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Tag Archives: running amuck
my inner dork has gotten loose
Not that I really to suppress it. I’ve admitted having perfect attendance and to drawing floor plans when rearranging furniture.
Oh, yeah, and I do web development at a software company. But we’re all dorks so it’s quite comfortable here 🙂
It really hit home yesterday when I purchased a fanny pack to use during my marathon. (It is technically a ‘Runner’s Pack,’ but that doesn’t change the basic form and function!)
We’ve been training through the winter so I’ve always carried gel packs or protein bars in my pockets, but we probably won’t need jackets on race day. That stuff gets kind of annoying in pockets, anyway, if you tie your jacket around your waist.
So, I’m trying to make peace with it. It will be comfortable, and practical. And I can carry a spare pair of socks. It is surprisingly refreshing to change into a new pair after 16 miles …
The fanny pack is not the only thing. It’s more like the final straw.
I’ve already been running with a GPS watch (which, my non-dork husband thought was incredibly geeky at first, until he saw what it did and then realized it was actually kind of cool).
But the model I have doesn’t track our run-walk intervals accurately, so I wear another watch to beep at appropriate times. (I have been calling myself the dork with two watches. At least neither is a calculator.)
And then there are knee braces on both knees.
At least I will also be embracing my inner six-year old.
We all got matching pink shirts (after all, it is the Flying Pig Marathon). Since it is likely to be warm, I will probably wear shorts. My favorite pair are purple.
That’s a color combination I haven’t worn since childhood, but, I’m going for comfort!
three weeks to go!
Yesterday was our final “long” run before the marathon.
A lot of training programs stop at 20 or 22 miles, but we wanted to get a little closer. We ran 24 miles. The schedule we’ve been following actually had this weekend’s run set for 24-26 miles, but we didn’t need to get that close!
We ran in Virginia along the Mount Vernon Trail. We stashed a car at Daingerfield Island, and then drove down to Fort Hunt Park where we started running north along the trail.
We stopped at Daingerfield Island (mile 9) for a water and potty stop. Then we continued running to Gravelly Park just beyond the airport.
That’s where I learned about bird cannons — to keep pigeons off the tarmac, there would be periodic blasts to scare the birds away. Kind of scary to runners passing by as well!
We returned to Daingerfield Island for one more water stop and a change of socks, knowing we only had nine more miles to go!
I’m happy to report it went very well. My knee threatened me around mile 14, but it stopped within a mile or so, only hinting pain again at the very end. We had already hit 24 miles and were walking back to the cars at that point.
I guess I’ve been pretty confident ever since we hit 20 that I could finish a marathon, but this milestone still feels great!
And it didn’t even hurt that much 🙂
twenty-two miles in the rain
For our penultimate long run before the marathon, we returned to a trail we ran last month.
Underneath a light dusting of snow, the trail seemed smooth and flat. Now with the snow melted (and rain spritzing for the first nine or so miles), we discovered areas of ruts from bike tires, divots from horseshoes, and mud puddles that we had to zigzag around.
Some of it was smooth and flat, but the “stone dust surface” is packed pretty hard, making very different than the asphalt we’re used to.
Still, my left knee held out and I was able to run the whole 22 miles. I’ve been wearing a knee brace recommended by a sports doctor I saw last week — I finally got it checked out (since it’s been bothering me sporadically for over a year), to make sure I could keep running on it.
Unfortunately, the other knee started hurting!
I think my right knee wants a brace too. One of my friends has also had lots of knee trouble, and despite having straps on both knees had an extra strap on her. Once I put that on, the pain got a bit better and I was able to finish.
Or maybe the ibuprofen I took a few miles back kicked in. A little of both?
It was slow (we’re partially blaming the puddle-jumping), but we did it.
And then we got burritos and wine, and soaked in my friend’s hot tub.
We earned it!
holy crap, i ran 20 miles today!
And I feel fine!
Well, pretty good. My knee is a little bit sore, but better than after some other runs. The pain started on and off at around mile nine, but least it was manageable this time. It wasn’t so bad that I had to stop running.
And actually, I feel better than I usually do after running a half marathon, so I’m very happy about that!
Tomorrow I’ll be getting up early again to volunteer at a race, our local running group’s marathon and half marathon. It’s good to give back since I’m so often on the receiving end of the volunteer-delivered water and Gatorade.
At the race tomorrow, they will be collecting runners’ old sneakers– somehow the proceeds (?) help with agricultural training in Africa. Whatever … I like to recycle whenever possible!
Since I’m about ready to start breaking in a new pair of shoes, it’s a good time to get rid of some of my old ones. I’m hanging on to a couple pairs since they make good walking shoes once they are too old to run in.
To give away, there’s a pair that I never really liked. I only hung onto them this long because they don’t have a lot of mileage on them and could be used as a backup pair. But, I now realize I will probably never put any more mileage on them.
Then there’s this pair.
Asics 2090s. The first pair I really loved; nothing since has compared. (The 2110s are pretty good too. Of course now those are phasing out for the 2120s, which I don’t like, so I guess I’ll start stockpiling!)
I wore them when I ran my first half marathon, which was the 2005 version of the race I’m volunteering at tomorrow. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic about them, but, they’re old and worn out, and I really should let them go!