Spirt of a Great Heart

Let me just start with RIP George Carlin. The world will be a sadder place without you in far too many ways.

Today is day 1 of a c25k program. I am using the Runner's World 5 weeks to a 5k and today was a 20 minute walk/xt day.

With my iPod on shuffle, I went out for my walk and the first song up in the playlist was "Spirit of a Great Heart" by Jimmy Buffett. I must admit that song really set the tone for today's workout. After 5 minutes in I thought "what the hell" and started to slowly jog for 5 to prove to myself I could. It felt so good to just be outside moving like that. I did throw in a couple of more minutes when the Nike+ warned me I had 5 minutes remaining.

In all, I covered 1.5 miles. Not a lot and yet what a great distance.

Sunday morning

I can now use the glider, I'm walking and growing more flexible day to day. Yesterday our reel mower came back from the shop all sharpened and lubed and ready to go - so what's a Pika to do on her Sunday morning if she can't run? She spends 45 mowing down the hay field that our front lawn has sprouted.

I felt compelled to do this on this particular Sunday morning because about 300 runners will be passing my house for an inaugural 10k that I had worked into my training plan a few months back. I was going to run the Harpoon 5 miler on Saturday and the local 10k on Sunday to see how I felt. At this point in my training, it seemed to make sense... alas, the best laid plans of mice and men as they say.

So upon waking and looking out the window at my lawn this morning, the thought of waiting for any of the teenage boys in this house to "get around to it" didn't work for me knowing neighbors, friends and people whom I would never meet would run past all these well manicured lawns and then see mine.

Sorry Charlie, doesn't work for me.

So for 45 minutes or so, I happily listened to my baseball soundtrack on my iPod while mowed away. The boys can rake and trim later.

Beyond that, this week I work up to 30 minutes of walking and start working on the elliptical and bikes at physical therapy. If all goes well, I start on my c25k in a couple of weeks - a month earlier than expected. It's a nice way to start the week: feeling like you've accomplished something with the optimism of moving forward.

Another Day Another 20 Minutes

Today I just took a quick walk from work to the near by woods and walked along the trail for 20 minutes. It really was a pretty walk - the leaves were green, the sky was blue and the weather was warm. I'm down to a 16:09 pace for my walking, which is particularly excellent given I was walking on a trail rather than paved surface. I also did a couple of quick sets of jogging 15-20 steps along the way.

The orthopedist said my right foot is still about 5* less in motion than my left, but to keep gently stretching.

So right now I'm feeling good.

Captain My Captain

As promised - that's me and the Captain. Yes, he really is that much taller than me and no Gazelle Boy didn't think to do a vertical shot.

My ankle is growing stronger daily. I've been told I can walk 20 minutes 3x weekly and use the glider or elliptical on my off days for cross training. Today I did try jogging between phone poles, but the inside of my ankle complained loudly after a few steps, so I stopped.

I'm still doing my PT exercises and still growing stronger.

A good day for a walk

I am down to a lace up brace and new exercises were added to my PT: standing on my right foot for 30 seconds, runner's stretch and soleus stretch, I'm also able to take short walks.

So I restructured my "training" to go for 20 minute walks a few times a week. I decided to try and stay on mostly level ground but when I walked up the hill near my house I was feeling it. What was frustrating was wanting to walk at my regular pace and knowing I had to slow it down to an 18 minute mile. I know, I know, it's part of healing but it's one of those things.

When I was out, the colors were beautiful. The lilacs are starting to fade and the rhododendrons are starting to come into full bloom. There were a couple of gardens starting to bloom. As I finished up my walk, the sun was setting and the colors across the sky were breathtaking.

It was a reminder that no matter how rough the past six weeks or so have been, I'm getting stronger and it won't be long before I'm up and running and training. As if I needed a reminder that I"m getting back on track, today I got the notice for the Tufts 10k on October 13. If I start training the first week of August, I'll be right on track to run it. The PT told me that I should be starting to think about running about mid-July, so it looks as though it will be a good time to start training.

It was a good day for a walk and hopefully soon it will be a better one for a run.

The New Apple Store

OK, so I'm sitting here in the brand new flagship store where I have just had my photo taken with my hero.... Jason Varitek!!!!!!! Yes folks, the Cap'n himself is in da house.

Now you may wonder how someone with their right leg in a splint managed to make it up the spiral staircase. One word: carefully. In fact, I almost did a header when a Japanese tourist with a video camera just missed plowing into me.

But as I said, the Sox are in the house and I'm a happy Pika. The pix will be up soon (as I'm using the computer here at the store)

It's a happy day for me. :) I'm glad tomorrow will be about icing down my ankle!

The Sweet Smell of Lilacs

One thing I love this time of year is the smell of lilacs.

Today they were even sweeter because I walked several blocks to stop at two different bushes and take a deep, lingering inhale of the sweet fragrance. I was also able to stand for a couple of hours on the floor at work to cover some breaks. Yes, I'm paying the price a little bit as I have my ankle up and iced right now - but it just felt so good to be able to do something other than totally hobble all over.

I'm happy. I'm relieved and I'm feeling good.

Hooray for lilacs. Hooray for feeling strong.

Let the Physical Therapy Begin

I went in today for my first PT appointment where I learned some interesting things.

For example, I learned that my ankle joints have a larger gap in them than normal. It's not a bad thing, but it explains why I tend to roll them. I also learned that because my hips are weak, my ankles are picking up the slack... again, part of the rason why they tend to roll.

My PT is a runner, so she is going to structure everything towards that goal as I heal. So now I've got a set of exercises to start working on to strengthen the gluteus medius (one of the hip/butt muscles) as well as some easy sets of ankle things to do as well.

Good times, baby, good times

Getting ready to dance

The cast came off today! While I'm still not quite able to do the happy pika dance, it's a good first step. I'm on the crutches for another week and I didn't need a bivalve cast (splint/cast hybrid). I'll start physical therapy as soon as I can get an appointment and the hope is I can start back on a c25k program possibly as soon as the beginning of July!

The people at Harvard Health kept my cast to put on display in the cast room since I was just going to chuck it. Amazing what you can do with some sharpies and a lot of time sitting around singing songs about how much you hate people who can run when you can't. Right now - no more need for songs, no more Jim Carrey from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, loathe, despise....) and certainly no more sulking about this.

All of this makes me want to dance, even if I can't yet. So I'll let Pika dance for me for now.

future plans

So I figure the best way through things is with a plan. So here's the plan, I will get through this and set my sights on the Disney half in January. Once I have a bench mark I will work from there - but that's the plan. When I see my orthopedist on Tuesday (who is a runner), I will discuss my plan with him and see if it's a viable one and if it is - then there's the plan.

Here's hoping.

Bored, bored, bored

I'm so freakin' bored that I'm doing things like drawing on my cast, making up songs... the usual. No matter how upbeat I try to be, there are days like today when I want to be out and about and running on the paths or on Heartbreak Hill.

Today we were driving along Storrow Drive and I was getting mad at the people out there jogging and running. So I started singing:

I hate these people,
look at them running
and I'm stuck with this cast
on my right foot

Look at them jogging,
I hate these assholes
now that I"m stuck with
this cast on my foot


and so on.

As you may guess, I'm not in a happy mood about all this today. Tomorrow I'll be fine, I know I will be, but right now I'm sulky. So it goes.

No Dice Charlie

Well the trip to the orthopedist was not a happy one. Bilateral tendon damage upgrades you from a severe sprain to a fiberglass cast for a couple of weeks, a bivalve cast after that and then PT and a series of braces.

In other words: no races for a while.

On the upside, hauling myself around on crutches for a while should do wonders for my biceps and upper body. I'm starting to research what core exercises I can do and will think of it as "cross training" until I get the green light to start walking.

So for now, I have a blank, white fiberglass canvas calling out for some spectacular work with some sharpies.

The Little Engine

Most of us were raised on the book "The Little Engine That Could" by Mary Pipher. The whole "I think I can, I think I can..." mantra comes from that story of a little train pushing itself up a major hill. It's all about believing in yourself in all that.

So here I am, a few days out from my injury with a foot that looks as ugly as it feels (and I"m feeling it through the good pain stuff too). But I've spent the last couple of days with my foot up thinking, "What's next?"

Well, first it's seeing my orthopedist to get a full assessment. Once I have that, it will be a lot easier to to figure out my plans. Until then we have a few things: The first is coaching Mr. Pi.

That's right, I'm coaching Mr. Pi again. He's doing the Runner's World 5 weeks to a 5k program for gym credit. I picked up a Nike+ Sport Band to help him record his info. He'll also be keeping an online log with notes and writing up a short report ... all for gym credit.

He's really excited about the whole thing - which is nice. Who knows what will happen with him.

So for a couple of weeks while I wait for the swelling and bruising to reduce, I'll be advising and watching Pi. As soon as I can bear weight again, I'm going to start building time on the glider (no stress on the knees/ankle/etc.) so I don't lose fitness capacity. As soon as I have the word, I'll start in on a walk to run plan and build up with the goal of the BAA 1/2 this fall.

This is a set back, not an ending. All I need to remember is "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....."

This Blows

I go out for a run today - the weather is beautiful, I worked out a training plan with an eye towards the BAA half in the fall. A mile and a half out my foot slipped on something and next thing I know, I'm in a heap on the ground with my right ankle is puffing up like a scared puffer fish.

