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October 31, 2004

Circuit City Spending Spree

Today O and I went a little crazy at Circuit City. Our current financial situation is a little rocky right now given the fact that O is in school and only working part time, but that didn't stop us! We bought a new digital camera AND a new laptop for O. Gotta love the power of the credit card... :) (okay, so we had to dig into the savings account a little)

We really did need both items. O's current computer was absolutely positively on it's last leg (both the monitor and the actual computer) and today, when the new computer arrived on the seen, I think I saw the old one let out a huge sigh of relief and breathe it's last. :) We had been thinking about getting O a new computer for a while now and when we saw a really good deal this morning in the paper we just went ahead and bought it. The camera was much the same. Our old one just plain stopped working (it was old too) and it was getting really annoying having no camera. We bought a cheap digital camera just because all we really ever do is point and click still shots. It's nice nonetheless, and again, Circuit City was having a good deal on it. So needless to say, we spent the afternoon playing with out new toys. :)

In terms of exercise, I actually did some today! Sundays are usually reserved as my total day off, but O was going to the fitness room (our apt complex has a little exercise facility) to do his new weight lifting routine this morning before church, so I thought I would join him. Once there I didn't really know what to do with myself. I ended up doing my body weight circuit and then riding the bike for 10 easy minutes while O finished his stuff. Not much of a workout, but something nonetheless! While I was there I scoped out the available weights so that I can make up a little plan for myself to start within the next couple weeks (and hopefully continue as my next marathon training begins in December). I've always liked lifting and I do believe it helps us runners, so I'm not quite sure why I didn't do any lifting during my Columbus training.

Regardless, I must get back to watching the Steelers who are actually beating New England! Go Steelers!!! And Happy Halloween to all!

Posted by beth at 6:24 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2004

Fall Back

Yippppeeeee! The one time during the year when you go to bed at 10 pm and get up at 7 am but you REALLY got 10 hours of sleep instead of 9!!! :) I think we should have more days like this. The only bad part is the fact that it will now be dark at 5:30 pm. Oh well. It has to happen some time.

Today O and I had a good day. We ran for 45 minutes this morning at North Park. It was unseasonably warm, in the mid 60s and feeling humid because it had rained all night. I was actually hot wearing a t-shirt! We both felt good and pushed the pace a little. My foot remains an A-. It felt good during the run, but still hurts in the mornings, walking around a little, etc... I'm definitely pleased with it's progress!

Update on the trick or treaters last night...we had quite a few! I was suprised. We didn't participate in the trick or treating last year (I believe we were away) so we were unsure of how many to expect. At one point, I was concered we were going to run out of candy, but we didn't. The good news is, no coconut/almond/chocolate smear on our door this morning. :) The bad news is, we have a whole lot of Almond Joys left! The first little girl that came to the door actually took an AJ and both O and I thought...huh, this isn't going to be so bad. But pretty much every kid after that dug around the AJs to get to the better stuff. Oh well. Maybe we could feed them to the geese at North Park? :)

Posted by beth at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2004

Conference Time

Cross country season is really here now. It's conference meet time!

The Big Ten conference meet was always my favorite in college. I really enjoyed it because it was small and intimate enough, yet still ferociously competitive. The conference always gave away really good gifts to the competitors too. :)

I'm really looking forward to seeing the results (and pictures) of all the big conference meets from this weekend, starting with the Big East meet today. Not that it hasn't always been a very competitive conference for women's cross country but this year seems especially good with Providence, Notre Dame, Villanova, Georgetown, Boston College and West Virginia (and I'm probably forgetting someone else) and some incredibly top-notch runners in Kim Smith and Molly Huddle (to name a few).

As for my running, I actually did a little today and I felt great! I ran for 40 minutes total, keeping a decent pace, not pushing but not as easy as I usually run. It was another beautiful fall morning. I think I'm ready to upgrade my foot to an A-, at least for now. I could only feel my plantar fascia ever so slightly during the run. I will reserve an A+ grading for when I can't even feel the foot walking around in the morning. That's not to say, of course, that I may at some point have to downgrade into the B's again. :) I definitely think taking the previous two days off though was a good idea.

I'm now waiting for Oscar to get home from his part time teaching job so we can go out to lunch. Boy, I could really get used to days off from work! :) We have to do a little grocery shopping and some other chore type activities today, and then tonight, the wrath of the trick-or-treaters awaits us. I *really* hope there are some kids out there that likes Almond Joys! :)

Posted by beth at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2004

It's the Weekend!

I have tomorrow off work due to the fact that I worked last Saturday and Sunday and I am SOOOOO very excited that I'm now looking at a 3 day weekend! Yipppeeee! :)

I didn't run again today. I think my foot is feeling better for it too. I plan on running the next two days so we shall see how that goes.

Nothing much else exciting to report on! I did go to an interesting lecture today at work about nutrition and cancer. Although most of the talk was geared toward nutrition therapies for those patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation and experiencing all the unwanted side effects of those treatments, the speaker also did a small piece on nutrition and cancer prevention. I've read/heard/learned about the connection between nutrition and cancer a gazillion times. I know there is a very strong link between high fat diets and a sedentary lifestyle with increased cancer risk as well as an equally strong link between consumption of phytochemicals (found in vegetables, soy, etc...) and decreased cancer risk. I mean I *know* this stuff. But each time I hear it, I discover new found resolve to eat more vegetables and less fat. Bring in the salads and take back the pizza! (or more realistically...bring in the salad and keep the pizza also...) Seriously though, make sure you all get your 5-7 fruits and vegetables a day and stay active! (although I know I'm preaching to the choir... :)

Posted by beth at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2004

Almond Joys

I never really met anyone who liked Almond Joys. I certainly don't like them. I don't like almonds for one thing, and I *really* don't like coconut, so it turns out Almond Joys really don't supply much joy at all. I love most other candy bars (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups being my favorite), just not Almond Joys.

The problem is this, O and I bought a huge bag of mini candy bars for the trick-or-treaters in our complex and included in this collection is a whole bunch of AJs. Of course O and I have been into the Halloween candy (once or twice or maybe more than that...) and the vast majority of what's left is...yup...you guessed it...Almond Joys! My co-workers informed me today that we were definitely going to be the uncool couple if all we had to offer was AJs. After all, what kid likes almonds and coconut when there are Snickers to be had? I'm starting to worry a little. I suspect we may find smeared coconut and chocolate on our door at some point...

