This week is recommitment. It is the time when we team members evaluate our training and fundraising progress and decide if we will continue with Team in Training. At 5:00 am when I am heaving myself out of bed to go run in the cold and dark, bagging out can feel pretty tempting! After a particularly challenging experience, like the pain from last Saturday's run, it seems like kind of a nice idea to just quit! But it only takes half a second to remember why I’m doing this. It’s not to impress anyone with my amazing athletic ability. It’s not for the pride of saying, "I can do 26.2." It’s not to challenge myself with something I never imagined I could do. It’s not even to get myself in better physical health, although that is an important benefit I’m receiving. And it’s certainly not because I had time on my hands and needed something to do!
I remember my mom who underwent a stem cell transplant in March of this year. She chose that path, her only medical avenue to fight for life. Over the following five months, she endured a tremendous range of difficulties, side effects, sickness, discouragement, anxiety, fatigue and pain. But she had no choice once that wheel was set in motion. She had to endure. Every day.
I have the choice to opt out of all this. I could just throw in the towel. No more early mornings. No more time taken away from my kids. No more sore muscles, painful shin splints or throbbing knees. I could choose to make it all go away.
But really there is no choice. I must endure to honor my mom and the struggles she faced. I can endure my own five months of struggles just as she did. Because of who she was to me and her example of perseverance, I will endure.
The purple bracelets my teammates and I wear say Train Endure Achieve Matter. If you are reading this and have chosen to support me financially by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, you are part of my TEAM and I so appreciate you.
If you have not yet given, please consider a donation. I still have about $1,200 that I am required to raise by January! You may use the link to the right and donate using a credit card. If you prefer to send a check directly to me, please contact me at jamn3kids@yahoo.com.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Twelve Miles!
Thank you so much to everyone who shared encouragement with me this last week. I know I’m not alone and I’m thankful for you all, my friends and family, who care about me and for me!
Saturday’s 12 miles was a little bit of a setback. None of my running buddies who share my pokey pace were there this time. I hooked up with some other women who are typically out in front of me, and I worked hard to keep up so I wouldn’t end up running alone. Well, the pace was just too fast for me. At around 10.6 miles my knee decided it had had enough running. It began hurting very suddenly and within just a couple minutes I couldn’t run anymore. After walking quite a bit it seemed to loosen up a little and I was able to run another short stretch. Then again, it ended up just being too painful and I hobbled most of the last mile.
I know I pushed myself too hard for such a long run. My total time for the 12 miles was only 8 minutes longer than the 10 miles I had done two weeks prior. Definitely too fast.
I went home and sat up to my hips in a bathtub of ice water. Sorry, no pictures. Nobody wants to see that.
On the upside, I did pretty ok on Sunday, I’m sure thanks to the ice bath. Only descending the stairs was a problem. Monday I was able to run more than I had expected and today it’s not feeling too bad. I can tell it’s still a little tender, so I’m not pushing myself. I don’t think I’ve done any major damage and I’d like to keep it that way!
Saturday’s 12 miles was a little bit of a setback. None of my running buddies who share my pokey pace were there this time. I hooked up with some other women who are typically out in front of me, and I worked hard to keep up so I wouldn’t end up running alone. Well, the pace was just too fast for me. At around 10.6 miles my knee decided it had had enough running. It began hurting very suddenly and within just a couple minutes I couldn’t run anymore. After walking quite a bit it seemed to loosen up a little and I was able to run another short stretch. Then again, it ended up just being too painful and I hobbled most of the last mile.
I know I pushed myself too hard for such a long run. My total time for the 12 miles was only 8 minutes longer than the 10 miles I had done two weeks prior. Definitely too fast.
I went home and sat up to my hips in a bathtub of ice water. Sorry, no pictures. Nobody wants to see that.
On the upside, I did pretty ok on Sunday, I’m sure thanks to the ice bath. Only descending the stairs was a problem. Monday I was able to run more than I had expected and today it’s not feeling too bad. I can tell it’s still a little tender, so I’m not pushing myself. I don’t think I’ve done any major damage and I’d like to keep it that way!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Rebound
Last week was tough recovering from the 10 mile run, but I showed up Saturday for a 6 mile run feeling pretty self-assured. After all, I’d done 6 miles or more 4 times already! No problem! Cake!
