Distance Running-Once You Start You Just Can’t Stop

January 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I never thought I’d say it, but now I will: I can’t stop running.

I missed a day this week due to tooth work I had done on Saturday. They asked me to take it easy for two days; one of those should have been my six mile run. Since I’m so close to M-Day (two weeks and two days, but whose counting?!) I can’t really play around with my schedule right now, so I skipped that run. I figured I had done twenty on Saturday anyway, so it wouldn’t matter much. But boy can I tell it today! I really missed that six miler this week. I will not skip another day unless i absolutely have to.

I’m addicted.

When I started running ten plus years ago I never thought I’d hang this long and I never ever thought I’d say that I love to run. But I do. I can’t wait to get my shoes on.

Tomorrow is my twelve miler, but I’ll do thirteen (I know where that starts and stops-for twelve I’d have to figure out the six and a half mile mark-why not just do the 13?!)

I can’t wait to get my shoes on and go.

Next week, 8 miles. It seems such a short distance now that I’ve done 20. 8?! I mean, I could still do another 12 lol! Almost another half marathon . . . how messed up does that sound?

Today my friend stopped by and we were talking about the green market they have downtown. I told her I run by what is left of that each Saturday morning and see the tents. “You mean you run from here?” She asked, with a quizzical expression on her face.

Yep, if I”m doing an 11 miler, I said. And those are my shortest of long runs.

“You mean you run past there?” She asked, even more pained.

I ran 20 miles on Saturday, I told her.

And then she said, Why?

I about laughed out loud. Oh, no, maybe I did laugh out loud. I told her I’m doing a marathon in two weeks and she wanted to know how long that was. I told her 26.2 and she said, “Why are you going to do that? That’s crazy!”

I couldn’t explain it so I just shrugged and said I love to run. Especially distances.

Then she said, “Do they give you stuff when you get done?”

It’s been a long time since I wasn’t a distance runner. I forget what it was like to look at others who were going the miles and thinking wow, what are they, crazy? I know that I thought that. I do know that I did. And I know other people look at me and think the same.

26 miles . . . that’s a long way! I don’t care how much you run, that is a long, long way.

20 miles last Saturday, that was a long way too.

And I know in my head somewhere deep down that 12 miles is as well. But tomorrow’s run seems so short to me.

I think that this is how I know now that I am a runner. I don’t go jogging, I go running, because I can’t live without it and because 12 miles seems like such a cake walk.

Happy running!

Filed Under: January 2008

How Do You Do the Distance? Break it Up Into Chunks!

January 14, 2008 By 1 Comment

When I began training I looked all over the internet to figure out how people could physically run 15, 20, 26.2 miles. I had no clue. COuldn’t comprehend it.

Now that I’m on the other side-I just finished my 20 miler yesterday (and boy are my legs tired–barump!) I can tell you exactly how I have done it.

Training, of course, which means adding on to the mileage slowly, building up so that your body can tolerate the added distance. For instance, I might run 13 on a long run, then 15 the next weekend, and then drop back to 11 to give my body a break. From 11 I’d go to 14, then 17, then 12. Two longer and then one in which I dropped back really helped me to gain distance and recover from my higher runs.

But honestly my best piece of advice is to break up your long runs into chunks.

Huh?

Let’s put it this way: You have a 15 miler to go. You have your regular long distance path carved out. You know that you are going to start out going left from your house, and then at mile marker 2 you will pass the elementary school, and then at mile marker 5 that cute white Victorian home, and then at mile marker . . . well, you get it. You find targets at different distances.

When you begin your 20 miler you don’t think Today I’m going to run 20 miles. Instead, you think that you are going to run to the elementary school. Once you are there, you visualize that white Victorian. And so on and so forth.

For me, I know that 3.5 miles is the ocean, 2 more miles is the pier, another mile is the road on which I cut off, and two miles down on that road I’ll view horses. I know where I go and then when I turn around I know what I will see next, because I’m simply moving backwards from my start.

By breaking the run up into chunks it is so much easier to tackle.