My question is, why do they even make them? I challenge you all to find me some soul that would choose an Almond Joy above every other candy bar out there. I just don't believe that person exists and so really, why not stop production altogether? No, instead the AJ people sell their so called "candy bar" by sneaking it into assortment bags with other good stuff! And then just the other day I noticed in the vending machine at work there was one single Almond Joy front and center with a WHOLE ENTIRE row of Reese's Pieces behind it! Again, another ploy to make us buy their candy just so we can get to what we really want. Very disturbing and totally absurd! :)

Almond Joy ranting aside, I had a very nice day. It was again very beautiful outside. Work was good and today I found out my hospital would again be paying for me (and 2 other co-workers as well) to go to a conference, which this year will be held in Orlando, FL. The good part is, the conference is in late January-early February, precisely the time when I usually feel like another day of running in the snow/ice/slush just might be the end of me. Five days of 70 degree temps in sunny Florida just couldn't come at a better time!

No actual running for me today. My foot felt pretty status quo. Still lingering in the B+ range but hopefully to make a jump up into the A's very soon!

Posted by beth at 6:40 PM | Comments (7)

October 26, 2004

Good Foot Good?

My foot was feeling much better today, although not 100%. My suspicion remains. I don't consider something "100%" until I don't even think about it anymore. That may take a long time, but it's generally the standard I've always used.

Although it hurt this morning when I woke up, the foot was feeling much better walking around throughout the day. That was very nice. Plantar fascitis is always something that hurts more in the morning (at least for me) anyway.

I decided this afternoon that I wanted to run at Hartwood Acres, a park-like place that among other things, used to be the site of our high school district championship meet. The district meet has since moved to a different location but I know that several high schools in the area still use Hartwood Acres as their home cross country course. I have a lot of good memories there. When we first moved to the apartment we currently live in, and I realized that Hartwood Acres was only about a 5 minute drive, I was incredibly excited! It's a very nice place to run with several great trails, but only if you plan on running 5 miles or less. It's limited in terms of actual square footage.

I hadn't run on anything soft or trail-like for a long time so I decided today was the day. I figured my legs would be pleased. What I failed to realize was that my foot probably wouldn't like the uneveness of the grass/rocky trails. My foot felt pretty good from the get-go, but I could feel it ever so slightly almost the entire run. I will give the foot a B+ for the time being.

I thoroughly enjoyed my run (again, besides the foot). It's just so beautiful right now and running on the trails was an extra special treat. I felt very good. My legs feel so fresh! The current plan is no running for the next two days. Hopefully that will help the foot heal some more so it can be upgraded to an A- by Friday. :)

Posted by beth at 7:24 PM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2004

Bad Foot Bad!

I was very excited to go on a little run today. As I walked out of work it was a very nice fall day. I've said it before but I don't mind saying it again; fall is my favorite time of year!

My goal was to run another 30 minute/4 mile type run. I drove to North Park again so I could do the 4 miles and then walk the last mile to finish the 5 mile loop around the lake. I was kind of worried my plantar fascia was going to act up some on my left foot. It was the one that bothered me some right before the marathon and I've been feeling it ever so slightly as I walk around at work. I started out and sure enough my foot was hurting. Not an excruciating pain, but painful enough for me to be concerned. I continued to run and after about a mile I even considered turning around, but then around 10 minutes into the run the foot felt much better and I didn't feel it the rest of the way in.

After the run my foot actually continued to feel better, almost as if the run stretched it out some. I'm definitely suspicious though. Now is certainly not the time for me to push through pain. On the contrary I want to be resting and healing and getting ready for another marathon build-up. Depending on how the foot feels tomorrow at work, I may still try an easy short run and see how it handles back-to-back running days. I had planned to take Wednesday and Thursday off anyway. Definitely something to keep my eye on, and when in doubt, rest.

Beside the foot, I had a very nice run. It was short but I felt good and as I said before, it was an absolutely beautiful day. I wasn't running harder or faster on purpose but I did happen to catch a split of one of my miles at 7:13, which is definitely quite a bit faster than I usually do my easy runs.

Posted by beth at 8:18 PM | Comments (5)

October 24, 2004

On My Best Behavior

As I walked out of work today around 3:45 pm and saw what a beautiful afternoon it was, I *really* wanted to go running. But I restrained myself, drove home and read the newspaper instead. Not that running today would have been a big deal, but I wanted to stick to my plan to run Monday and Tuesday. Plus I could feel my plantar fascia acting up a little today as I was walking around the hospital so I thought it should get another full day of rest. I'm so proud of myself for behaving!

So instead of talking about my running (or lack thereof), I'll talk about O's exercise. He's a softball player and wanted to start a weight lifting routine this fall/winter so he'd be stronger for the spring softball season. He wanted me to come up with a little exercise routine to help him. Although I have no idea what good weight exercises there are for softball/baseball players I figured anything would be better than his current weight routine (which would be no weight lifting at all). Our apartment complex has an exercise facility with some weights, a treadmill and other various exercise machines. We came up with a little plan that involved some running, a body weight circuit and then about 6-7 actual weight lifting exercises.

O decided he'd like to do the regimen 3 times a week so he started this morning after I left for work (or I would have liked to watch for entertainment purposes) and before he went to church. He claims he feels stronger already (and much more sore than when he woke up). :)

Posted by beth at 6:13 PM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2004

Pumpkin Pie

YUM! I just finished my first slice of pumpkin pie this fall and boy was it good! I did a horrible job of cutting the pie (as I usually do) and O and I ended up with 2 huge slices and 4 oddly shaped little slices. Suffice it to say that we each took a big piece. Such a tragedy! :)

I didn't run at all today but while I was at work O went out by himself for a 5 miler. Can I count that in my running log? :) When I called him from work around lunch he surprised me by telling me he went out on his own around the neighborhood. I'm a bit suspicious though. He may have went on the run just so he'd be hungrier for the pie... :)

Posted by beth at 5:50 PM | Comments (1)

October 22, 2004

A Fresh Start

I always like starting up a new training cycle, especially if the previous cycle didn't end as well as I had hoped. I like the feeling of a fresh start, a new beginning, and all the hope that comes along with it. Just like the start of a new cross country or track season in high school and college, I feel like I started a new campaign today and I'm very excited about it! New goal? The Boston Marathon on April 18, 2005. Very exciting indeed!