Oof. It was harder than I had thought! I did increase my running time. And there was a big ol’ hill. And it was really humid . . . Ok, it was just a more difficult day than I had anticipated. One encouragement was that I was not the only one who felt that way. My running buddy, Becky, was tired as well. But we kept each other moving. I sure enjoyed her company and conversation!
My dad came to visit for the weekend so when I got home from running, he got the pleasure of observing my trash can of ice ritual. He played Wii tennis with me to pass the twenty minutes. It helped take my mind off the pain!
But the beautiful thing is, I hit the ground running (pun intended) on Monday! Finally, I was back to the energy level of the week before the 10 miles. Alicia and I braved the dark and cold and, once again, I ran the whole time. Alicia went inside after about 45 minutes, but I kept on going. I didn’t want to stop!
The rest of this week has been emotionally difficult for me with a lot of personal struggles. Not the least of which is the reality of missing my mom. With me having lived so far away from her for so many years, the loss hasn’t hit home every single day. But this week has been hard. Sometimes, even when she’s all grown up, a girl just needs to talk to her mom. I do believe she knows what I’m doing and is pulling for me.
I’m not having any trouble with overconfidence about this Saturday’s run. Twelve miles is intimidating. We shall see . . .
Oof. It was harder than I had thought! I did increase my running time. And there was a big ol’ hill. And it was really humid . . . Ok, it was just a more difficult day than I had anticipated. One encouragement was that I was not the only one who felt that way. My running buddy, Becky, was tired as well. But we kept each other moving. I sure enjoyed her company and conversation!
My dad came to visit for the weekend so when I got home from running, he got the pleasure of observing my trash can of ice ritual. He played Wii tennis with me to pass the twenty minutes. It helped take my mind off the pain!
But the beautiful thing is, I hit the ground running (pun intended) on Monday! Finally, I was back to the energy level of the week before the 10 miles. Alicia and I braved the dark and cold and, once again, I ran the whole time. Alicia went inside after about 45 minutes, but I kept on going. I didn’t want to stop!
The rest of this week has been emotionally difficult for me with a lot of personal struggles. Not the least of which is the reality of missing my mom. With me having lived so far away from her for so many years, the loss hasn’t hit home every single day. But this week has been hard. Sometimes, even when she’s all grown up, a girl just needs to talk to her mom. I do believe she knows what I’m doing and is pulling for me.
I’m not having any trouble with overconfidence about this Saturday’s run. Twelve miles is intimidating. We shall see . . .
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Timely Encouragement
Saturday’s 10 mile run was challenging. The first 8 miles were fine considering I’d done it before. Even mile 9 was reasonably manageable. But that 10th mile . . . ugh. There was no feeling of “I could have just kept on going!” after this run. Then I had the joy of icing my legs for 20 minutes at home afterward. The entire rest of the day I was sore and exhausted. Sunday morning I was still walking stiffly and struggling to go up or down stairs.
I started to get pretty concerned. Maybe I didn’t train well enough or correctly the previous week. If I can barely squeak through 10 miles and then pay dearly with soreness, will I ever really be able to survive this 26.2 thing? Did I hit a wall that I won't ever be able to get past?
Sunday afternoon we took an easy relaxing bike ride around the neighborhood which felt good, but still the soreness lingered afterward. Monday morning I was nowhere near the energy and excitement level I’d had the last time I ran with Alicia. I slogged through the abbreviated morning run and hobbled up the stairs to the shower afterward.
Then today, our team’s running coach, Mike, sent out an email that was just what I needed to hear. Here are some tidbits:
"Wow! We're very proud of all y'all for how well you are doing in the training. More importantly, you should be very proud of yourselves.
As we get into longer times on the road, many of us have concerns and questions about our progress. One of the concerns is "How in the world am I going to be able to be out there for 4 to 6 hours, or more, when I'm barely able to make it 2 hours?
This question enters everyone's mind at some point of the training. No worries, mate. I've been watching all of you, and believe me, "you look maahvelous!"
