On beyond 13

Today's run has been in the works for a long time.  After being sidelined by my ITB injury I ran a 12 mile run the first week back.  This week has been some running and a full day of telemark skiing on Saturday but I really wanted to start pushing my distance.  The forecast was for a very cold day, temps in the single digits, but the weathermen seemed to moderate and by the time I parked on Comm Ave it was nearly 20 with some solid sunshine.  Maria arrived just after 11:00 and we quickly got ready and headed out.

My goal was 14; Maria was looking for anything over 13. We started along the marathon route, over Heartbreak Hill and down towards the fire station.  Because of all the snow we didn't want to continue on the normal route so we stayed on the carriageway along Comm Ave until it ran out at 5 miles total.  There, we turned around and headed back up the hills.  Maria had an easy stride, deceptively racking up the miles and keeping our pace up around 9:30.  As we hit the hills I asked to back the pace off a bit as I was feeling yesterday's skiing and the hills.  We climbed Heartbreak Hill and got to our cars just past 10 miles.  Maria stopped briefly to get some Bloks out of her car, I continued inbound hoping to run 2 more miles and then back.

I'd never run this part of Comm Ave, and rarely driven it.  Without a carriageway I ran on the sidewalk which made it hard to keep up a good rhythm. Maria caught up to me as I waited for a traffic light and we ran along a bit before another carriageway opened up, but of course it had more hills.  She turned around just at 11.5 miles at the base of a big hill, I ran on up another hill and decided to turn around just before 12 miles to avoid a steep descent past Kindred Hospital.  The run back to the car was slow and a little painful, I was now running 11 minute miles and I could feel a little cramping in my calves. But I distinctly remember the point when my watch clicked over to 13.2 miles; it was an important point in my running career.  I figured I'd be a little short of 14 and sure enough my watch read 13.6 so I had to go a little further.  Unfortunately, the first few tenths after that is uphill and I tacked on a little extra to be sure.  Total distance, 14.16 miles.

My legs were quite sore when I finished, and the calves were still a little crampy.  I drank more water and had another Gu, but I was feeling it pretty badly.  I tried to stretch but it was tough on the sidewalk in front of the Dunkin' Donuts to really get into it so I hopped (staggered) in the car and headed for CRI where I turned in my official 2011 Boston Marathon entry form.

So I've now run past 13.1 miles.  Running another 12 after what I did seems like a pretty tall order, but that's why I'm doing all this training.  I definitely feel like I'm entering new territory now, as the longer runs start adding up.  Next weekend I'm teaching backcountry skiing for the AMC so I won't have a chance for a long run, the following weekend will have to make up for it.

Please consider contributing to my fund raising campaign for the G-Row program; giving athletic and academic assistance to girls in the Boston public school system. There's a link in the upper left of this page, please consider a contribution. And thank you to all of you who've already contributed; I appreciate your help.

Working through injury

It's been a while since I wrote here, mainly because I was forced to take off two weeks from running due to a painful bit of ITB tendinitis.  After a 10 mile run on 12/24 I felt some serious pain on the side of my right knee.  I'd experienced this before and knew what it was, my Iliotibial Band, a tendon that runs from the hip to the knee, was inflamed. The best thing to do is rest, and that meant no skiing or running for a few weeks.  At first, I could barely walk without pain, and going down stairs was agony.  I alternated ice for the pain and heat to promote healing, but rest time is the best cure.

Almost exactly two weeks after the pain started I was scheduled to run the Disney half marathon in Orlando.  I really wanted to run this race, going through the parks would be great and the finisher's medal was really nice (Donald Duck). I tried a brief run the day before I was going to fly down to Orlando but it was clear that I would be in a lot of pain if I ran, probably setting back the rest of my training by several weeks. It just wasn't worth it.