I ran for the first day today in 4 days. 31 minutes, 4 miles total. I drove to North Park this morning (no work today as I work this weekend), ran 4 miles around the lake and walked the remaining mile back to my car (for those non-math majors out there like myself, the lake is exactly 5 mile around). It felt so good to run again, albeit a short run, and just to be outside in the fresh air. It was a chilly, damp, fall morning here. The leaves are in all their splendor (much like in Alison's picture). I was very happy to be running again!

I just ran easy. My body felt pretty good. I could feel my plantar fascia (the one that was bothering me before the marathon) for a couple minutes when I first started but it felt better as I warmed up. I'm planning on not running again until next Monday (very slow buildup to make sure I'm nice an recovered!), but was very glad to be out there today for the first time.

The rest of my day has been quite delightful so far. I really enjoy days off during the week. O and I are about to head out to do some errands and then find a good place to eat for dinner. Yum Yum!

Posted by beth at 2:13 PM | Comments (1)

October 21, 2004

Caffeine Junkie

Still no running. I'm strongly considering a 20-30 minute jog tomorrow morning (I have the day off work). My body seems to be quite happy again. Yipppeee!

So anyway, I started to get these headaches about 1-1.5 weeks ago. I usually never get headaches, so I was a bit perplexed. I thought I was maybe coming down with something, or that I wasn't getting enough sleep, or perhaps that the stress of the upcoming marathon was the source for my aching head. As I continued to get the headaches this week though, I realized that none of those reasons really made much sense. I'm not sick, I've been getting more sleep than ever now (with no running to keep me busy) and the marathon has come and gone, yet the headaches remained. I was getting somewhat annoyed this morning as I felt yet another one coming on, when a light bulb went off. Caffeine!!! It all made so much sense!

Let me explain. I'm a diet pop (soda for all you weirdos out there that don't know what pop is) junkie. I know, it's not the best choice in the world, but I try and make sure I also drink plenty of water to offset the fact that the pop is likely dehydrating me. I probably drink the equivalent of 4-5 cans of diet pop a day. My pop of choice is Diet Pepsi but every once in a while I get a little crazy and buy something else. A few weeks back Diet A&W Root Beer was on sale so I grabbed a case of that. I just got around to drinking the root beer this past week. Alert, alert...root beer doesn't have a drop of caffeine in it! My headaches started when I started drinking the root beer and my caffeine intake dropped to nearly zilch. That was my theory anyway.

I decided to test my theory by running up to the cafeteria at work and getting the largest Diet Pepsi I could find. I slurped it down and within about an hour my head felt much better. I slurped down another big Diet Pepsi at lunch and my head hasn't hurt all day since. Man, I think I have a problem. I'm hooked on the junk!!!! :) I never considered myself addicted to caffeine because I don't drink coffee and I never really felt like I *needed* pop before, that is until this morning. I'm going to have to put myself on a weaning protocol. Either that, or just remember not to buy root beer at the store. :)

Posted by beth at 5:43 PM | Comments (3)

October 20, 2004

Running-less Blog

It's kind of hard to think of things to talk about in my running blog when indeed I'm not doing too much running right now. No running again today. My body is feeling much better though. All the muscle soreness seems to be gone. The only remnant of the race is a tad bit of plantar tenderness.

So how about 'dem Sox?! Sorry Becky, but I'm really rooting for them now. I know, call me a band-wagon jumper, but I feel that by cheering for the Red Sox I'm cheering for all the underdogs in this world, and all those trying to escape history. That and I was really impressed by Curt Schilling's performance on a gimpy ankle/foot. The guy has his tendon sewn to his bone or skin or something really crazy like that and he still pitched amazingly! And how about how they kept showing his blood-soaked sock?! He definitely displayed some mental and physical toughness. Although I generally don't like baseball that much (I much prefer football and college basketball), the playoffs are always so exciting! Speaking of which, I'm currently missing the Astros and Cards game. Gotta run!

Posted by beth at 6:44 PM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2004

Thanks a Million!

You guys rock! Thanks so much to everyone who commented about my race Sunday. I really appreciate your support and kind words. It truly helps to get encouragement from other runners who have been there and/or can understand the physical and mental challenges that racing brings. I'm very lucky to be a part of this blogging community. :)

My body is feeling much better today. My quads are still sore (in fact I think they may feel worse than yesterday) but my feet/knees/calves are feeling less painful. I think going into work and walking around all day there helped quite a bit. Whereas I had the day off work yesterday and found myself getting stiff if I didn't get up and move around every hour or so. I still plan on not running until next Monday although I have Friday off work and it's supposed to be a nice day so maybe... :) I'm always amazed at how quickly I miss running. Although I also must admit that it was awfully nice getting home from work at 3:30 pm today and having nothing more important to do than take a nap! :)

Work today was hard because I had to face everyone's questions about my race. Of course everyone understood, but I still hate telling people I didn't finish. Several of the other dietitians are runners and one gal has completed 2 marathons as well. She was especially sympathetic.

Now off to watch some television. Boy, I could get used to this! :)

Posted by beth at 7:01 PM | Comments (1)

October 18, 2004

A Columbus Disaster

Oh where to begin?! First I'll start off by saying I didn't finish the marathon yesterday. I absolutely hate to admit that/see that in writing because I've always prided myself on never dropping out of a race. As I learned yesterday though, dropping out is sometimes the smart thing to do, even when it severely wounds the ego.

Things started out well. It was a frigid morning. The temps would have been perfect (starting at 38 degrees and finishing around 50) had it not been for the stiff wind that kept the wind-chill in the low 30s all morning. Usually I relish that kind of weather but yesterday the wind was so brutal. I wore long sleeves and gloves and I never got warm, which is very strange for me.

Anyway, I digress. K and I had agreed on going for a PR of 3:08, meaning 7:10 pace. We had our pace bands, we were feeling good, all systems on go! We started somewhere in the middle of the start line and got across the line in about 30 seconds, the first mile was a little slow from trying to get around slower people in front of us, but from there we running free and feeling good. Our early splits went like this:

7:23
6:40 (over compensating for a slower first mile)
6:53
7:01
6:56
6:57 (really good rhythm by now)
7:02
7:08
7:14
6:56
7:05
7:02

The next split was not the 13 mile marker but rather the half marathon mark which we reached in 1:32:26. Okay, a little ahead of pace, but I swear, we felt good and were running smoothly (I know...famous last words). My next split was 6:15 (just 0.9 miles) and then we went:

6:51
7:28
7:31

Trouble is brewing. We started climbing a relatively benign hill, but nonetheless, we were falling off pace fast. I can honestly say I've never starting feeling so badly so quickly. Within 2-3 miles I went from feeling great and running 7 minute pace effortlessly, to really struggling to maintain 8 minute pace. Around this time I was suffering from mental meltdown syndrome. I knew we weren't going to run 3:08 and while I hate to say I gave up at that point, I do think that was at least part of my problem from there on in.

