moving forward

Last week I started running again. Two short runs during the week went well — minimal pain and my legs felt good. While I could still feel that spot on my heel, it was only sporadic … and I didn’t have any pain afterwards.

I was a little nervous about my long run on Saturday. I joined a few people from my training group to run an 8K course that was mapped out for a race the next day.  It’s a cross country route, going through fields, asphalt and trails. While they’d be doing three loops, I figured I’d be happy with two.

I was hoping to run one loop and run/walk the second, but I felt good enough to run both (with walk breaks at the biggest hill … which I always walk even when racing this course).  While I was running out of steam at the end of the second loop, I finished only a minute slower than the first. I’ll call that a successful run!

Still, I’m a bit behind in marathon training. I took off three full weeks, plus the last week before the break I cut my long run in half. I know I need to be careful as I jump back into training.

While my long runs aren’t where I want them to be at this point, my base was good up until my injury. I’m optimistic that  I’ll still be able to get back on track, but I am also aware I may have to make some changes.

When looking at my calendar this week, I realized I have a conflict on the day of the 50K I wanted to run.  Turns out I have a choral performance that night; there’s no way I will be able to be ready to perform at 8pm. The race is an hour away, starts at 8am, and has an eight-hour time limit (that I may need to use all of — being my first ultra, I have no idea!).

So now I have a decision.  Do I want to find another 50K? There happens to be one the next day in Virginia, though again the concert the night before is not ideal race prep. There’s another nearby in December , but then my marathon placement isn’t right.

With my training setback, I also realize that this might not be my time for a 50K. I can try again next year or in the spring.

But where does that leave my marathons?

I originally was only going to do Baltimore (October 15), but added Marine Corps (October 30) thinking it would be a good training run for the 50K.

Without a 50K, do I still want to run two marathons in two weeks?

I can drop Baltimore to the half but would have to decide soon — once the race is sells out (it’s close!) I won’t be able to switch. If I do drop to the half, it gives me more time to get into marathon shape for Marine Corps.

Then again, my mileage will be up to ~20 miles by then anyway … so I can change my strategy and run Baltimore as a training run.

Or I can drop Baltimore to the half, run Marine Corps, and add a late-November marathon to train for the December 50K.

What would you do?

I’m pretty sure I’ve made up my mind as I’ve been typing up these scenarios, but you may be able to talk me into a more-sensible (or ridiculous!) decision!

not according to plan

I’m six weeks into a 22-week plan for a busy fall schedule:

• Baltimore Marathon – October 15
• Marine Corps Marathon – October 30
• Veteran’s Day 50K – November 12

This will be my first time running a 50K, and my first time running two marathons so close together. I’m a little nervous, but was excited to start training. The first three weeks felt great, and I was happy with my mileage.

But that 15-mile week was not supposed to be a cutback week.

I started having some pain in my foot, kind of on the inside of my heel. It would sometimes feel a little better after I warmed up, but it was still noticeable. It wasn’t stopping me from running, but it was concerning. I only ran six miles on my scheduled 12-mile day.

I took a few days off and went on a trial run the following week, but I cut it short after only one mile. I’ve run through my share of minor aches and pains, but this foot thing wasn’t going away. I was not only worried about making it worse. I also worried I might change my gait and hurt something else. More rest was needed.

Fortunately, I had a vacation planned. We spent all of last week on Hatteras Island — part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. While I usually enjoy my beach runs, this summer they were replaced by long bike rides.

We spend our days reading either on the decks of our rental house or at the beach, so I didn’t have to spend too much time on my feet. Walking on the sand was a bit painful, but fortunately not too long of a walk.

I’m hopeful that it’s starting to feel better, though I won’t know for sure until I try running again. I’ll go on a short trial run in a couple days, and then decide if I can gradually start running again.

Hopefully rest will be enough, but I’ll see a doctor if it isn’t better soon.

In my eight years running, this is the first time an injury has made me stop running completely. It’s hard seeing people out there enjoying their runs. I miss it!

i can’t hear you

“I can’t hear you, my  music is too loud,” said the girl to her friend during the Baltimore 10 Miler.

