Running Late

Running Late...Running On

Crystal Nipp's Running Blog

After finishing a successful 2011 Boston Marathon, Crystal is continuing her blog. This time, however, there are no rules! She'll be blogging about all that comes in the life of a dedicated runner: The great fun, the annoying frustrations and everything in between!

Have a Nice Trip... - February 7, 2011

I am very excited to report that the trip to Iceland to run the Reykjavik Marathon is a GO!! The dates are
finalized, the deposits are in and the rooms have been assigned. And to make it even better, three of my
favorite people are coming along for a week of exploring and lazing about in geothermally heated pools.
The race itself is sort of just another item on an agenda full of fun things. I’m pretty sure that that is really
what destination marathoning is all about. We’ll see how great that hiking trip sounds the day after the
marathon!

But even before the trip overseas comes the big spring marathon. My friend Katie and I plotted and
planned and couldn’t decide between La Crosse and Eau Claire when mother nature stepped in and
said “cough, cough”. Actually we were the ones who fell victim to the creeping crud that had been making
the rounds and had to put our training out two weeks. So we had to change our target date and after
much debate and angst we settled on Green Bay. Let’s hope for something other than gale force winds
this May 20th! And a course that is the correct distance. I am really excited about this trip as well. And it
turns out that our fellow Reykjavik runner is planning to run the half-marathon in Green Bay too!

The trip that I am far less excited about is the one that I took last Wednesday. I was in Lake Mills for a
family get-together and decided that I could fit my run in at the same time. A change of scenery is always
nice but what I was looking forward to had nothing to do with the view from the sidewalk while I was
laying face down. Yes, I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk! After all the angst over the ice and snow we
had recently received I tripped in broad daylight on dry pavement. In front of people, of course. I made
the perfect 4-point landing including both hands, my left elbow and my right knee. I got up quickly and
dashed off to finish the last 6.5 miles of my 8 mile run. It really didn’t seem to hurt too badly (except of
course my pride). But by the next day I was a hurting unit. A trip to the Dr has me heading to PT for my
shoulder. Yes, my shoulder. Seems I jammed my shoulder pretty bad when I took the brunt of the fall on
my elbow. On Thursday I couldn’t even lift my left arm to waist level and while it has gotten progressively
better, I still have problems getting dressed, opening doors, driving etc with my left arm. Imagine how
hard it could be to get out of the bathtub with a bum left arm/shoulder and a messed up right knee? The
other night I thought I’d end up in the bathtub for the rest of my life! Kind of funny, but not really. So off
to therapy I go. Maybe while I am at it, I can get some tips on a few other owies I might have! I’m not
admitting to any, but in case I ever did have a few…here and there. What I probably should do is have
my head examined, but that might be a different thing altogether.

So the training for the marathon that I wasn’t originally planning on doing did not exactly start off with a
bang (more like a thud and a scrape). I am hoping the year starts improving soon because so far it has
been kind of lousy. One would almost think it couldn’t get worse, but I certainly know better than to say
that…out loud that is.

And I need to get my shoulder fixed soon…one of the other trips I have planned is that swim from
Bayfield to Madeline Island. I’m not so good at swimming straight with two good arms! I’d hate to have to
try to convince them that we should go around the island instead of just to it!

Hello 2012...Come on in! - January 3, 2011

When I was a kid, including up through college, I loved the start of a new school year
or new semester. In my mind nothing was better than starting with a clean slate, new
teacher, new classes, new classmates, new topics and new rules. Unfortunately as adult
non-students we don’t really get that same cyclic ending and starting over in our lives.
Our lives become a continuum with peaks and valleys but seemingly no stopping or
starting point. In reality our lives have always been that continuum, we just don’t notice
it when we are young, for whatever reason that may be.

As adults, the best we get is the New Year. January 1st. A fresh start. And then again,
perhaps not so fresh a start? Like the god Janus that the month is named for, the New
Year can be the proverbial two-faced son of a “B”. Some people get caught up in what
was. Others get caught up in what could have been. And still others in what will be. I
am going to try my hardest to take the best and leave the rest and move on. I suspect that
will prove significantly easier said than done, but aren’t most things in life easier to talk
about than to actually do?

In any event, I have my own set of New Years Goals and they go a bit like this:

1. Say bye-bye to the cookies. Yes, after years of being a sugar junkie I am going to
bust that habit. Do I plan on never eating another cookie again? No, I know I can
never entirely give up cookies. I’m not even going to say I can do that. Doesn’t
mean I can’t make a dent in my consumption levels. If it isn’t in my house, I’m
not going to eat it. My apologies in advance to the bakery at the Pig (and to my
friends and coworkers whose daughters are in Girl Scouts).
2. Say hello to the green. I wish I meant cash here, but I am not planning a career
change any time soon. No, no…if the cookies gotta go, they have to be replaced
by something. And I choose veggies. Seems a person should do more with
veggies than just use bags of frozen peas as an ice pack. It isn’t that I don’t like
them, I just don’t usually get around to cooking them and I definitely don’t like
cleaning green slime out of the refrigerator. Honestly? I just have very poor
refrigerator management skills.
3. I am going to restart my 2011 goal of reading all of the Pulitzer Prize winners. I
made a pretty good dent in the list last year until I got completely derailed by 2
William Faulkner novels. I gave myself permission to give up on those and move
on. So I am. It just can’t all be about my corporeal self you know. My brain
needs something new to do too. In advance I am going to give myself permission
to quit when the weather gets nice. And then start again next year.
4. I am going to run slower and run faster. Meaning I am going to run the easy stuff
easy and the hard stuff hard. I have really struggled with this in the past, but I
think I have finally been told and read the same thing enough times to finally take
it to heart (legs and lungs too). Because I do NOT want to spend another two
weeks not running. Easy does it for the easy stuff. I might just tattoo that on my
arm. Save the effort for the really hard stuff.
5. I am going to run more. As in more miles than last year, more easy miles. My

40 miles short. So this year we are on to bigger and better things. 1700 seems
like a nice, achievable number. That is about 33 miles a week. I’m on it!

6. I’m heading back to Bayfield for the Point to La Pointe swim and I am eyeing
that 1 hour mark. This goal is also known as the “swim straight” goal since I can
probably shave 4 of the 8 minutes I need to shave off my time from last year just
by staying on course!
7. I am going to let it go. Yes, I screwed up at Boston. I did all of those things that
I (supposedly) knew better than to do. That was then, it’s over and I can’t change
it. I finally put the 26.2 sticker on the Jeep and I put my finisher’s certificate in a
frame. Learn from it and move on. Best way to do that is run another marathon
and requalify. I’m on that too…May 6th to be precise, somewhere in Wisconsin
or nearby to be less than precise.

So that’s my list. Each one is a bit of a stretch, but entirely doable. It feels good to
have new goals and they seem so much more real when you put them on paper and then
broadcast them. Don’t worry, I have them written down in much more detail with
actual plans and Plans to achieve them.

Unfortunately the only one I have gotten a good start on has been #3 since my “gift”
for the New Year turned out to be a cold! Hopefully your New Year has had a better
start, good luck with your own goals! A toast to the New Year! (does it count if you are
toasting with Nyquil?)

Don’t Let the Screen Door Hit You on the Way Out! - December 16, 2011

This has not been a good year for me. Botched races, bad showings, self-destruction and broken spirits were kind of the theme of the year. There were a few highlights…there always are…but from where I am sitting right now the thought of skipping the holidays and flipping the page on the calendar sounds mighty fine. Better yet, how about we throw 2011 in the toilet and flush it down! Bring 2012 out a little early!

Because my bouncer is broken. You know that little something, something doohickey or attitude that keeps you bouncing back up and looking for the good things that lie ahead? Well, mine cashed in this week and I am really just not finding any of those good things.

So what happened to break my bounce? Finally dash my spirits? A completely fareaky swimming accident (yes, swimming of all things) has left me with some torn up calf muscles that could take weeks to mend. As in NO running. None. Zero, zip, nada de nada. Because even walking involves stick 1 and stick 2…my new crutches. And that was not my happy, bouncy voice you just heard. If you are grumpy and you know it and you want to stay that way, clap your hands. That was the sound you just heard. Me clapping my hands and being all grumpy ass.

Now the old me, the “bouncier me” might be thinking a couple of things here, like:

I needed the rest anyway
at least it wasn’t my Achilles
at least I can still swim
at least we don’t have 5 feet of snow and 2 inches of ice to navigate using stick 1 and stick 2
or (if I was really desperate) at least I am still alive.

Which now that I look at the list I might have to at least consider the following before I refuse to bounce:

If I were being honest, I would have to say that I do actually need the rest. It’s been a long, tough year and really? I don’t have anything serious to start till mid-January. I can live with a New Year’s Day “hobble” instead of a New Year’s Day Dash. The beer will be just as cold. Maybe they will let me dash with a motorized scooter?
Really? Is there any other injury that strikes fear in a runner’s heart quite like anything with the Achilles involved? So I am glad it’s not that. Or anything worse.
Seriously? I’m not sure I want to get back in the pool! Not because it was the scene of the disaster but because I already went back and I’ll tell you that pulling for 75 minutes (swimming without kicking basically) is a really great way to make sure that you can’t lift your arms above shoulder height for several days! Yep, since one thing is hurt let’s just screw up another. Sometimes I have no choice but to laugh at the dumb things I do.
So here I am missing primo winter running conditions! I ran through feet and feet and feet of snow and howling winds and awful temperatures for several years and we finally get a December with no snow and what was I thinking!! Guess I can hope for this to be the trend for this winter or I am going to be building an awful lot of character starting in mid-January (I hope). I could use a little extra character, so it is conceivable that this will help me tough it out in the last 10K of my next 26.2 mile adventure.
Yes, this SUCKS. But it is not the end of the world. I want to pout, cry and shout and basically do all those things that Santa is watching for. I am entitled to have an emotional meltdown of epic proportions. In fact, I think I already had that. But there is next year and life does go on. And it will go on whether I have a bad attitude or a good attitude.

Wait, was that a little bounce I felt?

And before you know it, it looks like I might just have convinced myself that I have a bit of resiliency left. My calf might not have much, but it is salvageable. And I might be able to do a bounce or two more, certainly at least some kind of somersault or barrel roll.

And hey, I put all kinds of cool running gear on my Christmas list (although I am a little frightened that I have scared Santa away this year), so I certainly want to hang in there to enjoy that.

Oh and we’re going to Iceland in August and maybe back to Des Moines in October…

Did I mention the good drugs…

HAPPY HOLIDAY AND BEST WISHES FOR A RESILIENT NEW YEAR!!

The Calm Before the Storm is Over - November 26, 2011

I confess that I have been a very poor blogger recently – for the last month, actually. Seems that I finished up in Des Moines and thought I could just coast for a while. And so I did: I coasted right through work, running, life…the whole enchilada. I’ve been going to work (good thing since I do have a mortgage to pay) and I’ve been running, but I know that I have been letting far too many things slide. I think the dust bunnies in my house have started knitting coats with what could be pre-dust bunny fibers. Isn’t that cannibalistic in some way? I sure have read a lot of books, taken a lot of naps and soaked in a lake’s worth of hot baths.

But now that the turkey stupor has worn off I know that things are about to change. All of a sudden the days fill up Dasher and Dancer and presents and cards and shopping and visiting and wrapping and driving and eating and doing it all again and again and again. Don’t get me wrong, I am not scrooge. In fact I love the Christmas season and everything that goes with it. I even like snow and I even like running in the snow. But it is all a little overwhelming and it seems to get more overwhelming as the years go by. Some days I will even admit to wanting to pull the covers back up over my head when I wake up and call it a day. And no, the cats won’t really let me do that, but it is quite a tempting thought.

I know for a lot of people the hustle and bustle is even more hustley and bustley than it is for me. I wonder how they survive? I particularly wonder how they survive when the only exercise they get for almost two months is flying off the handle, lifting a fork and doing laps around the mall? I can’t imagine not running and I can’t imagine what I would be like if I didn’t. How crabby could I actually get? That doesn’t bear thinking about!

So in order to stay sane (and somewhat tolerable to deal with) I am doubly dedicated to my running these days. Not running fast, just running. Base training, if you will. Maybe some stress relief and anger management as well. I also have a little goal for myself to carry me through to the end of the year and push me out the door when the cold winds start howling. If I continue to average 32 miles per week, I will pass the 1500-mile mark this year. 1500 mostly slow miles, but 1500 miles nonetheless. I know it really isn’t that huge of an accomplishment…there are people running over 100 miles every week…but it is big for me. And I am going to celebrate it. I’ll probably buy myself a present or two. New running shoes for me!!

And then before you know it, the storm will be over and the holidays will be a memory. The New Year will come around and it will be time for new goals and plans. I’ve already been planning…a New Year’s Day Dash, a quick trip to Minnesota, a marathon in Eau Claire or La Crosse, a trip to Iceland, back to Manitoba and then off to Des Moines. And then it will be the holiday season once more.

I wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons! And may the New Year see all your dreams come true! Make sure you take some time for yourself; maybe you should even buy yourself a present! Or two!

The Time of My Life - October 20, 2011

This past Sunday I got to run the best race of my life! No, I didn’t PR, I didn’t qualify for Boston and I certainly didn’t break any world, national, state or local records. I got to do something much more fun, inspiring, enriching and rewarding or whatever word you want to chose.

