Archive for the 'training' Category

Different shades of blue.

Published
by
Toots
on 7 October, 2008
in training
. 0 Comments

Tuesday’s are my new days off.  I’m glad since I had a horrible Monday…I was still feeling somewhat queezy from whatever hit me on Sunday.  Anyway I felt better today but still not 100%.  I didn’t do much except “clean” and lounge around.  I did step outdoors in the late morning and noticed the sky - it was the brightest blue I have ever seen and not a cloud in the sky.  I pointed it out to Tomate…usually when the sun in out like this it seems to “wash out” all the colors, but not this time…it just seemed so deep and bright blue.

Later in the evening I went out for my 5 mile run.  It was cool but somewhat muggy…the way it sometimes feels around here when a front is about to come in.  Anyway, I noticed the sky again.  It was the darkest blue ever!  Still not a cloud in sight…even the stars seemed to just ”pop” out of it.  It was such a beautiful dark blue…almost purple…almost black - but no, not really.  Maybe it’s the recent change in seasons?  Had I just never noticed it before?

The run was a bit tiring but I was pleasantly distracted by the blues of the sky.

Slow week…NOT!

Published
by
Toots
on 6 October, 2008
in random stuff, training and travel
. 0 Comments

I missed my 2 longer runs (an 8 and a 12 miler) for week #12.  Too much to do, I simply ran out of time.  As some of you know there was a sudden change to my itinerary this past weekend…instead of being in Minneapolis running with The Sally and The Lumpy I ended up in Houston with The Tutus.  My nephew got “The Call” for his double lung transplant.  He was moved up on “The List” because his condition started to deteriorate very quickly these last couple of weeks.  According to the docs…without the transplant, he would not have made it to Christmas.  The transplant went well and he is recovering very nicely - he may even be able to go home later this week.  After all of last week’s chaos of stress, anxiety, feelings of relief, the long drive to and from Houston, the queezy & nauseous feeling I had on the drive back and getting really sick Sunday evening once I arrived, then having to return to a long 10 hour work day today…let’s just say I’m done.

Today’s lesson:

Published
by
Sally
on 6 October, 2008
in quotes and training
. 0 Comments

It’s okay to be beat by the heat. Even when it’s only 67°F. I put off my 12 mile run yesterday because I was under the mistaken impression that it was supposed to be 50°F and partly sunny. I ran anyway, and basically had to walk a lot and go a lot slower than planned. Yeah, that 1:29:59 meant nothing today. Complete scratch. The plan was to run 7, get Guinness, then finish the last 5, killing two birds with one stone, as it were. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.  I could not get my lungs to open up, I was exhausted, I felt bad, I walked, etc…All the things that make you feel like a “bad” runner. I didn’t feel bad this time. I finished and took the dog to the P-A-R-K. I met some very nice dog owners. I had a pleasant afternoon. I do not hate myself, in spite of my usual pattern. I gave up this run to heat and whatever crap is living in the air right now. The paper tells me that the air quality is just fine, but I DO NOT BELIEVE THEM!!! To sum up: 12 mile run, turned into a 7 mile run. Cleaning finished, pleasant dog park experience, new job applied for (barely hopeful for this), information gathering finished, She Runs meeting done. All in all it was a job done.

“Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” - John Dewey

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” - Peter Drucker

The treadmill in Houston isn’t any better.

Published
by
Toots
on 4 October, 2008
in training and travel
. 0 Comments

Have I mentioned how much I dislike running on the treadmill?  I’m sure there was time somewhere…but I don’t know where it went.  I ended up running my 4 miler on the treadmill at the apartment complex gym.  It wasn’t good, it never is.  The gym was small and stuffy even though the AC was on.  It was too hot to run outdoors in the afternoon plus I was in unfamiliar territory…and I forgot my camelback (I originally meant to run 12 miles)…and really, I was just too tired.  But, in the end, I got my 4 miles in.

I love the moderator.

Published
by
Sally
on 2 October, 2008
in quotes, random stuff and training
. 0 Comments

That’s all I can say about the debates tonight. Palin makes me want to throw up. In fact, I may have just thrown up a little in my mouth. That’s really all I can say.

I have some posts about “The Plaid Pant Runner” to come. WHAT?!?! Only running EIGHT MILES to date before a major marathon?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?! Oh my f*%cking GAWD. There is a reckoning to be had. There are posts to follow. There is the RESPECT issue to deal with…

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” -MLK Jr.

“Yes, you need to respect the marathon. I have been on a bike long enough to know that it can drain you more than a 100-kilometer ride does. There’s no freewheeling in running, there’s no coasting in a marathon or even in a 10k. You don’t move your feet, you stop. There are no wheels that will move you forward on momentum. You just have to keep running, and all that pounding on pavement, all that punishment to your legs and feet -not to mention your quads- will surely take its toll in time.” http://caloybsecondwind.blogspot.com/

(We may need to link to this blog. This person is f*&cking hardcore.)

This is about the debates…

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.”

Robert Francis Kennedy quotes ( U.S. attorney general and adviser, 1925-1968)

Debate aside, quotes aside, cycling aside…

You will never know the misery, joy, pain, depth,  despair, agony, perseverance, fortitude, and greatness of the marathon if you have not put in the time and training. The true meaning of the marathon will forever elude you if you are not willing to give up a small amount of yourself to the greater meaning. To me, the marathon is a lot like water, especially after this last canoe trip. It can break you, or it can sustain you, and a million other things. So much to know. So much to understand. 8 miles will never give you the knowing or the understanding.

