Wednesday, August 1
First, I'm being a lazy bum right now.
And I've turned my running plans all around. Decided to drop training for a half in Sept. that I can't really afford to travel to anyway. (Sorry Teresa!)
Instead, I'm going to do the Kiawah Island Half on Dec. 8 with some hometown friends.
And I'm going to try to do one qualifying 10K this fall to try to get subseeded (and chip timed) at the Peachtree next summer. (must run a 54 min race).
And I think I'm going to train for my first full in at the Country Music Marathon in Nashville in April 08.
Throw in the ING Georgia Half Marathon for hometown spirit and training, and some shorter races for fun and I feel much better about the running year ahead.
Why? I'll have people to train and run with for the Kiawah (and split travel expenses). If I don't get the time I want in the Sept. 10K, I've got plenty of time to try again. Lots of folks here train for the Nashville race, so I have a hope meeting some training partners. Trying not to be so solitary with the running, though I'll need to keep my share of solo runs for my own sanity.
So now, I need to re-orient my workouts/running schedule.
And that ends the most boring post ever!!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Honesty
Monday, July 30
A day of rest might be a dangerous thing. Time to think about something besides running or, worse yet, start making analogies between running and the rest of my life.
So what I'm thinking about is honesty. With yourself. With others. When I started running, I quickly realized that I was going to give up and quit again this time unless I was willing to be honest with myself, about myself. Honest about the fact that I couldn't run very fast. In fact I was probably barely jogging. Honest about how lazy I was. Honest about how much fear I felt about taking on a longer distance or trying for a faster time. That's dangerous ground for me; it was more so in those days. Days when I felt unwanted by someone I loved. Days when I was told I was a failure at work; when I knew I was being punished for standing up for what was right. Not a great time to take a good hard look inside!
Still I decided to be honest with myself about this one lousy race. I ran slow, but I ran; I kicked my own lazy ass out the door, but I went; I knew there was no way I could keep running X minutes, but I started anyway - and eventually I ran faster, built some discipline and (horrors!) really wanted to run, increased my distance. Did my very first, 11-min-mile 10K with 55,000 other people and got my t-shirt.
Why do we lie about anything? To get to the end we want without having to actually walk the path? To pretend we are something we really aren't?
Not sure what I'm rambling about - and if this is some analogy, it's a bad one. I live with a screwed-up, messy self, hopefully with a little honesty in there somewhere.
A day of rest might be a dangerous thing. Time to think about something besides running or, worse yet, start making analogies between running and the rest of my life.
So what I'm thinking about is honesty. With yourself. With others. When I started running, I quickly realized that I was going to give up and quit again this time unless I was willing to be honest with myself, about myself. Honest about the fact that I couldn't run very fast. In fact I was probably barely jogging. Honest about how lazy I was. Honest about how much fear I felt about taking on a longer distance or trying for a faster time. That's dangerous ground for me; it was more so in those days. Days when I felt unwanted by someone I loved. Days when I was told I was a failure at work; when I knew I was being punished for standing up for what was right. Not a great time to take a good hard look inside!
Still I decided to be honest with myself about this one lousy race. I ran slow, but I ran; I kicked my own lazy ass out the door, but I went; I knew there was no way I could keep running X minutes, but I started anyway - and eventually I ran faster, built some discipline and (horrors!) really wanted to run, increased my distance. Did my very first, 11-min-mile 10K with 55,000 other people and got my t-shirt.
Why do we lie about anything? To get to the end we want without having to actually walk the path? To pretend we are something we really aren't?
Not sure what I'm rambling about - and if this is some analogy, it's a bad one. I live with a screwed-up, messy self, hopefully with a little honesty in there somewhere.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Night Running
Sunday night
After half an hour glued to the online radar map, I finally ventured out for my 8 miles. I most definitely didn't want to do it.
Since I rarely run with music, I decided tunes where what I needed to get me going. The first 5 miles were an easy pace and felt good. My mileage has been way off and I've missed 2 long runs, so this was a nice surprise. Mile 6 was fully dark and I was struggling with my footing a bit, but it kept my mind off the first of 3 long hills on the route home.
Miles 7-8 were hard and wonderful. Hard because my glutes started feeling tight, my bothersome hip bothered, and it became more hard work. Wonderful because I turned off the mp3 and soaked in the sounds of tree frogs and cicadas (and cars and trains - it is the city). Strange that once I started listening, I could also smell the sweet blossoms. Nothing like a steamy Georgia night after a summer thunderstorm.
Running this late means I won't feel like eating anything much, until about 3 a.m., and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna ache like hell in the morning. Everything on me, including my hair, could have sweat wrung out of it. But I wouldn't trade it for anything but homemade peach ice cream or maybe a cold beer.
After half an hour glued to the online radar map, I finally ventured out for my 8 miles. I most definitely didn't want to do it.
Since I rarely run with music, I decided tunes where what I needed to get me going. The first 5 miles were an easy pace and felt good. My mileage has been way off and I've missed 2 long runs, so this was a nice surprise. Mile 6 was fully dark and I was struggling with my footing a bit, but it kept my mind off the first of 3 long hills on the route home.
Miles 7-8 were hard and wonderful. Hard because my glutes started feeling tight, my bothersome hip bothered, and it became more hard work. Wonderful because I turned off the mp3 and soaked in the sounds of tree frogs and cicadas (and cars and trains - it is the city). Strange that once I started listening, I could also smell the sweet blossoms. Nothing like a steamy Georgia night after a summer thunderstorm.
Running this late means I won't feel like eating anything much, until about 3 a.m., and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna ache like hell in the morning. Everything on me, including my hair, could have sweat wrung out of it. But I wouldn't trade it for anything but homemade peach ice cream or maybe a cold beer.
The next step of the journey
Sunday, July 29, 2007
There's a great group of women online that I post with about our running. And there are "real life" friends who literally plod alongside me. And now, from the inspiration I receive from both, I've decided to start my own blog - the next step in the role running has had in my life for the last 2 years. It's the time when I clear my head. Clear it of the junk that comes in endlessly, whether you want to hear it or not. And clear it of the junk I store and nurture so carefully there myself.
And just to keep me humble, I didn't drag myself out of bed this morning for an 8 mile run. That leaves me facing it this early evening, in what is sure to be high humidity and heat. Of course I don't feel like I have 8 miles in me - we shall see what I find.
There's a great group of women online that I post with about our running. And there are "real life" friends who literally plod alongside me. And now, from the inspiration I receive from both, I've decided to start my own blog - the next step in the role running has had in my life for the last 2 years. It's the time when I clear my head. Clear it of the junk that comes in endlessly, whether you want to hear it or not. And clear it of the junk I store and nurture so carefully there myself.
And just to keep me humble, I didn't drag myself out of bed this morning for an 8 mile run. That leaves me facing it this early evening, in what is sure to be high humidity and heat. Of course I don't feel like I have 8 miles in me - we shall see what I find.
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