Three's Company

Today was my third to last long run before Allentown has it's way with me. I'm feeling more anxious for this race than I think I have for any other race before and I don't really like the feeling. I don't usually get nervous for races or dread their approach. Quite the contrary. It's more typical for me to get excited about the (hopefully) cool things at the expo, to look forward to the pre-race dinner, and to think about what kind of gooey ice cream concoction I'll consume post-race. Those thoughts don't impress me much at this point. While I am looking forward to spending some time with Amy, the race itself has me feeling ill at ease.

I met up with the Philly Runners group at 9:30 and set out with Helena, whom I had met before. Another runner, Mike, kept pace with us and so the three of us wound our way around the loop. As is typical lately, the winds were fierce heading up West River Drive. I was thankful for my running companions and the easy conversation about Helena's wedding plans, our mixed European heritages, and, of course, the impending Pennsylvania primary. I had thoughts of stopping around the half way mark, but as soon as we crossed the bridge, I was feeling better for having the wind (sort of) at my back and a slight downhill to coast. The miles were averaging a 8:40 pace - which is about where I want to be for Allentown.

Once we reached Lloyd Hall, our mini group split up and I stopped for some water and to stretch out an achy back. Then I headed back up Kelly Drive to get in two and a half more miles to give me an even eleven (yes, I realize 11 is an odd number) for the day. The last mile, I was tired - very tired - but I know that's what I'll be facing during the last two or so miles of Allentown, so I kept telling myself "get used to it".

11 miles in 95 minutes.

Flashback

Man was it hard getting out of bed this morning! Again, I did the bargaining ... could I run later? But then I remembered the rain storms moving in later in the day that are supposed to hang around through tomorrow.

I laced up and hit the road - did the Delco Acme loop. Grr... I've been trying to map it through the map link on USATF.org because it has an elevation feature, but I keep getting error messages... so I give up. Suffice it to say that there are some mild to moderate hills on this route - enough so that it is a challenge for me and lets me think that I'm getting some helpful hill training in for Allentown.



This will be my third time running the Allentown race and what I remember most from last year is that the last two or three miles were pretty tough for me to get through. The steeper hills of this race are more like in mile 8, but there are some more gradual hills in those last two miles that just burn me (after I'm already toast). I vividly remember how much I wanted to stop and walk during mile 11 or 12 last year. I could also hear the 2hour pace group on my heels and I desperately wanted to stay ahead of them, so stopping was definitely not an option. It was an awful feeling and I cursed myself for not having run more hills.

I'm hoping my hill efforts (which have been kind of lame, admittedly) will not be too little, too late. If nothing else, psychologically I'll go into Allentown knowing that I did more hill training this year than I had done last year - and that's got to be worth something!

I felt really good during today's run. All systems were working well and I felt like I could have kept going... assuming the terrain was flat.

5.22 in 44:44. A number which I know will please Amy!

Tagged

Sometimes I think no one reads my blog and, really, I'm okay with that. Afterall, I created it mostly as a way to keep track of my running. But now.. I've been officially tagged by a fellow blogger, Maggie Mae. Hi Maggie!!!! And Maggie has provided me with a challenge. (In the interest of full disclosure - I am paraphrasing or directly copying from Maggie's post). I need to join in on the "six word memoir" game. Allegedly, this is supposed to be fun and challenging. We shall see.

Here are the rules to this game:
1) Write your own six word memoir
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links
5) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Maggie struggled, as I imagine many do, with which aspect of her life to emphasize in this memoir. I have no clue. I'll take some time to think on this.

Ok, here it is. It's not deep or profound - just my favorite things in life, things I want to spend as much time possible doing. So... in no particular order - my six word memoir:

Laugh, Eat, Dance, Run, Love, Sleep.

I'm supposed to tag five additional bloggers with this. I feel guilty at the prospect, like I may lose some friends in the process. So, to those of you I'm tagging, I apologize in advance. Take heart that (in the words of Maggie): This is not a chain letter. If you chose not to participate, you won't have bad luck for 5 years, your true love may still call you tonight, a wish may still come true, and something good may still happen to you in the next 5 minutes. That being said. Tag, you're it: 1. Amy 2. Seebo 3. Abby 4. ShoreTurtle 5. ???