I got to run nearly step for step with my friend (and ace running partner) while she finished her first marathon. And that took a day that had all kinds of bad written all over it and turned it around 180 degrees

My race, quite frankly, sucked. We all know the wheels had fallen off my training bus awhile back and I had really scaled down my expectations for this half-marathon in Des Moines. I was forced to scale them back even farther when a cold knocked me down and out just a week before the race. On race day I found out the hard way that maintaining any kind of race pace was impossible after just 5 short miles. No room for oxygen in my mucous filled head!

So I lumbered on to the finish line in unspectacular fashion, grabbed a snack and headed off on my bike to try to lend some emotional support to my marathoning friend. I may not have been able to run, but I could still cheer!

I found her at about mile 21 looking a little wobbly but hanging in there. I dashed ahead a little further and caught up to her again around mile 22. She was struggling a bit and didn’t turn down an offer of some company, so I ditched the bike and ran along with her for a mile or so. I think she just needed someone to distract her and make it a bit less painful. I remember that feeling from miles 21 -25 from each of my marathons. She went on her way around mile 23 and I headed back to my bike. I dashed ahead a bit more and picked her up again in the last mile. We ran the final stretch together and she commandingly out-kicked me in the last 20 yards to zip across the finish line ahead of me.

And there were tons of tears and sweaty hugs and snort-filled laughing. We even got a thumbs-up from Bart Yasso who was at the finish line. (He was also a speaker at the pasta dinner and speakers series, but that is another entirely different story.)

During the ensuing celebration it occurred to me more than once that just a year ago I was nearly dancing in the streets of Des Moines because I had qualified for Boston. She stood in nearly the exact same spot on the square to call her husband that I had stood in a year ago when I called her with the news. That day a year ago was a truly glorious day. And it was a fabulous day. And it is a day I will always remember and it was the best race I have ever had.

But this past Sunday? Running to the finish line with my friend and favorite running partner? Now that? It was quite simply, the time of my life!

The Early Bird… - September 28, 2011

I am a morning person. I can’t even remember a time in my life when I wasn’t a morning person. I was always at school early whether I walked or took the early bird bus, and I would have to confess that I actually liked early morning classes in college (those that I actually attended). After starting work around 6 AM for the past 20ish years, I have to confess that I don’t even use an alarm clock except for the few days out of the year when I manage to stay awake past 10 PM (okay, 9PM). And honestly, most of those days I just substitute the coffee maker on automatic for an actual alarm clock. Waking to buzz, buzz, buzz just makes me cranky.

I also do most of my running in the morning. In the summer when it is light at 5 AM, it isn’t unheard of for me to hit the pavement by 5:30. I can run an hour, shower and still make it to work by 7AM. In the winter I ditch out of work for an hour or so before lunch, late enough so that I can at least see where I am going. I’m not keen on running in the dark but I do have a headlamp and would use it if I had to. I am very fortunate in that I have flexible work hours (and that I have access to a locker room at work so I don’t stink up the joint for the rest of the day).

Today I had to run after work and it was horrible. Warm (warmer than it would have been at 6 AM this morning) with no wind and bright sunshine. Not my ideal running conditions. Although it probably suited a lot of people just fine…at least it wasn’t 90 F in the shade with 95% humidity like it was most of last month. I didn’t collapse or anything like that; it just wasn’t very pleasant.

But here’s the real thing…I don’t know of too many races that start at 4 PM? Does anyone? My wave at Boston started after 10 AM and I thought that was ridiculously late. Most races start at 7, 8 or 9 AM (9 AM only if it’s winter and still dark until 8 something) so why wouldn’t you want to do at least some of your training at the hours that you will actually be running?

You can read all this stuff about planning race day clothing, hydration, nutrition and pacing, but not too many people stop and think about time of day. If you are not an early bird by nature or habit, dragging your rear out of bed at the butt crack of dawn and getting it moving for an 8 AM race can be seriously difficult. Your sleep patterns are off, your digestive tract has no idea what you’re doing and your muscles are probably somewhat spastic. From several years of morning running, I have a very set plan that can get me up in the morning, hydrated, fueled, digestive system moving and dressed and out the door ready to run in about 30 minutes. Ready to race probably takes another 15 minutes just to get my head screwed around straight.

So if you are by nature a night owl, you might want to consider working a few morning runs into your training plan, so your body is not so confused about what you want it to do and you aren’t totally out of whack.

As for me…I’m heading back out tomorrow morning. And you won’t find me signing up for any night races. This early bird is going to catch some worms…of the gummi variety or course!

Wanting What You’ve Got… - September 20, 2011

Several years ago I took my fall vacation and spent 17 days in Northern Minnesota touring the state parks along Minnesota’s fabled North Shore. It was supposed to be nearly three weeks of camping, hiking, viewing wildlife and enjoying the fall days; an inexpensive option compared to heading to Manitoba (my favored spot those - and these - days). That vacation turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. Fourteen days of endless, pouring rain soaked every piece of camping and hiking gear I had packed and most of my clothes. This in turn drove me to spend copious unplanned dollars on hotel rooms in high season in an effort to dry out. I still curse Minnesota to this day. And that has nothing to do Gophers, Vikings or Twins.

I learned a few things from that vacation about the weather (can’t change it) and myself. Sometimes you just have to make the best of what you get. Doesn’t mean you have to love it though.

We are now heading home from vacation and it was not exactly the vacation that I planned on having, although this time the weather had little or nothing to do with it. So all I can do is enjoy the vacation that I did have and try my best to really appreciate what I did get out of it. I got fabulous photos of incredible scenery and wildlife; I drank a lot of good beer and ate way too much good food. I spent quality time with very important people. The rest of the details are unimportant.

Unfortunately I also did not get much running in. I am woefully behind on The Plan because over the past 12 days, The Plan slowly deteriorated into the plan. And right now I just have to acknowledge that I am not going to have the race in Des Moines that I wanted to have. And I think I am ok with that. Well, I don’t have much choice in the matter now do I?

So I am going to continue on with the plan, dial it back a bit and enjoy some fall running. Stop and smell the leaves so to speak. Maybe soak up the sun. As I’ve said previously, I have already done a lot of running this past year and I’m pretty sure my legs would appreciate a break. I can concentrate instead on being the best marathon support crew for my friend Katie who is running her first marathon in Des Moines.

Before you know it, we’ll be running in freezing temperatures and swirling snowflakes and then it will be time for a new PLAN to start in January. Dithering back and forth on spring marathon destinations. And I will have learned from how this one fell apart and know what not to do. I guess that means I won’t be going on any extended vacations next March or April!

Right now I just want the next three hours to fly by and be home. Remembering the good parts of the vacation I did have.

MONTANA STATE OF MIND - September 13, 2011

I don’t really know what a “Montana state of mind” is, but I know that the world seems very different out here. And running is hard -- really hard. Apparently there is no oxygen here, or at least not any that I can find. So much for my attitude at altitude!

As I get more and more into the vacation mode, I also find that the enthusiasm for running seems to have slipped a bit. Although after vacationing with three other people, I really could use some time alone. We all keep laughing about how we came with four people and we will leave with less than that number. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to get some decent mileage in although The Plan has really gone to hell. In a pic-a-nic basket, no less.

I will salvage what I can and pick up where I left off when I get back. Any speedwork is especially difficult to contemplate when my heart rate soars just walking to the deli for a bagel. Actually the problem is that everything around me takes my breath away (and I don’t just mean the masses of other tourists doing annoying things).

So maybe, just maybe, making do with what you have and hanging in there is the “Montana state of mind.” And I might be doing okay after all? Either that or I am getting much more adept at lying to myself! Or maybe oxygen deprived? I could believe any of the above.

TRAINING AT ‘TUDE - August 27, 2011

Thank goodness it has cooled down here. I honestly thought I was going to snap and spend my 50s serving some type of jail sentence for disorderly conduct (or throttling a coworker or neighbor) instead of trying to run my butt off.

Having successfully gotten through the heat and humidity phase of my training, I now turn my sights to altitude. Yes, like all the greats, I am planning an intense session of altitude training.

Actually, I happen to be going on vacation to Yellowstone National Park, which also happens to be at a somewhat higher elevation than 99.9% of Wisconsin. Once there I will rigorously follow The Plan and hopefully build some seriously bulked-up awesome oxygen-transporting red blood cells. Or at the very least not get eaten by a bear while hacking up a lung on the side of the road. Seems like there should be something in between those two extremes to shoot for? I do plan on leaving all of my Dead Fish flavored Gu home for this particular soirée through the wilderness I would hate to have Yogi try to take that away from me. I’m hoping he is less interested in Lemon-Lime, Chocolate Outrage, Vanilla Bean or Mandarin Orange. Although in all honesty…and from my own personal experience (and I could be wrong)…I have to admit that I would prefer a visit from Yogi (as in the Black Bear variety) than a close encounter with a hormone stoked Bullwinkle. Let’s not even think about Grizzlies. Yep, let’s not.

I found it somewhat amusing that I was warned that running at altitude can cause headaches, puffy eyes and fatigue. When I read that I instantly thought,“How am I going to tell if I am running at altitude or just had too many beers last night?” I mean I AM going to be on vacation after all. You know there is going to be beer involved. And there better be cookies. Please don’t even tell me that cookies are a banned substance west of the Mississippi? Crap…I am going to have to add cookies to the packing list. Just in case. An emergency stash. I hope there isn’t a border patrol of some type in Minnesota. I’ve lied at the border before you know (why no, I don’t have any bear spray, kind border patrol officer please don’t search my car), and I can do it again. Come on…we’re talking cookies here…not like Twinkies or some other type of contraband.

So, anyway. All kidding aside, running is actually going kind of crappy right now. The Plan is ok, the weather is better, but I don’t seem to be able to find my stride. My legs hurt, my back hurts, my toe hurts. Maybe my head is too full of things I am supposed to be doing or not supposed to be doing. I’m not sure. But I have been struggling. And I might…okay might…just have to concede that I may have done too much in the last year. Don’t make me break the list out…it exhausts me to look at it. 3 marathons, 3 halfs, couple of 10-milers, some 10Ks, a few swimming events, some biking…yep, exhausting. But then again, what else would I be doing? So, I’m hanging with The Plan, or trying to, and we’ll see how it goes. I’m trying really hard to give myself permission to just do The Plan for fun (what??) and let the event go as it may. We’ll see how that goes!

I’ll be in touch! I’ll send some pics of me and Bullwinkle sharing a Moose Drool.

Off to train with attitude at altitude.

CELEBRATING THE BIG 5-0…AND JUST CELEBRATING - August 12, 2011

No, I am not personally celebrating the big 5-0 as in turning 50. Actually I did that last year. So this year (and likely the next few years) I am more likely celebrating, and admitting to, some “unspecified number over 45”. I might fudge a bit, but I’m not going overboard!

No, I am referring to the return of early AM temperatures in the 50’s. Like the wonderful 52 we had Thursday morning. I swear I actually felt a chill when I stepped out the door. It was a most welcome chill even if it was fleeting. I’ll take that again and again and again. Fall can’t possibly be too far away. On an even better note, I just checked temps in West Yellowstone where I will be heading in about a month for a bit of vacation and the lows there are already in the 30’s. I’ll say it again…low’s in the 30’s. I’ll take that even if it means I need an escort to run or at the very least a running partner I can outrun in the event of a bear (as opposed to bare) incident. Yep, I’ll be that idjit tourist dancing down the street at 6 AM. Don’t worry, I have bear spray and I know how to use it. Look out Yogi.

Last week I was hoping for some respite from the weather, but it turns out that it was hot as hades up north too or at least much hotter than it would normally be. Even Lake Superior was warm. Well, as “warm” as Lake Superior gets. I think I mentioned that I was doing the Bayfield to Madeline Island (Point to La Pointe) swim? Anyway, the surface temperature was 69 F (seriously? I got too warm towards the end) and the lake was the proverbial sheet of glass. I had a great swim, hit a bit under my time goal, did a great kayaking trip to and through the sea caves, drank some great beer and ate some great food. It’s true that I still can’t swim straight…seriously, would it hurt to put a line on the bottom of the channel? And it is a bit weird to find yourself halfway between the start and the finish in 90 feet of water. But in the end the results were well worth celebrating. Now I will do it all again in Madison in a week, but the water won’t be a refreshing 69, I certainly won’t be able to see 40 feet down and I just found out that John Nolen Drive will be closed. Sigh…I guess you can’t win them all.

The other bit of celebrating is the start of The P-L-A-N. Yep, started on Monday. And I was panicking by Monday afternoon after my first run. Well, to be fair it was unbearably humid and well, just plain icky on Monday. But when I ran, supposedly at half-marathon pace, my legs felt like useless appendages dragging along behind me and my lungs seemed unable to function. A pace that I easily ran earlier this year while training for Boston felt like something in that untouchable, unachievable range reserved for elite athletes. I wanted to vomit. A repeat of those feelings while trying a tempo run on Wednesday had me just about in a panic and ready to ditch The Plan and opt for an extended Yellowstone vacation complete with smores around the campfire followed by beer chasers (neither of which I would willingly share with any bear or actually, in all honesty, with any person).

