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March 31, 2006

Biking and Rethinking

On Thursday afternoon I had some great workouts. I did three miles with the students and did six one minute pick ups with them during the run. I then met with my friend Jen and we biked for an hour. It was great to be on the bike. My form going up the hills was not great and I lost my momentum so I could tell that I was out of practice. It was so beautiful out. We saw at least eight other bikers. All day long I saw people outside. It was such a great change after a long winter of feeling like I was the only one outside. After the bike ride Jen and I ran another 4.5 miles. I was really tired by the time I finished everything. I did 14.5 miles for the day.

This morning I got up at 5:30 intending to run for three hours. I was really beat and was not sure I would make it. I did not. I ran for two hours. I am not sure how much of it was pyschological, just setting myself up for it and how much was physical. I should have eaten before I left but I did not. I came back after two hours and decided to eat something with the plan of going back out. I never went back out. My legs were heavy and the conversation I had with Liz last night weighed heavy on my mind. She gave me some great suggestions. She suggested running a long run of 5-6 hours one week and taking the next week easy and then in between just running relatively easy for an hour or so and add some speed. I do think I need to tackle the big bull and start doing these super long runs. I guess the truth is, is that I am not totally inspired to be out there for six hours by myself and I need to find the time when I am not going to be distracted and want to get back sooner. Running a long run on a day I have to teach such as today is very distracting. I am constantly thinking about everything I have to do during the day and it makes me really anxious and I worry about having enough energy to get through the day. It is pretty silly but unless I am really prepared for my lessons for the day they weigh heavy on my mind while I am running. That is why I really prefer the evening runs, I feel a lot less pressure. Next weekend I am going to focus on doing a long run of 4-5 hours which for me will be tough but I will do all the little things to prepare and make that my main focus for the week. This week I have 8.5 miles to do to make my 85 mile a week goal. Liz and I talked about not focusing so much on my weekly mileage and I think she is right but I have to say over the last six weeks it has given me more confidence and made me feel more fit to reach towards a mileage goal. Running two times a day makes me feel more serious about my running and more focused. I am going to try to transition a bit in April and make the super long run my main focus. I think if I can do a 5 hour run next weekend and then do the 100k on the 23rd that will be great. In between those runs I will do what feels good, 15-22 miles. I am disappointed that I did not finish my "long" run today but I think I had some quality runs this week and I am going to try not to worry about things too much.

I am going to CT right after school today to celebrate my Mom's birthday with my family. I will be in CT for the weekend so I should get some good running in for the weekend. I am also bringing my bike and hope to get in at least one ride but possibly two. Now, I have to make a test.. this is what was distracting me on my run!

Posted by mary at 9:31 AM | Comments (6)

March 30, 2006

Some Easy Running

Yesterday I was able to run five miles in the morning with Seb. We mostly ran around the golf course which was nice. In the evening I ran the six mile Fitzgerald loop at a decent pace. I was tired but the weather was so nice and my legs were so happy to have clear snow free pavement that I could not help picking up the pace at times.

This morning was another beautiful morning and the day is only going to get better. I am excited about that. I ran seven miles this morning but felt really flat and tired. I purposely forced myself to run at an easy pace. I will need to focus to get through my running goals for today and tomorrow. This afternoon I will most likely run at least three miles with the team. I then have a bike ride planned. My first ride of the season. I can't wait. My friend and I may then do a short run after the ride. We'll see. For now, I have lots of work to do.

Posted by mary at 8:53 AM | Comments (1)

March 28, 2006

Workout Day

This afternoon was a beautiful sunny day. It was about 45 degrees, bright blue sky, no clouds at all. It was amazing. I let my final class of the day go outside and enjoy the weather even though we had a lot to do. I myself could not help it. I knew we had to experience the sunshine after such a long winter! During the track practice I ran three miles with the team and did about six hill repeats with the athletes. I did not run the repeats very fast. I just ran at a relaxed pace.