Bruce-less

I've fallen into a bad habit of sleeping late. I can blame salsa on Sunday for putting the kibosh on my Monday run. Of course that meant a Tuesday morning run for me, which then, in turn, means no Bruce. It's been a while since I've spent any QT with Bruce and the spin class lasses. Maybe next week.

Still, I headed to the gym this morning and did the treadmill. I've been trying to make a point of doing hills more lately, so I did play with the incline a bit here and there. Not sure I could pass it off as doing hills though. The run felt good, I'm happy to say. No real issues with any limbs or joints or muscles. I pushed the pace a bit more than I have lately (on the treadmill) and I felt okay with it. I do try to remind myself that running is supposed to be hard work. It's not supposed to feel like a walk in the park.

Hopefully Thursday morning I'll get outside and run some real hills (well, for me, anyway).

5.5 in 47:15.

Groundhog Day

I slept in a little later this morning, ditched the Philly Runners group, and headed to Tinicum instead. It's been a while. Last time I ran there, I came across the carcass of a fawn. I wondered if I'd see remnants of her this time around, but I didn't. Spring is letting Tinicum sleep for a little while longer it seems. The only signs of warmer weather are the groundhogs scurrying about. As I was running the interesting part of the initial loop, I encountered the first one of the day (I'd see about eight, in all). The trail there is quite narrow and it seemed for a moment that he was charging me. I had that split second of panic and confusion - wondering what I'd do if the thing attacked me. I could so kick his ass! But I didn't want it to come down to that. Thankfully, he dove down into his burrow shortly before our paths collided.

The rest of the run was pretty uneventful. I felt good, felt like I was keeping a good pace, and was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. I tacked on a bit of neighborhood stuff at the end to give me just over ten miles. I had some different hip pain on my right side towards the end of the run. This was more on the side/back of my hip - maybe IT band related... who knows. Made me walk kind of Seebo-style for a little while. I made sure to stretch it out well when I was cooling down and now it feels fine. The knee pain I had over the last two days was totally gone. But it always something!

10.1 in 87:25

Welfare Heat

I'll keep this short, since I'm rather booked today. Ran 4.75 on the treddy. Had to stop three times to stretch out my calves. I think I was dehydrated. It was unbelievably warm in my office building yesterday. The clients were saying things like, "Oh... you got the welfare heat going on in here." I looked up the term "welfare heat" on Urban Dictionary and was disappointed to see it wasn't there. While I had never really heard the term before last night, I knew exactly what they meant when they said it. That dry, constant heat over which you have no control. Anyway... I'll blame my extra calf agida on the welfare heat. So even though it was a bad morning, running wise, I'm glad I at least did 4.75. I won't report my time... let's just say it was S-L-O-W.

Silence ....

Headed to the gym today for a treddy run and to throw around some iron. One problem - grabbed my iPod and my iPod holder/arm-band thingy... but forgot my headphones. Dang it. The prospect of running on a treadmill without an iPod for more than a few minutes was not attractive. I had thoughts of scrapping the run for the morning and doing it after work, but I figured since I was already here, I might as well give it a try.

Calf soreness/tightness resumed today - this time more in the anterior portion of my right leg. Stopped and stretched after the first mile. By the end of the run, it was more the back of my calves (soleus) that were achy and tight.

Running sans music wasn't all that terrible. Whenever I run outside, I do so without music, so it's not like I lean on it as a crutch to get me through a run. But the treadmill can be so damn boring. I was about three miles into my five mile run when I saw not one, but TWO of my gym nemeses climb onto nearby treadys - the moustache, high-knee-sock guy and the short-bangs lady. If you're interested, ask me and I'll tell you how they came to be villains. Suffice it to say for now though that they are both BIG MOUTHS. Now, mind you, today they weren't talking to each other, but were talking to their respective side-kicks (the guy who looks like Vizzini from The Princess Bride and the blond soccer mom). Anyway... their competing conversations, along with the whirring of the cardio equipment, and the footfalls of fellow gym patrons created quite a cacophony.

