particularly boring swim
When I walked into the MIT locker room this morning, my Reefs were back, right where I had left them! I guess someone walked off with them by accident and then returned them. So my faith in the MIT student body has been restored. My swim today went by really slooowwwly. I'm sure there are swimmers out there who think running is boring, but I really find it hard to stay motivated for very long in the water. Some days are better than others, and today was a bad day for me. I think part of the reason I get so bored is that I can only pull and not use the kickboard or do other strokes or anything (because it hurts to bend my knee.) It's very monotonous. I tried a few "steps" of pool running just to break it up but my leg is not ready for that. I find that most muscle/tendon injuries do not react well to pool running since it's the same repetitive motion that injured it in the first place. With stress fractures, I presume it is different because it's the impact that causes pain. Anyway, I tried to occupy myself by planning my day, thinking about the weekend, watching other peoples' smooth and strong strokes underwater, etc…and I lasted almost an hour. My arms were killing me afterwards.
I met Mary for lunch by her office, which is near the Cambridgeside Galleria. There are lots of nice places to sit outside around there, which was great for today since it was beautiful out. (Why couldn't I have been injured during the May Monsoon??) We had a nice time eating and chatting and it was so nice in the sun that I decided to read for a couple of hours on the MIT quad. I figured that was a good place to hang out because there would be accessible bathrooms nearby. I fell asleep at one point and woke up very itchy and sneezy, which I'm assuming had something to do with the fact that they were mowing the lawn nearby. Anyway, that was my cue to leave and I went to bike and lift at the gym. I felt a little sunburned and out of it while I was there, which wasn't the most pleasant feeling.
Afterwards, I met a couple of friends for dinner at Whole Foods (I seem to be boycotting the kitchen these days) which was fun and relaxing. Matt is at a Red Sox game tonight so I have parked myself in front of the television. Life between grad school and the real world is good!
Posted by becky at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2006
The cross training continues
Well, it turns out my decision to let my leg heal hasn't gotten through to my leg yet. It is still hurting a lot just walking around. I headed to the gym pretty early this morning and used the spin bike for a while. I didn't leave quite as much of a puddle this time as I did on Saturday morning because it hurt to stand up and do "hills." I felt my knee a little bit while biking but not as much as just walking around. I read for a little while (until the book got soggy) and then just relied on my iPod for entertainment—I'm grateful for the music, at least!
I didn't have time to lift after biking because I had a phone interview scheduled, so I went back and did that later, in between meeting with a professor and getting my hair cut. When I came back to my locker after working out, I noticed that my favorite black Reef flip flops were gone! (Everyone leaves their shoes outside their locker at MIT.) Who would steal sandals that were molded to MY feet? Luckily they are cheap enough to replace, but it will take me quite some time to get comfortable in them. I'm never trusting anyone in the locker room again! Hmph. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now and go back to hanging out with Matt!
Posted by becky at 6:26 PM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2006
Admitting defeat
I've had a sneaking suspicion that my knee pain was more than just soreness ever since late last week, but I really didn't want to admit it to myself, especially since I was going to try and make it through one more track workout tonight. Since I don't really take much time off, I have learned to run through a lot of aches and pains. But I know it's generally something serious when the pain lasts all day (and night) after a run and I have trouble just walking, which is what's going on now.
I woke up this morning and it hurt immediately getting out of bed. I was still in denial mode and thought I would do my usual pre-workout jog and it would loosen up and I'd know I'd be okay for track. It did loosen up some, but after about 10 minutes, I realized that it was truly dumb to try and do speedwork on it. First of all, I could tell I was limping, no matter how much I tried to make up for it. I probably wouldn't have been able to run fast anyway. Secondly, it really hurt! I made up my mind before getting back home that I needed to try to take care of this now, rather than limping through another few weeks worth of runs. This wasn't and still isn't an easy decision for me to deal with; I was tearing up as I got home.
We've all been through it so I'm sure many of you know exactly what I mean when I say I felt really low today. Maybe I should have taken more than 0 days off after each of my marathons this spring, but I've been okay not doing that before. In all honesty, my right leg (currently my "bad" leg but formerly my "never injured" leg) hasn't felt right since Boston. Wynne and I ran on the right side of the road for the vast majority of the race. I'm not sure if that was why, but my right foot and quad were noticeably more sore than the left after that. My right hamstring has been very tight too recently and I'm sure it's all contributing to a very inflamed popliteal tendon. Anyway, whatever the reason for this injury, I guess it doesn't matter. I feel like I was in great shape leading up to the marathon and I just dread the feeling of being sluggish and out of shape when I eventually get better. At this point, though, I'm not physically capable of running fast, so it's kind of a moot point.