Fortunately for me, my Plan comes complete with e-mail access to several someones that I can sort of whine to about my worries. Then I think they all read the endless questions and probably draw straws to see who has to answer the latest panicked idjit who is overreacting to some training issue. But here is the kicker…my answer (personalized!!) came from Amby Burfoot! Hello? He WON the Boston Marathon in 1968!! And he basically patted me on the back and said hey…you’ve been off of hard training for a few weeks, so give yourself time to come back. Also included in the list of someone’s I could get (and have gotten) e-mails from is Bart Yasso (wow!! Google him if you don’t know who he is). So I am celebrating a bit of celebrity attention.

And celebrating (in advance) the next 9 weeks. Feels good to be a bit more serious again, to have the miles mean something and the plan…oh, I love The Plan!! Long live The Plan. All hail The Plan. Be The Plan…

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas... - August 1, 2011

So, I was running late last week through the early morning haze of humidity (73 F with 85% humidity at 5:15 AM) and my iPod shuffled right to “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”. At which point I virtually imploded and then exploded, ripped the ear phones off my head and threw the iPod down the nearest sewer. Imagine a way-old-enough-to-know-better adult stomping on the sidewalk and having a toddleresque emotional meltdown.

Ahhhhh…the dog days of summer. And hell yes, I am going to complain. These last three weeks have managed to do what four years of plantar fasciitis, four missing big toenails, one bout of IT Band issues, two PT stints for a sore hip, several disappointing races, sub-zero weather, record snowfalls, ice storms and 20 pairs of running shoes couldn’t do.

I don’t want to run. Or more accurately, I didn’t want to run. With no end to the hotter than Hades weather in sight, my goose was cooked and stab me with a fork, I was done.

And then suddenly it was Saturday, July 30^th and time to “race” when the cannon roared. If you have never done the Waunafest 10-mile run you should add it to your list. If you are training for a fall marathon it is a nice 10 mile supported run or a bit of a race to judge your readiness. At least that was how I presented it to my friends, and since I suggested it, I had to do it. I have lived to tell the tale and honestly, I learned a lot from the experience.

First of all, I did my sweat test a few weeks ago. Yes, the official sweat test. You know that one I poo-pooed and told myself I didn’t have to do because I knew how to drink water? Yes, that one. Check out RunnersWorld.com. Turns out I was wrong on about all counts. Do the test. I can’t give you better advice than that. Based on that test, I hydrated better than I have for any race. And in this kind of weather do not even think of leaving home without some type of portable hydration. You never know when that water fountain will run dry, the Kwik Trip will be closed or the aid station will be out.

Second, I actually followed the instructions on the Gu package. Amazing. Best advice I can give you? Don’t tell yourself that you are different from other runners in terms of nutrition requirements until you try it the way the experts tell you. Most of the experts said I was consuming ½ of what I should have. And when I consumed what they said? I didn’t bonk in the last 2 miles.

Finally, respect the heat and humidity. Mother Nature can be a vicious wench with the winter storms, but too many of us fail to respect that deadly combo of heat, humidity and sun. Unless you are a heat-loving, humidity-acclimated reptilian runner you need to s-l-o-w down. A lot. Like think minutes per mile slower.

So maybe this whole little spate of miserable heat was sort of like my Christmas in July? As in my chance to learn some really good lessons? I’ll be thinking about that while I am enjoying the substantially cooler Northwoods and gleefully swimming in the cold, cold, cold waters of Lake Superior. And yes, I did sort of have to taunt you with that.

Many thanks to the residents of Waunakee for all the sprinklers you brought out for us!! You turned a difficult learning experience into fun!! See ya next year!!

DRIFTING… - July 22, 2011

Before I even start I want to extend a huge congratulations and “Way to Go!!” to none other than ME, MYSELF and I!! And before you even ask why, I’m going to tell you why…because I haven’t written an entire blog entry (nor am I going to write an entire blog entry) on this absolutely awful, horrid, miserable and atrocious weather. Let me just say it’s hot -- too dang hot. I hate, abhor and despise hot weather. And now I am moving on. I am wisely invoking just a bit of the discipline that running has taught me to not just run off at the mouth (fingers) about the weather.

So here I am with a P-L-A-N that I am still waiting to execute. In fact, I still have two weeks “off”. And in response to Mother Nature this week, I have been really taking off. In fact, I haven’t run in 4 days, which ties my longest stretch of non-running since post-first marathon. Simply put, this is the most non-running I’ve done in 4 years!

And I am ok with that because I have been doing other things. Especially water things. A lot of swimming, but you already knew that I liked that and have an event coming up. But I also spent a number of hours getting my Open Water Diver Certification. Which was challenging, fun and scary all at the same time. I almost bailed, but a very savvy instructor set me up with just the right equipment to help me out of a jam during pool sessions. Another instructor’s patience helped me get over a bump or two (holy crap I can’t see a foot in front of me!!) during my first open water dives. So now I have a whole different set of challenges waiting for me as I take to the depths. Well, not the big deep just yet. I’m still a bit of a chicken, but I’m giving up my death grip a meter or so at a time.

And really, when it comes to drifting? Being in the water is a huge advantage. Running is hard. You have to support all of your weight and your body has to absorb all of the impact forces. In the water…well…you can just bob along. Provided you let the water and your body do their own thing…a wetsuit and/or inflatable vest certainly help. But if you tense up and fight the water (which hardly constitutes “bobbing along”) then you are going to sink like a rock and the fun/relaxation/zen will flow away like a river to the sea. So will your energy. And I can tell you that bobbing along almost weightless in Lake Mendota and watching the sun go down on the day brings on a mighty peaceful feeling if you let it. I’ve been swimming in the mornings and honestly, greeting the sun as it comes up over Lake Monona is equally as relaxing. I would not have always agreed with this, but I certainly do now.

My waterworks will end soon. I’ll do my swimming event and then crunch time starts and the running Plan kicks in officially on August 8^th. I can honestly say that I am really looking forward to this. I am a bit daunted by the Plan because I set a pretty big goal, but I figure that I just conquered a few pretty big things (like I can’t breathe without a tank down here or see down here or what the crap am I doing down here) so I might be on a roll. A couple of kicks and a couple of efforts and I can go from drifting to being a bit more focused. And then a bit more focused and then the Plan will come together.

Tomorrow morning I am going to dust off my shoes, fill my bottles and get my legs going. Probably watch the sunrise over the country side and it is all going to be pretty darn good. I’m going to try my hardest to forget how hot it is and just drift along.

Now for the Rest of the Plan - July 13, 2011

One of the things that I thought I would do with this go-around with a P-L-A-N to reach the G-O-A-L is to do all the non-running things that you are actually supposed to do in order to train for an endurance event.

You know, things like cross training, strength training, warming up, stretching, sleeping, practicing fueling, and hydrating. Er, I guess I left out actual nutrition which could lead one to believe that I might be attempting to abandon my cookies and beer diet (some days that’s beer and cookies mind you). Well, I’m not talking miracles here ya know.

Like most people, there are things I do well.

Cross training? I am right on top of that. I ride my bike nearly every day (although not particularly far), I go to Spinning classes and I swim. I actually swam for 3.5 hours last week, which might have been more time than I spent running. I just didn’t get as far swimming as I did running. Cross training… BIG check in the plus column for me!

Strength training? I think I am one of the few runners I know that actually likes to hoist weights, and I don’t just mean 12-ounce curls. I don’t care too much for weird routines and such or anything that requires a lot of coordination…give me some basic machines and I’m good. I’m not really keen on core-work (boring) but I’m somewhat compliant with that. So a ¾ check for me.

Warming up? Well, if you consider a warm-up to be a short walk and then a slow first mile, I’m right there. So, I’m feeling generous with myself today and I’ll say a ½ check.

And now it’s about to get ugly.

Stretching…I did 25 minutes of “yoga” today (about 22.5 more minutes of stretching than I would normally do in a day). I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow. I also got an exfoliating facial while in the downward dog position from Ava (my IQ challenged cat). Er, yuck but she is good on her sodium levels now. I took a regular weekly yoga class for nearly a year some two years ago and all I have to say is “my, my, my, how things have changed. How did my toes get so far away? Has all this swimming made my arms shorter?” And, “ouch.” My inner warrior appears to have signed some kind of peace treaty with my inner slug. If I can walk tomorrow, I am going to have to reconvene the peace talks to renegotiate that deal. Maybe I can get a trip to the casino out of that?

Moving on, sleeping is actually one of my favorite activities. I could nap at my desk at work every afternoon after lunch for hours if they’d let me (or at the very least continue to pay me). If I added up the time that I wish that I was sleeping or when I wanted to be sleeping plus when I actually was sleeping, I’d be upwards of 16 hours a day in snoozeland. Real time probably averages closer to 7 hours a night. I’d blame the cats, but really? This time of year with the heat, they are bigger slugs than I am. Think melting puddles of feline. Maybe I just need to quit trying to cram so many things into the day? Which today would include this expose (although I am not sure my running life, or any part of my life for that matter, is exciting enough to warrant a true expose).

So I am going to devote my next posting to the topics of fueling and hydration. Let’s just say a few light bulbs have gone on in the past couple of days. And I’d like to share that electric bill with you!

This P-L-A-N is getting way too complicated for me and I haven’t even started yet! I think I’ll sleep on it, or at the very least think about sleeping on it…probably while I am at work tomorrow trying to stay awake after lunch.

I Have a PLAN - July 6, 2011

I am very excited to report that I have a Plan. Let me say that again…(pause for effect)…I have a P-L-A-N. As in a real training Plan.

No, it isn’t a marathon plan. Would you believe several of my friends are quite surprised that I have not jumped into another marathon? They seem to be thinking that I might lack common sense or the ability to exercise some kind of restraint. Imagine that. So NO, the Plan is NOT a marathon training plan and I am NOT signed up for another marathon and I am NOT going to sign up for another marathon anytime soon. I might run another marathon next spring. Until then, I’m thinking half-sized.

I have an official training Plan for the Des Moines half-marathon in October. Technically the Plan doesn’t actually start until 10 weeks out from the race which puts my first official Plan workout on August 8^th. Until then it’s just some more of the same…R&R which for me means Run and Recover. Although, maybe it should be RR&S (run, recover and swim) lest I drown on my way, swimming, from Bayfield, WI to Madeline Island.

You should of course note that even though it hasn’t started, the Plan is the Plan…not the plan. When something is going to take over your life, it deserves proper noun status. All the rest of the things that take over your life (insert names of spouse and children, possibly pets, academic degrees, Mortgage, Career) get that capital letter -- why not activities? Very important activities. Running, not running. Training, not training.

Anyway, I opted for something a little different this time. The focus isn’t distance, it’s speed. Speed as defined by me, which means all American records for the half-marathon distance are quite safe until I move up a few age groups (like til my age is in triple digits). I’ve never really done a Plan that focused so much on getting around the course in a specific time…a significantly faster time that I’ve been around the course before.

So I will have my standard three-tiered set of goals, although this time I think it would be cheating to have a goal of just finishing. That’s kind of cheating at this point because I have done this distance as a race at least a half-dozen times already and I’ve raced longer distances at least four times. At some point just getting across the finish line has to move off the list as a baseline goal. The Plan is supposed to set me up nicely to hit the middle. The bottom goal is for if the weather is horrible, I’m sick, injured, or whatever other serious things can happen between now and then. The penultimate goal is the best-race-day-ever-I would-be-so-excited-I-might-dance-in-public-and-bartender-a-round-for-everyone-here kind of thing. Makes you wish you could go to Des Moines, doesn’t it?

So just a few more short weeks and the Plan kicks in. I’m looking forward to it. I like to have a Plan. My life might lack a Plan, but by God my running won’t. Maybe by the time it starts it won’t be hot enough to melt my shoes. I sure as heck hope so. I’m not sure what I would say if a cop stopped in to ask me what the heck I’m doing running laps on the track at 3AM.

This is going to be fun…or it could be horrible. But hey, it will be different and it’s a Plan. Ya gotta Love that.

Marathon Envy - June 30, 2011

So, today would be a perfect day for any number of things…a bike ride, a swim, maybe mowing the lawn. But no, I ran my meager 4 miles this morning and now I am supposed to be “done” for the day. And I guess I kind of am. I’m tired from working all day and a bit sore from yesterday’s strawberry picking.

So, what to do, what to do…

I did shop for a few Christmas gifts…hard to believe it but Christmas is ONLY six months away. And I shopped for a few things I might have “needed”, but now I am a bit at loose ends. Yesterday I caught myself looking at the IMT Des Moines website for updates on the half-marathon. Unfortunately I wandered over into the full marathon pages which then lead me to marathon training websites which lead me to marathon training plans which lead me to a great deal of frustration. And that green-eyed monster, envy.

Yep, two of my friends are doing full marathons this fall with their training either under way last week or just starting up this week. Seems like the people I know who are doing full marathons this fall just exploded exponentially. Everyone is doing a fall marathon! I am the ONLY one not doing a fall marathon! Why don’t I do a fall marathon?! You can see where this is going…right to the website and having the mouse hover between ½ and full. Half…full…half…full. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…catch a runner by her toe…

This is the first time since June 2010 that I have not been starting training for a marathon in just a few weeks, actually training for a marathon or planning to train for a marathon. What I am supposed to be doing is recovering (and hey, how’s that going…grrrrrr). You know, from my three marathon training programs and three marathon races in less than 12 months. My brain says this is a good idea, the legs and I should recover, but that little devil on my shoulder is saying, “Screw that! Let’s train with Katie and Liz”…and maybe we can just sneak that by whomever it is who keeps track of how many miles we are running and whether or not we recover like we are supposed to.

