« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »
June 28, 2006
Sleepwalking
Today was the third day of a workshop I'm attending and I could barely keep my eyes open. It wasn't the topic (written expression/grammar), but the fact that I got very little sleep last night. I've been having difficulty falling asleep at night or am waking up in the middle of the night due to severe foot pain. I'm relieved that my foot doesn't bother me before, during, or after running, but this new pain is unbearable. My new chiropractor thinks it's athritis due to a previous CAT Scan as well as my symptoms. I know I have degeneration in my foot, but arthritis at the age of 28?! My doctor has referred me to an orthopedic surgeon (a foot/ankle specialist). I'll have to see what he says, but I'm hoping it doesn't involve the word surgery. Four years ago, another specialist said no to surgery. He also told me to take up swimming.
Yesterday I did a hill workout on a whim because Brad was doing one. I warmed up and cooled down for 20 minutes. My legs felt heavy and fatigued on the warm-up so I decided that three hills would be fine. I did a short section of the hill (same as Brad who was doing hill sprints) and I tried to do them easy, medium, hard. The first set wasn't difficult (probably due to the short distance), nor was the second, or the third. After nine hills I was happy to finish.
My legs feel great right now because I had a massage. I'm at the computer trying to stay awake as I wait for Brad to get home. We're going to do an easy four mile run together as it's his second run of the day and I'm planning on doing a five mile trail race tomorrow (FOR FUN). I've done the loop before and really liked it. I'm mostly doing it because it will give me some motivation to run a little faster than usual. I need to start making some attempt to get in some kind of shape.
Posted by Caitlin at 7:58 PM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2006
Update (how original)
Two of my last three entries (5/19 and 6/4) talked about all the rain we're having. Three weeks later and the rain continues. If it's not raining, it's extremely hot. I can't make up my mind because when it's hot I wish it were raining and when it's raining I wish it were hot (or at least warm). I bought my first real running cap because the baseball hats I was wearing weren't cutting it. They're just too warm.
Two weekends ago, I barely survived in the heat. On Saturday, Brad did the Mt. Washington Road Race. The weather was unseasonably warm for the mountain. Normally the conditions are less than ideal including snow, rain, strong winds, etc. I didn't do anything all morning but stand around and wait, yet I got pretty dehydrated despite drinking a bunch of Powerade. Luckily at the base of the mountain, there were fabulous, marked trails for me to get in my run. I was only able to explore for 30 minutes because I ran out of water and had had enough. I drank a 20 oz. bottle while playing games with myself. I had to wait three minutes in between each sip in order to conserve the water. Granted there was more water in our car, but I knew once I got back to the race area I wouldn't run another step. Apparently I never rehydrated because the next day's run was a death march. I ran with Brad for an hour while carrying a water bottle. He was nice enough to carry my water bottle on all the hills (and there were lots of them)!
Since I teach, I'm off for the summer. This past weekend was the most relaxing weekend in a while, but I was pretty busy. I got up really early to run Saturday morning because I had a baby shower way up in Maine. Yesterday we had a little 30th birthday party for Brad (his real birthday is tomorrow). I ran for just an hour because an hour seems like forever right now. Brad ran at least half of the run with me before we headed in different directions. Running faster to stay with Brad has been great for me. I just shouldn't do it on days I want to run long, because I'm too tired to keep up the pace. Hopefully I'll increase my mileage this week since I'm home all day (although I'm attending a workshop all week). If only I had a goal...
Posted by Caitlin at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)
June 4, 2006
Still Raining
I'm sitting at the computer sipping HOT chocolate while trying to warm up. It's not raining hard now, but I'd call it a strong mist--enough to get you wet. I ran for 70 minutes today with Brad because he was doing a long run and wanted to do run the first hour relatively easy. It's weird to think I normally run at least 70 minutes everyday (when I'm in shape) and don't think twice about it, because now 70 minutes feels like a long run (at least mentally). I was glad I ran with Brad though because I ran faster than normal and felt good doing it. I also showed Brad a new route, so it was nice to do something a little different. I think we're going to spend the rest of the day shopping and doing errands and trying to see our nephew (and his parents of course). Brad is also doing a second run, but besides all that, I wouldn't mind another relaxing day.
Yesterday morning I ran 4+ miles with Brad, but it was a much faster run. I wouldn't say it was quite my tempo pace, but it was pretty close. It was pouring, so we got pretty soaked. Then, we spent a lot of the afternoon resting because Brad was running the 3k in the Boston High Performance Series at Bentley. A lot of people didn't show up to the meet, but Brad's race was still pretty competitive. From about 6:30-8:30 I helped out by being the lap counter and ringing the bell with one lap to go while also trying to stay dry by holding an umbrella. Needless to say, I was pretty soaked, but that didn't stop us from going out to Bertucci's with Brad's teammates. I was just glad they didn't have the AC blasting which is usually the case when we go out to eat in the summer. Anyways, I made a mental note to bring extra clothes when I go to a meet in the pouring rain. Live and learn!
Posted by Caitlin at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)