Approximately every other week, we're increasing the time we spend on the road by 30 to 60 minutes. Should your muscles be sore? Of course. Expect them to be sore, plan for them to be sore, look forward to them being sore. This kind of pain is weakness leaving the body. Muscle soreness is a result of working the muscles more than they're used to. The muscles rebuild, stronger, over the next day or two of rest and recovery. Active rest the next day helps prevent you from stiffening up and keeps blood flowing to the muscles so they get the nutrients they need. The harder you work now, the more fun you'll have during your event. 4-5 hrs of fun vs. 6-8 hrs of misery; you choose (that's for runners, walkers extrapolate).
I have no doubt that each of you is capable of accomplishing your goal and completing your event. You're reaching levels of fitness that you may not have ever had before in your life. You are becoming stronger, in body and mind. Believe it."
I’ll tell ya, there would be no making it through this without my mentors, coaches and teammates. This program has benefited me both physically and emotionally. Right now I AM at a level of fitness and achievement that I never would have even dreamed I could reach. And I’ve been able to cope with losing my mom by turning that loss into something positive for others. What a blessing this whole experience has been so far with all its ups and downs, exhilarations and pains, victories and struggles.
I started to get pretty concerned. Maybe I didn’t train well enough or correctly the previous week. If I can barely squeak through 10 miles and then pay dearly with soreness, will I ever really be able to survive this 26.2 thing? Did I hit a wall that I won't ever be able to get past?
Sunday afternoon we took an easy relaxing bike ride around the neighborhood which felt good, but still the soreness lingered afterward. Monday morning I was nowhere near the energy and excitement level I’d had the last time I ran with Alicia. I slogged through the abbreviated morning run and hobbled up the stairs to the shower afterward.
Then today, our team’s running coach, Mike, sent out an email that was just what I needed to hear. Here are some tidbits:
"Wow! We're very proud of all y'all for how well you are doing in the training. More importantly, you should be very proud of yourselves.
As we get into longer times on the road, many of us have concerns and questions about our progress. One of the concerns is "How in the world am I going to be able to be out there for 4 to 6 hours, or more, when I'm barely able to make it 2 hours?
This question enters everyone's mind at some point of the training. No worries, mate. I've been watching all of you, and believe me, "you look maahvelous!"
Approximately every other week, we're increasing the time we spend on the road by 30 to 60 minutes. Should your muscles be sore? Of course. Expect them to be sore, plan for them to be sore, look forward to them being sore. This kind of pain is weakness leaving the body. Muscle soreness is a result of working the muscles more than they're used to. The muscles rebuild, stronger, over the next day or two of rest and recovery. Active rest the next day helps prevent you from stiffening up and keeps blood flowing to the muscles so they get the nutrients they need. The harder you work now, the more fun you'll have during your event. 4-5 hrs of fun vs. 6-8 hrs of misery; you choose (that's for runners, walkers extrapolate).
I have no doubt that each of you is capable of accomplishing your goal and completing your event. You're reaching levels of fitness that you may not have ever had before in your life. You are becoming stronger, in body and mind. Believe it."
I’ll tell ya, there would be no making it through this without my mentors, coaches and teammates. This program has benefited me both physically and emotionally. Right now I AM at a level of fitness and achievement that I never would have even dreamed I could reach. And I’ve been able to cope with losing my mom by turning that loss into something positive for others. What a blessing this whole experience has been so far with all its ups and downs, exhilarations and pains, victories and struggles.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
I Run! I'm A Runner! I Run!
Wednesday. Five a.m. An unseasonably warm morning. Yet a morning like any other. A morning that finds me hating to drag my carcass out of my cozy bed. I still don't really believe I can actually DO all this.
But today was different. Today, I became a runner.
I headed out with my fearless friend Alicia and a new friend Sarah. I didn't bother setting up intervals on my watch and we just took off running. With the exception of about two short pauses to walk just a little and one stretching break, I ran the WHOLE 50 minutes. Yes, it was my shorter stride with more steps per minute as dictated by the physical therapist. It was no speedy pace, but it was steady! I couldn't tell you how far we went since we zig zagged all over our neighborhood, but I was BLOWN AWAY by the fact that I could run the WHOLE time!! And TALK at the same time!!