I spent a lot of the day sleeping today. I felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open because I didn't want to think about dealing with my injury. Eventually I snapped out of it somewhat and I did some work and then headed to MIT to swim--or pull, I should say. My friend Summer, who is the assistant track coach at MIT, was pool running at the time, so it wasn't as lonely as it might have been. They've changed the pool over to long course (50 meter lanes) for the summer, which takes some getting used to, especially since I haven't been swimming much lately. I swam for almost an hour, until my arms were about to fall off. So boring, but I kept thinking that it was good for me to be in the pool rather than on the track.
After swimming I was starving as I always am when I get out of the pool. I was having major guilt pangs that I wasn't at my club's track workout, but I tried my best to push them out of my head and enjoy a greasy burger at Bartley's, a Harvard Square institution, with Summer and Matt. I've passed by a million times, but neither Matt nor I had ever been. It was very good and we had a lot of fun.
I'm home icing again, hoping at least the pain will go away soon. I'm going to do a little research on massages in the area and prepare for a phone interview I have tomorrow. I apologize if this entry was depressing, but if you're a runner, you know exactly how I feel!
Posted by becky at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2006
Total trail run
Today Alison and I decided to drive up to the Fells and do our entire run on trails. My knee felt better before and during the run, but I'm not sure some of the more rigorous trails were so good for it. Hmm. Anyway, Alison knows the Fells better than I do, but even she gets turned around sometimes. We tried to explore and do a new route, but we ended up doing a lot of what we had done last week when we ran in the Fells. It was fun though, so it didn't matter. Except for the fact that it was a little windy, the weather was beautiful today--finally. It was nice to be outside and running when most everyone else was at work!
The rest of my day was pretty low key. I iced my leg as much as I could stand, I worked on my independent study project and did some job searching. Oh, and laundry--can't forget that. In the late afternoon I lifted and then picked up Matt who was studying at the library for his last test, and now we are about to eat dinner. Quite exciting, I know :) But I don't mind!
Posted by becky at 7:48 PM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2006
Back to poundin' the pavement
So, the verdict on today's run was: so-so. My knee didn't bother me for the first few miles, I just felt sluggish, which could have been due to my biking yesterday since I don't usually bike so hard for that amount of time. I met Alisonat one of our typical halfway points and we did a run that the Tufts' team calls "Cemetery," because it (shocking) goes through a cemetery that is incidentally right across the street from my grandparents' house. We stopped for a minute at Dunkin' Donuts on our way to the cemetery so I could go to the bathroom and my knee definitely tightened up. It never got too much worse and actually didn't feel that bad when I got back, but it's something I need to watch, for sure. I had intended on doing a longer run today, but it ended up being only 10 or so. (Alison ran more since she ran me home.) My mileage this week--with two days off--is certainly a lot lower than anything I've seen in awhile, but what can you do?
We had friends over for brunch this morning so that was a good time. These friends are getting married in a couple of months so inevitably the conversation turned to weddings and wedding planning. Once our wedding was over, I really stopped being interested in that stuff, which might be kind of selfish of me. But I do a good job of pretending :)
I worked on my independent study project today and then I did an abbreviated lifting session at the gym. Matt is studying for his last final tonight but we are both looking forward to watching Sopranos in a bit!
Posted by becky at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2006
So far, the world hasn't ended
Eek! I took today as another cross-training day because my knee is feeling better, but I wanted to give it two days in a row off from running so I can hopefully run tomorrow. I was talking to Audrey last night at our school event about taking days off to heal injuries, and she said she thinks that two days in a row are better than every other. So I decided it couldn't hurt (physically). Mentally it was another story. Of course it was a beautiful day out when I was driving down to the gym, and there were runners everywhere. I tried to remind myself that most of them were probably not running last Saturday when we were doing the half marathon.
At the gym, I got on the spin bike for 70 minutes or so. I always cross train hard and today was no exception. I had a towel spread over the handlebars but that didn't do as much to catch the sweat as I would have liked. There was a puddle on the ground within a half hour--it was pretty gross, but the spin bikes are back behind some beams, so I didn't feel like people were staring at me (which I sometimes do on the more-exposed stationary bike). I did some "hills" to break up the monotony and I did feel like I got a good workout. And my knee didn't hurt on the bike.
I wanted to lift afterwards but I knew I would get a parking ticket if I did anything more than my ab routine. I was also disgustingly sweaty and really wanted to get in the shower. I've been trying not to feel guilty about not running but I have to admit that I have been thinking about it today...I was too busy to get another workout in (plus the pool was closed for a swim meet) so I am definitely feeling like I've done nothing compared to my usual long run Saturdays. But, if it helps me out in the long run, I'll look back on this day fondly. We shall see--I am planning to run tomorrow.
Matt and I are off to get ready for dinner at another couple's house. I hear they have a dog, so I'm going to do some deep breathing exercises before we leave. (Just kidding, but I am mentally preparing myself.)
