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January 31, 2005

Easy Running

I had another late night last night. I stayed at my parent's house longer than I expected. I spent much of the night interviewing my Father and Grandfather about their sports history and how sports have influenced thier life. It took so long that I did not get a chance to interview my Mother, she is next but not until I get a decent amount of sleep. By the time I returned to school it was 11 p.m. and I still had academic work to prepare for today. It was a long night.

I slept in this morning and had my usual morning and afternoon of classes and work at the library. I met the team at 4:15 and we ran an easy hour. We ran on the corn fields that were snowy and a little bit icy. The athletes told me they were tired of the Northampton bike path so I definitely gave them something new to run on. They had a really hard time running on the slippery snow but everyone agreed that it was pretty and peaceful running on the snow and being surrounded by fields. We had great views of the 7 sister's range and managed to run for an hour. When we returned we did ab work and I then had to run an extra two miles to a car dealership on Rt. 5 to pick up my car. I had let my house mate borrow the car so he could pick up his car. I was really tired by the time I got my car and decided I would not lift today even though I had originally planned to lift. It is just about 9 p.m. now and I wish I could go to sleep but I have an energy expenditure lab to complete and then I plan to hit the sack. Tomorrow I am meeting some runners to pool run and will probably do another easy day of running in the afternoon. If I feel rested I may do a tempo run, we'll see.

Posted by mary at 8:45 PM | Comments (1)

January 30, 2005

End of the Week Update

I am not sure how I got so far behind in my blog. I skipped one day and then the next day I thought it would take too long to write two entries and after three days the thought of writing three entries seemed daunting and now I think it is five days and I will have to compromise and be more brief than usual and get back into a better routine next week.

Wednesday's Run

On Wednesday morning I was planning to meet Alison at the indoor track at 6:20. On Tuesday evening the snow began to fall and by Wednesday morning we had about 6 inches of snow on the ground. Alison warned me that if it did snow she may not be able to meet me. I did not see Alison at the track so I decided to run a mile warm up and then try some 800 meter repeats at about 3:10 pace. I ran my warm up and felt fine but as soon as I started the 800 repeats my right quad was tight and sore and the pace felt like more of an effort due to the discomfort in my leg. I decided to do at least two intervals to see if I felt any better. I did a second 800 in 3.10 and did not feel any better. I decided to go up to the fitness center and run 8 miles on the treadmill. I ran at 7.30 pace and felt much better than I did doing the repeat intervals. I think if I am going to do speed work seriously than I need a really long warm up, such as five miles or I need to be totally rested going into the workout (the later is rarely true). Wednesday evening I met my house mates who are both rowers and rowing coaches and we did an erg workout. We did 6 x 500 meters at a 2k race effort. I wanted to try to do all of my repeats in 2.10 and came pretty close to that effort. We warmed up for 10 minutes and cooled down for about 10 minutes. It was a really hard effort by my last repeat when I erged 2.05. I felt pretty tired after the intervals. For dinner I actually made dinner for my house mates which are a first, usually they feed me. I made some delicious spinach and cheese raviolis. It was so good!

Thursday - Cross Country Skiing

I went to bed too late on Wednesday evening to be able to get up and do my run in the morning. I knew it would be problematic if I did not run in the morning because I had plans the entire day. I was invited to go cross country skiing with Ellen in the late afternoon and then have dinner at her house in the evening. My morning was packed with classes and work. In the end I stuck with just cross country skiing for the day. I was a little bit tempted to do a 5 mile run after dinner but I knew sleep would be more beneficial to me.

Friday - Snow Run and Treadmill Run

I was glad I went to bed relatively early on Thursday night because I had to get up around 6:00 a.m. on Friday to meet Alison and Kelli, a fast trail runner who lives in the area. I was not sure how I would do on the morning run since my quad had acted up on me on Wednesday's run but I was happy that I had a day off from running on Thursday so I'd be a little bit fresher. When we all met it was about -10 degrees outside and no sign of the sun. I was complaining about how cold it was outside and Kelli gave me some extra socks to put on for the run. She and Alison are always really prepared. At least my hands were warm as I had two pairs of gloves on which were great. We did a really fun run that took about an hour. Half of the run was on the road and half was on snowy trails. The trails were harder to run on but very beautiful and definitely runable. I was a little embarrassed to consider myself a trail runner and acknowledge that this run was my first official snowy trail run of the year (without snowshoes). I definitely feel like I should be on the trails more often since that is my favorite terrain to race. However, I think the cold weather gives me a negative attitude about running outside. I was just so spoiled the last five years with perfect CA weather. Yet, this run with Alison, who doesn't really complain about the weather at all, and Kelli who runs outside every day really inspired me to try to run outside more often. In the early afternoon I ran another hour on the treadmill at an easy 7.50 pace. After the workout I left with the team for Gorham, ME to prepare for Saturday's meet.

Saturday's Longish Run

On Saturday I got up at 7 a.m. and ran a half hour with one of the athletes in Gorham, ME. We ran out and back at an easy pace and got to catch up a lot. Once I dropped the athlete off I ran for another hour and a half. It was about 3 degrees out and when the sun was not out I was freezing. There was a half hour period in which I was sure my nose was permanently frost bitten and I was trying to decide what the quickest way back to the hotel was, I then put my scarf over my nose and was fine. My fingers, despite having two pairs of gloves on, were freezing at times and would then warm up. Despite the cold fingers and the cold nose the run was pretty enjoyable as I got to explore the area. I had secret ambitions of trying to run to South Portland and get to the ocean but I did not have enough time. I spent the entire day at the U. of Southern ME meet and really enjoyed coaching the athletes at the meet. We did not return to MA until about 10:30 in the evening.

Sunday's Longish Run

On Sunday morning I went to New Haven and met my brother and his wife and their two children. I went to mass with the family and spent the morning playing with the children. In the afternoon I ran four miles with my sister in law and her sister. I then ran for an additional hour and forty five minutes. The weather was so so nice. It almost felt like spring with the nice 36 degree sunny weather we are having today. I was happy to think that Alison picked a good day for her Boston long run as the sun is melting a lot of the snow and the conditions are better than they have been for days. I felt pretty good on the run and would have run about 15 to 20 minutes longer if I had brought some water with me. I am looking forward to starting my official marathon training this week.

Posted by mary at 3:19 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2005

So nice to be running outside!