We went to Orlando anyway, my brother was running the marathon on Sunday and I wanted to be there to support him.  It was great seeing the whole family, but walking around the park and seeing all the runners still wearing their medals was almost as painful as the knee. I couldn't even wear the shirt and try to blend in because it would be misrepresentation or bearing false witness or something.  That was the low point of the weekend, but I cheered myself up by thinking bad thoughts about all those who ran.

While at the Expo, Monica bought me The Stick to speed my recovery and help prevent a recurrence.  All I know so far is that it's painful, so that's got to be good, right?  Actually, it does seem to help a lot, and combined with ice, stretching, the foam roller, and ibuprofen I've been able to run this past week, even a 12 miler on the marathon course this Saturday.  I'm still working on a full recovery, but I'm back running again and that makes all the difference in the world. 

Jingle Bell Run - 12/19/2010

The 2008 Jingle Bell Run was my first running race ever.  My goal was to finish the race without stopping to walk.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it wasn't 2000+ people dressed as Santa, elves, reindeer, and at least one 6' gingerbread man.  All of whom flew by me, as it happens, but that was fine.  I enjoyed the run and wanted to be part of it again.

This year I signed up and knew that friends would also be there.  I also wanted to dress for the occasion this time, with a Patriot's Santa hat borrowed from Monica.  Rather than take the T or drive, I walked from my house to Davis Square, warming up a bit in the process.  I got there around 10:30 and checked out the many costumes and exposed skin; some very brave and/or warm-blooded people. I kept looking for my friends but never saw any of them, so I settled into the 8 minute/mile pen and we started off at the gun.

It wasn't a problem the last time I ran here, but the first mile or so is spent trying to find a clear path to run.  I had to bob and weave to get past some slower runners (a phrase that still amazes me) as we worked our way to Ball Square, then up towards Tufts. I had warmed up but never really felt loose during the run. I didn't stop at the water station because it was only a 5K, turned onto the bike path, sprinted as best I could while avoiding the ice and finished in 25:47.  Without the slow first mile I'm sure I could have been faster, probably under 25 minutes, but it doesn't really matter.

After the race I got my medal, grabbed some water and hung around a bit looking for Maria and Jackie, but never saw either of them.  So, I walked back home after the race, still wearing my medal, bib, and Santa hat. A good way to spend the morning.

Cross Training

We're getting into ski season now and this past weekend I got to do my first cross training, a trip to Jay for the NET Vermont Telemark Festival.  A group of friends rented a condo up there and we all headed up Friday night under light snow.  It's a 4+ hour drive but it went by fairly quickly with 2 other people in the car for conversation.  We checked in and opened a bottle or two of red wine as the other cars arrived.

Saturday morning Brenda and I headed over to the Tram lodge to check in with the NET group; Brenda is an instructor and I'm the photographer so we needed to be there early.  The new construction at Jay is pretty amazing, now if they would only put some money into their lifts!  After starting the day running, the Green Mountain Flyer shut down leaving us with only the Metro Quad and the Jet lifts. sigh

After the morning lineup and shooting some of the clinics I headed over to the Jet where I met up with Michelle and Peter as we ducked a few ropes and headed into the woods at Timbuktu.  There we encountered the law firm of Granite, Log, and Moss but had a great time in the softer snow beyond the ski area boundary.  A few runs and back for lunch, then the afternoon classes, and a few more runs in the trees. That night we had a killer lasagna, bread, meatballs, salad, and a bit more wine, followed by pie.  We all slept well.

Sunday the forecast was for snow starting, switching to rain or mix, so we wanted to get some early runs on the Flyer (which was reported to be open) and then take off.  Alas, the Flyer was again closed so we headed to Jet and back into Timbuktu, and a few runs on Jet as well.  Steve and Peter headed up on skins to ski/ride the untracked snow of Valhalla and Power Line and we all met back at the Tram lodge by 12:30.  The other Peter had a broken binding in the morning so he took and unintended rest day, and Anne worked on some drills on Metro after our first run in Timbuktu.