A person nicely let me use their cell to call Mr. Bear and a woman driving by who saw me go down turned around to offer me a ride to the hospital. She nicely dropped me at the house and Gazelle Boy took me into the ER where I was given some percoset, an aircast and a pair of crutches before being shown the door to make a follow up with my orthopedist.

The golf ball sized lump on my ankle is an unhappy reminder of last fall. I know that I will get past this but it blows.

Keep Me In Your Heart for a While

Not that long ago, an online friend died suddenly. His sister thought to go through his online address book and let his running friends know. James "Cat" Cattano was one of the first guys to really get me to realize I was a runner. He worked with trouble kids and was often a confidant when I was going through some stuff with a crazy person in my life.

Last Sunday he would have been 46, so a group of us decided to celebrate his life by doing something we enjoyed. For me, I spent the day in my pj's reading the papers and doing the sudokus. I was going to run Cohasset but there were coordination issues with vehicles, timing issues and enough of a pain that I decided to pass and dedicate my run in the Doyle's Emerald Necklace run to him this week.

I love this run. This is through part of Olmstead's "Emerald Necklace," a string of parks around Boston. This is an out and back race at the Franklin Park end and it starts by the hospital near Forest Hills. From there it winds along the golf course, past the softball fields, the zoo and the stadium. It goes along water, where the ducks and geese were starting to swim and nest and through woods. If you didn't know that the funky end of the city was just the other side of the zoo, you never would have guessed by the scenery.

The weather was funky - overcast, chilly and threatening to rain. I stayed towards the back of the 1800+ runners and stuck to my strategy of run a song/walk a song and I was running pretty well. There were times when my inner loser would start raising his voice - which had me thinking, "I can just cut across the fairway..." or "No one would know if I ran across that triangle of grass instead of around it..." and I would think about Cat - which send the inner loser off to sulk in the corner and keep me on course.

The last quarter mile, you come out of the park and the last quarter mile is up Williams Street to Doyle's Bar and Grill. The street is lined on both sides with triple deckers filled with artists, hipsters and college students. As you come down that final stretch, they are out clapping and cheering. One group sits out drumming in the driveway, complete with baby hippies dancing in organic clothes. The college students were the loudest and most enthusiastic, thanking me for picking up the pace and I thanked them for their support.

As I approached the finish, there was a guy in a red hoodie cheering me on pretty enthusiastically and I realized it was my big brother! It was a real surprise and a happy treat to see him there.

Later, I was listening to a bunch of songs shuffling through my iPod and there was the one Warren Zevon song that still makes me tear up: Keep me in your heart for a while. It is the last song he wrote for his wife when he was dying. The words, "hold me you thoughts, take me in your dreams ... and I will be right there with you."

So yes, I kept him in my heart for a while and it was a good.

Dirty Water

My first ever 5k was the Ryka Irongirl back in 2006. I ran the first mile, walked the second mile and just started running again when I was wondering what the hell I was doing out there. At that moment two things happened, the first was I came around the bend as the song "Dirty Water" was playing. There in front of me was one of the most beautiful panoramic views of Boston across the water. The sky was the perfect shadings of blue, not a cloud in the sky, the skyline reflecting a bit off the water... absolutely gorgeous. As I came on that view, the line "Oh Boston you're my home" blasted in my ears.

In that moment I knew why I was out there, I was a runner. The second thing was the elite runners doing the 10k race started to pass us as they did their second loop. It was breathtaking and inspiring at the same time. Us slow people questioning ourselves just stopped and applauded them before going back to our shuffling.

This morning was similar. The weather was perfect: 48* with no wind and a little overcast. I realized this is really the first time out there where I was running comfortably more than walking. I wasn't talking myself into the just to that pole... just to that mailbox... just to that tree.... - I was out there jogging along and feeling good. I was just coming down the pedestrian road by Newton City Hall when "Dirty Water" came on and as I passed the Johnny Kelley statue the line "Oh Boston you're my home" blasted in my ear.

"Dirty Water" is also the unofficial anthem of the Boston Red Sox. When the Sox win at home, they cue up "Dirty Water" and then "Tessie." It is a victory song for people like me.

I have to say that while I have been rebuilding, I've been wondering why the hell am I doing this? This morning, it was that same feeling I got that July morning almost 2 years ago.

This is my home, the BoSox are my team, I am a runner and I couldn't be happier.

Home Opener

This morning I woke up at 5:30 to a truly obnoxious alarm clock. The youngest ordered one from Pop Tarts a few years back and it has this grating voice that says, "Get up or I'll tell every one you wear jammies..." "Some one has to get up, and it's not gonna be me..." "Get up or I'll...."

After 10 minutes, I got up and shut it off saying next time it goes out a window. Mr. Bear decided no more alarms before 6 am unless you need to be up and out before 6 am (I'm fully behind that one).

But I was up and got dressed for a run in spite of it being around the freezing mark. I decided to go out for 2.5 today to work on my pace and I'm happy with the results. Until today I've been running a slow pace (even for me). OK, granted there was a time when a 14 minute mile was a major accomplishment for me, but now it's a source of frustration. Today I got out there and managed to cover 2.5 in just over 30 minutes for a 12:08 pace. It was the first time I felt like I was fully back in the game.

Of course how could I not enjoy today's run? Today is the Sox home opener so I put on my baseball soundtrack - which starts with Jake Shimabukuro's version of the National Anthem on uke. From there I have songs like:

The Ballad of Yankees Suck
Tessie
Dirty Water
Centerfield
Heart
As We Walk to Fenway Park

How can you not smile listening to songs like that?

I registered for the Doyle's 5 mile race on Sunday so this morning was a good prep. I may try for a longer run tomorrow since I don't have to go into work until noon. Perhaps I'll do an hour long run and see how it goes rather than go out for a distance.

Berry Smoothies in the morning

After the chocolate bannana smoothie debacle of a year or so back, I have occasionally tried to figure out the smoothie process. This weekend I finally hit on the right combo: 1/2 a bag of frozen berries, 1 cup of OJ and a container of my favorite yogurt. Woo Hoo! Berry smoothie time!

In the meantime, I signed up for the Doyle's 5 miler on Sunday and the Harpoon 5 miler in June. I decided I'll go for a long walk today and a short run tomorrow. Long range forecasts have it warming up all week, which is a sure sign spring is really here finally. Woo Hoo again!

Berry smoothies and spring... life is good.

April Fool

I thought the weather widget on my dashboard had to be an April's Fool joke - I mean after the cold raw weather of the past few days to be 56* at 5:30 in the morning just didn't seem to parse for some reason. When I opened the door to check for the newspapers, I realized it wasn't a joke, so I munched a Pria bar, drank some water and headed out.

Near my house are some hills that have been known to make freshmen runners weep and varsity runners whine like spoiled children in a toy store. They are mean, steep and unrelenting. So of course I had to give it a go.

I made it about a block before I was walking to the top of the first rise. I started running again and made it a block before dropping back to a walk again. All the way up the road that was the pattern and when I got to the top, I turned around and ran back down to do it all over again.

But 3/4's of the way down I decided to go on an adventure and veered off on a side road. The road went up and down. It twisted and turned to another quiet road, which went up and down and twisted. I ran those roads more steadily - more of my run a song/walk a song interval before I took a turn and realized, "Hey, I live on this street!"

So that's where that road I drive past goes .... up down and all around before it opens out onto my street.

It was a nice way to start the month and for the first time since the calendar turned, it really felt like spring out there this morning. The early sunlight, mild temps and playful squirrels racing me on occasion. It felt good. It reminded me why I fell in love with running. I may not have my paths any more, but knowing there are these quiet roads in the morning is almost as good.

Why I need to run (a sorta RR from the Ras Na Heirann)

The past couple of weeks, piled on the last few months, have had me really asking why I haven't been running. I came out of the Hyannis 10k full of enthusiasm and excited. I knew I could get back to form after getting past a major hurdle.

So what happened?

I often read people's "I've lost my motivation" posts with understanding and sympathy. When you don't want to run after letting it define you, it really feels like breaking up with your high school sweetheart or losing someone special. Last fall I spent 3 months watching runners go by my window or pushing themselves along my running routes knowing I couldn't join them because I stupidly ran a 5 mile race after rolling my ankle. It felt fine, but I knew it wasn't and should have acted with restraint. But no.... I had to run.

Coming back from that injury has been scary. I was shocked at how much fitness I lost. I was saddened at my lack of stamina and fearful I'd roll it again and have all of it gone in a flash. So up until Hyannis, in the back of my mind was a little voice saying, "If you don't run, you'll learn not to miss it." But Hyannis reminded me why I run. The feel ing of exhiliration and freedom I feel when I run and I knew in that moment I could never give this up.

But then I didn't run again until yesterday when I ran the Ras Na Heirann - a 5k race that Gazelle Boy and I refer to as the running of the Irish. (It's idiomatically the Irish run or the Irish race, but literally it's the running of the Irish, which is the version I prefer.) There's something thrilling about running in a pack of 3,000 people and it takes over 3 minutes to get over the start line. This race is particularly silly because almost everyone is wearing green something, there are guys running in kilts and combat boots, leprechaun hats and outfits - you name it. I was there in my Red Sox St. Patty's shirt (an xxl number shirt with Matsuzaka's name and number on the back) ready to go.

