One month later

I can't believe it's been a month since the marathon. I've been running since then but really only a handful of times and all on the treadmill. It's quite pathetic. For the first week or so I couldn't run because of the painful toenail. In fact, there were only a couple of pairs of shoes that I could wear. But after that I really had no excuse. Just laziness. Well, there was work and all of that but still. I should be running more than I am (she types after spending the entire day at home in her PJs).

Believe it or not, training for the next race starts in a month. The Broad Street Run is May 2nd. It's a 10-mile run. I use my half-marathon training program which is a little overkill but I like it. After running my second marathon, a 10-mile run seems like a breeze. This year I'm going to try for a really good time. In 2008 I did 8:42 splits. Last year it was 8:40. I'm not sure what my exact goal will be for 2010 but it will be better than 8:40.

I'll only be running 3 days a week (as opposed to 4 when I was training for the marathon) so I'm going to try and focus more on my cross training and weights. I think that was my downfall this last time around. It will help that my teaching schedule is a little lighter this spring.

As much as I've enjoyed taking a break this past month, I'm anxious to get into a routine again with my running. Of course, having a foot of snow on the ground isn't exactly inspiring me to get outside but I guess I can make do with the treadmill for a month or so.

4:15 and two toenails

I made it across the finish line this year in 4:15:56. I was a little disappointed that it was 2 minutes slower than last year but given that I went into the race knowing that I wasn't in as good of shape as I was last year I decided to just be happy with that result. The run was definitely tougher this time around. The weather, however, was gorgeous. It wouldn't have taken much to be an improvement from the freezing temps of last year but really you couldn't have asked for much better than we got. It looks like I will be sacrificing two toenails and that doesn't count the one that I already lost during training. If I get below the 50% level then I'll really start worrying. I'm walking without too much trouble today - a little stiffness in the hip flexors but nothing serious. All in all, a decent race. Still, I'll hope for better next year. Yes, that means I'm going to do it again.

See you on the other side

I just finished my 20 minute run for the day. Seems a little silly to run for 20 minutes the day before you run 26.2 miles. I imagine it's mostly to keep the runner from going stir crazy. At least it allowed me to try out my clothing choice and see if I'll be warm enough tomorrow. Of course, I have to extrapolate how I'm going to feel after 4 hours instead of 20 minutes but still it's something to work with. I think the weather is going to be almost ideal, really, which is nice. I managed 8:35 splits for this short run. It still surprises me when I see times like that on my pedometer. It seems like just yesterday that a 12-minute mile was a good run for me. I certainly won't maintain that kind of speed for the marathon tomorrow (I only ran 2.5 miles today) but it's still neat knowing the progress that I've made in the past 3 years.

I'm heading into Philly in awhile to go pick up my race bib and wander through all of the cool booths at the runner's expo. I'm staying at a hotel downtown tonight so that I can avoid having to drive in at the crack of dawn tomorrow and deal with parking. I plan to have a nice steak tonight and go to bed early. If anyone wants to track my progress you can do that through the marathon website (http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/). I will, of course, post results here as well. It would appear that there's nothing left to do but go buy some Gu packets. Thanks for all of the support. I'll see you all on the other side of the finish line.

Counting the hours

It's less than 48 hours until race time. I'm checking the weather forecast on an hourly basis. I'm obsessing about what clothes to wear. And I'm dying for a beer. After a horrendous telecon at work today I really, really needed a drink. But no alcohol until after the race. Of course, if I drink immediately afterwards I'll be a cheap date so that's one benefit. Actually, now that I think about it, there's usually a group of people handing out dixie cups of beer near Manayunk (the 20 mile point) but I think I'll wait until I finish.

I'm now a good mix of nervous, excited, anxious, and tired. I'm almost ready for this race. Almost.

The astronomer says what?

OK, I know I'm an astronomer and all but since when did it start getting so dark so early??? Stupid Earth tipped over, stupid daylight savings. I planned to do my short 30-minute run around 4pm today. I got waylaid with some other stuff and didn't get out until just after 4:30pm. I figured this was fine. After all, it was only 30 minutes, forcryingoutloud. Well, somewhere around the 20 minute mark I was running in the dark. D'oh! At least I was on campus where there are decent lights for most of the way. I had to make some adjustments to avoid parts of my loop that go into some of the residential areas which have no street lights and the short section where the sidewalk consists of ankle-twisting brickwork which is a challenge to navigate even in broad daylight. Despite my efforts to stay out of harms way I still almost got smashed by a car. Granted I was wearing dark shorts and a black fleece pull-over - not the best outfit for running in the dark - but you'd think that my pasty white legs would be hard to miss. In the end it was a decent run. I stayed warm, out from under tires, and I didn't face plant. I also managed 8:44 splits but it was only 3.5 miles. From now on I'll make sure to be done with my runs before sundown.