**Oh, and scrap the 12 with Toots…on to 18 with Toots!!!

Today is a good day to post…

Published
by
Lumpy
on 28 September, 2008
in events, lumpy's wisdom and training
. 0 Comments

The day started at about 5am (3:30am for those of us that had some trouble sleeping). And it was a good day. A good day to post…

  • As The Sally pointed out, she had a GREAT race! I’m glad about that. She deserved one. And perhaps this race is the culmunation and a fitting finale to the summer that she has endured/enjoyed.
  • And The Sally’s success today, along with her words and strikingly apt comments about the Big Woods race, encouraged me to finally go out and have a run on my own. Well, I took DAWG with me, but it was on my own. Just a little 4-5 miler to get me back in the game to get ready for the Big Woods Half.
  • Hmmm…seem to have lost my train of thought…well…
  • I guess the big news today was a marketing/promotions push for The She Runs. We had a booth at the race today and, well, Lumpy played salesperson. Hopefully, something will pay off.

That said, it just was a good day, and a wonderful cap to what is essentially the end of summer here on the northern end of I-35.

3 cups of coffee + inhaler = FAST

Published
by
Sally
on 27 September, 2008
in quotes and training
. 0 Comments

Guinness and I did one of our faster 3 milers. It reassured me that I’m not totally falling apart yet, and may have some motor left for the next couple of races. I don’t have much to post about running, but I have some quotes today. I’m running in a 10 mile race tomorrow and sitting at a table for She Runs. We’re giving away information and ponytail holders. I’m hoping we actually recruit GIRLS and not just all coaches and board members!

Most men take the straight and narrow. A few take the road less traveled. I chose to cut through the woods. -Unknown

The footing was really atrocious. I loved it. I really like Cross Country; you’re one with the mud. -Lynn Jennings

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness. -Seneca

5:00 a.m.

Published
by
Sally
on 25 September, 2008
in gear and training
. 0 Comments

Apparently this is the new 4:00 p.m. I’ve gotten up the last two days and run with Guinness in the dark, oh so dark, and have enjoyed myself immensely. It’s also just nice to know when I get home in the afternoon that I can do a short walk with her and rest. Resting is gooooooooood. I’m pretty sure I’m running a 10 mile race this weekend, as well as sitting at an info table, selling She Runs. I don’t plan on doing well, I just want the mileage.

I have no idea how the other runners in the dark can see. I am the only person who is ever wearing a headlamp. I’ve posted before about how dark it is around certain legs of Lake Harriet. I think if I didn’t wear the headlamp, there’d be a great chance that I would trip and fall. It’s crazy. I don’t get it. People are dumb. Here’s my headlamp…the Petzl Tikka Plus. I love how lightweight it is and the fact that it has a strobe setting.

Lily, Lily, is so…

Published
by
Sally
on 22 September, 2008
in training
. 0 Comments

NOT A CAT!! I borrowed another dog today. One of She Runs girls has a German short haired pointer, and I had mentioned I would love to run with her through the summer. It turns out I wasn’t home all summer, so after many fits, starts, phone tag, etc., today I finally took her out. Trainer G came along (she’s the Daddy to my Cesar Millan), and we worked on Lily. Since she’s such a smart breed, she was mostly trained within 15 minutes. We have some kinks to work out (like training her not to run right in front of me across my path), and a few other things, but this promises to be much, much fun. Photos to come, once I take some!

Chatty Cathy Gets Sunstroke

Published
by
Toots
on 21 September, 2008
in training
. 2 Comments

I had a running buddy for today’s long run…I’m not sure he’ll ever come running with me again because I’m pretty sure I talked his ear off.  :)  You see, unless I’m actually in a race, for the most part, I train by my self…except for the time I ran Afton with Sally and Lumpy, I’ve always run my longer weekend long runs completely alone.  So it was nice to have someone to chat with during the long 14 miles…except like I mentioned earlier, I did most of the chatting.

Anyway, let’s call my running buddy, Spechter.  Spechter is a co-worker friend who is actually training for his debut marathon which happens to be the ING New York City Marathon coming up in November.  We both put our name in for the lottery…he got in, I did not.  We’re two weeks apart in our training for our repective marathons and we just happen to have similar long runs to do this weekend.  He’s naturally a good and fast runner but he’s recovering from an injury.  He was forced to run at my pace - I’m sure that under normal/non-injured circumstances my pace would have held him back a bit - but it was good for his recovery otherwise he probably would have added to the strain of his injury by going “all out” (Spechter, you know I’m right).

It was a beautiful cool morning with a most magnificent sunrise (don’t see those too often - I’m usually all about the sunsets).  I was doing great until the last 1 1/2 miles when I really started to feel the warmer temperatures.  My right calf muscle and gluteus (that’s right) started to cramp.  I stopped and walked about 10-15 steps, felt a little better, then ran to catch up with Spechter.  Then we came to the final stretch - less than a mile to the finish and I just could not do it…I was starting to cramp up again.  I continued to run a little further then I made the mistake of looking up ahead toward the finish and I saw it - The Hill.  I’m sure it was only about a quarter mile climb, but it felt more like a half a mile.  I tried to run it and “finish strong”…Spechter even went into “supportive runner” mode to help me get through the climb, but I could not do it.  I told Spechter to go ahead and I walked most of the hill finishing about 1 1/2 minutes behind him.

I drove straight to Woodlawn Park near chez moi to run my final mile (I actually had a 15 miler scheduled).  It was treacherous and totally unproductive.  I should have just called it quits and gone home.  I finished the mile, got home, showered, ate, then I started to feel sick.  Stomach cramps, aches, and a tremendous headache.  I took some aspirin, vegged in front of the TV, and then slept it off.  Dehydration?  I don’t know, I felt like I was drinking enough (ran with my CamelBack).  I also had an energy bar mid run (maybe I should have probably taken the Gu instead for the electrolytes).  I’m thinking maybe it was sunstroke…?