Working out with Tek

Making kids sweat

2012-02-12T07:54:00.003-05:00

It has been an active week, picking up running again but I've also been trying to cross train. Cross train is really athletic speak for "do something else so you don't overwork your running muscles."

But the big thing was covering for the Phys Ed teacher on Friday. That meant a bunch back-to-back periods of letting kids throw things at each other and, every so often, getting to throw things at kids. It's a great feeling to just make kids cut loose, sweat and have fun. This week it was the foam pins set up on either end of the gym and dump a bunch of yarn balls that look amazingly like tribbles into the middle of the floor.

I started each session reminding the kids "Whose house? MY HOUSE! Which means MY rules." I didn't care what the PE teacher normally had, they were my rules. I entertained them with the rules getting them to participate by telling them when to stop (at the center line); charging kids who I knew were good sports to ask if I could peg them deliberately (and the kids yelling "NO") and ended with: play hard, play safe, play fair and we'll (everybody) HAVE FUN!

Now here's an interesting observation, the kindergarden kids who cry over anything would crash into each other, get nailed in the face and everything else and jump up laughing. The first graders would complain about "it's not fair" and I would tell them "you'll live, get back in there your team needs you...." The surprise was the third graders - they dropped liked flies. I think six of them ended up in the nurse's office at some point.

At one point, I noticed a couple of kids trying to hide in the corner. I made one of them gather yarn balls to toss back into the field of play. The other one began playing at that point. That "Damn! I'm busted!" look on his face. The other one kept moving slowly, so I made him run 2 laps around the gym, which drove home the "oh, she's serious about the sweating thing..." and started playing for real.

During the 3rd grade session, a kid nailed me in the forehead with a tribble (as I refer to the yarn/fuzz/puff ball things) by accident. It hurt like anything and I yelled, "It's on baby!" I got him about 3 or 4 times and it became open season on me by the kids. We laughed and had a blast.

The kids had a great time and I ended up logging over 20K steps on the day and got to listen to the Beatles all day. I have no voice now, but it was a blast. I kept thinking that if PE had been like this when I was a kid, perhaps it would have been a lot easier to go to PE. It wasn't a class of fear and it wasn't a competition. It was just fun for everyone: from the girlie girls in dresses to the rough and trouble boys. It didn't matter if a kid was weak or strong, it was just run and scream and have fun.

At the beginning and end of each class, I talked to kids about offense and defense. If you only have offense, you score a lot but you get scored on as much as well. If you only have defense, you may be blocking being scored on, but you don't score either. It takes both - a good offense and a good defense.

Like anything I do in school, I hope my words and actions reach those handful of kids that need to be inspired. I remind them all the time that I AM a runner even if I don't look like one. That it's not always about "winning." I don't win the races I enter, but when I cross the finish line, I feel as if I were the first over the line. I know I'm making a difference when I see a couple of kids wearing pedometers. They're wearing them because I wear mine and answer their questions and show them how it works. Last year it was the group of kids wearing the Pokemon one that came with Nintendo DS game, this year a couple of kids started wearing the cheap New Balance ones from Target.

It's nice for the kids to know that I'm not just the woman standing in the front of the room declaring, "If I can't hear the music, you're too loud and we will move to silent work time...." That when I say I'm good with the right voices in the right places at the right times that I mean it.

I really need to check in more regularly

2012-02-07T12:34:00.003-05:00

So here I've been spending lots of time using Just Dance 3 to rebuild my cardio for the past few weeks thinking, "Man I gotta lay out a training plan for Doyle's." Post it? Nah.. who wants to hear "today I got 5 stars on 'Forget You' before taking a walk on the treadmill?" Seriously.

Doyle's kept nagging me with that sort of "Horton Hears a Who" sort of, "We are here" calling me. So finally I laid out a plan in the Nike+ coaching program and started up the other day with a mile on the treadmill. Today was a 2 mile session with my treadmill and I discovered I can easily run a quarter mile with the incline at 2.5. I'm still doing walk/run intervals (.25 each) for now, and I'll be shortening the walking as I go. It won't be long before I feel good about running outside.

The other thing I'm using the treadmill for? To wean myself from music when I run. Yes I love running to music but after a woman got jumped in an area I normally run around the time I'm usually out there, I sadly realized it's time be more cautious. Right now it's listening to the alternative channel on Music Choice. It's going well.

So yes, I'm still moving. Like Dorie says, "Just keep swimming."

Day 4: Tread Lightly

2012-01-04T20:03:00.003-05:00

Four down, 96 to go.

I love things like freecycle, you never know what you'll find on there. Yesterday I struck pay dirt when I saw "treadmill." It turns out that an academic couple is moving across country and had a Proform 995 that was free to whomever would haul it away. Bless my brother and his station wagon for picking it up for me and delivering it to the house where, along with my three boys, they brought it into the living room for me.

After downloading the owners manual and learning how to use the various programs, tonight I took it for a 30 minute test walk. While I've never been a big treadmill fan, the idea of not being able to use the weather as an excuse any more is a good thing. My next move is to probably find a professional who can come in and do a tune up on the machine to make sure I have it for a long while longer... at least until I put it on freecycle myself.

Day 3: The Glider

2012-01-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

Several years ago, I picked up a Tony Gazelle glider on sale to keep in the back of the living room so I could hop on when I was watching TV. I don't love the thing, but it was there for when I needed a push.

Today I've been cleaning, organizing and next thing I know it's time to throw dinner in the oven and I made a commitment to intentionally move for 30 minutes a day for 100 days. Good thing the glider was there to save me today. I popped for 30 minutes while watching the season premier of my guilty pleasure show. The 30 minutes flew past as a result

The better news is that I will have a new to me treadmill tomorrow. The glider will head to the basement and I will no longer have an excuse not to run due to weather conditions. In then end, day three is in the book and the glider is heading to the basement.

Day 2: The Intentional Errands

2012-01-02T18:11:00.002-05:00

Today I had a few errands to run so I figured this is where I can sneak in a few minutes here and there. The first thing was doing some laps around Target. I needed to pick up a set of shelves that were on sale and figured this was an opportunity. I did two laps around the store, picked up the shelves, walked up and down every aisle two more times before finishing with one last lap.

Then I needed to run an errand in the village near the house. So I strapped on my Nike+ and walked down to pick up what I needed and then took the long way around home turning a short walk to and from the store into a one mile walk.

By the end of the day I not only logged over 30 minutes but more importantly, I logged a second day.

Two down, 98 to go.

I'll take that challenge John Bingham

2012-01-01T16:36:00.003-05:00

John Bingham (aka "The Penguin") issued a 100 day challenge. The idea is to move for 30 minutes a day - intentionally. It doesn't matter if it's playing Wii, walking the dog, going for a run or more, the idea is to get off the couch for 30 minutes a day for 100 days.

Not a bad idea. So I made my husband take a walk with me. We walked the 2 miles around the local reservoir for 35 minutes. Because it's so mild out right now, the reservoir was crowded with walkers and runners. Singles, couples and groups made their way around the periphery as the sun began to set. There were people discussing things in Russian, Hebrew and English. People sprinted past while others shuffled by. Some were wearing headphones, some weren't. Either way, it was a pleasant walk with my husband.

I discovered this a couple of hours after I signed up for the Doyle's 5 mile race, which will be on April 22 this year. So 100 days of motion building to a 5 mile race on day 112. I can do that.

So John Bingham, I accept your challenge! Moving 30 minutes a day from now until Easter, I can handle that.

Curves

2011-12-17T11:03:00.003-05:00

With the realization I have to build up to running when it's below freezing; after all, it's that time of year, I decided to take up a trubate deal that rolled into my inbox the other day. It was for a 30 day Curves membership.

Curves, for the uninitiated, is a women's only workout place where you move between stations every 30 seconds. So it's 30 seconds of running or something in place, then work on a hydraulic strength training piece, run in place, strength train, etc for a total of 30 minutes. I checked them out when they first opened a decade ago and it felt... well, stupid then. It feels stupid but necessary right now. They play peppy music and a little voice and chime come on every 30 seconds to say, "Change stations now...." About every 10 minutes or so, the voice tells you to stop and take your pulse. No one does, but the voices tell you to do so.

For a month, a combo of light strength training and running in place should be tolerable.

So for a little while, I'll be a curves girl. Heaven help us all.

An easy, uncomfortable 5K

2011-12-07T06:55:00.002-05:00

I was given the all clear to run again. My lungs were still a bit noisy, but my doctor was happy with my progress and told me I could restart running. That was a week ago and the past week has been overcoming the fear of running. All those what ifs that creep up in my mind: What if I have an asthma attack? What if I fall? What if I hurt myself again? What if I'm not supposed to be a runner after all?

I started by leaving my running gear in the bathroom Saturday night. But Sunday morning I overslept a little. Monday I went to NYC and Tuesday I was just going to watch the news for a little bit before I got in my gear. This morning I woke up at 5:30 and enough was enough. I put on my gear and came downstairs to watch the news long enough to get the current weather. 60* on December 7th? Really? Well, it was a sign to put on my shoes and get out on the road.

What if I have an astma attack? I followed my doctor's instructions to use my inhaler 20 minutes before I went out to run (which is why I waited for the weather instead of using the widget built into the TV set). My lungs crackled a little at first and then settled right down. Check.

What if I fall? Add my run this morning to the rash of tripping over the curb and going down that seem to be happening with my running buddies. I swore, got up and motored on knowing I need a new pair of running tights. Check.

What if I hurt myself again? Running with a skinned knee is doable. Check.

What if I'm not supposed to be a runner after all? That's the real question. After tripping over the curb, I decided to just run on the high school track. The plan became my 5 minute warm up walk (an unplanned trip) 2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking (repeat until reaching track) walk a lap, run a lap. Could I run a 1/4 mile? The answer was yes... repeatedly. Walk a lap, run a lap, repeat and repeat again. I averaged a 14 minute mile that way.

Not my greatest run, but I did it. I beat back the bed magnet, I beat back the what ifs and I found my body, in spite of pneumonia, didn't betray me fully.

It feels good. It feels like progress and it feels like I'm ready to set goals and get moving again.

Pneumonia ... really?

2011-11-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

So the respiratory stuff turned out to be pneumonia. Not walking pneumonia but real, full-blown "if you don't promise to stay on the couch we're putting you in the hospital" pneumonia.

After a month of going from running a couple of miles to zero and a month of being winded walking up a flight of stairs, I am both happy and sad to say that yesterday I walked 1/3 of a mile to the store to pick up my prescriptions and 1/3 of a mile home.

Yesterday, 3 weeks after being diagnosed with pneumonia, my doctor still hears rattles in the base of my longs, but the rails and most of the crud are gone. I told the doc that I had been at the point of starting to run for real again and starting to look at races like 10ks and half marathons to train for as the season was starting to approach. She was sympathetic and said then I would have to do something she knew I didn't want to do: a course of prednisone.

Prednisone. A foul tasting drug that, at first, makes you feel like you have super powers. It also makes you eat like a horse because that little switch in your head in your head that says, "You're done eating," never gets flipped.

To give you an idea of why I hate prednisone, let me tell you about the first time I was on prednisone years and years ago. My son, who has a kidney problem, had been on prednisone for a while. I knew about it, I knew about it's side effects and everything else that went with it. So I dutifully took my prednisone and went food shopping. At the register the kids starting scanning the items. First he scanned the meats and fruits and veggies. Then he scanned the half-eaten bag of Oreos, slowed up a little at the almost empty bag of chips and pretty much empty 2-liter bottle of Coke Classic. After each item he looked at me a little more frightened. Finally I shrugged and said, "Drugs."

He chirped up and said, "Oh, OK," and finished ringing me up.

So here I am on prednisone and concerned about the graze factor but I feel like I can actually walk now. Hopefully after Thanksgiving I get the all-clear and can start a c25k program again. It will be the 5k in 5 weeks program from Runner's World because another 12 week graduate program will make me crazy. I may not be able to run the Hyannis Half at the end of February, but I'll be able to do the 10k. It also means that I have to sign up at a gym and use the deadmill for training because with the respiratory stuff, weather may be a factor until I'm finally over everything for real.

So... I'm taking advantage of the steroids and the Indian Summer weather and making sure, for at least the next week or so, that I take someone shopping with me so I don't eat my way out of the store. :)

Why it's time to take a break in spite of great progress

2011-10-24T14:17:00.002-04:00

Last week I mentioned that I knew there was a bit of respiratory issues (read: a cold) hitting me. What I hadn't anticipated was going down for the count. By going down, I mean Wile. E. Coyote get hit by a ton of bricks going down.

Yes, it was a "touch" of the flu. The aches, the pains, the fever and the "shoot me now... please" feeling that goes with all that. While the fever has finally broken and it appears as though my appetite is close to returning, I'm still pretty weak. The cough is finally starting to subside and hopefully I'll be up to walking again before the week is over. Once I'm breathing freely again, i can rebuild my running stamina.

This is going to be a long recovery until I run again after getting so close to be able to start training for Hyannis at the end of February. But here's the thing, I can adapt things. This is just minor set back to a long term goal. I can't help but feel that I recovered as quickly as I did because my body is becoming stronger.

They say the definition of success is getting up one more time than you get knocked down and I'm working on getting back up again.

Wishing for the sun, watching my watch

2011-10-17T07:55:00.003-04:00

I can feel the beginnings of a cold. The rumbling in my chest this morning was the early warning signal for me to break out the zinc. As a result I decided to alter my plans from a 20 minute run segment to run a lap, walk a lap. Some how I still managed to cover 2.5 miles during my half hour run this morning. Not bad at all for me.

But here's the thing, going out at 6 am the sun should be up, but it's not. In fact, the entire time I was out this morning, I needed to use the light on my watch. As I wrapped things up at 6:30, the sun was finally coming up enough to be able to see the numbers on there without the light.

One of the cool things about running at that time of day is watching the world wake up. If I run at the high school track, I start to see lights come on in the building one by one. On the street it's the single runner her and there. Every so often a car will go by. By the end of my run I start to see kids heading for the high school, teachers starting to arrive at various schools in the neighborhood, people heading for the earlier commuter trains, busses and other methods of getting to work.

It won't be long before the leaves start falling and I have to break out my running tights. In the mean time, I'll settle for pushing the button to light up my digital watch to keep track of time and stuff.

