Category Archives: training

Running on a Monday Morning

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A conversation between the voices in my head this morning at 6:18 a.m.
Runner: “Oh, wow. I’m actually feeling pretty awake. One more snooze and it’s time to hit the pavement”
Non-runner (big fan of sleep): “But it’s so comfy here.”
Runner: “Yeah, but I didn’t run yesterday, so I have to run today.”
Non-runner: “C’mon. Just skip it. You went Friday.”
Runner: “Friday was too long ago. And I can’t go after work, so don’t use that as an excuse.”
Non-runner: “You know you want to sleep more. Just do it.”
[Alarm goes off again]
Runner gets out of bed. Non-runner grumbles until we’re all vertical. Then it’s not so bad.

And with that I say I’m a runner today. I sacrificed sleep. I laced up and pounded pavement before work because there’s no time after. It was 72 and humid enough to feel like I was breathing a bit of water. And still I went out. When I got home I was H-O-T hot! I unlaced my shoes, dumped my phone and ran through stood in front of the sprinkler. I was still sweating when I got to work an hour later. Stupid humidity. Only about 3 hours later did I really start to feel human again.

I’ve been away from the blog. I was on vacation (still ran) and then got a head cold that mostly made me whiny (and not run. Oops). I also spent some time re-evaluating if running is something I’m actually going to stick to. And I’ve come to the conclusion, yes. I want to keep running. I like having that community, and it’s always something to talk about, and people are always impressed that I’m a runner when really, it’s not that impressive to be a causal runner and they could do it too. I try not to confront anyone with that though. And man, when you have a good run, there’s not much that feels better. So. The cold is gone, my sinuses are mostly over it, and I finally registered for a half marathon and handed over my credit card. So I actually have to train. Plus, I’m maybe signed up for a 5k in Michigan next Saturday. I should maybe not make a total fool of myself.

This week:
M-2.25 – Done!
T-2.5
W-Cross/Fly to MI to visit my cousins!!!
R-2.75
F-Rest
S-5k in MI
S-Cross/stretch

Running non-stop and a spiral sausage

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Couch to 5k is still rocking along. This means tonight was 2 miles. No stopping. No crying. No punking. Mile 0.5 felt good. 0.5-1.0 was a little uphill and I was starting to let that voice inside my head say “you’re not going to make it” a little louder. Then I hit a downhill and said shut the front door to that little quitting voice. 1.0-1.5 were downhill, uphill, downhill, flat. And the flat was into the sunset. You tell me this isn’t a nice view and I tell you you’re a liar

At 1.5 I just wanted to walk. Just a little. A teeny-tiny-bit-pretty-please-with-a-cherry on top. I went to the dentist and had a few fillings, uh, filled? so the right side of my mouth was totally numb and everything else was super dry so breathing was awkward. And  I just. wanted. to. stop. I didn’t. The last 0.25 miles I was making horrible noises and I think everyone walking by me was wondering why the heck I would be putting myself through this. And then I hit that 2 mile mark and hallelujah I was done. A little stretching. A little water. A little Nuun. And I headed home. For dinner I wanted something easy to cook. So I made chicken sausages on the grill. This guy suggested I spiral cut my hot dog (or in this case, a chicken sausage). And because I do everything the internet tells me, I did it. I have to say. I think I’ll do it again. It was easy and my sausage was extra carmel-y crispy and evenly cooked.

That paired with the rest of my Nuun, a nice glass of German wine, and The Closer and it was well worth all the pain in that last 0.5 miles!
The rest of the week:
T: C25k Week 6 Day 1
W: Cross train, errands for my trip to Kansas!!
R: C25k Week 6 Day 2
F: Rest. Leaving on a jet plane!
S: C25k Week 6 Day 3. In 97 degree Kansas. Lame mid west weather
S: Cross train. And I think walk 8,000,000 miles through Kansas. At least that’s what the itinerary looks like. Ha


Peace out broccoli sprouts! (except those aren’t really sprouts. NBD)

Track Party Thursday. And I didn’t have to climb a fence

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I said I was going to do it. And I did.

I’ve decided to repeat the last few weeks of Couch to 5k. Because the thought of trying to run 3 miles and failing, again, was too much. I started thinking of this a couple weeks ago and didn’t want to do it because it would be close to the start of half marathon training. If only I had started then. As it is, I don’t have quite enough weeks between now and September 30th for the full half training. But I’ll be close. Side note: I’ve finally decided. I’ll be running the Smuttynose Rockfest!! My favorite beach, beer at the end, and the claimed “flattest course in New England”.

