I’m hoping for a little advice from all you experienced marathoners out there… As you know, I’m following a training schedule. This week the schedule reads Mon-cross, Tues-4, Wed-7, Thurs-4, Fri-rest, Sat-7, Sun-15. Monday, I didn’t make it to the gym for my cross training, I was tired and crabby and figured it was all for the best. Yesterday, I cancelled on my running partner and went to bed at 8:30pm because I felt simply awful. So, I missed my 4 miler. Sunday I’m running a 10 mile race instead of my 15 mile run. No big deal when I signed up. And I had been considering skipping the 7 miles scheduled for Sat in order to have fresh(er) legs for the race on Sun.
Now, I love having a schedule. I love checking things off the to-do list. Unfortunately, nothing makes me more stressed than having a schedule that I’m not sticking to. I’m adding up all the miles I’m missing… 9 miles less for sure… 16 without Saturday’s 7 miler. I wonder… How much flexibility do I have before it affects the long term goal. Should I try to fit the missed 4 miles in somewhere? Tack an extra mile onto each run this week? Definitely keep the 7 miles on Sat? Oh- and next week’s a step back week. Can I flip-flop weeks? How much adjusting is OK before I’m just not following the plan at all?
I know I’m worrying way too much about this… Please, WWTASD???
Well it was a nice little cool (as in not blistering hot) front while it lasted, but we’re back to summer again. In the interest of saving some time and not having to run this evening during Punxsk8erdude’s soccer practice, I decided to run on the treadmill today at work during my lunch break. I was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt despite the fact that I was running on the treadmill. That’s all. Just feelin’ good…. ;)
3 miles, 28:49…pas mal pour moi….
I think today’s long run has been the worst thus far - and it wasn’t even that long! It was only 7 miles and I just could not do it! I normally average about 6 hours of sleep each night, but last night I was so tired that I was out by 9:30pm and I did not wake up until 7:30 this morning!!! That’s 10 hours - count them! - 10 hours of sleep…should feel great shouldn’t I?!? I got up, ate some cereal, got dressed and was out the door and running by 8am. Beautiful morning and only 70 degrees?!? Am I in San Antonio?
Continue reading ‘Is it possible to get too much sleep?’
I’ve been feeling selfish and self-indulgent since my dad died. Those are two of my most hated descriptions, but I can’t seem to get myself out of my funk. My douleur, is the best word I know, and Toots will get it and maybe explain better than I can when she’s up in October. You are now morally obligated (nous vous obligeons…once again Toots and Lumpy will understand and can explain) to meet Toots when she’s here. Once you’re “obligated” in the French way, there’s no backing down. You better have had another death in the family before you miss something to which you’ve been “obligé.” Lumpy and I were discussing French earlier this evening. I don’t even like to say discussing, because in French that has a negative connotation. Isn’t it funny. I am a language perfectionist, so I never think my accent is good enough, but French people think I speak well, because I understand the small senses of the tiniest inflections and the smallest ins and outs of French. It blows up my ego, let’s just say. Or, even better, let’s just say that I love to talk, and the more languages I can do it in, the better. Lumpy and I will be taking Russian in a few weeks. I have a feeling he’ll be sorry he agreed to such nonsense, because I’ll be pissed that I can’t read a Tolstoy novel (in the original Russian) within weeks.
So, here are a few quotes to the unabashed, not afraid to claim it, women-loving, estrogen-laden gals out there. And Lumpy, who is my best and favorite man, forever and always, because he NEVER is the man I’m reading about in my textbooks and the never-ending male-bashing quotes I read.
“Men who want to support women in our struggle for freedom and justice should understand that that is its not terrifically important to us that they learn to cry; it is important to us that they stop the crimes of violence against us.” -Andrea Dworkin
Scarlett O’Hara: I’m tired of saying, “How wonderful you are! to fool men who haven’t got one-half the sense I’ve got, and I’m tired of pretending I don’t know anything, so men can tell me things and feel important while they’re doing it.” -Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind
“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” -Rebecca West
Yeah, I just liked that phrase as a title for this post.
For reference, here is the elevation profile from the GPS data for the Paris Marathon 2007:
Looks to me like it isn’t really all that much more “difficult” than The Big Woods Half .
But now I’m looking at that 13.1 mile mark and thinking about Paris 2007 …
Continue reading ‘Before y’all throw a hissy fit, just hear me out.’
