Come visit me!

Thank you Alison for welcoming me into the eliterunning.com community and supporting me (both technically and, much more importantly, in the pursuit of my goals) throughout the entirety of my time here. I loved blogging here and I love the other eliterunning bloggers I've met on-line and in person. I think eliterunning.com is a very special place and I'm leaving only b/c I don't seem to run so much these days :) It's still my passion though-just along with lots of other sports.

I hope anyone who follows along will still come visit me in my new space. It's basically the same as this, just in a bit more separate place than an elite running community. So this isn't REALLY goodbye since all that's changing is my URL :) Gotta love the internet!

The..umm…developmental opportunities that remain
*I think the furthest I hit this year was 8 miles.
*I still get hurt a lot.
*I didn’t qualify for Boston.
*Junk food is still too much my friend.
*I'm sure there was additional heartache in 2005. Truthfully though, most of it centered around my injuries.

Goals for 2006 to follow shortly….

And for the present moment:

Today we shot things. Clay. I don’t know a lot about shooting but I hear that is considered a sport. The gun was really heavy! We all hit some things which is nice. However, it’s yet another sport we’re merely passable/borderline horrible at :)

Four of us played tennis today. My sis is hands down the most improved from last year. I told her that and she replied: That’s funny. I win that award a lot for all kinds of different things! She started giving examples and it’s true. It’s hilarious! I also think she is so tough. She has a bad ankle (she can’t run-well, she can play tennis and such but she can’t run run) and she NEVER complains about it. When asked directly she'll tell us that, "Yes, it hurts from playing tennis" but she just sucks it up. Tough cookie.

Night!

PS. I just looked through my blog to see if I missed any highlights/drama from 2005 and it is awesome to have a record of it all. Everything from the hung over swim to the tetanus shot, to training in the DC heat, to the New England ice, to the rave runs of WV...it's all there.

It was a great year.

He had told me he wasn’t coming if it was raining. When I woke up at 6:30 I could hear the rain so I had brought gym clothes (rather than outdoor running clothes) and planned to run at the gym. However, he was there which was motivating enough to get myself outside as well. I headed up to my room to put on outdoor running clothes and then we walked towards the front door of the hotel. It had stopped by raining by this point.

The desk clerk held up his hand in a stop signal and said in a grave voice, “Be very careful out there. It rained and then froze-and we’re working on it-but it’s slick.” Apparently a whole lot of employees had fallen in the parking lot this morning. My father and I said thanks and headed out. We ran on the golf course again. It was gorgeous. It was slick. There was one small hill where we both stopped running and just kept our feet still and slid down the hill. My feet went out from under me and I slid and landed on my butt and continued sliding down the hill like I was on a water slide. But up and at ‘em. I got up and we continued down the hill.

By the end of the run I felt similar to how I felt while swimming. Tired. I was lagging behind my Dad again (this time by a lot more). I have a slight cold but I think the main problem is some sort of anemia (not the altitude-I’ve been here before and it was never a problem). I have bruises on my legs again and my soccer bruise from weeks ago hasn’t healed. Soo….more multivitamins I guess. But I feel pretty tired and working out feeling like this is dreadful. As I’ve blogged about before this sometimes hits me and then it passes in a few days. I guess I’ve been lucky it never happened on race day.

We then rallied the rest of my family (in truth my mom was already roaming the hotel in search of coffee but the other 3 kids needed to be woken) and we went to x-mas breakfast (I only wished they could have infused iron into my chocolate chip pancakes) and then exchanged some of our Christmas presents. Somewhere along the way I bummed a multi-vitamin from my sis. I finally wrapped my presents which included a framed picture of all family members participating in the Thanksgiving race that I am giving to all participants and my mom (so four runners-I wanted one too!-plus my mom) and a swimming care package for my mom (that she requested). It includes a swim cap, goggles, and special shampoo and conditioner that gets out chlorine.

Then all the kids and my Dad played tennis. We rotated one person off. That was not as tiring.

It’s been a good x-mas so far. Lots of family time and lots of (exhausting) sports. Enjoy the time with your friends and family and eat lots of iron rich foods!!

Then I lifted while my little brother ran 2 miles on the treadmill. We had to instruct him to run (we actually thought he was going to run further). Even though he just ran his first season of x-country and is doing indoor track (and he LIKES doing those things) he’s not self-motivated yet and would rather play video games. (He doesn't have to RUN, but he does have to get some EXERCISE). To compound problems, yesterday when my Dad and I went running we forgot to invite him. Isn’t that horrible? It’s always been just the two of us and we forgot that he runs now too. I flirted with the idea of going for a swim just now, but, to be honest, I have cramps and it’s not going to happen. I took my swimsuit out, looked at it, and then curled back up onto my bed. My sis just looked at me and laughed.

Happy holidays to you!

