Guess I should have waited to blog until after I ran today. Just a quick note to mention that today was the first really good run I've had in a while. Why is it that I seem to have the best runs on days when I'm a little hungover and really over-tired? It defies logic.
I did the usual 4.3 mile loop around the river. They were strong, comfortable, worthwhile miles, including speed work on the bridge. I left the Garmin at home, expecting to struggle, but wish I had worn it (or any watch at all, for that matter) so I could see what kind of a pace I was keeping. Oh and it's also worthwhile to note that the other runners I shared the river with were particularly friendly and happy today. Way more smiles and eye contact than usual. Good day so far!
TO DO:
Greasy Diner Breakfast - check!
Run - check!
CVS - check!
Trader Joes - check!
Shaw's - booooo
Cleaning - double boooo
Timesheets - triple boooo
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Run, Sail, Drink
I guess you could say I did a sort of alternative triathlon yesterday -- running, sailing and tailgating.
At 7am I reluctantly got out of bed and met up with a few of the usual suspects near BC for a hilly long(ish) run. It was already pretty warm when we started (Summer is finally here!) and the 8 miles Aimee and I covered were challenging. We ran down Comm Ave to Kenmore, then turned and ran back up Beacon and around the reservoir, tackling quite a few nasty hills in the process. Aimee's Garmin said we were doing about an 8:50 pace, but the heat and the hills made it feel a lot tougher than that. I've been pretty complacent in my running lately, though, so I welcomed the challenge.
From there, it was off to Weymouth to help my dad do the last bit of work on the boat and get in the first sail of the season, and I even brought an extra set of muscles with me to assist with the heavy lifting. Everything was squared away in no time (big thank you and shout out to said muscles...) and before we knew it, we were under sail and raising our beers to toast it. We didn't stay out long, but it was nice to be back on the water again.
Back on dry land, I took the fastest shower of my life and then hooked a ride down to Mansfield to the Comcast Center for my first-ever Jimmy Buffett concert. My friends had been tailgating since mid-afternoon, so by the time I arrived I had no choice but to dive right in and join them full-force. The parking lot lived up to everything I'd heard about it, the concert was phenomenal and I'll certainly be going again the next time he's in town.
I slept in the car almost the entire way home and by the time I finally hit my apartment I was thoroughly spent from my day of festivities. This "tri" of running, sailing and binge-drinking is certainly nothing I could do every weekend, nor would I want to. But it just proves to me again how much marathon training equips you to go the distance in real life, too. And now it's time to tackle another tri - running, cleaning and timesheets. Yuck!
At 7am I reluctantly got out of bed and met up with a few of the usual suspects near BC for a hilly long(ish) run. It was already pretty warm when we started (Summer is finally here!) and the 8 miles Aimee and I covered were challenging. We ran down Comm Ave to Kenmore, then turned and ran back up Beacon and around the reservoir, tackling quite a few nasty hills in the process. Aimee's Garmin said we were doing about an 8:50 pace, but the heat and the hills made it feel a lot tougher than that. I've been pretty complacent in my running lately, though, so I welcomed the challenge.
From there, it was off to Weymouth to help my dad do the last bit of work on the boat and get in the first sail of the season, and I even brought an extra set of muscles with me to assist with the heavy lifting. Everything was squared away in no time (big thank you and shout out to said muscles...) and before we knew it, we were under sail and raising our beers to toast it. We didn't stay out long, but it was nice to be back on the water again.
Back on dry land, I took the fastest shower of my life and then hooked a ride down to Mansfield to the Comcast Center for my first-ever Jimmy Buffett concert. My friends had been tailgating since mid-afternoon, so by the time I arrived I had no choice but to dive right in and join them full-force. The parking lot lived up to everything I'd heard about it, the concert was phenomenal and I'll certainly be going again the next time he's in town.
I slept in the car almost the entire way home and by the time I finally hit my apartment I was thoroughly spent from my day of festivities. This "tri" of running, sailing and binge-drinking is certainly nothing I could do every weekend, nor would I want to. But it just proves to me again how much marathon training equips you to go the distance in real life, too. And now it's time to tackle another tri - running, cleaning and timesheets. Yuck!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Lesser of Two Evils
It's STILL raining. I'm about ready to Google some blueprints to build an ark and start hustling around gathering up animals two-by-two. Don't worry - I'll conveniently leave behind the skunks, mosquitoes, rats and snakes. Because I'm awesome like that.