Okay, here is the problem. Iam the person who is supposed to be keeping track of how many miles I am running and how I am feeling. And quite frankly at the age of something greater than 45, I have developed, perhaps perfected, that finely honed skill of totally ignoring whatever it is my body is trying to tell me. So what if every mile I run feels like I am dragging my legs behind me. So what if my resting heart rate is nearly 10 beats higher than usual. So what if I fell asleep at my desk today at work. Well, let’s keep that a bit on the hush hush side…I’m sure (insert heavy sarcasm here) my boss hasn’t yet figured out that my job occasionally bores me to, well, sleep.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I feel like an adult trying to reason with a 5-year-old. The problem being that I am both the adult and the 5-year-old. And I want my marathon training plan and I want to start running it NOW. Now, now, now…now - what did the oompa-loompas say about that attitude?

So here’s what I am gonna do: I am going to finish my next three weeks of recovery by running easy most days and accumulating reasonable mileage. I will run long runs with Katie and Liz and then be adult enough to let them go when I reach my limit. I am going to work on my swimming (I do have a “hot” date to swim 2 miles in Lake Superior in five weeks). Then I am going to start my 12-week plan so I can be ready to run a blazing PR for 13.1 miles in Des Moines on October 16, 2011. I’m going to use my head and be smart about this. Just say NO to the green-eyed monster and YES to smart training and racing. I got big plans for next year that I need to not screw up.

But if the devil on my shoulder offers me cookies…it could ugly. I’m just sayin’…

Random Race Thoughts - June 19, 2011

I often wonder what goes through other people’s heads while they are running a race. I think this because I am sometimes amazed, but more often amused, by the things that I notice and that go through my head. And since I just ran a race today…Grandma’s Marathon up in Duluth…I might even remember some of those amazing insights that I had.

I have never had to pee during a race. Not even a 4 ½ hour marathon. Not once. After sweating who has any pee in them? So what are these people doing at mile 1 dashing off into the bushes to pee? Not just guys either, I did see a woman coping a squat in some brush. Which I sure hoped was not poison ivy or poison oak. You just never know up here in the Northwoods. Did they just arrive too late to join the porta potty lines? And had to dash off with a full bladder? And why wouldn’t you just wait and start a bit late? After you cross the mat it’s all on your dime so to speak. If you’re doing something else after the start, I’d suggest you look into learning to like coffee…before the race.

I personally think that all clothing that is white, and hence see through when wet, should be banned from all sporting events that are likely to include perspiration and rain. White Lycra spandex should perhaps even be considered an illegal substance. I would qualify this rule to apply only to outer garments …your bras and your undershorts are your beeswax. Just please don’t share all your personal parts…or shadows thereof. I saw a very cute pair running today with signs on their butts saying “Running with my daughter” and “Running with my Dad”. Dad looked like the more seasoned runner and he should have told his daughter that white shorts (with dark underwear) are a bad idea in 1) a race where you are likely to sweat and 2) in the rain. Okay, in this case the specialness of the occasion made up for the white garment faux pas. They were just that cute. And I was just that sad that I wasn’t running with my Dad or even able to call him when I was done. But thinking about him (my Dad) in the end, made me smile.

Although somewhere around mile 14 we were lucky enough to have two gentlemen preaching the gospel (separately) to us. Maybe they could have gotten me a direct line to my Dad after the race? Really? I seriously mean no disrespect to anyone’s beliefs. But mile 14? I haven’t even begun to think about selling my soul to the devil until mile 21. At which point (at least today) I might have considered a little side deal…a fleeting thought but still something banging around inside the vacuum chamber I affectionately call my brain.

A friend of mine complained about this particular event saying that the Minnesota crowds were not rowdy enough for her. After 4 ½ hours of complete and total over-stimulation in Boston, I found the subdued Minnesota folks to be like a breath of fresh air. At least I could hear my own music and I didn’t have random thoughts of throttling drunken screaming jerks. There was a guy out at the end of his driveway randomly using a duck (goose, predator, something like that) call. Nope, I’m not a hunter and never will be. You guys go on ahead with out me. It made me smile though. Now that was funny. I would also like to point out that today was a day when the temps were good for running, not so good for spectating. Not sure how “rowdy” I would have been if I felt like a popsicle. People were in chairs bundled up in sleeping bags. Brrrrrrrr!

The lilacs and crabapples are in full bloom in Duluth and their scent on the air is incredible. On my little shakeout run Friday afternoon I stopped several times to bury my entire head in the lilacs as I ran by. Kept me at a relaxed pace…sort of. In Madison, ours were here and then gone way, way too fast. Once I got back into town proper on the racecourse I was too busy snorting lilacs to snort air (well that’s one version of the bonk!).

What is the most gels you have ever eaten in a race? I tell you I got to mile 18 and there was nothing, I repeat, nothing that was going to get another one down. I would have been one of those people urping all over someone’s yard. That might explain the major bonk at mile 23 (when I would have sold my soul at the drop of a very sweaty hat).

I passed a house that had maybe 100 small troll figurines lined up on the curb. They were incredibly cute and I thought about sashaying up and snarfing one of the purple-haired ones. But mostly it made me smile and reminded me of college and the yellow-haired troll figurine that I still have (vintage 1980-something). Maybe I should have brought him? For luck. I could have used him. Maybe I’ll take him with me when I buy lottery tickets next time?

After the race (okay several hours after the race) I had pizza for dinner at a great place. If you are ever in Superior WI head on over to the Thirsty Pagan brewpub. They have really good pizza and some terrific craft beers. Don’t expect a lot of crowd support. It seemed like a local kind of place and the hostess didn’t even seem to know that running a marathon meant running 26.2 miles. But the beer way, way made up for that. Hmmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmm tasty. I walked from the hotel…yes, walked. It was either that or have my legs lock up on me. Which they just might do anyway.

Alright, I just shifted in my chair. The votes in…my legs have locked up. And on that thought, I would come up and do Grandma’s again. But next time, I’m bringing the troll.

Flexibility of Spirit - June 9, 2011

Nearly anyone who has been a runner for any significant period of time knows that flexibility is something hard to come by. The more we run, the better we feel (usually) but the tighter our muscles get. I struggle daily with calves that seem to want nothing more than to squeeze up into tight little knots. It seems as if every runner has their own knots, knobs and trouble spots. With a little due diligence (and a hefty massage budget) most of our little physical limitations can be stretched, rubbed, rolled, kneaded and massaged away. We all know what we need to do and, honestly, I think the “experts” prescribe twice what they think you actually need or should do because they believe you will only ever do half of what they say. “They” are probably right in that assumption.

But there is another side of flexibility that we should actively work into our “routines” as well. What I would call a flexibility of spirit. And that relates to all those things that are outside of our corporeal selves. Not how you physically run - that repetitive one-foot-after-the-other motion - but how you structure (or don’t structure) your running life. Quite frankly, I think a lot of runners can be a bit overly rigid or structured with their running. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard things like, “I run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday,” or, “I run every morning at 6:30 AM,” “I do speedwork on Wednesdays,” and so on. Sometimes these statements are just the thoughts floating through my own head which I desperately try to dash to the ground. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that being structured is bad. Having a plan is good, great, maybe even fabulous. Unwavering (inflexible) adherence to any plan, good or bad, is not so good.

The past two weeks have been a prefect example of how important it is to allow some flexibility in your running life. That is unless you like running in the freezing cold, the pouring rain, howling winds or scorching heat. You know, a typical two-week Wisconsin summer! Add in lawn work, holiday parties, graduations and family events (sheesh, don’t you know I am trying to run here?!) and your nice, structured, scheduled plan has just gone to hell in a hand basket. “I have to run a 20-mile long run” is not, and will never be, considered an acceptable excuse for not making it to a wedding. So don’t even try it unless you really don’t want to have anything to do with the bride and groom (and possibly your spouse) ever again.

And just like I know you wouldn’t leap into some advanced yogini moves right out of your ice bath, you shouldn’t have to jump into flexibility either. Before you even have to, try new routes, try new days, try new routes on new days, run your favorite route backwards a time or two. Go out earlier than usual and then later than usual. Make your body guess what the plan is for the day. Don’t let yourself get sucked into a rut to start with. Then make it shamefully easy to be flexible. Always have clean running clothes and carry some spares in your car or stash some at work. Ditto with shoes, have more than one pair so they are handy and you can be ready to go in a flash. Learn how to undress and dress in your car. Be prepared to be flexible…hey look, the Friday weather forecast says it might be 95 on Monday. Maybe I should run on Sunday or earlier on Monday or move my run to Tuesday when that front comes through? According to the radar, the first wave of storms passes and there is a clear 45 minutes…don’t let it go to waste. Don’t carve plan A in stone. Don’t be afraid to move on to plan B, plan C or even plan D. I’ll give you a hint, plan E is the dreadmill and you sure don’t want to end up there! So think of some other realistic options! Plan that you might just have to change your plans. And then realize that sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and let it all go. No race was ever ruined by missing one workout.

All of this is pretty easy for me to say. Admittedly I have a very flexible job, low housekeeping and landscaping standards and I love to shop for running shoes and clothes.But seriously, I mostly just find it too stressful to try to cling to a routine that is impossible to implement when the weather or my social life goes haywire. Like it does every year in June, July and August. So I refuse to let myself be bound by some “plan” I might have in my head, in my planner, on my desktop or posted on my refrigerator.

Because even if I can’t literally touch my toes, I still can touch them in spirit.

National Running Day - June 1, 2011

Today (June 1) is National Running Day!! Happy National Running Day!!

I think we can safely assume that most people will be heading in to work just like they do any other day. We runners are not a huge percentage of the population, so our non-running friends would think us incredibly odd (instead of just moderately odd) if we took the day off of work to celebrate.

Even before I knew it was National Running Day (now abbreviated NRD) I was planning on running tomorrow because, well, I always run on Wednesdays. But when I learned that it was, in fact, a special day, I tried to think of what I might do to make it really seem special. If I could crank out a 6-minute mile that would be awesomely special, but it isn’t likely to happen in this time/space continuum. So, I poked around a little online, something I do a lot when I am bored or searching for ideas, and discovered the NRD Facebook page. On this page a number of people have posted comments completing the following “I run _________”.

Well, figuring out how I would fill in that blank could conceivably take me the better part of an 8-mile run even at my so-not-6-minute-mile-pace. And literally as I typed that sentence (well, typed it and then corrected my spelling and grammar) it occurred to me that one of the primary reasons why I continue to run is that it continues to give me time to think without distractions. So my reward for going more slowly is more time to think? A nice rationalization for a lack of speed, eh? But seriously, we have all had those “aha” moments while running. When some part of the answer to some puzzling life mystery comes to us like those annoying little messages that flash across our GPS too quickly for us to read. Or too small of print but that would be a different issue. So if something is bothering me, I go out for a run and mull it over a little bit I don’t really realize that I am thinking about it until it sort of beeps (the thought, but maybe the GPS too) and a little piece of the puzzle starts to fit. Another mile or so, another beep, another puzzle piece and so on until I come breathtakingly close to a realization This all seems to happen without my having much conscious control over it. Which may also explain why sometimes it takes several runs to get to any type of insight (because I can’t remember from one lap to the next?). Sadly, the pieces sometimes never come at all.

So I can fill in the blank with at least one thing… I run because it gives me undistracted time to think. But I know that isn’t the only reason I run. So now this is going to bug me and I am going to have to run some more (and think some more) to come up with the other ways I would fill in that blank. I wasn’t exactly planning on an Ultra any time soon.

Anyway, that sounds to me like the perfect way to approach NRD. Just run some more…the answer will come.

And if you see me out running? Don’t worry if I’m talking to myself and don’t be surprised if I am squinting at my GPS (of the too-small font variety!).

Planning for After… - May 27, 2011

The Internet is flooded with race training, preparation and execution plans, programs and tips. Hoards of people you don’t even know will feel completely entitled to share their own personal pre-race wisdom at the drop of a Gu packet. They will also feel compelled to share their own horror stories of events gone wrong and the associated pain and suffering. I only have three things to say about what goes on before the race:

Do the training (I know you did this, right?).
Obey the taper (I know you wouldn’t think of overdoing it now, right?).
Don’t do anything stupid.

If you can’t imagine what things might be wrapped into #3, then drop me a line. I can give you a 10-page list of things that would be really stupid to do before a race, most of which I have actually done. I can also give you a big hint, not doing either #1 or #2 both count as doing something stupid.