And my last trick? When adding on a higher distance – for instance, when going from 13 miles to 15 – all you have to think is, “Today I’m just running one extra mile out, and then I get to turn around and head home!”

Before long, you’ll realize there is nothing to this distance thing . . . nothing but a little time, a few gel packs, some water and a beautifully foggy morning that you never want to leave.

Filed Under: January 2008 Tagged With: , , , ,

20 Mile Run-It’s All Behind Me Now!

January 12, 2008 By Leave a Comment

So, I did it! I did my twenty miler this morning.

It was a GREAT morning for a long run-foggy, cold, wet, misty, all of the above. Couldn’t see much in front of me. Did a lot of thinking.

The run took 3:30, so the marathon will take about 4:30. I’m good with that. Great with that, actually.

When I rounded the corner to my house at the end of the run, I threw my hands up in victory, shouted a few words and then cried just a bit.

20 freaking miles. I am blown away with myself right now.

I got home and my wonderful husband made me eggs and toast for breakfast. Then I had a long, hot shower and now a great cup of coffee with cream.

What a great way to start the day. After this my kids and I are going to do puppet shows.

20 miles.

Now all I have left are a 12, 8 and then the big day!

Three weeks from tomorrow I’ll be running my first marathon.

To think, I made it through the past five months of training.

Yahoo!

Filed Under: January 2008 Tagged With: , , ,

If You Want to Run But You Hate to Run, Don’t Give Up!

January 11, 2008 By 1 Comment

I remember the first run I ever did.

I’d started dating my boyfriend, who is now my husband, just a few months before. He was-and still is-a runner, though he does short distances, 3 or so miles a few times a week.

One day I was at his house. I’d watched him come in from those runs flushed and feeling so much better than when he had left, and since I was approaching thirty I thought that taking up something like running, which burned so many calories, might be a great way to tackle the extra pounds I was sure would fill my bones when I hit the big 3-0 mark.

So he handed me his beeper (yes, this was a while ago!) and said, “Go for as long as you can.”

That ended up being two minutes. I thought I was going to die.

I hated running.

I started running, but I hated it. I tried to do better, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get my breath down, I always got pangs in my side, I felt I looked stupid when I ran, my gait was all wrong-on and on and on went my list of running complaints.

My future husband surprised me by signing us up for Race for the Cure. A 5K-3 miles (which now seems so short!). I knew I would have to keep training to run it, and so I did, even though I flew up to WV in the middle of December. I ran in the snow (probably still one of my favorite all time runs, and it was just thirty minutes!)

Up until the day of the race I swore to myself, and to anyone who would listen, that once that race was over I would give up running for good. “I hate it, ” I said to everyone. “I’m only doing this for that stupid race.”

And then I went to the race. It was held in West Palm Beach on a January morning. I can remember the excitement, all the people huddled around, anxious and excited. I remember the people on the sides of the road as we ran, and the way that they yelled out what a great job we were doing, to keep it up, we could do it.

And I vividly remember crossing that finish line and realizing that I would never ever NOT run again.

I still love races. The excitement, the fever, the rush. I still love seeing people on the sidelines yelling for me, a stranger that they will probably never meet. I can’t wait to see that on February 3rd when I run my first marathon.

If you hate running now, don’t give up! Keep at it, work your way to three miles, and then head off to a 5K. I promise you, the excitement that you find there will carry you through that three miles-and possibly 26.2 sometime in the future!

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Music to Run To

January 10, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I know everyone has his or her own preference when it comes to music. I’m a baby of the 70s, rocker of the 80s and a lover of all music 90s, so you may have an idea of the type of tunes I enjoy downloading on my Ipod for long runs.

As I prepare for my marathon (just three and a half short weeks away!) I have been adding some new tunes to get me through those last, say, 10 miles (insert smile) and this is what I have found so far:

-You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
-Mr Brightside

-Love Stinks-can’t quit listening to this one on my training runs!

-Toadies, Possum Kingdom (What is the dark secret he wants to share anyway?!)