I just let the legs do the work. That's my secret.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Zip This!
My ziplining weekend at Tamarack was a BLAST! I had not yet been up to see this new resort near Donnelly, Idaho. The time of year was perfect for enjoying the fall colors. The bright, vivid golds of the aspens and the fiery reds contrasted with the green pines were absolutely breathtaking! There was just a touch of snow on the top of the mountains and Saturday was sunny, brisk and perfect for our trek!
First we enjoyed a peaceful, long ski lift ride to the top of the mountain.
From there we spent the next four hours hiking down the mountain, zipping, hiking down, zipping, then hiking some more. Altogether we rode 8 different ziplines ranging up to 950 feet long and over 200 feet above the ground! One zip landed us in a treehouse built around the trunk of an enormous pine, 105 feet up! The last zip required us to traverse two rope bridges and sent us through a beautiful glen that reminded us of Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. When they sent us off that one, we couldn't even see through the trees to where the end was! Each one was unique and fantastic!
My girlfriends and I (and Hoyt, the only guy - what a good sport HE was!) had a blast being wacky, teasing the guides and shrieking war cries as we sailed across the cables. I am sure I heard Godzilla somewhere on the mountain . . . and maybe even Sasquatch!
Tamarack is a beautiful community and I so appreciate our friends Hoyt and Teresa allowing us to stay with them at their home nestled among the trees. It was a tremendous treat for me and the timing was perfect. We all spent a lot of time relaxing before and after the ziplining tour, including stargazing from the warmth of the hot tub. Lupe treated us to taco chipotle soup and chorizo con papas (Que delicioso!) for our dinners, and Julie prepared homemade muffins and scones for our breakfasts! Let me say, our little group knows how to eat and eat well!
Overall, it was a much needed get away for me. After the last month of stress, I was ready to disappear in the mountain for a couple of days and not have to worry about an agenda. We went to bed early both nights, so I got well caught up on my sleep and came home Sunday refreshed and feeling ready to tackle the next several weeks!
First we enjoyed a peaceful, long ski lift ride to the top of the mountain.
From there we spent the next four hours hiking down the mountain, zipping, hiking down, zipping, then hiking some more. Altogether we rode 8 different ziplines ranging up to 950 feet long and over 200 feet above the ground! One zip landed us in a treehouse built around the trunk of an enormous pine, 105 feet up! The last zip required us to traverse two rope bridges and sent us through a beautiful glen that reminded us of Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. When they sent us off that one, we couldn't even see through the trees to where the end was! Each one was unique and fantastic!
My girlfriends and I (and Hoyt, the only guy - what a good sport HE was!) had a blast being wacky, teasing the guides and shrieking war cries as we sailed across the cables. I am sure I heard Godzilla somewhere on the mountain . . . and maybe even Sasquatch!
Tamarack is a beautiful community and I so appreciate our friends Hoyt and Teresa allowing us to stay with them at their home nestled among the trees. It was a tremendous treat for me and the timing was perfect. We all spent a lot of time relaxing before and after the ziplining tour, including stargazing from the warmth of the hot tub. Lupe treated us to taco chipotle soup and chorizo con papas (Que delicioso!) for our dinners, and Julie prepared homemade muffins and scones for our breakfasts! Let me say, our little group knows how to eat and eat well!
Overall, it was a much needed get away for me. After the last month of stress, I was ready to disappear in the mountain for a couple of days and not have to worry about an agenda. We went to bed early both nights, so I got well caught up on my sleep and came home Sunday refreshed and feeling ready to tackle the next several weeks!
My Friend The Hobbit
I don't often think about just how freakishly tall I am . . . I mean, LOOK at me! Take a look at where my friend Lisa's elbow hits me!! I look like Gigantor!
Well, I guess that would be true if Lisa were actually of normal height . . .I love you, Lisa!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Light The Night
The kids and some of my dear friends and I participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk last night. The kids and I did this event last year.