Around quarter of five I met my friend Jen and we did a two mile warm up for our track workout. We then did 2 x 200 at 45 seconds and 1 x 400 at 92 seconds. We did this set three times. We hit all of the 200's between 43 and 46 and hit all of the 400's at 89 to 91. We are following the Jack Daniel's training program for the 5k plan. My friend wants to break 21 minutes in the 5k and I am quite sure she can do this. She was an all american long jumper in college so she has a lot of speed and strength and has been competing in triathalons for the past three or four years. Last fall I helped her get a 45 second pr in the 5k so I am excited to get her into the 20 minute range this summer. I felt good in the workout. My quad was tight for the end of the 400 but felt pretty relaxed in the 200. We are going to repeat this workout over the next four weeks so I am excited for this workout to feel really easy. We ran a two mile cool down. I was able to run 9 miles in the afternoon giving me twelve miles for the day so I was happy to meet my goal. Tomorrow I plan to do an easy day of running.

Posted by mary at 10:46 PM | Comments (1)

Lots of Running

Yesterday I felt like I ran whenever I could fit it in. I ran four miles in the morning with Seb. It was a great run. We ran around the golf course three times. The golf course is great because it is flat and soft, all grass. I have another week or two to enjoy it before it opens up again to the golfers. For now I plan to take advantage of it as much as I can.

After school I did the core body routine with the track team and then ran three miles with them. We ran the ox box loop and then the golf course loop. I ran ahead of the group and some students eventually caught me. When we returned we did about a mile and a half of in's and outs on the track and then did a half mile cool down. I felt good on the straight aways when we were running hard.

A bit later I went to the camp with Mark to shut off the hot water and heat. Our weekend guests were staying there. While I was waiting I went for a three mile run with one of the dogs. I felt pretty good. Meanwhile Mark was doing a four mile loop and managed to catch up to me in the last half mile even though I had picked it up knowing he was chasing me down. That was a bit depressing knowing he had run an entire mile more than I did and still managed to catch me. I did have to stop a few times while the dog went to the bathroom so that slowed me down a bit.

Today I ran three miles in the morning with Seb around the ox bow and around the golf course. Today is going to be a beautiful day, up to 50 degrees. I am going to run some hills with the students at practice and then do some 400's and 200's with my friend Jen tonight at the track. I need to run at least twelve miles a day this week each day and so far I think I am managing to do that. On April 23rd, a Sunday is my next race, or I should say training run. I'll be doing a 100k race in CT. I feel like I need to elevate the length of my long runs and that hasn't happened yet. On Friday I am going to try to run three and a half hours in the morning before school. It is the last day of the quarter so I will be giving tests all day so once I am in class it should not be too bad. For now, that is what I am focused on. Now it's time to go to school.

Posted by mary at 9:49 AM | Comments (1)

March 26, 2006

Mark made the National Team!

This weekend has been a blur. We have had guests in town since Thursday and have been entertaining, at race venues, and I have had to teach a three hour class in the middle of all of this. My running plans fell to the wayside but it was worth it. On Saturday I wanted to get up and run early but I was beat and got up early to work on my lesson plans instead. I taught class and went to the National Snowshoe event held at the Bolton Valley Resort. The race had already begun when I got there so I had to anxiously wait for the finishers. It was not a spectator friendly course so my best best was by the finish line. Mark finished fifth overall making the national team and beat many competitive runners in the field. He had a great race and felt happy that all of his hard work paid off. Runners from Colorado, California, Minnesota, Canada, and even Florida were at the event. At two they had a citizen's race which was a 5k. I participated in that and had a hard enough time with this. It took me a half hour to complete the race. A junior athlete from the high school where I teach and coach made the national team by finishing in second overall in the girl's division. A male representative from the high school finished 8th so that was exciting. I did not feel motivated to run more after the 5k so I called it a day and finished with 74 miles for the week.