Dreams

I've had a couple of stress dreams about the race now. Last night I dreamt that I ran the first half of the race and then, for whatever reason, I decided there was something at home that I had to do. The plan was to return and finish the race but whatever I went home to do took longer than I expected and then I looked at my watch and realized that I wouldn't have time to finish the race before they closed the course. Weird. I guess it's to be expected with only 8 days to go.

The weather is iffy for race day. I'm pretty sure that it won't be freezing like last year, however there's a good chance it will be raining at some level. This raises the question of how to dress. I've run in the rain before but always short distances (less than 5 miles). I don't have any kind of rain gear so I guess I'll just get wet. If it's not cold then it shouldn't be a huge deal. But it's all still 8 days away and who knows what the weather will really be like.

Feeling real

Yesterday I got the e-mail from the race folks with my confirmation and bib number. Number 6967, if you're interested. It all seems very real now and I'm quite aware of just how few days there are until the race. In the confirmation letter there is all of the info you gave them when you signed up - name, age, address, etc. Included in that is an estimate of your finish time. When I think way back to January of this year (I think that's when I signed up) I recall having the idea that maybe, just maybe, I could take 10-15 minutes off my finish time from last year. Now that the training is almost over that idea seems laughable. This year's training has been so much harder than last year. Not physically. Physically it's been easier as I've managed to keep the stress fracture at bay (there is the occasional twinge in my foot that tells me it's probably still there but not so bad). I think the weather has been more cooperative this time around, too. What made this year harder was life - all the other things going on besides my training that made it impossible for me to devote the time, energy, focus to my running that I did last year. I routinely missed one of my weekly cross-training sessions because my schedule on Tuesdays simply didn't allow time for even a 30-40 minute workout. I often had to switch around which days I ran, which runs they were (long or short), and which days I took off. Any one of these things isn't huge but when you put 3-4 months of these little things together it adds up to me not feeling as prepared, as strong, as confident about my abilities as last year. So here I am, 10 days away from the race, running less and less each day as I taper, and all I can think about is how I should go run an extra few miles here or add a workout in there. Of course, it doesn't work that way. You can't make up for a run you missed 6 weeks ago by doing one now on what's supposed to be a rest day. No, I'll stick to the schedule but I'm not happy about it. At least the weather looks like it will be better than last year.

A reassuring 20

This past weekend I did my longest run... 20 miles. I was very pleased that I was able to finish it without much ado. That's not to say that it was easy. It was 20 freaking miles. It was HARD and the last few miles seemed to drag on forever but at no time did I think I wasn't going to finish. That's a good thing. That's how I want to feel in 2.5 weeks when I have to run 26.2 miles. Now I start tapering. I love tapering. Well, for the most part. After running 20 miles last Saturday I'm practically giddy that I only have to run 10 this weekend. On the other hand, I know that in a week or so I'll be feeling all fidgety as my mileage continues to drop. That's OK. I'm getting used to this whole process. The other note-worthy accomplishment is that I have come very close to reaching my 8-minute mile goal. Last week when I did one of my tempo runs I set a new PR for the mile of 8:14. Granted, I only kept that pace for 2 miles but still, I was happy. Now let's just hope the weather is a tad warmer on race day this year.

Leary

I did an 8-mile run today. A short "long" run. Next week is the biggie... 20 miles. Obviously the real biggie is the race but this is the longest long run I'm going to do before then. Frankly, I'm scared. I know there were a number of factors that probably played into my 18-mile failure of last week but I worry that I'm underprepared for this race, plain and simple. There's not much that I can do but press on and do the best I can in the next 28 days. Four more weeks. Yikes.

18 miles - FAIL!

