And the running continues
I am sitting in the Las Vegas airport and my flight is delayed due to the terrible storms in California. So, I thought I would use this time to write an actual update to my blog. This post will be about my training and the next will be about all of the other fabulous things I have done in the past 1 1/2 weeks.
On Saturday, February 18th I ran for the second time with my pace group. I was feeling pretty cocky about my ability to keep 4 other people on pace the week before and so I came into the 5 mile run with a lot of confidence. The COBs were 22 strong on the 18th and we only had 2 pace group leaders. So, we broke the rules and each took 11 in our groups. 3 of the 4 people I ran with the previous week joined me again.
Our route took us through Ft. Mason Park which includes a big hill that we got to run twice. Woo Hoo. One of the girls from the other PGL decided to join my group after struggling to keep up with the "fast" group. One of the women in my group was struggling with knee and hip problems and so our "designated driver" (the person designated to hang back with anyone having problems) dropped back to run with her. I also had a couple of men who wanted to run faster that our pace. So, by the end of the run my group was spread out over about 1/4 mile - and I was not ok with that.
My Tuesday and Thursday maintenance runs were both hard. I didn't have to work on Tuesday so I used my free morning to run outside. It was a glorious morning as I ran from the marina to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Thursday I was back to running on the treadmill and unlike the past few weeks I did NOT run like the wind. I struggled to finish my 3 miles but was glad that I made myself complete it.
This past Saturday we added another PGL so we were able to run in smaller groups. I reminded my group that we would run together NO MATTER WHAT! If someone needed to stop for water or the bathroom we would all wait and the only way we would split up or spread out was if someone was having a physical difficulty. I was much happier with my group of 8 and think that I have found a good core group of people that I'm hoping will stay together. Our route took us through Fort Mason again, this time we only ran the hill once, and through the residential neighborhoods of the Marina and Cow Hollow. We ended running through the Presido and back to our starting point.
My pace group stayed together and enjoyed each other's company along the way. It was the longest distance that half of my pace group had ever run. Next weekend's 7 miles will be a milestone for me, having only run a 10K (6.4 miles) prior to this. I'm finding that icing is becoming a necessary addition to my training regimen on more than my just my achilles. This morning after my maintenance run I had 3 bags going on my left ankle and knee as well as my right shin. I fear that I will be sitting in an ice bath before too long.
On Saturday we begin our run in the Golden Gate Park and I'm excited about the change of venue and exploring a new part of the city. That is one of the best things about my long runs on the weekends. I'm seeing areas of the city and neighborhoods that I have never been to. What a great way to learn a place!
Missing in action
I'm sure you are all wondering where I have been for the past 5 days. Well, maybe you aren't but I'm going to tell you anyway! I will paraphrase for you with the promise of a longer entry at a later date.
Saturday - 5 mile group run with a big hill. I had 12 people in my pace group and it was a struggle to keep everyone together. My parents arrived in time for dinner and to watch the Olympics.
Sunday - Thai brunch in Berkeley and
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - one of the best musicals I have seen in ages. I laughed so hard I got a headache.
Monday - Riding the public transportation to wander around SF and watching lots of Olympics.
Tuesday - 3 mile run along the bay in the Presidio followed by a trip to Alcatraz and a meander through the dim sum delights of a hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Chinatown. I finished the day with a kick-butt volleyball game where I was the setter (WHAT?).
Wednesday - back to work - bummer.
Tomorrow my parents will join me at school to see me in action and meet all of the people that I talk about before heading to Ashland to hang with my sister and her family.
More soon!
Ice is usually the answer
Last spring, on my annual trip into the smoky Mountains, I got tendonitis in my achilles. After two months I was finally pain and inflammation free. I haven't done any long-term rigorous activity since then nor had any problems. Until now.
In the past few weeks I noticed that my left achilles was feeling swollen so yesterday I went to see Patti, the athletic trainer at my school. First she wanted to know what in the hell I was thinking running a marathon (I seem to get the same reaction from everyone). When I told her that I wanted to get in shape I got "the look." It is a mixture of 'You're doing what? That's really cool! Are you crazy?' and I get it often when I tell people about my training. She checked out my achilles and gave me a few pointers to keep it from getting "pissy" (her word, not mine). Basically it all boils down to ice.
I ran my 3 miles this morning and felt like I could have kept on going for hours. This seems to be a pattern and I'm not sure what to make of it. On my Tuesday runs I feel like an elephant. My feet slap the treadmill and I huff and I puff my way through 30 minutes. At the end I feel like I might die. On Thursday mornings I never seem to get winded, my legs aren't tired, and I barely sweat. I know that there are on and off days with running but this just seems strange.
After kicking myself off the treadmill and trudging my way through an ab workout I dutifully saranwrapped a bag of ice to ankle. It is amazing how quickly skin will numb when in contact with ice. At the end of it all, it worked better than I could have imagined. I guess icing is going to become a part of my daily routine.
Supporting the girls
I know that my grandparents probably don't want to read about the ins and outs of my fitness apparel and various chest support systems, but I feel that this is an important topic. Any woman who does any kind of high-impact exercise understands the importance of the proper sports bra. On Saturday I came to grips with the fact that I needed to replace mine.
I realized long ago that the sports bras I had weren't going to work. I kept pretending that I would develop calluses on my collarbones after a certain amount of chafing. Then I convinced myself that a thick layer of body glide in strategic areas would alleviate the problem. The final straw came on Saturday when I visited Sports Basement to pick up the final few things I would need for my training (read here cool new sunglasses and capri running tights with a cute cutout to emphasize my calves). The woman helping me pointed out that the sports bra that I was wearing was a cotton blend. The saying in the running world is "cotton is rotten." So, I sucked it up and took a handful of sports bras into the fitting room.
