Dear Heel, Please Heal

I want to tell you how I breezed through ten miles on Saturday.  I want to tell you how I'm going to *kill* it in NYC this year.  I want to, but I can't.  Saturday was brutal.

I didn't go to the lake (I know, I know) to run and that meant that I didn't get started until almost 8:00 a.m. when it was already approximately 11,000 degrees.  Honestly, I was a little cocky about running ten and boy, did I get a schooling.  I can usually tell how a run will go on the first mile - how my legs are feeling, the temperature, my speed etc...  Mile number one on Saturday could have been titled "uh oh".  I can think of a couple of other "titles" for the miles I ran that day, but they are not fit to print.  I haven't had a great long run this summer, but this was by far the worst.  To keep the fun coming, by Saturday night, my left achilles was in pain again.  UGH. 

I took Sunday and today as rest days and I emailed Maggie (my Lukes coach).  She says that I can still run, but I need to lay off the speed (um... that doesn't seem like it will be a problem).  She also said not to stretch my achilles right now because that just makes the problem worse.  The plan is to slow down a little and ice a lot after running.  According to Maggie, I can even go to the track work out on Thursday with the group as long as I "take it easy on the burpees."  Is she kidding?  I invented taking it easy on burpees.  Let's hope I can beat this thing before it becomes a monster.

P.S.  I heart you, Ira Glass.  For every single second you distracted me from the scorching heat and the pain of those miles with your delightful podcast, I thank you.

The Truth About Cows

I'm pretty sure this earring-wearing cow is laughing because there's crack in the cheese that he makes.  Only 35 calories in that wedge of goodness?  Cows are born liars.

Speaking of snacks, let me introduce you to the best apple of all time.  The one apple that gives it a run for its money is the apple that they give you at the finish line of the NYC Marathon, but you have to run 26.2 miles to get one  --- you can weigh the cost/benefit analysis on that.  If you don't have that kind of time, go pick up a Jazz Apple.  You will fall in love immediately.  You will want to give this apple a promise ring and run away to Vegas with it.  Don't say I didn't warn you...

Lost in My Mind

I'm pretty sure that I might have an overactive imagination, but my left ankle started to hurt after my "run" on Saturday.  I decided to take Sunday off.  Monday, I ran 6 miles, but had the odd pain again.  It wasn't really a pain so much as a tightness.  After all the injury troubles, I panicked and took another day off.  Better safe than sorry, right?  It takes discipline to run, but it takes even more to make stretching and rest your BFFs.  I've been trying to run smarter these days and to rest/recover when I need it (even if the schedule says that it is a running day).  I ran 6 miles this morning with no pain ... er... well, no foot pain at all.  So, I guess it worked.  Fingers crossed. 

My pace this morning was meh.  I was pretty excited that I ran the last three miles of my run faster than the first three.  That's what we call a negative split in the biz.  Props to me.  Then, I realized that the last three miles of my run are entirely downhill so I'm nearly guaranteed a faster pace every time I run that route.  Oh well, I'll take it.

I've been dying to do Hood to Coast for a couple of years.  I just recently saw that you can do Ragnar Relays all over the place.  Hmmmm....  how do I bribe 10 people to join in on this fun little adventure?
http://www.ragnarrelay.com/running_events

Smack Down

On Saturday, my workout worked me.  Please look at how bleary-eyed I am in this photo.  That's a delirious smile and check out the tangled janky hairdo (jealous much?).  This is what happens when 12 miles hands your butt to you on Saturday morning.  I wouldn't say I "ran" 12 miles as much as I "covered" 12 miles during my outing.  When I wanted to quit, I kept trying to focus on the fact that when you have an injury you would kill to just be out there giving 12 miles a try and that at some point in the summer, 12 miles is going to be a short run.  In any case, I did not die and that's a good start to any Saturday.

Craig has been struggling with achilles tendonitis.  I don't even know how to explain how hard it is to be injured.  There's the physical pain, of course, but much worse is the mental beating you take.  All you can think about is running ... and getting back to it ... and calculating how much the time off is costing you.  Craig is one of the most talented runners I know and seriously tough.  I'm sending him good wishes for a speedy recovery. 

Sunday was my dear friend Timmy's birthday.  He's been such an inspiration to me over the past couple of years.  He told me that he *might* train to run NYC again this year with us.  I'm hoping that by posting it here, it will make the whole idea ... more than a *might*.  I am his biggest cheerleader.  COME ON, TIMMY! 