This morning I went to Burlington again with Mark and my friend Jen. We ran twelve miles along Lake Champlain. I wore shorts and was so happy about that. I felt good and the pace was a little faster than eight minute pace per mile. I definitely could have run more but I was satisifed with that effort for the day. I do really want to try to run an 85 mile week so I'll need to focus on my morning runs. This next weekend I'll be going to Connecticut to visit my family so I'll have to get the bulk of the mileage done by Friday morning. The weather is supposed to be nice all week so I am looking forward to that. Mark was able to run almost 20 miles today, the day after the 10k snowshoe race at a 6 minute pace on the bike path. He is in very good shape and plans to run the Boston marathon as a training run and then race the Burlington City marathon. He is headed for a fantastic spring season of racing. I am very excited about some great weather and some great races for Mark in the near future to compliment his super efforts this weekend. Now it's time to start thinking about school tomorrow.

Posted by mary at 9:44 PM | Comments (3)

March 24, 2006

Two Five Milers

I never feel terribly motivated to run the day after a long run and this morning was no exception. I procrastinated getting up for a half hour and lost my chance to do my ten-mile run all at once. I was conscious that I was doing that and knew I'd prefer doing two separate runs since I was feeling the heaviness of my legs even with no weight on them as I was lying horizontally in bed. The morning run was nice and relaxing and I was right my legs were stiff and had no extra bounce or step. I wanted to do three but as I echoed these remarks to Mark, he said what's two more miles; they'll feel a lot longer tonight if you have to do seven. Anytime he says something like that, I immediately know he is right and the extra two miles went by very quickly.

This evening I did another easy five miles. I did three miles with the students, I was about a half mile ahead of them, and I felt like I was jogging. The students can really run terribly slowly sometimes. At times, I walk next to them to demonstrate how slowly they are running. After running with them, I added another two miles on at the golf course. Today felt like a filler day, just getting the mileage in.

We have been hosting guests today and we will continue to do so throughout the weekend for the snowshoe nationals, which are in Bolton on Saturday. It is nice but I feel very busy. Tomorrow morning I teach and then head over to Bolton to watch the race. I need to get up early and get most of my run in before 7 a.m. Yikes! I cannot wait for things to slow down a bit. I think I will get about 79-84 miles in for the week. Mark competes in the National Race tomorrow. I cannot wait to see the results; the course is not very watch able so I will be at the finish anxiously waiting. I may do the citizens race at 2 to view the 5k course and feel like a participant.

Posted by mary at 10:46 PM | Comments (2)

March 23, 2006

Squeaking in my "Long Run"

Yesterday I finished up the day with another five miles. However, they were not terribly high quality miles. I ran about 4 miles at a very easy pace with the students at track practice and another one to one and a half miles with the dogs in the evening. Sometimes when I run with the dogs they take care of their business right away and the rest of the run they are dragging me along but sometimes they sniff and stop at everything and that waswhat happened last night so my legs did not get much of a workout but my arms did.

This morning I was not feeling great for my long run. I decided to do my long run earlier in the week because we have guests arriving tonight for the snowshoe nationals which are happening this weekend in near by Bolton. We will be busy hosting and I have to teach class on Saturday and then rush to Bolton to see the finish of the race. I have decided not to race because I have to teach and it is something that really bothers my quad. The first fifty minutes of my run, I ran to the camp on the lake. My stomach did not feel great and I was tasting acid in my mouth. I was not sure if it was something I ate last night or the piece of toast I ate minutes before I left the house. None the less when I got to the camp I went inside for some water and to say hi to Mark who was putting the heat on for our guests. At that point I really wasn't sure if today would be my long run. As soon as Mark asked how I was feeling and I told him he asked me if I wanted a ride back, I said no. I guess I had made my decision. I knew this was the best time for my long run. I decided to at least run back to get 12 miles in. I had a good middle stretch for the run. The next hour and twenty minutes were great. I felt good and my legs felt strong. The last twenty minutes my legs grew stiff and in what was supposed to be my last mile I got a terrible side stictch. I had to stop to loosen it up and then started to run again and it was still bugging me. Since I was two minutes from the house I decided to cut the run short at 19 miles even though the minimum I wanted was 20 miles. It was too tempting not to stop when my stomach hurt so much and the house was right there. I am not sure if I was dehydrated and that is why I got the cramp or if my breathing changed. I am just happy that I got through the run and can remember some good moments in the run. It's days like this that the 100 mile race seems a long way away! I need to run at least 21 miles over the next two days and will have to do all my running in the morning due to our company and up coming events. I am feeling worn from the constant need to run but still feel inspired. I need to look at my schedule. Next week my be an easy week before I start another hard week in April and make my long run further! Off to school.