The running-with-headphones debate has probably been around as long as there have been portable music players, but it’s definitely been at the forefront the last few years.

I usually don’t run with music, mainly because I usually run with people. It feels antisocial to play music. We usually talk throughout our run, and even though I could always leave an earbud out, I’d just as soon run without.

I’ve gotten so used to running without music that sometimes I forget it when I’m running alone. I don’t mind listening to my footsteps, but music surely does make the time go by faster and help keep you moving. Whenever I’m running in roads, I only use one earbud to make sure I can hear traffic and people around me. Safety first!

Headphones are often banned from races, but I rarely see it enforced.  (Though I have spoken with a race director who says she has disqualified people after giving them a warning.)  I always go without during races — you definitely miss out on the atmosphere, especially if there are bands on the course!

Recently, a friend was trying to pace off me for a half marathon since she has a history of going out too fast. She was with me for the first four miles or so (that were downhill), but my pace slowed as we started climbing. She kept going, but didn’t realize she left me in the dust since she had her iPod playing. Later, she ran out of steam. I passed her walking near mile 10, and ended up beating her by eight minutes.

I’ve tried to start conversations with runners wearing Maryland shirts when I’ve traveled to races, only to have them not hear me. And in races twice this spring, I witnessed music-listening runners have to be grabbed by other runners to get out of the way of emergency vehicles. One time, it was a closed course and the vehicle was a cart transporting an injured runner. The other, though, the roads were open and she was running beyond the traffic cones. Very dangerous!

If you always run with music, give it a break one day. Sometimes it’s nice to listen to nature!

And if you must wear headphones on roads or in races, please be careful. Make sure you can hear what’s going on around you!

race report: warrior dash!

On Sunday, May 22, I joined my friends for a road trip to Mechanicsville, MD to go play in the mud!

I’ve never been one to like getting dirty, but when they suggested signing up for the Warrior Dash months ago, I just had to be a part of it. Hello, fuzzy warrior helmets to all racers? Oh yeah.

I wasn’t so sure how all the obstacles were going to go, and wasn’t at all prepared for running in the mud … but I’m happy to report all went well and I loved every muddy minute!

Before. My friends decided tutus would be a good idea.

We lined up in the corral before our 1pm start and waited for the countdown. When they hit zero and started shooting fire in the air, we were on our way into the woods!

It was dry for a bit and a little dusty, but the mud wasn’t far away. I giggled when a girl shouted “Ew, it’s muddy!” near the start. I don’t think that was even an intentional puddle! I wonder how she made out …

It wasn’t long before we were struggling to keep our shoes on in thick mud that one racer likened to cake batter. Only I had to comment that it wasn’t nearly as delicious. (In fact, the mud was rather stinky.)

Through the mud, and then through a nearly-dry stream bed (there was shallow water flowing — it actually felt great!), we wound our way through the woods until we hit our first obstacle — bungee cords above and below that we had to climb through. The runners were so packed together that it felt like a teambuilding exercise. We had to help each other out. It was easier being short since I barely had to worry about the bands, but an unfortunate guy next to me accidentally took a band to the head!

I managed to stay upright as we ran through sloppy trails, except for a little slip where I needed to put my hand down to catch myself. And touch the mud — ick! But only moments later we were crawling on our hands and knees through the blackout tent.  It was constructed so you had to crawl or else you’d hit the beams (there were lights so you could see enough), though I found I could move quicker if I crouched and kept my knees off the ground!

There were also a series of barricades we had to hoist ourselves over. They were over waist height (for me!) so it took a bit of effort, and there were mud puddles to land in. Some with deeper holes. Everyone warned the people behind them about the deeper spots so I tried to land on on the shallow side for one of them. Only that plan failed. My right foot found the deep spot, and my left knee and leg hit the ground of the shallow side. It stung for a minute, and at one point I could see I was bleeding, but it fortunately was just a few minor scrapes.

Out of the woods, we had to climb over a cargo net. There was a bit of a holdup here. While it wasn’t that high, you could tell people were just freezing up and having a hard time getting over the top. Yes, it was a tiny bit scary but I had no trouble with it when I finally got my turn!