Well, it is crazy to be excited about this but I am psyched that I have run outside now for two days in a row. This is really great for me because I was starting to get used to the treadmill and would not even consider running outside. On Tuesday's and Thursday's I don't have to work at the library so I have about two free hours in the afternoon. Sometimes I am sure I will have academic work or coaching details to take care of during that time. However, when I am free I will definitely take advantage of this time like I did today and go outside and run while the sun is shining. I was able to go out for my run around 3:30 p.m. today. It was nice and bright out and probably around 30 degrees, which actually felt warmer than usual. That is a scary sign when 30 degrees feels warm! The roads were clearer than yesterday. I did the 10-mile Northampton bike path loop. I have been running the route pretty quickly so I am thinking maybe it is actually less than 10 miles, perhaps it is 9 miles. I ran the course in an hour and ten minutes. I don't think I was running that fast but I know I wasn't plodding along. It was so nice to be able to run on clear pavement. Much of the sidewalk was clear because the sun had a chance to melt the little bits of snow that had not been removed by the plow. I was happy to see about six people walking on the bike path and one person biking. I always feel like it is a little bit of a chore to go out and do my run because I am in "training". Even though I love running and I hate the days when I don't run, it is not until mile 2 or 3 of my run that I am really enamored by the run. The first two miles always feels like work, well almost always, and then about 60% of the time I can get into a peaceful pace and feel really happy and satisfied that I am out in the fresh air experiencing something that is so present and current. I love that I can think about the act of running itself which is what I do when I am running hard or I can just zone out which can happen when you are running fast and it feels effortless but it can also happen when you just forget about all of your deadlines and worries and just take the run for what it is and enjoy it. Today was one of those days where I just enjoyed the run for what it was and was so appreciative for clearer roads, a blue sky, and some sunshine. I realized how much I dislike the treadmill and how the treadmill actually makes running feel like a chore. I heard that we are getting more snow tomorrow so I am glad I had a slippery free run today.

After I ran I met the team and took them through a circuit workout. I did part of the circuit, the ab routine and some of the push-ups. The jumping bits that the women performed I tried to do but my effort was very minimal. I then did my lifting routine once the women finished. One of the professors asked why I was doing curls with 15 pound weights if I was an endurance athlete. I said that I agreed that it seemed strange. Usually if I was training for a half marathon or shorter I would probably use 10 or 8 pound weights but when I am training for a marathon or ultra race I add a little more weight and do longer sets x's 4. So I will do 4 x 15 repeats at whatever weight I feel I can continue for that number of repeats. He did not understand because he said my legs would get tired not my arms. I told him that when you are running for 3 or more hours and sometimes carrying a water bottle your arms actually do get tired. Even when you run a hard 10k you can finish and your inner arms are really tired and sore. Based on my experience I find that weight lifting with weights that are a little bit heavier than I might normally use and doing a few more repeats I have added upper body strength in my races. Therefore if I am going to run up a 4-mile hill that is nonstop I can use the power of my driving arms to help me get up the hill and not rely solely on my legs. The professor sort of bought my theory and said he had never read anything on the topic. I have no idea if I am making this all up but it has me curious now and I think I will see if I can find any information on this topic. Perhaps I will see if I can research this topic and write a paper on the subject. We'll see, my time is limited so if I can find any truth in my random logic that may motivate me to further investigate.

Tomorrow morning I am meeting Alison at 6:20 a.m. for a run. I am going to try to get to bed by 10 p.m. so that I can be alert and ready to go. It will be nice to have some company and to have my run over with before the women do their speed workout in the afternoon.

Posted by mary at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2005

Easy Longish Run

Today was the first day of the semester for my graduate classes. I felt relaxed and ready to get started. I will be pretty busy this semester. I am taking five classes, I am a TA for one class - youth and sport, I am beginning to work on my thesis project, I am working at the library 10 hours a week, and I am coaching track and field. The classes should be really helpful and useful to what I am doing in my coaching and teaching career. Today I had my class on women and sports. It should be a great class. We will examine the role that women have played in sports throughout history and do some in-depth research in our specific areas of interest. I am looking forward to learning more about women in general and the role women have played in distance running over time and today.

I did not get up to exercise this morning because I was up late catching up with my housemates who have finally returned to our home. We stayed up chatting and organizing our rooms. I ran for an hour and forty-five minutes with the distance runners today for their long run. It was so nice to get outside and run. I feel like I have become a slave to the treadmill over the last two weeks while we have had such cold crummy weather. Being outside and running made me so happy. We ran nice and easy and probably ran about 12 miles or maybe 12.5 miles. We ran the Northampton bike path loop plus a campus loop extension. The side roads were very snowy so it felt like we were running on trails. The main roads were clearer but they of course had more traffic flow. We jumped back and forth between sidewalk and road, which made the run a little bit slower than usual. We talked the entire time and came up with brainstorms about where we would travel if we could go anywhere for a month and expenses did not matter. It was almost unanimous that everyone wanted to go to Europe. Not one person mentioned anywhere in North or South America. One athlete said she wanted to go to space for a month, which was one option that I did not agree with. I am not sure I'd want to be in space for an entire month. We finished just before it got really dark which was really nice. I am supposed to go and lift now but I am really beat and I just got a phone call from my roommates. Their cars are broken and they want to go to the movies tonight. They've invited me to go and be their driver. Seeing that the bulk of class work is not assigned yet I have to take advantage of this opportunity and go enjoy myself while I can. I think we are going to go and see In Good Company. I have decided that if I did lift I would not get to shower and then I would be freezing. There is a slight chance I will lift when I return but more likely I will do a run tomorrow morning and lift afterwards. Tonight may be an easy night of movie watching and hitting the sack relatively early for me.

Posted by mary at 6:32 PM | Comments (1)

January 23, 2005

Saturday Resting and Sunday Cross Country Skiing

On Saturday I was in Boston coaching at an indoor track meet all day long. By the time I got back home it was almost 7 p.m. and there was already about 6 inches of snow on the ground. I was planning to run about 5 miles on the treadmill and lift but I could not motivate myself to go to the gym to run. I was tired from being at the track meet all day and I knew I already had 66 miles for the week which was already what I wanted for the entire week. I decided to take the day off and give my legs a break from the treadmill.

I was planning to go to Vermont today to cross country ski but my plans did not work out. The weather was really horrible for driving and my friend who I was supposed to go skiing with was really sick. I was sad that I would not get to visit a new place but decided I would still make the most of my day. I got up this morning and met some of the athletes at the gym so they could do their workout inside and not have to deal with the huge snowstorm that we had received. Northampton had about 13 inches of new snowfall this morning when I woke up. The snowdrifts were so high. It was the light fluffy snow, which is nice because it is not really heavy and it is easy to clean your car off. While I was at the gym with the athletes I ran 10 miles on the treadmill. I ran 8 miles at 7.03 pace and ran the first and last mile at 7.43 pace. I felt really good and felt relaxed. I wanted to lift after I ran but I did not have very much time. I was planning to meet Ellen in South Hadley to go pool running and cross country skiing.

After the run I went to dig my car out of all of the snow. I have to park where the stables are located on campus. My car always gets buried because the plows pile up the snow around the car. Luckily I now have a shovel in my car, which makes freeing my car a little bit easier. I spent about 25 minutes digging my car out. I decided again that this was a good weight workout. I had discovered this about two weeks ago when I had to do this during the first big snow storm of January. Today my car handled very well and I was able to drive out of the lot without anyone helping me to push the car out. I was really proud of my car and myself for safely getting out of the parking lot.