Posted by mary at 9:22 AM | Comments (1)

March 22, 2006

Easy Tuesday Running and Wednesday Morning Workout

I had a silly day of running on Tuesday. I ran three miles with the dogs in the morning and three miles with the dogs in the evening. I expected to do more running but I was swamped with work and by the time I finished was not terribly motivated to go out and run in the dark and cold weather.

This morning I ran three miles with the dog and then met my friend Jen. We did a four mile workout and then did our time trial again. I am not sure if it is 1.6 miles or 1.5 miles but we improved our time greatly from last week. We ran 9.45 for the interval and then did a mile and a half cool down. We ran somewhere between 6.30 and 6.05 pace. I felt good but my quad was very tight by the last two minutes. Tonight I plan to run 3-5 miles easy to make up for yesterday's low day. Now I am off to school.

Posted by mary at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2006

Speedy Spring Equinox Run

This morning I ran an easy three miles with Seb in the snow. I was really sore and tired from Sunday's longer run on the bike path. I was glad to loosen my legs up before going to school. Tonight I had a speedy 7 mile run with my friend Jen. I felt like we were cruzing the entire time. I was tired but my legs seemed to move by themselves. I will have to concentrate more on my morning runs this week as quality runs as opposed to my evening run because track practice has started. I did about 15 minutes of core body exercises with the team this afternoon. I am looking forward to longer periods of sunshine as the spring progresses.

Posted by mary at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2006

Nice Sunday Run

On Saturday my day was swamped and I was pretty tired from my long run on Friday so I took the day off. I wanted to find time to run but I was busy and feeling unmotivated. The day off paid off. Today I ran in Burlington with the Sunday long run group at 8 a.m. I was in the restroom when everyone left for the run because I snuck in fast without anyone seeing me. When I came out everyone had left for the run so I had a fun time catching up to all the different groups. My legs felt fresh and it was not as cold as it seemed even though it was snowing as we drove to Burlington. It was about 30 degrees and the sun was trying to shine through the gray clouds. I knew I would run at least 10 miles but was hoping I'd feel good enough to run 15 miles. I did feel great and ended up running about 15-16 miles. I was really tired by the last mile because I was trying to hit the same time on the way back as I had on the way out. I ran a minute faster on the way out because the last two miles I was really thirsty and feeling low on sugar. My legs feel great now and I am excited about another hard week of training. Last week turned out to be a 70 mile week with one day off and I am hoping for an 85 mile week this week. It will be tough because it's a busy week but I'll just need to do longer morning runs. Now it's time for bed.

Posted by mary at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2006

Long Run in Flurries Again

Unfortunately this is going to be a quick entry again. I am on my way to a conference for track and field and have to take a shower. Yesterday I wanted to do hill repeats but my schedule quickly became filled in the afternoon. I only had time for a four mile run. I felt good and ran at a good pace.

This morning I got up early and ran a new course for my long run. I ran 22 miles and it was cold. I felt a bit chilly the entire run. I dropped my water bottle on the side of the road half way through the run because it was making my hands too cold. The new course was 13 miles through North Hyde Park, I added extra miles on whenever I could down side roads and interesting paths. I felt good at two hours and forty minutes and decided to go for three hours and ran for two hours and fifty six minutes. My legs did not cramp up until just at the end and I think that was due to the pavement running that I did. A lot of the dirt roads are icey right now so I wanted to stick to roads for better stability. Tomorrow I would like to run 10-15 miles to make it an 80-85 miles week. And Sunday I'll do another long run in Burlington, well relatively long, 10-15 miles.