Somehow, I made it through the run (insert image of me swooning, back of hand draped across forehead), which was good, because the likelihood of a post-work run for me would have been slim.

5.15 miles in 44:30.

Hang 10

Over the years, I've heard various 'cures' for hangovers. Ibuprofen and OJ, hair of the dog, etc. Some runners will tell you that a good run will get the toxins out of your system. Well, this morning I had the opportunity to test that particular theory.

It's uncharacteristic of me to drink more than my portion of a bottle of wine shared over dinner. Yesterday's late lunch/early dinner featuring a 'sampling' of ten different wines was quite out of the ordinary. Waking up this morning, I felt good enough to give the run a try and test out the running-hangover-cure hypothesis.

I met the Philly Runners group down by the Art Museum at 9:30 and met up with Dave - an out-of-town runner visiting from Virginia. Dave is a coach for his local high school track and cross country teams and for much of the initial three miles he regaled me with some really interesting local (to Virginia) running history. I was glad to have the company and the added bonus of a history lesson.

As is typical, the headwinds were out in full effect on West River Drive. They were particularly harsh the first mile, which went by in 8:50. Subsequent miles were appreciably faster, hovering around the 8:30 mark. I felt good during this run - better than I anticipated. No calf pain or any other pain to speak of and for that, I was so very thankful.

I ran with Dave for the full loop and then did another mile or so to make it an even ten for the day. Allentown is five short weeks away. I'm shooting for under 1:55, which I think is doable as long as the hills don't kill me too much.

So the verdict on running as a hangover cure.... eh, not great, not bad. I'm surprised how well I ran given my condition. After the run, my head felt thick and hazy and my stomach felt a bit queasy. I think a nice mid afternoon nap is in order.

10 miles in 1:25:30

Getting to Know You

I've run some variation of this West Philly loop enough times now that I'm starting to feel more familiar with the terrain. The long, gradual stretches of incline that define much of it are good for me - like vegetables. Thing is... I like vegetables... but I'm learning to tolerate things like inclines and hills more. I just tell myself that it's something I need to do and come April 27th when I'm headed towards the last three hilly miles of the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon, I'll (hopefully) be glad for having done it.

I felt good this morning. Only slight tightness in my calves. I didn't stop to stretch and was fine.

Reading Seebo's post from yesterday, I'm looking forward to springtime running in Tinicum.

5.4 in 47:14

Acme Loop - Delco Style

Did an Acme loop this morning, but in the reverse order that I might normally run it. Doing so gave me some hills to contend with early on in the run. As I'm (sort of) gearing up for Allentown, I'm going to make it a point to do some hills at least once a week.

My energy level this morning was good - much better than last Friday... probably has something to do with the fact that I haven't done much of anything since then. My calves were giving me agida for pretty much the entire run. I stopped to stretch them right around the two mile mark and that helped a little. It was just one of those days where my footfalls were loud. I don't know if this will make any sense to anyone else, but when my calves are tight, I run louder.

Most of my run this morning was in the dark, which I didn't really like - but added to the adventure. Still, it's nice to have it be lighter later in the day and it's a sure sign that spring is on the way.

5.25 in 46:33

Lead and Bread

Most people who know me know about my Wawa addiction and, in particular, how I am somewhat enamored with their Ciabatta sandwiches (the bread is so good). Well, the geniuses at the Wawa laboratory have come up with the Ciabatta breakfast sandwich. Brilliant. Inspired, really.

A few days ago I started to become somewhat concerned about the weather forecast for the weekend - rain, wind, cold. I wasn't sure how this was going to work with doing my long run. As I mentioned before, I need to start stepping up my long runs since the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon is coming in just seven short weeks. I decided last night to do my long run this morning - getting out of the way so I don't have to worry about the weather and can go cheer Seebo et al on at Caesar Rodney on Sunday. Seemed like a good idea. I decided as further incentive, I would revive an old neighborhood route that would end at the Wawa up the street from where I live, giving me the perfect opportunity to try the new and very exciting Ciabatta breakfast sandwich.

