And let the panic begin!

November 10, 2011 by 8 Comments

Some one please talk me in off the ledge….I’m nine days from Philly and now my left knee decides is the time to not cooperate!

It was a little sore after Sunday’s race but nothing a little ice couldn’t take care of. By Monday it felt fine and after I went for a Thai massage I was feeling really pretty good. During Tuesday’s hill repeats it started to feel a little wonky (yes that’s a technical term) but by that point I only had one more repeat to go and it wasn’t a screaming pain, so I just stuck it out and finished. It was fine again yesterday until I stepped off a curb and whamo, back came the wonky feeling, but more intense this time. Back to rest and ice last night. It definitely felt funky this morning but I had just 3 x 1600 repeats on the plan, so I headed to the track anyways. The warm-up was ok, but 800 meters into the first repeat I pulled up gimpy. I tried to walk it off but my knee wasn’t having it. Just as I was debating what to do, it started to rain…I took it as a sign and got back in my car.

What’s really got me panicked is that this isn’t the usual discomfort related to my ITB – this pain is on the other side of the knee starting just above the knee cap and running down to my inner calf. WTH?! OK, no check that – what’s really got me panicked is that I’m nine days away from my next half and now this flares up!

I’m really trying not to freak out here….as you can see I’m doing a bang up job so far! Above all I had wanted to go into this race feeling strong and confident in my legs….I have an easy run scheduled for tomorrow and then a pseudo longish run of 9 for Saturday, but I’m not sure what I’ll end up with.

So anyone want to talk me down? I’m all ears!

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Filed Under: left knee, not panicking, on the ledge

Fall Classic Race Report

November 7, 2011 by 10 Comments

The week’s delay on this race was worth the wait. It was a great fall morning (cool but not too cold), the energy among the runners was high and though the spectators were fewer than last year – they were enthusiastic!

I have not run a 5K since I ran this same race last year – so my goals were simple: to have fun and to try to PR – done and done!

It was fun to be running another race with my hubs J. We got our family set up along the course where they could easily spot us both heading out and coming back, and then we headed off for a quick warm-up run to the start. When we picked up our numbers & race shirts, we found out we’d each won one of the raffles – How fun…prizes and we hadn’t even run yet! We ran into some people we knew and chatted with them while we watched the finish of the kids’ fun run. Then they called us to line up. J gave me a kiss and we wished each other good luck then he headed to the 10k line – that was the only bummer cause we had hoped to run the first mile together, but the 5K and 10K lined up separately. Then we were off.

In hindsight I wish I had been bold enough to line up a  little closer to the front cause I spent the first half mile or so weaving around people before I could get some space. But I found a comfortable pace and settled in. Before I knew it I was at the first mile marker and I heard the volunteer calling out the splits say “9:30” – say what? I checked my Garmin for the first time…yep 9:30! Then came mile 2 — uphill with a slight down hill break then climbing again. I gotta say the policemen and volunteers along this section were great! I definitely slowed here – still gotta work on my hills.

Yes those are cars – the roads were not closed

Thankfully mile 3 levels off. As I hit the final straight stretch I glanced at my Garmin and knew a PR was in reach – time to push and I did.  Chip time 30:51  (Garmin said 30:41) — a 2:26 PR!

I quickly grabbed a chocolate milk, said hi to a few people and then headed back out to meet my family on the course and wait for J to come through. We had fun cheering the runners on and chatting with the other spectators. It was great seeing so many of the runners I come across in my daily runs out there racing.

Soon we spotted J coming up the last hill and looking strong – he finished 59:45 hitting his goal to run sub-1 hour! We collected our raffle prizes (a race sweatshirt and a gift bag from one of the local salons) and headed home. A good way to spend a morning!

This was a fun race with good, challenging courses – and the fact that it was right in my town is an added bonus! We’ll be planning to run it again next year and my oldest is already talking about doing the kids race 🙂

Now it’s a little less than two weeks til Philly….let the taper begin!

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Filed Under: family running, PR, race report

27 things and other stuff

November 4, 2011 by 10 Comments

I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately – nothing in particular…just that feeling that I cannot possibly juggle one more ball and then someone throws me, not one, but three more balls, and somehow I make it work. And, then as I declare again “That’s it – that’s all I can do,” the cycle repeats itself again. It’s pretty much been this way the entire month of October, and quite frankly I’ve had enough!

Time to regain some balance…for my sake and for those around me. 

So this week I’ve started meditating  in the morning again. It really helps me to slow down and focus and overall I’m a lot calmer when I meditate — my challenge has always been to be consistent about the practice.