For the first time in the last two years I was unable to finish one of my long runs. And it wasn't just by a mile or two that I fell short... it was 7 miles. Last weekend I had to run 18 miles and I barely made it to 11. This is not good. Now, I was running at high altitude (over 6500 feet) which I am not used to so that needs to be taken into account. I also believe I was dehydrated and I started my run with too much food in my stomach (which always makes me feel a bit ill). All of these things conspired to make the run particularly difficult. But I'm worried that there's more to it than that. I simply haven't been as diligent in my training this time around as I was last year. I also haven't had the time to keep up with my weight lifting which, while isn't a part of the official training program, certainly helps cut down on the fatigue that I feel during the long runs. As the distance on my long runs has increased I've noticed that my lower back and abs get sore. My core muscles aren't as strong as they should be due to the lack of strength training.

What does this all mean? It means that I'm nervous about being able to finish this race. I started out this race season hoping to knock 10-15 minutes off my finish time. Now I'm just hoping to finish at all. I realize I have one more month to try to tweak things but that's not a whole lot of time. I have one more really long run - 20 miles - in a week and a half. After that I start tapering and there's not much left to do. I really don't want to be one of those casualties that I saw on the side of the road last year, limping along with pained expressions on their faces.

Sidewalk 1, Me 0

I am such an idiot. I was out for my run today and manage to take a HUGE spill. Despite my insistence that I am still young, I proved once and for all that I am not a member of the millennium generation as I cannot fiddle with my iPod and run at the same time without disastrous consequences. In my efforts to multitask I overlooked a discontinuity in the sidewalk, tripped, and went down hard. Because at least one hand was busy with the iPod I wasn't even able to properly catch myself. This meant that my left knee and the back of my left hand got the brunt of the fall along with my chin. Yes, my face actually hit the cement. In a word... ouch. Of course, the worst part of the whole thing was having to pick myself up and walk back to my office (I was doing my campus loop), limping and bloodied, hoping not to run into any students who might recognize me. In addition to the pain and embarrassment, I was very disappointed to have cut my run short. So after cleaning myself up a bit back at the office, I headed to the gym and got on the stationary bike for a bit. Then I jumped on the treadmill for a little while. Gotta get back on the horse, right? Now I have to deal with all of the "what happened?!" questions. The honest answer is just too damn embarrassing. I've got until tomorrow morning to come up with a good story. Right now I'm thinking of going with "bar fight". I don't want to make it too elaborate - otherwise it's just not believable. Man, I am such a moron.

Firsts

Yesterday was my first pre-dawn run of the season. Also the first run where I had to wear my tights and long-sleeved fleece. I'm not too excited about all of this. 8 weeks to go.

Is that clock right???

Last Saturday I ran the best long run I've ever done. I did 14 miles with 9:17 splits. Now, that's not necessarily that impressive by some standards - it doesn't even qualify me for the Boston - but it's pretty damn good for me! The most amazing part was that the whole run felt great! Start to finish, even though I was running in the morning. Usually it takes me a good 2-3 miles before I really find my groove, especially in the AM. But this time I was 'on' from the minute I got started. It actually felt (dare I say it?) easy! I had a feeling I was running faster than usual but when I finished and saw my time I was floored. I'm not sure what led to such great results but I sure hope it wasn't a fluke. This weekend I'll only be doing 8 miles but then the week after is 16. Only 8 weeks until the race.

12 miles strong

My long run was 12 miles today. While it certainly wasn't easy I finished at an OK pace and am not too much worse for wear. The weather is certainly good for running. I need to get used to running in the morning, though. I'm not sure I'll ever be a morning runner. I wish I were running faster. I had a really good short run the other day - 9:00 splits for 5 miles - but runs like that are the exception to the rule. I think I'm simply not is as good of shape as I was last year. Since I don't have as much time to devote to training I'm really only managing to do the bare minimum each week. I think I'll have to revise my expectations for race day.

I was realizing the other day that it was about this time last year that I developed my stress fracture. Since then I've become acutely aware of any twinge or soreness that I feel in my foot during my runs. Unfortunately there's no way to prevent a stress fracture from occurring (except to stop running) and once you've had one you're more susceptible to them. Hopefully the paranoia will ease up after awhile. There's no sense in obsessing about it. Besides, last year I managed to continue with my training despite the fracture. So I'll hope for the best and trust that if the fracture does come back I'll muddle through again.