I mapped out the route to make it an even ten miles. I'll just say now that I covered the whole distance, but I didn't run the whole thing. I estimate that I ran about 9.5 of it. The other half mile I walked - over three or four different stop points. I was just whooped. I think part of it had to do with the fact that I've run or worked out every day this week, had a late salsa night one night this week, and had a hard time falling asleep last night. Whatever the reason, my body, my legs were just tired. I am not saying this to whine or complain. In fact, I'm happy to report that I didn't have any calf or hip pain... just an overall feeling of having lead legs.

So while I'm not thrilled about how the run went, I am glad that I did it, that I tackled some hills along the way, and that I got in my long run so I don't have to worry about it this weekend. As for the Ciabatta breakfast sandwich (I had scrambled eggs with 'Merican cheese - no breakfast meat)... it was pretty good... certainly not as good as the regular Ciabatta, but a lovely post-run breakfast.

Call it 9.5 miles in 85 minutes (I stopped my watch during the walk portions).

The Memory Hole

This is a term I've become increasingly familiar with over the past year and a half. It refers to things that were quite recently in the conscious mind that somehow disappear without a trace. I can't attribute it to old age, or absentminded-professorness, but it does happen every now and then. Today it happened with the timing of my run. Not a biggie... but I'm usually pretty good at remembering such things.

I ran at the gym today - mainly because I hate wind and because I wanted to do some weights. As I mentioned a few blogs back, the hip pain I used to have in my right hip, seems to have migrated to my left hip. So I'm trying to be extra proactive about it and do the PT stretching and strengthening exercises that seemed to do the trick before.

Ran for a mile and a half at just under 9 minute pace. My calves were tight, so I stopped and stretched for a good three minutes. Started back and ran the next mile in 8:45 and then the miles got progressively faster from there (though not much), but the details are lost, as is my final time. My calves felt pretty good after stretching and easing back into the run.

5.5 - time down the memory hole.

Jinxy Bloodfoot

No, that's not my Indian name, but for today, maybe it should be. Just yesterday I was so excited to report the absence of calf pain during my long, Saturday run. Well, it was back this morning. Guess I jinxed myself.

I ran what is now becoming my usual West Philly five loop. I stopped to stretch twice, after about a mile and then again before the two mile mark. From there it was tolerable to the point where I didn't need to stop to stretch again, but it made for a slow morning. Otherwise the run wasn't bad... I didn't even mind the CVS hill too much.

As for the 'blood' part of the title for today's blog... I noticed - now for the second time - a sizeable blood stain on my precious new(ish) Periwinkle Mizunos. Gross, I know... and TMI, to be sure. First time it was a blister... this time... I just need to cut my toenails. Ew. Gross. I know... sorry... but, hey, it's my blog and I can write what I want.

5.something in 45 minutes.

Nag, nag, nag

I'm sick of catching flack from Seebo for not updating my blog.... so here goes. Big whoop.... I ran the loop yesterday. Ok... I won't reduce it to simply that. I met up with the Philly Runners crew and managed to actually run with a group of nice folks (usually I wind up running solo) for at least seven of the eight and a half miles. I was glad for the company and conversation, though it can be kind of tough to do the whole get-to-know-ya thang when you're battling a rough headwind up West River Drive.

I'm debating whether or not to go upstairs to see if I have my final time on my watch because, honestly, I don't remember it. I can say that most miles were somewhere around 8:40 pace... which I was sort of okay with. I managed to eek out an 8:17 mile somewhere around the 7th mile - but that was with some tailwind and a concerted effort. Still, it was nice to see.

The best thing about this run was that my calves behaved themselves and, overall, the aches and pains were at a minimum. Cooling down and stretching, I noticed a bit of the old hip pain - though this time in my left hip instead of my right. I'm not worried yet. Maybe I'll employ some of my old PT tricks on it to see if I can head it off at the pass.

I really need to get my butt in gear for Allentown. Eight weeks and counting and right now my long runs are at a kind of pathetic eight and a half to nine miles. Next weekend I'll shoot for ten to ten and a half. If I put it in writing (which I just did), hopefully it will happen.

I'll get back to you on the time.... maybe.

Congratualtions to Seebo and Wesner for running a spectacular 10k today.