7:42
8:23
8:23
7:59
8:25

And then I turned off the watch. The 8:25 was at the 22 mile marker and that's when I started to walk. I know...big mistake. I knew when I started to walk I wouldn't get going again. K had actually been feeling worse than me and was behind me walking/jogging. Around 22.5 she caught up to me and we walked miserably together. We agreed that we'd try jogging a little at 23, which we did, but it didn't last too long. Our legs were shot, cramped and desperately begging to call it quits...for good. Odd that we both felt exactly the same, at pretty much the same points. We continued to walk until about the 24 mile marker. At this point we were both so cold I could barely take it. My body was shaking uncontrollably and I started to worry a little. The wind just would not give up. We saw a police car around 24 and K said she couldn't go on walking for another 2 miles. I agreed and we stopped at the police car for help. He called a Red Cross vehicle which came to pick us up. The Red Cross was actually not able to transport people so we sat in the car with the heat blasting and blankets around us for about 2.5 hours until K's dad and O could finally pick us up (they were such troopers for trying to find us in an area they are both unfamiliar with, totally complicated by the fact that just about every street was closed down because of the race). It was definitely a nightmare coming true.

While I was sitting in that car for 2.5 hours, mulling over our situation and feeling bad for myself (a very bad habit of mine) I thought back to the Olympics this summer and remembered Paula Radcliffe's race. She dropped out at about 23 miles or so, and I can distinctly remember wondering why in the world she just couldn't get up and jog the last 3 miles, even walk, just to finish. Now I understand why all she could do was sit there. When a body shuts down, it really shuts down. Until yesterday, I never actually felt like I just couldn't move my legs anymore. It was a very disturbing thing, and I hope I never experience it again.

Of course much analysis ensued. How in the world did this happen...to us no less?! We had both trained properly, and although we went out a tad faster than our goal, we were running 3:04-3:06 pace and I really didn't think that was out of the realm of our possibility. I've come up with a couple thoughts:

1) The wind was brutal and neither K nor I really ever felt "warm". My quads were so cramped and tight by mile 20 that I was having trouble moving. Perhaps tights or some warmer clothes would have helped. We still may have struggled, but perhaps not to as great an extent, and probably still would have been able to finish. My friend made me feel a little better by telling me that "the faster you get, the more critical things like weather/wind/nutrition are". Not that we are "fast" by any means, but I do agree that as I personally reach/push my limits as a runner, the little things like weather are going to affect my race more than if I was just trying to finish.

2) At first I refused to believe that we went out too fast, but I'm starting to come around to the idea. Of course we felt comfortable for the first half, but that's the whole point, the marathon is 26.2 miles! I think our fatal flaw was setting too fast a goal time to begin with. Because I saw such a big improvement between my first and 2nd marathon (11 minutes), I figured it wasn't unreasonable to expect another 4 minute improvement. That may have been too much to ask though (especially when I felt like my training was okay, but not great) and on top of that, we went out even faster (3:04-3:06). Of course hindsight is 20/20, but it would have made much more sense to aim for 3:10-3:15, especially given the conditions and go for it if we felt good. Needless to say, my race plan will be very much adjusted for my next marathon. Conservative will be my new middle name!

3) My hydration may also have been an issue. I didn't feel incredibly dehydrated but I was having an awfully hard time getting fluids in during the race and that could have also played a small part in our demise. I took my gels as planned, but I'm absolutely terrible at taking fluid while I'm running. It's getting harder too as my pace gets faster. In my first marathon (which O ran with me) we basically walked a few steps through each water station to make sure we got a full drink of water/Gatorade in. I didn't mind that then because our goal was to finish. Well (foolishly) yesterday I just didn't feel like slowing down to take fluids. I skipped several aid stations and the ones I did get I didn't slow down enough to actually get the water in my mouth. Now I know, slowing down the few seconds it takes to walk a step or two and actually get the water in is well worth it.

So that's my analysis. I'm sure I'll think about it a few more hundred times before I put it to rest. :) What I do know for sure though is, is that there are many positives to take from this, because after all, it would be a shame if I didn't get at least one good thing from this experience! First and foremost, the several lessons I learned from our mistakes at Columbus are invaluable to us in future marathons. Proper attire, proper hydration and proper, realistic goal times are imperative. Second, this marathon was a lesson in accepting defeat with grace. It's always been easy for me to be graceful with a good performance, but I've not been so good with bad ones. I don't want to sound too philosophical, but running lessons really translate well into life lessons and I was schooled pretty hard yesterday! All the cliches fit here; life will go on, worse things have happened, there will always be another day, etc...

So where to go from here? Unfortunately it wasn't a 5K and can't find another one to jump in next weekend to redeem myself! (okay...I probably could find another marathon next weekend but that would probably be a REALLY bad choice). I'll admit that I feel a sense of loss for all the training I did with such a dismal result, but I have to trust that that training will not go to waste. It did make me strong and hopefully the next result will be a much improved performance!

One thing is for sure, I'm very sore today, just as if I had run the full marathon. I've decided I'd like to take at least one full week off and let my poor body (and my aching feet) heal. I can then start slowly back into it, running easy for probably another 3 weeks. After that I'll have 3-4 weeks before I would actually start any kind of Boston marathon training plan to build back up towards marathon-like mileage. I'm still 95% sure I want to run Boston in the spring, but I first have to forget the pain of yesterday!

So that's my story. I really wish I could have written all about how I set my new PR and how wonderful I felt doing it! Alas, racing (and life in general) isn't always that simple. Onward we go though. The bad ones are only going to make the good ones seem that much better!

Posted by beth at 2:26 PM | Comments (12)

October 16, 2004

To Columbus We Go!

Marathon Day is almost here! (thank goodness :)

O had a seminar to go to this morning from 9-12 so when he gets home around 1 pm we'll be heading out. Columbus is about a 3.5 hour drive so we'll get there just in time for dinner. There happens to be an Olive Garden right on the way. Yum! While I'm waiting for O's return, I did an easy 25 minute run (felt pretty good), showered and stretched very well, ate and now I'm trying to think what I need to pack. I hate packing. I'm not really sure why, other than I'm always very afraid I'm going to forget something very important (like my running shoes!).