Posted by becky at 5:29 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2006
Everybody in the pool
Yup, I sucked it up and swam today. Actually I pulled the whole time (close to an hour; I can't stand much more than that) so as not to stress my knee at all. It was boring, but I tried to mix it up by alternating "fast"/slow laps and time passed more quickly than I had worried about. My arms were pretty sore afterwards and I definitely got my heart rate up, so I guess I did okay. I was hungry enough to eat a horse immediately after I got out of the pool, which always seems to happen after swimming. Not a bad thing since I enjoy eating! :)
My knee is definitely better than it was yesterday--not quite as stiff and sore. I should probably cross train tomorrow, but I haven't fully commited to the idea since it is very traumatic for me to not run on a "long run" day. We'll see.
After I finished swimming today, I headed over to school to drop off my final exam. It was a nice feeling! Now I just have a small project to finish up and I hope to do that this weekend. I came home after that and did some cleaning that I've been putting off for way too long since I've been busy. Then I went downtown to get a manicure and pedicure and to meet Matt to go over to an end-of-year party my school was sponsoring down by Fanueil Hall. It was fun to see everyone a lot less stressed than they've been in the past few weeks! Matt and I walked around near Quincy Market on our way back to the T and felt like real tourists--it was kind of fun! Tonight we're both beat so we're staying in to probably catch up on our HBO shows. Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 9:38 PM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2006
Fighting an injury
What's the best way to treat a sore popliteal tendon (behind my knee)? Go run 10 miles with a lot of it on rocky trails in the Fells! Totally my decision, I realize this. And it was nice to run somewhere different for a change. But I still probably should have opted to cross train today or at least take it easy. Which is what I am going to do tomorrow, after icing all day today and crossing my fingers (and toes) hoping that this is a quick-healing injury.
But today, I was stubborn. I drove over to Alison's place and we ran to the Fells from there. We both noticed right away that it was warmer than it's been in probably more than a week, especially in the sun. Once we got into the Fells we tried to follow our instincts and memories of a map we had just looked at before we left. We did pretty well but ended up on a few rough trails that we had intended to avoid. My knee was feeling sore at first but not too bad...but all the careful-treading over rocks and roots just made it worse. And then I tried to hurdle over a chain. I made it, but my back leg was the one that's bothering me and I was really worried for a second that I tore something. I was able to make it through the run but I wasn't picking up my feet well and I kept tripping over things. I was very glad when we were finally on our way back to Alison's place and my Gatorade in the car.
I didn't do anything else that would have stressed my knee today. I just sat in front of my computer and worked on my take-home exam. I gave myself a deadline of 6pm tonight so I could go meet Matt at a Sloan event, and that definitely helped. I need to look it over in the morning but I think I'm pretty much done. Now all I have to do is finish up an independent study project, but it's a fun one.
Matt stayed later at the Sloan event than I did, so I'm going to use this time to start watching some of the season finales I have on tape from the past week! We'll see how long I stay awake.
Posted by becky at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2006
A sunny(!) run through Charlestown
I think everyone around here was a little shocked that it was actually sunny out today--well, for most of the day, anyway. It certainly made it easier to get out of bed! I woke up a little before I needed to today to help Matt get ready in his usual rush to leave for what I think was his final early class, and then I went to meet Alison and P. We wanted to go somewhere different today and we decided on Charlestown (I think it was Alison's idea.) Getting there isn't incredibly scenic (okay, it's downright ugly in some parts) but once we got there we ran through the cute neighborhoods and back around the Bunker Hill monument before returning to ugliness and coming over a very traffic-y bridge. We dropped P off at Kendall Square and then made our way back in the general direction of both of our places, but I wimped out before we got to the halfway point. I was feeling tired and had already a good amount so I just headed back a bit early.
I noticed that a few miles into today's run, the back of my knee started to hurt. It didn't bother me terribly, but when I got home and got up from sitting for awhile, it really was stiff and very sore. I get nervous about back of the knee stuff because I had a popliteal tendon injury almost exactly 2 years ago, although I think it was in my left knee (the right one hurts now.) It had been a little sore at the end of last week and I'm worried that not cooling down or stretching much right after the half marathon on Sunday might have aggravated it. I was doing so well there for a few months with nary an ache or pain, and now it's like a new one crops up each day. I know that means I should take a cross-training day, and I'm considering it. Really.
I worked on my take home final this afternoon and went to the gym when I got frustrated/bored. I sped through my lifting so that I could get some errands done on the way home and not get back too late. I got so hungry when I was picking up some groceries that I bought an onion bialy-type thing and ate it before I got to the check-out line :) (Of course I told the cashier and paid for it.) I hate the low blood sugar feeling I get when I need to eat. It reminds me of hitting the wall in a marathon, one of the most uncomfortable feelings ever.