Along the route is the Gaelic column - which always reaches an emotional core in me and I almost wept as a result of hearing those pipes and drums.... which I didn't do, but it did get me thinking. These past couple of weeks I have been so drained with fighting the school system to insure my son gets an equal opportunity education rather than ceremoniously shoved out the door with a piece of paper in hand and a "so long and thanks for all the fish." It has been draining physically, emotionally and spiritually. If this is what the battle is like in a supportive system, I can't even begin to fathom what parents in non-supportive systems have to face.

Ironically the one thing that I need to lighten the load, running, is the one thing that I just can't seem to work up the energy for. But somehow there I was running through Davis Square, trotting up college hill and through Powderhouse Circle, down the bike path to the Davis Square finish in 42:47. Not a great time, but I made it before a couple hundred other runners nonetheless. I've started selecting spring races: the James Joyce Ramble (10k), the Doyle's 5 miler, the Harpoon 5 miler, the Johnny Kelley Memorial (5 or 10k - haven't decided yet) among the choices. I have entries into the 5 big races on the Charles this summer and it won't be long before the Thursday night running group starts up again.

Yesterday someone I know who "doesn't get the running thing" asked me: do you feel stronger when you run? I realized, yes I do. when I finish a run I feel like I have accomplished something big - even a little run feels fulfilling. After the race I decided that maybe part of my problem is I expected to just restart rather than rebuild. I have time, so I'll go to the appropriate spot in a c25k program and start from just past the beginning again.

Today I have meetings and work, tomorrow I run.

Today I go into more meetings with guns blazing and tomorrow I run.

Hyannis Marathon

Today was a glorious day on the Cape once again for the Hyannis 10k, half marathon, marathon and marathon relay.

This is my first race since Labor Day and I wasn't sure I was going to run until we were actually in the car and on the way. I signed up for the 10k and I was feeling strong and confident until a week ago when I was felled by a nasty cold going around. I spent Tuesday ensconced in my chair wondering if I'd have the lung power to make it. By Thursday I felt better but I took a spill down a handful of stairs in the house, landing on my right knee and left hip. I lay on the floor in the entryway swearing and asking who I pissed off to have this happening.

But this morning I woke up at 6, took some ibuprofen and packed my bag to head to Hyannis determined to walk the race if necessary.

It was cold - no two ways about it, but I shed my track pants - wearing my running tights, an underarmor long sleeve t and my oversized Dice-K shirt and was glad I had shed the pants the moment I stood in the sun. I would have been too hot and they would have been too heavy for me today.

I met up with Kristen from the Runner's World beginners forum before she went off for the early start on the marathon.

The mix on my iPod: the Apple commercial play list on shuffle mode.

It took a couple of minutes to get across the start line, but it wasn't long before I was off with my recent strategy of run a song/walk a song and the first 3 miles flew by. My goal was a 13 minute mile and I was pretty close to that for the first half of the race. After the first water station, I could start to feel the lingering effects of the cold but was able to keep pace until mile 4.5 when my knee began to stiffen up so the strategy became run a song, power walk a song, walk a song. By mile 5 I was pretty much down to power walking with the occasional jog for a few minutes before dropping back to a power walk again. In the final quarter mile, I was able to break into a jog to the finish for a time of 1:28:02 - which is certainly a respectable enough time.

There are a lot of reasons I love this race course, the main one being I just love the smell of the salt marshes as you run past them and the views of the ocean along the route. The relative flatness and tree lined streets are a bonus. It is certainly among my favorite races and I look forward to returning to this course for the Johnny Kelley Memorial race at the end of May.

So that first time returning fear has now been stared down. I have the Running of the Irish (Ras Na Heireann) in 3 weeks which is a 5k through Somerville in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Gentle Reader

I have not been good about keeping up with this since being injured. Like I didn't run this past week as I've had a cold and have been trying to rest before Hyannis tomorrow - my first race since Labor Day. To make matters worse, Thursday I took a minor tumble down a couple of stairs and my knees have begun to stiffen up a bit. My work schedule has been crazy while they try to figure out rhythms and times for all of us new folk.

I am racing Sunday, I don't care if I walk most of it. I need to break through that psychological hurdle that seems to keep getting in the way of me moving forward.

So if you will be in Hyannis - look for me as I trot along the route and give me a big "Gambatte" (a Japenglish word meaning: go for it in sporting events). If you won't, then check back here later Sunday as I post my race report and maybe a photo or few.

Surreal Snow

I beat the bed magnet to get out the door this morning at the butt crack of dawn and into a surreal world. It snowed last night. Not a lot - a dusting is the official term. You know, enough to cover bare patches and make the roads slick but not enough to really measure.

But the temperature was warm enough so when the snow stopped, there was this surreal fog over the road... almost as if the snow had suspended itself midair and just decided to stop before reaching the ground. Because it wasn't fully light out and the world was still mostly asleep, there was an eerie quietness in the air as well running up Commonwealth Avenue today.

I was early enough that the running clubs weren't out enmass yet. Every so often a pair or so of elite runners would glide past and there was the occasional dog walker, but the first half of my run was mostly me and my soundtrack for the morning.

Because I went for time instead of distance (I really only had an hour before I had to shower and get to work), it was interesting to hear that voice in my ear call out 5 minute intervals instead of mileage calls. I did manage to cover just over 4.5 miles in that time - I'll take it.

Now off to shower so I can get to work. After a serene, surreal start to the day, I'm in a good frame of mind - so it all works for me.

Two Against My Will

There were a whole lot of reasons not to run today:

- I have to be to work by 1
- It's snowing
- It's below freezing
- The bulk of my running clothes are in the laundry
- Do I really want my neighbors to see me
- I haven't eaten
- I really have anything to drink
- I haven't been eating well this week
- I over slept

and the list goes on and on. Yet the thought of a double digit week for the first time since Labor Day was just so enticing that I knew it would trump all the reasons not to. So I put on the running tights, the compression shirt and the oversized Dice-K shirt and strapped on the shoes for 2 miles.

That means this week I logged 11.5 miles and it feels good.

Up the Hill, Down the Hill, Up the Hill, Down the Hill

There is a big mambo hill outside my house. I really needed to get a 3 mile run in today so I went to the trusting distance tools at map my run and the nike+ sites and mapped out 3.1 miles. Essentially it was up the hill, around the cul de sac, back down the hill, around the little park, back up the hill and back down the hill.

It was around 40* and drizzly out, but I sucked it up and did it. While my times still aren't great, I'm feeling better about getting out there especially when my inner loser decided to pay a visit. I came down the hill and was heading around the little park at the end of the road when my legs began to feel heavy and the voice started.

"I'm tired," it said, "the house is right there. You got a mile in on a day you weren't even gonna run... c'mon."

I'm not sure where I found it in me, but I did. Next thing I know, I'm cresting the hill and thinking, "Wow, that was fast."

That gives me a 10k run and a 5k run on the week so far - more mileage than I've done in a long time. It feels good. Maybe it's being able to run outside again, maybe it's just time. No matter what the reason, I'm running and it doesn't get much better than that.

I'm a New Soul

Ever since Apple announced the new Macbook Air, the song "New Soul" by Yael Naim has been in the background of most of our hearing ranges. It's a lovely little song and the video is such a joyful little romp.

You can watch the video here.

It was the theme song for today.

The other day I downloaded the "Apple Commercial" mix from iTunes which included that and Feist's 1234 (from the Nano commercial) and Perfect Timing (This Morning) from the iPhone ad. Basically, it's just over 1/2 an hour of really good music.

Realizing I'm running in a 10k in 3 weeks, I went out for my longest run since Labor Day - I went out for a 10k run with the Apple commercial songs as my soundtrack. To encourage myself, I did my run on Heartbreak Hill.

Since all the songs are around the 3 minute mark, I decided the best thing to do was run for one song, walk for the next and then run again. It took 90 minutes to cover the 10k distance, but I did it. The carriage road was filled with running clubs doing their training mileages for Boston, Sunday runners, dog walkers, you name it.

When I started out and at the 5k mark the song "New Soul" popped up. My run finished to "Perfect Timing (This Morning)" and those two songs say it all. It was a perfect morning. The weather was warm enough to run outside, the sun felt good and it was just a nice feeling to run outside for a change.

10k - not too bad. I feel renewed for the first time in a while.

Happy Birthday Mr. Pi

I can't believe Mr. Pi is now 16. He wanted a rock n roll cake, I ran out of time, so I ended up buying a cake at Stop & Shop but I did decorate it. All it took were some guitar swizzle sticks for the sides, some Little Debbie Cosmic brownies for the stage, drum kit and amps and lots and lots of Teddy Grahams for the musicians and audience. There were bears crowd surfing, laying out for sun, stage diving - you name it.

It was a truly inspired cake. :D

It was a busy day - running here there and everywhere figuratively and literally. I really didn't want to run yesterday. The treadmill is just really depressing no matter how spiffy it may be. But I made myself run the 5k loop program on the treadmill and pushed myself through the mileage. I want to run outside again but the weather is just too funky these days.

I did run the distance, so I'm giving myself a lot of pats on the back. I feel a bit sore. I also think I figured out why I stopped wearing the white socks I used to wear running as I now have a small, but annoying, blister on the bottom of my foot on the pad just below the big toe. I'll probably go and run a couple of miles on the treadmill today as well because sometimes you just have to suck it up and run.