The weather forcast looks good tomorrow, lows in the low 40s and highs in the high 50s. The key component is NO RAIN, which makes me very happy considering that in my last marathon it poured down rain for several miles late in the race. That's just no fun.

I wanted to thank all you guys for all your good luck wishes! It always means so much to me. Your support is much appreciated. I'll be thinking of our blogging community out there. I'll have a nice 26.2 miles to think of what I'm going to write in my next blog entry... :) Race report to follow. Columbus here we come!

Posted by beth at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2004

Two Days and Counting

This week is finally coming to an end! My weeks usually seem to fly by without me even noticing, but before a big race, time crawls.

I didn't work today (nor do I work Monday! :), so that was a nice break. O also didn't work as he had a day off from teaching, and doesn't have his Pitt classes on Fridays. We slept in which was awesome. Ten straight hours! I could make a career out of sleeping. I hate to brag, but I really am good at it. :)

It was pouring buckets of rain this morning when we did finally get up so we did some odds and ends and then did our run around 11 am. We ran an easy 30 minutes. It was really nice outside (once the rain stopped of course), sunny and bright with the leaves in all their fall splendor! Since we usually run in the dark, we don't usually get to enjoy the beautiful fall colors.

I felt pretty good today. My legs seemed pretty happy, although my foot (plantar fascia) seemed worse, even after a day off yesterday! I don't think my foot is going to give me any serious problems during the marathon, but afterwards might be a different story. I'll worry about that once I get there though.

The rest of the afternoon/evening should be very nice and relaxing for O and I. We do have to clean our apartment but other than that we are just going to rent a movie, relax and likely go to bed early for some more of that wonderful sleep. :)

Posted by beth at 1:08 PM | Comments (2)

October 14, 2004

Happy Birthday to Me!

No, it's not actually my birthday, as my blog title might suggest. Indeed, my birthday is actually in late May. But I still got a birthday gift in the mail today...from my very own sister!

She's not always timely with gifts (sorry B...but I think you would admit it yourself!), but she sure does give the most thoughtful and perfect gifts. I suppose she just chooses to sacrifice timeliness for quality. Hey, you can't have everything right?! :)

So I got a message that there were some packages to pick up at our apartment rental office and despite the fact that I got the message a couple days ago, I was never around when the office was open. It was killing me as to what could be waiting for me. I hadn't ordered anything. I wasn't expecting anything. And that stupid office had my packages held hostage! Fortunately I was able to go into work early this morning, got home around 3:00 pm and was able to finally pick up my goods.

Surprise, surprise, not one but TWO packages from my sister, and they were big! :) Turned out my birthday gift was a beautiful shadow box with several of my most special high school running medals inside, each with a little tag explaning what the medal was from, etc... I love it! Definitely an awesome gift.

The other package was all my other high school medals (which my sister somehow ended up with in the craziness of my parents' move to SC earlier in the year). Good stuff man! It really made my day to say the least...

Other than my packages, my day was pretty uneventful. No running today. Only two short runs Friday and Saturday and then a really long run come Sunday. :)

Posted by beth at 8:22 PM | Comments (2)

October 13, 2004

Hump Day

Hump Day is coming to a close and Marathon Day is nearing. This week seems to be going fast!

Today I did a mini-workout. I was supposed to run 3x1000 meters at marathon tempo pace this morning, which I decided should be around 7 minute pace. Despite the slower pace, I still decided I should do the workout around the track just to make sure I ran exactly 7 minute pace vs going too fast, or more likely, over-compensating and going too slow. I did the workout more like a fartlek, never really stopping. I warmed up 20 minutes, did the 3x1000 (4:21, 4:23, 4:22) with a 4 minute (jogging) rest in between and then cooled down for 9 minutes (50 minutes total) making for about a 6.5 mile run. I felt pretty good. It was probably a wise thing to run some repeats at "race pace" (I guess 7 min pace is a little faster than race pace) just to get a feel for it. Hard to believe I want to run 26 miles of that, but I'll worry about that come race day... :)

Not much else going on here, just anxiously awaiting Sunday! Work was good today, although I'm starting to realize that my new GI surgery floor is probably about 85-90% cancer patients. My particular hospital doesn't have a lot of cancer because one of the other hospitals in the same "health system" is almost entirely dedicated to treating cancer. Regardless, we do have (as I mentioned) a lot of GI cancer, all of which seem to end up on my new floor! Cancer patients are always so sad to me, more so than probably any other disease or health problem. I'm sure it will take a little getting used to. Interestingly enough, so many of these patients surprise me with their wonderful outlooks and attitudes, despite their (sometimes) grim prognosis. The last thing they want is pity! I had a lady tell me today that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to her. I can't imagine ever saying that or feeling that way, but the disease sure does have a way of altering lives, certainly in negatives ways, but apparently in many positive ways too!

Three more days to go!

Posted by beth at 6:07 PM | Comments (3)

October 12, 2004

A Quick Thirty...

and off to bed early! HA - I am such a poet! (in case you were wondering...the title/first line rhymes...sort of... :) Okay, now that I read it again, it really doesn't rhyme at all.

Regardless, I did do an easy 30 minute run this morning. It was chilly again and I broke my rule of not wearing shorts in under 35 degree temps. It was 32 degrees but that didn't stop me! I just can't bring myself to wear pants yet. After the marathon Sunday I'll start going into work early and running after work, so that will buy me some more time in shorts. It has to be at least November before I can bear the sight of tights!

Now I'm off to bed early (or at least I'm going to try). I had a late night last night at my dinner/lecture, but it was worth it. I had an excellent meal in a resturant I would never normally go to (for mere expense alone!) and was treated to an interesting lecture as well. After the lecture a physician from the hospital I work at got into a "heated" discussion with the guest speaker about p-values in clinical research. It was pretty entertaining to say the least, especially since our physician has quite the British accent and becomes harder and harder to understand the more worked up he gets. :)

Four more days to go!

Posted by beth at 7:22 PM | Comments (2)

October 11, 2004

Blogging on the Sly

I knew I wouldn't have time tonight to blog as I'm going to a work related dinner/lecture directly after work (which will likely last all evening) and so now instead of doing work at work, I'm blogging on the sly! I know, I'm just so sneaky. ;)

There really isn't much to report on in terms of running. This morning O and I did an easy 45 minutes. It was very chilly but O was all decked out in winter hat, pants, long sleeves, coat and gloves (!) so he was warm and happy and didn't mind joining me. It was 36 degrees and my rule is no long pants until 35 or under, so I stuck with shorts. The cold air felt good. Only 5 more days to go!