As much as I've been complaining about the rain, though, I think I like it better than the oppressive humidity I ran 8 miles in on Saturday and did track work in last night.
The Saturday run wasn't much to write home about, which is why I hadn't yet. We met at Greater Boston Running Co. in Lexington and ran along a nice tree-covered bike path. The out and back course was just shy of 8 miles and while Kristan and I planned to tack on an extra two at the end, it didn't take much arm twisting for her to convince me to stop at 8. At a 9:15 pace we were sweating bullets, our breathing was labored and our bodies felt heavy - NOT good. And with nothing to train for at the moment, pushing the last 2 miles would have just been stupid. Afterwards, we were rewarded with a spread of bagels, donuts and coffee at the store and a sweet 20% team discount. I used it to buy a new shirt (it's pink!) a fancy new ventilated sports bra and my first-ever stick of body glide. I've been reluctant to use it before now (just seems gross to me), but the armpit fat chaffing is getting out of control, so I'm giving it a whirl. I'll give it a full product review when I finally use it. Probably this Saturday.
Last night on the track, it was equally gross outside but at least a bit cooler than it was on Saturday. Our workout was as follows: 400m, then a 200m recovery, then 1200, then a 400m recovery (three sets of this).
The expression about drinking Colt 45 is that "If the fo' don't getcha the 5 sho' will," and I'd like to say that last night if the fo' didn't get me, the 12 sho' did. I worked out alone and tried to focus not on killing it on time, but to pay attention to my level of effort and never be running so hard that I was having trouble breathing in the thick, soupy air. With each repeat, the 400 would feel strong and I'd get a nice recovery in, then I'd dive into the 12 and after the first lap just suffer through the last 2. It was a good workout, though, and I felt pretty confident in the strength behind my last 12 (I always make the last one count!).
After a nice long cool-down with Aimee and a stretch with the group, it was off to the 21 Nickels for our usual post-workout grub. I was sticky and sweaty and tired, but I knew that a cold beer and some pub food with my friends would cure what ailed me.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Home Depot to buy wood, nails, caulking and some animal traps...
As much as I've been complaining about the rain, though, I think I like it better than the oppressive humidity I ran 8 miles in on Saturday and did track work in last night.
The Saturday run wasn't much to write home about, which is why I hadn't yet. We met at Greater Boston Running Co. in Lexington and ran along a nice tree-covered bike path. The out and back course was just shy of 8 miles and while Kristan and I planned to tack on an extra two at the end, it didn't take much arm twisting for her to convince me to stop at 8. At a 9:15 pace we were sweating bullets, our breathing was labored and our bodies felt heavy - NOT good. And with nothing to train for at the moment, pushing the last 2 miles would have just been stupid. Afterwards, we were rewarded with a spread of bagels, donuts and coffee at the store and a sweet 20% team discount. I used it to buy a new shirt (it's pink!) a fancy new ventilated sports bra and my first-ever stick of body glide. I've been reluctant to use it before now (just seems gross to me), but the armpit fat chaffing is getting out of control, so I'm giving it a whirl. I'll give it a full product review when I finally use it. Probably this Saturday.
Last night on the track, it was equally gross outside but at least a bit cooler than it was on Saturday. Our workout was as follows: 400m, then a 200m recovery, then 1200, then a 400m recovery (three sets of this).
The expression about drinking Colt 45 is that "If the fo' don't getcha the 5 sho' will," and I'd like to say that last night if the fo' didn't get me, the 12 sho' did. I worked out alone and tried to focus not on killing it on time, but to pay attention to my level of effort and never be running so hard that I was having trouble breathing in the thick, soupy air. With each repeat, the 400 would feel strong and I'd get a nice recovery in, then I'd dive into the 12 and after the first lap just suffer through the last 2. It was a good workout, though, and I felt pretty confident in the strength behind my last 12 (I always make the last one count!).