Running dark

2011-10-12T07:34:00.005-04:00

I took off just before 6 am for a w5+r20+w5, it was dark when I went out.

Recently I've been running on the local high school track. It makes sense since I can run on the sidewalks to the track and then, on the track, I don't have to worry about vehicles and such. It's nice and even with a forgiving surface. As a result I can run at an even pace. Today it was an 11 minute pace. :)

My goal is a 10 minute pace, so I'm coming much, much closer. Pretty soon I finish the 12 week program and I'm able to just feel comfortable running again. The long term goal is to be able to go for a nice long run on a weekly basis. Probably a 7 miler on Sunday mornings, we'll see. Right now I am able to run 20 minutes without stopping and it's a good start.

The sun didn't come up until after I was back home, making coffee and hitting the showers. Like running through the leading edge of the hurricane a month or so back, I feel really bad ass. :)

Now it's time to get a move on the rest of the day while I think about tomorrow and speedwork. Today was a good run, it reassured me that I can do this.

Running dark

2011-10-12T07:34:00.002-04:00

I took off just before 6 am for a w5+r20+w5, it was dark when I went out.

Recently I've been running on the local high school track. It makes sense since I can run on the sidewalks to the track and then, on the track, I don't have to worry about vehicles and such. It's nice and even with a forgiving surface. As a result I can run at an even pace. Today it was an 11 minute pace. :)

My goal is a 10 minute pace, so I'm coming much, much closer. Pretty soon I finish the 12 week program and I'm able to just feel comfortable running again. The long term goal is to be able to go for a nice long run on a weekly basis. Probably a 7 miler on Sunday mornings, we'll see. Right now I am able to run 20 minutes without stopping and it's a good start.

Now it's time to get a move on the rest of the day while I think about tomorrow and speedwork. Today was a good run, it reassured me that I can do this.

Hello Goodbye

2011-10-06T06:28:00.002-04:00

Today was w5+r15+w5 for 2 miles, not bad for the first cold morning of the season. But it was a bit bittersweet as I ran, as usual, listening on my Apple in-ear headphones to the playlist on my iPhone that tracked my stats on my Nike+. I thought a great deal about the man responsible for those things - and so much more.

If anything spoke to the elegance and understanding of design, it was my run. An article in Wired about 18 months ago spoke of how he was at Nike visiting his friend, Phil Knight and Nike's clumsy and/or failed designs to deliver music and record stats for runners. Lo and behold, the iPod Nano and Nike+ were born. The real reason I have an iPhone is because they added Nike+ capabilities 2 years ago and given how I had gone down twice on a run with no cell phone, it was a no-brainer.

The playlist I chose this morning is one I put together for the Tufts 10k a couple of years back. It is a combination of music used in Apple commercials and music from a Joan Benoit training mix: think Warped tour at the Apple store. What made me smile though was the Fratellis. When I started working at the Apple store years ago, the Fratellis' song "Flathead" was in the overhead mix. I remember telling my co-workers that it was my "happy running song."

It still is.

Steve Jobs is partly responsible for getting my butt out on the road and keeping it going. So as I type this on my little black macbook, moving around the page with my Apple wireless mouse, I say thank you to the man that, in spite of being CEO of one of the most successful companies in the world, took the time to send me an email telling me he didn't agree with my opinion on a company policy.

So.... so long Steve, and thanks for all the fish.

Speedwork works, who knew?

2011-10-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

Today was a w5+(r1+w2)+w5 day. The whole run 1, walk 2 thing is a form of speedwork. Me, normally I use hills as speedwork in disguise, but this is the plan so I followed it and put in 2.5 miles. One of the things I noticed was that I was covering more and more ground in those little 3 minute stretches.

I've been running on the local high school track lately. The gate has been open and there have been folks making use of it again. So it was easy to see the speed differentials on the track and it's markings. Because the sun is rising later now, I actually had to use the light on my watch for the first half on the run to check my timing. It wasn't until the 20 minute mark or so it hit me, "Oh, I can read the numbers!" So I guess there's no turning back, it's really fall.

So in the cold, dark, damp fall morning, I managed to move my butt along... all in all a good work out.

Holly Hill Farms Discover the Woods 5k

2011-10-03T04:59:00.004-04:00

I've never done a trail race before. My son is the XC runner and this is really his sort of thing. But I have always wanted to try one. Now, living in New England I can honestly say there are certain things to be expected: there are hills, there is dirt and there are rocks. After several days of rain, that dirt turns to mud.

Most trail racers revel in these realities. Me, I now see the appeal but I"m not sure if it's my thing.

Sunday was overcast and fall like. After all the rain, I knew it was going to get muddy so I packed a change of clothes knowing that I would need a shower and met up with my sister and niece to go to the race. This was on a community farm in Cohasset that has over 130 acres of woods. Four years ago they started this race to let the local community become aware and explore the woods. There were maybe 75 or so people that turned out, several had done this race before. My sister and I started in the back of the pack and my niece ran with the bulk of the pack. We rounded the first bend and it was pure, deep mud. It was deep enough that the one passable spot required carefully balancing yourself in a narrow one foot after another passage.

We rounded that first veggie patch and circled past the start line and into the fields to the woods. There were lots of rocks and roots. Not surprising, after all, it was a discover the woods trail race. We ran the better part of the first mile, but after slipping a bit in some mud, both of us quickly came to the conclusion we were walking this race. It wasn't worth hurting ourselves, so we'd enjoy the surroundings and push when we could other wise, we wouldn't sweat it.

About a mile and a quarter in, we heard someone huffing and puffing behind us. Both of us were surprised as we thought we were the last, but another woman ran past. Then, crossing a bridge over some water, she started walking because she didn't want to hurt herself either. We caught up to her quickly and the three of us walked the last half of the race together. All of us were glad we didn't wear our "good" running shoes. We joked that we were surprised they hadn't sent out a search party for us.

Just as we were coming up on the 3 mile point, I saw my niece jogging at us and we started laughing. She had tried to explain to the race organizers that we were fine, but they were concerned someone might be hurt. We crossed the finish with a lot of laughter at the 55:59 mark.

Yes I was covered in mud and yes there was definitely dirt in the skirt; however, it was a good run. I did figure out I'm not really warrior dash material - no matter how much fun it looks. I haven't caught the trail bug... yet, but it was certainly a good time.

An Odd 1.9

2011-09-28T07:25:00.002-04:00

Today there were runners... runners I say!

I've gotten in the habit of my (w4+r6)2+w5 being a walk to the local track with a run around the 1/4 mile, a walk around the 1/4 and a jog home. I've gotten used to doing this early enough that I'm often the only person on the track. It's a good thing.

Today there was a pack of 3 people doing speed work and I felt like the turd in the punch bowl as I ambled around my lane getting my mileage in. Normally faster, fitter runners don't intimidate me at all. I'm used to admiring the gazelle like creatures nature and the universe use to inspire me but today the universe taunted.

Or I should say, the runners' looks did. As the fast split shorts, jog bra skinny babe blew past, I got a "get off the track" look. I know the look from the gym I used to go to when I went right after the work crew hit the machine before heading out for the meat markets of Allston and Boston. She was followed by two runners. The man actually shot me an "atta girl" smile but the other woman gave me a look similar to the first one.

It's one of the first mornings I felt glad to leave the track for my jog home. The universe must have felt my heaviness because the dust mop was out early. His owner said he was busy examining a stick when she said it was about time for me to come running past and the dog jumped up and ran towards my direction. A couple of belly rubs and ball tosses later, I was feeling better.

I still have my chops at home too. In the 10 minutes it takes to toast my eggo, I made coffee, packed my lunch and poached an egg just at the timer dinged.

I'm off to school, most likely to be in a first grade room. I love first graders, they're still full of hugs and smiles. I don't know if I could teach them day after day, but on days like this, I prefer their happy faces to surly 4th and 5th graders who are chomping at the bit to join the "big kids" at middle school.

So another 1.9 miles and some fuzzy belly rubs are in the books on a fall day and life is pretty good as I finish my coffee.

It feels a bit more like fall

2011-09-27T07:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's run was not good, the humidity felt like worst of summer. This morning was a different story. This morning it was still humid but it felt and smelled like fall. The scent of leaves and bursts of color made this morning's quick run delightful. Today was w5+r10+w5 and it was really comfortable. Given yesterday's struggle, it was a sweet surprise to just be able to run.

This is the first time that I'm thinking the Tufts 10k in a couple of weeks may not be out of the question. I'll decide after Sunday's trail run. If my ankle feels strong after that and I'm able to continue training, then I'll go for it. If not, there will be other 10ks and races to run. Right now, I'm feeling pretty good about things but I have to remember to take it easy so I don't hurt myself again. One step at a time... one step at a time. :)

The difference between walking and running

2011-09-26T20:11:00.002-04:00

For me is about .25 miles this morning. This week is another (w4+r6)2+w5 week. The humidity was as bad as some of summer's worst today and breathing was not easy. As a result, the second run segment ended up being a w4+r4+w2+w5. Also, as a result, I was about a quarter mile shorter of what I normally do in that time.

I won't sweat it too much as tomorrow's the first time I move from a walking chunk with a little touch of running to a chunk of running. We'll see how it goes.

Hopefully the humidity breaks tonight and we're back in the right season again. It may take a few days to get there... we'll see. In the meantime, if you think that minute or two doesn't make a difference, think again.

Surrealism

2011-09-21T06:57:00.004-04:00

I love a surreal run every so often and today's (w4+r6)2+w5 was certainly surreal. There are battling weather fronts around us that produced this incredible fog bank today so in the quiet dawn. Again the gates to the high school track were open so I took a quick detour for a couple of laps. While there, I couldn't resist catching a quick shot of the school from the opposite side of the track.

The blanket of fog quiets everything while you're out there. The sound of cars are muffled, and other runners would suddenly appear and disappear in the fog. While out running through the streets and on the track, I couldn't help but think of the nuggets of some SF stories that involve a runner coming out of the fog from seemingly no where with something that could change everything we know. A tool, a weapon, a disease, a message... it was the perfect setting for that one mysterious stranger to change life as we know it.

In the end, there were no mysterious visitors or messages. Just a couple of dog walkers, runners and the rare car as I wound my way home.

Share our Strength

2011-09-19T06:49:00.002-04:00

Today is Weight Watchers Lose-a-palooza where Weight Watchers will donate $225k for every million pounds lost and $1 for every mention of Lose-a-palooza today up to 75k on social media. One of the organizations receiving the donation is No Kid Hungry part of the Share our Strength campaign which I totally support.

Today was (w4+r6)2+w5 and it was harder than what I thought it would be. I got to run 1/2 mile around the track as the gate was open this morning. It was nice to run on something flat and level. It also meant I pushed myself a little harder in some ways. Sure there really weren't any hills this morning, but that meant I felt I needed to move a bit faster as a result.

In the end, it was a good run on a crisp morning. I'm feeling good and strong as I keep on keeping on.

It's fall

2011-09-17T08:34:00.002-04:00

You know it's fall when you need a long sleeve shirt for your morning run. Yesterday was that day.

Yes the calendar says there's another week of summer, but the temps are starting to drop and it was below 60* when I headed out the door for my (w5+r5)3+w5 for 2.5 miles. Unlike the other day where the uphill run was a labor that left me huffing and puffing, I was able to comfortably do a longer loop as the sun began rise.

It was the first time in a while I saw other runners out and about, so it was nice having company on the roads before traffic picked up for the day. Not only that, in looking at my stats, I realized that I'm running at a good pace these days. I still have quite a way to go, but it's nice. Tomorrow I start the next phase where I build to running more than walking and it shouldn't be long until I get to the speed building weeks.

I'm back on the road again, and it feels great.

Recovery Run

2011-09-13T08:09:00.002-04:00

I forget how much giving blood takes out of me. After such a confident and good run on Sunday, I was disappointed at how hard today's run was. On tap this week is (w5+r5)3+w5 but what happened was a (w5+r4+w1)+(w5+r1+w4)+(r5+w5). Now granted the toughest stretches were the uphill stretches (surprise surprise surprise), but I kept going.

We'll see how it goes on Thursday or Friday.. I'm still trying to figure out the best days for running around my work and school schedules. But it's clear I still need to recover a little because my body wasn't fully ready for the strain of running uphill.

Today is a new day, time to make a new start

2011-09-11T07:37:00.001-04:00

Those words really stuck with me in my run today. The oversaturation of 9/11 coverage has left me somewhat numb. Like so many others, my heart broke that day as well; however, I fail to see how rolling around in the grief and anger then wrapping myself in a flag will make things better.

On 9/11/2002 I made my son's talit for his Bar Mitzvah. He had asked for a black, Jimmy Buffett talit. I found a rainbow of batik fabrics and worked in a piece of fabric I had saved for years from his first "big boy" quilt I had made for him. The rainbow was an echo of the first baby quilt I made for him. I spent the day watching MTV talking to teens about what they learned, how they had coped, where were they at after a year of change. On 9/11/2003 and every year since, I have given blood on this day. I would rather give life in honor of those who lost theirs on this day than wave a flag and scream "never forget."

Never forget what? The anger, the fear, the shock?

I said something to my boys that day, which started with, "I have to tell you something but I want to start by telling you Auntie Weasel and your cousin Randy are safe...." I then told them what happened and reminded them that the men who flew those airplanes into the towers were bad people. But just like the IRA bombers were a reflection of the people in Ireland, nor were these people a reflection of all the people from their faith and country. I still believe that.

This morning, the Dalai Lama posted these words to his face book page: "We need to learn from our painful memories of September 11th and become more aware of the destructive consequences that arise when we give in to feelings of hatred. This tragedy in particular has reinforced my belief that fostering a spirit of peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding among the world’s peoples and faith traditions is an urgent matter of importance to us all. We must therefore make every effort to ensure that our various faith traditions contribute to build a more caring, peaceful world."

He is right.

So today, I ran to my "Running Inspired" play list and did (w5+r5)3+w5 for just over 2.5 miles.

Now I'm going to go give blood before I celebrate my parents' 65th wedding anniversary. Go forward and live your life in peace and honor, not wallow, in the memories of those who fell today.

Efficiency

2011-09-07T06:48:00.002-04:00

When I run in the rain, I think about how I'm efficient. At least that's what I tell my students when they show shock that I run in the rain. "But it's raining?!" they often exclaim. That's when I say, "Well, look at this way, at least you don't have to take a shower when you're done."