-ANYTHING from Foo Fighters, especially Best of You and Everlong

I’m still seeking some good, fun running tunes that make me want to sing out loud. I plan to do that, you know-sing out loud. Why not? Maybe it will not only prove as a distraction for me as I run the 26.2, but maybe it will also prove as a distraction for someone else. Kind of like the guy who carried the American flag throughout the entire last half marathon that I ran. 13.1 miles! Talk about a workout!

Filed Under: January 2008, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Training for a Marathon While Pregnant? What, Are You Crazy?!

January 9, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Let me preface my blog by saying that what Paula did was probably the most outstanding athletic feat that I, a mother who is also training for a marathon, can imagine doing: She trained while pregnant, and ran it shortly after giving birth.

But are you kidding me?

Granted, I’m sure  that she had been doing long distance running for much longer than I have. I mean, I ran my first half marathon  about three years ago, took a break from long distances while pregnant with my second daughter and then started up when she was about seven months old.

I ran 17.5 the first time about three weeks ago.

I’m going for my first twenty on Saturday morning.

I run a total of about 30-35 miles per week.

I’ve run with an abscessed tooth.

I’ve run with a cold.

I’ve run while being so tired I could barely stand.

But I could never, ever, EVER imagine doing this while pregnant.

For one thing, when I was pregnant with both girls I was very sick and very tired the entire first trimester. I ran through it while pregnant with my second, but my runs were much shorter-and back then I was only doing three miles at a time.

For another thing, I was hungry. Constantly. While training for this race I am also constantly hungry, so I cannot imagine how much food I would have had to eaten if pregnant and training!

And what about that belly bouncing up and down like an overstuffed piece of pasta? I mean, it sure didn’t feel good when it bounced up and down that last trimester as I ran a few miles-I certainly can’t imagine it doing that for 15!

So my maternity hat off to her.  I could never do it, but I am totally in awe with the fact that she could.

You go Mamamarathoner!

Filed Under: January 2008 Tagged With: , , ,

Love Those Early Morning Rainy Day Runs

January 7, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Today was such a great run. I did 6 miles, running pre-dawn. Got up at 5, donned my shoes, and headed out of the house. It was cold, could see my breath, and the rain had washed Southern California clean (if you aren’t from around here, this statement may make no sense: If you are, you know how cleansing it is when a good rain takes out all of the trapped smog and exhaust).

I ran through various neighborhoods. If you are an early morning runner you know what I mean about being a life thief. Early mornings are great times to see what is going on around your neighborhood and others. I look at windows of houses that are already up and see people making breakfast, reading the paper or watching the early morning news. I watch the paperboy toss his papers. I see people walking their dogs before showering for work.

Today, a lady pulled up next to me. Crying, she asked if I had seen a twenty year old girl walking around in her pajamas.

I saw a raccoon in a tree. I thought it was a cat, but when I slowed to take a look I noticed it was a huge raccoon, clinging on for life, probably afraid I might try and chase it.

I live for early morning runs like this. Sometimes people ask why I run, as if it is torture. This blows my mind.

If this is torture, then I hope to be tortured every single early morning for the rest of my life!

Happy running!

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Running while Pregnant

January 7, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I read something in a magazine the other day, can’t recall where or the exact statistic, but a new study has shown that women who run early on in pregnancy are more likely to miscarry than those who don’t. Seems they believe it could be due to the jarring that a pregnant mother experiences when running.

I was kind of surprised to hear this. Don’t get me wrong, I know that running is not  as easy on the body as, say, swimming, but honestly driving down a bumpy street seems a little more harsh to me than simply running a mile or two.

That said, when I was pregnant the first time around I quit running altogether.

When I was pregnant the second time, I quit, and then I miscarried.

The third time around, after having miscarried once after following all of the rules of pregnancy (you know, don’t eat lunch meat (listeria), abstain from all alcohol, sleep on your left (or was it right) side), I was a little more lax. I didn’t drink any alcohol and I don’t smoke, but I certainly didn’t stop running during that first trimester. I kind of felt like well, if it happens it happens. Then it is meant to happen. I mean, I did everything by the book the second time around and lost that baby.