Then we had some mediocre obstacles — climbing hay bales, running through tires (though I walked, as I was sure my mud-caked body would be more likely to fall!), and a “cliff” to climb that included a rope to help us up … though it was just a wood ramp that barely needed rope assistance.

Running through the field of swinging tires was a little weird, but OK. We had some steep dirt (not mud, thankfully!) hills to run up (part of the race course was on a motocross track), where I did more walking.  And at the top there was a water slide!

There was another holdup here, as the race staff made us all stop and wait while they fixed the tarp. After a short delay, I headed down the hill. Really fast! There was a large rut on the ride side that I slid into. I tried to stay seated but fell to my back, where I managed to chafe four spots along my spine. Ouch!

Some more hills, and then we had to jump over a few rows of fire. They were pretty low to the ground, so not too scary! And then the final obstacle — the mud pit! You couldn’t get out of this one clean as they had barbed wire across the top. We had to get on our hands and knees again! Though I found it was quicker to just pull myself through the water with my elbows.

Almost done!

Out of the mud, and the finish line was right there. Woo-hoo!

I saw my friend with his camera and made sure I finished strong!

That tutu will never be the same again.

That was so much fun. And actually, a bit easier than I expected.

But I’ll definitely do that again!

so i’ve been away …

Not nearly as long as my blog absence would indicate … but I just spent the last week traveling in Scotland!

The opportunity came up a few months ago, when we learned a friend’s wedding would be held May 1 in Glasgow. A group of us decided it was a wonderful excuse to visit a country we’ve never seen before. And, of course, be there to see our dear friend get hitched.

I’ve slowly started posting my man photos to Flickr if you’d like a preview, but I’ll be featuring them here as well, starting with my first morning in Glasgow.

Upon learning we’d be in the country, I immediately sought out races (ha!), and found that parkrun hosts free 5Ks every Saturday in a park just outside of  Glasgow. I planned to do it, and my girlfriends planned to join me!

Only I neglected to realize Saturday would be our first morning in Scotland (after an overnight flight Thursday into Friday), and that we might be a bit too tired to go running.

But I was wide awake and ready to go! However, my friends were not. Without the use of our cell phones, we had no way to communicate, and I didn’t want to risk waking anybody. So I waited 15 minutes in the lobby before deciding they weren’t coming.

I went for it anyway — I was dressed and ready to run! I walked down to the train station, where the park would be a quick two-stop ride. Except I must have just missed a train. It was a 20-minute wait  for the next one.

So the 5K was not meant to be, but I headed out to the park anyway. I was a bit late but ran into some course volunteers who pointed me in the direction of the race course. Well, I wouldn’t be racing but at least I could join them!

I joined the course just as the  faster runners came by, and tried to stay out of the way as they passed me. The course was a double loop but I added a third for a little more distance. Though with no more course volunteers, I took a wrong turn around a pond before getting back on course.

It was just as well that I missed the race. My travel-tired body didn’t feel particularly speedy that morning, and I managed to run a little farther, finishing back at the train station after 5.25 miles.

The farthest my Garmin has been from home.

It was a beautiful day and a lovely park. I had to pause to take some photos along the way!

Much more to come!

race report: happy runner half marathon challenge

Felice, who blogs at The Happy Runner, decided early this year that she would run her first half marathon.

And she wanted all her blogging friends to join her!

And the Happy Runner Half Marathon Challenge was born. (Well, her second son was also born  — just four months ago!)

Felice’s goal race was the 13.1 New York City Marathon on April 2 — but challenge participants would play along at home virtually. We could either run the half marathon distance, or break it up and cover 13.1 over the weekend, from April 1-3.

Since I already had a 10-mile race scheduled for April 3, I gladly joined the challenge. Surely I could add another 3.1! At first I thought I may add some mileage before or after my race, but plans changed. I was originally going to do a local race not far from my house. But then a friend who was registered for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run became injured and unable to race. I couldn’t let her spot go to waste!