After many failed attempts I found one that I thought would work. As you may know, the best way to test out the support in a sports bra is to jump around and jog in the dressing room. This isn't quiet so embarrassing when you are in your own private cubby hopping around and checking the jiggle factor. At Sports Basement there are no private rooms - there are alcoves but no curtain to draw across for privacy. So, as I was jumping around and jogging in place in running shorts and a sports bra I got a few sidelong looks from the other women in the dressing room. I finally made a comment about this being the only way to test things out and the woman next to me said, "That's right. You gotta support the girls!"
I bought the bra and tested it this morning on my 3 mile run. I'm pleased to say that I felt fully supported.
Thank God for Andy
Yesterday as I lazed on the couch recovering from my training run on the heels of my trip to LA I got to thinking about the task in front of me. Did I really sign up to run a marathon? Am I really going to be able to run 26 miles? What was I thinking? Usually when I get myself worked up into this kind of state I talk to my friend Andy. He is currently training for the Boston Marathon and has run 3 other marathons in the past year and a half. Not only does he run himself, he also coaches the women's cross country team at the college where he works. Andy has talked me out of the rafters a couple of times and I am eternally grateful for all of the advice he has given me and for all of the times in the future that I know I will be calling him to work his magic once again.
Two weeks ago he convinced me that running a 10 minute mile at my first training run was ok. I had been training on a treadmill and running an 11 minute mile. I was completely freaked out because I was sure that I would be training at a pace that was too fast for me and it would lead to injury or not being able to complete the training. Andy reminded me that everyone ran the same course on the same day and that the group they put me in was appropriate for me.
Last week, after I had a terrible time running on Tuesday, I was convinced that I was not using the proper running form. I spent an hour on the internet searching for the proper running form for long distance running. Low and behold, Andy called that same day and told me that I was foolish to mess with my running. He reminded me that some days your body is tired and running is hard. He also pooh poohed the idea that I should change my running form. As far as he is concerned, my body will find the most efficient way to run depending on the day.
So, I head into each day with a little more confidence and motivation - barring the random freak outs in my head - and I owe a lot of that to Andy!
The training begins
So, today began what will be 6 months of running to accomplish the goal I never knew I wanted to accomplish, the San Francisco Marathon. Ok, so it is really the second week, but this was the first week of running with my pace group and feeling like I was really training for something.
It all started about a month ago when I was just getting back into a routine of watching what I eat and working out daily before work. I was on the phone with my friend Libby and found a flyer in my mail from the San Francisco Aids Foundation. They offered a training program for 6 months with a 98% completion rate for their participants. I decided right there and then that I was going to run the SFM.
A week later I attended an informational meeting where I met a ton of great people. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a total nerd. After making my mind up to go forward with the training idea I spent hours reading the SF Aids Foundation website and the website for the SF Marathon. I printed out maps of the course and the elevation gains and losses. At the informational meeting I passed out my maps for others to see - confirming my total nerdiness to all. My info meeting reaffirmed that I had moved to a city that young and fun, and that there were plenty of people out there for me to meet. Being new to the city and consumed by work had taken its toll on my social life (read here - what social life?) and I was ready to take the city by the bay by storm. I anxiously picked spanking new running shoes and trained for the first day of training.
Two weeks ago I attended the orientation kick-off party at a local bar. It was strange to be in a swanky atmosphere at 2pm, without a drink in my hand and without making wisecracks to a group of friends, but I learned about nutrition, injuries, and what to expect from the first day of training. I stuck around for the raffle because who can pass up the opportunity to win 2 tickets to Hawaii. I expected the gathering to be similar to the info meeting - fun people, laughs, easy conversations. I guess when you put hundreds of people together in a room who are all nervous you end up smiling a lot and having awkward interactions. The only "real" conversation that I had ended badly when the person I was talking to essentially called me fat and then lost his train of thought while cruising a nearby hottie. Just call me fat and uninteresting.
Last weekend two hundred participants gathered to begin the program. We each ran 3 miles and were placed into pace groups based on our times. My pace group is Cathy O'Brien (we're all named for famous marathoners) and as Coach Scott spoke to us he explained that since we had such a large group we needed at least one more pace group leader. Apparently whenever my ears hear the need for a volunteer my hand responds by automatically raising and the next thing you know I was a PGL.
Last week I took myself to Sports Basement and bought all the proper accoutrements for running - polypro everything, watch with at least two interval timers, water bottle held in a sexy fanny pack, and the ever necessary Body Glide (more on that another time). Thank god for 20% discounts. On Thursday I flew to LA and spent the day on Friday touring a college campus for work. Never one to skip out on a social opportunity, I stayed for dinner. We ate a an Italian restaurant in Venice Beach where the wine flowed freely and I carbed up with lots of great pasta. I arrived at the airport 1 1/2 hours early for my flight and I decided that this was the best time to figure out how to work my new watch. Low and behold being tipsy and experimenting with pushing buttons really does work. Not only was I able to program my watch, but I taught the other COBs today as well.
As a PGL I have to arrive at 7:45am to get instructions and the map of the course we will be running each Saturday. There were 12 COBs that day so the other PGL and I split up the groups for our run. I kept the run/walk interval and passed on the duties of timing each mile and the entire run to others in my group. We came back from our 4 mile run with smiles on our faces and on pace - two great accomplishments.
As of right now, I'm really glad I took on this challenge - we'll see how I feel in a couple of weeks.
