August 31, 2004
I am an Unmovable object
My Ode to the psychological ramifications of injury:
I'm sitting on the couch, an unmovable object,
Transfixed, foot in the air, trying to figure out this "project"
of rehab and healing.
But without my passion - running - I gaze out with an empty feeling.
Distractions keep my mind colonized,
but running keeps my heart occupied.
I hate the feeling of immobilzation and paralysis;
However, I must digress and drop this analysis.
Without running, my mind defaults into a funk -
my imagination, creativity and energy sunk.
I yearn for the magical and mythological runner's high,
but all I can do is sit here and cry.
Yeah - I am bored and I am procrastinating (an "art" I have mastered). I still cannot work out because my foot hurts like a dagger in the heart (okay, well not that bad!). I am biding my time until I can get on a bike and break free from the shackles of immobility. I am a little melodramatic at the moment because I am so sad.....and restless. At least I have over 70 pages of reading to do and 2 reflection papers to write for class!!!!
Posted by bridget at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2004
It's Official - The Marathon is Out
The pain was almost unbearable this afternoon so I went to the University medical center. After an hour and a half waiting, I finally met Dr. O. Fortunately, he has worked with a lot of athletes and when he saw and touched my foot, he immediately confirmed that it was a stress fracture (he also put some vibrating object on my bone and I nearly leapt off the table!). I am getting an x-ray tomorrow and meeting with the dr. again on Wednesday. He thinks he may have to cast my foot - which is something I am totally opposed to.
I cannot elliptical or bike or even swim right now - will this pain subside in a day or two so I can cross train? I think I am going to grow restless and moody if this persists for too long!!!
I will update my blog more regularly! I will resort to telling funny stories -- and maybe even some serious ones!
Thank you everyone for your incredible support! I love our blogging community :)
Posted by bridget at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)
And the hits just keep on coming :-(
It has been almost a week since I have updated my blog and instead of reporting that my week off resulted in a miraculous new beginning, I have some really bad news to report. But before I move to that, THANK YOU so much to all of the amazing women on this blog who sent comments of support!!! All of you were dead on: the week of cross training definitely aided the healing of injuries that had been lingering for months; I am happy about that.
Now on to the bad news. B. and I went to the gym last and I decided to hop on the treadmill and churn out 5 miles. I began to feel a lot of pain in my forefoot -- nothing I had ever felt before. Around 3 miles - and clipping comfortably at a 6:48 pace - I had to stop; the pain was not going away.
Once I got off the treadmill, I nearly collapsed. Poor B., he didn't know what to do with me or my teary eyes. I iced my foot a few times last night and kept it elevated, thinking that I would wake up this morning and it would be cured.
Well, everytime I moved my foot last night, I woke myself up. This morning there is an amazing amount of swelling over the 2nd metatarsal. Conclusion: I believe I have a stress fracture in my second metatarsal. I am actually 99.9999% sure. My biggest problem is that I cannot see a doctor because I am in the process of switching my insurance and I am too poor to afford one on my own (I am, afterall, a graduate student!).
Does anyone know how to treat this injury?
It looks like my marathon dreams just went out the window (at least for this Fall).
Posted by bridget at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2004
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
I need a break. My body is breaking down and I think the only solution at this point is to quit running for a week, cross train and see if anything miraculous happens. I've mentioned a few times that I strained or pulled my glutes and hamstrings in a race all the way back in May. It went in cycles where it would get better and then it would hurt again. It just hurts constantly and I cannot sleep at night because every time I move, I wake myself up. I HATE this, but I have finally reached my breaking point. While I was running last night, I asked myself if this was worth it? I can handle aches and muscle fatigue, but I cannot deal with perpetual pain.
I'm not too sad yet because I know I can maintain my fitness this week via cross training and I am hoping that 1 week off (with lots of stretching, ice and foam rolling) is enough.
My blog may be a little quiet - cross training is not nearly as exciting as running!
Posted by bridget at 07:25 AM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2004
Oh no . . . .
I read all of the blogs religiously and it seems that a lot of people are battling with injuries, tiredness and a slew of aches and pains right now. I am afraid that I have to add myself to that list; I can feel my confidence plummeting. I put in two weeks of 73 and 70 and this week I will be lucky if I hit 60-62. I know that a 60 mile week is not a bad thing, but I was hoping to post another 70 before taking a rest week. This week hardly qualifies as a rest week because it has been riddled with pain and aleve.