After a nice long cool-down with Aimee and a stretch with the group, it was off to the 21 Nickels for our usual post-workout grub. I was sticky and sweaty and tired, but I knew that a cold beer and some pub food with my friends would cure what ailed me.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Home Depot to buy wood, nails, caulking and some animal traps...
Friday, June 19, 2009
Reggae Ramble Race Recap
WOOOO! Unintentional alliteration! Now THAT is a way to start off a Friday!
The rain has been relentless here in Boston for the last month or so. Just when we think it's over and Summer is finally here - MORE rain and damp/raw weather. So last night I sat at my desk at work, shutting down for the weekend (I'm on vacation today and Monday!) and looking at the clock trying to decide whether I wanted to race or not.
All my friends were doing another race in Quincy that I couldn't humanly commute to in time without leaving work at noon (I exaggerate...), so I knew I'd only be doing the Reggae Ramble to run it - not for the party afterwards. Would it be worth it?
I looked out the window, I made a pro/con list in my head, I thought about what I would do if I didn't race and all signs pointed to "put on your tights and sneakers, suck it up (and in), and go race."
To my pleasant surprise, as I was getting out of my car I bumped into my friend Gordon. Someone I know! He even hooked me up with a hat (I forgot mine) and as we were walking to his car, we saw the one and only Larry. TWO people I know!
We all walked over to the start line together and I was complaining about how stiff and tired I was feeling, noting that it was certainly not going to be a race where I PR. Gordon pointed out that every race can't be a PR and he was certainly right, as usual.
The race started, we were on our way and I was hating life for every step of the slightly more than 5 miles we ran. The humidity made my breathing labored, I was over-dressed and could feel too-hot air coming back out of my lungs as I exhaled, my arms were clammy, my legs were tired and I had that "I didn't fuel enough beforehand" sensation of there not being anything on the insides of my ribs/abdomen. Plus, I only got about 4 and a half hours of sleep the night before and had survived my day on lattes. I was literally running on empty and feeling my pace start to drop little by little. I wasn't running for a PR or even a decent time, though, so I really didn't care, although I kept looking behind me to see if I was in last place. As I approached the third water stop of the day, I heard one volunteer look at another and say "slow runners now" and I felt even worse!
I didn't wear the Garmin because of the rain and I had forgotten to start my watch until we were a good 30-45 seconds into the race, so I wasn't looking or paying attention to time. I thought for sure I was running around an 8:45/9 minute mile and totally OK with being around Marathon Pace instead of somewhere in between 5K and 10K Pace. Imagine my surprise to finally cruise through the finish chute and see 40:45 on the clock as I passed it. Huh???? Sweet :) As I've mentioned before, times are somewhat unofficial for this race series and Cool Running will tell you I ran a 40:50 at an 8:10 pace. I like the idea of the 40:45 I saw on the clock much better, though, so that's what I'm going to stick with.
Beer always tastes amazing after a hard race and it tasted EXTRA good last night because I ran so well when I thought I hadn't. Even though it was pouring, Gordon, Peggy, Larry and I had ourselves a grand old time drinking in the rain, and Gordon's dog umbrella that had come in so handy at Stowe last year even made a comeback appearance. And yes, I was glad I went after all :)
The rain has been relentless here in Boston for the last month or so. Just when we think it's over and Summer is finally here - MORE rain and damp/raw weather. So last night I sat at my desk at work, shutting down for the weekend (I'm on vacation today and Monday!) and looking at the clock trying to decide whether I wanted to race or not.
All my friends were doing another race in Quincy that I couldn't humanly commute to in time without leaving work at noon (I exaggerate...), so I knew I'd only be doing the Reggae Ramble to run it - not for the party afterwards. Would it be worth it?
I looked out the window, I made a pro/con list in my head, I thought about what I would do if I didn't race and all signs pointed to "put on your tights and sneakers, suck it up (and in), and go race."
To my pleasant surprise, as I was getting out of my car I bumped into my friend Gordon. Someone I know! He even hooked me up with a hat (I forgot mine) and as we were walking to his car, we saw the one and only Larry. TWO people I know!