The drive home was wet but uneventful. The snow turned to rain almost as soon as we dropped down from the ski area and stayed steady rain all the way home.  Monday I went for a run at noon to see if I could actually run after skiing, and it went OK. My legs are a bit sore but nothing I can't handle. There will be many weekends like this, one day of skiing followed by a long run, or the reverse.  This weekend was proof that the plan can work.

Cheap White Cotton Gloves

I was worried that I'd left my white cotton running gloves at my sister's house at Thanksgiving, but while packing my gym bag this morning I found them in a jacket pocket.  They're disposable gloves, that's their purpose in life.  Runners often bring them to the start of a race so they can keep warm at first and then just drop them along the course without worrying about a valuable piece of gear. You can buy them for $1.99 at any hardware or garden store, they're ugly and crude. So why did I care if I lost that pair?

My brother brought them to my house a few years ago the first time he ran the Boston Marathon.  When I started running seriously last fall I used them to keep warm because they were what runners wore.  I knew this because my brother wore them. They were a safety blanket for me, a reassuring touchstone that connected me to "real" runners.  No matter how slowly I ran, or how out of shape I looked I could tell myself that others would recognize the common badge we shared and identify me as a runner.  Was it true?  Probably not, but if it helped me get out there and run it was a white lie, if only to myself.

I like the connection to my brother, as well as to the other runners I see wearing cheap cotton gloves. Lately I've been feeling a part of the community of runners, even seeking out others to run with, something I never enjoyed before. But the connection to my novice running self is equally important. It's a nice reminder of how far I've come and the progress I've made.  I have several pair of polypro and windblocker gloves that I use when the conditions warrant, but I still fall back on these white cotton gloves on days like today when I need them. They make me go faster in the same way that racing stripes make a car go faster, but I had a smile on my face when I finished my run today.

Pushing Myself

I'm learning how to push myself, something that's new for me. I ran 7 with Robyn on Saturday and then headed out for a shorter run on Sunday. At first I expected to do 4, but I quickly switched to my 6 mile loop because I felt good. As I came back across the river and turned for home I decided to stretch things a bit and head for Inman. Once there, I headed to Union Sq and eventually headed up Somerville Ave to finish just over 8 miles. Often I start a run with grand expectations for a long workout and end up cutting it short because I'm not feeling great. But lately I've been exceeding my initial plan because I'm enjoying the run, even on treadmill runs.

Is this the Zone? I don't know, but I've gotten to the point in some runs where I lose track of time, don't feel the miles, lose myself in the moment. Sometimes my mind wanders, other times I feel focused and in the moment. I can't predict what will happen when I head out the door since I still have bad sessions from time to time, and will cut a run short if I'm not feeling it. But more and more I find that I am open to pushing myself in a workout beyond my expectations, and I like that.

Reality Sets In

After my run with Robyn last weekend I've been going over the marathon training schedule, lining up my skiing commitments for the winter, and figuring out that something has to give.  I've already decided that I won't be doing pottery this winter, I usually don't get much done in winter and this year will be far worse. Rather than do something half-assed, I decided that I should make some priority calls and concentrate on what is important to me. I've already started to pick and choose which ski weekends I can participate in, and which ones I need to cut short so I can do my long run on Sunday.

I have no intention of giving up skiing.  My original motivation for getting into running was to make myself more fit for skiing. Being on the snow is a great joy for me and not something I would give up lightly.  But the goal of running Boston is also something that has become very important to me.  It represents something I can't yet put into words; perhaps a rite of passage or a symbol of a new chapter in life. Time will tell - I don't want to burden it with unnecessary significance.  There will be time enough for that later.

In the meantime I look at the calendar, make my choices, sniff back a tear at the events I will be missing, give an involuntary shudder at the amount of running I'm being asked to do, and move on.  I was at a friend's house last night tuning up my skis.  He lives a block from the marathon course so on the way home I took a slight detour and drove along most of the Newton Hills.  They seemed longer and steeper than I'd remembered, but within reach.