I only ran an easy 6 yesterday with C. and I was hurting. I have been dealing with the same aches since I ran a 10K in May and out kicked 5 runners over the final 2 miles to place second. I somehow managed to pull/strain my glute muscles or my hip flexors, or my hamstrings...I am not exactly sure what it is, but I cannot afford to find out either (I had an IT Band issue earlier in the year and was able to continue running because I went to Physical Therapy 3 times/week. Shortly thereafter, I received a bill for over $600 and I have not recovered from that bill! HEALTH CARE IN THE U.S. SUCKS sometimes).
I stretched and massaged the areas yesterday and I actually feel good today, but I have not run yet. B. and I are going to head out shortly and I think we are aiming for 9.5. Tomorrow we are planning to hit the trails for a 20 miler. BUT, I will see how things go today and if I am in too much pain, I will obviously kick back and relax tomorrow. Chicago is slowly creeping up on me and I only feel about 50% ready. Should I throw in the towel instead of risking a disappointing run at 26.2?
Posted by bridget at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2004
Round and Round we go!
Today's workout was one of the most challenging workouts I have ever forced upon myself. I met C. early this morning on the lakefront after an easy 20 minute warm-up. He showed me a figure 8 grass loop that I was about to become very familiar with. For those out there who believe that Chicago is as "flat as a pancake," think again. Better yet, just leave it up to C. to find some hills.
I enjoyed running on the grass instead of asphalt, and I think my legs are much happier as a result. Anyway, C. - who is coming back from a sprained ankle - had me do a pyrmaid. It went as follows: 2 min hard, 1 easy, 3 hard, 1 easy, 4 hard, 1 easy, 5 hard, 2 easy, 6 hard, 2 easy, 4 hard, 1 easy, 5 hard, 1 easy, 3 hard, 1 easy and 2 hard, 1 easy. I did 10 strides beforehand and a 20 minute cool down afterward. I think I covered 10-11 miles.
I made a few mistakes with this workout. First, I did the first two repeats way way way too hard. I coasted on the next few, found my true rhythm on the 6 minute repeat and then sort of faded from there.
I am excited about the fact that I survived the entire thing! I am a bit worried about my hamstrings/glutes - they have been hurting for a while now. I am nervous that it is more serious than I am willing to admit, but I feel like I have finally found a good rhythm with my training and I am pressing the limits, but I do not want to interrupt this rhythm. We shall see.
Posted by bridget at 06:26 PM | Comments (0)
Too Fast, Too Tired, Slow and Steady.
I have a lot of updating to do. Please forgive my long delay in posting (not sure if anyone really noticed, but that's okay too!!). I have been busy this week with graduate school orientation; I am definitely freaking out about the hours that I will teaching in the Spring, but I am trying to take it one day at a time. So far, I have really enjoyed getting to know my new classmates! I am sure I will interweave my running stories with graduate stories.
Monday: I ran with a local group of girls from the running store that I used to work at. My plan was to take it out slow and steady and flush out my legs from the previous day's 19 miler. I started to feel really good so I pushed it. About 2.5 miles into the run, I caught two of our super fast girls (as in, 17 minute 5Ks), adopted their pace, and ran with them. We kept a good up tempo pace and pushed the final 1.5 miles. I felt GREAT, but apparently I have been blamed for "pushing the pace." So it goes.
Tuesday: I took an unplanned Rest day - my first in 3 weeks and it felt wonderful! I also partied with my new classmates.
Wednesday: This was the highlight of my week: I ran with my twin sister, A.! We rolled at a comfortably nice clip and, of course, got ourselves into trouble. We were running down the street and this guy zoomed past us. I quietly whispered to A., "He's sprinting!" She picked up the pace and I glady followed her lead. Then, about 50 feet in front of us, the guy stopped like a dead log! We picked it up and as we were about to stride by him, I told A., "Don't breathe!!" We flew by our target, got to the corner, turned the corner, and slowed down! It was more amusing than anything else. A. is a little more competitive than me and she detests being passed by middle aged men (not that there is anything wrong with that!).