Building confidence

I had a good run today. I needed it. After having to cut my 9-mile run short a couple of weeks ago I was a little worried. While I did run in the morning today (not my best time of day) the weather was rather nice and my performance was much improved. I managed the 10 miles pretty easily and I'm feeling good about my training again. I'm hopeful that the weather will continue to to get better. Today it was humid (97%) but cooler and overcast which made it far more comfortable than it has been in a long time.

Getting serious

I've now got 7 weeks of training behind me. There are still 13 more ahead of me but it's already starting to get serious. Last weekend my long run was up to 9 miles. Unfortunately due to a crazy schedule I had to run in the afternoon on a very hot and humid day. I ended up cutting it short by a mile because it was just too much. I was certainly disappointed in myself but I know these things happen and it's not the end of the world. This week I had my first tempo run. This is where you run at a significantly higher intensity level for short periods of time. Speed work. It was fun just to shake things up and I managed to get out early enough in the morning that the heat wasn't so bad. Yesterday my long run was only 6 miles (a fall back week) and it actually felt easy. That was very nice. But next weekend I will be doing 10 miles and the weekend after that it will be 12. The numbers are going up at a rapid pace now and I feel like I'm not ready. Especially after the defeat of last weekend. Of course, I won't be so stupid as to run in the afternoon heat again. Hopefully the summer temps will be easing up (I was actually thinking about how great it would be run in the snow last weekend!) and the training will do what it's supposed to do. In the meantime I'm trying not to think about the 10 miles looming in the not-too-distant future.

Hills and flying squirrels

I've now finished 5 weeks of my training, with 15 more to go. I spent the past week in Portland, OR visiting family. It's always nice to run some place different for a bit. The change in scenery is usually a good distraction while running. That is, except when I'm at my folks' house. You see, they live at the top of a pretty good-sized hill. No matter which way you go from their house you're going to be running hills. And it's not just a simple downhill stretch to more level road... the roads snake around all over this hillside so the slope is always changing and there are just as many uphills as down. It's pretty harsh. I also did some running at the beach during my trip. I was mostly on the wet, packed sand but it's still different than running on the pavement. What this all meant was that my calves were a bit tight by the time I came home. It's OK, though. It's good to mix things up.

Yesterday I ran 8 miles around campus. I was looking forward to being on level pavement again. Of course, Pennsylvania isn't without its excitement. As I ran past a trash can I startled a squirrel that was foraging and he took a flying leap to the ground right in front of me. Had our timing been just a few seconds different I might have been wearing the rodent. That would have been one for the record books.

Tomorrow we're supposed to have record heat. Depending on how the day plays out I might be running on the treadmill. I'm not sure I could take the heat + humidity outside. I'll be glad when the summer weather starts easing up. My runs have seemed especially hard lately. I don't recall them being so hard last summer. Some folks would blame my age but I'm sticking to the weather.

I am not a morning runner

I've been juggling my schedule all around to stick to my training program. If I had my choice I would run in the late afternoon all of the time. However, between ghastly weather (hot, humid, and thunderstorms), picking up kids from summer camp, travel, birthday parties and various other random things, I've had to take my workouts when I can get them. Yesterday I did my 7 mile run at 8:30am. On the plus side it was still relatively cool outside, much of the run was in the shade, and I was done with my exercise for the day before 10am. The bad part is that I am not a morning runner. To be more accurate, I'm not a morning person period. It was a very slow run - far slower than it should have been, even for being a long run. And to top it all off, there was major construction being done on one of the roads I use. It's part of a loop so when I realized that the "road closed" sign was serious (the entire road plus both sidewalks were being dug up by no less than 3 large bulldozers) I thought "No problem, I'll just reverse my loop and do as much as I can before I'm forced to turn around". Well, being that my brain wasn't working so well since a) I wasn't awake yet and b) most of the oxygen was being shuttled to my muscles rather than my brain there was a flaw in this plan that I didn't realize until too late. You see, this loop includes a rather sizable hill, a hill that I have no particular love for. With my adjusted route I ended up doing the stupid hill twice. {insert image of Karen pounding head on desk here} Unfortunately I don't see how I can avoid running in the morning, especially for the long ones. I guess the best I can hope for is that the construction finishes up soon.