I then drove to South Hadley and was really happy that the roads were drivable. Once at the Mt. Holyoke campus I was able to pool run for about 40 minutes. Initially my legs were really tired which is strange because they never feel tired in the pool. I then realized they probably were tired from all of the treadmill running and I slowed down my pace in the pool and by the time I finished I felt much better. After the pool run Ellen and I got all of our outdoor gear on to prepare for cross country skiing. Ellen let me borrow her gortex pants, gators, and gloves which was great because even though it was a bright sunny day the temperatures were very low, about 10 to 15 degrees but with the wind-chill it felt like under zero degrees. It was chilly. We then went to the Mt. Holyoke golf course to cross country ski. I was very nervous about slipping and falling and just being able to ski. I have never been on skis in my entire life. The first challenge was just getting the boot clipped into the ski. After several funny minutes of trying to coordinate this task I finally with the help of Ellen got all clipped in to the ski. We were lucky because other people had already plowed some trails so we could ride in other people's paths. It was very fun. Initially I had a hard time coordinating my leg stride and arm stride. My arms wanted to move in the same direction as my leg, rather than the opposite, which you do when you run. After a few minutes I got the hang of it and was able to do opposite leg and opposite arm swings. Skiing on the open golf course was windy but it was a great place to start. The snow was really soft and I was not too worried about falling. We then made it over to the trails, which were so beautiful. There were tiny rolling hills that I was able to learn how to climb and go down. I was very tentative on the downhill but felt comfortable doing down the hills once I became more familiar with the technique. We were out on the trails for about an hour. I had a really fun time and am really looking forward to going skiing again. I can borrow skis from school and am planning to go cross-country skiing again on Thursday on our home cross-country course here at Smith. After skiing I had dinner with Ellen and Mike. I am pretty beat now and am looking forward to getting some sleep. This weekend I am also really happy to say that I have written a training schedule for a spring marathon. I have a plan made for training from Feb. to May. I am excited to have it written out and looking forward to starting it in a week or so.

Posted by mary at 9:36 PM | Comments (1)

January 21, 2005

Thursday and Friday Easy Running!

I realized on Thursday that I started my week off with a bang with lots of running due to my longer run on Sunday and my day off from work on Monday which lead to a double run day. I then had some great runs on Tuesday and Wednesday. By the time Thursday came I was really tired. My legs feel ok and ready to go but overall I am just really sleepy and I don't feel that powerful. I decided to cut back and run only an hour on both of these days.

On Thursday we had another bitter cold day. It was about 5 degrees out. The sunshine was out during the day which made me actually want to go outside and brave the frigid temperatures. However, by the time my responsibilities with coaching and work were over the sun had set and the temperature had fallen to under zero degrees and it was snowing. I think I could have bundled up and had a great time but with the treadmill literally about 50 meters away it is hard to not use it. I really enjoy running in my shorts and t-shirt. The winter bulk of layers can make a tiring day feel even more exhausting. Needless to say I ran on the treadmill for 7.5 miles. I ran at 7.50 pace and just watched t.v. because without the outdoor stimulation my boredom factor increases. I then spent about 40 minutes lifting and felt surprisingly better after my weight routine. On Thursday night I got a ton of errands done including my laundry which was long overdue.

Today I am supervising a high school track meet again. The meet officials promise the meet will be over by 10 p.m. which is great because I will be spending all day tomorrow at a meet in Boston and I don't want to get too track saturated. I am also meeting a friend tonight after the track meet and don't want to be out too late because I have to catch up on some sleep. I have escaped from the meet for a few minutes to type this up so I will have to be brief. Today I ran another 7.5 miles but today's run was at a slower pace of 8 minutes. I realized my mileage is already at 66 miles with 1 day to go so I don't want to push it too much. I wanted to be at 70 miles this week which means tomorrow will be an easy 5 mile day with some lifting. I am excited for the really easy day but more excited for Sunday when I will be going cross country skiing for the first time. I will be heading up to VT and hoping to avoid the snowstorm. I may stay overnight in New Hampshire tomorrow night to avoid the piles of snow they are predicting we will have in MA tomorrow evening. Now I have to get back to the track meet. More soon..

Posted by mary at 7:24 PM | Comments (1)

January 19, 2005

Lots of Running today... still very Chilly!

This morning I got up at 6:00 and met Alison at 6:20 for a morning workout. I had no idea how I would feel after running on the treadmill for 10 miles less than 12 hours earlier but I figured I would just see how I felt. We ran the first five miles outside. It was so cold. It must have been about -5 degrees. My toes were freezing and my face was frozen. The run went by suprisingly fast even though we took it very easy. By the time we got to the track I felt like I needed to warm up again. Once we got to do the track Alison had to do 1 x mile, and 3 x 15 minutes at marathon pace. I decided to do 4 x mile at her marathon pace and just jump in and out of her workout. I ran the first mile with Alison and we ran it around 6.41. It felt nice and relaxed and I was so happy that my leg did not bother too much. Alison was awesome at clicking off the pace lap after lap. Alison and I then started the second interval of fifteen minutes. I decided to run the first mile and the last half mile of the next two intervals because I did not want to push myself too hard and I had to get to work at 8 a.m. I ran the second mile in 6.36 ish and the half mile in 3.18, I then ran the third mile in another 6.36 and the half mile again in 3.18. I hated to have to leave Alison when she had one more interval left and I thought if I had not had to go to work I would have just done the entire fifteen minutes with her. However, I had to go and had no time to stretch. I was stiff and cold all day from not showering and not cooling down and stretching. However, I was really happy to have done a good workout that was totally unplanned. And I am really inspired by Alison's training and her focus. It really is awesome to see her run these workouts. She is so efficient and runs so smoothly, she definitely makes it look easy. I am so excited for her!

This afternoon I ran a very easy six miles with the team outside. It was snowing and I never warmed up. When we returned I took a shower right away. Even after I showered my hands were still freezing. Finally after eating some dinner I have warmed up. Now I am really tired from four days of hard running. Tomorrow I am definitely going to do another erg test and probably run an easy hour or less. I need to get some rest and let my legs recover a bit. I am really happy with how I have felt running lately. And I am stretching and working on my quad a lot which has helped me quite a bit.

Posted by mary at 7:15 PM | Comments (2)

January 18, 2005

Frigid Temperatures.. leading to yet another treadmill run!

Today was so cold. I think my nose immediately turned red the moment I stepped out the door today. I was cold most of the day even when I was inside and wore my jacket almost non stop. It was 10 degrees out but the wind made it feel even colder. I was planning to do today's run on the treadmill because I knew it was supposed to be very cold. Originally I was going to run at 6 a.m. but when the alarm went off at 5:30 I changed my mind. Instead I ran around 7 p.m. tonight. I was planning to do 10 miles easy but after two miles I got bored so I set the treadmill to 7.03 pace and ran that for 6 miles. I then ran 2 miles at 7.35 pace and called it a day. Tomorrow morning I am meeting Alison for an early morning workout at 6:20 so I have to keep this short. I am stretching and working on my quad muscles each day. It did not bother me too much today. It may be sore tomorrow so I will pick and choose which parts of the workout I will run with Alison. I'd like to do as much as possible, but we'll see. More tomorrow..

