Archive for the 'training' Category

Temporary memory loss?

Published
by
Toots
on 17 August, 2008
in training
. 1 Comment

I just finished week #5 of marathon training that ended with a 10 mile long run, the 1st double digit run in this training program.  I simply don’t remember getting here.  I know I’ve averaged about 1 missed run a week for the last couple of weeks, but I’ve been running for 5 weeks now and don’t really remember my runs.  I do keep a running journal and every single run has been logged, but without actually looking through the journal, I just don’t remember most of what I’ve run so far.  Should I be worried about this?

Anyway, I purposely postponed my long run until this afternoon because the weather man promised me rain.  I think I felt something equivalent to a spit somewhere along my 10 mile route.  Needless to say, the rain never came, at least not in my ‘hood, but the weather was pleasant…just warm, not hot, overcast, and there was a cool breeze, no really there was!  :)

Never really stopped running.

Published
by
Toots
on 13 August, 2008
in training
. 0 Comments

It’s been a tough last couple of weeks and I must say running has been great therapy.  I have not missed too many runs…but I did not run today’s 5 miler like I should have.  I was feeling great this morning but by the time I got home from work I had developed all sorts of aches and pains and a scratchy throat…kind of like when your getting the flu.  I got home and fell asleep for a couple of hours…I’m still not feeling better.  I’m just sitting here, sipping on some tea, feeling a little chilly (yes, you read that right) and about to go back to bed.

I survived week #1.

Published
by
Toots
on 20 July, 2008
in training
. 0 Comments

I’m officially registered to run the full Rock n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon on November 16th. 

Except for the lack of time due to work, the unexpected out of town guests, Sole Mates administrative stuff, my dad’s hospitalization, & mom in general…training week #1 was tough but uneventful.  I “squeezed” in a couple of lunch break 3 mile treadmill runs at work, but I made it a point to run my 6 miler outdoors on Saturday morning.  It was a pleasant escape.  Anyway, I survived….

Freedom Day 4 Miler

Published
by
Toots
on 7 July, 2008
in events and training
. 1 Comment

I had hoped Banana & I guess bibi would make it down to San Antonio on time for this race to keep with our 4 mile race tradition.  Neither were able to make here until later that day (I think they purposely planned it that way).  My boys were out of town and due to Pito’s condition, Pito & Pita were unable to make it out to the run.  So it was just me, myself, and moi.

It was the morning of the 4th of July and the start of the race was conveniently just a 4 short blocks from my house.  This is the first year that this race is held at this location.  The day before, as in previous years, people had staked out prime picnic & BBQ areas throughout the park and camped overnight to claim and secure those coveted spots where they would be celebrating the 4th of July festivities and admiring the fireworks display that were to take place later that evening.  Boy were they in for a rude awakening that morning!  They got an early wake up call as over 500 runners ran past their “campgrounds”.  We ended up with a nice little bunch of spectators…many sleepy-eyed campers came out of their tents to cheer us on.  It was all good.

Oh, yes, I had another quasi Big Cat encounter…ok, so it was the mom of a Big Cat friend (my virtual running group).  She’s training for RNR San Antonio with a training group and I also met a few of her training partners.  Oh, and I had a brief encounter during the race with one of the teammates from the Carrabba’s Half that I ran a couple of weeks ago.  He was doing much better since the Carrabba’s incident where (I later found out) he passed out immediately after crossing the finish line due to heat exhaustion.  He was much better prepared this time around….

I finished in 39:44, 12th in my age division….I don’t know the total number of runners per category, so I’m not sure how I did overall, but I was quite pleased with my finishing time.

Carrabba’s Half

Published
by
Toots
on 1 July, 2008
in events and training
. 3 Comments

About a week ago I sort of decided to run a half marathon…I don’t know why…perhaps I was feeling a little adventurous???  I don’t know, Sally, I think it’s the tattoo.  Actually a friend invited me to run with him and a couple of his co-workers as part of their corporate team.  I agreed…mainly because well, it was FREE (his company paid our entry fees).  I’ve never actually “raced” a half.  Of course, I’ve run the distance before (and beyond) during marathon training runs, but for some reason I’ve never actually entered to run any half marathon races - ok, so there was that Nerstrand Big Woods ”incident”…but you know what I mean.  Anyway, I got 2 free technical shirts out of it, one from the race itself & one from the team (you know, sometimes, it’s all about “the shirt” ).   Oh, yeah, the legs were also getting “antsy” since San Diego RNR & the recovery time thereafter.