Matt is on his way home so I am going to be a good wife and make some dinner. It's only pasta, but as long as I feel like I'm being domestic, it counts.
Posted by becky at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2006
String of sub-par workouts continues
I sound like a broken record, but it was pouring out when I woke up. Luckily, though, pretty much as soon as I left to go meet Alison, the rain started to let up and even the sun was poking out of the clouds a little bit. It was almost shocking. We ran over to the Tufts track for an attempt at a workout, not knowing how wet the track would be. It was pretty bad in lane 1 and better (except for a couple of spots) in lane 2. Alison suggested mile repeats at the same tempo-ish pace we've been doing some longer stuff. I considered doing something shorter and faster, but I always have better luck when I try to pace myself with someone else. So miles (in lane 2) it was.
All the water on us and in our shoes after continuously splashing through the puddles made our legs feel like weights. We both commented that although we were hitting our usual times (maybe a couple of seconds slower than last week), the pace felt a lot harder. We were going to do 4 or 5 but after number 3, we called it quits and just jogged home. It was less of a workout (in terms of volume) than I am used to, but I was definitely tired of going around and through those puddles and was glad to stop.
I went to my very last scheduled class this afternoon (whoo-hoo!) and then came back home when I was finished. I decided to go for a second (short) run because it wasn't raining and I was looking for an excuse to procrastinate. I actually felt decent during the run, at least until it started to pour again when I was about a mile from home. So much for the sun!
Today is our wedding anniversary (#2). Tonight we are going out to dinner to a nice restaurant to celebrate that and the approaching end of finals. I have been looking forward to a good meal and a nice glass of wine all day!
Posted by becky at 5:19 PM | Comments (2)
May 15, 2006
Comparatively dry
I woke up a few times during the night to the now-familiar sound of the pouring rain, but when I left in the morning, the rain was actually tapering off. And although it rained all day and night yesterday, the puddles didn't seem as deep as they were when I ran yesterday morning. Weird. Anyway, Alison and I met and ran through Union Square and along Route 28 and got on the path by the river at the Museum of Science. We came back through Inman Square and as we always do when we run that way, took a wrong turn and went a bit out of our way. Since I had to go to class, we parted ways closer to my place than in the true middle.
We were apparently running during rush hour today as we had to stop for many lights. I should have taken the opportunity to stretch more, because I got a cramp in my hamstring at the end of the run. All in all I felt pretty tired on the run today. I'm not sure why, exactly, but I kind of felt that way throughout the day later, so maybe my lack of sleep on Friday night is just catching up with me. When I was biking this afternoon, even US Weekly wasn't making the time pass any quicker, and I practically fell asleep sitting on a bench in between sets when I was lifting.
I turned in one assignment this morning and am hoping to knock off a pretty minor one tonight. Then tomorrow I pick up a take-home final that's due at the end of the week. That one's going to be tough...but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yippee!
Posted by becky at 7:52 PM | Comments (0)
May 14, 2006
Wettest run EVER
I truly can't believe how long it's been raining here. I woke up to the sound of pouring rain and was really dreading going outside, especially having gotten soaked yesterday. But I had a lot to do today (still do, so this will be quick) so I put on my hat and a rain jacket and confronted the elements. It wasn't even the rain that was so bad; it was more the puddles/flooding on the sidewalk and roads. In Harvard Square, it was better to run on the roads than the cobblestone sidewalks, but it was different depending on where I was and whether a car was going to come and drown me in a huge splash. I ended up down by the river where (foot and automobile) traffic was scarce but there were huge, impassable puddles. It was also very windy, and the temperature hasn't gotten out of the 40s today. In some ways, I enjoyed being hard core and knowing that this is my last New England "spring" so I probably won't see weather like this for a long time, but even those feelings got old after about 40 minutes, so I turned for home and only did about 6 or 7 miles.
My legs felt a little tired but okay after yesterday's half marathon, although since I've been home sitting at my computer the back of my knee has been really stiff. Ideally I would have liked to swim or lift tonight but I am still not finished with a project that is due tomorrow so that was definitely out of the question. I have one page to go and I would love to be able to watch my HBO shows tonight, so I am going to put the pedal to the medal in the next hour!
Posted by becky at 7:47 PM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2006
Wet in the wilds of NH
I think I can safely assert that I've never run a race in wetter conditions than those that greeted us today at the Big Lake Half Marathon. I heard it raining--hard--all night (I didn't sleep that well) and although it was only drizzling when Wynne and I arrived in New Hampshire, that soon turned into a steady downpour that never let up.
