race report

i don’t really do these. i often try to forget races. with that, here is what i wrote on the plane ride home:

oh running. what are you? i started running because the family did. i had a knack for athletics (dad was “most athletic at his high school and my mom was a basketball player, runner and tennis player). it was a natural progression. i was always a ‘good’ runner by my standards…never great, never bad, good. it took a while for me to be OK with my high school running ‘career’. i felt that i let myself and my dad down. i have some natural talent and strength, but i have a brain that gets in the way. i believe in goals. i believe that one should set goals that develop self-efficacy, whatever they may be. but what do you do when you don’t reach them? kelly asked me this before i left and i told her i didn’t know and that i should probably think about it.

this year has been a fantastic year on the whole. yes, i’ve maintained my battle between feelings of wanting to be the best and resentment when i’m not, but i have enjoyed running far more than i have in years. it’s the first step in a long road of enjoyment of the sport—but a big one. i think sunday was another lesson. physically, i can run under 3:20—i believe in my training, training plan and the exercise science behind it all. mentally, i have some work to do. while it wasn’t my day physically, it wasn’t my day mentally either. i started feeling down after battling cramps for a few miles and never really pulled myself out of that funk. i think that is where my disappointment rests. sunday became about finishing when i didn’t like the sport. which to a degree, is noble, but also frustrating.

what i learned (or at least, am trying to teach myself) is that despite the disappointment of sunday’s performance after 18 weeks of 50-60 mile weeks, 6am summer track workouts and mid-week long runs is that the training, not the time is something to be defined by. the discipline. the work ethic. the friendships. and of course, those runs where you feel like no one or no thing can slow you down.

so monday i cried. and maybe a little on wednesday too. frank shorter said this about the marathon:

“You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.”

will do frank. will do.

so this is why people hate tapering

tomorrow will be one week from chicago. something i have thought about every week for the last 4+ months. in the last 2 weeks, 75% of my runs have felt sluggish, i have often been bloated and i’ve doubted myself more than i should. with that, the legs are simply recovering from the last 17 weeks, bloating is (apparently?) normal when you drop mileage and/or the temps change because you’re not loosing as much fluid and your body has to reach an equilibrium again, and i’m changing my attitude back to one of excitement.

i had a little mental breakdown yesterday about the marathon. anyone who knows me well knows that i put an absurd amount of pressure on myself (i think we all do in some discipline). it’s silly really. after all, the point of this marathon is not to win a medal. if that was the case, i wouldn’t be a student. so why all the pressure? i was talking with my roommate about it last night. why is success as a runner built on these time goals for 5Ks, 10Ks or even a marathon? don’t get me wrong, i think challenges are fantastic and why not set one for yourself and go hard after it. with that, it is an activity i do because most days, i simply enjoy moving my body. i have yet to regret going for a run. i think emil zatopek sums running up perfectly with,

“…it was the most pleasant exhaustion i have ever known.”

running really has numerous metaphors for life. this training has been educational for me. and it’s probably been pretty good for my heart and lungs too. here’s to no more tears. and one heck of an enjoyable weekend.

getting closer

i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t excited and anxious about chicago.

i'll make sure to bring this sass...

and this face.

4 weeks!

Chicago is 4 weeks from Sunday and time is going to fly! I’m really excited. I do have a time goal, but I’m trying to not focus on it too much (some days I’m better at this than others). Regardless of time, I know this will be a great experience. The training has been so far! My family and friends have been more than supportive. I made a new running friend, R, who keeps me accountable on the track and during my mid-week long runs. She’s also become a really good friend. My roommates ask me about EVERY run and celebrate every little accomplishment with me. And my parents will be in Chicago to cheer me on! Despite the fact that I’ll be running with 40,000 people, I’m pretty sure I’ll hear my dad while I’m out there (anyone who has been coached by him knows why!). While I have run one marathon, this process has taught me a lot more than Boston. With Boston, I was just floating along, trying to get the long runs in and stay upright. Race day was awesome—there was crowd support for the whole 26.2 miles. There was a ton of buzz for Goucher and Hall. I was able to celebrate the weekend with one of my best friends, Sharon, who was running the marathon too and I’m thankful adidas provided me the opportunity to run without qualified prior. The round of training has taught me to appreciate running and appreciate a body capable of running, regardless of speed. Yes, some days I forget that and get fussy if it’s ‘slow’ despite being mid-70s and 80+% humidity at 6:30am, but on the whole, I am thankful that I am able to be active. Yoga has always been a metaphor for life to me. But this training cycle has been a metaphor for life too. I’m much happier than I have been in prior years and can’t wait to run through Chi in just a few short weeks. Butterflies just thinkin’ about it.