We all walked over to the start line together and I was complaining about how stiff and tired I was feeling, noting that it was certainly not going to be a race where I PR. Gordon pointed out that every race can't be a PR and he was certainly right, as usual.
The race started, we were on our way and I was hating life for every step of the slightly more than 5 miles we ran. The humidity made my breathing labored, I was over-dressed and could feel too-hot air coming back out of my lungs as I exhaled, my arms were clammy, my legs were tired and I had that "I didn't fuel enough beforehand" sensation of there not being anything on the insides of my ribs/abdomen. Plus, I only got about 4 and a half hours of sleep the night before and had survived my day on lattes. I was literally running on empty and feeling my pace start to drop little by little. I wasn't running for a PR or even a decent time, though, so I really didn't care, although I kept looking behind me to see if I was in last place. As I approached the third water stop of the day, I heard one volunteer look at another and say "slow runners now" and I felt even worse!
I didn't wear the Garmin because of the rain and I had forgotten to start my watch until we were a good 30-45 seconds into the race, so I wasn't looking or paying attention to time. I thought for sure I was running around an 8:45/9 minute mile and totally OK with being around Marathon Pace instead of somewhere in between 5K and 10K Pace. Imagine my surprise to finally cruise through the finish chute and see 40:45 on the clock as I passed it. Huh???? Sweet :) As I've mentioned before, times are somewhat unofficial for this race series and Cool Running will tell you I ran a 40:50 at an 8:10 pace. I like the idea of the 40:45 I saw on the clock much better, though, so that's what I'm going to stick with.
Beer always tastes amazing after a hard race and it tasted EXTRA good last night because I ran so well when I thought I hadn't. Even though it was pouring, Gordon, Peggy, Larry and I had ourselves a grand old time drinking in the rain, and Gordon's dog umbrella that had come in so handy at Stowe last year even made a comeback appearance. And yes, I was glad I went after all :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Q. What Was The Track Workout Tonight?
A. Hell.
Or "suckage." Honestly, just take your pick of obscenities. That should cover it.
The real answer to the question is "Five 800-meter repeats." And yeah, I guess I'm exaggerating about how much I didn't enjoy my speed work tonight (I've had far worse nights on the track), but the take-away here is that I wasn't all gung-ho, "Yippee skippee! Track work!" like I usually am on Tuesdays.
I've been in kind of a mood all week, and I totally fish-bowled that mood in my car all the way to Belmont, then got out of the car all juiced on uglymoodness and hit the track to begin my workout with a simultaneous push of the watch and loud disgusted groan.
Please don't misinterpret - I wasn't angry or fired up. Just feeling "bleck" from head to toe. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to do the assigned workout, given the achy legs and fatigue brought on by the "bleck," but figured I'd give the first 800 a whirl, see how much agony it caused and then decide whether to commit to the next 4. Sounds kind of like my dating life, actually. If the first date isn't complete and utter agony, I decide whether I want to commit to a second, third, fourth and fifth. But I digress...
Turns out, I was capable of being "bleck" and grumpy and out of sorts while doing speed work without hurting all over. Here are my splits for each of the five 800 meters:
3:43:15
3:42:13
3:44:38
3:35:46
3:29:01
Not terrible, but not awesome, either. To put this in perspective for my non-runner readers, 800 meters is half a mile, so if you double the numbers above, that will give you my "minute/mile" pace. I pushed the last repeat, trying to break 7, and I juuuust made it. Probably could have sustained that pace for the previous 4 repeats, too, but let's be serious here -- "bleck" Brenda was not about to see how hard she could push tonight. "Bleck" Brenda forced herself into going 10 times around the track at a sub-8 pace (with a full recovery between every 2 laps) and then audibly chastised herself into "making it count" on the last repeat. Yes, Lauren and Lauren - I was talking to myself :)
After track, I was somewhat relieved that no one was interested in food and beer. Neither my attitude nor my waistline nor my wallet were equipped to be social, and Sleepytime Tea, peanut butter toast and a hot shower (not in that order) seemed like just the ticket.