I decided I’d run my own 5K around my neighborhood on Saturday. I slept until I felt like waking up, and got ready to go! I did a slowish warm-up mile and then headed back home for a wardrobe change.  I’m trying to transition into my Newtons again. While I loved them, my foot did not. I don’t think the foot problem is gone, and I probably need new orthotics, but I still want to try to very, very slowly to ease into them again!

Anyway, I swapped out my shoes and changed shirts because it was a lot warmer out than I expected. Excellent! A few more loops through my neighborhood and I was done.  Not a particularly fast 5K, but I got it done in 31:12.

I had a very early wake-up call on Sunday so that I could meet my friends and travel into DC for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. I decided I’d run this slow with my friends rather than try to race it.  My regular running partner’s sister was running her first race in about 10 years, and was very undertrained fro the distance. But she insisted on running the whole time (we tried to talk her into Galloway run/walk), only walking at water stops. She did great!

My finish time was 1:56:05. Not bad. It’s quite enjoyable taking your time to enjoy such a scenic course. I took some photos along the way, and was surprised that some of them came out OK! (They’re usually a blurry mess.)

I even managed to snap a self-portrait while running. I don’t do this a lot, and was surprised I didn’t cut off my head!

When we add my 5K and 10-miler together for my Happy Runner Half Marathon, my total time is 2:27:17.  Thanks to the Goofy Challenge last year, that’s not even my slowest half marathon!

Felice totally rocked her half marathon, beating her A goal by almost two minutes and finishing in a speedy 1:49:26.

Congratulations Felice and Happy Runner Challenge participants!

race report: nikia nippy nor’easter half marathon

I picked up a flier for this race last month — a fundraiser for Back on My Feet. There was still time to meet the early registration deadline — only $15! Support a great organization and run an affordable half marathon? I was in!

I only had a few weeks to prepare, but I was in OK shape. I had already run one nine-miler this year and had time for a couple 10s and an eight. I wasn’t expecting a fast race, I just wanted to run!

The course was on the NCR Trail, which is really beautiful. It’s a packed-dirt trail surrounded by trees, much of it runs along a river. I worried that the different surface might be a problem since I typically only run on asphalt.  We trained for our first marathon there a few times, and I remembered it being a bit tougher on the legs!

I woke up to a good forecast and 56 degrees. It looked like it was supposed to be a little cooler at the start, but I decided I’d be fine in a running skirt. I wore calf sleeves so there really wasn’t too much bare leg! I was also excited my Cupcake Marathon shirt arrived in time.

Unfortunately I neglected to check the weather where we would actually be racing. It was only 49 at the start, and I needed to add a layer.  My Cupcake shirt was hidden the whole race …

Oh well. I did get a few compliments on my skirt!

Anyway, back to the race. While a little chilly waiting at the start, it was fun chatting with my friends. I’ve gotten used to really big races, so it was nice doing such a low-key race for a change. My bib was number 18!

I didn’t have high expectations for this race, but it started out really well. I felt great the first five miles or so, but after that I felt myself slowing down. It seemed like this relatively flat trail started going ever-so-slightly uphill …

Yeah, well now I see why it felt like we were going uphill for most of the race!

The calf sleeves did their job and my lower legs felt great, but I sure could have used some compression shorts! Ouch.

I was definitely feeling it after eight or so miles. I could feel myself slowing down and my form suffering — not that it’s that great to begin with! I’d pick up my feet and focus, and actually it felt better. I was able to  pick up the pace.

A  little.

I’m still happy with my unofficial result. Still managed to sneak in under 10-minute miles!

Post-race there was a nice selection of fruit, bagels and snacks.  They also kept the hot coffee flowing — all the better to fill the travel mugs we got instead of T-shirts or medals. We also got a reusable grocery bag as our goodie bag, and they had lots of great random prizes. I won a hat and a $15 RoadID gift certificate!

Sure it was small, and the crowd support was minimal. But the race organizers were energetic and the volunteers cheered everybody on. I saw a lot of support for the BOMF participants. Everyone was having a great time!