My second daughter, my third pregnancy, turned out just fine. I ran the entire time.

That’s not to say that I don’t believe what the study is showing. I suppose it could be true. I’ll have to find more information before I make my case one way or the other though. I do believe the magazine article stated that if you give up running in the first trimester the risk for miscarrying is gone or significantly lower should you take up running in the second trimester.

In my case, I ran through the entire third pregnancy, up until about three to four weeks from delivery. I stopped then only because I was so uncomfortable at that point that I couldn’t run. Each step felt as though the baby might drop right out of me, and since I was going in for a repeat C section I certainly didn’t want that happen (oh, but what a run to remember that would have been!)

If I find more information about the study I’ll pass it on. I guess though that I’m glad I won’t be pregnant again-I can’t imagine having to give it up for nine months! I mean, no turkey, no wine and no three mile jog? Give me a break!

Filed Under: January 2008 Tagged With: , , , ,

4 Weeks Until My Marathon!

January 7, 2008 By Leave a Comment

So today makes it four weeks exactly until the big run.

Oh my gosh!

The training time FLEW. I can’t believe it is almost here. I have one long run left, a 20 miler, and then a 12, 8 and then 26.2!!

This weekend’s run was crazy, and it was not one of my better runs. Most of my long distance runs are great. It seems i have more difficulty going 30 minutes than 3 hours (go figure?!)

Yet this weekend was truly a test of willpower. It was raining like crazy the night before with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. I figured that I’d be treading through water and pushing against nature the entire 17.5 miles the next morning. I woke at 4:30 and found it drizzling. Got dressed, ate half a bagel, took an ibuprofen and looked out the window again: Miraculously the rain had ended!

Now you may ask about the ibuprofen. I’m not a medicine girl: In fact, even taking a few ibuprofen the last few days has freaked me out. I don’t know, there’s something about putting medicine in my body that I don’t like. Call me crazy. But I got a toothache while out in Florida visiting my mom, and it got worse and worse, until Friday night I was unable to do much at all. Saturday morning when I woke my mouth was throbbing but knowing that I have only four weeks, and two long runs, left to conquer made me realize I had to do something to get out there and run.

I did the 17.5, but it was tough. I stopped several times to walk a little, half a minute to a minute at a time. I had to use the bathroom twice too. Stopped in Del Taco for one bathroom break, and let me tell you, it had to be the nastiest place on earth but I’d been going for almost three hours and I could not take one step further without using the bathroom! Just a mile from home but felt like 20.

It started to drizzle in the last five minutes of my run.

That afternoon I felt sick on my stomach. In fact, that morning after the run I made some eggs and a bagel for breakfast, ate, and got in the shower. My stomach felt queasy and my head throbbed from the tooth. I took another ibuprofen and laid down for a while, then we headed out to Chuckeecheese with the kids. Afterwards, I laid down again while the girls napped and before I knew it I could barely lift my head, it hurt so bad. I called a dentist, went in and found out I had an abcessed tooth! well, let me tell you, if you have never had one of these, you don’t know pain! It hurt just to close my mouth, and I believe I may have been running a fever at one point.

So, long story short, I did 17.5 miles with an abcessed tooth on Saturday! I figure if I can do that, 26.2 will be no problem at all.

Even my music toward the end did not perk up my run.

I don’t hit walls when I go the distance. I love running long runs, and generally they are all great. Yet this one hurt me a lot!

Today I headed to the gym to swim. I feel much better, after having the dentist drain what he could and put me on amoxicillin until he can fix the tooth next Saturday. I’m hoping that the run on Saturday morning, which should be 20 miles, is a good one. I can’t imagine having another bad long run so close to race day.

4 weeks and counting.

If you had asked me five months ago, I’d have said I didn’t think i could do the distance but I sure as hell would give it a try.

Now, I really think it will happen.

And I can’t wait to cross that finish line!

Filed Under: January 2008 Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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