And now, dear reader, I'll leave you with a picture that someone labeled online as "powerful suckage," just to neatly wrap up this post. I couldn't help but wonder (and slightly cringe in anticipation as I hit the search button) what Google Images would generate for the search term "suckage," hoping it would bring up a picture of a track or a runner or a race course. I have to admit, this is a pretty funny ad for Miele vacuums. And I just might have to adopt "powerful suckage" as my newest catch phrase to describe a bad run.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Have You Ever...
...seen anyone SO happy to finish a half marathon and FINALLY be done running for the weekend?
If there was a thought bubble coming out of my head it would say "PHEW! About damn time. Now which way is the beer?"
Got a better caption? Leave a comment. Let's see how creative my readers (all 3 of them) are.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Harpoon 5-Miler Photo
I think this sums up the day nicely. Might be my favorite photo ever of the group.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Shout-Out From TMM!
Holy Awesomeness! I got a little shout-out in The Marathon Mama's covered bridges recap: http://themarathonmama.blogspot.com/2009/06/one-four-oh.html
Yes, I totally approached her pre-race like a normal person would have approached Madonna or Reese Witherspoon. "You're, Kristina, right?!!!? I'm Brenda!!!"
Yes, I'm a la-hooo-sa-herrrr. Whatever. Do you see the way this woman weaves alliteration into her blog posts? Do you see how laugh out loud funny her writing is? Do you see how she totally threw down a 1:40 and change on Sunday? What can I say... she's my hero. Well, her and Laurie Nahigian.
Yes, I totally approached her pre-race like a normal person would have approached Madonna or Reese Witherspoon. "You're, Kristina, right?!!!? I'm Brenda!!!"
Yes, I'm a la-hooo-sa-herrrr. Whatever. Do you see the way this woman weaves alliteration into her blog posts? Do you see how laugh out loud funny her writing is? Do you see how she totally threw down a 1:40 and change on Sunday? What can I say... she's my hero. Well, her and Laurie Nahigian.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My Racy Weekend
Such a clever title, no? :) It's official - I survived today's race and overall weekend of racing, and while I'm sure it's a small feat of "So what? You ran two races. No biggie" to many of you, I kind of feel like Wonder Woman having pulled it off.
As I mentioned, I had a terrific race at Harpoon yesterday, finishing 2:15 faster than last year even with the race being .05 miles longer than it was last year. Then, after sprinting through the finish line chute, I spent the day boozing with my friends in the sunshine.
This morning, the alarm went off at 5:15 and my first thought was "let's do this." I got out of bed and had a small breakfast, gathered my things, got ready and was in the car by 6, arriving in Quechee, VT around 8. I was nervous. Could I pull off running a half-marathon that I barely trained for, the day after cranking a 5-miler at full race pace and then getting drunk, all while nursing a sensitive IT Band? I figured there was only one way to find out.
With 2 hours to the gun I had my real breakfast, got my number, met up with Abby and Jared, chatted with Ben briefly, finally met my blogger hero The Marathon Mama in the flesh and blood (!!!) and used the porta-potties. Three times. Damn all that beer yesterday... We herded ourselves into the corrals and once the gun went off we began moving slowly, with Eye of the Tiger pumping in the background (Hopkinton deja voux, anyone?). I wasn't about to phone the race in, but I knew better than to push it hard, so I ran conservatively, averaging an 8:40 pace. I basically took each mile as it came, starting off running at what felt like "going out slow." When I hit my watch at the first mile marker and saw how easy 8:38 felt, I decided to stick with it. Some were slower if I felt tired, others were faster if I felt strong, and I made a concerted effort to crank the last 1.1.
The temperature was perfect and while the sun was pretty hot, the shady parts were delightful. I relished in the cloud cover that eventually rolled in, too. The sunnier miles were a little slower than others for me, and there was a monster hill that felt more like I was scaling it than running it, but I feel like I ran pretty well, all things considered. I even finished feeling like I probably could have run it a little faster.