So…to recap:

1.  free registration

2.  4 person team

3.  2 technical shirts

4.  the only “girl” on the team

5.  2 potty stops mid run - not sure why…have never done this in a marathon…over hydrated perhaps???

6.  1 WRONG TURN (AAARGH!)  Boy was I peeved!

7.  running an extra .4 miles because of the wrong turn…so technically I ran a 13.5 “half”?

8.  4 different loops around McAllister Park trails

9.  being the 2nd to finish from our team

10.  crossing the finish line TWICE! (1st time due to wrong turn - don’t worry, did not let them “scan” my number at the finish…let them know I still needed 1 more loop and they gladly sent me on my way with a “WE’VE GOT A LOST ONE!!!  )

11.  final finishing time of 2:36…not so bad afterall…I don’t think so anyway including “lost” time.

12.  the best post race meal EVER!!! ~sponsored by Carrabba’s Italian Grill - of course! 

13.  1 additional black toe nail (to match the other from San Diego RNR)  Heh!

The outdoors. TAKE 2!

Published
by
Toots
on 16 June, 2008
in training
. 0 Comments

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve run in the evening!  It’s like 9pm is the new 7am!  There were so many people at the park.  I forgot how busy summer evenings can be.  It really is the best time to get some outdoor physical activity done around here.  The evenings tend to be a lot less humid, breezy, and they feel cooler - technically it’s much cooler “temperature-wise” in the morning but the humidity is usually quite horrid.  I literally break into a sweat by just walking out the front door to my car when I leave for work each morning.  Anyway, the run was pleasant and relaxed, just 2 laps around the asphalt path which is roughly about 2.66 miles.  Still just taking it easy….

Did I mention I’m running a half this weekend?  A half marathon that is.  Don’t ask, I’ll write more about it later.

The recovery.

Published
by
Toots
on 15 June, 2008
in training
. 0 Comments

This past week became somewhat of a “recovery” run week.  Honestly I still really haven’t figured out those “recovery runs” yet.  In the past I’ve taken anywhere from 2-3 weeks off from running after completing a marathon…this time I just got “antsy” and really felt like running much sooner than before.  It’s been a scorcher of a week, everyday hovering at around 98F-100F (and that’s without the heat index!), so I opted to run indoors on a treadmill at the gym with Garner Girt after work on Wednesday…ok, let me rephrase that - I ran on a treadmill while Garner Girt walked on a treadmill next to mine…it was nice company even though it was indoors on a treadmill.  It was a 3 miler and the legs actually felt pretty good.  On Saturday I tried it again, this time outdoors.  I had planned on a 4 miler but instead I was barely able to complete 3 miles…I practically had to crawl home.  Thinking back on this particular run, I realized that I wasn’t very well hydrated (been slacking on that a bit since the marathon).  I’ve also been eating junk (I can’t seem to be able to stop) and I haven’t been sleeping enough (I don’t know why…school’s over, soccer’s over, I’m not “in training”, I’ve caught up with all my DVR’d shows from months back - wait, maybe that’s the reason - too much TV???).  Anyway, technically I have a bit more time in my hands but no self discipline what so ever….

4:57:03

Published
by
Toots
on 3 June, 2008
in events and training
. 0 Comments

I beat my San Antonio Marathon time by a whole minute….  Ok, so it wasn’t my best marathon, but it was definitely NOT Paris.  It has officially been the hardest for me…not so much physically, but rather mentally.  It’s like “matter took over mind” and it pretty much affected every single one of my training runs.  I don’t recall much of my training…it was hurried and squeezed into all the free moments I had - even the free moments I didn’t have.  These last 6 months haven’t really been mine and neither was this marathon…I don’t feel like I “owned it”…rather it owned me.  I’m not going to get into it…too much info.