I got my (w3+r2)5+w5 in early. I wore my bright safety yellow jacket as I ran in the dark morning as I was out there, alone. No cars, no other runners... just me, my music and my thoughts. I start back at my school today as in school support. Tomorrow I start my class for the semester. As a result I needed to clear my head so that I start the year.

But I also need to head out and pick up some coffee as we have none in the house.

So much for being fully efficient. :)

Halfway Point, you have (six) weeks to go

2011-09-05T09:41:00.003-04:00

If, like me, you run with a Nike+ device, then you know the voice. It comes on halfway through your run and tells you "Halfway point, you have (x) (parameter) to go."

I have been doing this for five weeks and this is week six. While frustration still sets in at what I can and can't do compared to what I once could do, the reality is I am halfway there. This week is the (w3+r2)5+w5 week. Next week is the (w5+r5)3+w5 week. After that it's odd intervals to get your body up to speed and such. I have a goal fo the Tufts 10k again this year. I don't know if I'll make it or not, but it's the goal.

Good Run

2011-09-01T08:13:00.002-04:00

Today was a good run, tough but good.

The problem with restarting a walk to run program is that frustration of pushing your limit at 4 minutes of running when there was a time when I could run 5 or 6 miles without thinking. Now I'm pushing myself through four minutes of running. My first time through years ago it was "Woo hoo! I can run for 4 minutes!" Now it's like, "C'mon body, you know how to do this!"

But I have 2 miles in today and feeling stronger. I have a run scheduled for tomorrow and a rest day Saturday. Next week school starts so I need to push myself out the door earlier as school starts Tuesday which means traffic in the area by 7:30 am. It won't be long before I'm running in the dark wondering what happened to the sun. But until then, I'm out in the morning to get another run in.

When the Party's Over

2011-08-29T08:07:00.002-04:00

One of my old work friends described yesterday's storm this way, "The city looks like it had a tree confetti party that everyone was invited but nobody wanted." That's a good description of what I noted this morning doing the same run [(w5+r3)2+w5] I did yesterday.

Things I noted:

- without running into head winds, I managed to add a full tenth of a mile to my timed distance
- it may have been more if I wasn't dodging branches of all shapes and sizes on the roads and sidewalks
- the air was cool, crisp and clean
- DPW crews were out busily trying to clean up after yesterday's party Mother Nature threw for us
- there was a lot more traffic, as in there actually was traffic

To make it fair, I ran to the same sound track, Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown.

It's time to start progressing to earlier morning runs as school is back in session next week. That means 7:30 am around here is a crowded mess of traffic of people trying to get to all the different schools in my neighborhood. Not such a bad thing as lately I've been giving into the luxury of sleeping in a bit more and more.

Well it's off to a full day, including registering for class and picking up my textbooks. Time to peel off the running gear and get to daily running. So goodnight Irene, I'll see you in my dreams after I get through cleaning up confetti in my driveway left by yesterday's party.

I feel like such a bad ass right now

2011-08-28T07:54:00.003-04:00

With the way the local news media folks are wringing their hands and speaking in dangerous but giddy tones, it can only mean one thing: the French Toast Alert level is elevated or higher. This time for Hurricane Irene.

At 6 am, I got up to pill the cat and there was nothing. The sun was peeking through, it was a bit windy and nothing. OK, so I turn on the news and I'm seeing images from yesterday, cut to news people telling everyone to stay home, images of an empty Times Square, more news people standing in storm winds and such on Long Island, back to the studio for more predictions of gloom and doom before the news people outside in Boston and on the Cape trying to pretend it's much worse than what's outside my window.

Seriously folks?

Through all the weather model maps showing tracking no one tells me what I need to know right now. So I tweet to @DavidWade: Where's the storm now? Can I get a 2 mile run in?

Nothing. Radio silence baby.

So I make the call as I recall a line from Zaphod Beeblebrox: "I get weirder things than you in my breakfast cereal."

I suit up and the rain comes. Seriously folks?! After hemming and hawing for a moment, after all, it's only a 21 minute walk/run scheduled today, I decide to go for it. I felt bad ass out there in my safety yellow BAA jacket and iphone enclosed in a baggie. It was rainy and windy with no one on the road. None of the usual Sunday morning runners, no traffic, nothing. Just me trotting along Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" getting wet. I hit a head wind as I came around the back of the high school by the football field but for the most part, it was a rainy day run like most rainy day runs.

Except I feel bad ass because I can now officially say, "I ran through the leading edge of Hurricane Irene."

Now, when I'm hiding under the bed when the worst of the winds and rains come through at noon time with no baseball to distract, I may not feel so bold and brave. But at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning, I feel like bring it on baby!

I did 1.5 miles of (w5+r3)2+w5 in the leading edge of a hurricane and lived to tell the tale.

it's on... again

2011-08-24T07:41:00.002-04:00

For the past year running and I have been in an on again/off again relationship. Today it is officially on again. I'm in week 2 of a walk to run program and I wasn't fully committed to week one to be honest so I wasn't sure how this would go. Then I made it out the door this morning in spite of my best efforts to stall.

Today was a (w5+r3)2+w5 day and I managed to get outside by 7 am. What shocked me was how easily three minutes came. No huffing and puffing and straining, just a good workout. It was a reminder of why I do this, early in the morning with the sun shining and the streets relatively empty (except the landscapers ogling my butt at one point as they drove past). It ended with the dust mop dog charging up the block for me to give him a belly rub and toss his little mini tennis ball a few times.

Yes, today running and I are a couple again. Hopefully this time it's for life.

Slow down

2011-08-23T11:58:00.004-04:00

The Reel Big Fish song "Take it Easy" is stuck in my head right now. One of the reasons my ankle barked and told me to die a slow, miserable painful death on the fourth of July was because I got bored. Why take 12 weeks to do a walk to run when I'm ready to run NOW!

Yeah... I see how well that worked.

So here I am, happy the ankle is happy and taking it nice and slow. I'm in week two of the walk to run and spent a half hour on the treadmill this morning doing my (w15+r1)2+w5 nice and easy. I may not be able to run a half this year, but February isn't that far away and Hyannis may be a good one half to choose.

In the meantime, I'm going to listen to Reel Big Fish.

Just a reminder

2011-08-02T08:19:00.003-04:00

I'm about to lace up my shoes for a short run but this morning, I remembered why I do this and thought I'd share about why I do this even though running can be a bit a high maintenance:

So go run already will ya... I am. :)

Wardrobe Malfunctions

2011-07-28T09:44:00.002-04:00

Skirt Sports, Nicole DeBoom's company, is really on my shit list after today.

I get it, she's an athlete and thinks that every woman should have washboard abs of steel, but that ain't me babe. I have abs that resemble the Michelin man or the Pillsbury Doughboy. So after years of being told by her reps that I should buy this skirt or that and me tossing them into the back of the rotation pile - often left untouched - today one of her skirts came up. The very skirt I was assured would fit a woman of "my size."

Here's what happened on my mile run this morning, the waist band kept slipping down and down and down until it was under my belly. I spent the whole mile yanking the skirt up, tucking my shirt in, yanking up the skirt again... and again... and again.

I compare this to runningskirts.com's product and it's night and day. They get that women like me who want to run in a skirt shouldn't be humiliated at the same time and actually design the waist band to *gasp* sit on the waist! What a concept, a running skirt that fits.

In spite of the wardrobe malfunction, I shaved another 30 seconds off my mile to 14:30 before jumping in the pool and doing my PT exercises and a few laps. The peacefulness of the pool combined with the sun and the smell of the new mown grass and buzz of lawn mowers on the athletic fields help to erase the anger I initially felt.

I'm feeling stronger and I'm ready to take on the world... after I drop a couple of running skirts off at the goodwill box.

Everybody join in!

2011-07-22T11:24:00.002-04:00

OK, the aqua jogging experiment became a lot more fun the other day when some of the older women in the pool decided to join me. I find myself a mentor of sorts because everyday I hit the pool, do my warm ups and then run in the pool for 20-30 minutes before cool down and some PT exercises.

Who knew?

Yesterday I did run a mile and shaved a minute off my time on Tuesday. The problem was I had a crazy schedule so I didn't have time to ice or elevate my ankle until much, much later in the day and by then I was limping a bit. Again, in one of those "that's weird" moments, walking was difficult but dancing along to music was not. Whatever works I guess.

Today things feel much better and I'll go back to the brace for a couple of days until things feel happy again. It was my own damn fault for not taking care of things properly at this stage of the game. I'll head back to the pool in the disgusting heat this afternoon and promise I'll do things right today.

Getting Ready to Run

2011-07-18T19:07:00.002-04:00

Today I ran in the pool for a half hour. I like the odd scissor like motion running in the pool entails, but it's been over a week of my ankle feeling like it's fine. I've been doing my ankle exercises and such so tomorrow we'll take the puppy out for test.

The road the pool is on is a 1 mile loop. Tomorrow morning I'll go for a one mile test run and then dive into the pool for some recovery. If it goes well, then I'll try again Thursday. So think of me tomorrow morning and wish me good luck.

The times they are a changing

2011-07-14T20:12:00.003-04:00

Swimming has been a good thing over the past week. I'm not as apologetic about aqua running these days and my ankle survived a full day of the Warped Tour's Mansfield stop.

But the changes will be to my blog itself. I may migrate the whole thing over to google sites, as google owns blogspot these days. I want web pages where I can add recipes and combine my neglected "What Pikas Eat" blog with this one. So expect to see changes here soon.

Something new...

2011-07-06T19:03:00.003-04:00

I started swimming again last week. The season opened at the pool and I picked up a tag so I could start doing laps during adult swim.

Then I tweaked my ankle a bit running on Monday. I'm not surprised, but it is what it is and I don't want to lose any conditioning. So yesterday I tried running in the pool with little success. It was awkward and difficult. My inner loser rejoiced at my flailing attempts to push through the chest high water and maintain posture.

But the competitive DNF piece of me reared it's head and beat up the inner loser. I hit Marshalls this morning to pick up an aqua belt (on clearance, so it was half the price of the other day... SCORE!) and strapped it on. While it was still awkward, I managed to push back and forth through the water for half an hour. A couple of the old ladies that show up for adult swim told me about using aqua belts in the past when they were rehabbing from broken bones.

As I pushed through the water today, I realized that when I'm out running again without the resistance, the results should be pretty exciting.

Today the ankle feels stronger, I think my body is liking the no-impact work outs. Tomorrow I'm trying a twice a day: running in the water for the early morning adult swim and then going back at lunch time for some laps. I have a month-long pass for a local gym so I think I'll head over there Friday and start using the elliptical to continue to strengthen my ankle in a non-stressful way.

It feels good. There's something deep inside that is waking up. It won't be long before I'm back on the road stronger and faster than ever before.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T10:42:00.003-04:00

Today: Hingham 4th of July Road Race

Distance: 4.47 miles

Finish: 1:08:??

Yes I am enough of a nerd to think, "Hey, it's July fourth, I bet HBO w

ill be showing the complete John Adams

miniseries today. Let me see if 1776 is being shown too...." And yes, I am right on both counts. I was also right that I probably should have thought twice about doing a 4 mile race the day after running 4 miles.

I love this race. It's a mostly gradual down hill slope from the start at the Hingham Middle School to the finish under the big flag flying over Hingham Center. It's a friendly race. The annual parade rolls down the street a few hours later and people line the street. Often families set up unofficial water stops and stand with hoses for runners to run through. People play music, set out flags and cheer, cheer, cheer.

One of the sights along the way is a home owner who covers the front of his Colonial every year with the US flag. It's an amazing and inspirational sight shortly after the half way point as you make the turn from Main Street towards Hingham Center.

What isn't visible in the photo is the white chimney with black stripe rimming the top. In Revolutionary times, this was to show the home owners were Tories.

The first two miles went well. After a slow start (20 seconds before we even moved) I did a run 2/walk 2 pattern. I covered the first mile and half easily when my ankle began to bark at me.

I slowed down a bit from the 13 minute pace I was maintaining but quickly realized that running the rest of the race really wasn't in the cards for me today. I am not a DNF kinda gal, so I walked on.

I had the chance to observe the number of families around me. People with younger children being coached through by parents and family members. My favorite was a young girl running with an older brother. She was struggling so he started teasing her as only a brother could. He encouraged her, he scolded her and then, when she started whining a bit, he said, "Hey, you can run or I can throw this water in your face..." that triggered the "if you do, I'll tell mom!" threat. In the end, she ran and he didn't dose her but it was a wonderful set of moments to watch.

The most difficult part of walking was not the act of walking, it was hearing the Nike+ voice in my ear that kept calling the average pace. It continued to creep up until, just as I passed the four mile mark at the 1 hour point and it declared my 15 minute/mile pace.

After four and a quarter miles, the flag over the finish was clearly visible. I decided to jog to the finish, ankle willing. I was for a bit and I headed down the last stretch of road. I crossed at 1:08 and change.

In the end, I felt strong. In spite of the twinges in my ankle that required a bit of icing and rest. Tomorrow I will swim. A non-weight bearing exercise should further help things along and I'll test things out with a short run on Thursday.

Until then, I'll retreat into American history nerd mode watching patriotic miniseries and finally diving into "Plain, Honest Men: the Making of the American Constitution."

Alway Wear Sunscreen

2011-07-03T08:17:00.002-04:00

w5 +(r2+w2 *12)+w5 = 4 miles

I lost a week of running for a simply stupid reason: I didn't wear sunscreen for an outdoor festival last Saturday because it looked like it was going to rain the whole day. The result was a painful sunburn and the discomfort of any weight on my shoulders. This meant no running bras were going to do and so running didn't happen for a week.

It reminds me of a quote Jimmy Buffett had about the international date line: "Damn, I do detest losing a day for no good reason at all. Back in my wilder periods I used to lose lots of days, sometimes weeks, but that was because of my own lack of discipline. Just to cross some imaginary line on the globe and be told that it is now Friday when a minute ago it was Thursday just doesn't seem fair, even if you eventually get it back."

I lost a week of running for no good reason. I went to CVS the other day and stocked up on spray on sport quality sunscreen so that it doesn't happen again.

But I'll take todays run. It was a bit more than I was probably ready for, but it felt good to get out and run.

