That's how many miles I've run in the month of March (I know this a day before the end of the month because tomorrow is my day off :)) This is my highest mileage I have ever run in a month in my entire life. The week that included the first of the month was 45.1 miles (I suppose it didn't hurt that the day of that week that fell into March was my long run day), followed by 2 back to back weeks of 49.6, a week of 48, and a week of 45, plus 9.4 miles to start off the week today. Compare this to March of last year, when I ran 23, 28.3, 22, 30.9. Annnd I wonder why I'm so much stronger this year. I know some people can run really well off a lot less mileage, but I don't think I'm one of them. Lots of quality mileage this month too, and with only one race the "easy" days were pretty limited. I'll have taken a total of 5 days off this month as well. Amazingly, I'm running as much, if not more, than I was during cross country season, which hopefully bodes well for the rest of outdoor season!
I'm really excited because I ordered new spikes today! Mizuno Kaze 2 flats for the 5K (which I have become in love with enough that I've decided its worth buying flats for...they were $25, so I don't feel too bad), and Asics Hyper LD spikes for steeple. I'm hoping the Asics will fit since its always hard to tell what you're going to get with men's sizes, but they're way cooler than the women's version and it even mentions the all-mesh upper being ideal for steeplechase. And I got both of these pairs for $18 less than it would have cost to buy the adidas steeple spikes...I'm OK with that.
I felt like I was dragging a bit during the workout tonight, although it didn't show much in my times. 2 miles easy, 2 miles @ "half marathon pace" (7:11, 7:08), 2 minutes easy, 2 miles "half marathon pace" (6:58, 6:55...this may have been excessive, my legs were dead by the end), 3 miles easy/cooldown. I am very happily looking forward to my day off tomorrow, especially since I have 2 fairly major exams on Thursday for which I have to memorize an absurd amount of biochemical reactions, so that's what most of my time is going to be devoted to tomorrow.
I really wasn't going anywhere with this, except to feel good about the fact that this is the first time I've ever run over 200 miles in a month. So, hooray me. :)
Next up: 5K at Oshkosh on Saturday. A year ago, if you'd told me I was going to be running the 5K ever on the track I'd have called you crazy; if you'd told me I'd run it once, LOVE it, and run it again, I would have laughed in your face. Look who's laughing now...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
"This is the worst thing in the WORLD": WLC Race Report
As the WLC coach put it: "Well, I guess you all set personal records today for races run under 35 degrees!"
This is definitely a true story.
Only 6 people from the club were awesome enough to race on Saturday, 5 girls and 1 guy, and 5 of us were in the 5K. The nice thing about that was we got to leave the Union at 9:15...luxuriously late for a meet day. The weather was crappy from the start - 32 and windy, and apparently it was only supposed to be windier in Tosa. Greeeeat. When we got to the track, our worst fears were realized - it was FREEZING, with winds gusting up to 30 mph. And if there's one thing I detest while racing, especially in track, its wind. There was a girl running around the track in just her uniform and we thought she was crazily warming up for something...until we realized it was the ONE girl running the 10K. Talk about a champion...we cheered for her for awhile before holing up under the bleachers where it really wasn't much warmer, but it was at least slightly less windy.
We watched Jade run the 1500 which she ended up winning by outkicking a Parkside girl which was pretty sweet. The start was ridiculous because they were waiting for like 5 minutes after everyone took their sweats off for some girl to take her sweet time putting on her spikes, and then another girl didn't understand the concept of lining up by number...it was strange. Which will happen I guess when the only schools in attendance are extremely random, tiny schools from Illinois. After that we had maybe half an hour before we had to go warm up for the 5K...this was seriously the fastest meet in history, I guess because half the races had 1-2 people in them.