The walk started at Ann Morrison Park, went down to the capitol building, then came back to the park. It got dark shortly after we started, so the blinking lights inside our red balloons were quite a site to see throughout the crowds of participants. I'll have to get back to you on exactly how much was raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Last year, I believe it was well over $100,000 and the turn out this year was MUCH greater.
It was my mom’s goal to do the Light the Night Walk with us this year. We miss you, Mom and Grandma.
Do I HAVE to?
I met with a physical therapist on Thursday to see about these horrible shin splints. First, he confirmed that I do indeed have actual shin splints. He said that at least half of the time people assume they have shin splints when really they have simply fatigue of the muscles running along the sides of their shins. I am not one of THAT half. The pain I experience is right along the center ridge of my shin bone. I’ve EARNED ACTUAL shin splints!!
The solution? Well, he gave me some very good information and things to do to both treat and prevent. First, he helped me increase the effectiveness of my calf stretches – tight calf muscles are related to shin splints. Then he told me to increase my cadence, which is basically how many steps I take when I run. Here I’d thought a longer stride would help when really I need to take more steps. Being tall, it’s easy to tend toward too long of a stride. I’m also only supposed to run 3 days a week and I should try to stay to softer surfaces – avoid the asphalt greenbelt and sidewalks. So I’ll run on my own two days a week, hit the elliptical or cycle two or three days a week, then do my long team runs on Saturdays. All this sounds very well and good. No problem.
BUT he also said I need to ice my legs after my long runs. And I don’t mean little Ziploc baggies of ice sitting on my shins. He suggested actually sticking my legs in the RIVER – that would be ideal! If that’s not possible, he said to sit in a tub of ICE water covering my legs for 20 minutes. YIKES!
Today I did my 6 miles with Julie on her bike and Terry running with me (actually I'm pretty sure we did more than 6 miles - again, we had trouble measuring).
Near the end of the run I had to decide what would be worse – to continue running or to quit but have to go home to the tub of ice. I figured the ice was inevitable either way. On the way home, Terry got me thinking and I decided to fill up my kitchen trash can with 4 bags of ice and water and just stick my legs in that! I just couldn’t bear the thought of a numb bum, so this was a GREAT alternative. My daughter brought me a stool, so I spent most of the twenty minutes sitting in front of the fireplace with my legs in bitterly cold ice water watching PBS. My sweet boy, Carson, rubbed my back the whole time, but OH the PAIN!! At least for the first 10 minutes. After that it was a dull ache as the numbness had taken hold. Ugh.
Right now, I’m thawed, showered and dressed in a warm sweater and wooly socks. I’m leaving this evening for a weekend with some girlfriends at Tamarack Resort. We are going to enjoy some relaxing, eating and hot tubbing and, most importantly, the four hour hike and ziplining tour! I’ll blog and post pictures of THAT for sure! Here’s the link if you want to see what I’m getting myself into: http://www.tamarackidaho.com/summer_adventure/zipline.php
I don’t know who all reads this, but thanks so much to my cheerleaders and financial supporters. I couldn’t do this without you! And I wouldn’t soak my legs in ice water for just ANYBODY! : )
The solution? Well, he gave me some very good information and things to do to both treat and prevent. First, he helped me increase the effectiveness of my calf stretches – tight calf muscles are related to shin splints. Then he told me to increase my cadence, which is basically how many steps I take when I run. Here I’d thought a longer stride would help when really I need to take more steps. Being tall, it’s easy to tend toward too long of a stride. I’m also only supposed to run 3 days a week and I should try to stay to softer surfaces – avoid the asphalt greenbelt and sidewalks. So I’ll run on my own two days a week, hit the elliptical or cycle two or three days a week, then do my long team runs on Saturdays. All this sounds very well and good. No problem.
BUT he also said I need to ice my legs after my long runs. And I don’t mean little Ziploc baggies of ice sitting on my shins. He suggested actually sticking my legs in the RIVER – that would be ideal! If that’s not possible, he said to sit in a tub of ICE water covering my legs for 20 minutes. YIKES!
Today I did my 6 miles with Julie on her bike and Terry running with me (actually I'm pretty sure we did more than 6 miles - again, we had trouble measuring).