I changed the shoe color choice. I wanted to make sure it matched my outfit regardless of weather. Tough life, I know.

-e

I love running shoes.

 

Averages

The average low temperature for the Chicago Marathon is around 47 degrees. The average high is around 66 degrees. Here’s to no high outliers!

18 Weeks

No, I’m not pregnant. 18 weeks until the Chicago Marathon! I have a new toy to start training on the right foot, a Garmin Forerunner 210. Thank you BPRC discount! It’ll even synch up with the heart rate monitor from my adidas micoach. Maybe I’ll start training correctly. I’m working on this plan (Dad, you’ll be so proud) where on my easy days, I run easy, and on workout days, I complete the workout the way it’s planned. I hear that this is a good strategy.

With that, let’s keep all fingers crossed that this soft tissue growth on the back of my left leg is nothing and will be easy to treat! I have an appointment on Thursday to (hopefully) get a referral for our trusty friends over at Peachtree Orthopedics.

Rainy Wednesday

Jump for joy.

This was not from today (I wore a white hat) but expresses how I felt on my morning am run. Took me a little coffee to get me out the door, but once I was moving I was incredibly happy to have the roads to myself. Wandered over the the IM fields where I was able to run up streams trails and traverse ponds creek beds. Love a good muddy run where you’re clean by the time you get home from all the rain!

In no particular order

1. Rosemary Garlic Adjustable Grinder – This has been a staple in my pantry for the past 8 months. Working in retail guarantees 4 days a week of 10 hours shifts. I’ve used the grinder to provide an easy addition of flavor for sauteed spinach and fish for some time now. I’ve recently found a greater love for the grinder when using it with olive oil and french bread for an appetizer and with sweet potatoes. Love it.

2. Hungry City – I have hijacked this book from Brennan as he works on White Flight. I finally finished An Omnivore’s Dilemma (Despite the implication, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. More so, I read the book this summer, had 25 pages to finish and took way too long to sit down and read them.) I’m quite excited to get into the new book. Carolyn steel writes about the relationship of food  and cities to highlight the impact of food production on our lives. Below is a quote from the first few pages:

The modern food industry has done strange things to us. By suppling us with cheap and plentiful food at little apparent cost, it has satisfied our our basic needs, while making those needs appear inconsequential. That applies not just to meat, but to every type of food. Potatoes and cabbages, oranges and lemons, sardines and kippers; whatever we eat, the scale and complexity of the process of getting to us in considerable. By the time it reaches us, our food has often travelled thousands of miles through airports and docksides, warehouses and factory kitchens and been touched by dozens of unseen hands. Yet most of us live in ignorance of the effort it takes to feed us.

3. Running apparel and rainy runs – Today was 44 degrees and cold, angled rain. The weather was a prime example that quality running wear can be highly useful. Some pieces do a better job than others.

4. Brickstore Pub – Each time I’ve gone, I’ve enjoyed it more and more. Tonight I tried the Lagunitas Brown Shugga while Brennan tried the Stone Old Guardian. Their special of risotto with chicken, fuji apples, arugula and winter squash was incredibly tasty!

5. Recipes – I tried a new one this week that came out ‘ok’. If anything, it taught me to avoid the overly thick chicken breasts at Publix. I do love Publix for a supermarket, but the cut is too thick and I feel that I come out with chewy chicken that is overcooked on the outside despite my efforts. From now on, I think I’ll spend more on organic/local options. With that, I made the cookies again this week. The are still fabulous. And gone …