Posted by mary at 11:21 PM | Comments (1)

January 17, 2005

Easy Running Today .... a bit tired

This morning the team met for a morning practice to do their workout. Today we just ran about 8.5 miles easy. We ran the Northampton bike path loop backwards. There was a slight covering of snow on the bike path and the sidewalks that we had to run on were icy and snowy. We ran a really easy pace because the athletes were really tired from last week's training and yesterday's long run. The entire run we talked about our favorite movies and we talked about comfort foods and comfort t.v. shows. I think that was on our minds because it is starting to get really cold here in MA. I did not wear my hat for my run today and my ears were quite cold. Fortunately, the sun was out which did a great job of keeping the rest of me relatively warm. Now that I have lots of new glove options my hands no longer freeze on my runs.

After the run I went to brunch at one of the coaches houses. I spent about 2 hours there and enjoyed having someone else make a meal for me. Lately my meals have been terribly uninspiring. I enjoyed the company and the food.

Later in the day I finally cleaned out my car and swept and dusted my room. These errands have needed to be done for quite sometime now. I then went out for a four-mile campus loop run. It was so nice out even though it was very cold. It was about 4 p.m. and the sun was just beginning to set. There were tiny little snowflakes starting to fall from the sky that made everything look very beautiful. I ran nice and easy and enjoyed the scenery. I was able to run on the road the entire time and avoid the messy sidewalks.

When I returned to campus I was going to do a half hour rowing machine test but after 10 minutes I was off pace from my previous record and felt very tired so I decided to quit. I then spent about a half hour lifting and doing sit-ups. The remainder of the night I have been taking it easy, finishing up some assignments for the classes that I am co-teaching and making some soup for dinner. Well I actually already ate the soup, some spinach and onion soup; it was pretty good and hit the spot. Tomorrow is supposed to be really cold. I am not sure I will be hitting the streets tomorrow. I may be on the rowing machine and treadmill tomorrow.

Posted by mary at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2005

Weekend Running Update

On Saturday morning I was thinking of getting up at 6 a.m. to do a run before we left for the track meet but then I realized if I slept until 7 a.m. I would be able to get 7 hours of sleep, which seemed so much better for me. We drove to Tufts University for the second indoor track meet of the season. We arrived so early, 9:30 a.m. and the track events did not start until 12. I was secretly so happy we were there so early. I completed the team's register and made the necessary scratches. I talked to the distance runners about relaxing and starting their warm up at 11:45, one hour before their race, and then I took for a ten mile run around the area.

Initially I felt horrible and was dreading my run on the concrete pavement. I ran the first 15 minutes on pavement and my legs ached and I was wondering how I ever managed to live in San Francisco for three years where there are so many sidewalks. Typically I'd run only a mile or two before hitting a park when I lived there. I was worried I would not find a softer surface to run on in Boston. Finally intuition led me the correct way and I found the Mystic River Parkway where there was a nice trail running besides the river. It was awesome. I was able to run on a trail for the next 25 minutes and I felt so much better on this surface. I ran nice and easy and enjoyed the change of scenery from the Pioneer Valley. Half of the runners I saw were also on the trail but the other half were on the road. I could not imagine running on the road when the trail was so close. Then I thought they were probably worried that the trail might be icy, muddy, or slippery. There was only one area where there was a lot of mud otherwise it was smooth running. I turned around at 40 minutes and made my way back to the Tufts field house. I had time to shower and change and was able to meet the distance crew before they began their warm up. I gave them some instructions and watched them race an hour later. They all made their time goals, which was awesome for the first race of the season. I am excited to see how the rest of the season turns out. When I returned to campus at 7:30 p.m. I lifted for about 40 minutes and did my ab routine.

This morning I met Andy, one of the assistant track coaches, who is training for the Boston Marathon for a 14-mile run. I warned him that I might be slower than he usually runs and he gave me a similar warning. We ran my 10-mile Northampton bike path loop first and then ran an abbreviated cornfields run near the airport. The first ten miles we were cruising. I was not too cold and had my gloves, tights, and two shirts on my body. We ran the first ten miles at about a 7-minute pace, I thought it might to be too fast but we were talking the entire time. We then ran over to the cornfields, which slowed us down, they were icy and had snow on them but it was a good break. We finished up with about 1 and a half miles on the road back to campus. We ran for an hour and forty-eight minutes, which I think, was about 14 miles. I was really happy with the run. I am pretty sure that is all I am going to do for the rest of the day. Initially I was going to do a short ride on the bike but I am feeling pretty good about that workout and will use the time to catch up on some work. Tonight I am working an adult track meet that is at Smith College. My friend from CA who lives in CT is coming to MA to run the 800 and maybe the 3,000 so it will be fun to cheer him on and get some dinner with him following the races.

Posted by mary at 1:48 PM | Comments (9)

January 14, 2005

Gray Days

Where is all the sunshine?

All week long the weather forecast called for 55 to 60 degree weather on Thursday. I was so excited to get out and run in shorts on some clear roads. Once Thursday came it was very far from that picture. It was cold and damp and less than 40 degrees. I thought it might warm up during the day. I was busy from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. when I got out of work. I was planning to go for a run outside at that time. However, it was so dark out and it was pretty cold compared to my expectations that I decided to procrastinate. I went to get some groceries.. I was running low on soymilk and I picked up some crackers for snacking. On my way home I ate some crackers and decided I couldn't run right after I ate so I did some work for one of the classes I am teaching. Finally at 6:30 I decided to just go and run on the treadmill. I ran really easy so that I wouldn't be tired for Friday's run planned with Alison. I ran 10 miles at an 8 minute pace. I then changed the pace to 7.53 because 8's seemed really slow and boring and I moved the incline up a little. I watched t.v. and zoned out. The time went by pretty quickly and I felt fine. It unfortunately was not the most inspiring run but I was happy to get the workout in for the day. I also did about five minutes of ab work.

Finally some warmth!