I looked over the couch to 5k and found the workout that didn’t want to make me sit down and cry and was approximately what I was feeling comfortable with the last few weeks. Turns out I was dead on. The workout was this: Run 0.5 mi, walk 0.25mi, run 0.5mi, walk 0.25mi, run 0.5mi.

I showed up at the track all set to go. I had my favorite running clothes on, chewing gum, breathe strip in place, Nuun filled water bottle in hand. There were guys playing soccer on the field in the middle and I headed for the entrance. It was locked. I walked to all the others. They were locked to.  But all signs stated “Open 7 am until sunset”. What the heck? And how’d those guys get to the field? Then it occurred to me that the guys in the middle probably hopped the fence. Damn. Let me tell you, here at WEFF, we don’t climb fences. Unless being chased by a large dog. Or the cops. (Would never happen. My life is boring like that)


Another woman was walking around and so I asked if she knew if it was supposed to be open. She confirmed and we talked for a minute. Then she made a phone call and someone that lives in the town/city/burrow I was running in, came and unlocked it for us on the condition that I didn’t see or hear anything because he wasn’t sure if he should be unlocking it. By the time I hit the track 3 more woman had shown up to walk with the first, two high school football players came to run drills, and a couple of couples were also there to walk. This meant I was the fastest person and could take lane 1. I’m sure it was my first and last time. I did the run and the walk and then during the second run, 4 real runners showed up. And then I lapped three sets of walkers! I think that’s the only lapping I’ll ever do; buzzing by middle aged walkers. During the next walk the real runners started and as I was coming to the end of the walk lap I heard one guy call out their lap time. And then say “oh, that’s about a 6:42 minute mile” all casual and NBD-like. And I was so jealous. I want to be a cool kid, running fast with some friends. Instead I hit up my last slow 0.5 mile. And I knew it was going to be tough. I’m terrible at pacing and let myself “go easy” for the first lap so the second wouldn’t hurt as much. I had remembered to check my watch and when I checked at the end of the first lap, it was a 3 minute quarter. So slow. But actually so much faster than I’ve been going lately.  Then it was time for the final lap and I picked up the pace. And halfway around I just wanted to quit. Just bail out and walk across the field to my water. But I pushed. And I grunted. And I yelled at myself (in my head…I hope) and then in the final straightaway I sprinted as best I could and came in at 2:51. Ugh. But I was done! And felt fantastic. I felt accomplished.  And I knew I had run a workout that really was at my fitness level. And running no longer feels like a chore. I hope Saturday morning goes this well.


Cheers for track party Thursday! I think I’ll go back again next Thursday. It was nice to have the camaraderie of all the other people using the track while I could still do my own thing.

Somebody get me a sticker

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I was gone. But not gone from running. At least not exactly. I’m still running. It’s still hard. I’m still frustrated. Boo. I’m starting to seriously consider going back to the last couple weeks of couch to 5k. Because 2.2 miles with a 12:30 split after running 3-4 days a week for 5 weeks is not what I call progress.

I do get a sticker because I got my ass out of bed this morning to go run before work. Seriously, I need to get some stickers.

It’s looking like it’s going to be 90 degrees for the next three days. And that’s not cool (Ha! No pun intended. But now it’s there so I’m leaving it)

But with a run this morning my next run is Sunday. And that’s at the beach. And the beach is 1) breezy 2) free of pollen, dust, and other debris which sneaks up the nose and wreaks havoc 3) next to the ocean so I can dive in after the run. And I like that. Instant cool down. I just have to decide if I want to wear my sneakers or run barefoot. I’ll run at low tide so the sand will be all hard and firm (stop it, dirty mind). Really I’d be ok in either. I sort of like the idea of barefoot running and I’m leaning in that direction. But I’m not totally sure yet.

For now, I must shower this morning off and hit the office. Half day Friday today!! A zillion tasks to do. I think I’ll probably work tomorrow. But at home. Which has music without headphones, snacks and at some point in the afternoon beer, and most importantly, no co-workers.

Peace out, bean sprouts!

PS Any tennis fans out there. I’m listening to Wimbledon at work and got to watch the destruction of Nadal and oh mylanta that was some crazy serving by Rosol at the end. Nadal’s not really a favorite of mine but on his way off the court after suffering the greatest upset in tennis grand slam history, he still stopped to sign autographs. And that is the very model of good sportsmanship.

The wall. And my first bike ride in 10+ years.