Now let’s say that race day has come, the event started, you got across the finish line (on your own power) and now here you are wandering the pavement and wondering just what the heck you should do now. Going back to the aforementioned flood on the Internet, you are also going to find plenty of post-race plans and schemes and tips. Many of these are going to be a repeat of #3. That means don’t do anything stupid. But there are some things I’d like to share that you might not find just anywhere. My post-race list goes a bit like this:

Celebrate. Then celebrate again and celebrate some more. Celebrate with everyone you know. Bask in the congratulations and awe. Twitter, Facebook, blog, text, email, phone or snail mail all about it. Let it all go straight to your head. Let everyone you know tell you how wonderful you are! Even if you don’t think you were wonderful because “things happened”, bask in the glory anyway. Let people lavish you with praise. You might not believe it, but you deserve it.
Once reality sets in a little bit you have the inalienable right to pout, grouse and complain about how much better you could have done if “insert whatever arch-nemesis you despise here” never happened. This “period of reflection” should be kept mostly to yourself (spousal exception) and limited to 48 hours. Any and all self-flagellation should be contained to this same 48 hour period. If an event was an extraordinary disaster (aka self-inflicted learning experience) then an additional 48 hours of pouting and boorish behavior is acceptable, provided you keep it primarily to yourself.
About the time you can walk again and you have stopped all pouting you should treat yourself to an amazing reward for finishing the event. Remember that food is not a reward, it is a necessity. The level of “amazingness” of the reward should coincide with the degree of difficulty and take into account budgetary constraints. Setting a new PR could dictate something truly special depending on whether or not you have children that you plan on sending to college. The thing about the reward is that you should have decided beforehand what the reward will be (this gives you something to do during taper). If you are amazingly confident and have a knack for seeing into the future you could already have ordered this item and have it delivered to your doorstep! Don’t pick anything you have to sign for because post-race you might not be able to get to the door fast enough to catch the delivery dude. If you are really, really smart you will pick a reward that has something to do with running or at the very least, a physical activity (drinking because you are still pouting is not a physical activity). Because next up:
Get your butt and other body parts back out there! Take your lumps, bumps, bruises and owies and your treat (new shoes, a watch, shorts, shirt, socks, whatever) and go for a run. Ok, even a bike ride or swim will do. If you haven’t already done so, troll the Internet for upcoming events and get yourself committed to something (before your spouse does). Because when you all of a sudden find yourself with hours of extra time, well, you are going to feel really, really lost. And if you (or your friends and family) thought you were grumpy and squirrely during taper, wait until post-race syndrome sets in. Did you run a marathon? Find a nice little 5K for a cause you believe in. Try a tri. Do a mud run or trail run. Because a body at rest tends to stay at rest. A body in motion stays in motion and that will make the next “big” event all that much easier to jump into. Because if you haven’t got the bug yet, you probably will now.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU MAD CITY PARTICIPANTS!!

Your taper is already under way, don’t do anything stupid!

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Read through Crystal's Boston Marathon journey from Day One to the Finish Line!

We Don’t Always Get What We Want… - April 18, 2011 (Race Day!)

Today, I had to settle for one goal out of three. I finished the Boston Marathon on my own power. That was always the bottom line goal. I failed to make my secondary goal of requalifying and failed pretty emphatically at hitting the secret goal that I had tucked close to my heart.

And I guess I am ok with how things turned out. Would it do me any good to not be okay with it? About as much good as it did for me to grouse about having to wait til later in the morning to start so that much of my race was run at high noon in what seemed to be tropical conditions. I actually have a sunburn! I would also add that whatever tailwind aided the earlier runners was surely gone by the time I came through….maybe they used it all up?

In any event, my Boston moment is nearly up. I’m tired, stiff and nursing a couple of boo-boos like twin chaffing spots on my collarbones from a high necked shirt, a few blisters on my feet and two big toe toenails that are only about ½ attached. Looks like another year without toenails!

Everything will heal up just fine and I’ll be out running this weekend…gingerly and slowly…but running nonetheless. I am already looking forward to a relaxing run on a quiet country road.

I am glad that I got my chance to experience Boston. Excuse me, that I earned my chance to experience Boston. It was quite an experience and I certainly have learned a lot from it. If you ever get the chance you should certainly go, but don’t obsess about qualifying at the risk of burning out and losing the joy that running brings you. Also be prepared for all the hoopla and adrenaline. My head is still pounding and I feel like I spent four hours being shelled with mortars. So now I think I will gladly turn my attention to some other matters. I’m thinking a few half-marathons might just round out the year nicely and I should be able to build some speed on my already increased aerobic base. I already have committed to marathon training support for a good friend of mine who is running Des Moines this fall. I’ll do the half and then loop back to see her through the last couple of miles.

I think my next marathon adventure will be in August of 2012. Provided that the volcanoes don’t go all crazy again, I really am seriously considering heading to Iceland for my marathon comeback. Maybe we can chat about that when the time comes around? Heck, maybe you should come along!! Training should probably start sometime in May 2012. I’ll catch you then!!

Crystal

Anti-envy… - April 17, 2011 (Boston Eve!)

So here I am in my fabulous hotel room (with window that actually opens) basking in the late afternoon sunshine. The clouds are kind of slowly lolling about and the winds are kind of poofing here and there. But it is without a doubt a gorgeous evening. I am glad to be here.

But I am also equally glad that for me, this is a race filled with a myriad of opportunities to meet minimal expectations. Yep, I have the hall pass of all hall passes and the right to fail. Because in actuality, to most of my friends and family members, I have already far exceeded all expectations. I’m here, I qualified. To them, getting here was 99/100^th of the battle and if I have an off day or even a mediocre day, all is still good…the sun will rise and set and life will go on.

When we went to the packet-pickup and expo yesterday I could clearly see that this was not the case for a number of people who are here. Anxiety, expectation and worry were etched in a number of people’s faces like scratches in an old table. People wore their jackets and Boston paraphernalia proudly, but many of them also had a bit of a stoop as if the expectations of the world (or maybe just self, family and friends) had weighed them down.

As “amateurs” we are supposed to be free from the worry of truly winning, placing and showing. But for those people who are on the cusp, dancing that fine line between amateur and pro or age group master, the road must be hard. Expectations can be like that apron of lead they drape on you at the dentist. It protects and shelters you, but it is also heavy to carry anywhere off the examining chair. I am glad that it is not my cross to bear. For my friends in that position, I wish you the gentle breath of a tailwind to guide you along.

See you in Copley Square…

And Here I am!! - April 15, 2011

After a couple of minimally stressful days of travel (first solo from Madison to Bloomington, IL and then with my marathon support crew of one from Bloomington to Mountain Top, PA and then Mountain Top, PA to Westborough, MA) here I am 1300 miles away in my hotel room. I have some 60 hours to kill before my race is started and over.

Just a few short minutes ago I was sitting sipping on a Liberty Ale (from San Francisco of all places) with my feet up on the bed in the sunshine that is streaming through the windows. All I could have wished for was cookies!

However, might I add, I have a window that I can actually open! Ye HA! A hotel with windows that actually open! Well, it is a selling point to me. The hotel is also buried in a technology park that, come later this evening, will be deserted. All these fine hardworking folk will go home and it will be quiet. I am safely a floor away from the youth hockey teams that have infiltrated the fortress. I am looking forward to reading, sleeping, sleeping and reading. Maybe some Facebooking.

We stayed last night with some really great people in eastern PA and I had a truly relaxing, easy run through a quaint neighborhood with just a few hills this morning (it is called Mountain Top for a reason). Then we had just a short drive east to be within striking distance today. I didn’t do any of the driving today, so I don’t know that I have ever felt quite so rested and relaxed going into a major race?

If I have some energy to burn I can always go down and swim in the pool (provided the hockey players aren’t about…or abooot eh?). It would be an interesting workout and a good opportunity to practice my flip turns. Turn, one stroke, turn, one stroke, turn, one stroke…it is a very small pool. They do have an exercise room, a hot tub and there is a walking trail nearby.

I guess for me this seems like the perfect place. I don’t know that I could have dealt with being downtown and all the hoopla. To me, big city life is not relaxing. And I am easily caught up in “things” and before I know it, I am exhausted and strung out. Everybody has to ask themselves a lot of questions when they embark on a marathon journey. We know ourselves best, we know what stresses us out and we know what keeps us sane (or relatively so). Don’t let what works for someone else dictate what you do. For me, flying in to Boston, renting a car (or a terrifying cab ride), getting downtown and staying downtown would have been too much. Take it from me - the last thing I need is to be saturated with other runners and thinking that I have to do what they are doing until my expectations soar along with my exhaustion. Enough… do your own thing.

Tomorrow is packet pick-up. And seriously? I can be incredibly disciplined. No expo shopping, no last minute tips, no bad food and no standing around. In, grab packet and get out of town…I got sleeping miles to log now.

Ok…maybe a beer…

6.2 Darn Good Reasons… - April 13, 2011

When I ran my first marathon a few years back, I remember a little tip that I read for getting through that last 10K. I thought I would share it with you for that day when you hit that mile marker and say, “whew, only 10K to go,”…be that this coming Monday or another day in the future.

Take each of those last 6 miles and the 0.2 and dedicate them to someone or something that will help you focus and keep you strong. I have heard a marathon referred to as a 20-mile run followed by a 10K race. I don’t know that I agree with that 100%, to me that last 10K seems a bit more like an argument between you (I’m not quitting now) and your body (I’m so done with this). But it never hurts to have a race plan. So here is how I’m going to try to corral my thoughts and focus in my last 6.2 miles:

Mile 21: Brett and Carson…this one’s for you guys. You are young and you have most of your lives ahead of you. I want you to know and truly believe that you can (and should) continue to chase your dreams because there is no age limitation for taking on challenges. Pick your challenges wisely, be prepared, work hard and believe in yourselves. We are never quite as smart as we think we are and we are always stronger than we think we are.
Mile 22: Chris…this one’s for you. It has been over 10 years and I still miss you every day. I’m sure you’d be shaking your head at me and wondering just what the hell I was thinking! But you’d be at the finish with a beer (or two). In a very short time you changed my life completely. And then you left all too soon.
Mile 23: The entire Frey family (and that is a lot of people) who taught me that “in-law” is not an insult and that family, real family, has nothing to do with blood and has a lot to do with love, understanding and knowing how to have a good time. You all excel at all three of those!
Mile 24: Dad, Dad, Dad. I also miss you every single day. And I’m not even angry with you anymore about the damn basketball hoop you wouldn’t get me or your statement that “Girls don’t play sports”. I’m sorry that I never took Home Economics in high school like you wanted me to. I’ll never forget that you cried when I graduated from college. I hear myself using your funny little sayings everyday and I will always miss you. Less than 5K now!!
Mile 25: This has to go out to my friends who supported me, encouraged me and didn’t try to get me committed. You’ve been there to set an example for me, to travel with me and train with me and race with me and even just be a slug with me. If good friends are worth solid gold, then I am the wealthiest woman in the world.
Mile 26: You know what? I’m taking this one for me. And you should take a mile for yourself. I have worked my butt off (well, sadly this is not a literal statement). I have put in the time, the miles and done the work. Now I need to get it all together for just another few minutes because I deserve to cross that finish line with my head held high. I’m not going to win, I won’t take any age group awards, but I can finish this and be proud of myself. If I pack well, I will be the best dressed.
Mile 0.2: Used to be this was for the Queen. Well the heck with the Queen! I am not a British subject, so royalty isn’t my concern. Nope, this is for the Boston transit workers. Please, please, please…let the trains run on time and get me back to the hotel so that I can collapse.

Off to finish (okay, start) packing!

7 Remaining Sleeping Opportunities Before it Comes to this… - April 10, 2011

Fast forward to next Sunday night….

Tomorrow is the big day. And here I am worrying about things that are out of my control. This hotel is too hot/cold/loud/quiet and the bed is too firm/soft. I have looked at the weather and pondered the possibilities and permutations endlessly from multiple websites and radar screens. Enough! Well, it will be too hot/cold/sunny/rainy/windy. I did not bring the right clothes. Did I bring my arm warmers? The smart wool ones. I am surely missing something. I just haven’t figured out what it is yet. Get up, go to the bathroom…well now I’m awake thanks to those blinding lights! Where are my purple shoes? Lay back down. Roll over. Roll over again. Flip the pillow. Throw the pillow on the floor. Retrieve the pillow. Punch the pillow. Miss my cats. Did I remember the Lemon-Lime gel? Be thankful my cats aren’t there because they wake me up all the time anyway. Realize that they might as well be here. Get up and read. Go to the bathroom. More bright lights. Check the weather. Go back to bed. Get up and check my e-mail. Look, my Internet bill is due. Check the weather at home. Hey, it’s nicer there than it is here. What am I doing here? I don’t belong here. Did I remember to bring my compression calf sleeves? I am going to need those on Tuesday for the drive to PA. My library books aren’t overdue are they? I should check that. I think I’ll turn the AC up…it sure is stuffy in here. Why can’t they make windows that open! Boy my shin hurts. Why didn’t it hurt yesterday or last week or last month? Is this some sort of delayed onset injury? A sudden stress fracture? My head is stuffy. Why can’t I breathe? Am I getting a cold? Maybe I should take some vitamin C. If I had eaten better (more veggies and fewer cookies) I wouldn’t be having this problem. What if I have a full blown cold tomorrow? Did I bring tissues? I can’t use these scratchy things, my nose will be raw in 20 minutes. I never should have missed that interval workout 3 weeks ago. That will be the one thing I should have done. I might have run 400 + miles to get here, but I didn’t run the right 400 miles. Do I have extra pins? What if my chip doesn’t work? Is my Garmin charged? What about my iPod. Did I remember to put that really great Pink song on there? Did I leave Katie the number for the vet if something is wrong with the cats? Boy, I sure wish they were here right now. Sure they wake me up, but they are nice and snuggly. I hope there is enough ice in the ice machine tomorrow because I am going to need it. Hey, my shin doesn’t hurt anymore. I sure could use a cookie but I am pretty sure that doesn’t qualify as quality pre-race food and I already brushed my teeth. Did I set the coffee pot for the right time? I don’t do mornings without coffee and I am not starting now. What if the alarm doesn’t go off? Did I set it right? I hope my mom’s birthday card gets there on time. I don’t want her to think I forgot her birthday. Hey look…it is 1 AM. At this rate I’ll get about 25 seconds of sleep. I hope I don’t have to mow the lawn when I get back. Seems like I just got done shoveling snow. That cookie really hit the spot. Crap, I hope the lawnmower is ready to pick up when I get back. Did I turn my computer off at work? Back to the bathroom…these lights are blinding. One more quick weather check. Where did I put my passport when I got home from Canada last year? I really need to find that. I should brush my teeth. Wonder what the weather in Wassagaming is right now. I’ll need my passport before I head out this fall. I probably should make sure I set brew time on the coffee pot right. Roll over. Roll over again. Flip the pillow. I bet I will be awake all nightzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

What?? Only two weeks to go!?!?! - April 4, 2011

Ha Ha…did everyone get the little April Fool’s joke that Mother Nature (a vengeful wench if I have ever met one) played on us on Friday? Snow? Are you kidding? Snow? In April? There were times during the day when I looked out the windows at work and couldn’t see the buildings just 30 feet away. I started humming “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” but stopped as soon as I felt the daggers of glaring eyes from my coworkers. Sheesh, it isn’t as if we were going to get two feet of snow. Bunch of grumpalos. Well, I don’t want to be a negative Nelly, but I remember some 17 years ago that I moved into a new apartment on a gloriously beautiful Spring day…my mother’s birthday to be exact…April 19^th. And then I woke up the next morning to find snow on the ground. Enough snow that I had to “shovel” the stairs…with a broom since I did not actually have a shovel. It was gone by the afternoon.