On Friday morning I got up at 6:15 and enjoyed some coffee with my new French press that my friend unexpectedly mailed me. I knew I would need the coffee before my run because I could not get to sleep until 1 a.m. I was too wired and antsy, feeling restless. The coffee definitely woke me up and made me feel energized. I met Alison in front of the field house at 7 a.m. and was so happy because today was unexpectedly warm. It was about 55 to 60 degrees this morning. I could have gotten away with wearing tights but I really wanted to wear shorts because who knows when I will get to wear them again. I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt. We did the 4-mile campus loop that I know as a warm up and talked the entire way. There was no snow or ice on the road, which was so nice. It was raining and pretty dark while we were running but the warmer weather and company was very refreshing. We then went to the indoor track and I put a short sleeve shirt on to be cooler. We set out to do 5 miles at 7 minute pace on the track. I ended up running 2 miles and taking a half-mile off to stretch my quad, as it was feeling a little tight. I also mentally did not have the concentration to stick to the complete workout because I was starting to feel really tired from lack of sleep. I then jumped in for the last 2.5 miles at 7 min. pace. Besides my quad tightness, which got better over time and my overall fatigue I felt pretty good. Alison and I were able to talk during the entire workout and the time just seemed to fly by. When we finished the workout we did a mile cool down and then I jogged Alison back to her car. This weekend is very busy for me; I am supervising a track meet tonight at Smith for high schoolers, coaching the team at the Tufts Invitational tomorrow, and supervising and adult track meet on Sunday evening. I may be all tracked out by Monday. Now I have to get back to the track meet.

Posted by mary at 5:37 PM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2005

Quick Updates

Tuesday Running

On Tuesday I was scheduled for a pool run but I was offered a 3rd job on campus for this two-week period and took it so that I can make some more money. Working on a college campus as a graduate student you don't make that much money so I feel like I need to take all of the little jobs that I can while I am not studying away. I am now working an extra two hours in the morning doing some administrative work for the next two weeks. During the afternoon I met the distance runners and ran the 8-mile Northampton bike path loop. The parts on the road were slippery and snowy and icy. Ironically once we got to the Northampton bike path the pavement was clear and we had no problem running along this segment of the course. It was a very leisurely run, everyone was talking, and the pace was nice and easy. When we returned we did an ab circuit and then I called it a day as I had more work to do in the evening.

Wednesday's Run

All day I have been planning to run with the team at practice but it never happened. I did however manage to do two pool workouts today and lift. I had to teach two pool running workouts, one at 7 a.m. and one at 12:30 p.m. Both classes were really fun and I did the same workout, a warm up of about 5 minutes, then 10 x 10 seconds hard with about 25 to 30 seconds recovery, then 10 x 30 sec. hard and 30 sec. easy, followed by a 10 min. cool down. I really felt that I was getting a good workout for both routines. I was also really happy because in both sessions I was teaching students who had never done a pool workout before and both groups seemed to really enjoy it and understand the benefits and advantages of pool running. At 3 I was supposed to run with the team for their workout of 8 x 90 seconds hard. However, I was feeling so tired and really wanted to catch up with the head coach that I decided to just skip that run as it has been at least 10 days since I had a day off and just observe/ coach the workout. After practice I had dinner with the team, which was great because it means I don't have to cook. I then lifted in the gym for about a half hour. Now I really need to get to sleep because I am beat!

Posted by mary at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2005

Sunday's Run and Today's Treadmill Run

I did not sleep much on Sunday evening. I wanted to get up and do a rowing test but there was no way I could motivate myself to do so on so little sleep. The team left for the Dartmouth Relays at 6:30 a.m. We arrived in Hanover around 9 a.m. As soon as we got there I took the distance runners who were not competing out for a 6-mile run. We ended up doing a popular 3 and a half-mile course that the Dartmouth men's team usually warms up on for their workouts. As we were heading out to the main road I saw another runner up ahead and took the risk of following that runner. We had a nice run that took us through lots of back roads with great views of nearby trails, golf courses, and distant evergreen trees covered in snow. The roads were very snowy and on the back roads we were able to run in the middle of the road where there was no snow. Once we got to the busier streets we had to go on the sidewalks that were cleared but not all the way to the cement. We returned to the indoor track with 30 minutes so we had to run out and back for about ten minutes each way. It was nice to have the company of the distance runners and nice to finish the run before the main events started. We did have to miss the race walking. The meet was pretty fun to watch and our sprinters did a decent job considering it was their first meet of the season. I had to get up and walk around every hour or so because I got so tired just sitting on the bleachers.

By the time the afternoon approached I was so anxious to hear how Liz had done. I called my brothers in AZ and they told me the news. I was so sad for Liz because I knew she had trained so hard for the marathon and I think she has the worst luck in marathons. However, it reminded me how hard the marathon is as an event. It is one of the most challenging events. There are so many variables that have to go right. Throughout the training phase there is so much fear of trying to balance all of the training so you will not get injured, stay motivated, and peak at the right time. Then once the day finally arrives you just hope for good weather, hope that you are healthy, and hope for a well-organized race. There are so many things that are out of your control. All of these obstacles definitely make the race appealing and intriguing. These things also add a big fear component to the race something that I know exists inside of me. It is really hard to lay it all down on the line and push yourself for 26 miles hoping that at the end you will be spent and not any time sooner. I am really proud of Liz for making the decision she made. I honestly don't know if I would have been able to drop and that would be such a dangerous situation and would do nothing for your overall training. I know Liz will come back even stronger and like many have commented on her blog I am confident that Liz will have an amazing season of running in 2005 because of the strength she built training for the marathon.

This morning I was hoping to get up early and run. I was so beat from 4+ hours of sleep on Sunday I slept in until 8. My day was swamped with work, teaching, coaching, and squeezing in my workout. I began co-teaching an exercise physiology class today which is a 2-hour class that will last for two weeks. This class makes my day packed with the prep work and post class work necessary to make things run smoothly. Following the class I went to the library to fix some books and then went to practice to coach a workout for the distance runners. It was almost 7 by the time I left practice and since it was so dark I did not feel extremely motivated to go outside. I decided to run 8 miles on the treadmill and then lift. I ran 8 miles at 7.30 pace. My legs felt really fatigued but my breathing was fine. I was talking to someone else running on the treadmill running next to me the entire time so the time just flew by. I then lifted for about forty minutes and called it a day. Tomorrow I will be pool running at 7 a.m. and then running with the team in the afternoon.

Posted by mary at 10:37 PM | Comments (1)

January 9, 2005

GOOD LUCK TO L IZ AT THE PHOENIX ROCK AND ROLL MARATHON!

Posted by mary at 6:21 AM | Comments (1)

Great 10 mile Amherst Snowy Run

I had a busy morning getting ready for our team's track meet tomorrow at the Dartmouth Relays. I had to get the team uniforms passed out, get the distance runners organized for their workout (they are not competing tomorrow), and go shop for the team's breakfast and lunch for tomorrow's race. By the time I finished the errands it was about 1 o'clock and I went to my car in an attempt to dig it out. I have to park about a half mile from my house because of all of the snow we have been having. I usually park right outside my house in a campus lot but due to the snow removal process my car will be towed if it is left there overnight. Therefore my car is parked near the stables in a dirt area. I first cleared off all the snow from the windows, hood, and body. I then heated the car and defrosted the windows. I then tried to back out. No way, the snow was packed in deep and the plows had left a big pile of snow right behind my car. I was thinking my little 1985 was the car that could and could just plow over that big pile of snow. Very optimistic of me. I had to go and find a shovel. I asked several people in the parking lot if they had shovels. No one did. I then remembered we had one at the indoor track to replace the flying dirt of the long jump pit. I borrowed that shovel and spent about a half hour digging my car out. This task became my second lifting session of the week. I was working pretty hard. I then tried to get my car out after shoveling a lot of snow. The wheels were spinning and spinning in the mud and mud was splattered all over the fence in front of my car. Oh, the pool little engine. I was hoping I would draw some attention to myself so that someone would come over and help. I managed to somehow get the car half way out and it was stuck again. I was walking around the car looking for a miracle when suddenly someone asked if I wanted him to push the car. Yes, I did! As soon as I received help I was able to get the car free from the mud/snow pit. I felt so supremely liberated. After almost four days in my house and on campus I was ready for another scene. I had a 3 o'clock running time planned with Alison and was happy that I was going to make it.