Today's workout was HARD. As soon as I catch my breath, I will compose a little story about it.
Posted by bridget at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2004
Butterflies......
They are doing flip-flops in my stomach right now. I just returned home from buying my books for the semester and was pleasantly surprised to find that one of my classes does not have any required texts. That saves at least $100.00! Of course, because I am paranoid, I am going to look over the course schedule and make sure that they did not change the course number and forget to tell us (happens all the time at big universities). Tomorrow marks my official "orientation" into the graduate program. Just from a few minutes of wandering around on campus today, I suspect freshman orientation is going on all this week. I curiously watched what the "kids" were buying in the bookstore and was shocked at how old all of these 18 year-olds look! When I show up second semester to teach, they are going to laugh at me. I still look like I am 16, not almost 25. B. says my students will either A) get upset that they are paying a bunch of money to be taught by someone who does not look legally old enough to drink or B) think it's really cool. I am keeping my fingers crossed for option B!
On to running....
B. and I ran about 19 HARD yesterday. At least, it felt a little more taxing on my body than it should have. We spent most of the run at a 7:00 - 7:30 pace with a few 8:00 minute miles interspersed. Neglecting the long run has been a huge mistake on my part. I used to get so excited about long runs that I could not sleep the night before. I wish some of that youthful novice marathon enthusiasm would seep back into my heart and ignite my legs. It's not that I dread long runs, but that they have become more mentally challenging to get through. I think my training has become increasingly harder mentally because I am more aware of pace and what times I need to hit in order to break the 3 hour barrier. I almost wish I could forget about it and just run. If I bomb Chicago, that will - ironically - take a lot of pressure off and then I can bust loose my next marathon and relax (no expectations!).
I am rambling. One more ramble, B. is going to run somewhere between 3:10 - 3:15 and he has no idea! I used to get upset on our runs because I misinterpreted his ability to keep up with me as "I must be out of shape." Hardly. B. could break 3 before me - if he trained. He is a great training partner :)
Easy 8 tonight. Thursday's workout is going to kill me, but I welcome the challenge!
Posted by bridget at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2004
Hmmmmmm
I wallowed between running and not running this morning. I was supposed to run 8 miles up tempo, but after an "easy" six with B. last night I was on the fence. I called my friend, C., seeking advice. He said to run at least 3 miles today and still plan to go long tomorrow. I headed out the door.
And this is where the body and running amaze me. Yesterday I could hardly trot at an 8 minute pace without each step causing an immense amount of pain. Today I floated out there. I started out easy and then flew into a sub 7 minute pace - granted, it was only a 4 mile run. Still, I clocked the last mile in 5:38 - so now I KNOW 100% that the last mile marker is waaaayyyyy off! There is no way I ran that fast - and I do believe in miracles. At the same time, the last mile is not off by more than 20-30 seconds so regardless of how off it is, I was still gliding along at a fast clip. I have not felt that good in about 2 years (how sad).
I am getting a massage in a few hours - my first since 2002! I always preach to people that massages are a vital component to training, but then I never schedule any (of course, I am a grad student so by the government's standards, I technically live in poverty - which explains why the only reason I am getting a massage today is because B. decided to surprise me!). Depending on how much the therapist beats on my muscles, I may have to adjust my long run tomorrow and plan for a mid week 20 miler instead. I am a BIG fan of listening to one's body.
Time to watch the Olympics!
Posted by bridget at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)
Run
Must . . . go . . . run . . . NOW!
Posted by bridget at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2004
Procrastination
I have mastered the art of procrastination. I often find myself procratinating when it comes to running. Today I know I only have to put in 5-6 really easy miles so I keep delaying them. Once I start grad school and fall into a routine, I will be out the door by 6AM every morning running, but I am enjoying my recent "slacker" status!
Last night B. and I went out for an easy 5 with his friend back from their Notre Dame days, S. S. cracks me up - he was an exceptional runner in high school and he still has a lot of his old runner habits (i.e. he starts super slow and then allows the run to get progressively faster, he always has to be one stride ahead, he does not stop for traffic - this is a dangerous one). We had a blast as we strolled though one of my staple loops (since Chicago is on a grid, I perpetually run the same loops and I can easily add and subtract distance). I am experiencing a lot of muscle tightness so I need to be more diligent about stretching and recovery runs.