I forgot about the hills

Today I took advantage of the January thaw and went for a 4 mile run up Heartbreak Hill. Having spent the past few weeks on a treadmill, I realized I forgot about how hard it can be to run up hills... but even then, it was a good run.

One of the advantages of a treadmill is you can be a little lazy. If you start to run out of gas, you have the motor and the belt moving at a constant pace and it can pull you along. When you're on the road, that doesn't happen. You're on your own power the whole way.

But the thing I like about running on the road, there's a lot to distract me. The treadmill is the same scenery and it's not long before I'm checking my watch and waiting for the numbers to count down. On the road I get lost in sights, sounds, smells and colors. I love looking at my watch and realizing I just ran 2 minutes longer than I thought and want to keep going.

It was a good run. It was enough to keep me going for a while until we start getting real thaws.

Oooo! New Treadmills!

Today I headed into the gym to run, in spite of the January thaw, since Mr. Bear is nervous that I'll hurt myself outside. When I got there I was surprised to see 2 and a half rows of new treadmills.

They are sleek, brushed aluminum beauties with a built in fan, instant read HR monitors, 1 button 5k course setting - truly a thing of beauty. I pushed the 5k loop button and pushed the speed to where I wanted and I was off. The fan kicked on by itself at a certain point (even with it, I was a sweaty mess at the end but I was loving that it was there) and the whole thing was a smooth, enjoyable experience. How cool is that?

They also got a tone of new cross trainers in that look like that thing I see advertised on TV where you can combine an elliptical motion with a stair climbing and treadmill.

I'm glad I pushed myself to go in because I really didn't want to run today. Having a new toy was just a reward for doing what I was supposed to do, and I'll take it.

Land of New

New day, new week, new month, new year - it's all part of the land of new.

Basically it's been a rough fall due to injuries, life and everything else that often gets in the way. But I'm planning on running the 10k race at the Hyannis Marathon (there's a 26.2, 13.1 and 10k race) in 7 weeks and this was week 1 of a 10k training plan.

I'm looking at the Cherry Blossom 10 miler the first weekend of April and figure on the Ras Na Heirann on St. Pat's weekend and the Doyle's 5 miler in the spring. I'm keeping my eyes open for the Harpoon 5 mile registration because I really enjoyed that run.

So far this week I've logged 8.5 miles on the treadmill - not bad for a first week back. I realized I really enjoy intervals of walking/running and have gone from 5 walking/3 running a couple of weeks ago to 4/4. I did up my paces to 3.5 mph walking/11 min mile pace running (5.5 mph). I know I'm starting to feel comfortable at this pace as I went long past the 4 minutes I usually run and after a couple of minutes of walking I'm antsy to start running again. When I get to the 3 min walking/5 min running mark, I'll probably stay there until I'm comfortable enough to push the pace again.

In the meantime, happy new year all.

One for the money, two before snow

I wanted to get a quick run in this morning, which usually means a mile up a big mambo hill and a mile back down. Not a happy thing as it's a big freakin' mambo hill.

OK let me put it to you this way, I usually train on Heartbreak Hill and this hill basically goes up the same height, only in a shorter distance so the grade is much steeper than Heartbreak.

I wanted to get out early because it was supposed to rain around noon time, so by 8 am I was in my tights and under armor shirt and running up the hill. I got to the top, turned around and came back because I had a 9:30 appointment, I still have to pull together the turkey day shopping list (even though I bought the turkey yesterday) and meet with the teacher of my tutoree to see where she is vs where the student is and prepare this weekend for our first session next week.

Oh yeah, did I mention I'm also learning some ASL because apparently this girl had some speech problems at one point and sometimes uses signs as she speaks to make sure she's understood. So in order to understand, I guess I need to learn some basic ASL that doesn't include obscene gestures.

It was cold out there and I was worried that it wouldn't rain, but rather snow and sure enough, by the time I got home, showered and went back out the door for appointment #1, the snow was starting to come down. By 10:30 it was starting to tick. While it shouldn't be a significant snow fall, it's still covering parts of the ground. Welcome to New England.

In the meantime I discovered something new and interesting today (and to the RWOL folks that actually read this - my apology for carping on this discovery yet again) - we have a Narnia lamp post in the woods between our house and the neighbors' house.

How cool is that? I never noticed it before because of the leaves. I'll take a picture of it later.

The not cool discovery... OK, well maybe it's cool sort of: the squirrels started eating the pumpkins on my front step. *sigh* Not little bitty bites but ginormous chunks of my pumpkins are now gone.

Well, we'll see what the weather does. Tomorrow is suppoed to be close to 60 and I have a 3 miler planned. I survived today's hill and the cold, so hopefully tomorrow will be more pleasant (and less steep).

Four More Down

Yesterday I was scheduled to go for a 4 mile run and a tight schedule. The compromise was to head into the gym first thing in the morning to run on the treadmill. Not ideal, but at least I'd get a run in and a steady pace.

Worst of all, because of scheduling it means the health club where I'd get the 360 degree view of my ass. How joyful!

Well, that was not to be because all the treadmills in the women's gym were taken, leaving me to head into the main room where all the jocks use the various machines with lots of groans and sweat (and never wipe anything down when they're done... ick!). I took up the open treadmill in front of the set with CNN on and push the buttons to get going.

I was surprised at how easy it was to just keep running on the treadmill. That whole sort of motorized steady pace really does help, but I also began to feel certain changes in myself as well. I'm remember how to breathe again when I run, something you think would be somewhat innate but apparently isn't. That leads to being able to run longer with less walking breaks.

My legs are starting to feel stronger again and I've noticed my calves seem to be strengthen up again and that shivery feeling I get when my legs are feeling weak seems to be going away.

I'm going to up my mileage a little this week - squeezing in an extra, but shorter, run on Wednesday. Gazelle Boy and I are thinking about doing the Fried Turkey 5k on Thanksgiving.

Which reminds me - remember to do something nice for the police and fire fighters that will be working on Thanksgiving while we're gathering together to feast. In fact, these will be the same people helping to put out the fires caused by idiots with no clue trying to deep fry turkeys. About 11 years or so back, Gazelle Boy decided we needed to make cookies to cheer up the police that had to work on Thanksgiving and it's become an annual tradition ever since for our family.

A better run

Today I went out for a 3 mile run and ended up going a little extra to make it closer to 3 1/3. I ran the same route as Sunday, but this time rather than feeling discouraged, I felt energized. I have to admit part of what helped was today's mix on the new iPod.

Now because the old iPod worked mostly, I had no idea that there were certain things that I was missing out on, like a fully charged battery and being able to listen while it was charging. Who knew? Apparently not me.

Unfortunately iTunes is not communicating with Nike+ right now so my challenges will be missing a run (or more) until they find a way to talk again.

But while I was running, the "Running Inspired" play list made a difference. Now I know there are lots of folks who don't see why folks run with music. I get it, really I do; however, I need that steady beat and lyrics to grab my attention and lift up my spirit. It is who I am.

Sometimes the beats carried me through, sometimes the lyrics, sometimes my thoughts as I filter everything else out - that is often the case when I'm running. What makes it even easier is that, since I'm currently running for 6 minutes and walking for 3, I can keep track even when I do things like forget my watch (as I did today). I can say to myself, "I'll walk when I get to the end of 'Tessie' and run when the song after that is winding up...."

The bottom line is that it got me through today and today was the first day where running wasn't a scary chore but rather something I love to do. It was a good feeling.

I don't know if I'll race next Thursday, if not I will at least go out for a 5k run. In the meantime, I'm planning a long run Sunday morning and maybe a quick run tomorrow.

It feels good to be back.

The land of almost new

The other day I did go out for a 3 mile run. It was a tough one too. Not in terms of terrain or anything like that, in fact it was one of the flatest runs I've done in a while. It was hard work and I'm not used to 3 miles being hard work. I'm used to going out for 3 without really thinking about it but to have to really push through that second mile made me want to cry.

When I passed the Johnny Kelley statue, I could almost hear him telling me to stop be such a cry baby. I pushed myself to jog along as the dog walkers, marathoners and others passed me in both directions on Comm Ave. Because I tend to leave my iPod in shuffle mode these days, just as I was contemplating walking the rest of the way, the song "Don't Give Up" by Moshav Band came up for play.

It was what I needed to hear in that moment. It also made me realize I probably need to put together a play list of songs that make me happy or inspire me to get through the next month or so as I rebuild my base. I know 3 miles will be easy again and maybe I just needed to remember that it wasn't always the case.

When I got home, I couldn't turn off my iPod.

So today I made an appointment at the local genius bar where I ended up going through the process of swapping out my old Nano for the same generation/model as before. (The new ones are just a hair too seductive and I think if the Apple genius had said something like, "Well, we'll upgrade you to a new one for only..." I would have said, "OK.")

At least now I have a "new" iPod to keep me in sync with my new running. It meant postponing today's run because by the time they were finished going through the paperwork and such, it was time to get home for boys. So I cleared my slate for tomorrow morning and will go out first thing and try for 3 again instead of the 2.5 I was going to go for today.

Yesterday's 2 miles

This is what a 2 mile run looks like to me these days.

I did it, I survived and tomorrow I'll do it again. My ankle and I had a little chat last night about what is expected of it from now on and it seems to be cool with things. In the mean time, I'm trying to find a Thanksgiving race to do.