I haven't got time for the pain (an ode to Carly Simon)

Sometime last week I woke up with what appeared to be a horribly pinched nerve in my right shoulder. It was pretty bad. It hurt to move my arm, shoulder, even my head to some degree. I tried stretching, rubbing, ibuprofen with little result. I figured I would just wait it out and it did get a little better each day. Sometimes it would feel a bit better after my run; I guess it loosened up due to all the bouncing up and down. Then yesterday morning I was awakened at 5am with the pain back in full force. I went and got a massage and went to bed not optimistic for today. I was pleasantly surprised when I slept quite well (something that's proven difficult these past few days) and woke up with the pain knocked down by several orders of magnitude. Unfortunately, as the day has worn on the pain is once again ramping up. I'll be heading out for my run soon so perhaps that will help. At the very least the pain in my shoulder should distract me from any twinges I might feel in my legs, right? I don't have time for this crap.

Day 1

Today was my first official day of training for the 2009 Philadelphia marathon.  I'd been feeling a bit nervous as I had slacked off on my mileage these past few months.  I spent some extra time on the pavement this past week just to prove to myself that 5-6 miles runs weren't going to be a serious problem so that helped.  Today it was a simple 40 minute run and, despite the fact that I had eaten too much pizza too late in the day, it went just fine.  I'm hopeful that these first few weeks won't be too taxing and that the familiarity of the routine will be there before too long.  It's 20 weeks until the race but I know that time will go by all to quickly and before you know it my long runs will be 16-18 miles.

A longer run

Today I had the luxury of having nothing on my schedule so after sleeping in until the very late hour of 7am (I know, try not to be jealous) and eating a small breakfast I decided that today was the day for a longer run.  I've been trying to increase my mileage for the past few weeks when I do my campus runs, only to be slammed with the heat and humidity.  Today it wasn't so hot, it wasn't so humid, and I was out there before 9am.  Plus there was a bit of a breeze.  All in all an excellent day for a longer run.  I set my goal for 5 miles.  Nothing huge but certainly more than I'd done in awhile.  I also did my hilly route which I hadn't done in months.  In the end I did 6 miles at a reasonable pace.  I was very happy with that if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I can still run more than 3-4 miles at a shot.  My official training starts in a little over a week and then my long runs are going to be increasing rather quickly so I needed this bit of confidence.

The other very cool thing about today is that my big sis ran her first half marathon!  Yea Sis!  :)  I wish I could have been at the finish line in person but I was watching her progress on the web and cheering for her virtually.  I haven't gotten the full report from her yet but she finished standing up (always a plus in my book) and is talking about doing it again next year so it couldn't have been too bad.  I think insanity must run in the family.

The giant sucking sound

While the job market is far from robust these days, the sucking sound people in the West Chester area are hearing these days isn't related to the economy.  It's the sound of the energy being drained from of my body by the heat + humidity as I run around campus.  I literally feel like Gumby by the time I hit the 2 mile mark.  It's not fun.  I don't like anything that makes my running 'not fun'.  And it's only going to get worse.  Grrrr.  Every day I say to myself "I'm going to run three laps today.  I've been doing two for far too long now.  I need to go longer."  Then I get out there and I'm lucky to finish the two before I feel like I'm going to throw up.  Of course, I could get up and run early in the morning before it gets hot but then it's usually more humid.  I could wait until later in the evening but it doesn't cool off a whole heck of a lot until after the sun goes down.  I could quit running until October.  Nah.  I suppose I should just put my big girl panties on and deal with it.  But that doesn't mean I can't complain, right?  I mean, I am a woman.

Cloudy with a chance of scattered thoughts

For a long time now running has been a way for me to clear my head, get my thoughts in order, meditate on life, etc.  Recently I seem to have lost my center.  I can think of many possible causes.  The weather has become brutally humid, so much so that what used to be a pleasant run around campus is now a far more physically draining swim.  There's also the fact that without a regimented teaching schedule I feel a bit adrift.  Not that I don't have lots and lots of work that requires my attention; it's simply that there is no set schedule for getting it done, no daily routine.  If we add in the rather large life changes facing me (including going up for tenure this fall) we have a plethora of things on which to blame my inability to find my happy place.  Regardless, I feel as though I've suddenly become ADHD.  During my runs I find my mind hops from one topic to another never settling on any one long enough to get through a complete thought, let alone finding resolution.  It's starting to really annoy me.  I suppose I should take solace in the fact that I'm logging the miles and getting my exercise, regardless of what is (or isn't) going through my head.