My plan heading into the weekend is as follows: easy 5-6 tonight, 8 up tempo tomorrow morning and 19-20 on the trails on Sunday.
Posted by bridget at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2004
Oh, My Legs, My Legs!
My legs are tired. I woke up this morning, drove the boys to their respective places and laced up my new running shoes. My legs immediately felt sluggish and then the right leg started whining to the left leg and my mind had to mediate between the two. My mind told both of them to toughen up and RUN! They toughened up and I ended up running 6-7 of my 9.5 miles at 6:52-6:54 pace. Problem: I need to run 6:50 - 6:52 to break 3. The pace I sustained today for only 7 miles felt uncomfortable and hardly sustainable for 26.2 miles. I feel like I am in trouble with my training, but I will not freak out just yet.
On a positive note, the morning was simply beautiful. The midwest is currently enjoying a taste of Fall! Fall is my favorite season and I live to run in 50 degree temps.
I am planning on dragging my tired legs out the door tonight for an EASY 4-5 with B. I think a good "shake out" run, maybe followed by some strides, will revive my legs.
I hung out with my older sister, C. and twin sister, A. this afternoon. A. decided to play hookey (she is a CPA) - she is overworked and tired. C. works from home 3 days a weeks. I start my grad program in English next week...it will be interesting to see how my running survives as I inch toward the infamous all-nighter, endless conferences, teaching undergrads, writing 20 page papers. I am not certain that I am ready for things to start yet! But, as Kurt Vonegut would say, "So it goes."
Posted by bridget at 05:25 PM | Comments (0)
Trails!!
Yesterday J. and I planned to hit the trails and do 15 miles, but our plans quickly changed. First, we got a little turned around on our way to the trails - we were going to meet her friend, D. We were told to look for a lake, veer left, and go up a big hill. Well, we arrived near the trail, saw three lakes, a million hills and turned left instead of softly veering left! We were late meeting D.
Once we found D. we were already running short on time, so we bolted out of the car and hit our first trail. It was beautiful - the temps hovered in the low 60s and the trails were pretty well groomed. That said, we still ran single file most of the way and had to slow to a walk on some steep up and downhills. What a thrilling adventure, especially since I am used to flat, monotnous city running.
We cut our run to 9 miles. J. and I drove back into the city and contemplated tacking on another 6, but neither one of us was feeling up to the task and both of us were feeling a bit tired. We called it a run.
Our pace was slow, but I would not have wanted to go any faster. It was such a gorgeous morning and there was no need to spoil it by running insanely hard. We rolled at a nice rhythm and enjoyed a wonderful conversation!
Posted by bridget at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2004
NIGHTMARE ON SOME CHICAGO STREET
I cannot resist posting my latest dream. However, I will preface this entry by saying that I have never been one to wake up and write my dreams down or expend a lot of energy contemplating them (the "meaning" and "symbolism"). At the same time, I am a half believer in "omens," which stems from my never ending literary endeavors. Here is my interpretation of the dream I had this afternoon: it was a really bad omen.
It all started near Grant Park in Chicago as 40,000 runners made their way to the starting line. I was running late for the race and for some reason beyond me, my twin sister decided to run the marathon with me. So we showed up late and started behind everyone, but I couldn't move. My legs literally froze and as I tried to propel myself forward, I felt a powerful force working against me. I could barely move one foot in front of the other, but I kept on trudging. The course grew increasingly weirder too: we ran through the Chicago Police Dept. - following the black arrows - and then through a lighting store where I proceeded to run up and down every aisle and get lost. Things got progressively worse and that is when I........
dropped out.
I hit the halfway mark in 2:19 and called it a race, ripping off my chip in utter disgust.
I woke up to the phone ringing and was convinced that this really happened. I hope it is nothing more than anxiety and nervousness, but I am a little on edge!
Posted by bridget at 06:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2004
Speedplay
Yesterday I ran 8 miles sort of in a backward way. I spent the first 4 miles attempting to catch the girl in front of me. She showed up to run with our group and she got caught barely hanging on to a quick group of guys. I finally caught her (it was definitely a tempo run!) and we enjoyed a nice, controlled stroll home. I love meeting new people and M. was awesome.
