My August running goal was such a success that I'm thinking of making a tangible fitness goal for every month.
The reason for the success of August was that it was reasonable (only 2 miles more than my current PR) and yet it was challenging (I hit that PR only once and usually don't come close to it in a month).
Now for September's fitness goal: do some form of speed training workout once a week.
29) When running a race you didn't train for at a pace that
puts you right between a turtle and a snail, it's all about what you wear. Dress as ridiculously colorfully as possible!
28) Make sure you know where the finish line is so you don't have to take your tired, wobbly legs all over Brooklyn in search of the Beer Garden that doesn't seem to be where it's supposed to be on the map.
27) Speaking of Beer Gardens, one with seats is preferable. Who wants to stand, even for a beer, after they've just run 30 miles?
26) Come to think of it, a beer garden is just not a good place for the finish of any long distance run. Better to finish at home where there is ice and a comfortable place to put up your feet and a pile of menus to order from.
25) Stretching done by someone who knows what they're doing feels incredible after a long run!
24) Compression pants/shin-sleeves look and feel crazy, but wow do they help to avoid pain and muscle soreness during a long, long run.
23) Raisins and spinach. Apparently they help relieve soreness. There must be an Indian curry recipe out there with these two ingredients! I'm still looking for it.
22) A friend who is not afraid to make a fool of herself driving through all of Manhattan and Brooklyn honking, shouting and singing to entertain you while you run...well if you've never experienced this, you should add it to your bucket list.
21) If said friend has a cooler full of Gatorade, a massive bag of potato chips and another bag full of all kinds of other goodies and snacks in the trunk of her car, giving you a portable, customized fuel stop, why would you ever want to run a race that you didn't organize with your friends again?
20) Speaking of organizing your own race, a benefit of such is that you can make the starting point wherever you want it to be, even your own front door. Just don't forget to also plan the finish point...refer back to #28.
19) Marshmallows apparently give you instant energy.
18) Considering that the fastest long distance runner I know personally (and I'm talking winner of a 50 mile race) is the one that taught me that Marshmallows is great for running fuel, I have now decided that all specialty running foods sold to amateurs like me is a gimmick and I will now buy whatever I want to fuel my run. Jelly beans, potato chips & snicker bars anyone?
17) Sometimes it's good to try new things. Other times it's good to stick with what you already know you like. (Refer to previous blog post on Frito pie.) Spinach and feta cheese omelet is still my all time favorite post-run meal.
16) What
15) was
14) I
13) thinking?
12) There are some really great advantages to modern technology. For example, the ability for all your friends who cannot be with you in person to text, twitter, facebook, email or call non-stop with their encouragements.
11) I so need a Garmin!
10) I love my friend, Roxanne. She is predictably unpredictable.
9) Natalie will put my mapping skills to shame, always has a spare friend to bring along if you don't have enough of your own and knows all the best, funnest races and runners. In my head, Natalie is my cross-country road trip buddy.
8) Wendy got me into running. Thanks Wendy. No, I really mean it. She knows I mean it. ;-)
7) Stephanie is a great coach! She had the perfect thing to give me, be it marshmallows, Excedrin, 5-hour energy or Nuun, whenever I needed it. She also knew when to get me to pick up the pace and when it was time to take a break. If you need a great fitness coach, Stephanie is your gal! Oh and I loved her egg whites with cheese!
6) Michelle, Michelle...what would I do without my friend Michelle? Ever meet someone who is just so dam "happy" all the time that you want to punch them? I NEVER want to punch Michelle.
5) My friend Jill is still my favorite person to drink beer with. I also don't know a person more generous than she is. Thanks for the shoes! ;-)
4) My niece is a born runner. She just doesn't know it yet.
3) Sometimes people do exactly what you expect of them and it is great. Other times they surprise you and that is even better. Sometimes you surprise yourself. And that is freaking awesome!
2) Vodka heals all aches and pains. Actually I'm pretty sure I already knew this!
1) If you are going to run your years in miles, be sure to do it with a group of rocking friends! Thanks Wendy, Jill, Natalie, Michelle, Stephanie, Aliyah, Roxanne and all my friends online! You made the experience memorable! See, I'm still writing about it 3 months later.