Posted by mary at 11:44 AM | Comments (1)

March 16, 2006

Flurries Continue

After school I ran five miles with one of the students on the team. We ran at a good pace and I was glad for the company. I felt pretty good. In the evening we had to go to the winter sports banquet. It did not last as long as I thought which was nice. I then vegged and watched the Princess Bride. It was nice to watch it but I felt guilty the entire time because I felt like I should be doing work. I went to bed right afterwards but am having a productive morning today. I also botched up some chicken soup pretty badly last night and the soup is basically useless. Usually Mark makes the soup but I thought I would try it. Next time I'll leave it to him.

This morning I woke up to flurries again and the ground had another inch or two of snow. I was not motivated to go out with my hat and gloves on but I did. I told myself I'd only run three but ended up running four with my morning companion, Seb, our dog. When I finished I shoveled the driveway. It's satisfying to do that especially when the snow is super light! Tonight I have some hill repeats planned and would like to run at least 8 miles total.

Posted by mary at 9:11 AM | Comments (1)

March 15, 2006

The Snow is Back!

Last night Jen and I did a small tempo run. I think the distance was somewhere around 1.5 miles but I actually think it is a bit longer. I have to measure it. We ran 4 miles warm up and in the middle of our warm up it began to snow and the wind started to howl. My friend was prepared in a hat and gloves and I had neither but I had my new DS trainers on. We started the tempo and ran straight into the wind for most of it, the last three minutes were out of the wind. We ran 10.22 for the distance. If it was 1.5 then we ran 6.54 pace which I am disappointed in but I have to consider the wind and snow. However, if it was longer than maybe the pace was a bit faster. Actually I just calculated the pace for 1.6 miles and the pace would be 6.28 pace which I'd be happier with and sounds more like the effort we delivered. However, after three months of slow snowy weather I can't really complain. It's good to just get moving faster again. We are going to do the loop three more times before we get onto the track. We then did a mile cool down. I felt good on the tempo and my quad did not hurt until the last 4 minutes or so.

This morning I ran five miles in the snow with Seb. We had about four inches of snow fall last night and there were small snow flurries during the run. I felt good but Seb was growing tired by the end. Luckily we only had a half mile to go. Tonight I think I will just walk Seb. I have a five mile run planned tonight with one of the students on the team and then I'd like to do some ab and strength work (although, my official strength routine goals do not start until April. I did not want to overwhelm myself so I am focusing on consistent mileage this month and next month I'll add strength).

Posted by mary at 9:23 AM | Comments (1)

March 14, 2006

Spring is in the Air

Yesterday I ran my second run with one of the athletes on the high school team. We ran an easy five miles and I chatted non stop. It had stopped raining by the time we ran so it was quite nice. Last night was a busy night with a track and field meeting and making lots of phone calls.

This morning I could not get myself out the door for my morning run but I finally managed to pull myself away from the computer and go out and do an easy three miles with Seb. Spring is definitely in the air. It was so nice and warm out and I was overdressed. I am looking forward to doing some hill repeats tonight. I got two new pairs of sneakers yesterday, DS trainers, my favorite so it was great to wear those this morning. I wear them out really fast so it is a special treat to have two pairs.

Posted by mary at 9:54 AM | Comments (1)

March 13, 2006

Foggy Five Miler

This morning I ran an easy five miles with our dog Seb. It was really foggy out. I could have worn shorts because it was pretty mild but since it was morning I decided to stay warm. Seb gets really muddy now that the weather is warmer. The roads are covered in dirt from all the winter storms. When we return from our run Seb is totally covered in mud on his belly and all over his legs. Usually I give Seb a bath but this morning I put Seb right in the shower with me. We are entering the muddy season so this could become a habit. Seb is now sleeping underneath my feet which is better than where he was before, on the bed! Tonight I will do an easy five miles with one of the high school students. I have workouts planned for Tuesday and Thursday of this week (hill repeats and a tempo run).

Posted by mary at 9:38 AM | Comments (1)

March 12, 2006

Another Quick Entry

Little Seb is crying to go out so this is a quick entry and hopefully I'll udpate more later but realistically it may not be until tomorrow. I accomplished my goal for last week to run 80 miles and would like to run another 80 miles this week with another long run that will be about three hours long.