This evening B. and I headed out to the lakefront to do 5x 2 minutes on, 1 minute off. I figured that was an easy and good place to add some turnover back into my runs. My good friend C. has decided to help me structure my running over the next few weeks (thank goodness), and this workout was his creation. I really thought it was going to be effortless.
I was DEAD wrong. I completely forgot how LOOOOONNNNNGGG 2 minutes could feel! B. and I kept pace with each other for the first 3, but then he let me go on the last two. I struggled with this workout, which is not a good sign. I am not sure of the pace, but I think we were going sub 6 minutes, which is stupid on my part. I really need to find a track to run on so I can get a feel for pace....otherwise, I run like a complete idiot!
I am planning to run long with J. tomorrow on the trails....I'm scared.
Posted by bridget at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
Pillsbury Doughgirl
Sometimes I hate running, or maybe it's not so much that I hate running, but that I intensely dislike the comments of some competitive runners. Once a week I run (voluntarily) with a pretty competitive bunch of runners and everyone knows that Monday night "easy" runs quickly turn into "hold on for dear life" runs. I show up just expecting a hard run. About two weeks ago, one of the men who frequently shows up asked me if another woman was looking a little "too thin." I replied, "Yes." I wish our conversation would have ended there, but I'm not that lucky. He proceeded to poke my belly and announce to a few runners hanging around, "Wow, Bridget's looking a little doughy these days compared to our other female runners." OUCH. Comments like that - even made in jest and fun - are NOT funny. It hurt like a sliver.
Luckily, I am fairly good at ignoring such comments. I will admit that I came home and cringed at my lack of a 6 pack, but what can I do about genetic pre-determination? I am proud to say that I refrained from doing sit-ups.
Posted by bridget at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2004
Oh yeah - Junk Miles
My thoughts are very rarely coherent so I apologize in advance if my "stream of consciousness" writing style proves too stressful for you. I have a bad habit of beginning a thought, taking a detour, stopping for directions back to my original destination, but then getting lost and never returning to the original road. In my last entry I meant to address "junk miles," but never got around to it.
I often hear purists and "real" runners despise runners for including junk miles in their daily totals. I probably ran about 14-20 junk miles this week (I hate that word: "JUNK"), meaning I ran at a pace that did little to increase or stimulate my aerobic capacity. Well, here's my personal take on this controversy: we all need recovery miles. If my friend, C., who runs 5Ks at a sub 5 minute pace, does 10 milers at 7 minute pace, then why should I hammer every run? What's wrong with a few 8:30 - 9:00 minute miles? I think my body can handle the mileage because I actually allow it to recover via slower miles. Plus, even though some running gurus and physiologists will preach to us that those miles do nothing to improve our performance, I respond, "So what? Those 6 or 8 miles I just spent running are better than the 50 - 65 minutes I could have spent sitting on the couch."
So I say to junk miles: bring 'em on (as long as I get the hard ones in there too!!).
Posted by bridget at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
73 ("junk miles" included)
I finished the week with 73 miles - a new high for me, and my legs feel surprisingly fresh. The last time I hit 70 was over a year ago and I could barely walk; my quads screamed for three months before my muscles and body adapted to the higher mileage. But then I fell pretty severely ill last fall and lost both my marathon season and my fitness. I picked it up again in December, but the highest mileage I have run since Dec. is 58 or so. I violated the 10% rule, but I think if we truly know and listen to our bodies, we are capable of a little deviation.
B. and I planned to run 18 on Saturday, but around mile 15 we decided to call it a run and we did the unspeakable: we took a cab home (talk about a major violation of all running "rules"!). I strained my glute muscles in a 10K in May and they have not healed 100% - I was cramping up and my knees were killing from running in lightweight trainers with over 500 miles on them. B. has not run for 2 hours since Chicago in 2002 so it was ultimately a wise decision to call it quits. I plan to run 20 this week on one of my old measured routes near my mom's house about 40 miles south from here. It will be quiet and traffic-less and I will have the perfect opportunity to gauge my pace and overall time.
Last night B. and I ran a fairly hard 7 mile loop. We meant for it to be a recovery run, but I did not feel like I needed to recover from anything (our run the previous day was 2 hours, but it was not stressful), and B. was feeling good. He also surprised me with a new pair of badly needed running shoes and I wanted to test them out! I have run in the Mizuno Wave Rider for 2 years, and most recently in the Mizuno Wave Precision (too light, for me at least, to handle the distance and mileage right now). I have returned "home" to Asics: the Gel Nimbus (the shoe I happily ran my first marathon in).