Yesterday I had such a hard time getting out the door for my 15 mile run.
I've been doing well running all month. My goal to run 112 miles this month really helped me get out the door most days and I've logged a long run every weekend for the past 4 weekends. But this weekend I just felt burned out.
I started thinking that maybe I would just skip this run. I reasoned that I could still get in 19 miles in the next 3 days even if I didn't log a 14 or 15 miler. But I had already posted on Facebook, my means of accountability, that I was running 14 miles.
So then I started thinking that maybe I would just avoid Facebook for a few days until everyone forgot that I had posted this. Yeah, what's that saying...laziness takes more work than working hard...or something like that.
Anyway, E-man was the one that finally got me out the door. He started getting restless, crying, bringing me his shoes and getting in the jogging stroller. That got me. I put my running shoes on and was out the door without a second thought.
E-man and I had a great 15 mile run together yesterday and I am so glad that all those runs I've taken him on are paying off. He really seems to look forward to these times. I love my coach!
I've had writers block for about a month now. I just have nothing to say. The running has been going well though.
I made a goal this month to run 112 miles, beating my current monthly mileage of 110 miles. This was a very reasonable goal and yet challenging enough to make me push myself to get out there and run on days when I haven't felt like it.
I'm also training for the DC Marine Corps marathon on 10/31/10, and although it is very unlikely I will actually make it to DC, I am right on time with the training.
Oh and I've come to think that all this running is a waste of time if I don't do some weight training as well, since that will make me faster, stronger and help me get a more toned look. So now I'm trying to figure out how exactly to do weight training and how to not be too sore from it that I can't run.
I've been reading a book, Sole Sisters,
and one story really caught my attention about a nun who started running in her 50's and became an exceptionally fast runner.
She started out by only running 2 miles a day and instead of increasing her mileage, she just kept running 2 miles until she got faster and faster. And then she started increasing her mileage in order to run a marathon.
This seems like a brilliant idea that I'm thinking of trying. Maybe I will make that my goal for next month. Run 2 miles at the beginning of the month, do speed training every week and see how much faster I can run 2 miles at the end of the month.
Going to need to put a little more thought into this plan...
For the last week and a half, I have worked out every day. I have either run or had some other great workout at least once a day, sometimes twice a day.
I have kicked a$$ on all my runs.
So why have I felt like a failure more times than not this week? Because I have a two-year-old and he brings out the best and worst in me. Last week it was the worst.
I cleaned, he was the tornado that followed behind. I took him out to have some bonding-adventure time, he threw a fit and had all the parents staring at me like I was the devil incarnate (ok they must not have really been parents because seriously, none of them had ever been through this?) I tried communication exercises with him, we ended up screaming at each other.
But I kept telling myself this too would pass, that I was just having a bad week.
And sure enough, yesterday my son brought out the best in me. I woke up with a plan of doing some work, then doing the laundry, then stopping at the office and then going for a run at which point I probably would have been exhausted.
But E-man comes up to me about the time we're supposed to go to the laundry-mat with the jogging stroller weather shield in his hand saying, "Mommy Mommy Mommy!" I tried 1) explaining what it was, 2) making a tent of it, 3) turning it into his pet and he just kept getting more and more frustrated like, "Mom, you're not getting it!"
So I said, "Let's get dressed and go bye bye," thinking that getting out the door at all would make him feel better. But as soon as I dressed him, he jumped in the jogging stroller. At that point I said, "Who am I to argue when my son wants to go for a run." So we spent the rest of the day in the park running and playing at the playground.
Yeah we had some frustrating moments. But we also had some great moments. And I couldn't have been more proud of the fact that my son had me get in a 6 mile kick-a$$ run while he slept so beautifully. I couldn't have asked for a better coach!
So when it comes done to it, yeah my son makes me feel like a complete and utter failure quite often. But he is really good at wiping away that frown and putting a big fat smile on my face too!
We have enough great moments together that when it gets bad, I remind myself how good it has been before and how good it will be again. That's how we get through the not-so-proud moments.