I showered and returned to my locker. I couldn’t open it. I had accidentally used someone else’s lock. I stood there in a towel. Crap. I asked a random woman if she could find one of the trainers to cut off the lock but she just looked at me blankly. The sick, breathing woman overhead me and said, I know JUST what you need. I’ll be right back. She went to get the general manager who had to find a female trainer to enter the locker room with giant bolt cutters. I just camped out in my towel until they all trooped back in. That’ll show me to think bad thoughts!!! I feel guilty!!

20 minutes after arriving at our hotel today my dad and I were running on a golf course. It was 50 degrees out and we were running in shorts on the snow. My dad commented it could have been one of the “rave runs” they show pictures of in Runners’ World. We’re in the mountains and it’s gorgeous here. My dad and I ran together for 24 minutes. We were running next to each other and all of a sudden he was speeding up, literally going cross-country across the golf course in the packed snow, and up and down hills. With the brisk pace I was a few steps behind him. Then he stopped after 24 minutes and I ran another 17 by myself for 41 total. It was tough. I wonder if it’s b/c I’m at altitude but we’re really not that high up and I think anyone would completely laugh at me for thinking I’m at altitude. The foot is feeling better though-even though my parents are appalled at the bone sticking out. But it’s how it functions that important, right?? I was a happy happy camper on today’s run. Now I am well fed, with an internet connection, and hanging with the sibs. Life is good.

I am all packed and ready to go. I am going to take a brief nap and then drive over to the gym and either spin or arc trainer or something and then leave right from there for NJ. I’m trying to wait rush hour out…

Happy holidays all :)

I ran for 30 minutes this morning (I literally had the eggs cracked and in a bowl and decided that I was procrastinating by not going running right then so I temporarily stored them in the fridge). I can run on anything flat and paved where my foot will land flat on the ground. When I tried to run next to the path on the dirt or on cambered roads I would use the side of my foot more which would hurt. The outer part of my foot is still inflamed which I knew even before I went running. It hurt this morning when I got up and I bent and prodded it. I didn’t know if that was because I stopped taking anti-inflammatories, b/c I was running around trying on sneakers last night, or b/c there is something seriously wrong with it. I decided to go running. It feels okay now although it’s obviously still a bit tender. From when this has happened before (ironically last x-mas) I feel like I can for the most part run through it (in appropriate sneakers) and it will just take a week or two for the swelling to completely subside. It just takes a while to get better and it is of course on my mind way too much. I’ll see how it feels over the next few days. (Does anyone else with bunions have any thoughts on this?)

I could use Beth’s help. I am taking a take-home nutrition final all about how foods are digested, absorbed, and metabolized. It’s hard and it’s not my friend right now. It’s my last piece of work though. I have two more classes tomorrow and then I head out after rush hour to WV-via a 6 hour stop in NJ to meet up with my family and sleep.

My foot is feeling better today. I went to the running store to return a pair of unused narrow sneakers to get a pair of normal width running shoes. I hope those will help. I am not sure how to address the issue of my soccer shoes. Those are way too tight at my toes and I was unable to find a single pair with more room up front. Also, I am in love with the guy from the running store-and he wanted to watch me walk without sneakers. I had to roll up my pants to my knees. I REALLY need to shave (hey, it’s 10 degrees here, no one sees my legs), and my socks didn’t match (I swear the washer/dryer eats my socks). I was seriously DYING!! Also, my new sneakers are SO ugly.

I was the only woman at the pool which was weird. I swam for 30 minutes, with the pull buoy, without the pull buoy, some sprints. I’m going to miss my goal of using up my whole swim card by x-mas by one swim. Booo!!

PS. I already have more muscular arms from all the lifting and swimming in the past two weeks. My mom is going HATE it when she sees me later this week (she didn't like it this summer when I was tri training either)!

I just got back from the gym. It’s been a tradition for years that I go workout after a final or big project. I made it in perfect time for a spin class. We did mostly climbing. I lifted upper body. Then I got back on my regular bike and did some errands. Oh my legs were tired. Exhausted tired. (It occurred to me this type of training probably would have been helpful to prepare for the tri). I went to the post office where they gave me my refund. I was, of course, secretly hoping that the letter tracking system had been off and my entry HAD gotten to the race on time. Unfortunately, that was not to be, and all I got was my $13.65 in postage back.

I think it’s getting better. It’s hard to say though.

I biked over to the pool this morning. I swam for ½ an hour. I just did some laps, them some sprinting, then more laps. I am not really at the point where I should/could be any sort of real workout. The guy I was sharing a lane with invited some woman in the next lane over to circle swim with us. She was a collegiate swimmer and was circle swimming with some slower people. That was kind of cool the guy thought our lane-even with me in it-would be faster. I am pretty sure he wasn't just hitting on her :)

No soccer tonight. My poor foot and I have a final tomorrow. This weekend ended up not being so fun b/c I have so much work. Four more days till I head out of town.

Off to dinner with some health friends. Becky is on the invite list but I actually have no idea if she’s going. If only I could go barefoot...