Shoes make a huge difference and I have definitely underestimated their importance in the past. I think every runner/jogger/walker should consider getting a gait analysis done so they know what shoe best functions and supports their natural biomechanics. I supinate (foot rolls outward) so I only wear cushioned, neutral shoes. The one time I tried to wear a control shoe (WHY????) I ended up sidelined for 9 months with plantar fasciitis in both feet. Yuck.
Posted by bridget at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2004
Confessions of a Natural Born...Runner
I think about what I am going to write all the time now; I compose most of my blog entries while I am out on the roads. Yesterday turned out to be a fabulous running day - I snuck in more miles than I had planned.
I met K. in the morning for our usual 8 mile loop and I think we ran about 7:20 pace. I have a confession to make (one of the many that I will reveal), I very rarely run with my watch in timer mode. I usually pay attention to when I start and when I finish, but I do not stop and start my watch every time I hit a light. I went through a stage going into my freshman year of college where I obsessively timed every run and then attempted to run as fast or faster the next time. My routes were 6.2, 3, 5, and 7.2 miles (yes, I drove the car along the route to get an exact feel for the mileage). It probably comes as no surprise that I spent my entire freshman year in and out of injury.
So now I run and I estimate and guesstimate my miles and pace. I am usually a pretty good judge of pace.
Nice detour. Back to running. So K. and I ran pretty well and then last night my twin sister, A. called and I ran 1 mile to her place, we ran 6 miles together and I ran 1 mile home (I ran the last mile in about 6:40....we probably ran about 8:30 - 9:00 pace). 16 for the day.
This morning B. and I got up and ran about 14.5 - 15 miles at 7:50 - 8:00 pace. More to come on that later!
Posted by bridget at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2004
Running High?
After my half marathon disaster, I decided to take this week one day at a time, but I made a promise to myself that I would run everyday - no matter how fast or how slow or how badly I did not want to drag myself out the door. I have this bad habit of taking days off - a lot of days off. Most serious runners I know run everyday unless they have a planned day off. Since I don't have a coach, I tend to average a day off per week (sometimes two), but no more! I am determined to put the big "C" back into my running - CONSISTENCY (my good friend in Boston would be proud).
My week began with a 4 mile run on Monday night - I was still recovering from my depression and therefore needed a "therapy" run with B. Here's the annoying thing about B. - he is one of those people who can just perform well no matter what. He rowed competitively for 4 years at ND so he has a lot of leg power; he also ran a 3:29 marathon on little training - and he threw back a few cold ones the night before the marathon! He runs one or two days a week, but he can still show up for a half marathon and run 1:36 - ridiculous. He wants to run sub 3 too, so I told him that if he runs at least runs 4 days a week it shouldn't be a problem! Running is just a hobby for him, which keeps me sane :-)
Anyway, Tuesday I started to feel good again so I ran 7 miles and then took a spin class taught by one of Lance Armstrong's teammates, Robbie Ventura. It was awesome! B. and I also ran 3.5 - 4 miles that night.
On Wednesday I ran with J. J. is a 3:03 marathoner and a personal inspiration to me. She is a total throwback to the 70s with her hair bandana, bright red shorts and free spirited nature. We decided to run about 15 miles, and the last 2 miles mother nature unleashed all of her tears on us! We happily jumped the puddles and kicked it in.
We ran at a fairly moderate pace, enough to make both of our legs feel fatigued and fuel-less. J. and I always find something interesting to talk about - usually female oppression and how we must band together as confident, powerful women and take the world by storm.
Today I just ran nice and easy. I ran with my older sister, C., a veteran of two marathons (she swears she will NEVER do another one!). We strolled along at a 9 or 10 minute pace for about 6 miles, but it was glorious. I also have a twin sister that I sometimes run with, A., but she is much more interested in climbing mountains than running along mile after mile. I don't think running is very exciting for her, but she is amazing when she does decide to run!