We left Somerville just before 6 am. Wynne was kind enough to volunteer to drive, and conditions were intermittently bad and worse on the drive up. Traffic was light, though--what other idiots would be out and about in this weather?--and we got to to Alton, NH in just under 2 hours. Oddly, the race's start is about a mile and a half from the finish. This caused all sorts of logistical problems. We also had to park sort of far away, which was quite an annoyance when we got to the number pickup and they would not give Wynne her number until she went all the way back to the car and got her photo ID. (We jogged, making it a short warmup.)
Several of my DC friends (including my former and soon-to-be again training partner Leilani) had planned a weekend trip around the race. If the weather cooperated, it would have been a weekend to be in New England. Nevertheless, I was glad to see them and we all went to the starting line together. I lost Wynne for awhile, but she found me. We all had to check our bags onto this truck because the race officials didn't know if the school near the start (not the finish) would be open when we got back. The truck was taking bags to the finish line, as we found out.
Anyway, Wynne and I ended up running with Jill, who now lives in NYC and runs for Warren Street, but had lived in DC for a couple of years and is friends with Leilani and the other girls who made the trip. I don't think I had ever met her in person. She is a pretty good runner but was planning to take it easy today because she just had surgery (not running-related). This sounded like a good plan to the two of us, too! It was cold and pouring by the time the race started and starting off nice and easy was a good idea. The first seven miles were mostly flat with a few downhills and some gentle uphills. We weren't totally slogging but were running comfortably enough to be able to converse (I didn't get all the splits, but probably between 7:30 and 7:50 mostly.) There were supposed to be bands at every mile but I think the rain drove some of them away. There was decent crowd support though even in the rain and apart from the volunteer who spilled a cup of water on me, the water/Gatorade stations were well-organized. The second half of the course had a couple of pretty big New England hills. I felt okay but definitely a bit tired and heavy-legged. The three of us decided to pick it up the last mile and a half and pass as many people as we could. Wynne and Jill ended up a few seconds ahead of me at the finish but all of us passed probably 10 people, maybe more. We all ran around 1:40. Not too bad for running comfortably most of the way.
It was FREEZING at the finish and everyone seemed to be ushering us to these school buses. The bag check truck was right near the buses too and although we wanted to cool down, we knew we would get hypothermic if we didn't get into dry clothes right away. Once we got changed, no one wanted to run anymore (including me) so against my better judgment, we did not do any cooling down (gasp!) and instead just stretched. We were just so happy to be in a dry place. Unfortunately all the post-race food was in a wet place--at the finish. We thought there would at least be something in the school, but it was empty.
After hanging out with Lei et al. for a bit and getting warm, Wynne and I got back on the road. We made a quick Dunkin' Donuts stop and then navigated through a tremendous downpour to get home. Between the rain and the fact that we missed an exit, it took us way longer to get back than we anticipated. Mad props to Wynne for driving though!
Matt and I are headed out to my grandparents' for dinner with them and our Israeli cousins who are visiting. All I want to do is take a nap, but food would be good too!
Posted by becky at 4:47 PM | Comments (1)
May 12, 2006
Cold but not too rainy (mostly)
It was drizzling again when I ran this morning, but I didn't mind. In fact, I kind of liked it. I went early with Wynne in an effort to get my day started. I did not want to run very far today considering that I was actually weighing the option of taking a cross-training day, so we kept it short. We ran a nice loop that passed through Harvard Square and my knee felt fine (knock on wood.) Of course, the early start to the day ended up resulting in a mid-morning nap, but I'm still glad I ran when I did.
Except for the nap break, I was productive today. In the late afternoon, I went to get a quick manicure and then I parked near MIT and went to help at/watch New Englands. (MIT is hosting and there were a couple of athletes competing tonight.) They ended up needing some help so I felt useful for awhile and then (when it got cold, of course) I just stood around and watched the distance races. (Alison was there with the Tufts ladies and I watched the 5K with her.) I was getting colder and colder and toward the end of the 10K, it began to pour. One of the MIT athletes I know fairly well met all her goals in the 10K--her last race as a collegiate athlete--so it made it all worthwhile. Helping the coaches pack up the video equipment and long jump rakes was not so rewarding.
I finally got home around 9:15 and picked up some dinner. Not the ideal way to spend the evening before what promises to be a VERY wet half marathon, but I'm thinking of it more as a social long run anyway. Some of my friends from DC are coming up and Wynne is coming too. I may be tempted to race it just to get done quicker, but we'll see. Unfortunately it is 2 hours away in New Hampshire so I will be getting up very early and miss most of my working hours tomorrow. You only live once, though! Running in the rain is always a memorable experience.
Happy (wet?) weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2006
Continuation of the rainy week
It wasn't really raining this morning, only kind of misting. It was very humid, although when I took off my long sleeve shirt my hands got cold. That's the kind of weather we've had all week! I ran up to Alison's house and we took off from there (P came too.) We ran along one of the less scenic streets in Medford into Medford Center but turned off onto a quieter and more enjoyable street. P turned off when we completed the loop and Alison ran me home and then I'm not sure what she did from there. It was a decent run with good conversation; I don't have too much more to say about it!