So parent to parent, tell me, how often does your kid make you feel like a failure? And more importantly, how do you recover from these moments?
head (something to do with a collision between my head and E-man's teeth)
Things I am Happy With
Ran or got in some other great workout every day this week except Thursday. Ran twice on Wednesday and worked out most of Saturday afternoon.
Invested in a bicycle seat for E-man which on day 2 is proving to be a life-savor.
Just spent an entire E-man free afternoon cleaning my house...wow does that make things feel better!
Things I am Unhappy With
E-man is two and that can make for some pretty unpleasant scenes sometimes...do I need to say anymore? Well too bad, I can't. I've already repressed it along with the potato chips, grapes, car parts & juice spills I just swept and mopped up.
Sunday night I got back from an incredible weekend trip in Philly. I got to pace for a running-mom friend, Tara who was running a 24 hour race (non stop running for 24 hours!) She was one of the few that took this non-stop thing seriously.
Hanging out in the campsite for most of the day I got to see the other runners and most of them ran a loop, came back and sat in their tent and chilled for a few hours, then said, "I think I'll go run another loop." But Tara was out there running all day and night in that Philly heat. My respect and awe of her has increased exponentially over this weekend.
During the day I got to hang out with two other running moms, Bethany who I got to meet for the first time this weekend and Jill who I've met before and has become a good friend / drinking buddy of mine.
This was my first time pacing / crewing for another runner and it took me a few loops to get the hang of it. Tara came running through that second loop so fast I blinked and said, "What? She's gone! Did we have a chance to give her more food!?" My camera didn't even capture her, she was running so fast!
After a call to running mama Cathy who paced for Tara at her last 100-mile race and a little talk w/ my running mom buddies for the weekend, we got all the kinks figured out, and by the time she came around at the end of her 3rd loop we were a well-oiled machine.
Jill replaced her electrolytes and gave her a swig of Ensure. Bethany checked in with her to see how she was doing, what she had eaten and gave her some more stuff to eat. I switched out her camel-back with a hand-held of iced coke for her wonky stomach. And Tara was off and running a 4th loop.
Cathy ended up being a powerhouse of ideas and encouragement from the West Coast via text message and phone calls throughout the day as did all the other rocking online running moms who offered their support and took turns running w/ Tara virtually throughout the day and night.
I will confess, I got a little frazzled a few times during the day and I looked at these running moms and said, "You've done this before and you're back for more!?"
Tara ran 100 miles in February and came back to do it again only 5 months later. I don't even plan more than one marathon in a year. Bethany was here pacing her in February and came back to pace again. Jill paced for me when I did a 30 miler in May and was back here pacing for Tara. And a couple times I looked at all 3 of these running mamas and thought to myself, "Are you nuts!?"
By 9pm, the sun had gone down and taken some of the stiffing heat with it. Most of the non-serious runners were now tucked away in sleeping bags inside their tents. And Tara was still running a 9-10 minute mile.
By now we were taking turns pacing her and my shock had wore off and been replaced by awe. Tara had already overcome a sick stomach earlier that day, she was tired, but she was in good spirits. She stopped at the tent for the first time to change her clothes and said to Jill who was about to pace her. "Bring a 5 hour energy. Trust me, we're gona need it!"
That next loop was the longest loop that day. I texted Cathy at a quarter to 11 that based on her pace so far that day, Tara would be coming through any minute. I think it was about 11:30 when Tara came through and Jill passed her to me with a look that said something like, "Your turn. Take good care of our Tara!"
That 9th loop pacing Tara was my induction into the running mom ultra pacers club. I knew from stories of her last 100 mile ultra that when Marny paced her for 20 miles late into the race, she put her on a run/walk interval and that seemed to work for Tara so I started her off with that.
About 1/2 mile in, Jill came running to meet us with some chicken broth which Tara LOVED! Between the intervals and the broth, Tara seemed to revive and before I knew it, she was kicking my a$$ 67.2 miles into her run. And she did not stop amazing me there.
She did another loop and a half with Bethany after that while I snoozed in the tent amid occasional wake up calls from the announcer, "Relay teams 'Done by Dawn' & 'Irrationally Exuberant', your runners are 2 miles from the start finish line."
By dawn, the sun had woken me, Jill had arrived w/ fresh cups of coffee & a call to check in with Bethany revealed that while Tara's spirit, mind and every other part of her body were protesting furiously, her feet were rebelling against carrying her another step.