It’s been a week since I’ve been out for a run. Too much stuff was going on–septic tank was misbehaving. Plus work has been busy. I’m working with a family that has suffered A LOT of abuse and it’s been mentally draining. I guess I’ve just been really tired lately. I had a nice nap while Salma slept this afternoon. Then I got up and decided to go for a run. It was nice. A bunch of my neighbors were out. The little girl next door was around the bend at her grandmother’s house–they waved as I ran by. Grandma teased her dog with the water hose to keep him from running after me. The nice little calf nibbled on some grass. The curious black dog in the back of the neighborhood walked with me along his invisible fence. He didn’t bark at me today, but his neighbors did. They bark at anything. Let’s see, then Hunter ran along his real fence and barked while his dad waved at me. Hunter is Lucky’s “frenemy”–sometimes they like each other and other times not so much. Hunter lives across the street from the horse, who was in his stall. The weather was nice. It had rained earlier so it has cooled down a little bit and the trees shaded most of the way. I had a little side stitch at the beginning, but it was gone after about a mile. I felt energized and relaxed afterward. Nice run.
Just got this email alert. Looks like it is time to start training.
Winter Weather Advisory
1100 am CDT Fri Sep 14 2007
…Frost advisory remains in effect from 2 am to 9 am CDT
Saturday…
A frost advisory remains in effect from 2 am to 9 am CDT Saturday.
Canadian high pressure will be centered across the upper Midwest
tonight. Attendant light winds…clear skies…and a cold air mass
will yield widespread temperature readings ranging from the low
to mid 30s across west and south central Minnesota by daybreak
Saturday. Widespread frost will be likely in and near
Alexandria…St cloud…Twin Cities… Redwood
Falls…Mankato…and Eau Claire Wisconsin communities.
A frost advisory means that frost is possible. Sensitive outdoor
plants may be killed if left uncovered.
Expires:150000 gmt
VTEC:/O.CON.KMPX.FR.Y.0002.070915T0700Z-070915T1400Z/
Yeah…speaking of some “cool” font coming in …
3 runs so far this week. 4-7-4. The first 2 were great- gorgeous cool weather all week, got in the zone and felt strong. I’ve been stretching diligently after each run and icing my knees most nights and have been less sore each day. Think I was just tired and distracted for my 4 miler last night. I couldn’t focus and the whole run was tough work. I’m so glad today is a scheduled rest day. I feel unsettled, stressed and weepy, not myself… I think I might simply be overtired.
This weekend I have 7 and then 14. The weather is supposed to be clear and cool again- I’m loving it! I’ve been a little chilly at the start of each run but fine after the first 5 minutes or so except for my hands. I’ve taken to wearing gloves. I’m sure I look ridiculous running along in my shorty-shorts, tank and candy cane striped red gloves… Anyone else have this problem?
Sorry I’ve been neglecting to write…I’ve just haven’t found the time. Anywho…last weekend’s 1o miler went well, quite frankly I don’t remember it much…I just remember I ran it in the morning before Punxsk8erdude’s soccer game, it was hot and uber humid, and I had to walk about 1/2 mile of it. Ok maybe I do remember. I also remember I came home after Punxsk8erdude’s game and napped - yes, AGAIN!!! 
So here I am at the tail end of week 6 now. Believe it or not the weather has actually been pleasant. We had a “cool” front come in early in the week. It was in the 70’s, overcast, and breezy on Tuesday evening when I ran during Punxsk8erdude’s soccer practice. Wednesday’s 5 miler was also a very pleasant evening run…there were throngs of people out running and cycling that evening around the neighborhood. For some reason there was also a lot of gnats flying around everywhere…one went in my ear and I think I may have swallowed a few others. Today’s 3 miler was ok…ran about half of it on grass. There was a bit of traffic though…I ran around the perimeter of the Blossom Athletic Center and the crowds were arriving for this evening’s high school football game…did this while Punxsk8erdude was at soccer practice across the street.
All I have left to say is TGIF tomorrow!
I had to do this as a separate post. Just got off the phone with Toots, she’s definitely going to Toronto with Lumpy and me at the end of the month. We will be running and will have the laptop with us, with which to post. woo hoo! Thanks to the Surrogate Two Legger, we do not have to board G, and the kitties will have someone to pay attention to their sorry behinds. They’re just so damned needy.
Also, I wanted to respond to Toots’ comment about Nerstrand being hellish. It will be a little hellish, because it is definitely hilly. However, Lumpy and I discussed it, and we are planning on sticking with you so that we can enjoy your first trail race. We hope that’s okay with you. I will only go ahead if I’m feeling magical and like I can finish right at 2 hours. (I’m not counting on that.)
LASTLY, I would like to apologize for the random craziness of a response to Coworker #1’s post about her dad. This time of year sucks for me. My dad’s birthday was 31 Aug. and he died in October. It’s just not a good time of year for me, and I do all I can to enjoy the weather and live in the moment, but some days are just rotten and I can’t fight that much rotten. I can only imagine the hell Lumpy goes through having to deal with me. I can’t stand me right now. It’s just rough. Winter is always better. Really.
