It's all coming back now

Today I did my long run outside for the first time, well, since I stated training. It was also the first time I had run in my neighborhood since November, I think. It was good to get back out there. The run wasn't all that long - 6 miles - but the idea of doing that on the treadmill was not pleasant. The day promised to be quite nice with a high of 50 degrees but since I had to get my run over and done with before 9am it was only in the 20's when I headed out. Still, the Sun was shining and my route was finally clear of snow. My usual path through the neighborhood includes several hills and good ones at that. They were tough as I don't really have any hills at all on my route around campus and then the treadmill is, of course, flat. Despite all of this I managed a decent time and, most importantly, I felt good. Oh, and I didn't trip.

State of grace

I went running outside today. I had to climb back on the horse, get back on the bike, get back in the groove, insert your favorite metaphor here. And the results? ...drum roll, please... I managed to stay vertical! Yes, yes, I know you all had your doubts, as did I, but I believe I have proven once again that if you work hard enough and long enough you can eventually overcome even the biggest challenges, like putting one foot in front of the other without diving face first into the sidewalk. Soon I might even be ready to try walking and chewing gum at the same time. Small moves, Ellie, small moves.

Strike two

I fell on my face again today. Yes, another dive into the sidewalk which is, unfortunately, getting to be my signature move. The good news is that it wasn't as bad as last time. I lost some skin on the palms of my hands and on one knee (the same knee as last time) but I managed to avoid ripping a hole in my $60 running tights. The bad news is that I have no excuse this time. I wasn't playing with my iPod or avoiding rabid squirrels or anything. I was just running and tripped. Granted the sidewalks around here are pretty uneven - it's not like I tripped over my own shoelace. Still, it's just plain embarrassing. At least with all of the snow around there was plenty of ice handy for nursing my wounds on the spot. I walked for a few minutes, cleaned myself up as best I could, and then ran the rest of my route. If I get to strike three I'm going to seriously consider giving up running. Or at least start wearing knee pads.

Note to self...

Don't leave your bag of gym clothes in the car when it's below freezing. Putting on an ice cold sports bra is not a pleasant experience.

Training without heart

I now have 3 weeks of training behind me but, as the lack of blog entries implies, it's been rather uneventful. One might even say unrewarding. Honestly, my heart hasn't really been in it. I think there are several factors contributing. First of all, since I'm still in the early weeks the times and distances that I'm running are small which is, well, kind of boring. Of course, I could run more than the minimum required by my training program but I don't really have the time for that. And that's probably the second factor at work here. I don't have much time to really devote to my running, either physically or mentally. However, I think the third factor - the weather - is the biggest culprit in this whole ennui that I'm experiencing lately. It pretty much sucks. I've been running on the treadmill for almost the entire 3 weeks. While there have been reasonable temps from time to time the mountains of snow, sometimes as tall as I am, that cover the sidewalks and streets make the idea of running outside practically dangerous if not unappealing. The treadmill is OK from time to time but I think it's really sapping any kind of motivation I might have towards training. The snow is falling again as I type this. There is more predicted for early next week. I guess I'd better either invest in some snow shoes or find another way to get excited about running on the treadmill. Sigh.

An ominous start

Today was Day 1 of training for the Broad Street Run in May. It was the nastiest weather imaginable today... rain, wind, at times the two together in such force that umbrellas were useless (and often turned inside out). I had pretty much figured on running on the treadmill but then the rain stopped and the sun even tried to peek out. It was warm, too, if humid. A quick check of the weather showed another line of clouds and rain moving in but I only had a 30 minute run on my schedule. For the first 15 minutes of the run it was glorious and I was considering myself so incredibly lucky to be out on the pavement in shorts and a T-shirt at the end of January. Then the skies grew dark. Then the first few drops of rain hit. And then the skies opened up. In less than 30 seconds I was soaked to the bone. The rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see the pavement in front of me. The water was so cold I was breathing in gasps. When I got around the block to my building a few minutes later I thought about cutting the run short but I realized I couldn't get any wetter so why stop now??? After a few more minutes the rain eased up so that I could at least see the huge puddles before I stepped in them. By the time I finished I had to wring out my clothes and it will probably be a week before my shoes are thoroughly dry. Hopefully this isn't a sign for how the rest of the training will go.

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.