The First Mile Always Lies

I once read somewhere that most world class distance runners don't feel fully warmed up until about 2 miles into a run. By that standard I am a world class distance runner!  My first mile both mentally and physically is always my worst and hardest.  When I first start running there are a litany of sore joints and muscles that sound-off like a line of soldiers bring being presented for inspection; eah ache shouting out name, rank , and serial number.  After the role-call my mind produces a list of reasons why the run should be abandoned for the day.  And so the battle of wills begins!  "I" versus "Me" will go down in history as one of the greatest rivalries ever!  This epic fight rivals that of Frasier v. Ali, Rocky v. The Soviet guy!!  The punches are hard and the fighting tactics are ruthless!!  Fortunately for myself, Me and I usually work it out by mile 2 and get along swimmingly for the remainder of the run.  Happy trails and always remember to ignore that first mile!

Things I should do, actually do, and accidentally do

All runners have strengths and weaknesses.  Sometimes it is beneficial to stop and take stock of both one's weaknesses and one's strengths.  A good time to do this is before starting another round of serious training.  As I am about to buckle down and start preparing for the Airforce Marathon this fall, I thought it an ideal moment to evaluate myself.

I should....Commit to a single training schedule and consistently keep a log.  What I find is that I suffer from ADHD when it comes to training and logging miles.  I am sure there is some psychological explanation that could link this phenomenon with my strange claustrophobia and fear of getting stuck in my clothes, however I am no psycologist.  Hopefully this blog will help keep me on track!

I do....Get my miles in.  It may not be pretty, it may not be at the same time every day, and it may not make it in to the log book, but I get my miles in.  I think this flexibility is beneficial in that I don't get used to only running at a certain time of day or under certain weather conditions.  Also I get experience running on a variety of terrain such as treadmill, road, trail, and track.  This variety of terrain helps keep my legs fresh and my mind engaged.

I accidentally....Run too many hills.  I live in a very hilly area and it really cannot be avoided.  The only areas where hills could be avoided are at the local school track or the Ingles store parking lot.  Ingles is alot closer to my house and conveniently enough the loop around the lot is just at about 400m.  Needless to say, I have been spending some quality time outside my neighborhood Ingles.  So far no one seems to be bothered by my parking lot runs....

Strange pain

So, I haven't done too much running lately.  About two weeks after the Nashville race after a short but fast 3.2mi training run I felt a sharp pain on the inside of my left foot.  It felt like an Achilles but it was in the wrong spot!  I think I strained the fascia that runs between the pointy part of my ankle and the base of my heel.

To rehab it I decreased my runs to 2 or 3 times per week and cross training on the bike.  So far, so good.  I have about 2 weeks before my serious training starts for my fall race:  the Airforce Marathon Sept 20th in Dayton Ohio.  Fly, fight, win!

Nashville 13.1: hills, sun, boots, and beer...

I ran the Nashville Music City half marathon this past weekend.  Despite some mixed feelings coming in to the race, I had a really great time on a much needed girls' weekend get-a-way.  Nashville is a super fun, complex city and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a weekend vacation.  There are activities for everyone to enjoy even if you don't enjoy country music.  I will definitely be going back. 

The Nashville race, much like the city, was complex to run both emotionally as well as technically.  My original plan (capitalizing on the cardiovascular fitness gained from my MCM training) was to compete in the full marathon in Nashville, but due to some set-backs in my training schedule it was safer for me to scale down and set my sights on the half.  This was a hard thing for me to do.  This race was also the first race in a really long time that I was not running with my brother and/or father.  This was also hard for me to accept.  My mom and sister were great the whole weekend - providing much needed inspiration and race support!  While my dad and brother were present in spirit (and through the miracle of the internet and runner tracking) it was nice to have just the girls around!  I felt like a kid again with a fort and a hand painted sign declaring "No Boys Allowed."