Near the end of the run I had to decide what would be worse – to continue running or to quit but have to go home to the tub of ice. I figured the ice was inevitable either way. On the way home, Terry got me thinking and I decided to fill up my kitchen trash can with 4 bags of ice and water and just stick my legs in that! I just couldn’t bear the thought of a numb bum, so this was a GREAT alternative. My daughter brought me a stool, so I spent most of the twenty minutes sitting in front of the fireplace with my legs in bitterly cold ice water watching PBS. My sweet boy, Carson, rubbed my back the whole time, but OH the PAIN!! At least for the first 10 minutes. After that it was a dull ache as the numbness had taken hold. Ugh.
Right now, I’m thawed, showered and dressed in a warm sweater and wooly socks. I’m leaving this evening for a weekend with some girlfriends at Tamarack Resort. We are going to enjoy some relaxing, eating and hot tubbing and, most importantly, the four hour hike and ziplining tour! I’ll blog and post pictures of THAT for sure! Here’s the link if you want to see what I’m getting myself into: http://www.tamarackidaho.com/summer_adventure/zipline.php
I don’t know who all reads this, but thanks so much to my cheerleaders and financial supporters. I couldn’t do this without you! And I wouldn’t soak my legs in ice water for just ANYBODY! : )
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Party Time!
Here's me with my dad, Terry, and Terry's brother and sister-in-law at the after movie party. We had such a great time! I had to ask my dad when the last time was he went to a bar on a Saturday night! He had no response . . .
The Purple Carpet . . . Well, Balloons Actually
Here are a couple photos of last weekend's run in Salem. My friend Terry and fellow overachiever made the run so much more fun with his company - he's one of my best cheerleaders!
And I swear I'm NOT stealing those balloons from this cute little girl. Really.
And I swear I'm NOT stealing those balloons from this cute little girl. Really.
Pictures!
As promised, here are some pictures from the after movie party last weekend. Ron Livingston and Michael Sheen are the two main actors from Music Within. HAD to get my picture with them! I'm not savvy enough with this blog to get multiple pictures on a post with corresponding captions, so for now I will have to create a separate post to go with each picture. Sorry about that. If anyone knows the secret (like my friend Hillary . . .) please feel free to share your knowledge with me. : )
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Hobnobbing & Hurting
Well, after my accidental 7.52 run I felt pretty good. We had a great time the remainder of our trip visiting with my dad and brother and some of Terry’s family. We got to attend an invitation-only movie screening in Portland Saturday night and a party afterward. We spent some time visiting with some of the actors and filmmakers in attendance since Terry’s brother-in-law is the author (and subject) of the book on which the film is based. (I’ll try and post pictures later.) The movie, Music Within, is being released by MGM this fall in a number of large cities, so if it comes to your town I highly recommend you see it. It was enlightening and touching and boasts a fantastic cast. Click on the link to the right to visit the site and view the trailer.
We came home Sunday and I was back in the saddle running on Monday with Gabe and his cross country team. Then by the time I finished my run on Tuesday I was in some pretty serious pain from shin splints. Apart from one blister, this was my first brush with a training setback. I did a lot of reading about treatment and prevention of shin splints, so decided not to run the rest of the week. I did some strength training on Wednesday with my faithful friend and neighbor, Alicia, then worked out on the elliptical on Thursday -- I love that machine! I could have worked out on that thing all day! -- Friday was my rest day, so by Saturday’s team training session I was feeling much better.
Saturday morning I arrived at the park just before 8:00 am to meet the team and do our 8 miles. It was the absolute COLDEST day in months! I’m talking see-your-breath cold! We had a short clinic about nutrition, then prepared to head out. I stopped off in the bathroom and when I came out, everyone was GONE. I ended up having to run like a mad woman to catch up with a group of four women who were running similar intervals and at a pace I could live with.