Braving a Single Step

When I started this blog a couple of years ago, I called it "Working out With Tek" because I thought of Jason Varitek as my imaginary trainer. At the time, my son's bedroom was off the living room and I could see Tek looking down on me from the wall from the spot where I'd work out. I could imagine him telling me to quit whining and keep going. When the going gets a little rough or challenging, I can see him in my mind's eye pushing me through to the end.

Yesterday I was brave enough to run again and I again needed my imaginary trainer to help.

The PT gave me the OK to run 1 mile only and to wear the brace when I did so. Finally the one thing I had been pining away for was about to become a reality - but I couldn't do it. There was this lingering fear in the back of my head: what if I roll my ankle again? There's uneven pavement, curbs, potholes and other hazards... can I bear to go through all this again so soon?

I couldn't bring myself to lace up my shoes and head out the door - so I figured maybe if I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill: no pot holes, curbs or uneven pavement. In fact I would even have the belt to help me along. But even that has it's own set of fears as well.

It took me a couple of hours to get to the gym as I decided I needed to run errands first. In fact, it took an awful lot not to say, "Screw it, I'm getting a pedicure!" when I walked past the nail place. Because I delayed things the way I did the gym was empty when I got there. I changed up and headed for the treadmill behind the pole - my usual station. Once on there, it was a matter of what playlist was I going to opt for and I ended up going with my baseball music.

Setting off, I walked for 5 minutes as a warm up through "The Star Spangled Banner" and "The Ballad of Yankees Suck." But then I started running to Jonathan Richman singing "As We Walked to Fenway Park." It's easy to run through songs like "Centerfield" that are designed to get the blood pumping and for 5 minutes I was good - but my fitness level has really declined over the past 6 weeks and it was almost painful pushing myself through the last part of the 5 minutes - which should be no big deal.

After walking a little more I was thinking about bagging it. I had run 1/3 of a mile and maybe that should be enough for a first time out and that's when I saw my virtual coach hitting the 2 run homer against Cleveland the night before as the song "Heart" from "Damn Yankees" came on my iPod. I could remember the look on his face as he stepped into the batter's box and faced the pitches. I remember the look on his face as the ball kept going as he rounded first base and the arm pump as it bounced off the top of the wall.

If Tek could reach down and find hope, well maybe then I needed to as well.

I punched up the speed to my 12 minute pace and promised myself I'd hold it for at least 2 minutes until the end of the song - that's when I got a cosmic push to the song "Dirty Water." For those of you who know the Sox, you know the home win ritual is they play "Dirty Water" by the Standells and followed by "Tessie" by the Dropkick Murphys - which was written as an anthem for the 2004 Sox early on in the season long before there were any thoughts of the post season playoffs and World Series. To be a Sox fan and hear those songs back-to-back can be an inspirational thing when your determination is flagging.

Yesterday they played just that way and kept me running for the additional 7 minutes I needed inspiration.

In the end I probably ran a hair more than a mile broken up by a bit of walking in the middle and I ran for 10 minutes solid in the end. It may be small in the grand scheme of things, but it was a major feat in overcoming my fears.

Rehab

If only that word meant a vacation in Antiqua or riding horses in Utah... alas, I'm no celebrity, just a regular person coming back from tendon and (it turns out) minor achilles damage.

For me that word means doing exercises with resistance bands, icing and, starting today, rehab walks with a lace up brace.

I went out for a 2 mile walk today, my first real exercise in quite some time.

I'm still planning on running my first 5k on Thanksgiving and hopefully I'll be able to think about half marathon training again about that point. Gazelle Boy would like to run the Sarasota Half Marathon and promised he'd actually train for it (unlike last year's Hyannis Half Marathon). Nini is thinking about putting together a relay team for the full marathon and I should be able to handle that if I'm not up to training for a half.

I'm grateful that, even injured, I walk faster than when I started a year and a half ago. Running is still a week or two away (at best) and I'm able to do most things without the brace on.

But tonight will be about kicking back with an ice pack and watching the Sox while dreaming of the beaches of Antiqua.

Letters in the air

Physical therapy is an interesting thing.

Right now is the "easy" part to rebuild the basic strength - flexing and stretching to build up the muscles in the ankle and rebuild the spacial relations/memories of the nerve endings and where things should line up ... or something like that.

My set of exercises for the week include drawing the alphabet with my foot - upper or lower case, my call - a couple of times a day. I also have a red elastic thingie for resistance when I flex the ankle and stuff.

The good news, I can start going for walks of increasing lengths. For example, today I can go out for about a half mile or so and see what happens. If I'm not sore or swollen, then I can go longer tomorrow and so on.

But for now, I'll write my letters in the air with my foot three times a day while I anxiously wait for the word to run again.

Bad news, good news

The orthopedist gave me the word today. The bad news is I did manage to give myself a pretty good sprain and it will require at least 8 weeks of healing. The good news, I can start running again in mid-October in small, controlled spurts with low mileage.

OK, it may not be a lot to some, but for me it means I can run again starting around Columbus Day. I can't do the Tufts 10k this year, but I can go for a mile run along Comm Ave. By Thanksgiving I should be able to run a 5k and I should be able to do the 10k at the Hyannis Marathon this year.

If I weren't wearing the air cast right now, I'd be doing the happy pika dance.

I do have my first physical therapy session this afternoon and I should only need a couple of those and they should be teaching me a set of exercises I can do at home. As the old Joni Mitchell song goes: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. But it will be back soon and I'm happy for it!

Feh!

Turns out I have a ligament injury that has now been referred to a physical therapist. Excuse me while I scream.

When the PT place calls back, I'll book my appointments and take it from there. In the meantime I'm starting to think that there is something cosmically linked to me running 6 miles in a stretch.

Just when I was comfortable doing that last year, bronchitis laid me low for over a month. I get to that point again - turned ankle during a 5 mile race. Recover from that, up to a decent mileage again, another turned ankle this time with ligament damage.

I have come to truly love running and I'm wondering what I did to mess with the cosmic order to have to keep fighting these obstacles.

Owie

When I rolled my ankle a couple of weeks ago it was painful but pretty much OK. A little RICE and a few days later it was solid enough to run 5 miles in the Iron Girl.

So why, oh why, haven't I been running? Because somehow I managed to injure a different part of the foot/ankle - the top from just above the big toe to the bottom of the shin. Because of the location and type of pain, I have to ask myself if I did real damage to a tendon somewhere along the way. What's even more weird is that the part I rolled actually feels fine - so I don't think this has anything to do with the roll.

Guess it's time to put a call into the orthopedist and see what he has to say. *sigh*

I Am Iron Girl

I ran the 2nd annual Boston Iron Girl race yesterday. Last year it was in early July and it was my first real 5k, this year it was on Labor Day and it was my 3rd 5 mile race this year.

While my time was not spectacular (1:06), it was a PR for me. After rolling my ankle Thursday, I've been doing the RICE thing (rest, ice, compression, elevation). By Sunday it was feeling fine and I made a trip to Margaritaville when Jimmy Buffett landed at Gillette Stadium, so I was running this race slightly injured, little sleep and a touch dehydrated (but not hungover).

I drove in with my sister and we planned getting there so we had minimum time standing around since it's starting to get chilly in the morning (it is New England in September after all). The crowd was smaller than last year - I suspect that between the holiday and the 5 mile distance, people had other things to do. To be honest, if this race weren't on the holiday, I probably would have done the Marshfield one again as a measure.

The nice thing about the course, it was flat and I needed flat. It was also a 2.5 mile loop that you ran twice - which doesn't thrill me. I planned on running intervals: 5 min run/3 min walk and easing back if the ankle bothered me. It was a good plan and I pretty much stuck with it. In fact, I hit the water stop during walk breaks, making it that much easier. There were a couple of points where I got some bad stitches and walked through a run interval, but the ankle felt good.

I finished in 1:06 - not great but a PR for me. I would have liked to have done an hour, but given everything I'm good with my time. Would I do this again? Definitely but hopefully not after Buffett's Labor Day weekend show... but that's a different tale for a different day.

... you got to run with it

That was the thought going through my head last night at Pauly's Thursday night race. Here I am, finding a nice stride as I'm going along the Boston side of the Charles and I see a woman discussing what's wrong with her body with a friend.

I thought for a second about my body - the belly that just never went away after having kids, the excess weight, the chest many women pay good money for that I was "gifted" with naturally, etc. and all I could think in the moment was, "Well, this is the body I have so I guess I have to run with it...."

Funny the things that pop in our head when we're running.

I did pretty well last night considering I rolled my ankle about 1.25 miles into the 2.6 race. It was my own fault, it was dusk and I wasn't paying attention and missed a piece of curbing. I should know better. It happened just as I was about to take a walk break. I took the walk break, refusing to hobble, and continued running when the walk break was over. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't too bad. I ended up finishing in under 32 minutes - which is about 3 minutes longer than I wanted to be out there but not bad overall. I put it up and iced it immediately and took some advil. When I got home I wrapped it and took a little more advil before going to bed.

It should be fine by Monday's 5 mile race, but it also means I'm not going for a run today as I originally planned. I might venture out for a short one tomorrow to see how it does.

Purple Haze

Today I felt like I was running through fog. It's only in the mid-70's but it's 81% humidity and I didn't think I'd make the 4 miles today. In fact, my pace was a full minute slower than a week ago running the same route.