Today I got up and ran early so that I could avoid the gale force winds that I can see (and hear) out there right now. I had enough wind on Saturday, thank you very much, when I ran the Black Earth 10-mile run. It was a 5 mile out and back, and I can tell you that at times the “back” portion felt like running into a wall. Overall it was a great run…I paced my self properly (or much better than I am typically known for) and the views were as advertised. Lots of hills (although the course itself was mostly flat) and manure, although honestly I didn’t really see much manure, though I could smell it. Ahhhhhhh…Wisconsin “dairy-air” - you just gotta love it. And I would be remiss if I did not say a big “Thank you!!” to the very tall gentleman that I ran behind for at least 1.5 miles. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to catch my breath and regroup! Not that I want this race to become big and crowded, but you should give it a try. Oodles of friendly folks and a nice race. The drive to Black Earth is also very scenic, although not at its very best in early April. After the race you can stop in Cross Plains for post-race fueling.

So two weeks from today I’ll be pinning on that number (21043) and toeing the line for the Boston Marathon. Fortunately my on-site marathon support crew (of one) is worrying about all of the logistics, so I have been relieved of worrying about a number of things. I am very, very fortunate in that regard.

But I still have to worry about something…or some things. And the vengeful wench Mother Nature is right up there on my “Things to Worry (Obsess) About” list. Normally I am not much of a worrier, nor do I much care about the weather most days. When it comes to race day weather? That is a whole different ball game (thought I would throw some kind of phrase out for you baseball fans).

When it comes to running, I am a weather wimp. Yes, yes…I ran outside all winter this year (and last year too…and the year before that as well), but you can always put more clothes on. Er, to a certain extent. ou can only take so much off before being hauled to jail and chaffing of your entire body becomes an issue. Plus no one schedules a major race outside in Madison in January. When I planned to make my run for Boston last year, I picked Des Moines but also had hotel reservations for Grand Rapids, MI (the same weekend) and Mankato, MN (the following weekend) as back up plans if the weather went bad. Which to me means too hot (above 40 F at the start, above 60 F at the finish), too windy, too cold (below 15 F at the start) or torrential rain/sleet/snow.

Thankfully we are now almost reaching the 10-day window for weather.com and intellicast.com and all the other weather soothsayers. By Thursday I will be able to indulge in and obsess over hourly permutations of the Boston weather forecast right up until race day. This will give me something to do other than running and chewing my arm off (or eating an entire gallon of ice cream) or chewing someone’s head off while I am tapering.

There is another window rapidly approaching that I will tell you about…in detail…next time we talk (well, I talk…you listen). Til then…do you think a dance to the weather gods would be ill-advised? No nudity involved, maybe just some candle burning, incense and chanting? Or maybe Mother Nature can be bought off?? I’ll see your hail and raise you partly cloudy with a high of 50. If only I could fiddle…

10 Things - March 26, 2011

So I was cleaning my desk off at work today because the percent of working space covered by stacks of paper was beginning to creep over the 80% mark. =Okay, okay…it was inching towards 90%. And I found two post-it notes stuck together at the bottom of an ominously high and canted stack of paper.

The post-it notes (by the way, one of the world’s greatest inventions…right up there with the printing press, sliced bread, the transistor and diet coke) appear to be a list of 10 things to do (or not do) to ensure longevity. Apparently I found them important enough to write down when, in this day and age, I hardly ever actually write anything (click, click, click goes the keyboard). So I thought I would share them and how I see them as they apply to running and training. Yes, I do have my last long run tomorrow and I am trying not to think about that.

So, the 10 things that will keep you going like the energizer bunny:

Sunlight. Apparently we need this to be happy, manufacture vitamin D and see just where the heck we are running to. Personally after the last week or so I feel a bit deficient. I am hoping for some additional glorious rays tomorrow. My roasting on a spit for a tan days are well over, but there are few things that beat warm rays of sunshine.
Hanging out with friends and family. Well, I run with my friend Katie nearly every week. Gives me a chance to crab about work to someone who understands and numerous opportunities for general silliness. I also find trips to marathons with my marathon support crew of one leading the way to be more fun than traveling on my own.
Daily Exercise. Well, this is a no-brainer. I don’t run every day, but I do something everyday (except Fridays when flying off at the handle about work-related issues is my primary activity, followed closely by running off at the mouth). I can’t imagine extended periods of not doing anything. I think that is either called rehab or tapering. Either can drive a person crazy.
Floss Daily. Seriously, if you haven’t already heard it there are a number of studies published recently that support the correlation between oral heath and overall health. We as runners need to make sure that we stay on top of that with all the sticky chews and sugary Gus we eat. Did you realize that one of the worst things you can eat (for your teeth that is) are PB & J sandwiches? Apparently the PB seals the jelly to your teeth. Who knew? And what exactly is Jet Blackberry Gu if not really runny blackberry jelly?
More sex. Well, in general I wouldn’t recommend combining this with running, but you have to do something with all that energy running gives you. And seriously? Who picks cleaning house over sex?
Be like a Vegetarian. Meaning eat less meat, less fat and lower your weight. If you don’t eat meat and you don’t eat fat then all that’s left is carbs. Aren’t we, as runners, the original carbotarians? Although there were those pesky qualifications about complex carbs and good carbs and quality carbs that I may be glossing over.
Destress. Well duh? Pretty obvious that running is way less stressful than work. And that when I leave work to run, I come back way less stressed (although that may be entirely related to the “leaving work” part of that equation). The day of a race is pretty stressful, but compared to the 240 odd days of the year that I work…pshhh, no contest.
Have health screenings and tests. So running gait analysis and VO2 Max testing count, right?
Turn off your TV. Well, I think this kind of goes with #3. But honestly? I haven’t watched TV in a year. I gave up my satellite TV because I thought I spent too much time watching crap. Have I missed it? No. And I spent the money I used to send to Dish Network on trips to races, cool new running outfits and Gu. I am well dressed (for running) and totally carb-loaded.
Avoid risks. I think they mean the jumping off a cliff parasailing or wrestling with rabid alligators type stuff here. Not the nearly getting hit by the idiot on their cell phone type stuff. Although it does pay to be alert, keep the iPod on low and dress in bright colors and/or reflective gear (see #9…I bought a lot of brightly colored stuff).

So, with a few minor rationalizations I’m feeling pretty good about my chances. I should probably reconsider the Gu and PB sandwiches as well as the cookies and beer diet. Hmmmm…maybe flipping off the inattentive drivers isn’t the best idea (especially the ones in the pickup trucks with cell phones and gun racks). Since I am very near the taper part of the training experience, I’ll let you know how I do with respect to #3. I feel a bit like a rabid squirrel in front of the pecan log factory just thinking about it…

Believe or Get Off the Bus - March 23, 2011

So much for the thought that spring would finally show up! Don’t know about you guys but I am huddled in my house being thankful for central heating! Something I usually reserve for late November and December days. I live up on the top of a hill, which is great for views, not so great for wind and weather. I have woken up the past three nights to hail and ice, only distinguishable from the sound of rain and snow by the assertive plink, Plink, PLINK on the window panes.

I ran today at lunch time, but had to cut my run just a bit short. The biting wind and sharp little pellets were taking their toll and I thought 6.7 is as good as 7.0. This is not a thought I usually have, much less give in to. I am typically more the, “well if 7.0 is called for then 7.9 is okay, too,” kind of runner. I can honestly say, injuries aside, that I have never cut a week short. This may not be a good sign about my attitude….

Well, blah, blah, blah…

So really, where am I “at”? Last I checked, Monday is four weeks to the magic date of April 18^th. To tell you the truth, I am not sure how I feel - and here’s why:

I had a great race on Saturday. I took a full 2 minutes off my half-marathon personal best. I ran comfortably and finished with enough in the tank to kick the last ¾ mile at well under my average pace. This on a route that was an out and back…I should elaborate that it was downhill out and uphill back. I passed 50% more people in the last 6.6 miles than passed me. It was a GREAT day. Although not exactly…I ran faster than I was supposed to, but even my coach was nice enough to say that a PR is always good and the fact that I had something left in the tank was a good sign. Can you hear the Boston Angels singing now? I was full of something on Sunday and some of it was beer and wine and some of it was confidence. I’m gonna kick that little BAA in the heine!

So back to reality and training, and I made a date to run some hills on Monday with a very good friend who is much faster than I am.

Ouch. Not so confidence-building and not so awe-inspiring.

Top that with a crappy run today (well, sort of crappy) and here I am. Confidence out the kazoo and then gone the next day. Well, kind of gone today. But I think – no, I honestly believe – that if I do my workouts and I stick to the plan, then all (ha ha ha…”all”) I have to do is get my head around to where I am and where I am going to be. The work is done; it is too late to do anything differently. I have one 22-mile run this weekend and it’s taper all the way. Okay, one 10K race…and I’m telling you now, no matter what anyone says..I am racing that event. :P

I have to believe that all the plans and cheating on the plans and running and running and running will help me make this happen. Because I cannot start doubting this now.

Four weeks. Believe or get off the bus. Tick, tick, tick…life is moving forward…

Now You See It, Now You Don't - March 12, 2011

Spring seems to have shown up this week for a little while. She came in with the robins that I saw last Sunday but then flew the coop again for Wednesday’s little snow spree (and didn’t that just stink!). Then she was back yesterday and most certainly gone again today. Seems like she is collecting a heck of a lot of frequent flier miles with all this coming and going? I know a few people who’d like to cash in on her perks and head south for Spring Break - myself included, to tell the truth.

Yes, even I am tired of the snow and cold and gloom. Specifically, I am tired of running in it. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy my winter running, if only because I can thump my chest (cough, cough) and boast that I have not run indoors (other than through an airport) in over two years. That’s running 4 – 5 days a week not counting occasional off weeks after major events. Nope, not inside since I went to Cabo San Lucas and it was too dang hot to run outside. I just don’t do treadmills. Does it make me a better runner? I doubt it, but that which doesn’t kill me theoretically makes me stronger. At least that is what I keep telling myself. Last Saturday’s 18+ miles skittering on the ice should have turned me into Superwoman! And honestly, I felt like Superwoman…or at least moderately above average woman! Super might be pushing it. I really was feeling pretty stoked and very confident about the upcoming event.

Then, like I said, it seemed as if Spring had truly sprung after the little Wednesday hiccup. Until I looked at the weather report and noticed that a Saturday long run (today) was looking to be more than the typical sufferfest (er, challenge) with cold temps and strong winds. I like to run out in the surrounding countryside which leaves you a little vulnerable as far as the wind goes. And it never seems to actually be at your back. Anyway, my priorities in life are a little skewed because I planned ahead and took vacation time on Friday. I bumped my long run up so that I could run my 20 miles in the (predicted to be) gorgeous Spring-like weather.

Unfortunately, now you see it and now you don’t applies to much more than just the Spring season. Friday’s run sure momentarily wiped my confidence away. It was not a successful run by any stretch and I am was really feeling more than a little sore and mentally beat down afterwards. But I am reminded that when I trained for my first marathon, every long run was a major beat down. Last year when I trained for Des Moines it seemed that every other long run was a beat down. So the fact that this one long run was not exactly awe or confidence inspiring isn’t really that much of a surprise. I think even the best of the best have some lousy runs and then just have to move on. I moved on right into the cold water soak and then warm shower to head out with some good friends. The excellent company and the Sprecher Amber perked me up a bit, as did the cheeseburger. The compression calf sleeves were my secret weapon (and always a fashion statement). While I am a little tired and sore today, I’m feeling a lot less beat down and beat up.

This week is a “recovery week,” so I am heading off on a Spring Break trip of my own. Yep, going to Minnesota (I apparently confused north with south when I was making my plans!). The plan is to run the Lucky Triple 7 half-marathon. Actually the plan is to practice pacing and not use this as a race event. But you know what they say about the best laid plans…kidding, just kidding! The weather even looks like it might cooperate. Maybe that fickle wench Spring will actually show up? Does Spring even know the way to Minnesota? Or does she just show up there in July sometime for a week?