And protest she did! After a check in at the medical tent and strict warnings not to go a step further w/out dire repercussions, threats and predictions of months off her feet, Tara sneaked out while the EMT's dealt w/ a patient w/ more life-threatening needs & continued shuffling in Jill's flip flops & crawling her way to the finish line.
After meeting Tara's husband, Doug, seeing Tara's face light up at the sight of him and how incredibly adorable they were together and feeling quite assured that she was in good hands I re-committed my fate into the hands of Greyhound (trust me, that was a big gamble after the trip down!) and spent the trip home thinking of all the things I could have done to be a better pacer.
I feel like what I imagine to be a soldier at battle, I've participated in a fight, my scars from it are nothing compared to what the captain, Tara has suffered, but mostly I had a look at the enemy and yes, I'd like to go back for revenge or as they say in Tombstone, "Restitution!"
After putting together my list of ideas for the next group of pacers, I have said, "To hell with it, who am I kidding? This is just too many notes to pass on to another pacer. I think I will just have to go out there and be a pacer again myself."
So yes, I have joined the crazy, rocking, ultra running mom pacers who would like to come back for more.
As for running my own ultra, I have way too much respect to take that decision lightly. OK, that is the punk way of saying, I have seen the eye of the storm and much thought and soul searching is yet to be done before I will captain this submarine and navigate that storm myself. OK, that is still the punk way of saying I don't know if I have what it takes or not. Tara freaking rocks! I wana be like her when I grow up!
Well in a few hours. Stopping by the office first. I'm so excited I could barely sleep last night!
I bolted out of bed this morning and would have ran but I washed all my running clothes to take to Philly and I don't want to stink them up before I get there.
It occurred to me last night, "I'm gona miss my baby!" All I could think was how excited I am that I'm gona spend 3 whole days kid-free, but now when it comes down to it, this is my first trip without my kid and I'm gona miss him. Still looking forward to it though!
I cooked a big pot of meet balls and a crock pot full of chicken last night, so they should be straight for the weekend.
Tara, Jill, Bethany, see you in a few hours! Yiiippppeeeeeee!!!
The bar that we planned to finish at ended up being too crowded and loud for us to post our just-ran-30-miles-legs (that's a whole other story that you'll be hearing about soon!).
So we ended up going across the street to a little bar with a pool table that smelled like urine. But at least they had seats.
I wish I had taken a picture of the bar menu. I'll do my best to remember:
Frito Pie
Bologna and Cheese Sandwiches
Chili Con Queso & Chips
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich
Hot Dog
I feel like I'm forgetting something really good? Anyone else remember what was on this menu?
Here's a picture of all of us outside the bar with our legs aching from running and our stomachs aching from eating frito pie. This is the whole crew minus Michelle. The frito pie did her in.
The guy in the picture is just some drunk guy that jumped into the picture.
Oh right, we had lost Roxanne at this point too. She was wise enough to not come to the bar at all.
Natalie's friend who we nic-named "Mr Natalie" took this picture. He was nice enough to come out for the last few hours and drive along the course, but he really outdid himself by getting us all a round of beers!
This weekend I am pacing for my friend Tara who is running her second 100 mile ultra.
Actually this time she is running for 24 hours straight and hoping to break 100 miles. I am really excited and nervous about pacing for her.
But I'm ready. I've been training hard. For the first time post-baby I know I can run at least 8 miles non-stop (without walk breaks). Training to be a pacer seems to be even more of a motivation to train than signing up for my own race!
Almost 2 months ago when I ran my first 30 miles, I got to experience first-hand how great it is to have pacers running with you, so I have a small idea of what makes a rocking pacer.
All this ultra talk has had me thinking about the top 30 things that I learned while running 30 miles on 5/23/10.
I thought it would be neat to occasionally post one of the lessons learned running 30 miles, starting with lesson #30 and counting down to lesson #1.
So look out for that over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, go Tara! 24 Hour Lone Ranger Ultra Marathon starts in just 4 days! You got this!
and one story really caught my attention about a nun who started running in her 50's and became an exceptionally fast runner. 