I hate running in this kind of weather.

Wisely I'm using intervals for running now - 5 minutes running/3 minutes walking. When I can cover 8 miles, I'll adjust the timing but it seems to be a good set for my current level. It helped me get through the wall of humidity this morning.

Brie Burger in Paradise

First of all, I got a new running shirt. I figure a Pikagirl needs a Pikashirt - so when I took Mr. Pi into Hot Topic for back-to-school shopping, I never expected to find a shirt for me. Yet there it was, on sale. So while I may not be young, blonde and thin, I did wear it with my black running skirt and got compliments as well as a couple "Where did you get that?" squeals.

I really am enjoying the Marsh Post races this season - even these big ones with a ton of people. Tonight was the 4.2 mile Brie Burger in Paradise which included beer and a Buffett cover band along with the post-race cookout.

I wasn't sure how I'd do with the 4.2 mile distance. When I did the Reggae Ramble a couple of months ago, I wanted to bail because it was so hot out. Tonight it was cool, but it was really humid. I decided I would use the interval timer on my watch and run for 5/walk for 3 for the distance.

Now these races have a bit of a funky start. Hundreds of people and a two lane foot path along the Charles can be a bit harrowing, especially when you throw in kids on scooters chasing their folks, people with dogs and jogging strollers along with runners of all calibers. As Pauly, the race director says, it is what it is and I learned where I can start that has me far enough back so that I avoid the bulk of the pack. It's not perfect and the first walk break was a bit harrowing (I made sure to get as far to the right and that there was no one directly behind me before I walked), but after that the path widens and the crowd opened up enough that I was fine. My timing was good enough that I hit my walk break just as I got to the water stop.

All in all, I ran a 50:50 race for just over a 12 minute/mile pace - which I'm very happy with tonight.

Off to see if the rain delay has let up on the game. I hope it doesn't start too late, I don't want to fall asleep on the couch and miss most of it. :(

New Attitude, New Look

I miss my old running path. I thought about that the other day after running the big mambo hill and then, later in the day, driving past the path on my way to do errands. So there was only one thing to do: get a new attitude.

But how do you mark a new attitude? I'm not buying new clothes... well, OK, a couple of things the other day when I was running errands - but that wasn't like changing my style. As I pulled my hair off my face (yet again) as the youngest asked if I could take him in for a haircut this week, I realized what I needed to do.

I pulled my hair back and then measured 12" up from the bottom and put in a second elastic and said, "Let's go." I sat down in the chair at the hair place and told her to chop it off just above the second elastic.

"Are you donating your hair?" she asked. I told her I was, so she measured again to be sure and then hacked off my pony tail.

My hair went from waist length to shoulder length in less than a minute and today I'm mailing my tail to locks of love.

Today when I ran up the big mambo hill, I had a dinky little tail bobbing along behind me but it felt all right. I still ran a 12:29 mile (which ain't bad considering I walked 6 minutes of my 3 mile run today), but I feel lighter and some kid out there will feel better as a result and you can't beat that feeling with anything.

Big Hill Mambo

This is the profile of the hill I ran this morning - it was one big ass hill to run on a Sunday morning after laying off for a while. I am learning certain things about hill running like - if you live at the bottom of the hill, the good news is the uphill is at the beginning of your run. Then, after you run down to the bottom of the hill, you can sort of run around the base of the hill to get back to your starting point rather than having to run back over the hill.

Also, even though it feels like you're going slow, your legs feel pretty strong - until you stop and you realize you resemble the wiggly leg guy from the Kliban cartoon.

But I ran 3.68 miles of that this morning at around a 12:30 pace, which works for me. I'll get at least one more of the big ass hill runs in this week before the Brie Burger in Paradise on Thursday - you know, something to make me think running 4.2 miles on a relatively flat course is a treat.

But for now I'm feeling sweaty and hungry so I think I'll take a shower and grab some breakfast.

Back in the Game

Tonight I ran in one of the Thursday night 2.6 milers to see where I was at after taking a month off. I managed to finish in 32 and change - for just over a 12 minute pace... which I'll take. At the half way point I walked for 5 minutes and then I walked for about 3 minutes more just before the final sprint to the end, so I'm certainly feeling pretty good about where I'm at.

Next week is the duathlon, but I'm only going to do the run. I'm also going to lay out a training schedule for the week and get cracking. The Brie Burger 4.2 miler is in 2 weeks and I'd like to be able to run the whole thing or do it with scheduled run/walks the whole way.

But right now I"m happy because I'm back in the game and feeling pretty good about it.

First There is a Sidewalk

then there is no sidewalk, then there is...

Don't ask me why Donovan's "Mountain" was stuck in my head this morning over the Stevie Wonder on the iPod, but it was. Perhaps because I now live on a road where the sidewalks are there and then gone and then there again - thus first there is a sidewalk then there is not sidewalk then there is ... but no snails upon my garden or a Juanita to call her name.

It was the first time I've run in a month because my life was consumed with pack, move, unpack, repeat until the other day. The good thing about being able to move in early was that I could bring over things, settle them and then go to the old place and do it again until the day the big men with a truck showed up to cart over everything else.

Unfortunately, it also gives a somewhat false sense of feeling done when there's still much, much more to do. Add a pair of in-laws with an RV pulling into your driveway as you're finishing cleaning the old place and unpacking big stacks of boxes and it was a fun time for all.

The other thing with moves is odd things go missing... like your left running shoes. There are the right ones sitting there in the closet waiting for their mates who are hiding in a box labeled "kitchen" down in the kitchen.

I now need to find new routes. Since I'm at the bottom of a big hill, this means hill work is now part of my regular routine and no longer just for days I need a challenge or to feel as if I've accomplished anything.

Since it's been a month, I promised myself that if I got up and went for a run, I could just run up to the end of the street and back, which would be just over a mile. Two steps into my run I breathed a sigh of relief like I was home. A minute into my run I realized this wasn't going to be as hard as I thought.

Don't get me wrong - ascending 90 feet in less than 3/4's of a mile and back down again isn't a walk in the park, but it wasn't the dreaded killer I feared it would be either.

In the end I ran 1.37 miles (according to map my run) in under 16 minutes for an 11:37 pace. I can easily live with that. Better yet, I have the feeling it is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

I Got My Number

My number for the Jerry Garcia race arrived which means I need to step things up. Sunday's 4 mile run was tough and I bonked after 3 miles due to the heat and humidity (and stupidly going out around 11 instead of early in the morning). Yesterday's 3 mile run was much better, but there were still points where I was struggling in the humidity. So if I'm going to make it 4.2 miles in a decent time, I better buckle down.

Now that I'm going to yoga again, I feel... well, twistier. The teacher is all about the twist and convincing us that doing head and shoulder stands aren't that hard. (Yeah, right.) The good thing about her classes is I realize that I'm a lot more flexible and I'm physically stronger than I thought. I also like that my knees and ankles feel stronger when I do yoga. I'm also adding some core and strength work to my training - just a little bit a couple of days a week in line with one of Higdon's training plans because, while I haven't decided about the half yet - I want to be ready when I do.

I have a 2 miler on tap for today, so I'm trying to figure out the best route for that before heading out. I don't know how my running will go this weekend, I'm towards the end of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" as I re-read the cycle before "Deathly Hallows" comes out. I will be in line at midnight for it - fighting the desire to flip straight to the end to see how it all finishes up. Somewhere in there I need to break away for a 5 mile run.

At least if I get through the 5 mile run, I know I'll be good for the Garcia run on Thursday.

Thursday Night at the Post

Last night was the weekly Thursday night race at the Marsh Post in Cambridge. This week was one of the monthly duathlons: run 2.6, ride 2.6, run 2.6 as well as the 2.6 run.

Gazelle Boy was going to try his first duathlon and Mr. Bear, Mr. Pi and the youngest came along as "support crew." They really came along for the cheap cook out - but that works too. ;)

When we were about half way there, I looked at Mr. Bear and said, "Have you seen my iPod?" I had it in my hand when I originally went downstairs to put the bike rack on the van, but I needed my keys to get into the truck of his car to get the rack and when I did that, I left my iPod upstairs next to where I keep my keys. I was concerned about running without music and keeping pace... so it goes. At least I remembered my inhaler.

My goal was a 30 minute 2.6 run - which would be about a 12 minute pace. A few weeks ago when I did one of the 2.6 races, I surprised myself with my time of 29:45 and I wanted to come in around the same time just to show myself it wasn't a fluke. Last night I finished in 30:42 because I ran/walked the last half mile with someone who was struggling a bit after coming back from an injury - which is an 11:48 pace, so I would say that my last run was not only not a fluke but, had I just run the last half mile at the rate I was going, I would have PR'd.

About 3/4's of a mile from the finish line, Gazelle Boy passed me on the bike with "Get out of the way," comment and I responded, "Ride faster." A woman jogging along the Charles with her dog caught up to me and said, "Do you know that person?" I told her it was my son, we do this to each other a lot and it's a family joke. She was relieved to hear it was a joke and not someone being rude.

I crossed and Mr. Pi was at the timing table helping the guys and learning how timing systems worked. After I had some water and cooled off a little, I went to see if I could figure out my pace and found out that Gazelle Boy was estimated to win the whole race. At the 46 minute mark, they started watching for him. He crossed at 47 and change - almost a full minute ahead the second place guy.