The Nashville Music City Marathon and Half Marathon are part of the Rock'n'Roll Race series (http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/).  These races are notoriously awesome, and Nashville did not disappoint.  The course was challenging as the first 8 miles were "rolling" hillls.  The first half mile was downhill and then flat, then turned sharply uphill and around a curve to complete the first 1.5 mi.  The uphills were sharp and steep, sometimes winding, but you could always count on a downhill component to give you a brief respite.  If it hadn't been for the forced hill training I have done recently (my neighborhood is nothing but hills) I would have been screwed.  The last four miles, despite their relative flatness compared to the rest of the course, proved for me to be the most challenging.  It seemed that by the time I got to the flat part, my legs were so rubbery from the previous 9 miles of abuse, that when I went to kick it into the next gear and enjoy the remainder of the race, that next gear was not to be found!  The heat was also not my friend.  I didn't think about applying sunscreen because the temps appeared to be mild.  I underestimated the strength of the sun.  You may now refer to me as the running lobster.

Despite the $%^% finish, I am still pleased with my time of 2:28.  I hit my goal of breaking 2:30!!!  While I was certainly not setting any course record, I had set a personal goal to break 2:30 and I achieved that goal.  That felt good.

Lots on my mind

There has been a lot on my mind this week as it is a big week for me both personally and in the memory of any runner in the running community.  The week started for me with the unexpected death of a pet followed by reminders of loved ones who left us around this time last year.  Running helped process those emotions.

Then my issue of Runners World came and this month's issue is a memorial issue for those who were affected by the Boston Marathon bombings last year.  Needless to say each run I've done this week has been heavy with thought and reflection as well as a certain degree of introspection. Our time on this earth is often too short.   It is easy to get caught up in our day-to-day and not look forward to what is our future nor reflect on what was our past.  It seems we don't cherish our moments but rather we try to maximize and economize our time.  Perhaps what matters is not the number of minutes or days or years that you exist in this body but rather what you do during those minutes and those days and those years that counts.

When I go I can't imagine people are going to remember me by the number of loads of laundry that I did or whether I folded my clothes as soon as they came out of the dryer or whether I was on time to all my social engagements.  What I do hope people will remember me by is how much I loved, who I loved, and the memories I left behind for those loved ones.  Every day, every minute, every second is a precious gift- treat them as such.

Happy running!

Not too much running this weekend

So, I didn't get to run much this weekend (which makes me sad) because I was busy celebrating the marriage of two very special people (which makes me happy!).  Instead of a running related post today, I will entertain you with a photo essay capturing the essence of this weekend.  Enjoy!

The wedding was out of town and of course we were running late but we finally made it to the rehearsal dinner!

This was lunch on Saturday (aka the world's LARGEST calzone)!

What a beautiful spot for a wedding! The weather held out long enough for a lovely ceremony.

After a weekend of fun times meeting new people, hiking, and car travel these pups are ready to pack up the RV and head home!

My reading problem

Another blog post from the phone!  Please excuse any typos and grammatical or punctuation errors as well as the brevity of this post! 

I think I have a problem.  My husband bought me a Kindle last year and since then I have been reading a ton!   The problem is that it's so easy to buy books online through my Kindle that I've been reading a lot that I wouldn't normally have spent money on!  There's just something so real about purchasing a book with actual hard cash compared to just a few clicks of a button.

One of the things that has saved me is the sample function on the Kindle reader.  This feature allows the reader to download a few pages of a book to see if they're interested in reading it.  My new obsession is downloading samples of books about running - I can't stop myself!!  I think I have sampled four books over the past four days!!  Anyway, the nonfiction running book is a new genre of literature for me and I have found that the writing can be very hit or miss in the quality/entertainment department.  (I have a bachelors degree in English so I can be a bit picky when it comes to my literature.)

Running books that I would add to an absolutely must read list include the following titles:  Born to Run, Eat and Run, Pre, Marathon Man, and any one (or all) of the George Sheehan books.  (Please forgive the lack of underlining- not sure how to make that happen on the phone!). Warning: the Sheehan books are not light bedtime reading ;)!

So, whats on your must-read list?  Are you a runner that likes to read running books or are you a runner who would prefer to read fiction novels and other non-running  related literature?  Leave a comment and let us know!