What do people see?

2011-06-21T08:41:00.003-04:00

2.5 miles in 36 minutes: w5+(r2/w2*7)+w5

I went out for a run this morning, only I went out about an hour later than I normally do. While the increased amount of traffic was clearly noticeable, so were some other things. For example, at one point I saw a small group of elementary school kids heading to school and realized some of them were "my" kids. While they were engrossed in whatever it was they were doing (most likely discussing tomorrow as the last day of school), it was one of those "I hope they don't recognize me moments."

Then I became aware of people in the increased traffic. What did they see when they saw me? Did they see a plus-sized woman struggling? How would they know that it took me a month to get back out on the road? How would they know the battles I've fought with my inner loser over that time period?

Did they see me and feel a bit guilty about their drive-through breakfast and promises to themselves to be better? Did they see me as inspiration to get to the gym later or maybe to eat a little healthier?

I think about the people I pass when I'm out. Mostly we give each other friendly nods and waves or brief words of encouragement. I know they get it, I can only hope the rest of the world does as well.

Eastham Rail Trail 5k

2011-06-19T08:00:00.003-04:00

It has been a while. Life happened, as usual. First it was the race up to finals week - three 3 page papers in one week as well as studying for a stats and US History final. Then a cold and then... well, my mojo went out for a run one day and never came back.

This weekend was the Runango birthday virtual 5k, so I chose to do mine in Eastham, MA on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. I wasn't sure what to expect from myself, as I say, it's been a while and my goal was to run/walk a 15 minute mile. The trail itself is a paved rail bed for cyclists through the woods along the National Shore line on the outer side of the Cape.

The first mile was getting my bearings. I kept hoping to see the ocean, as I could smell it and knew it was nearby, only to find more trees and thickets to one side and motels and campgrounds on the other through the breaks in the trees. I ran for 3 minutes/walked for 3 minutes to see how my body would do, it held up well but it also was a bit much to maintain. Then it was run 2/walk 2 and I finished the first mile in 14:42.

The second mile was run 2/walk 2 the whole mile. Cyclist would pass with a nod and along this stretch I was passed by an deeply tanned runner wearing just his shorts, shoes and a fuel belt. As he jetted past, he yelled out, "You're doing great, keep up the good work." :) This was my fastest and most consistent mile and my split on this was 14:12.

The third mile, six weeks of lumpdom caught up with me. I was now down to run 1 minute/walk 1 minute.... damn I forgot to check the watch... I can make to the tree down there.... and other such segments. It was my slowest mile at 14:59, which is not surprising as I walked the last 5-6 minutes as a cool down.

My final time and distance was 46:20 for 3.11 miles.

It felt good to be out there. It was the first time out in my new Trance 10's, which felt great on my feet. I would have loved a beach run today, but so it goes. Maybe next time I'm down here for a weekend.

Lessons learned: I have more gas in the engine than I thought, just because Eastham is the narrowest part of the Cape doesn't mean you're on the ocean and I need to do more of this.

Happy Birthday Runango, I did your 5k and I feel the better for it.

Did I wake up in Seattle?

2011-05-18T09:03:00.002-04:00

The past week and a half, it's been looking (and feeling) like Seattle out my window. While I haven't been running (which will hurt tomorrow when I have my 4.2 mile race), I have been riding my bike, walking and otherwise keeping myself active.

But this morning I was thinking about where is my motivation as I stared at my running clothes, still nicely laid out Saturday night, still sitting where I left them. I haven't even been motivated enough to pull them on in the morning. I know I can't entirely blame the weather, but it certainly is a factor.

Which brings me to something I know: you need to set goals to motivate yourself. It's a lot easier to suck it up and pull on the running tights and head out the door if you have a training schedule and definite goals in place.

"But... you have a race tomorrow! Isn't that a goal?"

Good thought, but no, not really. It's the first of a summer series where I go out before the race and then give my time to the timing guy so I can work the finish chutes at the end of the race. This tells me I need to find a race and get my ass in gear to train. Like, can I get it together enough to run a 10k on June 5th? What about the Tufts 10k in October? Too close... too far... just right? What's the right combo?

Perhaps I'll have a better sense after tomorrow. For today, I'm going to pretend that I'm living like I'm in Seattle. I'll find a hipster outfit to wear and trek down to the local Starbucks and drink coffee while typing all day. Running will have to wait.

No excuses

2011-05-03T07:20:00.003-04:00

w5+((r4+w3)*3)+r5+w5= 2.5 miles

I blew off running the last two days because I've been writing. Yes, I took fingers to keyboard and have been busily creating characters for a 15k word novella.

And all 3k words I wrote to date stink a big one (as my 4th graders say).

So today when my gray, furry alarm clock woke me at 5:30 instead of 6 looking for food, I hauled my sorry butt out of bed, tossed on a running skirt and top, my shoes and headed out the door. It was a good run too.

The first good thing, I pushed myself a little. That first 4 minute run was tough. That watch watching, song counting sort of "can I make it?" sort of push through. I did and after that it got easier to the point where my last burst of running I was going for 5 minutes before I looked at the watch.

This week marks the beginning of Thursday night river races: good company, 2.6 low pressured miles, cheap beer and good grill food (or pizza, depending on the night) until the end of September. In fact, it's time to add a countdown timer for my first Thursday night race: the Blues Run on May 19 so this will be the last week of relying solely on time. Sunday marks the beginning of running for distances with intervals.

Progress, it's a good thing.

And now for something completely different...

2011-04-29T06:47:00.003-04:00

I'm watching the Royal Wedding and the Bishop of London quoted one of my heroes: St. Catherine of Siena: "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!"

She was an amazing woman, but I always remember Sr. Johnette (of Blessed Memory) telling us stories about Catherine when she subbed in our 7th grade room and, later, when she was my teacher in high school.

Catherine was middle class, the daughter of a dyer and poet. She had visions early on her life and chose to commit herself to Jesus. My two favorite stories of what an amazing woman she was were as follows:

- When there was a problem with church and the Pope took up residence in Avignon, France, she appeared and put him on a boat back to Rome. Every time the Pope would try to get off the boat, Catherine was there to put him right back and bring him "home" and restored the Papacy to Italy rather than allowing the French monarchy steal the church.

- She was given to visions and once, when cloistered in the Dominican convent where she was a member, she was tortured for 3 days by visions of the Devil. She stood fast and never wavered in her faith and, as a result, was "rewarded" with a vision of the sacred heart of Jesus. Her reaction was to ask him where he was for the three days previous when she needed him.

I figured any woman in the 1300's with a set like that was one of my heroes. She stood up to the Pope (and French authorities I'm sure) and to Jesus... that's one amazing woman. But Catherine's words are ones to live by. As you go forward, keep those words in your heart and set the world ablaze.

Thundering through Thursday

2011-04-28T07:32:00.003-04:00

This morning's run started with another gift from Ms. Kitten. Yes, I had to wrap another mouse in a paper towel shroud and dump it back into what's quickly becoming a mass grave of mice behind the shed.

Ah nature!

I'm glad I got out when I did as I could feel the thunderheads building as I was out. Unlike the other day when it felt like running through a cloud, today felt like trying to outrun the storm you can see coming. I think about all my friends in areas where tornado klaxons and severe weather has been their reality for the past couple of weeks and pray they're OK out there.

I'm grateful Boston doesn't get tornados (although, occasionally a freak happens and touches down in the Worcester area). We get microbursts which are scary enough, but those are usually in July.

But I did run, or outrun (as the case may be) the building weather. In my last w5+(r3/w3*4)+r3+w5 segment, I made it through with no stops. At first my lungs were pretty tight between the pollen and heavy air, but I pushed through and it wasn't long until my breathing was able to find a rhythm that matched my feet and the music. My music was in shuffle mode and seems to have felt pretty Indy today - stuff from Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Thick as Thieves and Passion Pit... even Feist popped up in there among others. A nice change from my usual running stuff.

Ms. Kitten is now curled up in my office, content that she is doing her job and I'm content to head out the door after breakfast and a shower to do mine. My next run on Sunday will be switching off from r3/w3 to r4/w2 - building a better aerobic base. I can live with that.

One Misty Moisty Morning

2011-04-26T07:20:00.003-04:00

Sometimes runners are surprised by what they find when they go out for a run. Today was one of those days.

It was supposed to be a r3/w3 morning running through a cloud, but then Johnny Kelley stopped me. I love running past this tribute to a Boston and running legend. In the spring as things begin to flower around it, it's even more of a tribute to the man and all he represents.

It's not unusual for people to use the statue as a place to stash necessities for long runs: bottles of sports drinks, snacks and such; but also people leave tributes behind as well. Silent, personal testimonies laying bare their soul to perfect strangers that may or may not notice.

This morning was such a morning where there were three testaments of Johnny's meaning in this world. The first was someone hung their BAA medals from the 114th running of the Boston Marathon (last year's 2o1o marathon) on Johnny.

The second was a tribute to a fallen loved one. His picture posted to the tree by the statue with flowers that had faded with the photo simply labeled with a name and his dates.

The third was an empty pair of running shoes next to the base of the statue:

So today I ran 2.5 miles in a fog with 3 minute intervals - 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking - with one pause in the middle to be surprised, and touched, with a clear vision of why I do this.

Easy Peasy Track Assessment - Easter Edition

2011-04-24T08:53:00.003-04:00

2.9 miles w5+r3+(w 1/4 mile+r 1/4 mile *3)+w3+r3+w5

Long formula for a short workout: I ran to the local HS track and ran 1/4 mile then walked 1/4 mile to get a sense of my current pacing. The surprise, I'm running an 11:30 mile. The not so surprising, I was walking closer to a 20 minute mile. Usually I walk faster but this morning the energy wasn't there to push the walking and the running, so I pushed the running.

Overall I'm doing a 13 minute mile - not bad considering it wasn't that long ago I ran a 13 minute mile.

The plan this week is to start increasing the running and backing off the running. I need to push my lungs a little and get past the usual sharp, pointy asthma stick my inner loser pokes me with when I let my guard down. I think I'll still run time instead of miles for another week until May 1. Then I need to train for races. In fact I signed up for the "Lets Run, Have Fun and Be Fit Series" this summer.

Yep, this year I'm running it and not working the timing chutes. I'll do t-shirts, registration, whatever... but this year I'm going to run the races. :) :) :)

But for now it's time to get out and enjoy the spring day. What are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy the day.

Familiar Ground

2011-04-20T11:04:00.003-04:00

I had a chance to run on my old running trails along the river.

I started running there because I didn't want people to see me running. I would struggle along, inhaler in hand, counting the seconds until I could walk again. Then I began running along there because it was pretty. Finally it was just home.

When we moved four years ago, it was just far enough away that it takes effort to get there, so I found a new running route and pined for my old trails.

As it's school vacation week and I have a few days to breathe, I thought "why not?" As I pounded over the path, I marveled at how nature changes everything it touches. Branches and small trees damaged by the rough winter, benches that are normally far from the river's edge swallowed up by the spring overflow, wooden pathways that feel a little more weather beaten... it was beautiful. While it's too early for the baby chicks, I did encounter a Canada Goose. The thing was almost 4 feet tall and stood in the middle of the path looking at me. He sauntered over to the edge to let me pass, never taking his eyes off me. I nodded and he dipped his head a little and I kept going.

When I turned around and passed back that way, he was gone.

So a raw, drizzly 2 miles for me today down memory lane at w5+(r2/w2*5)+r2+w3

Photos from Boston

2011-04-20T08:28:00.007-04:00

I started going to the Boston Marathon to watch back in the mid-70's when my oldest brother decided he wanted to do something big before he turned 30. He was a bandit runner and we waited near my uncle's house just past Wellesley College. Over the years, my brother continues to run Boston. The years he couldn't, usually due to injury, my sister-in-law would have to book a vacation and get him to leave town so he wouldn't jump in at the last minute. We continue to watch. After my uncle moved, we waited at Newton City Hall, Cleveland Circle and up near the top of Heartbreak Hill just before BC.

Some years he finished, some he didn't. This year would mark the 30th time he ran Boston.

For the past three years, my youngest son and I work at the Mile 18 water stop, giving aid and encouragement to runners while waiting to cheer on my brother and others we know who run the course. Some of them qualify, some of them get numbers through running clubs, like L Street, some are charity racers and some political. We cheer for people with names on shirts, we cheer for things written on shirts, chests, hats or anything else distinctive. I always consider my "job" an honor, it's our way of giving back to the people who worked hard and trained to be there.

Before things get really hopping, you can get photos of leaders. By the time some of the favorites come through: Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Hoyts, etc.; we're too busy to snap away.

But I always take a minute to get one of my brother. :)

Setting up the water stop at Mile 18 with Gatorade in the front and six water tables behind, the other side of the road is about 100 yards before our stop to keep things moving. This is after we got the initial set up done:

Our first soldier in full gear came through at 10:08 am:

The Yankee Division wasn't too far behind him:

The first male wheelchair racer went flying through:

The first Women's wheelchair racer was also amazingly fast:

Kim Smith, when she still had a comfortable lead:

and the rest of the elite women's pack:

Usually the women are on the opposite side of the road, we were surprised and shocked they passed so closely this year.

The elite men with Ryan Hall in the lead:

My son (left) and my big brother (right) :)

Now that my brother is retired, he is working for a group called "Back on my feet," an organization that promotes self-sufficiency to the homeless by building confidence and self-esteem through running. He also coaches kids locally with Dreamfar, which does the same thing with high school kids who tend to fall between the cracks and are struggling. He'll run a bunch of marathons with those folks, coaching people through. He'll run some others for himself.

One thing this son and I have in common, we dream of running like our big brothers who have a natural gait and talent for this. All of us love getting out there for a little while where it's us and the pavement and nothing else.

Boston Marathon

2011-04-18T22:38:00.002-04:00

This is my third year working the Mile 18 water stop at the Boston Marathon. It's hard work but a rewarding job.

We got there shortly before 8:30 am to start preparations. First order of business is lining plastic trash cans with plastic liners, dumping in a few pounds of ice and adding a second liner which we then fill with large jugs of water. With the tables set up and water ready to go (the people at the other end were mixing gatorade, but I prefer the water tables), we were called in by our fearless leader who gave final instructions, passes out our jackets and set us to task.