Go Big or Go Home

I ran 6 miles yesterday.  Nothing special.  The exciting news from yesterday is that the water fountain is University Park is fixed now.  I know that you have all been worried about that.  Stand down, everyone.  Crisis averted.

Today, the schedule said to run 3 miles.  Naturally, that made me want to run at least 5.  Running is a weird mental addiction where you always think that you need to be running at least twice the amount of miles that you actually are running.  I mean, if 3 miles is good, 6 must be twice as good, right?  The thing is, there's a science to the training and you can really get in trouble if you start adding a lot of "junk" miles (that's a technical term).  Injuries are lurking at every corner.  Junk miles are a good way to get one.

I stuck to the 3 miles today, but I decided to use the short run for speed training.  I don't want to brag, but ... ahem...one of my miles was at a 7:50 pace.  SEVEN FIFTY, people.  Read that again because I am certain it is the last time you'll be reading about a 7:50 mile on this blog.  Sub-8-minute-KC.  Boo to the yeah. 

Back on Track

I was very nervous about my first run of the summer with ATP, but I did okay on Saturday.  My average pace was around 8:40.  I was hoping for my average pace to be closer to 8:30, but I'm also hoping for a unicorn and a rainbow.   Overall, not too shabby for my first 8 mile trek of the season with ATP.  My left leg didn't really bother me (woo-hoo!).  I think that's due to all the stretching I've been doing.  Next week's group run is 12 miles --- which means that this week's task is all about downloading podcasts.  I have *got* to come up with something to listen to besides the People's Pharmacy --- even I have my public radio limits.  It seems that the NPR 6 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. time slot on Saturday mornings is for broadcasts intended to lull its listeners back to sleep.  If the run doesn't kill me next week, listening to that show might. 

Saturday morning, I also made the first of many post run stops at the Taco Joint.  Hello, queso. You never disappoint.  It was so nice to spend some time with you again.

Tread

I have a love/hate relationship with Tread --- or is it just hate?  I keep meaning to get into a routine that includes at least one Tread class a week, but yesterday was the first one that I have attended in weeks.  I really like the teacher (Brandon) and I love how I feel when I walk out of that class, but I got my butt handed to me yesterday.  I wish you could see these people in the class with me that run effortlessly with their treadmills on a 12 incline at a speed of 10.  Why am I the one running the marathon?  These people could beat Ryan Hall in a foot race. 

My left leg held up pretty well during the class, but I'm sore today.  Good thing it is a rest day *and* that I wore my compression socks under my work pants.  Very sexy.  Very.

I stuck mostly to the schedule this week and will be attempting an 8 mile run at the lake tomorrow morning.  It will be my first run at the lake since last October.  There better be a stop at the Taco Joint if I survive.  Nothing says celebration like a bacon, egg and cheese taco.

Oh, Thank Heaven

There's a 7-11 about 2.5 miles from my house.  It has rescued me so many times from certain dehydration death.  For $1.29 you can purchase a life-saving bottle of water.  The cashiers think I am insane ... or maybe just insanely out of shape.  I usually stumble in drenched in sweat and gasping for air.  The worst part (for them) is when I pull the sweaty dollar from the back pocket of my running skirt to hand to the poor cashier.  People, I'm a catch.  There's just no doubt about it.

6 S-L-O-W miles this morning (including a quick stop at my favorite convenience store).  I don't know why I was moving like a snail. 

It is National Running Day --- so, everyone get out there and ...well, you know ... run. 

THUD ... THUD ... pant, pant... THUD... pant... THUD... pant.  That's what you might have heard if you had the misfortune of being anywhere near me while I was attempting to run on Saturday.  It was my first 10 mile run since my marathon last November and I wouldn't say I was exactly light on my feet.

I decided that 10 miles was outrageous considering that I am coming back from an injury and a winter full of queso.  My plan was to attempt 8 miles and to run in the neighborhood instead of at the lake.  I didn't want to feel any group pressure to go longer or faster than I should.  Of course, I should have realized that my worst "peer" pressure comes from me.  So, naturally, when I got to the turn around for my 8 mile run, I thought why not push it just a bit and try to run 9... and when you're already running 9, you might as well run 10, right?  It was a slug fest, but I managed to cover 10 long miles (with several water and curse breaks).  My brain knows that there will be a point in this training season where 10 miles will seem like cake.  My brain knows it, but my legs don't believe it.

4 more miles on Sunday morning where I tried to drown myself in sweat.  Week 2 of training = done and done.