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.
Warning: this post is not about running. Males may want to disregard at this point...
I am in Austin for work this week. One thing I was really looking forward to doing while here, is going for some good runs on the lovely local trail system. Since that ain't happening, I guess I will have to focus on work instead...booo. Or try the lap pool at the schwanky hotel spa. Ooh, and the steamroom, definitely the steamroom.
Anyway, while frantically gathering all my crap to pack last night, I came across one surprise benefit to having a broken foot. Typically, it takes quite a bit of strategic planning to pack for a work trip, especially when there are also "casual" activities on the agenda. I am forced to choose shoes that do at least double-duty. I am forced to choose outfits that correspond to those that certain pairs of shoes. But NOT this time! Fancy heel that only goes with one dress? Bring it! Clarks Wallabee? Why not! Black flat? Toss it in! Comfy mid-heel? In you go!
Because I only have to pack ONE shoe (the left one), I was able to include twice the shoeage! And I could choose my preferred outfits, not just the ones that would go easily with my shoe. Also, I did not have to pack 3 running outfits...so that lightened the load. Unfortunately, I am not sure the presence of the perfect shoe on the left foot can overcome the distraction of the hideous black boot on the right. Sigh.
Seriously, I might just cry. Seriously. I mean, seriously.
Rewind to Saturday. I ended up going for a run in the afternoon instead of the morning. I went on the nice, soft dirt trails at about 3:00. Beautiful day, feeling good...except for a very slight discomfort in my right foot. Ah! My shoe must be tied to tight. Easy to fix. Shoe loosened, continued on run. Foot discomfort gets more pronounced. 3 miles in, foot discomfort is now actual pain. Every strike of my right foot: pain. I stop to stretch, thinking perhaps it's a cramp or a tight muscle somewhere. Continue on run. Enter stronger foot pain. I now cannot run but must walk and the whole situation is bringing stinging tears to my eyes. I still have a mile home, I am in severe pain, and yet it's a beautiful fall day, the kind you just live to run for. My race is in two weeks and this feels like a very, very bad sign.
Flashforward to today. My foot is still in pain, it is swollen, I cannot walk without a limp, cannot bend it, cannot do steps. I fear fracture. Tomorrow I go see some fancy schmancy foot specialist that happens to be here in Vail (which, Vail, by the way is faaabbbbuuulooouuusss, it even snowed the pretty kind of powdery mountain snowflakes tonight). I have resigned myself to the distinct possibility that I will probably not be running my first-ever marathon in two weeks at the 2009 Denver Marathon. (SOB!) But I guess as long as I can heal whatever is wrong, and eventually run again....I'll be all good. Right after I stop crying and feeling sorry for myself.
The "X" being the spot in which centers the severe pain; the arrow pointing to the region to which the general swelling and puffiness radiates.
So while I can allegedly hold out for Mindf*ck, I cannot apparently make the same claim about Life (or M&Ms1). Life has gotten in the way of my running the last few days, and the whole "marathon training plan" has looked a lot more like "paint the entire effing house, eat Dairy Queen, host impromptu visitors, forget about cooking, and don't even think you'll have time to run, sister."
So since Life had other plans for me last week, I ended up taking 4 whole days off running. In a row. (Not even a nice long walk or hike to bridge the gap!)I know!!!! I am choosing to pretend that I was actually just resting up for the next few hard (mileage-building, back-to-the-track-workout-type) weeks I've got coming. And house painting (the kind where you hang off a 32-foot ladder and oh-so-carefully paint the entire exterior of the house...with a brush) is cross-training, right? Well, now that the interior painting is done and the house put back together, and the exterior is 80% (...ok maybe 70% done, hubs gets the rest), I am back to the training plan. Today that started off with a nice, brisk 4.4 mile-morning run. The weather was actually quite chilly and fall-like--I even wore a long-sleeve, something I haven't done since about March--and made me salivate in anticipation for the upcoming fall running season. My gawd, but how I love to run in the fall!
______________________________ 1 - I guess Life hadn't quite released his grip on me yet today, as a busy morning resulted in me forgetting my lunch and midday snacks and thus forcing me to supplement with a gyro and approximatly 5.4 pounds of peanut butter M&Ms. Peanut butter is a power food though, right?
Long Restful Weekend: Left leg and glutes sore after 7 miles on Thurs. Friday rest. Blatantly skipped Sat and Sun runs (lazy/busy/weather). After 9 miles yesterday, my left hip and hamstring are tight and sore again. Must look into foam roller. And phase out old shoes. And return to yoga.
Long, "Restful" Weekend: Paint in my hair (still, after washing it twice) and unstrategically located across my body (benefit of hiring a 5-year old painting assistant). Shoulders sore from rearranging very heavy furniture in 3 separate rooms. Patience shot from spending 3 loooooong rainy days indoors with own kids. Apparently missed seeing funnel cloud near home (busy painting, yo) on Sunday; would have been really pissed if new paint destroyed by tornado. Tornado obviously sensed this potential danger and quietly skulked back up to clouds.
picture stolen borrowed from my friend who had the cognisance (no doubt because SHE wasn't high on paint fumes at the time) to both recongize and photograph the funnel beast
Today will be some cross-training (weights, core, stretching, followed by wine) and maybe a couple miles if I feel like it. I am pretty sure this is NOT what's scheduled for me today on my marathon training plan but pffft! whateva.