Our stop had 4 Gatorade tables and 6 water tables. We worked in pairs and trios to fill cups and build it three or four layers high. When we were done, it was hurry up and wait.

First sign of life - a lone soldier in full gear just after 10 am. Shortly behind him came a company of folks from the Yankee Division. Then the excitement really started as the wheelchairs came flying through. those babies can move and it never ceases to amaze me how fast these folks really are. Finally it was time for the runners. Kim Smith passed so closely that I could have touched her, followed by the knot of elite women.

The elites don't normally take water from us, they power past towards the big incline of Heartbreak Hill. We cheered them on. It wasn't long before the men's timing and press trucks passed. The tightly knotted pack with Ryan Hall in the lead blew right past.

Now it was time for the runners. The waves started and we screamed encouragement and "water, we have water here..." to let runners know. (They need to know if they are going for water or gatorade). For the next few hours it was shoulder to shoulder folks. I was one of the folks running back and froth from the table to the "I have water here!" folks.

Right around noontime, I could see the carpet of cups starting to build up. I jumped from my runner position to clean up duty. A rake in hand, I began raking up the cups to inside the white breakdown lane line so runners had a clearer road to run down. For close to two hours I raked until someone gave me a break and I held the trash bag while she raked.

Just after the 2 o'clock mark, my brother came through. He looked tired but good and he stopped for a moment to chat before heading off on his way.

At 3 o'clock the police came through telling us they were going to reopen the course shortly. By then we had cleaned up much of the mess. Once more people broke down their tables and jumped on raking duty, we had both sides of the road looking better than we found them. By 3:30 we had finished the final walk looking fore empty gu containers, cups and other trash.

We all headed out for some beer and lunch Another year in the books . There were plenty of costumed characters - lots of easter bunnies (the small children near us did count the and called one toward the end "bunny number seven" so I guess there were at least seven or eight bunnies; a gorilla, french fry, several ballerinas (male and female), Elvis and a few others showed up to give us a laugh between our yelling "water, water.....) and a moment to breathe.

All in all a good day for a race. One year I'll run Boston, but for now I'll be content to run Comm Ave in the wither and pretend to feel a victory.

Good job Boston runners, you're all winners today.

Spirit of the Great Heart

2011-04-17T08:18:00.003-04:00

Today's run: w5+(r2/w2)+r1+w5 for 2.3 miles

I woke up to Miss Kitten wanting me to come downstairs (at 5 am >.<) to show me something. I could hear the rain coming down and realized I wasn't going back to sleep, so downstairs it was.

She danced around at the bottom of the stairs to give me "Here, does this cheer you up?" present - a little mouse on it's back in front of the front door with its little paws up in the air. My cat loves me. sigh

By 6 the rain had let up to a drizzle/light rain, so I suited up and out the door I went. I found an old play list called "Running Inspired" and listening to it was like reconnecting with an old friend. The opening strains of Jimmy Buffett's "Spirit of the Great Heart" really were enough to get me over the hump.

The road was surprisingly empty for a Sunday morning. Often I see other runners out and about this time of day, but I only passed one other person. Even when I got to the running lanes there was no one out - not even dog or fitness walkers. I suspect the roads will be busy later as the sun starts to come out as the storms have passed.

I am feeling stronger and continuing doing the ankle exercises. I haven't needed the inhaler while running since restarting and I'm starting to feel the aerobic ability starting to extend in my lungs. While I wish I could run like I used to, today was one of those days where I caught a glimpse of where I can be and now it's just reminding myself to have the patience to get there. I have the spirit of a great heart, and I will get there.

I need to get this off my chest

2011-04-16T07:18:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I went to the Boston Marathon expo and it amazes me how clueless some companies are to women runners, and larger women runners particularly.

I go to Weight Watchers because I need a level of accountability, not because I need a therapy group or for fun. I also have the double whammy of a minor autoimmune issue that interferes with my thyroid so, even though I'm this side of "normal" and don't need meds, it does mess with my ability to lose weight. I'm trying to go from being a big girl who has every bit of food in my life scrutinized to unique like everyone else. I run because I love having that time that is solely mine and the sense of accomplishment that goes with it.

So why is it the running magazines try to tell me that they use "real people" and open to a section to prove it. When I ask them to find one person that looks like me (as they still look like those gazelle like creatures that bound weightlessly from the earth), the people hem and haw and then say, "Well, you could write a letter to the editor...."

At the clothing manufacturer booths, they hold up a woman's XL and it looks like it would fit.... if I didn't have chest that gives me two black eyes when I run if I don't double bag (which I do) and doesn't cover up my gut. Who do they think I am? Britney Spears at the height of "look at me! I have skin and it's E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E! My epidermis is showing along with other body parts!" phase.

I look a lot... um, rounder than Brit Brit ever has. This leads me to the other side of the booth to get the men's large, which fits over my chest. When I mention this to the shirt folks, they shrug and say, "Hey, if it doesn't fit, don't buy it."

The only people who got it were the Running Skirts people. One of the women looked at me and said, "I have your size." She handed me a skirt to try on. The shorties fit, the length was perfect and the waist band sat on my waist the way it was supposed to instead exposing my butt crack. The woman helping me said, "I was your size last year, trust me I know this will work for you." ♥ ♥ ♥ She is the first person since the iRun Like a Girl folks to acknowledge that I want to look as nice as the people I aspire to look like one day.

We talked about how the women in my WW meeting and I often talk about how unfair it is we don't get to wear "cute" clothes when we work out, how frustrating it is. Finally I have something that sits properly so I don't have to wear 2 tops running because if my shirt does the inevitable crawl, there is fabric covering my belly and I don't feel obscene running down the street.

So to the running gear and information folks out there: I'm a big market. Not just because I'm big but because I'm the majority of Americans who find themselves curled up in a funk rather than be relegated to oversized sweats and t-shirts hiding so you can't see me while I try to battle my way back to my normal weight. It's a double blow to be fat and be reminded of it at every turn as a result of the lack of work out clothing for us. You actually could make a lot of money off our desire to step back towards normal.

Until then, all of you can kiss my rather large posterior after you take an airborne act of fornication at a round breakfast pastry in motion. I'm about to get vocal and become an advocate because you delivered the straw that broke the camel's back yesterday.

Life is a dance

2011-04-14T07:17:00.002-04:00

Last day of w5+(r1/w1*10)+w5 and I spent it with the fabulous Miss Chaka Khan!

I love running to funk and soul, like the angry Irish punk I also love, it has a steady beat to drive through even the weakest, "Why am I out here?" moments. Chaka Khan, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, the Parliament/Funkadelics... I love it, I love it all.

A good run on a clear, chilly morning was just what I needed to clear my head of petty dramas that play out around me (and all of us) everyday. It's just me, the road, my watch and my music. All in all, a good way to start off the day no matter what else rolls downhill at me today.

Good morning, good run

2011-04-12T06:53:00.002-04:00

w5 +(r1/w1) +w5

A good run is a good way to start your day. In the quiet of the morning before the rest of the world is waking up is a special time of the day. This is the time of year when the air is fresh and clear and the temps are just right for running. It's the sort of morning that makes you smile, knowing you're on top of things... even if it's just for the length of the run.

I chose to keep it light today after going long on Sunday. Right now it's about rebuilding the habit of running after a winter on the couch. I also made it out early enough that I suspected the local high school track would be open, I was right.

Jogging and walking on a level, forgiving surface is a nice change of pace over running on asphalt and concrete. It felt good out there and I had to hold myself back from going outside the (r1/w1) parameter. The logical side of me knows that if I push too hard now, I end up back on the couch nursing another injury, so I have to pull up on the emotional reins no matter how free and happy I feel in that moment.

What a way to start renewing my body and soul after a long, dormant state.

2011 Doyle's 5 Mile

2011-04-10T14:08:00.008-04:00

I love this race.

In case you didn't realize it, let me say it again: I LOVE THIS RACE.

On New Year's Eve, I went to dinner at Doyle's and the applications were out and I signed up. April seemed so far away that night, plenty of time to train. Then I ended up in a boot on Valentine's day and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do this. The reality is, I didn't really train. It's only been 2 weeks since I ended PT for the Valentine's Day injury and the closest I've come to running is last week when I went out for w5 (r1/w1)*10+w5 which was just under 2.5 miles. So would I be able to do this?

Add getting over an upper respiratory infection and I had to be nuts thinking it would be a good idea. So I made a deal with myself. I would check myself at the one mile and two mile mark and see how I was feeling. If I was hurting or slowing down, I would turn around. My oldest decided to run too. He loves this race was going to "take it slow" instead of running his race pace. For him, this means running a 7 min mile instead of a 6 minute mile.

Me, I was hoping for a 15 minute mile.

The race is through Franklin Park, one of the gems in Olmstead's Emerald Necklace park system. There are little treasures like the park entrance on the JP side of the park.

Behind me is densely packed neighborhood of triple deckers. In fact, all around this section of the park is densely pack triple deckers and a lot of lower income families, immigrants, old hippies and anarchists.

Going into the park, it's easy to forget all that when all you see is open space, trees, ducks and water ways. I would run the other way through this arch at the end, but for now, I was heading to the start line to warm up. My son had disappeared at some point, I figured he was doing his pre-race warm ups and rituals as well. Turning the corner, I saw him.

He was sitting in the spring sun meditating. As one of my friends said, "He looked as if he was solving all the problems in the world."

I lined up towards the back of the 2200 or so runners and walked my first five minutes. About a quarter mile in, just before I was going to run, was the Boston Police Gaelic Column. Every year, no matter what the weather, there they are to send us off.

It's a great feeling to hear the pipes calling you forward. I broke into my first run at this point and passed a number of people walking. I had a feeling that, in spite of the lack of training and prep, it was going to be a good race.

I followed the plan: run 1 minute, walk 1 minute and see how well I could pace myself. I crossed the one mile mark just before the 14 minute mark and everything felt strong. My ankle was solid, my breathing was good and I didn't need my inhaler. The course is an out and back and shortly after the 1 mile mark, the leaders were passing in the other direction. I saw my son and did my traditional yell to him.

"You're getting beat by a girl!"

"You disappoint me," he returned and we both laughed as we continued on our way.

I passed the entrance to the Zoo just before mile 2, where I checked myself again. I was still keeping a strong pace - down to under 13 minutes - and still feeling strong. That meant no turning around.

At the halfway mark my body began to ask if we were done yet? Given that my furthest distance in months was 2.5 miles, I can't say as I was surprised. I kept up the r1/w1 pacing to see how I'd do. I passed the 5k mark just after the 40 minute mark and that's when my body told me, "Enough." Just under a 13 minute mile was more than respectable.

I knew I'd be walking the last two miles. It was OK, I had already exceeded my expectations. Now came the next goal: finishing in 1:15.

I always love the 4 mile stretch when you cross over a bridge and through some woods. Every year I look for the ducks on one side of the bridge and the golfers on the other side.

From here, it's wrap around the pond, past the Shattuck (where we started) and under the arch back into the neighborhood before ending at Doyle's.

I always look forward to the drummers as you come out of the park and head up the street.

I crossed at the 1:15 and change mark, thus hitting my other goal on the day. My son, not a shock he ran the race in 36 minutes finishing in the top 250 runners. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful race and already I'm wishing for next year's race.

Litmus Test

2011-04-05T07:29:00.002-04:00

I felt like I have been stalled. I know I've been injured and sick but I'm sick of being... well, sick. So today I decided to go for a litmus test and see what I could do. It was a simple plan: walk for 5, (run 1/walk 1) x10, walk 5. If things went south, I could turn around and walk home.

Something wonderful happened: I felt good and made it the whole way through. In fact, I ended up doing an extra run/walk set because I miscounted about halfway through so I was out for 32 minutes instead of 30.

Now it's a case of how my lungs react through the day, but I didn't need my inhaler while I ran (although I did have it with me) or when I got home. I feel good, I feel happy and I feel like I'm home.

So... what's going on?

2011-04-01T18:33:00.002-04:00

Why is it that kids are really good at sharing colds and other viruses?

That is the question I ponder from my couch while watching the Sox kick off the march to summer down in Texas. This cold hit me hard, derailing all plans for week two with the exception of spending 5 minutes daily just listening.

I figure I'm good though. Sunday morning I can start week 2 yet again and move forward from there.

I must acknowledge a piece of sad news that came today: the passing of Lou Gorman, former General Manager of the Boston Red Sox. Gorman was, as many describe, "a class act." A gentleman and a scholar, he was an integral part of the club even when he wasn't part of the club. He was on the faculty at Stonehill College in the English department and wrote some wonderful books on baseball. I loved speaking with him the few times I ran into him at Famous Fenway Writers Series luncheons. I imagine he's watching the Splendid Splinter open his heavenly season today. So if you're a Sox fan and catch a game this year, take a second to pause and look heavenward and remember Lou. Red Sox Nation won't be the same without him.

Food for thought

2011-03-22T14:52:00.003-04:00

"So what if some of my store-bought 'fresh' produce was picked 7 days ago and then trucked over 1,000 miles to be sorted and distributed and stored and finally put out on display? Food loses its ability to nourish my body every hour after it leaves the soil. How do I feel about the possible 151 hours during which the food that I am eating has been losing its value?" - Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet

I just started reading Growing at the Speed of Life by Graham Kerr. I grew up watching his show, The Galloping Gourmet, with my mom. He was funny and made cooking food look like fun but even then, I didn't really try cooking until I was on my own. Even then, like most people, I relied heavily on pre-prepared and processed foods. As I've struggled with my weight and exercise over the past couple of decades, I now know that a lot of my struggle comes from that struggle all of us have of convenience vs quality of food.

Kerr's quote is about how he began thinking in terms of starting his own garden. Like me, he never met a plant he couldn't kill. Last year I chose to start getting past that point. I planted some tomatoes, peppers, herbs, strawberries and a raspberry bush. Most everything survived. The peppers never really did more than survive as little plants, the chipmunks feasted on my strawberries and I shared the tomatoes with the squirrels.

But Kerr also got me thinking. I've been thinking about how to reimagine cooking for my dad as he now faces a renal diet again. I've been thinking of how to reinvent cooking for me as I step up to the plate. Between Jamie Oliver's show Jamie at Home, where he spends a lot of time in his garden, Growing at the Speed of Life and a book I picked up last year called Square Foot Gardening, I'm getting ready to tackle round two of gardening this coming season.