This week I also got back on my de-clutter kick! A friend told me about a practice called “27 Things” in which the goal is to give-away, throw away or move 27 things a day for 9 days. In the process, you stop to examine what you surround yourself with and remove what’s unnecessary, what weighs you down – in turn creating space for new opportunities. Well, I’m game – so I’m starting my 9 days this weekend and plan to get J and the boys involved.

Do you think you could part with 27 things a day? How do you regain a sense of balance when things feel off-kilter?

J & I will get another chance at the local race that was postponed last weekend – and based on the forecast, it looks like Mother Nature’s going to play nice this time!

Hope she cooperates for everyone racing this weekend ~ 
Good luck to all the runners!

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Filed Under: 27 things, clutter clean out, meditation, seeking balance

Monday Motivation

October 31, 2011 by 7 Comments
Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks
“Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?”
— Peter Maher
Thanks to this weekend’s Nor’easter, my race on Sunday didn’t happen. It’s been postponed until this coming Sunday. Since I woke up yesterday to a bad cough and no power & no heat, I was just as happy to hold off. The good news is the early forecast shows next Sunday be a clear day in the 50’s!
It looks to be another crazy week ahead but with a little creative calendar juggling I think I can get all my workouts in — including the 11-miler I’m off to do now!
Have a great Monday & Happy Halloween!
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Filed Under: crazy week, Monday Motivation, Schedule vs Training, weather

Friday Five

October 28, 2011 by 6 Comments
  • Weathermen in the Boston area are just giddy as they track the Nor’easter heading our way tomorrow. This in addition to the snow that arrived last night. It was just a mere two weeks ago that they were all a flutter over the “record heat” of Columbus Day weekend, and now this. Mother Nature’s twisted sense of humor continues….
  • Given that I raced that weekend and will race again this weekend – I’m not amused. I could care less about snow…I grew up in New England I’m use to it. But, Fall’s my favorite time of year so I’m feeling a little gypped these days. OK, my weather whine is over 🙂
  • J’s joining me for Sunday’s race! We’ll be running a great local race – J’s taking on the 10K and I’ll be doing the 5K. I haven’t run a 5K since this race last year – should be fun!
  • Did you know that there are only 57 days until Christmas? I’m vowing to get out in front of the madness this year – to start planning menus, gifts, cards, etc. early so there’s also time to actually kick back and enjoy the holidays instead of getting to New Year’s Day exhausted.

    •  And, speaking of the holidays – if you’re looking for a little added motivation during this season, check out the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge sponsored by Amanda at Run To the Finish I participated last year, along with 500 others. Amanda does a great job putting this challenge together with great prizes for a little added incentive! Definitely head over to her site and check out the details.

    Good Luck to Everyone Racing This Weekend!

    Run Strong and Have Fun!
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    Filed Under: Holiday Bootie Buster, holiday sanity, race, weather

    Watch-less Runs

    October 26, 2011 by 8 Comments

    Despite the continuation of last week’s madness, I have logged two runs so far this week — both of them watch-less.

    Yesterday my friend E, after listening to me describe the agony that is coordinating parent volunteers at our sons’ school, urged me to step away from edge..ur I mean laptop, and join her for a run. I usually run by myself so this was a really nice change of pace. Instead of worrying about my Garmin, I let E set the pace and just enjoyed chatting my way through our 4 mile loop. I returned to my laptop less stressed!

    This morning the plan called for a tempo run – but having enjoyed not being a slave to my Garmin yesterday, I decided to just run on feel and see what happened. Now I must admit that I did wear my Garmin but I only glanced at it once at the 2 mile beep. And, when I saw that I was ahead of pace, instead of panicking and slowing down out of fear of burn-out before I finished (my usual M.O.), I just kept cruising along. The end result was I beat my target pace by 30 seconds. Hello!

    The Garmin is a valuable tool, no doubt about it…but there’s a lot to be said for not letting the numbers rule every run.

    So tell me, do you ever leave the watch at home?

     

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    Filed Under: observations, watchless run

    One of "those" weeks

    October 23, 2011 by 6 Comments

    This past week was definitely one of THOSE weeks! You know the kind…

    ….the kind when you look at your calendar and wonder what happened to the white space?!

    It was the kind of week where I was juggling family commitments, client projects, volunteer responsibilities and trying to squeeze in my workouts – wait how is that different from any other week? 🙂  There are just some weeks when this juggling act feels in control, manageable…and then there are weeks like this one where you feel like someone has increased the speed on your treadmill when you weren’t looking!