I have a great story about A. that I love to tell. She had not run a step in 3 months because she was buried under books studying for the CPA exam (trust me though, she does not meet the typical "boring" criteria for being an accountant), and her boyfriend dared her to run a HALF MARATHON. She didn't blink an eye once before deciding to meet his challenge. So she flew out to Phoenix with her boyfriend, his sister and all of his sister's friends (all of them were running the half marathon). The night before the race, everyone is carbo-loading and talking strategy and my dear sister is eating icecream and probably enjoying a beer.
The gun smacks, she runs, and she beats everyone to the finish line - including her boyfriend who had trained 40 miles a week for this race! I WISH I had her talent. She is like B. She got kicked off the women's basketball intramural team in college and placed on the men's team. She can throw a ball, kick a ball, jump high. I always had to work a little harder and I still sat the bench in high school (basketball). I admire her athletic ability and laid back attitude. Her usual pre-race meal is a frozen icecream snickers bar. I think a lot of female runners could benefit greatly from hanging out with my twin!
Before I write a novel, I better turn out the lights and head for bed. I am running at 5:30AM.
Posted by bridget at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
Running Blues
This week has been an interesting week in running, to say the least. I reluctantly rolled into Monday with a case of the running "blues" and seriously considered hanging up my shoes for the season and hiding. I ran the Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon on Sunday and posted my worst half time ever (certainly NOT a time that will help me dip under three hours). It was an awful race for many reasons, but most of all because it marked the first race that I truly wanted to drop out of. All I can remember is hoping that I would see my dog and my boyfriend out on the course so that I could run over to them, rip off my number and call it a day. But before the race even started, B. (the boyfriend) said, "I'll see you at the finish!" Right, I secretly thought. I convinved myself that he would navigate the course and meet me at certain mile markers. I was dead wrong.
Looking back, I am happy that he did not magically show up anywhere - I don't think I would have forgiven myself if I had dropped it. Needless to say, it was a death march to the finish and I was not a happy camper. I ran an 8 minute mile from 10 to 11 and that was the only thing that got the wheels turning again. I finally accepted the fact that I was going to have to finish so I decided to finish strong...and my next mile was sub 7. But that still doesn't make up for the fact that I gave up after mile 5. It was weird - almost like a slow motion movie - I watched all these people stride past me and I had no reaction at all. I felt like a spectator, just enjoying the view and whispering to myself, "I'm glad I'm not out there running!"
I need redemption.
Which brings me to this week.
Posted by bridget at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
LSD, Speed and Getting High
This is my first entry so I should probably kick it off with a little introduction. My name is Bridget, I'm 24 and I have pretty ambitious goals for the marathon. I immediately became addicted to this site when Alison started to share her blog with us - I share her goal of someday qualifying for the Olympic Trials. I am pretty far off from that goal right now, but I am allowing myself a 12 year window to finally slip under 2:48.
My current marathon PR is 3:04.33, run in Chicago 2002. When people ask me about the course or the neighborhoods that we navigated that day, I honestly do not remember. It was one of those surreal moments in life where everything came together, I found a rhythm, and I just ran my heart out. I was coming into it with only 6 weeks of training so I told myself that I was going to drop out at mile 20. I passed the half in 1:28 and my legs started talking...and the talking eventually turned into screaming. But for some reason, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. When I arrived at mile 20, I realized I was still on 2:59 pace and there was nowhere to drop out! I kept going. By mile 23, I was losing my step and I fell off pace...I practically crawled home in 3:04.
After Chicago I was psyched about my possibilities, but the last two years have culminated in one slump after another (I am sure I will delve into all of my running slumps at some point!). I have increased my miles from 35-55 to 55-70, but I have only managed to roll into races a little slower.
I signed up for Chicago again, and although my training gives me no indication that a sub 3 is even possible, I still dare to dream. Perhaps I am slightly deluded to think that there is something magical about that course and the adrenaline rush that once made up for my lack of training.
I only have 10 weeks.
I have three goals over the next 10 weeks: get in some Long Slow Distance, recover my turnover - which has been hibernating for about 3 years, and HAVE FUN!
I will post another entry today specifically talking about my training (I am currently self-coached, which makes my training semi- disasterous). I have a feeling that this blog is going to keep me motivated and accountable. Feel free to post any comments, question my training, offer advice on training....I am open ears.
Posted by bridget at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)