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This week’s motivation: “The minute you think of giving up, think of the reason you held on so long.”
That mental wall is kicking my metaphorical ass. These days I hit one mile and my mind just says “good enough. Walk now!” I know it’s hard to break through that wall, but I did it once before. I’m just bummed that it feels so much harder this time.
A sinus migraine sidelined me for most of the day on Saturday so my run in the evening felt just awful and was cut in half, from 4 to 2 miles. Mile 1 was good. Mile 2 was mediocre. I stopped and sat to catch my breath/stop the world spinning around my head/drink water and when I did a woman who is about my age and probably 70-80 pounds heavier than I am went by. And my “I’m only slow because I still have to lose weight” reasoning went flying out the window. She wasn’t going too fast, but she was going. And it hit me. I’m slow because I keep punking out during training runs. And for a minute I thought “Liz, get off your butt and run that second loop.” Then I thought about how much getting sick in the woods had sounded like a good idea to make me feel better during the first loop that I thought I better just head home. On the way home, I stopped at a gas station to put air in my bike tires. This is a bike my Mom and Dad got together to buy me in 1999. When I was 13. I rode it some back then but it hurt my butt and then I started high school and wasn’t visiting neighborhood friends anymore. After college I brought it to DC with me. And then home to MA. And it’s followed me everywhere in MA. But I hadn’t ridden it again. I decided to drag it out of the basement, along with my “youth” helmet. A purple helmet with pink peace signs all over it goes well with the whole “look at me, I’m an adult” thing. Fo’ sho’. But I had this crazy idea to ride it to the Farmer’s market as my Sunday cross training. This turned out to be both a genius and painful decision. On the genius side, I rode to the bike shop to buy a new lock and have them cut off the old lock. My Dad likes to buy the biggest and best. Even if it’s 10 times stronger/bigger than anything you need. So I had a half-inch thick steel cable lock wrapped around the center of the bike that had a key that I think I threw away during one of my 87 moves since going off to college in 2004. The guy at the shop looked at it and said it might take some effort but he was pretty sure he could get it off. 10 seconds later it was done. I think he underestimated the power of an industrial size bolt cutter. I also picked up some Nuun tablets because SararOUaL keeps talking about them and I wanted to try (I want to be a cool kid!). Amazing. I’m a total convert. One tablet changes 16 oz. of water to a sugar free, low calorie (<8!), electrolyte replenishing drink. With a bit of a fizzy finish. After drinking half my Nalgene down, I rode to the Farmer’s market. And here’s where the painful comes in. That bike seat soreness in my backside that I remembered so not fondly came back. With a vengeance. After I picked up some bread, salad greens, and fresh eggs I rode home. And every bump or crack or pebble in the rode was something to be feared and hated. I’m sitting very gingerly today.

But back on the genius side, I ran errands by bike. That’s something I never thought I’d do. I’ll probably do this again in a couple of weeks. And maybe consider buying a more comfortable bike seat. Or a way to make mine better. Without being stared at.
The week’s training:
M: Stretch/rest. Good because I have to go to the dentist. On a Monday. With a sore bum. (not that’s it related. But seriously, it hurts. And sometimes I want to whiiiine)
T: 3 miles in the am. We have summer hours now, so lunch is 30 minutes. And I’m going to see “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” after work. I hate morning. This should be hilarious. Not.
W: 2 miles. Trying to not kill my legs as I get used to running TWR
R: 3 miles. And then Chic-fil-A. Because I can.
F: Rest. Yay.
S: 4 miles. I like to torture Saturdays.
S: Cross training. Sans bike. Perhaps a hike. Or a swim. But I would need a pool or lake for that. Maybe that’s what I’ll do this weekend. Find a public pool/lake.

What not training looks like. And then lots of sweat talk

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Ok. Here’s what this week was supposed to look like:
M: Stretch/Rest
T:3 miles
W:Cross train
R:3 miles

And here’s what actually happened:
Monday: announce to the world that I’m going to run a half marathon. This announcement includes close friends and family who will totally call me out on any future bailing. Instead of running I went home from work and ate anything and everything edible in my kitchen. At least, anything that I didn’t have to cook.
Tuesday: Wake up early to go run. Hit the snooze button approximately 87 times. Approximately, I’m not sure. I was still mostly asleep. Go to work, get worked up by idiot co-workers. I would have loved to then go burn off some steam with a lunch time run, but I was invited out to lunch and we could all use some venting. After work I should have gone home and gone running. Instead went to Boston for Scooper Bowl 2012 and ate my weight in ice cream

At Scooper Bowl you have to hold on to your cups. It’s like a score card. Also, it was 55 degrees and raining. Who cares… it’s was unlimited ice cream!
I was then going to go home and go to bed at a responsible time. Instead, my co-worker and I met up with said co-worker’s cousin in town for the day for a conference. And I stayed in Boston until after midnight watching the Celtics win game 4 of whatever series they’re playing. (conference champs? I don’t know. Ask me about baseball. That’s my sport.).