I finished in 1:53:27, which wasn't a PR by any means but still respectable. My goal was to finish injury free and my secondary goal was to at least break two hours if possible -both of which I accomplished. After crossing, we all got our race shirts, there was a killer post-race food spread (mmmm... salt and vinegar potato chips) and ... wait for it... BEER!! There's never beer after half-marathons. I was SO pumped. The Harpoon UFO I had was the coldest liquid I'd consumed since arriving in VT and boyyyy did it taste good.
Alas, we only ran over one covered bridge (they should rename it the covered BRIDGE half-marathon) and all but four of the "bands" we were promised were locals standing on the side of the road playing the clarinet or bongos, but the race certainly had gorgeous bucolic scenery, great local charm and was really well-organized, right down to the parking. I was incredibly impressed. Oh and the pre-race music in what I'll call the athlete's village was AWESOME. Kudos to whoever the DJ was.
After sufficiently pigging out and having our beer, Abby, Jared and I hopped the shuttle bus to our cars and parted ways. I got home and couldn't get in the shower fast enough. My IT Band is pretty tight and sore right now, but it held up for the race and I think with some massage and ice before bed I'll be fine tomorrow.
Like I said, this weekend really wasn't a huge deal - there are people who run much more every weekend. But to me, it was a test of strength, courage and tenacity and I'm pretty proud of myself right now for giving it my all and emerging victorious.
As I mentioned, I had a terrific race at Harpoon yesterday, finishing 2:15 faster than last year even with the race being .05 miles longer than it was last year. Then, after sprinting through the finish line chute, I spent the day boozing with my friends in the sunshine.
This morning, the alarm went off at 5:15 and my first thought was "let's do this." I got out of bed and had a small breakfast, gathered my things, got ready and was in the car by 6, arriving in Quechee, VT around 8. I was nervous. Could I pull off running a half-marathon that I barely trained for, the day after cranking a 5-miler at full race pace and then getting drunk, all while nursing a sensitive IT Band? I figured there was only one way to find out.
With 2 hours to the gun I had my real breakfast, got my number, met up with Abby and Jared, chatted with Ben briefly, finally met my blogger hero The Marathon Mama in the flesh and blood (!!!) and used the porta-potties. Three times. Damn all that beer yesterday... We herded ourselves into the corrals and once the gun went off we began moving slowly, with Eye of the Tiger pumping in the background (Hopkinton deja voux, anyone?). I wasn't about to phone the race in, but I knew better than to push it hard, so I ran conservatively, averaging an 8:40 pace. I basically took each mile as it came, starting off running at what felt like "going out slow." When I hit my watch at the first mile marker and saw how easy 8:38 felt, I decided to stick with it. Some were slower if I felt tired, others were faster if I felt strong, and I made a concerted effort to crank the last 1.1.
The temperature was perfect and while the sun was pretty hot, the shady parts were delightful. I relished in the cloud cover that eventually rolled in, too. The sunnier miles were a little slower than others for me, and there was a monster hill that felt more like I was scaling it than running it, but I feel like I ran pretty well, all things considered. I even finished feeling like I probably could have run it a little faster.
I finished in 1:53:27, which wasn't a PR by any means but still respectable. My goal was to finish injury free and my secondary goal was to at least break two hours if possible -both of which I accomplished. After crossing, we all got our race shirts, there was a killer post-race food spread (mmmm... salt and vinegar potato chips) and ... wait for it... BEER!! There's never beer after half-marathons. I was SO pumped. The Harpoon UFO I had was the coldest liquid I'd consumed since arriving in VT and boyyyy did it taste good.
Alas, we only ran over one covered bridge (they should rename it the covered BRIDGE half-marathon) and all but four of the "bands" we were promised were locals standing on the side of the road playing the clarinet or bongos, but the race certainly had gorgeous bucolic scenery, great local charm and was really well-organized, right down to the parking. I was incredibly impressed. Oh and the pre-race music in what I'll call the athlete's village was AWESOME. Kudos to whoever the DJ was.
After sufficiently pigging out and having our beer, Abby, Jared and I hopped the shuttle bus to our cars and parted ways. I got home and couldn't get in the shower fast enough. My IT Band is pretty tight and sore right now, but it held up for the race and I think with some massage and ice before bed I'll be fine tomorrow.