So after what felt like an extraordinarily long time away from blogland (really only a week), I am back. Where did I go, you might be wondering? Did I go somewhere lush and vacationy like Hawaii? Did I go run a marathon in some exciting venue? Did I land in the hospital after my kids came after me for dumping them in the gutter face first last week?
No, my bloggy friends, I went to Nebraska(insert snarky remark of your choice here).
Anyway, after runinng my highest mileage training week to-date just two weeks ago, last week was an utter fail. I managed some shorter runs of 4-6 miles (which involved me quite literally dragging my dog behind me as she clung, paws-outstretched, toenail-deep, to the few shady spots in the 85-degree humidity of the Cornhusker state), but didn't manage to cram in a long run. I felt horribly guilty and quite cranky about this, but then decided to rationalize it by telling myself it was an intentional easier "rest" week built into my training. So that's where we sit.
This is the snow that has accumulated in my backyard as of 3:00 today. It's more than 14 inches and I think it's more like 20 inches so far (insert appropriate "20-inch" double entendre here)--that taller snow on the back of the table is the full amount, as we scooped off a section of it yesterday at 3:00 to see how much more we got today. I had hoped to do a long run today of 12-14 miles, but I have to say that though I may be loco enough to do 70 laps indoors, I refuse to go upwards of 100. So I decided to do a shorter easy run today, with the sincere hope that the big ol' hot mountain sun will come out tomorrow and melt all this wet nastiness to where I can at least traverse the sidewalks. The one chink in that plan is that is was supposed to stop snowing at noon today; it is now 3:30 and still snowing. Hmmm...that better be some sun tomorrow.
A bit of good news though, the kind folks at ittybittybra.com have agreed to send me an itty bitty bra to test out on my itty bitty girls. Look out for a review in the not-so-distant future and, as I am not an indian giver (drumroll please)..... a picture, I suppose. (f&ck, I never actually thought they would really send me one...now I'll have to join the ranks of quasi-famous, pseudo-moralistic, massively-sketchy internet semi-nudies...hey, life is looking up!)
Today's stats:
-Run 4 miles/40 laps in 38:07
-little bit of upper body weights
-sledding and steamrolling down hills, then hiking back up. Also worked in some snow plyometrics as it was the only way to move through this knee-deep, wet, muck
Item 1: Due to the recurring snow phenomenon, I was forced indoors last night for my 7 mile run. Now those of you who tolerate, nevermind enjoy, the cursed treadmill probably are saying, "well that's not as nice as outside, but hey the treadmill isn't so bad, and that's not such a long run..."
Except that I loathe the treadmill. I simply cannot run in place for more than about 10 minutes without wanting to pull all of my hair and teeth out, or biting off every one of my fingernails. So, that means when I am forced inside....it's the 1/10 mile track at the rec center. 7 miles = 70 laps. (The only thing worse? The 13 miles/130 laps hubs did at the indoor track last week. Cannot fathom how he made it.)
The nice thing about running on the track is that I tend to run faster because 1) it's completely flat, yo and 2) I just want to get the hell done and have all the people working out and lifting weights stop staring at me like I 'm a crazy person because yes, after 45 minutes, I am STILL THERE RUNNING AROUND THAT DAMN LITTLE TRACK. So last nights run stats: 7 miles in 1:07...which interestingly, is only a minute longer than it took me to complete my 10k last weekend. Sigh. If only every race were flat.
Item two is the 14-22 inches of snow they are saying we will get throughout today and tomorrow morning. IT'S F-IN APRIL: SNOW YOU GET A FAIL FOR MISSING WINTER COMPLETELY. If we do indeed get that snow, I will post some fun buried-dog-and-shorties shots. Stay tuned.
And finally, I saved the best for last. I finally watched last week's episode of Real Housewives of NYC that I recorded (Because, honestly it is just too fun to watch those ladies and their horrifically inflated senses of self-importance prance around talking about how great they are and play-fighting with one another. They are awful, and I cannot get enough. I can admit it.) and I was blessedly rewarded with a truly fabulous montage of Kelly....running. In the traffic of NYC. She makes some dim-witted [naturally] self-important comments about how she is just the same [fabulous, beautiful, stunning, better-than-you] person in her teeny-tiny running shorts that show off her [clearly-superior-to-any-other female, and probably male too for that matter, homo-erectus-specimen legs] that she is in her [fabulous, beautiful, stunning, better-than-you'll-ever-be] evening gowns...and that running in NYC is the most exhilirating thing you can ever do, you just put shoes on and go! And how she is right with everybody in the trenches running in the middle of NYC traffic...and I am thinking the whole time, "oh yeaaahhh, I am sure the cabbies and other drivers feel exactly the same way...right after they run your ass over." Good times. Please do enjoy her ridiculous pomposity for yourself:
God, I think I love her! Almost as much as Alex and her clearly-gay husband Simon!! She has been likened to a giraffe (I agree, though I always thought of her as a yippy, whiny, annoying little chihuaha--maybe Jill''s little Ginger!--but the giraffe metaphor works)...so I think I'll consider this a "wildlife encounter" as well. Happy Friday!