Anyway, I hope when I get back that she is here to stay for a few months. Because I would like to enjoy some mild weather before I have to start complaining about the heat!

WEEK 10: TIME TO FOCUS - March 1, 2011

I honestly cannot believe that this is start of my 10^th week of training for the Boston Marathon. Where did the halfway point go? Why didn’t I notice the time slipping by?

Last September, as I approached week 10 of training for Des Moines, I had bigger issues on my mind - like exactly how miserable the weather was going to be on my 50^th birthday (when I ran the Madison Mini) and how on earth I was going to keep the mosquitoes from carrying off my friends at my birthday party. Shortly thereafter, I hopped in my Jeep and headed to Canada for three weeks’ vacation. I came back pretty much just to taper and run the race. There was no extended time for worrying and doubting and doubting and worrying.

Such is not the case now when it has become apparent to me that just as surely as there is a mid-life crisis, there is a mid-training-plan crisis. Almost makes me want to run out and buy a pair of red, lightweight, minimalist shoes. Or maybe ditch the training plan altogether and run off for an extended training session at altitude with a new coach and training partners. Does Hawaii count as altitude? And can Jack, Jose and Jim really make decent training partners (or in my case more like Moose Drool, Labatts and Downtown Brown)?

Screeechhhhhhhh, bang, boom, pssssssttttttt (I really wish I had a way to insert sound effects!). Stop right there. S-T-O-P.

What I really need right now is bring my head back around and focus on this plan and this event. This is where the Space Trusstic System® hits the road. And if the road hits back, I’m gonna slap it down with my Soylet®. I have a plan, I am gonna stick to the plan and the plan will get me where I want to be. I need to trust and believe in myself. Remember why I am here, what it took to get here and how fabulous it will feel when I cross that finish line (or maybe several days or weeks later!). My new mantra will be focus, focus, focus on the positives and the “I can” and not the “I can’t”.

As for running off to altitude? Does St. Paul/Minneapolis count as altitude? I’m heading there for the Lucky Triple 7 (could there be a better race name??) to run a half-marathon shake-out race along the river on March 19^th. I’m predicting focus and attitude and success. Probably not much altitude.

Then a little bit of celebrating with the Drool!

Now We Know - Feb. 21, 2011

I am not big on uncertainty. So while my house and physical environment might be in perpetual chaos (a clean house is the sign of a misspent life…according to my refrigerator magnet), I like the larger issues to be more clearly defined.

This week the B.A.A. issued their long awaited plans to change their registration process. Plans that I would say are about 4 months past being respectful to the very people they purport to “care” about, but the have a plan nonetheless. The message boards, Twitter and Facebook are again digitally ablaze with people arguing the merits of the new registration process and the soon-to-be revised qualification times. Faster runners are rubbing their hands in glee knowing they will get earlier registration. The hair-of-their-chinny-chin-chin qualifiers (or would be qualifiers) are bemoaning that they have, effectively, been shut out.

For several days I got all caught up in these arguments, positions and predictions. It gnawed at my mind and soul and I talked it over and over and over with friends and well, kind of drove myself and them crazy with it all. It was like reliving all the same drama in the days just after the botched registration for this year’s race.

And then I came to a blinding realization in the middle of my Saturday long run. Who cares?

Seriously? Who really cares? Followed very closely by the realization that regardless of what I might think of the B.A.A. and their plan, it is their race, their plan and nothing I can think, say or do will actually have any impact on what the rules are or will be. I could stage a protest (no hunger strikes though!), write a letter or e-mail, hold a press conference and boycott the race. The problem is that, unlike many things in this country, this race is not and never has been a democratic process. It is a dictatorship (albeit somewhat benevolent) and I can either take it, or leave it. There is a bit of irony in the fact that the race is on Patriots Day.

So now I am just going to continue my training. I am going to ignore the conflict and debate and theorizing and moaning and groaning. I will show up at the start line in Hopkinton, run my race, get my mylar blanket and medal and be on my way. That is the plan, in fact, it always was the plan. I am unlikely to make myself any faster in the next 8 weeks (or at least not 20 minutes faster!). As Popeye would say “I yam what I yam”. And if I am not one of those people qualified to participate next year (or any other year), then so be it. I’m not really sure I ever wanted to actually run Boston more than once when there are so many other places I’d really rather go. And I think that is honestly the truth and not just some sour grapes talking since I am not generally a “steeped in tradition” kind of person. And the B.A.A. is all about tradition. I will gladly take my one-and-done and put that asterisk next to my name saying I qualified when the standards were lower.

Hmmmmmmm, I also hear that Iceland is just lovely in August…when they coincidentally have a marathon on my birthday weekend! Although given the recent weather, I don’t really have to go to Iceland as it seems to be just right out my front door! Places to go and things to see…

I ♥ Running and the People Who Make it Possible - Feb. 14, 2011

Today is Valentines Day. While I was wandering aimlessly around the Internet I saw a behest that all runners should write to those people who share their running life and express how much their participation in said running life means to them. I’m not big on Hallmark Holidays, but this seems like one that I can get behind because there are a few key people in my life who deserve some recognition (they, however, may not like to be publicly recognized but that is just too bad). Some names have been changed to protect the “innocent”. Skip that - I don’t know any innocent people under the age of 5.

To Jim (a.k.a. the one-person marathon support team):

You are undoubtedly crazy, perhaps even certifiable. What kind of friend drives 4+ hours to the thriving (and exciting) metropolis of Des Moines to spend 3 days with a cranky, tapering woman who runs a marathon and then can’t walk for the balance of the third day? The best kind of friend. You were incredibly brave and lucky (as was I) that the outcome was positive. Here’s hoping that we both survive the drive to Boston and the race and then the drive back. I’m even going to go out on a limb here and say that I won’t even get crabby if you laugh at me for walking funny afterwards….provided I cross the finish line still on my own power of course. I am nearly every day in awe of the fact that you haven’t throttled me yet! You would think by now that I would have learned not to push my luck…

To KT (a.k.a. Katie the Saturday Running Partner):

You Rock. You have been the best company I could ask for on a Saturday morning. Who knew it was possible to laugh so hard while running that you blew your Fuel Belt right off (that whole dangling-by-the-ear-bud thing, ouch)? Or that there were Velociraptors lurking in the corn fields around Cottage Grove? We feared the hills, we died on the hills, we cursed the hills and then we conquered the hills. Well, whatever hills Cottage Grove actually has! And who can measure how much it means to have someone join you to lift your spirits and set pace for the last 6 miles of a 16, 18 or 20 mile run? I would never, ever have made it to the start line in Des Moines if it hadn’t been for your endless belief that I would get there and then prevail.

To David (you know who you are):

We were running along one day at about the usual pace. I was sucking wind nearing a coronary and you were barely breathing (I’m exaggerating, but just a little). I voiced (in bits between breaths) a hesitant thought about running another marathon and trying to qualify for Boston. I quickly followed by saying “but I am not sure that I can actually qualify”. You said, without breaking stride or changing tone, “well of course you can, now let’s go up this hill just steady and strong”. The fact that you turned aside all my doubts, and didn’t even credit them with being worth listening to, made me feel like the (not-so-little) train that could.

Other people also inspire and support me and add much to my running life, but those would be my top three. (And the nominees are…best supporting role in a marathon run…)

And to those select few who seem to be intent on making my running life more difficult, including but not limited to: people who don’t shovel their sidewalks, people who let their dogs run rampant, people who drive like jerks, people who think running will kill me and have to tell me that, people who think I run too slow, people at work who drive me crazy enough to want to run away forever….

Whew… to all you…hey….

KISS MY GLUTEUS MAXIMUS! And now I’ll roll it out on the foam roller…

The rest of you should probably do something nice for the support team in your life who let your love affair with running, well, run your life! ♥

The Simple Things - Feb. 10, 2011

I have 4 cats. Which dictates that I (or more correctly they) have a gazillion and one toys. Sort of a million or so per square foot of house. There are bouncy balls, fuzzy balls and balls with bells. There are mice of every shape, size and color, most of which are missing their tails and ears (Ava has a bit of a fabric fetish). Scatchy pads and laser do-dads and crinkly fabric bugs. They (most likely Simon) once even put a toy mouse in my swimming bag. I found it jammed in the bottom of my swim fin and pulled it out dripping wet after I tried to put said fin on and swim. I felt like a kid who had gotten a special present from mom in their lunch box.

As you might guess, a lot of money has gone in to this extensive toy collection. I think this year they may have gotten more Christmas presents than I did.

So the other night I was lying in bed reading when I heard quite a commotion going on in the hallway. I finally leaned over (nearly falling on my head in the process) to see just what they were up to and what they were playing with.

Fortunately this time it was not a live mouse (that would be a different story). They had the little strip of waxed zig-zaggy cardboard that comes off when you open the old-fashioned rectangle package of ice cream. Which I had probably thrown at one of them earlier in the evening when, I confess, I had the ice cream. Three of them batted it back and forth and tossed it in the air to themselves and each other for at least a half hour. I think they finally lost it in the office (also sometimes politely called the junk room).

Well, who knew such a simple thing could bring so much joy?

So I started thinking about some of the simple things that bring me joy. Not the biggies like my family and friends and dreams of fast race times and retirement. Just the simple things in life that don’t cost much, aren’t exotic and don’t require “financing” or “mortgaging”.

Here’s my list as of today:

Ice cream (well duh? How else would I get new cat toys?!)
The fact that one day next week it is going to be at least 40F. I know winter isn’t really over, but we are getting so very close! I can feel it…
By the end of this month the sun is going to rise at least 30 minutes earlier. And I love waking up early with the sun. Even in the summer when it means I go to bed before the sun goes down.
Fresh strawberries. They have them now from Florida at Brennans. Good stuff but not quite as good as...
Picking strawberries locally. Not much is better than scooting your butt along in the straw (tip, wear old black pants or shorts) and picking fresh berries in the sunshine on a warm June day. Then your car smells like strawberries as you drive home just dreaming of putting them on real vanilla ice cream (see #1). No low-fat, low-sugar crap allowed. Yogurt works too.
Going out for “dinner” at Brennans. This consists of eating my way around the store as I shop. Wine tasting makes this an extra special treat. Now if only they played movies…
A seriously good cup of coffee. Some nice, smooth extra-dark roast with real cream and a touch of sugar. Has to have caffeine. Makes me want to melt (after the 2 hour caffeine buzz).
Watching a cat snooze and stretch in the sunshine knowing full well that no amount of yoga classes will ever make you that flexible but still feeling relaxed and spineless in a good way anyway.
Watermelon, the explosion of sweetness and soft crunch and then spitting the seeds at someone. Best done on a hot, hot, hot summer day. And always spit at someone you can outrun.
Leaving work early in the middle of the week (any time of year) to enjoy a nice, long, unhurried run.

What would your list look like today? Or next week or next month or three months from now?

The next time I am a little (or a lot) cranked about shoveling 3 feet of snow or running in the frigid cold or work or even not being able to run, I’m going to look back at this list and find at least one simple thing to enjoy.

The sun does come up every day! Brennans is open 7 days a week and even Kwik Trip has ice cream…although I might have to stick to the grocery store to keep up the household stock of strips of waxed zig-zaggy cardboard.

And I forgot to mention beer and cheese…

Snow Days - Feb. 1, 2011

So here I am listening to the wind howl on what essentially is my Sunday.

Unlike all the teachers who have been giddily looking forward to a snow day (maybe even two), I am somewhat of a grumbly crab. I have been on “recovery” now since Saturday. My 12 mile run turned into a 7 ½ mile run followed by a ½ mile of fast-paced limping. The end result being a tossing in of the Garmin and a grim hobble back to work. I spent the afternoon alternately icing my knee and trying to work. It was the first time I had ever ditched a workout.

Sunday while I worked I glowered at the brief periods of sunshine and calm winds but managed to not run. Wisely I had left my running clothes at home. I went to the health club and hoisted a few weights, did some exercises (a little too little probably a lot too late) and stretched.

Monday I prepared for the upcoming storms: grocery store, bank, library. I finally shoveled the small amount of snow that we had gotten on Friday night off the driveway because I had to “do” something.

This, my friends, was worse than any taper I had ever (unsuccessfully) attempted.

So I cleaned.

I cleaned my closet - I filled a garbage bag of just plain trash and I filled seven bags with clothes and shoes to donate to Easter Seals. There was some heave-hoing (who wears tapered jeans anymore??) and some letting go (I finally said goodbye to at least one pair of holey sweatpants) and a lot of head shaking (how did I end up with all this stuff?). Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, down the stairs. Even my heart got bit of a workout as I very carefully folded and put away shirts that brought back memories of people and places from long in the past.

When I was stacking the last of the t-shirts and finding a place for everything, something finally hit me. I own 32 (yes, I counted them) Life is Good ® t-shirts. I took the Snow Day shirt and set it aside to wear to work to on Wednesday (well duh!!). I gazed longingly at the two Gotta Run shirts. And then I asked myself…do I have these shirts because I believe that Life is Good? Or do I have these shirts in hopes that reminding myself often enough will make me believe that? I would like to think that it is the former and not the latter.