The details?  Well, I don’t think my finishing time was horrible…actually I’m surprised it didn’t take me any longer.  I had a bit of a tough time with the hills - there were a lot more than I expected.  It was warm (in the 70’s) which would not have been so bad (don’t forget, I’m a Texas girl) except that a good part of the route took place along a highway - lots of concrete - it just made it feel that much warmer.  The people were great, many Elvi sightings (San Diego RNR was trying to break the Guiness World record for the most Elvises running in a marathon), and I ran behind Dean Karnazes (waaay behind…he finshed in 3:22:54).  I thought that was pretty cool.  I did experience my 1st official toe wedgie - it’s not like I hadn’t worn these socks or shoes before…anyway, had to stop and fix that somewhere around mile 11.  One of the best highlights of the race was getting to meet a few of the Big Cats (myspace running group) who were there cheering for other Big Cats running the marathon.  I stopped, introduced myself, posed for a quick pic, and they sent me off on my way with a Payday (thank you, WalkerChick! :) ).  I wish I had planned this trip better and had a chance to meet up with the other Big Cats who were also running the marathon.  Apparently there were quite a few and I actually finished within minutes of a couple of them…but I had never met them in person and didn’t know who they were until after the fact.

I had a great support crew consisting of Punxsk8erdude, Tomate, and Patrick.  They got to see me more times than I thought they would be able to (somewhere between miles 6 and 7, again right after the halfway point, and finally at treacherous mile 22).  At mile 22, Punxsk8erdude ran along side me for about half a mile…he offered me chapstick and words of encouragement.  The field was stretched out enough to where he did not get in anyone’s way.  Actually, it got so warm that many runners were walking instead of running at this point…still he was mindful of other runners.  I noticed I always seem to “hit the wall” somewhere between miles 20 and 22.  Anyway, it was nice to have my little trainer running with me…it kept me going for the final 4.2 miles…it was painful…I thought the end would never come. 

The recovery dinner was great.  This time there was no champagne involved - instead there were Margaritas - and they were goooooooood!

Now I’m home, tired and somewhat jetlagged - yes, I know it was only California (not some faraway country), but I’m just so tired, drained, and sleepy. Oh yeah, and my toe hurts.

I’m staying up as late as I can.

Published
by
Sally
on 3 June, 2008
in quotes, training and travel
. 2 Comments

Here are some quotes:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain I’m so worried about missing something. People at REI ask me why I travel, and others that I meet…you all know, here, that we travel because we have to, etc………………………

I do not ever want to get to the end of my life and realize that I had some kind of opportunity that I missed that I could have taken or that I disregarded because I thought, “Oh, I shouldn’t. I have X responsibility, or I have Y thing that I have not yet taken care of…”

Maybe that’s why Toots is running never-ending marathons. I worry about this a little, I have to admit. I worry about the stress to your body. …Another discussion for another wine-laden evening. Either way, some of us have to go further and push and run and travel and taste and breathe and live something that is beyond ourselves… we are those people. We are The Limit. We are The Great Experiment. We must know what happens after the normal human experiment. I plan on Dublin ‘09 being my own next marathon experiment/race, but there is much more between. Frankly, doing French teaching, Running for Women, She Runs, and working is pushing beyond. Frankly, being a mom, running, working, living with people who need you, is going beyond. I feel like we’re all tired, and we all have stuff to deal with, yet we come here and post and go beyond.

“Let your memory be your travel bag.” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn -Why not have a purely Russian quote when I’m going to Russia???!!!!

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” — Martin Buber

“A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent (which I cannot deny myself to be without being impious) will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.” — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ***I’m willing to put myself, Toots, Lumpy, and Banana in this same category. Am I being cocky?????!!!!

“Why is it that traveling Americans are always so dreadful?” — Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis

OOOOOH, This is my dread, traveling in the summer in Europe. May Lumpy and I blend with appropriateness. Please, dear lords and goddesses. Continue reading ‘I’m staying up as late as I can.’

Time to rock!

Published
by
Toots
on 31 May, 2008
in training
. 1 Comment

My bib #, wish me lucK!    

San Diego RNR 2008