Groove thang

I've now got several more runs under my belt.  I continue to run without any goals and it is very nice.  I head out with a vague idea of how far I'd like to go or how long I'll be out but there's nothing set in stone and I just relax and enjoy myself.  There's been some stiffness as I get back into the groove of running several times a week following 2 weeks off but my pace is slowly increasing without my putting any conscious effort into it.  It's really, really nice.  I've got 4 and half weeks of this carefree running and then I have to start getting serious again.  I know by then I'll be ready to knuckle down.  For now I'm just hoping the weather continues to cooperate.

Eyebrows

If you look at sketches of homo erectus you'll see some seriously bushy eyebrows, maybe even a monobrow.  I'm a scientist so I'm pretty sold on the whole evolution thing.  I'm convinced that big furry eyebrows were beneficial to Cro-Magnon guy.  You can imagine the unfortunate results of having sweat drip into your eye just as you're throwing a spear at a charging mammoth.  Darwin says that natural selection is going to favor the big eyebrow guys.  But then something happened.  Maybe Cave Joe stared at Cave Jane's monobrow for just a couple of seconds too long on their second date and Cave Jane spent the next day with Cave Sue and Cave Betty obsessing about why Cave Joe hadn't called her yet and it must be because of her hideous eyebrows that make her look fat and thus began the painful rituals of plucking and waxing.  Whatever the cause the modern day females favor thin, tailored brows to the prehistoric bushy ones (except for the occasional Brooke Shields) and for the most part this works for them.  However, evolution is a sneaky little thing.  It would appear that those fuzzy eyebrows still do serve a purpose.  That is, at least in some situations like, say, when you go out running when it's 70 degrees and 96% humidity.  And while there were no charging mammoths the sweat still stings when it gets in your eye.  Damn Cave Joe.  I knew there was a man to blame for all of this.

A very nice run

I got out for my first run in over two weeks the other day.  It was great.  It was the first time in a very long time when I didn't have a time or distance or pace goal.  I just ran (and no, I didn't run so far away - flock of seagulls fans).  I've always found it somewhat depressing how quickly one loses cardio ability after a break in exercise but I also know it comes back pretty quickly.  Rather than pushing myself and getting all out of breath and feeling bad about it I decided to take it easy.  The weather was quite nice and I just enjoyed the day and the run.  I'm heading out again today, hoping for a repeat performance.  I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine again.

Oops!

Wow.  I can't believe I never posted after the race.  I guess that tells you that I didn't shatter any records, huh?  And it also tells you that not too many people read this silly blog.  Oh well.  Let's see... the Broad Street.  The weather was on the miserable side.  While it didn't rain the entire time it was very humid and drizzly.  Despite that I did manage to improve slightly on my time from last year, finishing in 1:26 which translates to 8:36 splits.  The skies opened up shortly after I crossed the finish line and I discovered that my fancy running watch was not waterproof.  Live and learn.  A week later I ran the Philly Race for the Cure.  The plan was to go all out since it was only a 5K, however the fact that there were over 40,000 other people on the course made that a little more difficult that I had anticipated.  I should have pushed closer to the front of the pack before the start as I spent at least half the race working around slower runners.  While the official results aren't in yet I estimate I did 8:30 splits.  Nowhere near my 8:00 New Year's Resolution but that's OK.  Maybe next year.

I'm already registered for the 2009 Philadelphia Marathon.  181 days until the race.  I have 6 weeks before I start training.  I've taken a couple of weeks off from running but I'll be back out there on Tuesday.  Looking forward to it.

Fidgety

I had forgotten how weird it feels to taper.  I get all fidgety and have a hard time sitting still.  Tomorrow is race day.  Today I was scheduled to run a comfortable 20 minutes.  However, since I was feeling restless I decided to push myself pretty hard to see what I could do.  I managed 2.4 miles with 8:16 splits.  Not too bad.  It's hard to say if I could have done better.  I certainly wasn't sprinting and I was trying to avoid hurting myself since I do have to run 10 miles tomorrow but I am very curious if this 8-minute mile thing on the 10th might actually happen.  I don't know.  I think it will be close.  When you're running in a huge crowd of people you tend to run faster and there's the whole adrenaline thing, too.  All I can say is we'll see.  For now I need to just focus on tomorrow.  The forecast is for rain.  Yuck.