As usual, I went to class in the afternoon and then to the gym, although I swam today (only pulling) because my knee is still sore (better while running, though, knock on wood.) I was so tired! That's what happens when I only swim occasionally. Maybe I'll get back into it this summer. Maybe not, though! I sure will miss the MIT pool and the fact that it is co-located with my gym.
I think I hear the rain starting up again...
Posted by becky at 6:37 PM | Comments (1)
May 10, 2006
Harder than it should have been
It seems that my knee hurts when I first start out running and then gets better. I know this is not neccesarily a good thing, and I'm seriously considering swimming on Friday instead of running. But it felt marginally better today than it did at the end of the run on Monday. Alison had a workout planned that she described as "not too hard" and I think she even used the word "fun." I didn't have any particular plans for my run so I decided to tag along. We were going to go to the Fells to give our legs a break from the pounding but it poured all night and was wet again this morning. So we hit the only bike path around (the Minuteman Trail) instead.
Alison told me she was doing 30 secs on, 30 secs off. I was surprised to hear that she wanted to do 30 of them. But it's really not that much fast running, it just sounds daunting. To me, anyway. We jogged for a bit and then started our first pickup when we got onto the Arlington part of the bike path. From the beginning I could tell I was not going to like this workout. It takes my body more than 30 seconds to be able to run at any sort of speed, and I just felt weird and not warmed up. I was being a baby and suggested that we break the pickups into 3 sets of 10 with some jogging in between. In the end, I'm not sure if that helped me or just prolonged the misery. We did get further out on the bike path than I've been in almost 2 years when I explored on my bike, which was neat. But I didn't feel speedy or in control or any of the things you are supposed to feel when doing a planned workout. I'm not too torn up about it--I'm glad I gave it a shot--but it was not too pleasant. I know Alison is planning to make these short intervals a regular part of her training, so while I'm still running with her, I'll probably suffer through a few more. Maybe it'll get easier or maybe I was just feeling tired today.
I biked in the afternoon while finishing the reading I needed to do for tomorrow. I was excited to see a sign in the gym announcing that the MIT gym has been nominated in a "Best of Boston" poll. I made sure to vote. I am sure going to miss it when we leave...
Tonight after my class I did a ton of errands and finally got a new running watch since mine has been on the fritz. Now I'm (surprise) back at the computer for another night of academic fun!
Posted by becky at 7:41 PM | Comments (0)
May 9, 2006
Good day to be inside
It was very windy and chilly this morning, but it's only gotten worse since, so I'm glad I ran when I did today. My knee was bothering me on the way to meet Alison this morning, but it seemed to get better after I stopped and stretched for a couple of minutes. We ran to the path that runs along the Mystic River, but it's quite traffic-y and very unscenic to get there the way we did. Once we got on the path it was a little calmer. I felt a little tired today, especially when we were going uphill, but not too bad on the whole. I'm trying to remember if anything eventful happened during out run, but nothing is coming to mind. :)
I spent the rest of the morning applying to a job and finishing up some reading. It was raining by the time I left for class and I got totally soaked sitting on the bus with my umbrella dripping on me. I then got soaked again two hours later on the way home. I had a quick phone interview the second I got home and then I considered going to the gym or going for a short run, but it was so nasty out that I opted for a nap on the couch instead. I think it was probably a good choice considering 1) I rarely break out of my routine and 2) my sore knee.
The nap was hours ago but I haven't been too productive since. Such is the story of my life these days...back to my paper!
Posted by becky at 8:27 PM | Comments (1)
May 8, 2006
For once, a non-windy workout
My club is doing a hill workout tomorrow night and my IT band has been bothering me especially on downhills, so I decided to tag along with Alison this morning for her tempo-ish track workout. My knee wasn't bothering me on the run over to the track, which was good...although it wasn't happy with on the way home later. Alison was doing 2,400m repeats and hadn't officially decided whether she was going to do 3 or 4. (I knew she would do 4 though.) I planned to do 3 as my legs were still a little tired from Saturday's long run and I thought that distance sounded like more than enough. I had a hard time staying focused during the ~10 minutes of running. The pace (just barely under 6:40 for the first and third one and about 4 secs slower on the second) didn't bother me too much, but I never could quite get into a rhythm. I was quite ready to be done after the third one but I decided to join Alison for the middle mile of her final 2,400. That one was a bit faster of a pace but I blame it on the fact that the distance was shorter. My legs (groin and hips too) were really dead when we started jogging home. My knee wasn't too bad until we parted ways after stopping to chat for a few minutes as we are wont to do. I stepped funny as I ran (okay, jogged) off and my knee has been bothering me ever since :(
I biked (and lifted) in the late afternoon after my 5 hours straight of class (one more Monday left, yay!) but I made sure the biking didn't bother my knee. The gym was super-crowded today and I'm not sure why since it was a pretty nice day out! Hmm. Well, it's time once again to get down to business--preparing for a phone interview tomorrow and of course doing some school work!