I arrived in Amherst at Alison's house and had to change my socks and shoes and bundle up for our run. I was really excited to have some company and learn a new course. Alison showed me the 10-mile racecourse that Amherst hosts at the end of February. I am planning to run it so I was happy for the preview. It was snowing when we left the house and most of the roads had not been plowed very much. There was about 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground and some roads had not been completely cleared from our snowstorm earlier in the week.

We ran the first two miles or so through town on the sidewalks and headed towards the middle school. Running on the sidewalks was like running on trails, the snow was deep in parts but luckily I did not slide around too much because it was the crunchy type of snow. Alison and I were talking non stop, which is usually how our runs go. We were on the official racecourse after about two miles and I heard how the racecourse actually begins.

We headed towards the more rural parts of Amherst. It looked so beautiful. Everything was covered in snow and there were hardly any cars passing us by. Off in the distance were hill ranges with tall trees. Farmhouses and barns lined the roads separated by about a half-mile or so. We saw the foot tracks of another runner on the road. Apart of me was disappointed that we were not the first brave souls enduring this weather but another piece of me was excited that another person was out enjoying this beautiful winter wonderland. Before we hit the best part of the run, the dirt roads, one of the cars driving by shouted to us that we were idiots. I was really surprised because we were not running in the middle of the road. We were off to the side and no other cars were coming by. I hate to be a hazard to the cars in the snowy weather. When cars came by we ran single file and were off to the side of the road. I bet the driver was frustrated to drive in the bad weather. After that incident we ran on some great dirt roads that were now totally covered with snow. The dirt roads were actually easier to run on compared to the roads. Perhaps the snow sticks to the dirt better, I'm not sure, or maybe I just feel like I am really running on trails :). Forests enclosed these dirt roads and we ran by a huge reservoir that was so silent. I felt that we were miles away from everything. We passed and ran on the Robert Frost Trail on part of the dirt road. I love that trail name and am looking forward to running more of the trail in better weather.

The last 1/3 of the run was back through the neighborhoods and headed back towards downtown Amherst. It was so nice to be running when it seemed so quiet out. It was beginning to turn dark by the time we returned but it was the nice glowing type of darkness that occurs when there is snow on the ground. Even though there was not much sunlight today the environment seemed to glow a little bit in an orangish light. Running in snow on the roads is definitely a hard workout and I felt like I was working hard in the first 3 miles or so but then I forgot about my effort and thoroughly enjoyed the run and the company.

Running in Amherst reminds me of running in Storrs, CT. It just seems like a quieter place that is surrounded by lots of beautiful hillsides and country barns. This run was just what I needed to remind me of why I love running even if it is in the winter in New England. I know when I read my sister's blog I wish I was running in Marin County on all of my favorite trails with all of my great friends there. However, after today's run, I know why I love the sport of running. I love how this sport can take us places we least expected and bring us unknown joys such as the pleasure of a snowy cold run in the middle of winter in January. I love that this sport can make us forget about all of the silly stresses in our lives and just make us mindful and appreciative of the moment. And I love how this sport can introduce me to so many cool people like Alison, all of the bloggers, and all of my Tamalpa Running Club friends.

I am so glad I ended my training week on a high note. I have been recording my 2005 runs on a calendar hanging near my bedroom door. A very special person taught me this and it works very well. I have been able to keep running logs only on a short-term basis because it always seems like a laborious task. Writing the mileage down and a quick note on a calendar when I finish the run is so easy and inherently there are fewer expectations involved in my descriptions (that's what the blog is for right?). So, this week I actually know that I ran 60 miles. After being so sick and injured I think that is a good start and am eager to get started with more training next week. Tomorrow I will be at the Dartmouth meet all day. I hope to run about 6 miles with the distance runners around the campus and do a rowing machine 30 min. test sometime when I return. We'll see how tired I am. In the meantime, tonight I know I'll be dreaming about my great run that I had today and looking forward to more adventures.

Posted by mary at 12:13 AM | Comments (4)

Friday's runs

On Friday I was feeling pretty lethargic and tired. I wanted to get up and do a run before I had to coach a track workout with the women's team. My legs were feeling stiff and tired so I decided to wait and see if I'd feel better later in the day. I decided to run the 20-minute warm up with the women before their track workout. We ran on the indoor track and it was nice and easy and I felt fine. After timing and coaching their workout I ran the cool down with them outside and it was good to be in the fresh air. The indoor track at Smith College was just repainted so there are still quite a lot of fumes in the building that were getting to me. The roads were still pretty slick so I decided I would do the rest of my running on the treadmill for the day. After wrapping up practice I headed to the gym and decided to do a little tempo run in honor of Liz's weekend marathon. I ran one mile warm up at 8 minute pace for the first half and 7.30 pace for the second half. I then ran four miles at 6.48 pace. My legs felt fine but the time seemed to drag by. I did not feel especially peppy but I decided I had done a lot the day before and that probably explained it. I then ran a mile cool down. I spent the entire evening supervising local high school track meets at the college. I was hoping to lift but by the time the meets ended I was pretty tired and ready for bed.

Posted by mary at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 6, 2005

First Snowshoe Run!