It goes hand and hand with starting over yet again with my running. Walking for 15 today will happen on the hills, food planning started with reading. Perhaps it's that 5 minutes I've been taking in the morning to just listen - who knows. I do know that I'm hoping to have something going here as the sun starts to shine and the air starts to warm.

Here we go, life's waiting to begin

2011-03-21T22:37:00.002-04:00

...prophetic words that sang out through the speakers of my iPod during today's walk (with 2 1 min interval runs).

The workout for today was (w5r1)*2+w5 [that's walk 5 minutes, run 1 minute times 2 plus walks 5 minutes] and Mother Nature decided to throw a snow storm at us today just to challenge me. It takes more than a little spring snow to stop me, at least today. When I hit the shuffle button, the song "The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves popped up with that line.

I started off the day 5 minutes of meditation, made sure to put lettuce on my turkey sandwich and counted all my points. Small changes... small changes... small changes...

Small Changes...

2011-03-20T20:19:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of a 12 week walk to run program. Yes, I'm out of the boot and the splint and have started back on the road to running.

The walk/run schedule for the week:

Days 1,3,5: walk 15 min

Days 2,4,5: (walk 5, run 1)x2 walk 5

I did my 15 minute walk today and it felt good to be outside again. I downloaded the Nike+ GPS so I don't have to deal with sensors that may or may not work.

I also picked up a copy of Elie Krieger's book "Small Changes, Big Results." The concept being that you make a series of changes and at the end of 12 weeks you've developed the habits of a healthier life style. It made sense to start the same day as my w2r program. This week is about building a healthier pantry, taking 5 minutes to breathe/meditate and start a walking program.

Bottom line - one day down, 80+ more to go.

Wee, or should I say Wii?

2011-01-03T20:59:00.003-05:00

I admit that I've become a cold weather wuss recently. I don't know why or how it happened but it did. So this morning I opted to do a half hour Wii Free Step aerobic workout. I tossed on the Submarines Symphonica for my playlist and for half an hour I stepped up and down, dancing a bit, to happy indy music.

Because the cold weather in this part of the country is a reality, I did suck it up and walked home from work today. It's only a 20 minute walk (just over a mile), but when it's just around the freezing mark, I start to question why I do the things I do. But I did it and tomorrow I will walk to and from school to remind myself that winter running is not such a bad thing.

Since doing things we really don't want to do deserve a reward, I downloaded the soundtrack from Scott Pilgrim for more indy hipster music fun while I walk.

Dinner tonight was brisket with garlic smashed potatoes and peas. Since walking to and from school is on the agenda for tomorrow, perhaps more comfort food will be on the menu. We'll see.

Hello out there

2010-12-31T08:19:00.002-05:00

Between work, writing and my ankle acting up, I let things slide again. I am thrilled to report 2010 was a cast free year!

To start the New Year, I have signed up for the 10k race that is part of the Hyannis Marathon as a way to jumpstart myself. My cross training will include using my Wii and riding my bike further distances. I also have access to the gym at Framingham State University as a student, so I hope to check out the facilities there as I have a gap between work and classes on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

I'll also be keeping up a food blog of my journey on Weight Watchers back at What's For Dinner. In case you forgot about that blog (I know I did), I started it a few years back before I injured myself and was a tad bit more serious about running.

So happy new year. Enjoy the last 2010 has to offer and when the day dawns anew, let your life dawn anew as well.

A note to the sun

2010-10-27T07:30:00.002-04:00

Dear Sun,

I know that we're moving into November; however, I do have a request. Could you please stop pressing the snooze button? I know that over the summer it was really annoying when you were acting like a college student OD'ing on energy drinks and I suppose you had to sleep off that rush; however, this is a bit crazy.

This morning it was pitch black out at 6 am, so I waited. Last week you would be rousing yourself around 6:15 or so and I felt pretty good about going out and not fearing a car would mistake me for a speed bump. Today I waited. And I waited. Then I gave up and went out around 6:30 without you.

It was dark and it was weird running in a sort of haze of street lamps where it was more of a shadow time rather than dark or light. It wasn't until the electronic voice declared I was at the half-way point 20 minutes later that you suddenly jumped up and started to wake up for real.

I get it, we all have days we want to sleep in but this is a bit ridiculous don't you think?

So here's the deal, you need to find some way of getting your act together in the morning so we can go back out for our runs together. I kind of miss your company in the early parts of my run. When the alarm goes off tomorrow, try not hitting the snooze button and join me.

Trust me, you'll feel better.

Sincerely,

PS Have a nice day.

GO GO BLACK AND GOLD

2010-10-21T07:41:00.003-04:00

Tonight is the Bruin's home opener - we all should rejoice.

I rejoiced by going for another good run this morning. I did 3 miles of 3 minute run/walk intervals winding up with a 5 minute run to end things. My legs feel good and strong and it was a nice way to break in the new pair of Thing 2 (my shoes are always Thing 1 and Thing 2).

For some reason I thought of Buddy this morning. Buddy the Beagle was the President for Life (and still is in spirit) of the Somerville Striders Athletic Club. I have heard us describes as drinkers with a running problem. I would say we keep our running in perspective and balance with our life.

As I was running this morning, I thought about Buddy. Perhaps it's because there were no dogs out this morning (a rarity around here), so I filled in the gap. Maybe it was the beauty of the morning. Maybe because it's Thursday and summer Thursdays are when I saw Buddy. Perhaps I was thinking I might be able to do Paulie's Thanksgiving Run. No matter what, today's run was a good one and Buddy was a good dog. Perhaps that's the connection. :)

So tonight I hope to hear lots and lots of happy goal music from the Garden and I'll raise a Guinness tonight in memory of Buddy. Next run on tap is a long one Sunday morning, let's see how it goes.

I just can't quit you...

2010-10-19T07:47:00.003-04:00

On September 7th I went out and had an amazing run. The world felt good and then I got to work and it all went quickly south. That day I did something I had never done before, I punched out and left. I was fed up and the fat lady sang.

After the initial "what do I do now?" panic, a window opened for me and I barrel rolled through it. The local elementary school called, they needed a classroom aide, was I available? Why yes, yes I was. But it did catch me up in a whirlwind of everything that needed to get done as a result and running was the last thing on the agenda.

Don't get me wrong, I have active. I now commute to work on my bike and I'm in constant motion at school: walking up and down stairs, monitoring the playground, etc., but I had not been running. When the Tufts 10k was looming large, I asked my class: "Who thinks I should run 6 miles on Monday?" Almost everyone raised their hands.

I was done for! So I registered for the Tufts 10k with an ambitious goal of a 13 minute mile but figuring a 15 min mile of mostly walking. I did walk the race and had a 14:50 pace for a time of just over 1:32, but I realized running was not going silently into the dark night and this morning I got up, pulled on the running tights and my compression shirt and hit the streets.

The plan this week is 3 minute intervals (3 minutes running/3 minutes walking) sandwiched between a 5 min walking warm up and a 5 min walking cool down. So today's 40 minutes looked like this: w5+(r3/w3*4)+r5/w5 = 3 miles in 40 min.

It felt good to be out again in the dark as it lightened into day. It was never a struggle and my pace felt good. If it goes this well on Thursday, I'll push the interval to a 4 min run on Sunday. I have to say, it feels good to be back. :)

Road and Track

2010-09-07T07:13:00.002-04:00

This morning was about checking out the new track at the new high school. For years, I've had no access to a track unless I wanted to drive across town to another high school. It was no big deal not to run on a track, I was never a runner until a few years ago so it was no biggie.

Over the summer, they finished the construction on the new high school a half mile from my house and today's the first day of school. I figured rather than run on the road, I'd try some intervals: run a lap, recover a lap.

A long term goal for me is a consistent 10 minute mile over distance. My fastest has consistently been a 12 minute mile, more often than not, I'm usually around a 13/14 minute mile. So I see this as a good chance to build speed and consistency on a level, forgiving surface. It was a good call.

My average running pace was 10min/mi for the 1/4 mile loop and a 15 min/mi for the recovery walking. When I was starting out at the beginning of the summer, I was running a 15 min/mi and walking a 20 min/mi.

I may give it a try again tomorrow morning and then go for a good run on Thursday to ring in the New Year... we'll see. But for now, a solid 2 in the books + the 1 to get there and back for 3 good miles.

(re)Charge

2010-08-29T08:22:00.002-04:00

Today I hit a big goal - 4 miles in under an hour.

I have spent the summer chasing goals: running more than I walk when I go out; running more routinely and running 4 miles in under an hour. Today I hit all 3 milestones in a single run and it feels fabulous.

It comes on the heels of being asked "What's your goal this fall?" Fall? Already? I hadn't hit my summer goals fully. But with one week left until labor day, I guess it's a good question to ask. It was probably what pushed me along this morning as well as I thought about strategies and goals for the fall.

What I came up with was: continue to run more routinely; begin pushing my pace; running the Tufts 10k in under 1:10 and be able to do a Thanksgiving 5k in about 30 minutes.

Taking the scenic route home

2010-08-26T06:59:00.002-04:00

I stepped outside today and a line popped into my head: "Every time I back out of my driveway, I'm just taking the scenic route home..."

Today's run was a scenic route home. The sun was starting to shine through the clouds as the skies cleared after days and days of rain. The sunrise was beautiful as it broke, the sky was a light, bright blue touched by hints of rose and yellow and orange as the sun broke over the horizon. The temps were cool, the air was fresh and it was just a scenic route even if it was the same roads I run over time and again.

Every run brings it's Deep Thoughts with Jack Handy moments - here was mine today: the difference between a mocking bird and a regular bird is that a mocking bird watches you run towards it, lazily hops off to the side and tweets as if saying, "Is that the best you can do? You're pathetic." Regular birds don't even bother to acknowledge you.

I hate them both.

My other Jack Handy moment: if coyotes are killing local pets, why don't they ever feast on the damn chipmunks eating my strawberries and tomatoes?

In the end it was a good run and I feel stronger for it as it was a reminder that fall is almost here and I couldn't be happier for it.

Dreams of what could be...

2010-08-24T07:21:00.003-04:00

This morning was a morning I had to beat back the bed magnet and push myself out the door. We are entering the time of year when 5:30 am is dark and today it was raining. But I made it downstairs, grabbed my obnoxious yellow BAA jacket and opened the door.

Sometimes running in the rain can be a beautiful thing, sometimes it's just wet. Today was somewhere in between. I felt pretty bad ass out there holding myself to what I now call my "fives" (five minutes walking at a 15 min pace/five minutes running around an 11 min pace) since I took last week off from life, the universe and everything.

I could have run longer and farther, but I need to be aware of my ankles. Cursing myself for the stupidity that lead to past injuries and fearing future injuries.

At one point I was lamenting my speed, or lack thereof, while I watched the real bad ass athletes going past in the other direction. That was when it hit me, I will never be fast enough.

When I was "running" a 15 min mile, I dreamed of running a 10 min mile consistently. Now I walk a 15 min mile and run around a 10-11 min mile and I long to be able to run faster. I want to run an 8 minute mile. What happens when I get there? I won't be content until I hit 6 minutes? What's the cut off: a marathon, an ultramarathon, the ironman?

Like my weight, I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied. I lament I have only shed 15 pounds after a year of Weight Watchers and still have at least 35 more to go. But when I get to goal, what will my attitude be then? When I was 125 lbs of solid muscle in college, I wasn't happy with my size. I kept thinking, "If I only could lose 10 more pounds...." I would love to be that size again when I thought I was fat.

Like the rhino on the treadmill longing to be a unicorn, at some point I will need to accept this is who I am and my boundaries. It's not to say I can't improve, only that sometimes we all need to take a step back and look at what is and celebrate.

Nu Shooz

2010-08-22T08:32:00.003-04:00

I feel this should start with, "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It's been 11 days since my last run...." That's what today felt like, the release of a clean soul after doing penance.

When you struggle with the sort of funks I fall into at times, there is this odd tug between I know running will make me feel better but I don't feel good enough to run. It's a horrible spiral until you can finally break out of it some how, some way. For me, it was a new pair of shoes to break me out of the spiral:

I have been tempted to try the Newton's since I first laid eyes on them last spring. A lot of runners I know and respect have been wearing them and really like them. But they are pricey. The fates aligned and conspired and with great thanks to Paulie, yesterday I walked out of Marathon Sports fitted and ready to go.

Like all new design of shoes, these force your body to align anew and force your foot to strike differently. The advice to get used to them is go out for some short runs - a mile or so - a few times. Try some speed work and then, once you're used to them, go for it. So this morning I went out for a short run - my 2.25 loop.

Walking in them is nice - they match my walking stride nicely. Running, well let's just say I understand the advice. The entire time I was making notes: tighten the right laces, more weight on my left and so on. The best feel I got was when the song "Devil's Dance Floor" by Flogging Molly began to play. Between the steady rhythm of the music and the way it drives me to run through whatever I may be feeling, it is the perfect song to cover a fair distance at speed and get a good feel.

I am interested to see how I run in my Saucony's for my next run... since I need to go some distance again and I'm quite comfortable with these for distance yet.

I'm excited again and this should be the bit I need to propel me back into the "Running makes me feel good, so let's go for a run" cycle again.

Knuckles Up

2010-08-11T07:06:00.002-04:00

This has been one of those weeks where I really understand and can empathize with Stephen Slater, the Jet Blue attendant who snapped on Monday. Like him, I deal with an angry, indifferent general public. I just got worn down listening to everyone tell me how much they hate Steve Jobs, hate Apple and, by extension, hate me.

So this morning I got up and I ran. I ran to angry celtic punk. Each foot fall making satisfying contact with the pavement as I ran in the early morning light. The sweat washing away my anger and frustration while stinging my eyes as it rolled down past my eyebrows. This was the run I needed. This was the run that reminded me why I run.

Through the angry pounding there were moments that made me smile. The bird hopping down the sidewalk ahead of me playing catch. The squirrel that darted back and forth and around me. The smiles and waves of other runners out there today - all of it conspired to channel the anger away from my soul and let it drive me along the road so I could see the joyful things.

It would be a lie to say all is forgiven and I will be open for another day of customer anger, but I am better equipped to handle it today because I ran hard this morning.

I like running

2010-08-08T09:21:00.002-04:00

I do. I like running a lot. Days like today remind me of that reality.