Posted by becky at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)
May 7, 2006
Taking advantage of road closures
Today was the Walk for Hunger here in Boston, a 20-mile walk to raise money for a charity group that feeds the homeless. A friend of mine from school was doing it so I tried to time my run so that I would see her. But there were so many people walking loops around the Charles River that I never did come across her. I did take advantage of the fact that much of Memorial Drive was closed to traffic for the walk and it was great to avoid the sidewalk for a few miles as my knees have both been a little bit achy. The weather was cooler today than yesterday but it was a bright, sunny day so it made for an enjoyable run. My allergies were bothering me a bit but I have no qualms about blowing my nose on my shirt on a run!
The rest of my day was spent doing laundry and doing work. The laundry literally took hours because it seemed that all of the dryers in the building were broken. So frustrating...I was somewhat productive on one of my projects today but I still will have a lot to do this week and next weekend. I am so ready for school to be done. I know I sound like a broken record...but it's really how I feel! T-minus 2 weeks...
Posted by becky at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)
May 6, 2006
Post-Boston reunion
I haven't seen too much of Wynne since the marathon lately, so I was glad when she asked me earlier in the week if I wanted to do a longish run this weekend. We're both running the Big Lake Half Marathon up in NH next weekend, but I think we might do it more as a training run rather than racing it. In any case, I ran to Wynne's house to meet her and we did a loop involving the Mystic Lakes. We've incorporated this run into much longer runs, but it felt different today because it's been a few weeks since we've done it and because we ran around the Lakes in the opposite direction. It was also weird being hot on the run, since we've done so many cold ones together in the past few months! I'm not sure what the temperature was, but I definitely drained my Gatorade and was sweating a lot. I don't think it was as warm as it was yesterday, though.
We both felt kind of sluggish and attributed it to acclimating to the hotter temps and general tiredness since both of us were out (coincidentally right near each other) too late last night. My total running time today was a bit under 2 hours, similar to what I did for my long run last week. I am skeptical that I could go further, but I always feel like that in the weeks between marathon training seasons.
I haven't been too productive today although I've certainly been sitting at my computer long enough. Matt and I were looking at DC apartment listings earlier and wishing that popping over to see some open houses didn't involve a plane ticket. I keep picturing other couples swooping in and taking our (as yet undiscovered) perfect apartment. :)
I think we're staying in tonight, but I'd like to get out of here for at least a little while. I feel very cooped up. Finals time is evil during spring semester--just as the weather gets nicer, you can't enjoy it!
Posted by becky at 5:32 PM | Comments (0)
May 5, 2006
One class finished
The unpleasantness of getting up early today was tempered by the fact that I knew today was my last early class for the semester. This particular class ended a couple of weeks earlier than my other ones will because it is cross-listed with other universities, and I was very happy about that. I got a decent amount of sleep last night, but I woke up feeling kind of off. It was very humid and overcast this morning (but it turned into a nice day) and I was really dragging. Nothing in particular was bothering me, but it was just one of those runs. I've had way too many of those lately and I'm starting to regret not resting enough post-Boston. I just hope I start to feel a little peppier soon.
I did some grocery shopping after my class and then I came home for a phone interview and a conference call. The interview was very intense and it's hard to tell how I did. Now I'm actually running out the door for my manicure and to stop by my grandparents' as usual on Friday. Happy Heps weekend!
Posted by becky at 3:21 PM | Comments (2)
May 4, 2006
Nicest weather in a while
This will be quick as I need to get to bed soon and I have to prepare for a phone interview tomorrow! I felt better on today's run than I did yesterday, although it felt really warm...almost hot, even though it was supposedly only in the 50s in the morning. Alison and I met up and did a big loop kind of in the Fresh Pond area, also getting some of the path around the Pond, mainly for access to the one water fountain that was actually on. We ended up doing probably a little more than 10 miles. Since it was so nice out, everyone (and their dog) was out and about. It was the first spring-like day all week, so even I enjoyed it despite having to wring out my shirt and shorts at the end. It's days like these when I just can't picture how I will get through another summer...and a mid-Atlantic summer, to be more precise. I guess that's the beauty of acclimation.
I biked and lifted later in the afternoon after class while catching up on the latest news about Britney's second (!) pregnancy and Gwyneth's pledge to stop procreating. Reading crap like that may not appeal to everyone, but it sure makes the time in the gym fly by! :) After the gym, I met Mary at her house and she came with me to pick up a package at the UPS Customer Service Center and then we took a walk to Davis Square for dinner. It was a lot of fun. Now I'm off to finish up what I have to do and then hit the sack!