Like I said, this weekend really wasn't a huge deal - there are people who run much more every weekend. But to me, it was a test of strength, courage and tenacity and I'm pretty proud of myself right now for giving it my all and emerging victorious.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
5 Down, 13.1 To Go
Harpoon 5-Miler Recap:
Official Time: 42:00
Official Pace: 7:56
Official Number of Post-Race Beers: 5
Surprisingly successful race for me, even though I felt like I was running poorly while I was out there. The air was cool but sneakily humid, the course was well-maintained as always, the food, beer and porta-johns and friends were plentiful and the race shirt was awesome (even better than last year!). We even got souvenir beer glasses this year.
None of my friends placed this year, but we all had just as much fun (if not more) than we did last. Kudos to the organizers for another stellar race. Can't wait for next year!
T-Minus 10 hours until I need to wake up for tomorrow's half. As of right now, I'm still planning to run it.
Official Time: 42:00
Official Pace: 7:56
Official Number of Post-Race Beers: 5
Surprisingly successful race for me, even though I felt like I was running poorly while I was out there. The air was cool but sneakily humid, the course was well-maintained as always, the food, beer and porta-johns and friends were plentiful and the race shirt was awesome (even better than last year!). We even got souvenir beer glasses this year.
None of my friends placed this year, but we all had just as much fun (if not more) than we did last. Kudos to the organizers for another stellar race. Can't wait for next year!
T-Minus 10 hours until I need to wake up for tomorrow's half. As of right now, I'm still planning to run it.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Training For The Conditions
It's common practice when training for a race to try and simulate your race day conditions as much as possible in advance. Training for Boston? Run hills. Racing in Florida in August? Get in some hot humid long runs. Antarctica Marathon? Well, first seek psychological counseling because you've probably lost your mind, but then run in the cold. A lot.
As I've previously mentioned, this weekend I'm foolishly running a 5-mile race on Saturday and then a half-marathon on Sunday. And my IT Band is nagging at me. On Wednesday, I went out to dinner with a friend who is notorious for turning dinner into a late-night drunken mess and sure enough, that's what it ended up being. So needless to say, I wasn't exactly in prime form yesterday. And yet I had to get in a Thursday night run. I debated skipping it altogether - after all, shouldn't I be in taper for my big race? (ha!) - then I realized that forcing myself out for a run would be a perfect simulation for Sunday's half-mary, the day after a 5-mile race at the Harpoon Brewery, after which the beer garden opens and the fun begins. Hungover? Check! Sore? Check! Way over-tired? Check! A little dehydrated? Check!
Funny enough, I had a really good run last night and it seemed to bring me back to life. I met up afterwards with the crew at Crossroads (against my better judgement) and though I only drank water, I managed to stay out until almost 10:30.
At this point, "the hay is in the barn" as Coach Jack would say. I have a feeling my body is going to be an even bigger disaster than it is now by the time I cross the finish line on Sunday, but I can cross that bridge when I get there. After I cross all the others, that is :)
As I've previously mentioned, this weekend I'm foolishly running a 5-mile race on Saturday and then a half-marathon on Sunday. And my IT Band is nagging at me. On Wednesday, I went out to dinner with a friend who is notorious for turning dinner into a late-night drunken mess and sure enough, that's what it ended up being. So needless to say, I wasn't exactly in prime form yesterday. And yet I had to get in a Thursday night run. I debated skipping it altogether - after all, shouldn't I be in taper for my big race? (ha!) - then I realized that forcing myself out for a run would be a perfect simulation for Sunday's half-mary, the day after a 5-mile race at the Harpoon Brewery, after which the beer garden opens and the fun begins. Hungover? Check! Sore? Check! Way over-tired? Check! A little dehydrated? Check!
Funny enough, I had a really good run last night and it seemed to bring me back to life. I met up afterwards with the crew at Crossroads (against my better judgement) and though I only drank water, I managed to stay out until almost 10:30.
At this point, "the hay is in the barn" as Coach Jack would say. I have a feeling my body is going to be an even bigger disaster than it is now by the time I cross the finish line on Sunday, but I can cross that bridge when I get there. After I cross all the others, that is :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)