There was a lot of time running by myself. Enjoying perfect weather. Surrounded by lovely views.

And that was awesome.

splish splash

I did not want to run tonight.

It’s been raining all day. Our group has gotten so small through the winter that most of the time it’s just been two of us, and I was kind of hoping my reliable partner would call it quits.

But this afternoon, I got his usual email planning our meeting point to run tonight. We reluctantly decided that as long as we didn’t have thunderstorms, we would go for it.

The rain had slowed to a light drizzle when I left my office, and the temperature was comfortable, in the mid-50s. Maybe this run wouldn’t be so bad!

As I parked and walked to our meeting spot downtown, the rain started to pick up. And while we stretched under a store awning, the wind started whipping. Uh oh.

We stretched a little, delaying our start by a few more minutes. I think my friend was hoping it would get worse so we could cancel the run after all. But we were there, and I was already wet from my walk from the parking lot. I wanted to go! And actually, the wind and rain did seem to die down a little bit.

We tried to take our usual route from downtown Annapolis over the Eastport bridge, but we had to change our plans.

The normal route:

Thanks to the all-day rain storm, the tide rose a little too high. Water flooded the street and sidewalk before the Eastport bridge, so we had to turn around and head to higher ground.

We narrowly avoided the water overflowing at the city dock, too, and headed away from town.

We had no trouble with flooding the rest of the way, but we were not safe from puddles! Despite my head lamp, I stepped in quite a few. I was wearing a newish pair of shoes, too. They’re not as crisp and white as they were before!

The rain didn’t really bother me, it would come and go. But at least it wasn’t cold, and my hat kept the rain out of my face.  At times the wind was strong, making it feel like I was running in place. My friend nearly lost his hat during our last mile.

At the top of Main St, we had covered our usual four miles, so we went our separate ways to our parked cars. I continued running and got to my car at 4.25 miles, but was feeling great. Like a kid playing in the rain! I added another loop to make it an even five miles. Woo!

It’s been a while since I’ve had a run like this. One where I just wanted to keep going!

I’m really glad I ran tonight.

where is my mind?

Sing it with me …

Late last year, I decided I was going to run the Baltimore Marathon in October instead of Marine Corps 2011. I had such a great time at last year’s MCM and initially thought I would do it again, but changed my mind when Baltimore registration opened up in December. I signed up the day it opened!

I decided I wanted to focus on running different races, and figured I could always do Marine Corps again  some other time.

But I kept the MCM registration date in my calendar.

And I still follow the race on Facebook and Twitter.

And I was seeing status updates and tweets when friends signed up.

And then there’s this 50K I’ve been thinking about on November 12. No, I wouldn’t *race* Marine Corps … I’d just use it as a training run!

Still, I successfully avoided registering on Wednesday when it opened.

Then this morning, a co-worker came into my office and declared he was going to run the marathon. He is not even a runner right now, but is getting himself some new shoes this weekend and is ready to start training!

And then I looked on the website and saw “90% Full” this morning.

And I saw the status updates and tweets counting down how few spots were open.

And this happened.

Oh yeah.  I’ve lost my mind. But I may have found a theme song for my marathon training!

Who else is running?

where have i been?

I can’t believe it’s mid-February already.

I’ve had a few jam-packed weeks but I’ve managed to hit most of my workouts. Without any big races until the spring, I haven’t worried too much about a few lower-mileage weeks.

I did just add a half marathon next month, so I guess I have to make sure I start getting in some longer runs! (I couldn’t resist.  It’s for a good cause, was only $15, and is on one of my favorite trails!)

So what have I been up to? Well, I spent most of last week looking like this:

Dress rehearsal. We later learned our headpieces could be pushed back a bit.

I sing with a choral group, and we put on the Sound of Music this weekend. I was just a random nun in a few group scenes, but it was a lot of fun! But it meant rehearsals every night last week, and four performances from Friday-Sunday.

I’m beat!

I still ran on Saturday morning (a 5K with a 2.5-mile warmup), but decided to sleep in on Sunday. I could have joined some friends for a run, but knew I needed the rest.

That was a busy week!