Wed: For the love of all things active lifestyle, I had to run. And did!! On the advice of a friend, I downloaded RunKeeper on my phone. Fabulous. Every 5 minutes a woman comes through the speakers and tells you how you’re doing. I didn’t like what she was saying because my running was slowed but the lack of breathing due to the continued abundance of mother flipping pollen. But I pushed myself those 3 miles. And got it done. Then I came home, ate a much healthier dinner, stretched, and cleaned up my apartment.
Thurs: Work was having our annual BBQ tonight. I wasn’t particularly thrilled to go, but I’m on the social committee and I felt obligated. So I ran at lunch. I’m slow (and I mean SLOW) and like to keep lunch to an hour. And I have got to shower because sitting in my own sweat for the rest of the day is just too gross to fathom. That means I can only run 2 miles. And that’s what I did. I ran a mile, walked for 2 minutes, and then ran another mile. And that is fine with me. And though the run wasn’t amazingly comfortable, it didn’t hurt. And my muscles that were a little sore worked themselves out. And oh man the sweat. But it was the feels-so-good-I-just-want-to-keep-sweating kind of sweat. The kind of sweat I think of when I read “sweat is just fat crying”. I just said sweat a lot. Sorry about that. I suppose my life will start to revolve around things like sweat amounts. And distances. And times. And routes. And meals. And snacks. And that’s why I’m blogging. My real life friends will eventually stop talking to me. Then I went back to work and I finished off the day and headed to the BBQ. We played some back yard games and I ended up having an ok time. Not great, but not end-of-the-world horrible. And now I’m falling down exhausted. I like that feeling. Like a little kid wearing himself out at the park, I could fall asleep on the floor while I’m stretching. I hope that means I’ll sleep well tonight. Tomorrow is Friday. And Friday is a rest. I’m going to love the next 17 Fridays. A lot.

Big News: I’m running a half marathon!

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Big news! I’m training for a half marathon. I’m still deciding which and I’ll be sure to share when I do. The two I’m considering are only a week apart in late September so as long as I know by mid August (which is the absolute latest I would ever know and I think it will be more like mid July) I can add a week to training if needed. As it is, I’m following a 12 week training program but am starting a few weeks early on the off chance really good chance definite chance that I’ll want to repeat a week or stick in a step back week. I’m equal parts excited for this new adventure, terrified of the awesome task I have ahead of me, and worried that I won’t have it in me to do this. But I’m working really hard on ignoring that last part.

13.1 miles is not a short distance. I recently drove to southern Connecticut and back over two days and as I approached hour 5 in the car I noticed a sign for the next town that was 14 miles away. And as I drove by the exit for that town this thought crossed my mind. I just drove slightly more than half marathon distance. And even driving that seemed like a lot. Granted, I had gone to CT for a funeral and was spending more than 6 hours in a car in a 30 hour stretch. At that point one mile seemed like a lot. Still. 13.1 miles is no laughing matter.

On the other hand a year ago 5k seemed ridiculously long. These days I laugh in the face of a 5k. Ok, not really. That 3.1 mile distance still kicks my butt. But it used to be 1 mile that kicked my butt. Improvement, no? And I got there because I put the work in. I put miles on the pavement and pushed myself up hills and around extra loops and trudged through the rain. I just have to do that again. Just 4 times as long. Ha. To do that, the next 4 months will be full of training, figuring out what I should be eating, hopefully losing some weight, and I’m sure loads of grunts, guts, tears, and smiles. Maybe not loads of smiles. Running’s hard, yo.

I don’t know about you, but I need motivation. And a lot of it. At this point telling myself “just think how good you’ll feel crossing the finish line” won’t cut it. That moment is 4 months and hundreds of miles down the road. I learned a while ago that dry erase marker goes on and off a mirror pretty easily. And as luck would have it my bathroom is configured in a way that I don’t use a third of my mirror. So I’ve decided to write an inspiring quote on the bathroom that will be the theme, if you will, for each week. And quite frankly I fell off running a bit this winter and I’m stuck up against that mental wall. And I keep almost busting through and wimp out. I’ve got two more weeks of “pre-training” to try to bust through so I need a little inspiration to find that moment of triumph. So this week’s theme? “It doesn’t get easier, you just get better.” I stole that from pinterest. I’m pretty sure it’s been stolen, cannibalized, re-written, and like a middle school game of telephone is nowhere near the original quote. So I can’t find an author. All I know is it’s exactly how I feel. Running will always be hard. But if I stick to it, I’ll get better. And those 13.1 miles will fly by. Hahahaha. I can’t even type that with a straight face. Let’s be real honest. Those 13.1 miles are going to drag by. But with every step another little bit of distance will be gone and at some point 13.1 miles will be over.

And oh the dancing that will occur at that finish line.