We jumped into a 5 minute running 2 minute walking cycle which was more running than I have been accustomed to. That combined with the speedy running I put in trying to catch these gals in the first place made for a tiring first half. Right around the half way point, as I was struggling up a loooooong steady slope with Francine, we dropped our intervals back to 4 minutes and 2 minutes. Then once we turned around, headed back down the slope and began the second half of the run, everything got SO much easier! It’s a freakish phenomenon that the last 4 miles of an 8 mile run are easier than the first 4. But I finished strong and my shins are doing fairly well. And thank you to Francine for being my running buddy this time. It was so great talking with her - our conversation made all the difference. She was so encouraging, being someone who has been through training and done a marathon with Team in Training once before. And still she came back for more!
We came home Sunday and I was back in the saddle running on Monday with Gabe and his cross country team. Then by the time I finished my run on Tuesday I was in some pretty serious pain from shin splints. Apart from one blister, this was my first brush with a training setback. I did a lot of reading about treatment and prevention of shin splints, so decided not to run the rest of the week. I did some strength training on Wednesday with my faithful friend and neighbor, Alicia, then worked out on the elliptical on Thursday -- I love that machine! I could have worked out on that thing all day! -- Friday was my rest day, so by Saturday’s team training session I was feeling much better.
Saturday morning I arrived at the park just before 8:00 am to meet the team and do our 8 miles. It was the absolute COLDEST day in months! I’m talking see-your-breath cold! We had a short clinic about nutrition, then prepared to head out. I stopped off in the bathroom and when I came out, everyone was GONE. I ended up having to run like a mad woman to catch up with a group of four women who were running similar intervals and at a pace I could live with.
We jumped into a 5 minute running 2 minute walking cycle which was more running than I have been accustomed to. That combined with the speedy running I put in trying to catch these gals in the first place made for a tiring first half. Right around the half way point, as I was struggling up a loooooong steady slope with Francine, we dropped our intervals back to 4 minutes and 2 minutes. Then once we turned around, headed back down the slope and began the second half of the run, everything got SO much easier! It’s a freakish phenomenon that the last 4 miles of an 8 mile run are easier than the first 4. But I finished strong and my shins are doing fairly well. And thank you to Francine for being my running buddy this time. It was so great talking with her - our conversation made all the difference. She was so encouraging, being someone who has been through training and done a marathon with Team in Training once before. And still she came back for more!
Monday, October 1, 2007
OVER ACHIEVERS
Last Saturday, Sept. 22nd, I was in Salem again visiting my family and friends, so I had to make up my long run. It was to be 7 miles. Each week since I started training, we have added one mile to our distance on Saturdays when we run as a team. This was to be, once again, the longest distance I had ever run.
My friend, Terry, had joined me this trip and we planned to run together at Minto Brown Island Park – the same park I ran in the last time I was in Salem. See my entry on September 17th to read about this fantastic park.
We arrived at the park just after 7:00 am and were greeted with bunches of purple balloons, banners, snacks and marked routes. I was wondering who had put out the welcome mat JUST for me! : )
Well, it turns out there was a Domestic Violence Awareness 5K/10K Run/Walk happening that morning at 8:30. Since a 10K is 6.2 miles, we planned to run the course they had laid out, plus a little more to make our 7 miles. Reader’s Digest version, we misunderstood the directions and took a bigger loop than we were supposed to. After adding up all our stretches on the map, we discovered we had done 7.52!
So I showed up this last Saturday, Sept. 29th, not quite so scared of the 8 mile run! More about that to come soon . . .
My friend, Terry, had joined me this trip and we planned to run together at Minto Brown Island Park – the same park I ran in the last time I was in Salem. See my entry on September 17th to read about this fantastic park.
We arrived at the park just after 7:00 am and were greeted with bunches of purple balloons, banners, snacks and marked routes. I was wondering who had put out the welcome mat JUST for me! : )
Well, it turns out there was a Domestic Violence Awareness 5K/10K Run/Walk happening that morning at 8:30. Since a 10K is 6.2 miles, we planned to run the course they had laid out, plus a little more to make our 7 miles. Reader’s Digest version, we misunderstood the directions and took a bigger loop than we were supposed to. After adding up all our stretches on the map, we discovered we had done 7.52!
So I showed up this last Saturday, Sept. 29th, not quite so scared of the 8 mile run! More about that to come soon . . .
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