Ice Queen

"Did you put some ice in your bra?," Maggie asked at the water stop for Mile 10. I'm sorry, but could you repeat that? Maggie and her very fit running buddy explained that at the last ice chest/ATP water stop, they had taken some of the ice out of the chest and put it in their bra. "I took three. Would you like a piece?" Maggie asked (reaching into her sports bra). The fact that I considered it for a minute is a testament to the blazing Texas heat. I won't embarrass the tall, pretty blonde that took her up on the offer because when you're running, the normal rules just don't apply.

Today, I made my way through sixteen miles, but it was rough, people. I guess that's why not many people make running sixteen miles part of their to do list on a Saturday morning.

Timmy is on the injured list for a few days and I'm sending out lots of positive energy to him. I'd run another sixteen miles if it meant that his hip would heal any faster. Good thoughts, Timmy. Good thoughts.

The Meaning of Words

Bound - verb: to move by leaps; leap; jump; spring.

I can't even remember the last time I used that word in a sentence, but the verb tense came rushing back as Maggie taught us new series of exercises at the lake this week. It seems like a bad dream. I just remember Maggie yelling, "Bound!" and everyone leaping across the grass before sunrise. For the record, I am anti-jumping in almost all instances. Maybe it is a height thing.

Speaking of definitions, the meaning of the word "sixteen" is going to be abundantly clear tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. SIXTEEN. Yeah, you read that right. For those counting at home, that's six more miles than I ran last week. How is that possible? I have no idea. If I survive the run and the ridiculously long nap I plan to take in the pool afterwards, I'll let you know.

Swoon

Anyone remember Raiders of the Lost Ark? In the beginning of the movie, Indiana Jones is teaching class and one of his students has "love" written on one eyelid and "you" written on the other. I wish I'd thought of that before seeing dreamy Dr. Royer today. Did I say I didn't like drs? Blush. Giggle.

McDreamy gave me the all clear to run with a few helpful tips to keep any additional problems away. He said to make an appointment in 6 weeks just to check in and that I could cancel it if I wasn't in pain. Is he kidding? I'm getting my hair blown out for my next visit.

Infinite Loop

It looks peaceful, doesn't it? Do not be fooled. This is a place where very bad things happen. Today was our last track workout for a bit. We did runs of 1200m (in addition to our boot camp) which is approximately 1200m more than I was interested in doing. I want to understand the appeal of running around in this boring circle, but I just don't.

Next week, we're moving back to the lake for what Maggie calls *special* strength training. Please meditate on the following sentence from her email today --- "These exercises are mostly carried out while you are standing on just one foot with both feet on the ground." Whatever the hell that sentence is supposed to mean is not going to be pleasant. What do you bet that I'll be begging for the days of infinite loops at German Park by the time I figure out the one foot/both foot torture in my near future?

Don't Call it a Comeback

Dear 12 miles --- Ahem ... remember me? I admit that you beat me fair and square a few weeks ago, but I'm back, baby. That's why I kicked your butt on Saturday and why I plan to do it again in the very near future. No hard feelings.

Saturday was good. I ran most of the way with a girl named Susan who is nearly twice my height. Every time she took a step, I had to take 6. Another advantage to the tall people of the world. Annoying.

Our group was split this week. The folks doing early fall marathons ran 15 miles. The rest of us ran 12. Susan and I were rounding the corner on mile 10 or so when Maggie comes coasting up next to me. She ran an additional 3 miles and still caught up with me barely breaking a sweat. That woman can't be human.

As a special treat, after our run, I had breakfast with MK at the Taco Joint. Tacos = delicious. MK = delightful, as always.

Life Could Be Better

After my track workout last week (see previous post), I had some serious pain in my heel. The painful area was tiny, but it felt like someone was shoving a sharp knife into my right foot every time I took a step. Remember that story of the princess and the pea? In fairness to my heel, it had been hurting a little for a week or so (I know, Lauren Sager, I know).

Some of my friends are hypochondriacs, I'm just the opposite. I usually think these things will just work themselves out, but a few hours after our workout, the pain was so bad that I had to break down and go to the foot doctor. I hate doctors --- especially foot doctors. Podiatrist are alarmist. They always go through some long list of problems that Americans are going to face if they don't start taking care of their feet (yawn) ----- with a special rant for girls that wear flip flops.

This particular doctor and I got off on the wrong foot (ha) when she asked if I was there to take care of the two toenails that have turned black and separated from the nail bed. Don't be silly, those toenails will fall right off on their own. Or maybe I wanted to discuss the callouses on my poor little feet. No, doc, I was only there to fix my gimpy heel. We did x-rays, stride tests and worked on different cushioning options. Just when she had me down for the count, she had to pop in with the "no running for a few days" news. I was in tears. So, last week for 4 days I was sentenced to do nothing.

Sure, this sounds like good news, but I was spiraling about it. I couldn't run and the rest of my group was training. This is my worst case scenario. I iced my foot, I wore proper shoes (even to a concert when my very cute shoes were begging to go) and I took care of myself for the rest of the week. Saturday, I ran half the distance that my group was running. This week I am back to the schedule and I am hoping it stays that way.

I took this picture in Jordan with my Aussie friends. The pharmacy's slogan is "Life Could Be Better". That's how I felt last week --- life could be a whole lot better. On a happy note, I just *had* to buy a few new pairs of indie girl tennis shoes.

One Track Mind

Just when I thought 400m was my Lex Luther, Maggie brought a new list of track treats. Friends, meet the white board. You might think it looks short and easy. I dare you to start with a 2 mile warm up, complete the exercises on the board (twice each for items 2 - 11), cool down for 2 miles, core work, stretch and then not want to sleep for the next 10 hours.

As we were running our 2 mile cool down, I was complaining (imagine) about the difficulty and the girl next to me actually laughed and said, "oh, just wait until we do 1 mile repeats." Um.... excuse me?

Flying Solo

I finally met a tougher trainer than Maggie. She's short, blonde and shows no mercy. Her name is KC.

Yesterday, I had to miss the group meeting in the morning, but I didn't want to sacrifice the training. So, I did a solo boot camp at the track last night. The only thing more ridiculous than getting up at 4:40 to do a running/ATP boot camp with a group of obsessive athletes is forcing yourself to do the same workout on your own. I must have looked ridiculous doing track work and cherry pickers all by myself.

Running is basically a solo sport and I had forgotten how much I enjoy the solitude. Last year, my group only met once a week and most of the miles I logged were on my own. This year, ATP meets 3 times a week and there is a lot more time working out with a group of 50. Group running is a different dynamic and serves a different purpose than running on your own. I like both types of running for different reasons.

Still, as I proved last night, I'm tougher on myself than anyone else could ever be. When you're out there on your own, there are no excuses, no shortcuts and no one to blame. As I've said before, its you vs. you and that drives me more than anything. At one point, I actually caught myself grinning during my 400m sprint. Move over, Maggie, there's a new sheriff in town.