Posted by beth at 12:01 PM | Comments (2)

October 10, 2004

Pre Marathon Jitters

About this time before my two previous marathons (one week to go) I started to worry. I worried that my legs were tired and heavy, that I wouldn't be able to run my goal time, that from the gun I would feel sluggish and struggle the entire way. I worried I hadn't trained enough, should have done another long run in there somewhere, or that I had trained too hard and my legs just weren't going to recover. I thought I might get over these pre-race jitters as I became more experienced with the marathon but it hasn't happened yet. This marathon is no different. Those same fears are starting to creep back in.

I know in a way they are irrational thoughts. I always think my legs are just going to feel stupendous, like I'm running on clouds, when I'm tapering. I should know by now that that's just not how my body responds. When I cut back on training my legs usually feel heavier and I get to feeling a little lethargic. It doesn't really make sense but that's how I've always been and I should accept the fact that it's likely not going to change. On race day they will be fine, like they always are, and if not, I'm still going to run the race and do the best I can. Around this time I also start to worry about all the little aches and pains that I feel. My foot is bugging me some, but I know that come race day I'll get on the line and run no matter what and it will be okay.

As you can see, the last week before the marathon is always a tough one for me. Come Saturday and then on race day I'll be really pumped and excited, but early on in the week I sometimes let the self-doubt crowd in and it's a battle to do the positive self-talk that I need. What helped tremendously is the fact that I just talked with K (my marathon partner that's running Columbus with me) and we commiserated. She always feels the same way before her marathons too. We built each other up and now I'm feeling better. It's always around this time that I'm made acutely aware of the fact that this running game isn't just about training your body, but also about managing your emotions and being mentally strong!

What helps perhaps even more though is some perspective. Regardless of what happens next Sunday, a big PR, a slower time than I had hoped for, even a DNF, life will go on. My husband and my family and my friends will still love me. I'll still wake up the next morning with my health and my job and most importantly with a God that loves me no matter what I do. It sounds so silly that I have to reassure myself of these truths, but I'm going to admit here on my blog that I do!

Having just typed all that I'm feeling better already. :) I'll have to read this blog entry a few more times this week as I countdown the days to Columbus. :)

Today was a very relaxing day. O and I went to church and Sunday school this morning. We came home and ate lunch, I did some odds and ends and then I laid down to watch the Steelers game which resulted in a two hour nap! I'm pretty good at watching the game with my eyelids shut. Seriously though, I did catch the first half hour and the last half hour so I saw the important parts. :) The Steelers beat up a little on the Brownies (or shall I call them the Clownies? :) so that was fun.

I just caught up on some results from this weekend and was impressed as usual! Chicago and Steamtown are two marathons that one day I'd love to do, Chicago just for the fact that it's Chicago and Steamtown because it's (sort of) close by and a *really* fast course. I know, I know...fast course or not, a marathon is still 26.2 miles. :)

Posted by beth at 6:14 PM | Comments (4)

October 9, 2004

Last Long Run

This morning I did the last "longer" run planned before Columbus next Sunday. Craziness. I can't believe there is only 1 more week to go!

O joined me this morning. The run really wasn't long at all, only 70 minutes. We were going to do 75 but when we arrived back at the apartment at 70 minutes I didn't feel like running around the parking lot for 5 minutes and I figured that at this point, 5 minutes really isn't going to make much difference. We started pretty early (as we were going to watch a CC race at 11) so we were treated to an amazing sunrise. The sky was a vibrant pink/purple color, something I don't see to often.

After the run we showered, stretched, ate breakfast and then headed about an hour north to watch O's cousin K run in a cross country race at Slippery Rock University. It was a beautiful drive up with a lot of the leaves changing colors. Fall at it's best. The race was a lot of fun too. I ran several high school CC races at Slippery Rock (our district meet was held there) but I hadn't been there for at least 5 or 6 years. Many good memories came flooding back as we drove up to the course. Cross country season really is the best time of the year!

K ran an awesome race. She's come a long way as a runner. She only ran cross country her senior year in high school (where she was about a 24 minute 5Ker) but loved it so much she decided to run in college. She's improved quite a bit each year (she's now a senior) to the point where she is now consistently running in the low 20s for 5K. This year has been her best by far which is the way you want it when you're a senior!

We were also treated to a nice performance by the race winner, Mindy Sawtelle, who just happens to be the NCAA Division II runner up from last year's CC Nationals. Mindy is a pretty neat story. I believe she's in her 30s. She is a mother of 2 young children, a full time student and also a gymnastics instructor on the side (while running at a very high level). She didn't go to college right after high school, but rather started at Indiana University of PA (IUP) after her husband finished school and her first two children were born. In the mean time she was an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier! She dusted everyone this morning and it was pretty fun to watch.

Now O and I are trying to plot out our Columbus trip for next weekend. O is Mr. Map Man so I'm basically just sitting here watching (and writing my blog!) while he maps out our directions. Tonight is a party at O's parents' house for O's dad's birthday. Busy day. I am definitely going to need a nap tomorrow! :)

Posted by beth at 3:25 PM | Comments (2)

October 8, 2004

Another Work Week Complete...

And praise the Lord for that! This seemed like a stressful week at work. Most of the stress arose from the fact that (starting next Monday) I will be changing some of my responsibilities at work. I currently cover 4 different intensive care units (ICUs) but will be losing 2 of those ICUs and gaining a gastrointestinal (GI) surgery floor. I'm excited for the change, but I'm a little overwhelmed at the same time. I have a lot to learn about all the different surgeries and how those surgeries affect nutrition. It will be very good for me. A lot of these patients have been through so much and are quite challenging from a nutritional standpoint. Their GI issues (which are often life-long) certainly put my long/hard run stomach aches in perspective! :)

As for running, O and I did an easy 25 minutes this morning. My left plantar fascia is acting up a bit. I'll have to take extra special care of it this upcoming week. Tomorrow is my last "long run" if you can call 75 minutes long! And then after our run tomorrow O and I are going to watch his cousin K (who runs for Mercyhurst College) race in a cross country meet. I am very excited to see her run and just to watch a little CC action! :)

Posted by beth at 7:27 PM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2004

Short and Sweet

Both my run and my blog entry today are, as my title suggests, short and sweet! I ran an easy 30 minutes this morning by myself. I also did my body weight circuit. I wore my new running shoes for the first time and they felt great. It was in the high 30s so I didn't have to bring out the running tights. Hoo-ray for that!

