I Dream of Running

It must be even years. Even years must be my Running years. Cause this year, I am absolutely salivating, dreaming, itching, DYING to run another marathon. I am craving the long slogs slogs through training lows. I am craving the completely satisfying all-out tired of running a 20-miler on a Saturday morning. I am longing for Garmin-frenzy, track workouts, tempo runs, and sucking down pints of water at my desk. I am desperate for a good, hard sweat. I am pining for my stick of Body Glide. I am web-stalking marathon guide.com and blog stalking all my old favorite RFBs. I have registered for my spring training 1/2 marathon. The weather is uncharacteristically cooperative for January in Nebraska; it's training heaven!

Small problem.

I am 8+ mos pregnant. So all of that is going to have to wait a couple more months. Oh, the AGONY! (insert slightly off-color joke about the impending agony of childbirth here)

I did manage a moderate pregnant 5K a short-while back. Though now I am resorted to walking. But mentally, I am back, baby. 2012 is my next Year of the Marathon.

I'm thinking Chicago?

Resolved to a great 2010 in which I will myself to learn to love the treadmill....starting, now

Ah yes, for the fun and functional recap/resolution/goals post!

2009 RECAP

• Blogily-inspired + need to absorb myself in something=Finally fully committed myself to get married (marathon, that is)
• Previously unthinkable blogging became regular habit wherein I refer to third-party RBFs as "a friend of mine just ran XXX..." in conversations with others (husband subsequently wonders who all these friends are that he has never met)
• Looking for real, live non-virtual running community=Awesome running buddies in HRRC
• First half marathon!
• Second half marathon!
• 5K PR!
• Previously unthinkable 200-mile relay with sweaty, stinky bodies in a van=Most fun I've had since I was single! (when running fun surpasses alcohol fun, you know you're a running nerd)
• 40+ mile weeks + stupidity=Stress fracture! And no Denver Marathon! BOO!
• Positive attitude + milk + rest=Healed, running, wiser, and confident I will get my full marathon in 2010. fo reals. dammit!
• Finally scoring Yaktrax=awesome snow running (I promise Warm Weather Friends, a Yaktrax photo will come soon...snow anticipated on Wednesday, YT GAME ONE!)

2010 RUNNING/HEALTH/BLOG RESOLUTIONS/GOALS¹

• I think I mentioned, but I will get my full marathon in 2010. fo reals. dammit! And once that's done, I'd like to do another. Or two. We'll see.
• I resolve to learn to like the treadmill again. (Not just tolerate it, but like it. Yeah, them's strong words.) Concurrently inspired by RW article (the one in January with the treadmill workouts...no online posting?) and scared by another, I vow to make the mill a part of my training arsenal. I've abstained for over 3 years; it is time to get treadmill nastay again in 2010!



• Run, train, and race without breaking or injuring anything. I accept that this may mean I run slower than my ego likes.


• Reduce the sugar consumption. I eat pretty healthy already--lots of veggies, fruits, legumes, variety, home-cooked--but the large, gaping Sweet Tooth that is actually probably more like the entire Sweet Lower Mandible has got to get whupped into shape. The running counterbalances in terms of calories, but dang that sugar is just not good for me and I feel soooo much better when I go without. So I resolve to do better this year. Not sure what that will mean for my steady PB (ok, maybe I am really referring to the PB M&Ms) addiction, but we'll see how that plays out. One has to make small allowances, right?!
• Resume daily meditation practice. When I am doing yoga alot, this kind of takes care of itself. And actually, many days, running is for me a meditation. But I'd like to work back into the sit-on-the-floor-in-silence kind, cause, well, it gets my deep juices flowing and my brain is happier and more creative. Plus the deep breathing helps me with my running breathing. (It all circles back to running, it always does)
• More pictures in my blog posts. Yeah, all text is boring. I know. (And believe it or not, mitigating boring-ass text is actually kinda what I do for a living. Go figure why I don't do it here. I'll claim it is respect for image copyrights or something noble like that, but it is really more a function of laziness.)


No, it's not running-related...but who out there doesn't think
mother-daugher pouty faces are cute?!



• TBD - I like to leave space to add a mid-year goal or two. I think ahead like that.