I don't think I ever really got nervous for this race because I was so damn cold and that was all I could really think about. Until we started warming up I couldn't feel my feet, and I was more worried about how much it was going to suck taking my sweats off than how much the race itself was going to hurt. Brittany, Claire and I all wore shorts, and all the other girls were freaking out like "aren't you going to freeze?" I was also wearing my underarmor top, a headband, and gloves so it honestly wasn't that awful, especially once we started running. So then the race started. It took awhile to get settled into a pace, especially with the wind kicking your ass on one straight and helping you out on the other. I felt a little frenzied at first, but eventually I fell into a rhythm that really stuck with me throughout the rest of the race. I remember looking at the clock at around 5 minutes and thinking "oh my god...I still have to run for like 15 more minutes"...but that was the only time I really gave any thought to how long the race was. I came through the mile in about 6:35...I was hoping to get out a bit faster, but with the wind and all I wasn't too unhappy about that. Around then, this girl from Parkside ("Kimmy") passed me, but really didn't get too far ahead of me. (I only know her name was Kimmy because I spent the rest of the race being taunted by her teammates/coaches cheering for her at every corner of the track...trust me, I knew her splits like the back of my hand). I didn't feel like making a move at that point, so I kind of tucked in behind her and attempted to draft off of her, but when that didn't really work after a couple laps, I just said screw it and put in a little surge to pass her. Apparently, once I passed her she continued to fall further and further behind me for the rest of the race. I was really proud of how I actually made an effort to actually push through the wind, not just let it kill me and slow down. Everytime I hit the windy straight I would think to myself that in only 100 meters, I would have the wind at my back and it would be fabulous. With 1200 to go I was starting to get tired but not so much that I was dying and slowing down...in fact, I felt strong throughout the race. Finally, at 400 meters left, I threw everything left in me into my kick. I felt great down the back straight and into the final curve...and then I hit the last straight...aka, I ran into a 30 mph wall of wind.
The last stretch seemed to go on FOREVER...it was seriously like running through a tunnel where the finish line keeps on moving further and further away. I couldn't hear anything except the wind whistling in my ears and I kept trying to will myself forward because I REALLY wanted to finish under 21...but alas, there was nothing I could do about the invisible force pushing me back. I finally crossed the line in 21:04, which I'm not sad about in the least considering its the second best 5K I've ever run, and in pretty much the most absurd conditions possible.
I think the thing that made me happiest about this race is how strong I felt throughout it. Now, if I had really been willing to push myself, to really make it hurt, I'm sure I could have PRed. So in that way it isn't good that I think maybe I could have made it hurt more...but its not as if I wasn't tired or wasn't trying. It's the first time EVER that someone has passed me and I've been able to respond, to not just watch them run off while I continue to struggle behind them. And to be honest, its the first time in a race that I have ENJOYED myself. It was the weirdest thing - all my mind could focus on was how good I felt, when usually it clings on to every twinge, ache, and pain that it can find. Also, the fact that I was only 15 seconds off my PR doesn't hurt. I can only imagine what's to come in the rest of this season...all I know is, I will DEFINITELY be running the 5K again. The thing that I think is weird, but kind of cool about the 5K too is that there aren't any really slow people who run it. Like if you suck, they're not going to throw you on the track to suffer for 25 minutes, they'll let you run a 3:30 800 or a 7:00 1500. I could run crappy times in the mile and still beat 20 people, but if I can run a time I'm proud of and beat 3 in the 5K, well I think I'd be much happier with that.
Seriously. I don't even know. What kind of crazy life is it when I go from thinking the 300 m hurdles is the worst thing in the world to LOVING the 5000 m? I did absolutely love it. The rhythm of the race, and the fact that you have time to fix things that go wrong, and just the strange symmetry of it and knowing exactly where you are (unlike in cross country) have just sucked me in. I'm sure I'll get around to steeplechasing eventually, but for now I don't think I'm going to stop until a 5K PR is mine. All mine.
Oh, and then it snowed, and today I ran 12 miles in it, as well as more absurd wind. My left achilles/calf is definitely bugging me, so I'll be icing tonight and hoping it calms down in time for whatever crazy workout is planned for tomorrow.
And if nothing else, I can't say I'll ever complain about weather at a meet ever again. :)
This is definitely a true story.
Only 6 people from the club were awesome enough to race on Saturday, 5 girls and 1 guy, and 5 of us were in the 5K. The nice thing about that was we got to leave the Union at 9:15...luxuriously late for a meet day. The weather was crappy from the start - 32 and windy, and apparently it was only supposed to be windier in Tosa. Greeeeat. When we got to the track, our worst fears were realized - it was FREEZING, with winds gusting up to 30 mph. And if there's one thing I detest while racing, especially in track, its wind. There was a girl running around the track in just her uniform and we thought she was crazily warming up for something...until we realized it was the ONE girl running the 10K. Talk about a champion...we cheered for her for awhile before holing up under the bleachers where it really wasn't much warmer, but it was at least slightly less windy.