Today I ran ten miles in Burlington. I met up with the Shelbourne Athletic Club at 8 a.m. with my friend Jen to run along the Lake. It was really nice. As it turned out Jen and I ran on our own because of our pace and we had to stop early on to remove some of our layers. There were about fifteen people at the run and we were near the front of the pack. We were only running ten miles while most people there were running fifteen miles or more. I will definitely run a bit more the next time I go but today I was happy with ten miles.

My calves were sore from yesterday's run especially my injured leg. It was really painful to run for the first half due to my calf and the quad itself felt like it had a huge knot in it, this is the symptom of my injury that I have had the past three years. After hard efforts or during hard efforts this one area in the quad gets cramped up and tight and effects the rest of my leg. By the time we turned around it loosened up or I got used to it. It's hard to say which it is or if if is a combination of both things. It was a warm day again. I wore thin tights but wished I was wearing shorts. It felt nice to run somewhere that was totally flat and in a new area. We began and finished at an athletic club which was nice. I am going to make this my new Sunday routine as long as I am home for the weekend. I was going to run again tonight but I am pretty tired so a walk with the dogs will be good enough. I am looking forward to another strong week of training.

I feel like I have to get more serious about my training because I found out that I am officially entered in the VT 100 mile race and a really fast runner, Beverly Anderson-Abbs is also signed up to run. I just want to enter the race knowing that I have prepared myself in the best manner I could. I am happy to have this goal to shoot for and I am also happy that I have a plan to see a soft tissue specialist (Soft Tissue Diagnostic and Treatment Center) in Boston in April to take yet another look at my quad (this will be the seventh or eighth doctor I have seen about this chronic issue).

Posted by mary at 5:40 PM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2006

SHORTS AND A T-SHIRT

The sun is finally out! I had the best run of the year today! I just finished by 20 mile run and wore shorts and a t-shirt. I ran the first 8 miles with my friend Jen and ran the last 12 with my ipod. It was awesome. More of an update later, I am off to the movies and out to eat pizza at Pie in the Sky in Stowe. Mmm.. can't wait!

Posted by mary at 5:20 PM | Comments (1)

March 10, 2006

Some Gym Time and An Early Morning Run

Yesterday afternoon was wet, rainy, and slushy. Mark and I decided to go to the college to work out to avoid getting our feet soaked and being really cold. I invited my friend Jen to come with us and she did even though she was contemplating a day off. I did a modified gym workout but was satisfied with it since I had run earlier. We road the bike for 15 minutes at a good speed. We then did the gravitron work and used some free weights. I then showed my friend how to water run and we did that for about 24 minutes. It was a relaxing night at the gym. I thought I would be sore today but I am not.

This morning I left the house by 6:20 to do my morning run. It was a balmy morning and I did not wear my gloves. I had a hat on but I did not really need it. The temperature was probably around 45 degrees or so. I ran a seven mile loop and felt pretty good. The course I picked was not too slippery. Once I got into town the roads were slick from the melting snow and rain. When I got back to the house I picked up Seb, the dog, and took him another three miles. It was nice to finish all of my running at once. Tonight I am going with the seventh grade class on a field trip to Burlington for an acrobatic show so I won't have any time to run later. The show and time in Burlington should be great. I am hoping to do a three hour run after I teach my morning class tomorrow.

Posted by mary at 9:20 AM | Comments (0)

March 9, 2006

Warmer Weather Coming Our Way

The days are getting warmer as the week has gone by and I am loving it. It is nice not to have to wear more than two layers while I am running. I have not switched over to shorts but I may wear shorts this weekend if the temperature approaches 50 or 60 degrees.

Last night I ran a mile with the dogs. I then met Jen for a five mile run. We did the Lamoille Reservoir Run backwards and it was so nice to run it in the reverse direction. It was slightly uphill at first but then we had a long downhill after two miles. Long downhills are rare in the area where I usually run. It made my quad loosen up a lot. We ran a good pace and decided to call it a day when we finished the loop. We were going to add on but we both decided it was a quality run.