Posted by becky at 9:25 PM | Comments (0)
May 3, 2006
Ugh
This morning's run was quite unpleasant for both Alison and me. I think we were mostly just not recovered from last night's track workout. Sometimes it bothers me the next morning more than other times--I'm not sure what the deciding factor is. Regardless, today my hips and groin were tight almost the whole time and I just felt blah. The cold and rainy weather didn't help me loosen up. We tried to explore a little bit and do a loop that Alison had done with a couple of the Tufts runners, but we got all turned around and decided we didn't want to run that far anyway. I think we were both relieved when we parted ways just because it meant the run was almost done.
I tried to do some work in the morning when I got back. The dreary weather made me just want to get back into bed and read a book. As a slave to my routine, though, I had to go lift before my afternoon class. It was fairly uneventful except I didn't have much energy (even after eating an energy bar. Hmm.) I went over to school after that and then came home. Tonight's exciting plans are laundry and finishing up a final assignment for a class that ends Friday (yay!). I'd still rather be in bed with a good book!
P.S. I forgot to mention that last Friday morning, when I was running before we left for the airport, there was a huge turkey (or some kind of bird) standing in the parking lot of a gas station about a half-mile from my apartment. A couple of cars stopped to see it up close. It was very strange but I didn't have time to stop and figure out where the heck it came from!
Posted by becky at 6:41 PM | Comments (0)
May 2, 2006
Rainy return to Tues. night workouts
Today was one of those May days that didn't feel very spring-like. It was pouring this morning when I went for my short run and I felt like a wet dog when I got back. It's also treacherous to run through Harvard Square in the morning when it's raining because people are quite unaware of what's going on around them when they are holding umbrellas. Luckily I made it through the run wet and muddy but unscathed.
I had a phone "interview" this morning which turned out to be more of an informal conversation. It didn't last long and I was glad to have a couple of hours before my afternoon class to get some stuff done. I am very behind on updating my running club's Web site and am slowly but surely making progress.
We held a mock senate hearing in my law class today. I was lucky enough not to have to testify and I only had to speak briefly. Some people got very into it. (I was not one of those people.) It was more entertaining than the usual lecture, though, so that was nice.
It wasn't raining too much during the day, but it got very windy. I was dreading the track workout all day because I always get psyched out by the wind. I didn't expect to have company to run over to the track, but Alison decided to do her workout with us at night since the weather was so awful this morning, so I met her on my jog over. It was sort of misting at that point and pretty chilly, probably in the high 40s. I know I like the cold, but not when it's wet and windy too and I have to run on the track.
The workout was 6 x 800 at interval pace and 2 x 400 at repeat pace. I was extremely tight on the first one but wasn't too far off the pace I wanted to run. Then the next two were 2 and 4 seconds slower than the first one. I was feeling pretty tired and I was really glad that I had one of the guys in the club to run with, because it kept me focused. We adjusted our goal a little bit and were pretty consistent for the last three, although I lost focus during the last 150 meters of the last two. The 400s weren't too bad but my stomach was bothering me at that point. Not having a bathroom at track is terrible. There are nearby buildings with bathrooms, obviously, but I don't know which ones are even open. Anyway, it was not the most stellar workout in the world. I was so glad to finish and jog home.
Right as we were about to leave the track, our coach asked me if I was okay because it looked like I was limping during the workout. I'm definitely not the most efficient runner in the world and have been told that I limp a bit, but he totally freaked me out. He said it looked like my right leg wasn't coming as far forward as my left. Maybe it's residual soreness or stiffness from the marathon? I don't know, but I'm paranoid that I'm going to cause an injury! Ugh...well, enough thinking about that for now. I need to go write a graduate school-level book report.
Posted by becky at 8:55 PM | Comments (0)
May 1, 2006
May day
I'm not sure how it got to be May already. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess.
Time did not pass that quickly today while I sat through the same lecture I had about two months ago in another class. I was struggling to keep my eyes open--despite being kind of bored, I felt generally tired today. I didn't feel too bad when Alison and I met in the morning for a run. We had lots of things to catch up on (Penn Relays, my weekend in DC, etc.) so the run went by quickly. It was on the humid side (I thought) this morning. We ran through Somerville (not scenic) to the Cambridge side of the river (scenic) and then looped back. My biggest complaint today is that the frizzy pieces coming out of my bun were flying everywhere and really bothering me. If only that was the worst annoyance on a run!
I did not have my afternoon class today so I got my lifting done a couple of hours earlier than usual. That was good because I have a lot of work to catch up on, plus job searching and all those other fun tasks. Better get back to work before I stray too far to the dark side of surfing the Web!
Posted by becky at 7:29 PM | Comments (0)