It was a good night. Plenty of fun, a big win for Gazelle Boy and good food to cap the evening off. I want to squeeze in one more 3 mile run for the week - hopefully later today and get back into a building pattern. I'll decide in a couple of weeks if I'm going to go for a half marathon or not in the fall - we'll see. I have the Jerry Garcia Memorial 4.2 mile run on the 26th and I'll decide by then.

Four Sure

For some reason, four miles seems to be the new base distance for me. Between the Thursday night race series, the Hingham race the other day and now some of my loops - four miles seems to be the distance to shoot for in my life this summer.

Today's four mile loop was a "keep the river on the right" course - just running along the Charles from one bridge to another for 4.06 miles. I always enjoy a run when I see bunnies. I don't know why but I honestly feel like when I see a bunny that something is watching out for me and reminding me to smile and today I saw two playing together at the beginning of my run.

I also had a butterfly fly along side me for a little bit at the 2 mile mark. It joined up with me near the MDC pool and then fluttered over the bridge when I went straight.

This Thursday is one of the dirt cheap duathalons out of the Marsh Post in Cambridge. If I thought I had 5.2 miles of running in me, I'd give it a try. Instead I'll do the 2.6 run and be done with it, but it is a new goal to set - 2 runs with a bike ride in the middle. As they say: someday I will.

In the meantime, I hope to meet up with some more bunnies and butterflies as I start exploring some new places to run.

Racing Stripes

Today was the Hingham 4th of July race - a 4.6 mile point to point race down Main Street in Hingham, MA.

Ever since I rolled my ankle at the Harpoon 5 miler last month, it's been a bit tender and sore but no big deal for the most part. At the start of the Hingham race, a chiropractor who also does kinesio taping was there. I figured "what the hell" and asked him about the taping and my ankle. I sat on the table and he felt around the outside of my ankle (where the problem is) and had me flip over so he could tape it up.

I should note that kinesio taping is a Japanese thing. The Japanese are not only very aware of the body but of the mind and spirit as well and everything is infused with a level of philosophy. Because of this, color plays an important role in any treatment of anything so while most research will tell you the colors of the kinesio tex tape makes no difference, it was clear this guy had studied that piece of things and chose to use both pink (active) and blue (passive) tape. He made a point of telling me that I was the only person he was taping with two colors... everyone else was either one color or the other.

The tape itself is a cotton/elastic latex-free based tape and, unlike white sports tape, is designed to give full range of motion to the muscles while balancing the flow of lymphatic fluids (according to the literature I looked up after I got home).

Whether or not all that is true is another story - but I do know this much, after 4.6 miles, my ankle feels just spiffy. In fact, it's one of the few times I haven't had that nagging soreness I often feel after a run. So whether it's in my head or has something to do with the racing stripes I don't know, but I do know I'd like to learn how to do this properly for myself.

Of course, in looking all this up I did note one thing, in true American fashion, it was suggested that a) the color makes no difference and b) the tape was a perfect vehicle for advertising and sponsorship.

The race itself is a hometown race. People set up water stops on their front lawns and have hoses going so that runners can run through the mist to cool down if they'd like. There are lots of flags and patriotic bunting. So on that level it truly was a fun and enjoyable race.

The downside was that the beginning was highly disorganized and chaotic. Because it is a hometown race, there are a lot of small children (and by small I mean like kindergarten/lower elementary aged kids) "running" with parents. There are also a bunch of those pre-senior citizen types who walk the race. All of this would be fine if there was a level of basic race etiquette among these folks, but kids would scamper off while mommy peeled off for a conversation and I'd just miss tripping over little darling as they sprinted across the road with no supervision. Some of the walkers and semi-runners would weave back and forth across the road like drunken college students winding their way home from a party, making it hard to pace myself as I couldn't get past them.

In fact, this is one of the only races I've been in where the people with the jogging strollers were polite and acted the way you'd want them to ... staying off to one side, announcing passing intentions, etc.

Don't get me wrong, the downside stuff really was minimal in comparison to the feel of the race and the scenic course. It truly is a joy to run a race where people are sitting out on decorated lawn chairs or setting up home made water stops every few feet or so. It was a race where you feel connected to a community and that is a true joy.

3 miles

I don't know why I'm always surprised at the difference between running at 7, 8 or 9 am on a Sunday makes, but it does.

Today I got out a hair late (the 9 am side) and started through the neighborhood. For the most part it was quiet, but there were people out walking their dogs, working on their yards and such as I ran past. When I got to the running path, there were all sorts of people on bikes, with scooters or walking with water bottles slug around their necks. And then there were the runners.

The long, lean gazelle like people with easy strides as they went for a long run. There were the folks like me, those little engines chugging along saying to themselves "I think I can, I think I can..." and everything in between.

Which is why I pretty much relished a part of the path that was quiet when I got there. In fact, it was quiet enough that a baby bunny hopped out and sat there on the edge of the path watching me chug along before scampering back into the long grass thinking "you can't see me, I'm invisible," even though he stood out if you knew where to look.

It wasn't a great run by any stretch - there were times when it felt chore-like and dutiful and the by-ways felt too crowded. But it was made into a good run because of a little bunny's boldness in the quiet moment suspended in time before the bikes and the walkers and the scooter and everyone else made it to that point to remind me that this is still a city.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Tonight was the Reggae Ramble in Cambridge. Normally I would have done the race and hung out eating jerk chicken and listening to good music - but it was hot, humid and really nasty out.

The start was slow and the reason I say that is because when I start a race at my usual pace rather than too fast, you know it's a slow start. When I got to the water stop at the halfway point, I was ready to bail but another woman - who was also ready to bail - and I decided to walk the last 2 or so miles together. It was really nice.

Turns out her first 5k and mine was the Ryka Iron Girl last year and we're both signed up for the Brie Burger in Paradise in August. So we figure by August we'll be used to the weather and be able to run the whole thing.

I told her about RWOL, my Nike+ and DJ Steveboy. She told me about Chi Running and how she recently discovered things like map my run.

We finished together and I met up with Gazelle Boy who said he did OK and the last mile or so was pretty tough.

The people from Brooks running shoes there were givin out "More Cow Bell" t-shirts if you won the mogo ball race. A mogo ball is basically an adult hippity hop and even though I lost the race, she had some left at the end of the night so she gave me one anyway.

So I did 4.2 miles in 57 minutes and change - not bad for a 2.1 mile run and a 2.1 mile walk in the heat and humidity.

What am I?

Someone recently asked: what's the difference between a runner and a jogger? I was reading the current Runners World and the following quote is on the Warmups page:

"The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank." Dr. George Sheehan, cardiologist, author and longtime RW columnist whose writings helped fuel the running boom of the 1970s.

While I don't fully agree with the quote itself, I do agree with the idea that the difference between running and jogging is how seriously you perceive your committment.

I consider myself a runner because I have specific goals, train, race and otherwise see myself progressing. There are people who finished before me that may be joggers - you know they entered to keep someone company, because there was bbq at the end or whatever. It isn't how they choose to define a piece of who they are. Me, I see myself as a runner because I feel like I have a level of committment and... if there happens to be free beer or bbq at the end of a race, so much the better.

For example, Sunday I ran a 5k that I finished in 39:45. Normally this would be a huge disappointment for me considering how far I've come in the past year - but the first 2 miles I was on track with a 12 minute pace when I got a bout of stomach cramps. The last mile was a combination of slow, gentle jogging when I could and speed walking when I couldn't while telling myself "the faster I finish, the faster I can get to the port-o-potty."

So I was actually quite happy with my time because it means that I'm walking faster and my "slow, gentle jog" is where my running pace was a year ago.

It's one of those questions - like did you get your chocolate in my peanutbutter or did I get peanutbutter in your chocolate debates that have no real answer beyond individual perspective.

Right now I'm content to call myself a runner. I like looking up and seeing my medals hanging on my corkboard or flip through the book where I dutifully paste in my bib numbers and record the race, distance, location, time and pace. Perhaps it's a bit vain, but it what it is (as they say).

In short: Even if I can't float and glide like a Kenyan or run for 24 hours on treadmill in Times Square, I'm a runner baby and damn proud of it.

Half Fast

The same guy who does the Summer Run Series out of the Marsh Post also does a series of Thursday night fun runs the other 3 Thursdays. Tonight was "The Good Vibrations" run of either 2.6 miles or 5.2 miles. Gazelle Boy ran the 5.2 with the goal of beating me as I ran the 2.6 miles. My goal was a 12:15 pace and to cross before he did.

As Nini says, "Done and done."

I knew I had gone out too fast when 3 minutes in I was straining a little to breathe. I slowed my pace and just let people pass me. About a half mile in, I was still breathing a bit hard and slowed again and found a rhythm that felt good. With the iPod on shuffle mode and no one else in sight and I kept pushing myself along the banks of the Charles feeling strong now that my breathing was good.

At the 2 mile mark, the first 5.2 mile runner passed me just as I started getting a side stitch. I slowed to a walk for about a couple of minutes... maybe a full quarter mile... and then did an easy jog to the finish where Mr. Bear and the Youngest were waiting near the finish. As I turned the corner at the finish, there was Mr. Pi and Paulie yelling for me. Mr. Pi also enlisted a few other folks nearby to cheer me on - which was nice.