¹-Anyone who knows me personally, knows that this is only a portion of my 2010 goals and that the balance of them are laid out all business-nerd-style in a master listdocument divvied up by categories and sections and timeframes and crap. But on this blog I pledge to only bore with running nerdiness, not my other more general nerdiness. You're welcome.

Race Report: Rocky Mountain Half Marathon

Ran into my running club buddy Massud as I was lining up in the corrals, which was a nice surprise. There are a couple race pictures here, but as they are copyrighted, I am not savvy enough to snatch them with the right-click function disabled, and am too cheap to actually purchase them, you have to be stalkerishly interested enough to click through the link to see them. For those only mildly interested, I'll summarize: ignoring the camera X 3; waving to the camera X 1 (because the girls in front of me did); and my clothes look about two sizes too big.

Miles 1-3
Ran with Massud. Since this was his first-ever race and he'd been training for this half for over a year, I went out a little faster than I'd planned, in an attempt to keep him from going out even faster, so that he'd have a good first race. Though it was a beautiful morning, it was warm out already was a little worried that this faster-than-planned start might not bode well for me. But by that point, I'd already decided I'd just roll with it and see what happened...so much for my race plan/strategy.

Mile 4-7
Was already sweating like a mutha at this point, so made sure to have my water at the aid stations. And, as a result of vigilant hydrating, had to make a porta-pottie stop about mile 5. Damn...but I was NOT going to try and hold it (been there, done that, and not by choice). Had a Gu at mile 6 as I jog/walked up the big hill by Bronco Stadim.

Mile 7-10
A lovely loop around Sloan's Lake, which was nice and flat and beautiful. Picked up my pace a little more after the nasty hill up, and was feeling better.

Mile 10-12
Enjoyed the return trip back down the hill by the stadium. Had another Gu about mile 11.5 and more water as it the sun was hot.

Mile 13-13.1
Another little downhill and then short uphill going up 20th Street to the finish. I won't lie, the hills wore me out but overally I enjoyed this race and I'll do it again. As for my assessment of the race? It was well-run, there were plenty of aid stations, parking was fairly easy and the corral was more organized that the one at Colfax (this was also a smaller race, though). There were plenty of snacks afterward and I didn't have to wait in any lines to get water, bananas, goldfish crackers or bagels. This race is run run by the same crew as the Denver Marathon, and shares part of the same beautiful course with it, so it seems like they have their stuff together and I am looking forward to that race in October. Though cotton, the shirts at least look good, as do the finisher medals: I highly recommend this one!

FINAL RACE RESULTS
Time: 2:11:34
Pace: 10:02
Place: 881/1497 overall
438/912 women
105/203 division

So, I didn't get the sub-2 hour finish that I was shooting for...heck, I didn't even beat my time from the Colfax Half last month, but I think I am actually ok with that. My running is strong, I feel good, and most important, I had fun. I enjoy pushing myself and running hard, but the whole point of why I run is because I simply love it and enjoy it and it's fun for me. So as much as I want to achieve some better race times, I'll know I'll never push so hard that it becomes "not fun" for me. This race was fun.

That said, I will be doing some more targeted speed training (like 1600 interval repeats) this summer and I'll be signing up for another half in the near future to see about that sub-2 hour race. It's in there, and I'll pull it out eventually. Also, I think the Recovery Socks post-race definitely helped. I am a fan.

Why A Marathon?

1. I have always wanted to run a marathon. It's been on my list of life goals for about 15 years. Time to cross it off.

2. I need something positive to focus on; I am rather a high-strung, obsessive-ish, analytical-type person and I don't need to ruminate on all the negative stuff I keep hearing on the news. Therefore I will run to escape and not think about it.

3. I like running. A lot.

4. I feel better when I run: physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally

5. Colorado is beautiful, full of convenient trails, and what better excuse to spend a lot of useful time outside?

6. It sets a good example for my kids, shows them the importance I place on being physically active, fit, and healthy. Actions speak louder than words.

7. It might not stimulate the economy, but running with my husband is WAYYYY cheaper than going out to dinner or a movie. Or golf.

8. On second thought, me purchasing running gear just might stimulate the economy...better it be through running apparel than fast food or JCrew, no?

9. I'm an only child, I like to be alone, and running allows me my required weekly allotment of Alone Time.

10. I want a medal.

Why do you run?