We watched Jade run the 1500 which she ended up winning by outkicking a Parkside girl which was pretty sweet. The start was ridiculous because they were waiting for like 5 minutes after everyone took their sweats off for some girl to take her sweet time putting on her spikes, and then another girl didn't understand the concept of lining up by number...it was strange. Which will happen I guess when the only schools in attendance are extremely random, tiny schools from Illinois. After that we had maybe half an hour before we had to go warm up for the 5K...this was seriously the fastest meet in history, I guess because half the races had 1-2 people in them.
I don't think I ever really got nervous for this race because I was so damn cold and that was all I could really think about. Until we started warming up I couldn't feel my feet, and I was more worried about how much it was going to suck taking my sweats off than how much the race itself was going to hurt. Brittany, Claire and I all wore shorts, and all the other girls were freaking out like "aren't you going to freeze?" I was also wearing my underarmor top, a headband, and gloves so it honestly wasn't that awful, especially once we started running. So then the race started. It took awhile to get settled into a pace, especially with the wind kicking your ass on one straight and helping you out on the other. I felt a little frenzied at first, but eventually I fell into a rhythm that really stuck with me throughout the rest of the race. I remember looking at the clock at around 5 minutes and thinking "oh my god...I still have to run for like 15 more minutes"...but that was the only time I really gave any thought to how long the race was. I came through the mile in about 6:35...I was hoping to get out a bit faster, but with the wind and all I wasn't too unhappy about that. Around then, this girl from Parkside ("Kimmy") passed me, but really didn't get too far ahead of me. (I only know her name was Kimmy because I spent the rest of the race being taunted by her teammates/coaches cheering for her at every corner of the track...trust me, I knew her splits like the back of my hand). I didn't feel like making a move at that point, so I kind of tucked in behind her and attempted to draft off of her, but when that didn't really work after a couple laps, I just said screw it and put in a little surge to pass her. Apparently, once I passed her she continued to fall further and further behind me for the rest of the race. I was really proud of how I actually made an effort to actually push through the wind, not just let it kill me and slow down. Everytime I hit the windy straight I would think to myself that in only 100 meters, I would have the wind at my back and it would be fabulous. With 1200 to go I was starting to get tired but not so much that I was dying and slowing down...in fact, I felt strong throughout the race. Finally, at 400 meters left, I threw everything left in me into my kick. I felt great down the back straight and into the final curve...and then I hit the last straight...aka, I ran into a 30 mph wall of wind.
The last stretch seemed to go on FOREVER...it was seriously like running through a tunnel where the finish line keeps on moving further and further away. I couldn't hear anything except the wind whistling in my ears and I kept trying to will myself forward because I REALLY wanted to finish under 21...but alas, there was nothing I could do about the invisible force pushing me back. I finally crossed the line in 21:04, which I'm not sad about in the least considering its the second best 5K I've ever run, and in pretty much the most absurd conditions possible.
I think the thing that made me happiest about this race is how strong I felt throughout it. Now, if I had really been willing to push myself, to really make it hurt, I'm sure I could have PRed. So in that way it isn't good that I think maybe I could have made it hurt more...but its not as if I wasn't tired or wasn't trying. It's the first time EVER that someone has passed me and I've been able to respond, to not just watch them run off while I continue to struggle behind them. And to be honest, its the first time in a race that I have ENJOYED myself. It was the weirdest thing - all my mind could focus on was how good I felt, when usually it clings on to every twinge, ache, and pain that it can find. Also, the fact that I was only 15 seconds off my PR doesn't hurt. I can only imagine what's to come in the rest of this season...all I know is, I will DEFINITELY be running the 5K again. The thing that I think is weird, but kind of cool about the 5K too is that there aren't any really slow people who run it. Like if you suck, they're not going to throw you on the track to suffer for 25 minutes, they'll let you run a 3:30 800 or a 7:00 1500. I could run crappy times in the mile and still beat 20 people, but if I can run a time I'm proud of and beat 3 in the 5K, well I think I'd be much happier with that.
Seriously. I don't even know. What kind of crazy life is it when I go from thinking the 300 m hurdles is the worst thing in the world to LOVING the 5000 m? I did absolutely love it. The rhythm of the race, and the fact that you have time to fix things that go wrong, and just the strange symmetry of it and knowing exactly where you are (unlike in cross country) have just sucked me in. I'm sure I'll get around to steeplechasing eventually, but for now I don't think I'm going to stop until a 5K PR is mine. All mine.
Oh, and then it snowed, and today I ran 12 miles in it, as well as more absurd wind. My left achilles/calf is definitely bugging me, so I'll be icing tonight and hoping it calms down in time for whatever crazy workout is planned for tomorrow.