This afternoon I made it out for a snowshoe run after enjoying my soup and watching an afternoon movie. I went out to the cross-country course and did a four-mile loop that I sometimes run. It was really cool because I saw lots of cross-country ski tracks and up ahead I saw a cross-country skier. I was curious how my pace would compare to the skiers. I was lucky because the skiers had patted down lots of the snow and I saw a few other snowshoe tracks. I definitely felt like I was working harder than I do when I run. It was really cool to hear the snow crunching under my feet. The downhills were really fun because I felt like I could just let go and not worry about falling. I did catch up to the cross-country skier and we talked for a bit. He told me my snowshoes looked pretty good and if I could run a mile in them I was getting a good workout in for the day. I asked him about cross-country skiing because I have never done it. We then parted. My left quad was really tired when I first started running and throughout the run I felt like my left snow shoe was loose, yet when I checked my snow shoe it seemed equally tight compared to my right snow shoe. I was wondering if my left sneaker was not on tightly enough. I hope I figure that bit out because apart from that I felt pretty good snowshoe running. I am definitely a lot slower running in snow shoes compared to running but the sensation is really great. It incorporates all of the elements of trail running with a little more gear. I saw three other cross country skiers out on the trail which made me excited that so many people were happy about the snow. By the time I finished my four-mile loop I was pretty tired. I think I will definitely try this workout again while we have the snow around. It is a good reason for me to get on the trails. I did manage to jog over to my car after the run and wipe off all of the snow from the hood and all of the windows. I saw a lot of snowy cars that had not been cleaned off yet today so I wondered if I was being overly protective of my run down car. However, I know the next time I have to use the car I will be happy that I won't have to scrap off piles of snow. Now I am pretty tired and plan to catch up on some computer errands for my course work and have a nice hot dinner a little later. Tonight I am planning to make some corn bread because it seems like a good comfort food. Being influenced by Beth and Blondie with the veggies lately I almost brought carrots with me over to my office but instead I brought a yogurt, which I think is equally healthy. I'll probably munch on some carrots while I cook my dinner.

Posted by mary at 5:15 PM | Comments (5)

Lots of Snow

Today we are having a mini blizzard here in Western MA. I think we have at least six inches of snow and it was still snowing at noon today. The entire school is closed today so I did not have to work at the library and I did not have to coach. It was a surprise to me to have so many things canceled today. I decided to do a five mile run at 11 a.m. before the conditions got too crazy. I was wishing for some yak-traks when I was out slipping and sliding on the roads. However, it actually wasn't too bad once I figured out where to run. I did my five mile campus loop and mostly ran in the tire tracks of cars. On two streets I was lucky because the snow plow had just gone by so the snow was nicely packed down and I could run on the freshly sprinkled dirt. I felt like I was running pretty slow but I guess I ran about an 8 min. pace which surprised me in these slippery conditions. My legs were really tight for the first 15 minutes but then I felt better. It was really pretty to run with everything covered in snow and it was nice to see so many children out playing in the snow and sledding. I saw lots of people cleaning their cars and shoveling. I felt very lucky not to have to worry about either of those two things. The univesity shovels all around my house and I am not planning to drive today so that is not a big stress. I may do some snow shoeing later in the day and might wipe off the car so it is not buried by tomorrow. I'll see how motivated I am.

When I came back from the run I went to the gym to do another 30 minute session on the rowing machine. I wasn't sure if I would try to race or just go easy. I felt tired in the first 5 minutes but I realized my pace was the same as the last time I rowed. I decided to just row for 30 min. at a good pace and see how far I could travel. I did the first 1600 a little faster than last time, in 7.23. I checked my 3200 split and that was 14.59 and my 5000 split was 23.23. My final distance traveled was 6,375 meters, an improvement from last time. I was happy with the effort and was really happy to be done because it is a hard workout.

I am now going to go home and have some soup. I will probably relax for a little while and then I think I might go and run the cross country course in the afternoon with my snow shoes. I'd hate to miss the opportunity to use them this afternoon when I just got them from Liz for a Christmas present. I'll update more on that adventure later in the day. I hope everyone is having a good day and if you are having a snow day I hope you get to have a small adventure.

Posted by mary at 1:34 PM | Comments (2)

January 5, 2005

Feeling Beat Today!

I think all of the exercise I did yesterday caught up to me today. I woke up at 8 a.m. and still felt very tired even though I got at least 8 hours of sleep. I was going to go for a run but my legs were very sore and I was not that motivated to do so. I had some yogurt for breakfast and then met the head track coach for a meeting. I worked in the afternoon and felt sleepy, sore, and tired. I decided I would just do one easy run for today and call it a day.

In the afternoon I met one of the distance runners and we did the Amherst bike path. We ran a little faster than 8 min. pace on the slightly covered snowy roads and bike path. The pace felt hard to me so I think I was really tired. By the second half of the run I felt better but I had no desire to do more. It was nice to be in the fresh air. It was about 38 degrees out but the sun was out and the snow had stopped falling. I wanted to get out and run outdoors because tomorrow is supposed to be really icy. When I got back from the run I did about 5 minutes of ab work with the team and then did bench press, lat pull down, and tricep extension. I have not lifted in at least 6 weeks and my body knew it. I was so tired, stiff, and weak lifting. I have my work cut out for me. Now I am off to dinner at a friend's house. Tomorrow I can sleep in again and think I will to try to get this entire cold out of my system so I can feel more energetic by the weekend.

Posted by mary at 5:44 PM | Comments (1)

January 4, 2005

The Start of some Quality Training

This morning I slept in once again. It is so nice. I think it was probably my last day as I have appointments and things to do most of the other days this week. When I woke up I ran an easy 3 miles along the pond path. I then did a 30-minute time trial on the rowing machine. A good friend of mine from CA put me to the challenge to see how many meters I could travel in 30 minutes. I am also in a versa climber competition with this friend but have been unable to find a versa climber in the area so I am now focusing on the rowing machine. I do not think I have ever rowed for 30 minutes. I began with a fast pace and then had to back off. I wanted to try to get 6,000 meters in a half hour. The rowing splits are similar to running. I went through 1600 meters in 7.30 and was pretty happy with that but I got really tired by the time I hit half way in 3,150 meters. I finished the 30 minutes with 6,115 meters. My friend has 6,904 meters so I have some work to do before I catch up to him. It is a pretty hard workout so I am not sure when I will try it again, perhaps this weekend.

This afternoon I worked and then met the team for practice. There were only two distance runners to work with today. One woman had to go in the pool due to a sore hamstring and the other woman had to do a tempo run. I decided to do the warm up for 20 minutes with her out to the Amherst bike path and jog around on the levies while she did her tempo. I then jogged 20 minutes with her for cool down. I felt pretty good and was glad for the easy pace. While I was running I felt pretty good and did not feel any effects from the cold. When I got back into the building I was congested again and now I am ready to hit the shower. I think I will start my lifting routine tomorrow.

Posted by mary at 5:26 PM | Comments (2)

January 3, 2005

Feeling Better

It was nice to be back in my own room again after two weeks in other people's houses. It is always nice to be a guest for a little while but what a cozy feeling to be surrounded by all of the things that are familiar to you again. I slept in again this morning until about 9 a.m. When I woke up I enjoyed some of my music and then went out for an easy five mile run. It was so mild today. I was able to wear shorts and a long sleeve shirt. I might have been able to get away with a short sleeve shirt but since I am still fighting a cold it was nice to be a little warm. It must have been about 55 degrees. I ran my favorite 5-mile pond path loop. The course is about 60% trail and 40% road. The last 2 miles are on the cross-country course and the first mile and half are on the pond path. It is a little bit rolling. I made a point not to time the run and just run on effort alone. My legs did not feel tired at all. My breathing was still a bit labored and I was congested and coughing a little but my mechanics felt good. I was so relieved. It has felt like a struggle to run recently.