    It was the kind of week where I was really grateful for the escape time a run can provide – time to think through kitchen remodel options, or to sort through the to do list and prioritize…or best of all, to unplug and just enjoy the meditation of the run!

    Ah but now it’s Sunday, the long run’s done and the ITB (for the most part) behaved. So now it’s time to enjoy some down time with J and the boys…to pick pumpkins, do some baking (with the apples from last Sunday’s apple picking trip) and watch some football! A perfect end to one of those weeks!

    Enjoy your Sunday!
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    Filed Under: crazy week, Schedule vs Training, to do list

    Sometimes the truth hurts…

    October 19, 2011 by 4 Comments

    A friend posted this on FB this morning and it just made me chuckle…so true!

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    Filed Under: general musings

    5 weeks and counting

    October 17, 2011 by 6 Comments

    Wrapped up week 9 of my half training with a return to double digits on Saturday’s long run. It’s been 4 weeks since my left ITB has been willing to go that far so I’m very happy all body parts cooperated!

    Just 5 weeks left to go until Philly – 5 weeks to test the legs, hit my target paces, get focused and keep the IT in a cooperative state (read: roll, ice, rest, repeat!).

    The plan for this week:

    Monday — Easy run (3 or 4) and Yoga
    Tuesday — Track work (mile repeats…did you just hear me groan?!)
    Wednesday — Recovery (3) and Strength work
    Thursday —  Tempo run (6)
    Friday — Rest
    Saturday — Long run (11)

    Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend – it’s been great reading your race reports! Definitely inspiring!

    Have a Great Week!
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    Filed Under: Philly Half, training

    Tufts 10k Race Report

    October 11, 2011 by 14 Comments

    I had a lot of fun yesterday – despite the heat & the cranky ITB! The Tufts 10k for Women is a fun event – there’s a great spirit and energy to it that was on full display yesterday!

    If you saw my quick post yesterday morning than you know I was going into this race with no idea how it would play out – I was just going to go run and see what happened. Did I mention that it was 82 degrees and a 12 noon start?

    This was my friend E’s first 10k so we headed in together and got to the race with an hour to go before the start. We hit the porta potties, stretched and chatted and hung out until they called the seeds to start lining up.

    The race announcer made a point of telling us that the temperature had climbed 2 degrees just in the time it took us to line up! (Fabulous!) Tufts is the USTAF 10k Women’s Championship so there were lots of cheering as the elites were introduced. But I think the biggest cheers came when the group of women who have run this race every year since it’s inception (35 years!) were acknowledged! 

    E was remarkably calm – I remember being so nervous last year for my first 10k! We had already discussed how we would manage the race – she had told me that she wanted to focus on running her own race and not worry about holding me back. So we hugged as we shuffled towards the start and then we were off.

    Did I mention it was HOT?! Yeah…it was.

    The first mile was a nice flat stretch with, most importantly some shade. But ohh those middle middle 4 miles, we were baking along the Charles River! The water stops were very chaotic – the volunteers seemed overwhelmed by the number of runners looking for water – there were crowds and you literally had to come to a dead stop, work your way through to get water and then work your way back out of the crowd…clearly not ideal! But the runners were great – passing cups to each other, some stopping to pour water for others, making jokes, just making the best of it. Gratefully, partial shade returned at mile 5 and thru to the finish.

    As I planned, I just ran by feel – sometimes my pace was good and sometimes the combination of the heat and my ITB told me to slow down and just take it all in. And I did – I chatted with other runners, encouraged where I could, thanked volunteers, rocked out to my tunes, high-fived the kids on the route and tried to enjoy the ride. Once again my family was out on the course cheering and I found E’s family along the way as well.
    As I hit the final stretch to the finish, the race announcer was actually urging runners to not sprint in because of the heat – trust me, not an issue for me at that point 🙂 Joan Benoit Samuelson was once again greeting runners at the finish line, and I got a high five again from her. Such a great touch to the race! I made it through the finishers chute, hit the water and food tables and circled back around to find E – she looked great and seemed to have had a good time!

    We eventually found each other and my family. We took pics, did a quick sweep of the expo and then my boys let it be known that lunch was long overdue, so we headed for the cars.

    Love this pic – just wish my little guy’s head wasn’t cutoff!

    All-in-all a good day. I would love to run Tufts again next year, but this time really “race” it. With the new course design (flat start vs. the downhill with a sharp turn at the end of years past) and more traditional fall weather, it would be really fun to see what I could do at this distance. But isn’t that one of the beauties of running, there’s always the promise of “next time?”

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    Filed Under: ITB, race report, Tufts 10k, weather