It was the same 4 mile run I do on a regular basis. Today was about pushing some limits in myself and I'm proud to say I rose to my own challenge. Granted there were some uncomfortable moments that made me wish my route had a bathroom on the way - so having to walk large segments until things adjusted properly is not fun, but it's not the worst that could happen either.

The running was longer and stronger than I have done in a long, long time. My goal of a consistent 10 min mile is within reach. I see, I feel it and I'm so close I can feel myself breathing down it's hot neck. It was the type of run you come in from, go about your day and see people running and think, "I'd like to go out for another run and join them...."

So the goals for this week: mileage will creep a little this week - 4 miles today and 3 miles on both Tuesday and Thursday. The 3 miles will be limit pushers of longer/stronger run segments.

There's a word for that..

2010-08-05T06:49:00.004-04:00

humid.... crazy.... fabulous....

Those were words on the edge of my consciousness this morning as I went out for 2.5 in heavy, heavy humidity.

Humid has been the word of the summer. It's been a tough summer for asthmatics like me. If it weren't for two puffs of the steroid inhaler before going to sleep each night I would be in horrible shape. No steroid inhaler means lots and lots of rescue inhaler, which means the shakes and upset stomachs galore. Steroid inhaler means I pretty much leave the albuterol in my bag and maybe I might need it in a really touch situation.

Crazy is another word that struck me. Here I am sweating like Richard Simmons in a bedazzled nylon outfit under TV lights. It's not hot out - 75* maybe - but the humidity makes it feel like you're running in a cloud. I'm sweating buckets as I slowly jog along. I purposely slowed myself down today once I opened the front door and realized just how bad it was out there. Most folks were snuggled in air conditioned bedrooms while I'm out huffing and puffing.

Fabulous was another word that came to mind. To finally beat the humidity instead of it beating me was nothing short of feeling fabulous. I ran slowly and steadily in one of the loneliest runs I've had in a good long time. Practically no one was out (see above about air conditioned bedrooms) so it was me out there pushing myself.

There's another word I should add here: accomplishment. I was wearing a shirt I earned in the Apple Nike+ challenge this year. I had a comfortable gait while running. I managed to start shaking the inner loser off my back.

In the end, it all adds up to one thing as best expressed by Tony the Tiger: it was

GREAT

two steps forward...

2010-08-03T07:10:00.002-04:00

Going out for 2.5 miles felt like a step back instead of a step forward. Really, going out for a half hour was like going out for a quickie. And yet, this is how I'm adding a run and mileage. As I said, the increase plan this week was to go from 2 four mile runs to 1 long run on Sunday and two shorter runs on Tues/Thurs. It's more mileage, more time running but sensible.

This morning I got to the turn around point. Normally I cross the street and run up the hill, not circle back. It was a hair frustrating and yet I felt I could (and did) run for longer stretches. My stride felt relaxed and it was a good run.

It also allowed me to beat my inner loser back down. The inner loser used to run with me a lot a few years back. He usually resurfaces after an injury and I have to beat him back down again. This morning, after I turned around, he stuck his head out of that dark place and began whining: he was tired, he couldn't breathe, this is hard, isn't that why you're not running as far today? wah wah wah wah wah.

For a second I slowed my stride and thought about walking when that strong core in me said, "What the hell are you doing girl?" I grabbed onto the reality that I was reducing to increase... a bit of a paradox I guess. Was I straining a little? Well yeah, the humidity was creeping up a bit this morning ... but no biggie. I pushed forward and left the inner loser crying on the curb.

Like the garden gnomes in Harry Potter, he'll climb back in over the garden wall when he gets a chance and thinks no one's looking but for now I'm good and strong and on my way to being a strong runner again.

Can I get a Woot!

2010-08-01T09:14:00.002-04:00

This week's challenge: add a run and miles without overdoing. So I decided to add a third run but make my Tues/Thurs run a 2.5-3 mile run.

So today I set out for a 4 miler and along the pedestrian mall piece on the way back I did my Achilles grapevine while listening to some Flatfoot 56 doing some amazing pipe playing. I flew through and at the end of the block I let out a "WOOT! YEAH!"

One of the Sunday gazelle runners going by smiled and gave me a high five.

Funny how runners do things like that. I have seen folks congratulate other runners when they let out little "woo hoo" stuff. I've seen runners help complete strangers get through a difficult stretch - running or walking along with them and encouraging them.

It's a good feeling that even in a sport where it's you vs yourself, you're still not alone.

real motha fo ya

2010-07-29T06:57:00.003-04:00

Here are some facts of life:

Humidity sucks.

Chaka Khan is fabulous.

I set the time for 45 minutes, like I usually do, with plans for my 4 mile route. The goal is to complete the route in under 45 minutes and over the past few weeks, I've been coming closer to that goal - even if I still have a long way to go to reach it.

Ten minutes into my run, the heavy, stifling blanket of humidity was smothering me. The thing is, this morning's playlist was the fabulous Miss Chaka Khan. Miss Chaka does not allow you to stop until you drop.

Another fact of life.

So I changed plans. Rather than focus on my 4 mile run, I decided to walk some major hills in the area. Hills that make Heartbreak Hill look like an oversized speed bump kind of hills. Further, I set a different goal: 15 minute miles up motha sized hills. I took a right hand turn off my usual route and started walking.

Now what makes these hills bad is not so much the size of them, it's the deception they create. You see, they wind around in a funny way so you don't realize you've crested and gone down the hill until that final turn and you have to go uphill, again. Thus my assertion that this route is uphill both ways. But there it is and there I went and eventually I crested on last time and ran down the hill to my house.

My average pace on the motha hills? 16 minutes. Not bad, not bad at all. :)

I couldn't have done it without Chaka. So happy Thursday everyone and if you need something to get you going, a little Chaka or maybe some Funkedelics should do the job quite nicely.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

2010-07-27T07:26:00.002-04:00

I stepped outside and there was an ever so slight bite in the air.

YES!!!!

This rebuilding effort is going well. I'm not keeping to the training schedule in that I haven't been doing my long runs. I just don't feel like I have the mileage to be building like that, but I'm feeling stronger. If it means putting off my half until Hyannis in February, so be it. This is one of those long haul/big picture things. It's a matter of constant reevaluation as I go.

Today was the closest I've felt to "running" in quite some time. The periods of running are taking less effort and I can push past the interval where I normally start walking. Longer running + shorter walking = feeling good.

The drums, the drums, the drums, the drums OH!

2010-07-22T07:07:00.002-04:00

Like most people who run to music, I'm looking to the music to set the tone and rhythm to the run. Last week I added the album "Knuckles Up" by Flatfoot 56 to my iPod and today I decided to give it a try running.

Excellent choice.

Flatfoot is a Celtic punk band (think Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly or the Pogues). When I saw them last week, their piper blew me away and I picked up all 3 of their CDs. The one thing about "Knuckles Up" is the way the piper and the drummer keep such an even rhythm through the music that it was easy for my feet to follow. It made for a great run, especially after last night's storm seemed to have broken the humidity.

I think the best description of Celtic punk came from my son a few weeks ago when my mother asked him about his Flogging Molly t-shirt. He looked and said, "It's where your Irish music meets my Irish music in a happy place."

Another, far more comfortable, 4 miles are in the book and tonight is a Marsh Post night. Since it's the Michael Collins run, I'll be working the finish chute and grooving on Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones for a more traditional Irish feel.

Humidity: it's the killer

2010-07-20T07:30:00.002-04:00

I'm not really a summer person. I don't think I ever really was. I'm more of a temperate climate sort of girl. I love chilly mornings where the weather is brisk and it warms up to maybe beyond needing a sweater a little later in the day and ending with a nice snuggle under a bit of a blanket to end the day.

So when the humidity rolled in a couple of weeks ago, I knew it was trouble. Last week I barely made it two miles and then everything moved back indoors to AC and gentle stretching. It set me back a full week in training as a result and this morning I knew I had to start powering through the weather and just cope.

At 6am it was 68* and 83% humidity.

Damn.

The first two miles were fine: w5+r5, circle around the stop light pole and back down the hill. Then I started to feel it. The next mile was r3+w7 and the final mile was "screw it, I'm walking...." As they say, it is what it is and I've got 4 in the books for today.

Let the training begin!

2010-07-11T07:01:00.002-04:00

Here is the half marathon (beginning level) training schedule Nike+ has laid out for me:

Half Training Schedule

Week	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1		Rest	Run 4 Miles	30 min XT	Run 4 Miles	30 min stretch & strength
2	Run 6 Miles	Rest	Run 4 Miles	30 min XT	Run 4 Miles	30 min stretch & strength
3	Run 7 Miles	Rest	Run 4 Miles + 20 min strength	30 min XT	Run 5 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min stretch & strength
4	Run 7 Miles	Rest	Run 4 Miles + 20 min strength	30 min XT	Run 5 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min stretch & strength
5	Run 8 Miles	Rest	Run 4 Miles + 20 min strength	30 min XT	Run 5 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min stretch & strength
6	Run 5 Miles	Rest	Run 5 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min XT	Run 3 Miles	30 min stretch & strength	Run 2 Miles
7	Run 10.2: 2 mile warm up 10k time 2 mile cool down	Rest	Run 5 Miles + 20 min strength	30 min XT	Run 6 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min stretch & strength
8	Run 10	Rest	Run 6 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min XT	Run 6 Miles + 20 strength	30 min stretch & strength
9	Run 11 Miles	Rest	Run 6 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min XT	Run 6 Miles + 20 strength	30 min stretch & strength
10	Run 11 Miles	Rest	Run 6 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min XT	Run 6 Miles + 20 strength	30 min stretch & strength
11	Run 12 Miles	Rest	Run 6 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min XT	Run 6 Miles + 20 strength	30 min stretch & strength
12	Run 8 Miles	Rest	Run 5 Miles: 1-2 miles easy; 2 min tempo 3 min recover	30 min XT	Run 4 Miles + 20 strength	30 min stretch & strength	Run 2 Miles
	Race

I added in the cross training per Hal Higdon's general wisdom. Per my general wisdom, I'm leaving Saturday and Monday as rest days and Friday as my stretch & strengthen days based on my general overall life. Also, on days where it looks like they're back to back, I'll actually focus on things like core strength one day and arms/legs another so it's not really backed up.

So here's to the start of something new.

Let the games begin

2010-07-06T07:03:00.002-04:00

Today is the fist day of training for my first half marathon. It was already in the mid-70's and humid at 6 am, but I got my backside out the door and covered 4 miles.

There is one thing I look for when I start any running/health program: bunnies. For some reason, if I see a bunny when I'm starting something or really struggling, somehow I know it will all be OK. I don't know why, I just do. As I started this morning, there was a bunny just sitting on a lawn a couple of feet from me watching. He didn't try to hop away or anything, he just watched as I went past. About 1/3 of the way through, as I was feeling the humidity, there were two bunnies playing off to the side. The happily played - darting towards me and away before disappearing under a bush. It really renewed my sense that I'm doing the right thing with the right plan.

So 4 miles are in the books and it's time to shower and move on with my day thanks to the bunnies. :)

3.1 on a Sunday morning

2010-06-27T10:47:00.004-04:00

After realizing the cramping problem was due to the Asics (damn! I liked those shoes too), I stopped in a Marathon Sports yesterday to be refitted. I left with a pair of Saucony Pro Grids to try out over the next couple of weeks to see how they work out.

I also had the summer cold from purgatory last week that had me feeling a little like Ariel in "Little Mermaid" as I had no voice for 2 days along with our companies 3rd product launch in 10 weeks... well, running was the last thing I had time for (along with grocery shopping and laundry).

This morning the sun was up, so I pulled on my new shoes - which look sort of lizardy because they're a moss colored green with silverish mesh over them - stoked up the Nike+ and headed out for my 3.1 mile route. It was clear when I started running that my lungs still weren't 100%, not surprising to me given last week's congestion, so I opted for a w5+r5 option for the route. That was pretty comfortable for me over all. By the end of the week I'll decide if I'm doing the 4 mile Hingham 4th of July race or not next Sunday.

Out on my run today I interrupted several groups of squirrels out playing tag in 3's and 4's. A couple of them hopped along with me, making me laugh. The birds were in full chorus and you could smell the flowers in the air. Summer is truly here and the world seems to be soaking it all in. All in all, it heralded a nice return from my break as I start to gear up for my half training.

So let's hear it for summer, new shoes and running.

once again, this time with feeling: OWWW

2010-06-15T07:51:00.002-04:00

I took almost a week off from running. Any walking I've done has been in my old shoes... per usual. No problems, the calf felt fine so I went out for a run and sure enough, a mile in I got hit with crampcrampcrampcrampcramp again.

After a half hour of normal household stuff (carrying laundry up from the basement, making breakfast, etc.) it feels fine. So tomorrow I try a new experiment: wear my old shoes for my run and see what happens. If things are fine, then I know it's the shoes. If they aren't, I'll call my ortho.

another run turned walk

2010-06-09T07:20:00.002-04:00

OK, maybe the leg cramp is coming from needing new warm up strategies. Maybe it's because I haven't been taking my vitamins. Maybe it's just one of those things.

I honestly don't know, but I don't like this happening again 10 minutes into my run. I did try pushing past it, but no.

So today it's a case of searching the net to see what I can figure out. I know it's not fatigue, my mileage goal make look insane, but that's just recording the walking I normally do as well as the running for a Nike+ challenge. So that leaves nutrition and stretching to work on.

Starting today: I will lay out my vitamins for the rest of the week and make sure I take each one. I think I'll start by moving my PT to the front of my run instead of end. Perhaps that will help loosen things up enough.

Tomorrow instead of running in the AM and walking the Marsh Post course, I will walk in the AM and PM and see how that feels. I'll take Friday off, walk Saturday and my "long" run Sunday will maybe be 3 or 4 miles. If I can't make it through Sunday's run, I'll call my orthopedist on Monday.

Sounds like a plan.

owowowowcrampcrampcramow

2010-06-08T07:39:00.002-04:00

Today was w5+r10+owowowowcrampcrampcrampow w5+r5+ owowowowowcrampcrampcrampowowow w5 +PT for 2.5 miles

I don't like it when my calves cramp up at all. I haven't really had that problem, I hear about it all the time with runners, but it never really hit me before.