And if nothing else, I can't say I'll ever complain about weather at a meet ever again. :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
No such thing as easy
If I randomly decide to browse back through my workouts or even through this blog, a common theme in my running becomes pretty obvious: I run faster than I should in every situation except races. Take the workout I did Friday, for example. The plan was to do 4 x [6 minutes @ 10K pace, 4 minutes rest]. I calculated the pace per lap it would take me to run 7:00 miles (52 seconds) figuring that was close enough to 10K pace, even though the last 10K I ran I ran 7:30 pace. Whatever. Anyway, take a guess as to what my first lap was? 48. And this continued throughout the entire workout. My first interval was ~6:20 pace, the second interval I actually finished a mile in 6:05 (yeah...I don't know either.), and finally the last couple I was getting tired (most likely after I, you know, decided to run a 6:05 mile in a workout) and ended up around 6:40 pace...STILL faster than planned. Something similar happened completely by accident today on the long run...my legs felt horrible for some reason and of course we were running through the hills of the Arb. I felt like death most of the time, but I forced myself to finish the 10 (actually, it ended up being 11.4) miles I was supposed to run. I got home and mapped it out. Turns out the pace was 7:39. Uh, no WONDER my legs felt like crap!
Anyway, the bottom line is this: I don't think there's been a workout all season where I haven't been way, way under the pace that I was 'supposed' to be at, and yet it doesn't seem to be showing up in my races. Why? I realize that I don't exactly take my easy days easy either, but it's not like I'm putting in an extreme effort to run hard - 7:30 pace just happens. So I don't know if its a mental thing where I just completely psyche myself out into how much a race is going to hurt just because its a race, or what, but something tells me that I should be racing better than I have been. Not that I had a bad indoor season by any means, but I feel like I should be able to do more, to have that breakthrough and be able to run times I'm consistently happy with. And it seems to me that if running these workouts at these paces isn't hurting me or trashing my legs, then I might as well do them that way, right? How can pushing yourself harder in a workout possibly be a bad thing?
This seems to be occurring more in the past few months than it ever has in my life. I'm flying through workouts at paces that I never would have been able to run in the past, and I feel like I'm not putting in any more effort. I finish workout feeling exhausted, but not dead. Does that mean I'm finally doing something right? I hope so. Maybe this means that distance - real long distance - is where I belong. Scary.
And now, 2 completely non-running related items:
NCAA Tourney - the time of the year when I decide I care about college bball outside of the Badgers. The 1st round game was INCREDIBLE, and beating FSU when everyone said we shouldn't have even made the tournament was pretty sweet. It's too bad we lost today, things kind of fell apart at the end, but we still played a good game and definitely proved we belonged. And I actually picked Xavier to go to the Final 4...so that kind of works out for my bracket, I suppose. I mean, there is a case of beer riding on it for me, which would be excellent. :P
I also just randomly wanted to reminisce about the awful day I had at work on Friday. I work at a dog daycare/hotel (yes, a ridiculous concept, but seriously, I love my job). So I was working the morning shift in the medium sized dog park, and from the very beginning, things were bad. This dog named Max was just being a terror, almost starting fights with everyone, and there were all sorts of other random minor problems with humping and dogs taking cheap shots and yeah...general things that you can't even understand how annoying they are until you're alone and in charge of 26 dogs. Did I mention there were 26 dogs when there were supposed to be 18? Fabulous. So finally, after about 4 hours, they switched Max to the big dog play park...I was soooo happy that things were finally going to calm down...except not. No sooner had he left then a freaking DOG FIGHT breaks out between these 2 dogs, and I have to try to rip them apart. So I had to deal with all that lovely drama, and in the meantime all of these dogs are just barking obnoxiously at me for no reason, always fun. So finally, it's time to leave, and I couldn't be happier to be going home...when all of a sudden I notice one of the dogs is bleeding, from what turns out to be a puncture wound under its eye. And I have NO IDEA what happened since this dog wasn't doing anything all day. So it was just absurd, and I just wanted to cry, and in the whole 10 months I've worked there, this was by far the worst day...ever. Although I guess, I did go home, take a nap, and then do the ridiculous workout I was talking about. So the day wasn't a total waste.
Anyway, outdoor starts on Saturday! We're racing at Wisconsin Lutheran and I think I am running the 5K...which might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever done. I obviously would rather steeple but since a) it's supposed to be a high of 43 and raining, and b) I haven't gone near a steeple barrier, let alone the water jump yet this season, I feel like the chances of running a bad race and/or injuring myself are pretty high...so that might just have to wait. And in the meantime, I guess I'll shoot for a 5K PR. Oh dear.