I don't have much else to report on, and in hopes of getting to bed early (and getting some much needed extra sleep), I think my blog entry will end here!

Posted by beth at 7:00 PM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2004

Magnificent Day

It was absolutely incredible here in Pittsburgh today. An eventual high of about 65 degrees, beautiful, sunny, blue sky with not one cloud, crisp, cool air. I don't think I could have ordered up a more perfect day! I was thinking I needed to find a place to live where it's like this every day (any ideas?) but then figured I would start to take it for granted. How can you appreciate beautiful weather if you don't have the cold, nasty, gloomy, wet days to compare it with? :) Of course there was one downfall to today. For the second day in a row I actually had to scrap the ice/frost off my car windows in the morning!

I decided last night that I wanted to do my tempo run this afternoon vs. doing it in the morning. I planned it this way for several reasons, one of which was so that I could do the tempo in North Park where there are some miles marked out. I have to drive to North Park and I don't have time in the mornings to actually drive somewhere to run. So I went into work early (about 6:15 am) so I could leave early (2:45 pm) and get my run in when it was still nice and bright.

I was pretty happy with my decision this morning when I saw it was 34 degrees when I woke up. Brrrrrrr! I know in the grand scheme of things 34 degrees isn't that cold. Give me a 34 degree day in the dead of winter and I'd be out there in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. But my body just hasn't gotten used to the cooler weather yet. Time, I just need time!

My decision to run in the afternoon became even sweeter when I walked out of the door at work and realized what an amazing day it was. I was excited to run in such beautiful weather!

Okay, enough about the weather. For those of you in Texas and Florida and other hot and humid places, you can really let me have it when you're running in 50 degree temps and it's 5 degrees here with a negative windchill and my feet are soaking wet from running through a big slush puddle! :)

My workout today was to run 2x15 minutes at marathon tempo (6:50-7:10 pace). I started with a 20 minute warmup. I like running in the afternoons (and soon, as the weather gets colder and colder I'll change to doing all my runs in the afternoon), but my legs always seem more tired after I've been at work all day. I actually run better in the afternoon (if that makes any sense) in that I run faster with the same amount of effort, likely because my body is loose and warmed up from walking around all day. Nevertheless, I digress yet again! So I started with a 20 minute warmup and then went into the 2x15 minutes. My legs felt a little tired but my breathing was fine at that pace. I was able to time two of the miles during the last 15 minute segment at 7:02 and 6:50. There was a 5 minute jogging rest in between the two tempos and I finished with another easy 5 minutes for a total of 60 minutes. I felt good about the workout. I really didn't want it to end because I wanted to continue to enjoy the beautiful day!

In other news, the new running shoes I ordered finally arrived. My old shoes are shot so I'm looking forward to starting the new ones (and wearing them for the marathon). I have a favorite style of Nike shoe that was unfortunately discontinued. I was at a loss for what to try next, but luckily found my favorite shoes on clearance at Eastbay.com and I bought 3 pairs! I wore the new shoes all around at work today (we have the option of wearing scrubs at work if we'd like so I sometimes get to wear running shoes all day long!) and they felt great. I think I'll wear them tomorrow for the first time on my easy 30 minute run. Sometimes new shoes make me feel like I have new legs. I hope tomorrow is one of those times!

Posted by beth at 7:23 PM | Comments (1)

October 5, 2004

Pace Bands

Runnersworld.com has these marathon pace band thingies. (yeah, I know, thingies isn't a word but I really think it should be so I'm going to use it anyway). All you have to do is type in your goal time for the marathon and the program instantly spits out your splits for every mile in a band format. You then print out the band, cut it out, laminate it (with packing tape) and wear it as a bracelet of sorts on race day to help you keep on pace. My marathon buddy K and I did this last year. To tell you the truth, it made me kind of nauseous to try and read the split times as my arm was bouncing up and down, but K was really good at it. It was especially encouraging during our last marathon because we were quite ahead of our goal pace. It was fun each mile to see how much room we had to spare and still run our goal.

I was thinking the other night that I will soon need to make my pace band for Columbus. The problem is, I don't really know what to use as my goal time. My PR is 3:11:09 from last April. I don't believe that my training for this marathon has been any better OR any worse. I really feel like I'm in about the same shape. I ran very similar half marathons leading up to both marathons. Although I've run more mileage this time around, I don't think it's been significantly higher (which was my goal because I wanted to stay healthy!). So what then should my goal be?

I know I want to PR that's for sure. In a way, I feel like I should PR based on experience. I suspect I'll run a bit faster just for the fact that Columbus is likely a faster course. And I'm REALLY hoping Columbus is better weather wise. Cleveland was pretty awful. It was very windy and it poured down rain for a couple miles around 17. My shoes (and therefore my legs) were instantly several pounds heavier just around the time I was starting to feel our fast early pace.

So after some thought and deliberation and then some more thought and then a little bit more, I decided upon 3:08 for my pace band. That's 7:10 pace. It sounds a little scary to me, but I also know a big key to success is actually believing in yourself. So from now on I'm believing that 3:08 is very much in the realm of possibility. Watch out 3:08!

As for my run today, O and I did 30 minutes easy. Weather.com told me is was 45 degrees but when I stepped outside I quickly realized it lied. After we got back in and checked again on a local station, I confirmed my suspicion. It was only 38 degrees! No wonder I was freezing in my shorts and long-sleeve shirt! As I previously mentioned, O didn't peep once yesterday during our chilly track workout but he was peeping up a storm this morning! I very well may lose my running partner if it doesn't warm up a little. :)

Posted by beth at 7:55 PM | Comments (4)

October 4, 2004

Yep, it Really is Fall!

Within the past couple weeks there have been glimpses of fall, a chilly morning here and there, the arrival of candy corn on store shelves, a fallen leaf or two. But today was the first day that I REALLY felt like it was fall, the whole entire day, no more summer at all, we are in it for the long haul!

It was certainly chilly during my workout this morning, in the low 40s with a stiff wind that made it feel colder. But the thing is, it never really warmed up during the day. As I was walking to my car after work I was thinking it was still pretty brisk outside (indeed, it was in the low 50s). And then as I was driving home I really started to notice some leaves changing colors and falling from their trees. Heck, I might as well go finish up my bag of candy corn and call it a night! :)

Not that I'm complaining it's fall of course. As I (and several other bloggers as well) have already mentioned, fall is my favorite time of year! Despite being pretty cold, I still rolled down my windows on my drive home today just to feel the cool, fresh air. I love it!