I crossed at the 29:45 mark (according to my watch), which is an 11:27 pace!!! Holy shit! I ran an 11:27 pace! Not only that, I crossed 6 minutes before Gazelle Boy.

I run the same course on Sunday for the New Charles River 5k - we just start a half mile further down the road. I'm not sure what to set as a goal. I was originally thinking a 12:15 pace, but I don't know now. I'll probably keep it at that - there's an extra half mile involved and there are about 1500 people running between the 5k and the 7.5 miler. A 36 minute 5k is a bit ambitious... or is it?

I guess I'll see on Sunday.

Run For the Arts 5k

Every year my brother from Ohio rents a place on the Cape for a couple of weeks and we all get together one day to relax by the pond, cook out and just hang out together. In recent years, the day has started with running a 5k in Yarmouth called "Run for the Arts."

Last year I was going to do the walk with Mr. Pi - but about a half mile in, his stomach cramped up with some sort of bug and we bailed so he could find a blue can of death someplace. I was going to jump in with the 5k runners - but then my stomach cramped up and I bailed to look for one myself.

This year was a different story, this year I was looking forward to running a fairly flat course that winds through sleepy treelined roads and past the ocean on a beautiful day on the Cape. Buoyed by his success at the Johnny Kelley Race a couple of weeks earlier, Mr. Pi decided he wanted me to coach him through this as well. I was hesitant in signing him up as he hadn't done anything since the Johnny Kelley race, but he said he was ready and I said "OK."

We started off pretty strongly with a 3 minute run, keeping pace with a good portion of the pack before our first walk break. During the walk break, we ended up with the police car on our back sides and it was clear the pattern would be us, a group of two women - one coaching the other through - and a larger woman running while she could and walking when she couldn't. As we in our second run, he began to get a stitch in his side. I was trying to get him to breathe properly (from the belly, not the chest - slow and steady... c'mon). At our next walk break, he was starting to slack a little and that's when I finally began to understand personal trainers.

Now as an aside here, personal trainers are supposed to push you past what you think your limits are. Sometimes it hurts like anything and other times it feels great knowing you're growing stronger. I know there are people who probably thought "what a bitch" if they saw us out there or heard me, but part of this is knowing Pi, his penchant for drama and that he has little self-confidence. This wasn't as easy as the Johnny Kelley for him and that started the cycle of "I can't."

Fortunately for him, I wasn't going to let him bail. So for 2 miles I used everything I could to get him through - reminding him that the youngest was going to be at the end ... did he want to be last for him to rub it in Pi's face later? Stop saying "I can't..." and just do it. When there would be a minute left and he'd say he couldn't do it, I'd say, "40 more seconds" and then keep running past the 40 seconds. If he started counting, I told him he was counting too fast.

At one point he said, "I'm a lacrosse player, not a runner" and I replied, "You're an athlete and athletes run." He complained about parts that hurt and I asked him if he ever heard someone from the Cannons complain about pain. He said, "They're crazy men."

"I thought you said you wanted to play for them."

"I do, but I'm not insane crazy like they are."

"Well, what are you going to do to be that insane crazy or else you won't be playing with them now will you?"

The last mile became "run 2 phone poles. Ready, let's go." If he said, "I can't run 2," I'd reply, "You're running 3, now go..." He would get a little defiant but do it. He apologized for holding me back and I said, "Well, I'm not bailing on you - so you need to move." He quickly realized we were running half a many phone poles as walking, so when I'd give a number, it was easier for him to do run it.

The last quarter mile, people along the road either doing cool downs or milling around the end began to really encourage him with "you're almost there" and "looking good." Nini ran him in the last couple of hundred yards and we crossed together at the 42:53 mark. They asked us who crossed first and I said Pi did - so I'm on record as finishing last.

Later I reminded him that, as tough as it was, he did well and, more importantly, he didn't bail. He finished and that was an accomplishment. I thought it might have even been a PR for him - but he did the Johnny Kelley like 5 seconds faster. When school gets out this week, we talked about a training schedule for him. He knows he needs to run a two mile course in 16 minutes to make the JV and Varsity team next year - so he's committed, he just needs to believe he can do it and after this race he's starting to see he can.

One of my truths came full circle yesterday. I started running last year to help him prepare for lacrosse and I stayed with it long after he bailed after the season started. Now here I am helping him through it again with the realization that next year, if all goes well, he'll smoke me at this race. I have to admit, I look forward to that happening.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

I went out for a 3 mile run today - and it was a good one. But it struck me as I was out there what a beautiful day it was. Here I am in a semi-urban environment (I live in a City, but it's really a suburb) at 8:30 on a Sunday morning running through the streets with practically no traffic. The sun was shining, I could smell all sorts of different flowers coming into season and the temperature was just right.

It showed in my running as well, I finished my first mile in 11:14. I slowed it down a little at that point, it wasn't a race - just a base building run after the successful 2 mile run I had the other day. I finished the 2nd mile in 12:24 and the third mile in 12:17. It was all good too - even the 3 minutes I walked after I finished the 2nd mile. My legs felt strong, my breathing was pretty good and the ankle didn't make itself known in the least the whole time.

Later I had to go to all the little league fields to check on games and rode my bike from field to field throughout my part of the city. Again, it just felt good to be out and about. The hills just didn't feel like anything running or cycling.

I like days like this when they roll around. It makes the bad days when everything feel like a labored chore that much more bearable.

Two Good Miles

Two miles is not a lot these days. After a year of running, finishing a couple of 10k's and a couple of 5 milers - what's 2 miles?

It's a sign of a rebuilt base and renewed hope.

After rolling my ankle Saturday, I've been taking it easy and keeping it rested. I decided I'd only go for a couple of miles and take it slow. So I took off for a run through the neighborhood and running trail while Stevie Wonder crooned in my ear.

The first test was the uphill in the neighborhood and things felt good, so I kept going. The downhill felt good too. Never once did the ankle make itself known... again all good signs. By the time I got to the trail, I was feeling like I could keep going for a while, but I didn't want to over do it.

In the end, I did 2 miles at a 12:04 pace - again, pretty good and overall was happy with my run (in case the excessive use of the word "good" didn't tip you off).

Last night was Gazelle Boy's graduation. I never thought I'd get weepy over something like that but there were a couple of moments where I thought I was going to cry. In true Gazelle Boy form, as they called the kids up for their diplomas, he removed the mortar board and replace it with his pirate hat. When he approached the line of officials, he saluted each one of them - saying to the principal with his best Sean Connery accent, "It was a pleasure serving under your command M...." Even from where we were, you could see her laughing.

So he's officially a college boy now and, for now, I couldn't be happier.

Harpoon 5 Miler

This is one of these races that sells out in nothing flat. Over 1400 runners took to the streets of South Boston to run 5 miles and (if they want) drink beer.

The Harpoon brewery is just down from the Boston Fish Pier, so when I pulled up this morning I was happy to smell the ocean. I know a lot of people don't like the smell of the ocean at low tide, but I always have. Since the race was out of the brewery, it was a 21+ race and I needed to show ID - an interesting dilemma as I had to figure out a way to carry my ID, keys and inhaler. I dug out my old mp3 player pouch which filled the bill. On my other arm was my Nike+ with the sensor on one shoe and the timing chip on the other. Not ideal, but at least I was balanced.

I found my sister in the corral as we waited to start and we lasted maybe a block before I told her to go on and run ahead. Since I hadn't worn my watch, I decided I would run the first mile, walk for up to 6 minutes and then run to the next mile marker where I would then repeat the walk/run cycled. Unfortunately I went out way too fast at the start, finishing the first mile in 11:06. I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain that and, given the humidity, I was grateful for the walk. The first mile was through an industrial area - which was eerily empty on a Saturday morning.

After the first water stop, you start to run along the beach before being diverted over the pedestrian causeway towards Castle Island. What a beautiful part of the run - to be running over the ocean with a welcome breeze and beautiful views. This was my favorite part of the run and was probably half the race distance. I was doing pretty well - keeping around 12:15 or so pace until I hit mile 4.

Mile 4 was back through the industrial areas we had run toward the beach and I was starting to feel the heat. Once we were away from the ocean, there was no more breeze. I could see the bulk of the pack ahead of me and was feeling good. I knew I'd PR when, about a half mile from the finish I stepped in a pot hole and rolled my right ankle.

Yeah, I dropped a few f-bombs and hopped a little. My ankle was sore, but it felt strong and I figured I'd just walk in - kissing the PR goodbye. Just as the Nike+ voice said, "400 meters to go," I noticed my niece was waiting for me. She didn't run the race, she was there as support crew and walked me in. I did jog the last 100 yards or so for a finish of 67:01. Turns out that I PR'd anyway since I did 67:29 at the Doyle's 5 miler 6 weeks ago.

When I got home, I barely had time to shower before running out the door to a meeting and some errands. By the time I got home, I was starting to feel it in my ankle - which was now starting to swell a little, so I grabbed the icepack from the freezer, took some ibuprofen and watched the Sox game. I'll treat it a little gingerly over the next couple of days, but the swelling is pretty much gone and there is only a slight bruise. I decided to give myself Sunday & Monday off and I'll go for a short run on Tuesday to see how it does.

I definately want to do this run again. Maybe I'll do the Sugar Bowl in July out of the L Street Running Club which covers a chunk of that route as well. I do know this much, there is a note in my Palm to keep my eye open at the Harpoon site for when registration opens next year so I don't miss out again.