I cleared round one off the driveway this morning. It was nice to be out in the fresh air. I cleaned. I don’t think my house has been this clean in quite awhile! I did some weight lifting and stretching and exercising. I think planks are considerably more effective when you have a cat (or two) walking underneath you and tickling you with their tails. I was advised that complete recovery would be the best idea…until at least THURSDAY (insert sad face).

I am feeling a little edgy and “over-energized” but I am trying to remain calm. I didn’t even venture out to swimming tonight where I could have burned off a whole lot of energy and probably worked pretty hard shoveling myself out of a ditch.

I should not be looking forward to venturing out my door early tomorrow morning to go to work (no snow days there). Inevitably, the wind will blow all night and the snow will swirl and dance and then settle in a tall drift across my driveway. Said drift is usually feet, and not inches, tall, and typically requires hours of hand-numbing snow-blowing to get clear.

But at least I will have some type of legitimate heart-rate raising and aerobic conditioning activity to engage in.

But it won’t be running. Mother Nature is trying to help me out here.

What I am going to do tomorrow after work I have no idea. I guess I could clean out the garage or basement (the trash people are going to hate me)? Or give the cats a bath (now that would be aerobic!)? Bake cookies (bad idea)?

It might not be fabulous all the time, but honestly…Life IS Good. Sometimes it just isn’t good in the way you want it to be good when you want it to be good. Sometimes it requires a Snow Day. Or two. Maybe three. Surely not more than 4??

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Jan. 23, 2011

According to my last words of "wisdom," I had learned my lesson (or lessons) and was faithfully, and with foresight and benevolence, going to follow my training plan. On the dot, to the letter, exactly, stride-for-stride, dead-on, on the nose, precisely, meticulously, bang-on, dead-on. Well, just exactly the way I was supposed to.

So I got what I have come to realize is mostly what you generally get out of life and living (and running)…which is two steps forward and one step back. 2 out of 3. 67%...a success rate that would have flunked me right out of college.

This was my recovery week, a concept I have a difficult time grasping since I haven’t actually done anything since my marathon that I think is worthy of recovering from. I set out on Monday AM early. thinking that I was going to crank out my speed work…what little I had in my recovery week…before it got bad and before the sidewalks/roads were bad for days to come. I was being proactive, I had foresight, I had a plan, I had smarts, and in the end, I had no idea what I was in for. I ditched my intervals about ½ mile into my "into the wind warm-up". I kissed off my 3 mile pace run when I couldn’t come within 45 seconds of my target pace after running hard, Hard, HARD and then rounding the first corner into the biting wind (smoooooch!). Or through the seemingly random 6 inch drifts on the sidewalks.

So what exactly made that whole experience a step forward?

Hey, know when to say when. Push the "Easy" button. Dial back and enjoy the horizontal snow. Take comfort and solace in the fact that you didn’t completely throw in the towel (good thing, since that towel came in handy later when I got back) and still chalked up some good miles. Adjust, adapt and have a plan B or C or D or Z. And now I know what it is like to pick icicles out of my eyebrows. Good practice for that Antarctica Marathon I have been eye-balling.

Score one for me, let’s put it in the plus column. Go Team Crystal!!

So I spent the rest of my Monday "recovering". Unless you count dealing with the 15 gazillion tons of snow that dropped out of the sky on Monday. "Dealing with" consisting of shoveling, snow blowing and pulling the snow blower over on myself when I slipped and fell in my own driveway. Fortunately the "business end" of the snow blower was facing away from my body and the scarf over my face muffled the less-than-fit-for-small-children words that came out of my mouth. I ended up with nothing more than a bruised (and frozen) rump. Okay, if any of my neighbors saw it, then my ego might be a bit bruised as well.Hopefully they were still sleeping. Hopefully you don’t notice that this could count as a half step back…shhhhhhh…don’t tell. I was good at swimming. Really…I was…

Fast forward to less than successful (not precise, not on the nose, not dead on, not…well, you catch my drift) intervals when I actually ran them. Too fast. Damn it. %$$#,,,grrrrr. Bad words…more bad words and *&^%!! &8^%#W…Oh &*)$%%####! Exactly what about x:yy per mile is so hard? I look at my Garmin. I slow down. I stop looking at my Garmin and apparently I speed up. Up, down, up, down, up, down…please insert scream of frustration heard around the world (okay maybe just my block) here. RIGHT HERE. They could have been worse, but oh boy, they could have been better. Maybe my Garmin is selectively wrong? Maybe…

Score one for the other side. If I knew who exactly was the "other side," I would gladly give them credit (and maybe pummel the crap out of them). That would be an entirely different blog…written by a different person.

So fast forward to this weekend and just WOW…oh WOW. Cold yes. Very cold…yes. But oooooo la la. Sunny and no wind (no wind, No wind, No Wind, NO WIND) and look ma no hands. Do you hear that giddy, breathless, excited to be running again voice in my head? It had to be reverberating around the entire town. He he he…giggle, giggle, and giggle. I could run 40 miles in this. I could. I want to, I want to…oh my gosh can I? Can I? Can I? I feel like Doug the dog in the movie "Up"? Can I Master?

Er, heel. No. Not this weekend. Other times will come…

Heavy sigh…

Push the easy button…stick to your planned miles.

Score another one for me… (man I am still cheesed off about that though)

67%. 2 out of 3. Drummed out of college. But definitely a Happy Dance (Snoopy around the piano…Google it, I dare you). I know you can hear that tune…

Two steps forward and one step back.

A rate of progress that seems inadequate but that I suspect will, in all reality, get me there…in both life and running. Giddy, breathless and excited to be running…yes I can! So can you!!　

Hearing, Listening and Heeding - Jan. 15, 2011

When I was a young adult I think I merely heard advice. It sounded much like adults in a Charlie Brown TV Special. Brahhhhhh, blah, bwah, blah, mwah, naw, blah…. I heard noises but I really didn’t listen to what they said. I was, after all, master of my own universe and quite capable of managing my own life, thank you very much. I may actually be the poster child for not listening.

When I started running it wasn’t very hard to ignore all of the advice I heard because I really hadn’t heard any! My “training plan” consisted of a half-page of scribbles on a sheet of yellow legal pad that said run one mile three times per week at an easy pace for the first 3 weeks. And none of it applied anyway. I couldn’t run a mile at an easy pace because everything was a hard pace. My heart rate shot up over 85 % just walking up to the treadmill. A quarter mile at a shuffle had me ready for the coronary care unit. Cool down stretches consisted of bending over while dry heaving.

Unbelievably, I managed to work my way up to 4 miles without giving up, getting seriously injured or expiring. I survived my first triathlon and even though I walked most of the run, I was hooked on running.

Enter phase two.

I started listening. Meaning that I consciously looked for information about running and training…websites, books, magazines, new-found running friends… and I actually digested it, sorted it, “understood” it and could spout it off at a moments notice. I have amassed what seems like a mountain of factual knowledge. I listened and learned.

Enter phase three.

I was armed to the gills for my first marathon with a plan that I had culled from the myriad of plans scattered across the Internet. I had every week scheduled, with long runs, interval sessions, tempo runs and recovery runs all at exact paces – things I KNEW every good plan should have. I had race day strategies and back-up plans.

But what I didn’t have was the smarts to actually follow the plan. Even though I knew I was supposed to run 5 miles at marathon pace, I actually ran 8 miles at 10K pace. I ran every long run at a lung-blistering and leg-burning pace that left me limping home.

I survived the marathon…after bolting at the start, fizzling by mile 15 and dragging butt to the finish. At the finish line the very first thing I said was, “I am NEVER running another marathon”. Heavy emphasis on NEVER. We all know what that means.

Let’s try to enter phase three again.

I was a reformed runner for the Des Moines Marathon. I “did” the plan. Sort of, well kind of, maybe, not exactly. I thought I did. In hindsight I see that I ran more miles most weeks than the plan called for. I ran more hard miles. Pshhhhhhh…9 miles at marathon pace? Heck, I can do 11. Easy run? Sure… how about 15 miles at marathon pace? Recovery? Sure, I can do that…right after I get back from a grueling Masters Swim class (but hey, I am not kicking) or a 40 km “relaxed” mountain bike ride. Core exercises? Hip strengthening? I am just too tired. Stretching? Yep, right out on the couch with a beer. Back off the volume to let my plantar fasciitis heal? Sure, for about 24 hours. I ran the race over and over and over before I even got there.

I’m surprised I got to the actual race.

So, let’s try to enter phase three again.

I have paid money for my training program. Already I admit that I did a bit of violating in the first two weeks. A few intervals too fast. A few miles too many. Some grueling swim workouts and not enough rest for my whole body, my whole self and certainly not my foot. I was eyeing up that forbidden path yet again and this was beginning to sound all too familiar.

But this time you can insert wise words from coach here. Right here. Something clicked along with his words. The light bulb went on. There were several “Ah Ha” moments. And I finally realized that I didn’t really want to repeat the whole grueling experience yet again. Because I didn’t (and don’t) think that I could take it again. All the horror stories of people overdoing the hard work and under doing all the other stuff finally penetrated my incredibly thick and impermeable-to-reason skull.

If I drive myself into the ground, I might just drive myself permanently right out of running. That thought bears repeating…if I drive myself into the ground, I might just drive myself permanently out of running.

So week three? I hit my intervals, paces and miles. I ran s-l-o-w, even for me. I ran slower than the plan called for. I cut a run short when I ran out of emotional gas. I did my core and strength workouts. I went to bed early almost every night. I swam a workout a smidge easier than I normally would have and that was a big step for me.

I am ready to concede that I cannot do this on my own. I need to hear the advice, actually listen to the advice and then put thought into action (or in my case sometimes, non-action). I need to heed the advice.

The real test will come next week when I face the first “Recovery Week”. It could be ugly. Then again, I might be caught up on my reading, have the cleanest driveway in town (I hear we are getting snow) and have all of my laundry done! Maybe I need to move the furniture around? I could paint I bet the cats want to go for a walk. What if I just…

Week One and it All Goes to Hell - Jan. 2, 2011

Psssssssssss s s s s s s s s ss s s. Week one of training for the Boston Marathon has gone by sort of like the air being let out of a balloon. And now I feel a bit like that shriveled, limp and lifeless balloon. To call this week of training a “let down” would be kind. To call it disastrous might require more enthusiasm than I can currently muster.

Nearly everything that could go wrong has gone wrong prompting me to wonder if Santa himself decided that what I really needed for Christmas was a change in last name…to Murphy that is. There were a host of little things that went wrong, along the lines of coming back from my inaugural Boston Marathon Training Program run only to discover that I ran for 40 minutes with my shirt inside out. Bigger issues arose like nearly getting hit by a car while crossing the street (in a crosswalk, at a light no less). My plantar fasciitis has flared up, my ankle hurts and a new pain has developed in my right knee. A simple trip to the mall turned into a headache inducing disaster.

Every run this week was a major struggle. Heck, 5 miles in the howling wind that actually stood me up a few times at the New Year’s Day Dash was the best it got. Every step felt weird, every stride felt hinky and awkward and everything chaffed and rubbed. Most times it seemed as if there was an ever tightening band around my chest that prevented any oxygen from getting in.

By the end of my late morning easy run today, I was ready to throw in the towel (hell, the entire linen closet), rest my foot on a bag of frozen peas for the next 4 months and say “Screw this crap”.

So for 3 hours, I did just that. I sat on my butt in my favorite chair with one of my cats, my foot on a bag of frozen peas, snuggled under some blankets working on a thoroughly different New Year’s resolution. For 3 hours I didn’t think about running, I didn’t think about Boston, I didn’t read running books or magazines. I didn’t think about my strength workouts or my core workouts or any other workouts. When my foot was numb then I laid in a very hot bubble bath till I was shriveled but still not thinking about those running things. For those three hours I giggled out loud and just let my breath go in and out and focused on a different part of who I am.

It has been 2 and a half months since I ran Des Moines and qualified for Boston. Then boom bam! I registered and I was then committed to running Boston. Everything has revolved around running from planning the trip, getting hotel reservations, telling friends and family, getting a training plan and on and on. Boston, Boston, Boston. I was tired of thinking about it before I could even start training for it. I had myself wound tighter than my brother-in-law’s grip on his wallet. I’m surprised that my head didn’t explode or maybe even implode.

Those three hours did me a world of good. And now, well I am going to indulge in a more of my thoroughly non-running resolution. Tomorrow’s speedwork won’t go any better if I fret about it all night.

If you’d care to join me in my non-running resolution, grab a book. This year I’m working my way through all of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels since 1917 (when the awards started) in random order. First up is The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1921). Thankfully it includes a great deal of comedy interspersed with all the serious stuff.

Isn’t that what running should be? A lot of comedy and fun interspersed with the serious stuff? Now that sounds like training plan that I might be able to live with.

Berkeley Running Company
Shorewood Shopping Center
3234 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-3516
608-395-2375

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Berkeley Running Company
Shorewood Shopping Center
3234 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-3516
608-395-2375

Empowered by

Berkeley Running Company Shorewood Shopping Center 3234 University Avenue Madison, WI 53705-3516 608-395-2375

Empowered by

Berkeley Running Company Shorewood Shopping Center 3234 University Avenue Madison, WI 53705-3516 608-395-2375

Empowered by

Berkeley Running Company
Shorewood Shopping Center
3234 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-3516
608-395-2375

Berkeley Running Company
Shorewood Shopping Center
3234 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-3516
608-395-2375