I had a quick lunch and then went to work at the library for two hours. I met up with the cross-country coach to catch up and then met some of the track athletes who have arrived on campus to train early. I ran another 30 minutes very easy with one of the woman who has a sore hamstring. If we had been running faster I would not have run again but I knew the pace would be very easy and I could not pass up the chance to run in this mild weather again. I was in a very good mood today because of the weather and since I feel like I am back into my own routine. Tonight I am hoping to write a running schedule for myself for the next three months and maybe relax with one of the books I am currently reading, the Perfect Mile.

Posted by mary at 5:10 PM | Comments (1)

January 2, 2005

Millennium Mile and 5 mile run

Today I left New Haven, CT and finally drove back to my house I share in Northampton, MA. I felt less congested when I woke up and was happy to finally have some real plans to attend to over my break. Alison and her boyfriend picked me up at 10:30 and we drove to Londonderry, New Hampshire for the Millennium Mile. It was about a two and a half hour drive but it went by very quickly. We talked the entire way up and I felt lucky to be with two people who know so much about running. As a future full time coach it made me think that I have a lot to learn about runners and running venues before and during my career. The Millennium Mile turns out to be a one-mile, point-to-point, downhill race in which the entire field runs at the same time. I think there were at least 700 people in the race. Dena Kastor was there to sign autographs, start the race (fire the gun - which was a last minute assignment for her), and she ran with some young children in the race.

I was able to run about five miles before the race started. We arrived about an hour before the event began. I ran out and back for 20 minutes. I felt pretty tired and stiff the first half. On the second half I felt more like myself but still felt that 40 minutes was a long way to go, probably still feeling the affects of my cold. When I got to the start I then jogged to the finish area. I decided to watch the runners at the finish line so I could get a sense of what pace people ran the race.

It was funny to think that the entire event would only take about 10 to 15 minutes total. Alison rode on a truck during the race taking pictures and her boyfriend took pictures at the finish. I was glad not to be on a moving vehicle in the cold weather. I was pretty cold just standing still at the end. The male winner ran a low 4.05 ish and the female winner ran a low 4.40 ish. I think the official times are probably posted somewhere but I have not seen them yet. It was great to see so many people running so fast to the finish line. I am tempted to try the race sometime and beat my current mile pr of 5.10. I would be afraid to go and not break 5.10 so I'll have to wait until I feel I am in shape to break that mark. The course is almost entirely downhill. It would be fun to break 5.00 even if it was all-downhill.

After the race we got lunch and made a brief appearance at the post race party. We then drove back to MA and talked the entire way. The drive home also went by quickly even though we had to drive in some icy rain.

When I got home I did not know what I was going to do because none of my roommates are in town yet. I have gotten so used to being around people since I spent the whole holiday with my family that I did not want to be at my house alone. I decided to go see a movie in town. I decided to see Sideways as it has received several good nominations. It was pretty entertaining but a little melancholy as well. I felt sad when I was walking home. I think I am overtired and anxious to get started to a normal routine again. I am so used to having things to do that I think I get thrown off when I have not accomplished anything. After being pretty sick for almost a week and not doing any serious running for two weeks I feel unproductive. I don't think I necessarily have to do things all the time but a piece of me urges me to move forward. I guess I just need a balance and I have to learn that sometimes it is ok to do nothing. People who know me know that this is hard for me. Perhaps if I incorporate a little bit of that into my day on a regular basis and feel fine with it my life will be more balanced. And then maybe next time I am sick and not running I won't get so down. I think if I sleep in one more day tomorrow I should be feeling close to 100% by tomorrow or hopefully Tuesday at the latest. Once I am no longer congested I will get back to lifting and start on my 2005 training program.

Posted by mary at 10:29 PM | Comments (1)

January 1, 2005

New Years

I was glad that I made it through New Year's Eve. I was pretty exhausted the entire day. On Wednesday and Thursday I had temperatures that were over 100 and by Friday I had a much lower temperature but did not have much energy. I was congested and was feeling fatigued. I spent the day at my brother's house and played with my niece and nephew while their parents were getting ready for the big evening party. I took a lot of breaks during the day to just lie on the couch and relax. Around 4 o'clock my brother asked me if I wanted to do an easy three miles with him. Since I had been feeling cooped up since Christmas I decided the fresh air would be good for me. I also knew I was safe because my brother has not run in 6 weeks due to a stress fracture. We did a three-mile loop around his neighborhood in New Haven. I felt disoriented and did not feel like my legs knew what they were doing. I think mostly I was stiff and my breathing was harder than usual due to my cold. For the first time in a long time I was counting the minutes I had left in a 24 minute run. That is one reason I knew I was not feeling well for sure. After the run I got ready for the party. Everyone arrived at 7 p.m. It was mostly my sister in laws side of the family and some of my brother's friends. One of my older brother's came with his girlfriend around 8 and stayed until 11 p.m. and my parents showed up around 9 and stayed until midnight. I spent much too much time on my feet and found my legs feeling really tired and dead by midnight. I was the first person to go to sleep at 12:30, even before my 8 year old niece and 5-year-old nephew. I was happy to fall right to sleep. I did not hear anything all night. Apparently some of the guests were at my brother's house until almost 6 in the morning.

I slept until almost 11 a.m. in the morning today and felt a little better. I was trying to decide if I should drive up to MA to get back to my life there. I was planning to meet Alison for a run and hoping I felt a little better. I knew it would be hard for me to run more than 5 miles. After thinking about it for an hour I decided to cancel my run with Alison. The thought of driving to MA and only getting to run 5 miles was too much for me. I was disappointed not to get to run with Alison but am looking forward to going to the Millennium Mile with her tomorrow.

Another brother and his wife and two children came over to visit in the afternoon. Everyone ate lunch together, left overs from the party the night before. I ate more than I have been eating in hopes that I would get a little more energy. After lunch we all went for a walk and it felt so nice to be in the fresh air. It was so mild today, around 50 degrees. After the walk I asked my niece if she wanted to ride her bike with me while I ran three miles. She agreed to only if she could pick the course. I was definitely willing to let her pick the course. My brother was going to come with me but decided not to. I was glad he did not come because I ran really slowly. I pretty much jogged for 24 minutes. My legs felt fine but my chest was very sore every time I took a breath and again I felt that 24 minutes was a long time. I knew I made the right decision not to run with Alison. Yet, when I just read her blog and read about the trails she explored, I wished I had been healthy enough to run with her today. I am sure there will be other times for us to do runs together when I am healthy.

I had soup for dinner with my brother. We then watched Annie with my sister in law and niece and nephew. It was a relaxing evening and I feel ready to head back to MA tomorrow and get started with things there. I think by midweek I should be feeling back to normal again which is very good. I start coaching again on Monday and begin to teach a class next week. Hopefully serious training will resume mid week. I hope everyone had a great start to the New Year.

Posted by mary at 8:40 PM | Comments (1)