This morning I just finished a six mile run. I did the Fitzgerald loop. I find the first two miles in the morning the hardest to do. I guess it doesn't matter what time of day it is, if I am running alone then the first two miles are always hard. Company makes those miles seem less uncomfortable and jarring. As the run progressed I felt better and better but I did not want to run too hard because tonight Jen and I are going to do some hill repeats. By April the tracks should be free from snow and we will start doing some speed work. With that in mind, now is a good time to begin hill repeats and tempo runs. Jen is a triathlete and does a lot of racing in the summer. After my 100 mile race this summer I think I may start to head in that direction to change things up with my training and get a new focus. It is frustrating to have a quad injury and enter races that are filled with lots of expectations such as 5k's and 10k's because I have done so many of them. Once warmer weather approached, probably in April, I will start biking a few times a week and I am excited about that.

Posted by mary at 8:20 AM | Comments (1)

March 8, 2006

A Few Easy Runs

Last night, on Tuesday, I ran an easy three miles with the dogs. We ran our little town loop which consists of three one mile loops. Running with the dogs, I probably run over three miles but I only give myself credit for three miles because it is so sporadic and we have to stop at least two times. The sky was a great pink color around 5 p.m. so that made the additional run great. Earlier in the day I had run 8 miles with Jen, the upper Elmore loop to lower Elmore loop. I ran the first two miles extremely slow because my quad was really tight and stiff. I was very frustrated about this. The rest of the run was ok but I was still distracted by my quad.

This morning, on Wednesday, I ran 4.5 miles with Seb. My quad ached for the first half of the run and I was very discouraged. I wanted to turn around and go home but I decided to stick it out and run at least four miles since I was already out there. I was going to do five miles but a dog that was not on a leash came out and started following us so I turned us around and cut the run short. On the way back my quad felt better. It gets really fatigued and I feel like I am running so slow. I think a good warm up will help some of the irritation. Tonight I am going to run about 6 miles with Jen and do some abs and push ups. Now I am off to go photocopy.

Posted by mary at 8:51 AM | Comments (0)

March 7, 2006

Long Weekend Update

Thursday's Run and Errand Day

Last Thursday I did a ten mile run on my favorite road in Stowe. It was just out and back and pretty hilly. I felt really good on the way back and finished about 3 minutes faster than I started. I spent the rest of the day in Burlington doing errands. I did not get back to the house until almost midnight. Mark and I did go to the real movie theater which was a nice change. We saw Firewall. It was very suspenseful and I was anxious the entire time.

Friday's 9 mile run and Drive to CT

On Friday I ran 9 miles in the morning and came home and did some errands. Mark and I then drove to CT to visit my sister and her husband. We had a great night playing rumi cube and having pasta for dinner.

Saturday's 3.5 mile snowshoe race in Hawley MA

On Saturday I ran a 1 mile warm up and then ran a 3.5 mile snowshoe race. I can't say I ever race anything on snowshoes because my quad is sore the entire time. I just try to get through the race. I love the trails and there are definitely times when the pain lets up and I can fly down a downhill or enjoy catching up to someone effortlessly. However, most of the time I feel like I am dragging my leg through the snow and just trying to lift my snowshoe high enough to get off the ground. At the end of the race, with about 200 meters to go I did trip right on my face because my quad was too tired to lift through the sandy snow. Someone passed me right when I fell. I was laughing about it. As soon as I finished I took off the snowshoes and ran another 3.5 miles on the road. We had a great breakfast at a sugar house near by and got to eat breakfast with Kelli and Paul Low which was fun.