Before the owowowow moments, I noticed some things. I am walking faster. Because of a Nike+ challenge at work, a lot of us are logging our walking as well as our running. I'm covering more distance in less time, which is nice. Today when I went out, I realized that I am covering a 1/4 mile more than I used to in the same time. That is, I walk for 5 minutes as a warm up. Normally that takes me to just inside a set of traffic lights, and then I run. Today it took me to the far side of the lights and then some.

It used be that I would hope to cover a full mile in 15 minutes. Today I noticed I covered close to a mile and a quarter in that same 15. I didn't feel any faster and I wasn't exerting myself more ... or at least it didn't feel that way and there I was - all the way down the block. :)

A little heat and massage and the cramp is now history and it's time to move on with the day. Here's to it being ancient history.

How did I get here?

2010-06-04T07:15:00.002-04:00

Today's run was brought to you by some Funky Soul music...the fabulous MISS CHAKA KHAN and Stevie Wonder.

It started by pushing myself out the door on a muggy morning after hitting the genius booger on the iPod while listening to "I Feel For You." iTunes knew better than to mess with a good thing and kept putting up some old school Stevie Wonder mixed with Chaka Khan and every so often tossed in a few other bits here and there.

The first five minutes of my run were, "Well, at least I'm out here." Then the rest of the run was "How did I get here already?" At my turn around point I figured, "Oh, I'll run as far as the turn off and then I can walk." At the turn off it was, "I'm here already? I guess just down the hill..." next thing I knew, I was at my stop running and cool down point.

All in all, an odd run with some old school funk and soul to carry me through.

Not a great run, but a good one and many days that's more than a girl can hope for in the end.

Gotta have the funk..

2010-06-03T07:06:00.002-04:00

which would have been today's soundtrack instead of Green Day but apparently my funk stuff is not on my iPhone. Hmmmm.... time to make some new playlists I guess.

Funks happen. For me I know one is about to start when, like the other day, I sat on the couch dressed and ready to go out for a run but couldn't bring myself to make it out the door. My shoes sit there begging me to just slip my feet in and they'll carry me the rest of the way, but I just can't muster the whatever to even do that much.

They always end the same way as well, that is me sitting there in my running gear and I slip my feet into my shoes and they carry me the rest of the way.

It happens to all of us. It's not about whether things in our lives are pressing or sad or happy or busy or whatever. It's just sometimes you gotta have the funk. The problems come when you wallow in it or let it eclipse your overall goals.

Today was a good run. I got 2.5 solid miles in with running and PT. Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown did a good job helping my shoes carry me along the way.

of yellow chalk lines, wet blankets and tonsure tails

2010-05-27T07:25:00.003-04:00

The first half of my run was good today, but 20 minutes in my stomach was not a happy camper and it slowed down to a fast walk. Some days that happens.

Last night I set up a training schedule: Hal Higdon's 10k plan until July 4 and then cut over to the Nike+ 12-week half marathon training plan. I figure I need the base of six mile runs, which I get with Hal, to start half training.

Since tonight is a Thursday race and I don't really like running later in the day, I decided to go for a short run this morning and then walk tonight. After a couple of days of 90* temps, the rain moved in last night cooling everything down. It was still humid, like running with a wet blanket on, but much much cooler. As I started out it looked like there were yellow chalk lines following gentle curves and odd patterns. I was intrigued by whomever would go out and draw so fluidly on wet pavement until I came upon a puddle and realized it was the pollen the rain washed out of the trees.

I saw a family of a Quail like bird. Without my glasses, it's hard to tell if it was a pheasant, quail or some other similar bird. But it was cool watching the little birdies running and playing in a puddle under the larger birdie's watchful eyes.

Among the usual folks I see on my route, today there was a man in business attire walking a labradoodle. He was balding to the point of having a tonsure (when you're completely bald on top with just the rim of hair wrapping around your head from ear to ear) with a pony tail about the length of my middle finger. "That sums up that look entirely," I thought somewhat unkindly as I ran past. Seriously men, if you're bald on top like that, the pony tail just makes you look like a fool.

It was a good run but 20 minutes in my stomach gave a heave and let me know it was an unhappy camper. I know I haven't been eating all that well lately and I still need to find the right combo of stuff. I'll figure it out and there will be a few more uncomfortable runs in the meantime, but today was an interesting tale of running as I followed the pollen chalk lines home.

A pleasant walk

2010-05-26T21:03:00.003-04:00

In the fading light of day, I caught this picture of Johnny Kelly's upturned face. The statue, Young at Heart, is along Commonwealth Ave at the start of Heartbreak Hill by Newton City Hall. The statue is the young Johnny Kelly winning his first Boston marathon and the old Johnny Kelly, crossing the finish line of his last full Boston Marathon. They have their hands clasped in a victory grasp - the young and the old forever joined together encouraging all who go past.

Johnny is the coach in my head. When I run along Comm Ave, I always call out my intended mileage for the day to Johnny. Tonight I went for a walk as it started to cool down. Some one started hanging their race medals on Johnny last 4th of July and now there is a 2008 and 2009 Baystate marathon medal hanging around the neck of the young and old Johnny.

Tonight I liked how the light caught his face and pulled out the phone to snap a picture. Tonight's walk was a reminder that sometimes I need to look at familiar routes with new eyes. Next time I pass Johnny, I will call out my mileage like usual, but when I come back, his eyes will shine a bit differently as I go past.

Thank you rhythm section

2010-05-25T07:39:00.003-04:00

I'm still struggling with motivation but I did push myself this morning and got out the door. I almost turned around at one point but then I noticed the drummer on "Melissa" by the Allman Brothers. There it was, whispering in my right ear, "step, step, step..." as I worked my way up the hill. On all the music this morning, I would hear the drum gently whispering in my ear to move along: just another step here, and here, and here again.....

By the time I turned the corner for the last 3/4's of a mile or so to home, I was good. I could feel my stride steadily continue on beyond the music so that when "Good Riddance" came on - which has no drums, I could pick up on the guitar and stay in tempo.

So thanks to the rhythm section for getting me through my 3.1 today. I really needed that.

A walk and a run

2010-05-21T07:29:00.002-04:00

Last night was the Blues Run at the Marsh Post - one of the "big" races. It's a 4.2 mile course and last night 1300 runners showed up. I don't run the big races anymore. I work the finish chutes, but last night I got there early enough to walk the first loop before the race and, after the race I walked the second loop for my 4.2.

But I still needed to get my 3rd run in this week, so I laced up my running shoes this morning for my usual w5+r30+w5. It's getting to the time of year where it's warm in the mornings and warmer in the evenings, so I forget I have to change my hydration habits. On my way back I realized I had cotton mouth, so I stopped at a water fountain and it really slowed me down. While I was able to pick the run back up - something I wouldn't have done in the past - I realized that maybe it's time to think about how to hydrate during my runs now that summer is coming.

All in all, it was a good run this morning after a solid walk last night.

the Tuesday blahs

2010-05-18T06:49:00.002-04:00

I was just not motivated to run this morning, so I didn't. It's not a couple of crappy runs either, it was just a motivation issue. So I had to ask: why am I sitting here in my running gear surfing the net instead of running?

Two reasons: Last night a cyclist was killed at an intersection along my running route. It heavily creeps me out that a person lost their life there and I think I need a little time and space before I run there again.

The other reason: what am I training for? I know I can consistently run a 3.1 distance. I've been doing that the past few weeks and I'm pretty comfortable with it. So what's next? This is the point where I need to pick a race distance and train for it. Probably a 10k. I know the one I was looking at on June 13 isn't happening for me - I have a work meeting that morning (feh!). That means I need to find something to work towards consistently and motivate me now that my challenges are all kind of tapering off until the summer.

So here's the deal: I will pick a 5k, 10k and half races to train for and lay out some training plans. I'll go for two runs this week (tomorrow and Friday most likely) and be back on track by my long run on Sunday. Then I'll have a reason to send my sorry butt out the door in the morning rather than surf the net.

As they say: it's a plan.

The craptastic run of suckitude

2010-05-16T09:17:00.002-04:00

which turned into the walk of frustration. It happens and when it does, I ask myself: why?

I think I figured out why today. I didn't eat dinner last night.

Well, I didn't eat a good dinner. What I had for dinner last night and the night before was half a jar of Pedroia premium salsa with black beans and corn and half a bag of corn chips. Not exactly the fuel of champions.

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make myself a berrylicious smoothie of awesomeness, go to my weigh in and try again later. Perhaps just a long, pleasant walk along the river or something and then map out my workouts for the week. That should fix the problem for today and (hopefully) going forward.

iWalk/iRun

2010-05-13T07:28:00.002-04:00

Today Apple has challenged all their employees to walk 3k (1.8 miles) or run 5k (3.1 miles). I know there's a Thursday night race in honor of Buddy the Beagle tonight; however, that's a 2.6 mile course and I just don't like running at the end of the day.

So instead I decided I'd run this morning and go for a walk this evening with my husband at the Buddy tribute.

It's odd how at 7 am EDT and I'm watching the numbers from the folks in England and Germany appear. Later on I know I'll see the numbers from across the country appear and then off towards the Pacific Rim. It's not even 7:30 in the morning here but 125 people have all ready logged runs and I'm smack dab in the middle of the pack.

The other marker for me is the goal I set for myself: 50 miles in the month of May. Right now, I've complete 19.6 miles - which is pretty much on track. OK, I'm a half mile behind but I'll pick that up either tonight or with my long run on Sunday.

So the iWalk/iRun challenge is in the books... time for a shower and to head into work. :)

Another day, another 5k

2010-05-11T07:18:00.002-04:00

I headed out this morning for a 30 minute run. I didn't want to push hard, I just want my body to be "Oh yeah, it's Tuesday. Time for another half hour run...." So off with a comfortable pace today. I did my usual pattern: walk for 5 minutes, run for 30 minutes and cool down with another 5 minute walk before doing my PT exercises.

For the 50 miles in May goal I set for myself, I'm right on track. I know that I set a 100 miles between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July - which is what the May goal was about for me. If I could do that, then I could do the holiday challenge at work.

Right now I'm struggling with finding the right exercises to add in order to deal with a bit of heel whip I'm having with my right foot. When I'm aware of it, I can focus a bit on how my foot is positioning itself and such, but I know I need to do something... I'm just not sure what. People talk about crap like Q angles and such. It's all Greek to me.

Is it that I need to be a better informed runner or just shut up and deal? I personally have no idea. For now it's hitting the intertubz to see what I can find in terms of training.

Reframing

2010-05-09T09:25:00.002-04:00

Reframing is one of those psych terms used along with "changing the negativity tape" and other sorts of phrases. What it really means is "wake up dumb ass."

This morning's long run was a reframing run. Right now it's difficult for me. It wasn't that long ago that I would go for a 5-6 mile run on a Sunday morning. Running a 10k race was a comfortable challenge and I enjoyed it. This morning I had to literally talk myself into 3.5 miles.

First it was the "I know it's up hill, but it will be down hill when you turn around..." speech in my head. Then came the "This is the farthest you've run in a long time..." speech. On the way down the hill it was, "Hey, it's all down hill from here..." before the, "C'mon, just 5 more minutes..." and then the landmarks. There were times when my legs were heavy and I just didn't feel like it was in me. I began to ask myself: "Why?"

Why am I beating myself up for not being where I was before injuries? Why am I beating myself up for pushing myself on my runs but not on race courses? Why can't I just enjoy this like I used to?

The answer is simple: because I knew I could do better once and want to do better again. Like all things this takes time and I can be rather impatient with myself. I demand more of myself than perhaps others do in situations like this.

But I did it. I ran my 3.5 miles today. I've had better runs and I've had worse. I'll go out and do it again next Sunday as well... maybe on a race course, maybe not. We'll see. Right now, I'm reacquainting myself with running on a regular basis and that requires a lot of rethinking - reframing if you will - who I am and what I am capable of at this moment in time. Not what I could do years ago, but, rather, what I can do now.

So put me down for 3.5 thinking about it miles today. Soon it will be just another 3.5 mile run but for now, I'll think about it.

Let the Races Begin

2010-05-07T18:20:00.002-04:00

Last night was the first Marsh Post race of the season.

These races are a 2.6 mile course along the river and I tend to struggle with running in the evening, but I love these weekly races. I love the people, I love the community and I love a relaxed race environment.

But I'm still not 100%

So I took off with the others, not expecting much. I decided to keep up with a couple of friends. One is recovering from an injury and the other was keeping him company. I ran with them along the route, a little bit faster and harder than I normally do. I pushed myself pretty hard, but it felt good. After 2 miles, I had to slow it down to a quick walk off and on until the end.

I crossed the finish at the 33 minute and change mark for just over a 12 minute pace. That's my old running pace! That feels pretty good.

As for the music I ran to, it was the mix I put together for the Doyle's 5 miler - that race I wasn't ready for that turned into a 2 mile run and 3 mile walk. The other night I realized just how good a mix it really is. It has a nice pace, a nice rhythm and a lot of good music.

Here's to a new season of Thursday nights and hopefully, by the end of the season, faster and faster times.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2010-05-02T08:53:00.002-04:00

On May 1, 2006, I started a couch to 5k program. The idea was to get my son running for lacrosse and I knew he wouldn't do it alone.

On May 1, 2010, I spent the day spreading mulch and gardening thinking about how after two pretty big injuries, I am now able to run a 5k. I thought about finding a 5k nearby to celebrate; however, with the walk for hunger in Boston and the March of Dimes walk in Lowell ... there's nothing really nearby. So I went back to my "challenge" route back in the day: Heartbreak Hill. It's still a challenge, don't get me wrong, but not like it was back in the day.

It felt good to be back. After a grade 3 sprain. After a partial achilles tear. After regaining the 15 pounds I shed when I was running, I was still out there. I was still running and my pace is increasing. Thursday night will be the first night of the Marsh Post runs which are every Thursday until the end of September.

I'm back bitches... I'm back. :)

Week 7

2009-08-27T15:38:00.001-04:00

I'm now over halfway through and also just updated my template. My blog will be changing and morphing as I start maintaining things a bit better. I promise... really. :)

A Good Run

2009-08-05T19:08:00.003-04:00

(w3+r2)5+(w5+PT)

overcast

roadways

Today was the first day that felt like I was really running and it felt so good. I managed a couple of miles in the time frame and for the first time since April, I've felt like I'm on my road back to normal.