Aim low

I started out the year with the idea that I might be able to run an 8-minute mile sometime this spring.  I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions but, hey, I was at the Crayola Factory and there was this station where the project was making resolution scrolls and, you know, when Crayola says to do something you don't say no.  So I got this idea and I wrote it down on the paper (in crayon, no less, and that stuff is permanent) and then got so bold as to hang it up in my office.  It's now just a little over 2 weeks until my first race of the year (and I only do 3 of them).  I like to think anything is possible but, honestly, I think there is a higher chance of monkeys flying out of my butt than me running an 8-minute mile on May 3rd.  We'll see.  Either way, somebody should bring a camera.  The week after that, on May 10th, I'll be running in the Philly Race for the Cure.  This is only a 5K and I'm planning to go for broke so I suppose there is an outside chance I could run 3 miles at an 8-minute pace before I collapse (or a monkey sneaks out).  However, I'm not going to hold my breath.  I think the lesson learned here is aim low.  Stupid crayons.

Casualties of Running?

I headed out for my 8 mile long run today not feeling very confident.  I haven't been keeping up with my workouts as much as I would like so I knew that today would be tough.  Turns out there was more in store for me than I realized.  First of all, I was trying out a new route.  I had looked it over on Google maps just to make sure I could get my distance in.  I didn't look at the details.  When the majority of the streets are named "something-or-other hill" that's your first clue that perhaps there are a lot of hills.  So there was that.  Then, at mile two, some flying insect slams into me at what had to be at least 50% the speed of light and hits me right in the eye.  !!!  I'm trying not to break stride while I pry this thing out of my eye, cursing the whole time because it hurts like you would NOT believe.  I finally peel the stupid bug off and now I'm thinking that it must have had a stinger because the pain is incredible and I'm imaging my eye swelling shut as I continue on my run.  (turns out there was no lasting damage to my eye but it still hurt like the bejeezus)  I plod along up and down the hills and try to distract myself from the pain in my eye by enjoying the beautiful weather (low 60's and sunny) and the expensive houses.  Gray clouds are coming in from the distance.  Thunder storms had been predicted for the evening but I was sure I would be home long before then.  Now I'm not so sure.  With just a little over 2 miles to go the sky is starting to look pretty threatening.  I decide I need to think about heading for home.  All the people who had been outside in their yards are taking notice of the clouds and are packing it up.  I try to run a little faster but it's hopeless after all those damn hills.  My iPod tells me I have one mile to go and I see the first flash of lightning.  Crap!  In the next few minutes the air temperature drops noticeably and the wind picks up.  At the half mile mark I hear the first clap of thunder and the rain starts.  When my iPod tells me I have 400 meters to go I can see my front door and I decide that this is good enough.  The skies open up just as I get my key out.  Whew!

In 7.7 miles I encountered brutal hills, almost lost an eye, and just missed getting soaked.  I think I prefer the easy, uneventful runs.

Blech

Sometimes a good run can be the cure for a bad mood.  Other times a bad mood can make for a horrible run.  The latter was the case today.  I was tired and weather.com said "feels like 37" when I headed out this afternoon.  It was a slow, plodding run around campus.  The occasion twinge of pain in my left knee only made matters worse.  When the best part of a run is the fact that it's over then it's definitely not a good day.  I'm hoping for a better frame of mind for my 7 mile run this weekend.

Minor improvements

The weather has changed for the better lately.  I actually got to run outside in shorts twice last week.  Shorts, people!  It was awesome.  I've managed to get my schedule a little more normal which means fewer workouts missed.  There's still room for more improvement but I'll take what I can get for now.  Tomorrow the high is only 47 but it's supposed to be sunny.  Let's hope we're done with the snow for the season.

Chaos

While the Broad Street Run is still over 2 months away, I'm starting to think that my 8-minute splits aren't going to happen.  I haven't been able to stick with my training at all these past few weeks.  Between the weather and life I'm lucky if I get in a couple of runs a week.  Oh sure, I try to make up for it with extra cross training but it's not the same.  I'm hoping that the weather will get a little better and that life will fall into more of a routine soon but I'm not convinced that either will happen.  It's a bit unsettling when something that has been your "happy place" for many years is suddenly not available to you.  I need to figure out a way to get some calmness back in my life so I can get back on track.  I'm open to suggestions.

Sanity or grading?