Back to running... Today I was supposed to do 3 sets of 800-600-600 with 90 seconds rest between intervals and 4 minutes rest between sets. The goal pace was 3:05 for the 8s and 2:15 for the 6s. Like I mentioned, it was chilly and I actually kept my long sleeve shirt on the whole time. O, despite being notorious for his strong aversion to any running done in temps under 70 degrees, did the workout with me without so much as a peep about the conditions. Such a trooper.

I only warmed up for 20 minutes instead of my usual 30 (let the taper begin!) and then did some striders. The workout went pretty well. I ran the 800s in 3:05, 3:04 and 3:03 and all the 600s in either 2:14 or 2:15 with one 2:13 in there as well. The faster pace (vs my usual 6:20 10K pace) was definitely challenging. I had to work to hit the times, unlike my other slower workouts where I could relax some and still keep on track. It was a huge help to have O there. On the 600s I tried to envision myself with 600 meters to go in the marathon, finishing fast and strong. Huh! If only I could finish up my last 600 in Columbus at 6 minute pace! (if my other two marathons are any indication, I will be lucky to finish my last 600 at 8 minute pace :)

My legs felt pretty good and actually felt a little better than usual throughout the day. Usually on Mondays after my track workouts I can feel my legs walking around and up and down steps at work. Today they still seemed pretty fresh. I hope that's a good sign of things to come!

I finished the workout with a 15 minute cooldown for a total of about 8 miles for the morning. Only 12 more days to go and marathon day will be here!

Posted by beth at 6:07 PM | Comments (4)

October 3, 2004

Post Marathon Planning

I was thinking today that I should do a little planning for what I'm going to do after my upcoming marathon in terms of training. I know, it may seem as if I'm getting a little ahead of myself since the marathon is still 2 weeks away. I'm a planner by nature though so as usual I'm going to try and plan out my "training" for the 4-6 weeks after the marathon, and then go from there. I often end up changing the plan, but I at least like having a plan to change. Planner could certainly be my middle name.

Regardless, I'm having a little trouble deciding what it is I should do for the month or month and a half after Columbus. My next long term goal is to run Boston '05, but I wouldn't really need to start marathon specific training until December for it, giving me 6 weeks or so to play around with.

After my first marathon I didn't do anything but sit on my butt for two weeks. That wasn't such a good idea. I was tight and sore and it was harder (I think) getting back into running than it should have been. I swore not to do that again. After Cleveland this past April I took about 2-3 days fully off and then started running every other day, gradually building up to every day after about 2 weeks total. After those 2 weeks though, I started back into some workouts and longer runs pretty quickly because I had some summer road races I wanted to do. I think I need some type of happy medium between the two this time around. I don't have any races planned after Columbus and I want to make sure I am nice and well rested before I start a big build-up for Boston. Such decisions. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated and gladly welcomed. It's very easy to find marathon training plans in books and on the internet but post-marathon plans aren't nearly as numerous!

I didn't run today (as is usually the case on Sundays). My quad was fine, no soreness to be found. Odd, but now that it feels better I'm not asking any questions. Tomorrow is my last true track workout (I have one other one, but it's at marathon pace so that doesn't count). It should be a chilly one tomorrow morning. It was actually 36 degrees here in Pittsburgh when we woke up this morning! After the marathon I'm definitely going to start running in the afternoons (vs the mornings) so I don't have to bring the tights out too early!

Posted by beth at 1:53 PM | Comments (1)

October 2, 2004

An Easy 13

Forgive me for my lack of creative blog titles. Sometimes they are difficult to think up! :)

As my title suggests, O and I did an easy 13 miles this morning at North Park. Unbeknownst to us, there was a 5K in the park as well. It didn't really affect our run though and it was kind of fun to be in a race environment without being in the race! It looked like they had little pumpkins for all the finishers. I was tempted to take one also but restrained myself. That just wouldn't be right. :)

O did the entire run with me so I had good company. It took me a while to get started but once I got going I felt pretty good. My quad soreness is much improved. It seems the soreness left just as quickly as it came!

This afternoon, O and I took a trip to Sam's Club to stock up on some goods. We bought mass quantities of just about everything you can think of including (but not limited to) Gatorade, Kleenex, Halloween candy and dishwasher detergent. Now where we are going to put all this "stuff" in our tiny apartment I don't know, but one thing is for sure...we won't need to buy toilet paper until the New Year!

Posted by beth at 4:02 PM | Comments (0)

October 1, 2004

Candy Corn Season Has Arrived

Yes I know, the candy corn has been out in the stores for at least a month. But you see I have a self-imposed candy corn law. None of the little orange/white/yellow sugar delights until October! I don't allow myself to buy it until October simply because of my proclivity for CCOD (candy corn overdose for those of you not familiar with medical terms :). I figure it's better to overdose as close to Halloween as possible.

O and I go grocery shopping together and I must admit that when the candy corn first starting making its appearance in our Giant Eagle, he had to physically restrain me from ripping open a bag right there in the store. I love the stuff. I'm usually a chocolate candy type. I don't really go for the sugary stuff, but candy corn just has a certain spell over me. I bought my first bag tonight and oh did I enjoy my first taste since last October! The fall is certainly my favorite time of year for more than one reason...

While we were at the grocery store I quickly flipped through the Runner's World to see if there were any interesting articles. As I was flipping, who do I see a picture of but our very own blogging twins Mary and Liz! What a wonderful surprise! There was a photo of them running together within a story about women's running. Very neat if you ask me.

As for my run today I did 45 minutes easy this morning. My left quad was a little sore for some unknown reason. It actually wasn't too painful when I was running, but boy did it get tight and sore throughout the day! I was racking my brain all day as to why just my left quad would be sore. I really didn't do anything training wise to it. I finally came up with the theory that it's sore from driving our stick shift a lot more. I usually drive the automatic we have but recently have been driving the stick quite a bit more. Thursday I left work late and was stuck in some serious traffic which is tough with a stick since you're always pushing in the clutch. I honestly think my quad is sore from pumping the clutch in and out a gazillion times, but when I presented this theory to my co-workers they thought I was silly. Who knows. Whatever the reason, I stretched it and foam rolled it and hopefully it will behave itself in the upcoming days. In the mean time I'm driving the automatic! I kind of feel beat up right now with lots of little aches and pains, so as I mentioned before, I'm glad my marathon taper is right around the corner.

Posted by beth at 9:17 PM | Comments (2)