Yesterday was a weird run day. The weather was a little weird--I kept expecting it to rain as it was forecast to do and slightly ominous looking clouds kept rolling past, but then it would get blue and sunny again. So I set out, not sure how long I would go. Thought perhaps 5 or 6 miles but considered going longer in case it snowed today (which it did) and I couldn't get outside for my scheduled long run. I ended up winding around in loops and circles and going for 9.84 miles (apparently, I calculated my 10 miles badly). ANYWAY. The "highlights" of my run:
1- After joking about it yesterday, I actually saw a coyote ahead of me on the trail today. I froze and racked my brain trying to remember what the display at our neighborhood rec center said to do if you came across a coyote on the trails....and...blank. Nothing. Complete brain fart. In lieu of doing whatever the "right" thing is, I just froze and waited. He did eventually skulk away and in retrospect, I am just really glad it wasn't a mountain lion instead. Perhaps I should stop joking about that...and read the helpful signs posted on the trail about what to do when you encounter wildlife.
2 - A bug flew into my mouth. As soon as I saw it near my head, I thought "wouldn't that be so gross if it actually flew into my mouth?" and then it did. And I tried to spit is right back out, But I am fairly confident it got lodged in my gum in the process and I felt a crunch when I chewed. So then I had to spit my gum out. And I hate running without gum.
3 - I sort of ran the race course (the non-muddy parts) of the upcoming HRCA Heritage 10K. I discovered there are some mean-ass beyotch uphills on this course. What I want to know is who is in charge of making these HRCA race courses, and haven't you ever heard of running downhill?? I am not sure what kind of expectation to have for my time now, since hills are always the great unknown in my running performance...
4 - My garmin told me I burned 1200 calories. This seems like a lot....I was wearing my heart rate monitor and I do have it programmed for my age/gender/weight. I am still not sure I believe it, though. 1200 seems excessive...maybe it was all those effing uphills??? Or the coyote scare? Does fear make you burn more calories?
Today I may do a mile or two to loosen/warm up before my weights/core work. Or I may not...haven't decided yet. The snow and blustery cold (it's APRIL for fu(k's sake!) have made me sluggish.
So either to your dismay (Xcountry2) or your delight (carpeviam) the devil's food funfetti cake was destroyed yesterday by Shortie2, who felt compelled to run grubby little fingers all over the top of the cake and grab fistfuls to shovel into similarly grubby little mouth. Bye bye funfetti cake; oh how I'll miss you!
However, I discovered that the funfetti frosting...is, uh, not so good for you. Not that I thought it would be one of the world's healthiest foods(which, speaking of--Mr. George Mateljan? A little waxy looking......like perhaps all those worldly healthy foods have preserved him WELLLLL beyond his Best Before date....but maybe it's just me that thinks that), but a little healthy frosting denial never hurt anyone, did it? Did it?!
Though, someone please tell me this--how is it that there is "0% Trans Fat" in said funfetti frosting, yet the second ingredient in the delightfully creamy funfetti is "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil." ??? So I guess it's one of those products where if the amount per serving is below a certain threshold, then they can magically claim 0, even though funfetti frosting is clearly made of whipped trans fat. Sneaky Pillsbury, very sneaky. I'm not sure I like those tactics. It might even warrant a change from funfetti to something more healthy like this for me next year. But don't hold me to that. Funfetti is pretty good.
Also, WTF is up with their little disclaimer thinger, there? What exactly is going on at this website, Pillsbury? Are you advocating using your funfetti frosting for some risque activities? Well, just to be safe, I'll be sure to keep my Shorties away from your filthy funfetti frosting website in the future.
Oh yeah and now for the running: Tuesday 3/31 - 2.3 quick miles at the indoor track for warmup, followed by core work and weights Wednesday 4/1 - Supposed to do 45-min hills workout with the running group, however it is thunder snowing. So today probably a day off instead.
And finally, one gratuitous unrelated link from my 'personal links' folder in my Favorites...just for the helluvit cause I'm bored and having fun with links today.
Though, someone please tell me this--how is it that there is "0% Trans Fat" in said funfetti frosting, yet the second ingredient in the delightfully creamy funfetti is "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil." ??? So I guess it's one of those products where if the amount per serving is below a certain threshold, then they can magically claim 0, even though funfetti frosting is clearly made of whipped trans fat. Sneaky Pillsbury, very sneaky. I'm not sure I like those tactics. It might even warrant a change from funfetti to something more healthy like this for me next year. But don't hold me to that. Funfetti is pretty good.