I was outside my 1.5 mile radius of my house for an appointment today so I decided to hit up the Copley branch of my gym. Because it’s more downtown than where I live there is less space available, and the gym is built “up.” Each floor is narrow, but there are about 4 floors. I have been here once before, but I got lost then too, and I couldn’t remember where everything was today either. On my search for mats to stretch on some guy stopped me from climbing down some back stairwell that led outside, and then leaving the mat area another patron watched me walk into the men’s locker room. Am I wrong here-but I am thinking he should have said something BEFORE I did that, right??

I ran 4 miles in 36:03, progressively getting faster. My Taylor’s bunion is kind of scaring me. It looks gross-bigger than usual-but there is not much to do about it. I think my soccer shoes, which (like all soccer shoes) are not very wide in the toes irritated it-and once it’s irritated it is this vicious cycle. It freaks me out a bit b/c I worry I will need surgery on it someday or it’ll get so bad I can’t run. I don’t know. There’s just not much to do about it that I’m not already doing.

I don’t want to end on a sad note though. It was a good day (especially if I don’t glance down at my socked foot with a lumpy bone protruding from the side)!! Cheers people!

1. I have a horrible memory for events that happen in my life so a few years ago I started a (still current) list of every guy I have ever kissed.
2. After college I lived with a guy who had a girlfriend named Audrey (not me).
3. Since graduating from college I have gotten glasses, found gray hairs, had two foot surgeries, developed a bum knee, become more Type A, and chipped a tooth…
…gotten faster, started weight lifting, bought a bike, started sleeping, spent more time outside, traveled, watched a lot of movies, and learned how to study.
4. In HS I had to wear my Dad’s shirts to school for a week b/c my own clothes didn’t fit.
5. Last x-mas I put on my mom’s engagement and wedding rings just to see what it would look it since it’s going to be a while. I’ll admit the diamonds are appealing if not the idea behind it.

As for today…it was a good day. Lots of different things happened to mix it up. I didn’t have to work. I met with one of my favorite professors for over an hour and barely talked about school. We had a school department holiday party. I got treated for my itchy ankles (said the doc, “You don’t have a case of frostbite but what you do have is a case of eczema"). Whatever it is, just give me something for it!! I went x-mas shopping which was fun-but I didn’t have my car so I was walking home with big bags of stuff and a giant shovel in single digit weather at 9 at night. Excellent planning on my part.

I lifted (first, so I could digest from the holiday party), stair mastered, did core stuff, foam rollered, and did balance exercises and wall sits (the latter is good for the knee).

Per item 4 from above: Senior year I had a nasty above the elbow arm break from playing softball that resulted in a huge padded sling securing my arm to my torso. I was playing second and put down the tag-and didn’t move my mitt like I should have. A girl built like a football player slid into my arm. It was very very disgusting and I couldn’t wear any of my clothes until the swelling went down and I could trade the padded sling for a cast up to my shoulder. This injury sucked and I couldn’t do anything for myself (like take a bath, go to my school locker, or zipper a coat). My mom wouldn’t let me stay home from school even though I cried. In retrospect, she was definitely right. It built character.

I did a 30 minute loop involving Commonwealth and Harvard Ave. and then added on for 10 more minutes to amazingly end at my doorstep after almost exactly 40 minutes. I have been wearing the puffy REI mittens I bought last year after I moved to Boston and they are a lifesaver. In Virginia I would go on these 10 mile runs with flimsy cotton gloves and would always end up with my hands in fists, curled into the palm part of the glove to avoid frostbite.

When I went to work today the temperature was about 13 degrees and according to weather.com it felt like -2 degrees. It was flurrying a tiny bit. My coworkers just cannot believe I bike. They all (all of the time, which is actually really really nice of them) offer to drive me home. Here is what they have to say (repeated each time I go to work):

-Do you have a helmet?
-Do you have a hat?
-Are your hands cold?
-I can’t believe you’re biking.
-Are you crazy?
-Isn’t it dangerous?

The one receptionist NEVER says anything when she sees me drag my bike in every day. She has taken it in stride. In fact, she made her own little exercise room at work with a treadmill and lots of other equipment (she lives in an apt so can’t store the stuff there.) I also met with a new professor today and he saw my helmet and said, “Oh, you bike?” not something like, “You know it’s cold out, right?” which I thought was very cool of him.

The thing is, I don’t think people realize that for me it’s not bike vs. car or bike vs. public transportation. It’s bike vs. walking, which is no great shakes either in the cold, just much longer. It’s really not so bad if you’re dressed appropriately. What is bad is that the shoulders of all of the roads are reduced b/c of the snow. My new pet peeve is drivers who stay too far to the right of the lane so that you can’t get by them.

PS. I think my skin must just be really susceptible to the cold. I had a winter running shirt on today that (obviously) covered my stomach. But when i got home I put my hand on my stomach and couldn't feel it (my stomach). I looked and my stomach was all red. I guess the cold air got up under my shirt. The good news is I can feel my stomach again now, but I guess I have to be careful about combining chilly air with my ankle and stomach skin.