Mileage for the week: 74 miles

Sunday's 30k in MA

On Sunday I got to see Alison, Caitlin, and meet Becky for the first time at Stu's 30k run in Clinton, MA. It was a great day for a run because it was not windy and it was probably 40 degrees. A great reprieve from the frigid weather we had all week long in VT. I ran with Caitlin because I really had no intention to race the course. I was worried because the last time I did a long run over 2 and a half hours I got really sick so I wanted to just enjoy the experience and get my legs used to the time on feet. Caitlin wanted to run 7:45 to 8 minute pace and I thought that was perfect for my 100 mile training. The course was rolling and went alongside the MA reservoir the entire time. It was a great course for a road course. My only complaint was the camber of the road and that some of the mile markers were off. Caitlin ran strong for the first 15 miles but then her blisters got really bad and we had to slow down. She told me several times I could leave her and run on my own. I told her I did not want to and I really did not. I was happy to have company for that distance and I had no idea how much further ahead I would get in three miles and did not want to set myself up for disappointment. Additionally by that point my body was sore from all the pounding anyway that I was not terribly motivated to go any faster. By the end of the race Caitlin was hobbling and I felt horrible for her because the entire time she had been talking away so it was not a fitness issue. It was a matter of discomfort. I had to leave as soon as we were done to try to get to the Reggie Lewis Center to watch a former athlete that I coached who is now competing at Iona College. She was running in the ECAC meet in the 3000 meter race. Unfortunately we got there as things were ending and we did not even get to see her. I did however get to see the Center for the first time which was great and I got to see many college teams which was interesting except I did not see Iona.

Monday's Easy Run

On Monday I ran an easy six miles with my friend Jen. I actually had a blister on my small toe on my right foot. It was painful all day and I thought I probably got it through osmosis because Caitlin was suffering through so many blisters during the race. I had to go to Burlington to pick up contacts yesterday and felt no motivation to run and was planning to take the day off. I figure if I am not motivated sometimes that is a sign I am tired. However, my friend Jen did call and I thought that was a sign too. The two of us ran an easy six miles together and my toe was a little sore but I tried to block it out. By the end of the run my entire toe of my sneaker was covered with blood and when I took my shoe off my sock was soaked in blood. It was terribly disgusting. It hurt when I stopped running and when I took a shower. I can't believe how one little toe could bleed so much.

Tuesday's About to Run Entry

This morning I am meeting Jen to run at 10 a.m. I may go do some abs before I meet with her after I change the laundry. We do not have school today because it is Town Meeting Day here in VT and everyone gets to vote on local issues. I am a bit worried about my blister but still plan to run because the worse that will happen is that it will bleed again. I will probably try to put some bandaids on today. I think Jen and I will run 6-7 miles and then tonight I will run and additional 3 miles. I would love to try to run 80 miles this week but we'll see how it goes.

Posted by mary at 8:54 AM | Comments (1)

March 1, 2006

Vermont State Ski Meet

Last night I ran an easy forty minutes with the dog. I think I will call it about four miles. I have to stop for them a lot so it is not a complete five miles.

This morning I ran for 65 minutes on my favorite road in Stowe. The sky was bright blue but again it was quite cold and I had my jacket and warm gloves on. I am going to call it 8 miles. I am about to do another three miles with the dogs. I attended the VT State Ski meet today. Our team did quite well as we had the state champion for boys and girls in the skate style ski. Both teams came in second overall for the state. The girls team won the team relay at the end of the day which was an exciting and close race. The boys were second, they are a very young team. The boy who won is just a freshmen. The girl who won just won the classic ski race last week. Three members of the team leave tomorrow to compete in the Junior Olympic race. Last year we had two National Champions and I am sure this year we will return with some top National contenders as well. It was a cold day but it was very bright. I walked around in my snowshoes. I really feel like I need to learn how to ski because I was the only one not wearing skis. I was also the only one not wearing fancy ski clothes. Everyone told me I needed to buy some winter clothes. My pants are real ski pants but my jacket is not really that winter proof. However it is North Face. I look very funny with tons of layers while everyone else is wearing the top ski brands. I think I will gradually build up to the proper gear because it is quite expensive and of course I need to learn to ski first. I definitely felt like the odd one out but it was fun watching the races. I can't wait to take a shower in a half hour or so.

Posted by mary at 5:47 PM | Comments (2)