Life is crazy these days. If ever I needed to be running it's now. My head feels like it's 3 feet thick. Ironically, when you need it the most is when it's the hardest to find time to do. However, if you weigh the pros and cons, I think that keeping one's sanity wins out over grading 20 more papers. That's just my opinion. The weather has improved lately and I ran outside a couple of days ago. The first time running outside in probably at least a month. It was great! I think my feet had forgotten what real asphalt felt like. Today it's even warmer so I'll be out there again, even though it's technically a rest day. With life (and the weather) the way it has been I have to take every opportunity to get out on the pavement that I can get. I'm looking forward to it more than words can describe.

Cold, cold, cold

I haven't run outside in forever.  The weather sucks.  It's rarely above freezing these days, even when it's not snowing.  I've been to the Y a few times to run on the treadmill but logistically that's just much more difficult than running around campus before heading home for the day.  This just stinks.  I'm sick of winter already and it's not even February yet.  I have to start my training program for the Broad Street Run on Monday so I guess I'm going to have to figure something out since the forecast doesn't show any big changes on the horizon.

A side note... the other day a friend asked me how fast I thought I could run a mile.  Just a single mile.  I thought about it for a minute and decided 7:30 was probably doable.  Later, however, I started wondering if I had been a little too cocky so when I was on the treadmill the other night I decided to goof around a bit.  I ran a mile at 9:00 (my usual starting pace).  Then I bumped the speed up to 8:30 and ran another mile.  I ran the third mile at 8:00 and I was starting to feel the strain.  I then pushed it up to 7:30 and ran for as long as I could.  It didn't last too long - only about 0.15 miles - but realize that this was after already running 3 miles so I wasn't too disappointed.  I alternated between 7:30 and 9:00 for the rest of the last mile.  My conclusion was that I think my original declaration was probably correct.  One of my goals for this year is to run a race with 8:00 splits.  The Broad Street Run might be too ambitious (it's a 10-miler) but I think the Race for the Cure (5K) is possible.

Inertia

I wish I could say that I was back to running 5 miles 3 times a week. I'm having hard time getting back into the routine. I've run twice this week already, which sounds good, but both times it was a quick loop around campus which isn't even 3 miles. My heart just doesn't seem to be in it these days. I know that part of it is the cold weather but then I ran all through the winter last year so I'm not sure why I'm finding it so much harder this year. Part of it is dealing with the craziness that always comes with the start of a new semester but I actually have an easier teaching load this semester so it shouldn't be too bad. I'm really not sure why I'm not more motivated to get out and run more often and for longer. I guess all I can do is keep pushing myself to just do it (to steal Nike's slogan) and hope that, with warmer weather and a settled schedule, I'll find my passion again.

Getting back in the groove?

I guess I can say that I'm getting back into my routine. The weather today was less than pleasant. There was freezing rain all night long so I woke up to ice covered trees. It got above freezing pretty quickly so the freezing rain just became rain and the streets were safe for driving. And running. However, it was still raining and not all that warm. In the afternoon the rain let up a bit and I decided to get out for my run. In the time it took me to finish an e-mail and change clothes it had started pouring again. Hmph. I waited a bit and when it went back to a light drizzle I headed out. Part of me wanted to just say "Forget it" but another part of me said "You haven't been out in a couple of days and what if you can't get out tomorrow?!" That must be the runner part of me and it won out. Thankfully the rain had all but stopped and didn't come back in earnest until the last little bit of my run. It was a short, if somewhat wet run, but that's OK.

I also didn't take my iPod with me - partly because it was raining but mostly because I left it in the car. So I had to entertain myself for a change. I always let my mind wander when I run but my thoughts are usually accompnanied by music which sometimes drives them. Today I was on my own - just me and my brain. I was reminded of that great quote from Homer Simpson... "All right, brain. I don't like you and you don't like me so let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." In the end, I had a good run and I'm very glad I didn't skip out. Now where's that beer?

Was it this cold last year?

I managed to get outside for a run a couple of days ago (after the treadmill incident).  It was sunny and pretty clear but, man, was it cold!  Geez!  I think the thermometer was reading 28 but there was a little wind so I'm sure it felt colder.  I had planned to (finally) do my full 5 mile loop but after the first mile I decided it was just too damn cold so I did 3 miles before heading in to warm back up.  It was so cold my teeth were hurting!  I swear I ran in colder temps last winter - I distinctly remember running in freezing rain - but either my memory is faulty or the fact that I took a month off has turned me into a wuss.  It's supposed to be a little warmer for the next week or so.  I hope so.  I'm tired of this cold stuff already.