Anyway, the bottom line is this: I don't think there's been a workout all season where I haven't been way, way under the pace that I was 'supposed' to be at, and yet it doesn't seem to be showing up in my races. Why? I realize that I don't exactly take my easy days easy either, but it's not like I'm putting in an extreme effort to run hard - 7:30 pace just happens. So I don't know if its a mental thing where I just completely psyche myself out into how much a race is going to hurt just because its a race, or what, but something tells me that I should be racing better than I have been. Not that I had a bad indoor season by any means, but I feel like I should be able to do more, to have that breakthrough and be able to run times I'm consistently happy with. And it seems to me that if running these workouts at these paces isn't hurting me or trashing my legs, then I might as well do them that way, right? How can pushing yourself harder in a workout possibly be a bad thing?
This seems to be occurring more in the past few months than it ever has in my life. I'm flying through workouts at paces that I never would have been able to run in the past, and I feel like I'm not putting in any more effort. I finish workout feeling exhausted, but not dead. Does that mean I'm finally doing something right? I hope so. Maybe this means that distance - real long distance - is where I belong. Scary.
And now, 2 completely non-running related items:
NCAA Tourney - the time of the year when I decide I care about college bball outside of the Badgers. The 1st round game was INCREDIBLE, and beating FSU when everyone said we shouldn't have even made the tournament was pretty sweet. It's too bad we lost today, things kind of fell apart at the end, but we still played a good game and definitely proved we belonged. And I actually picked Xavier to go to the Final 4...so that kind of works out for my bracket, I suppose. I mean, there is a case of beer riding on it for me, which would be excellent. :P
I also just randomly wanted to reminisce about the awful day I had at work on Friday. I work at a dog daycare/hotel (yes, a ridiculous concept, but seriously, I love my job). So I was working the morning shift in the medium sized dog park, and from the very beginning, things were bad. This dog named Max was just being a terror, almost starting fights with everyone, and there were all sorts of other random minor problems with humping and dogs taking cheap shots and yeah...general things that you can't even understand how annoying they are until you're alone and in charge of 26 dogs. Did I mention there were 26 dogs when there were supposed to be 18? Fabulous. So finally, after about 4 hours, they switched Max to the big dog play park...I was soooo happy that things were finally going to calm down...except not. No sooner had he left then a freaking DOG FIGHT breaks out between these 2 dogs, and I have to try to rip them apart. So I had to deal with all that lovely drama, and in the meantime all of these dogs are just barking obnoxiously at me for no reason, always fun. So finally, it's time to leave, and I couldn't be happier to be going home...when all of a sudden I notice one of the dogs is bleeding, from what turns out to be a puncture wound under its eye. And I have NO IDEA what happened since this dog wasn't doing anything all day. So it was just absurd, and I just wanted to cry, and in the whole 10 months I've worked there, this was by far the worst day...ever. Although I guess, I did go home, take a nap, and then do the ridiculous workout I was talking about. So the day wasn't a total waste.
Anyway, outdoor starts on Saturday! We're racing at Wisconsin Lutheran and I think I am running the 5K...which might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever done. I obviously would rather steeple but since a) it's supposed to be a high of 43 and raining, and b) I haven't gone near a steeple barrier, let alone the water jump yet this season, I feel like the chances of running a bad race and/or injuring myself are pretty high...so that might just have to wait. And in the meantime, I guess I'll shoot for a 5K PR. Oh dear.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The luckiest
The past few days haven't been much to speak of running-wise. Ever since Sunday's epic trek around the lake my legs have been feeling pretty sluggish, especially when that was followed up by Edgewood hills on Monday. Yesterday I finally took a day off (my first since March 3 I realized when I looked back at my log...) and it paid off in an incredibly pleasant 8.2 miler with Claire today. Even though the route we took was pretty hilly, I felt great. We stopped at James Madison park on the way back and stood in the lake...Lake Mendota after the winter is nature's ice tub. I haven't done one in awhile because I'm a wuss, but after about 2 minutes of standing in there my feet went numb and it was all good after that. :)
I was talking with Claire about how this season is pretty much the opposite of last year for me - last year, I really wasn't focused, I really didn't care, and honestly, running wasn't making me happy - it was like some kind of chore that I had to do. I didn't do long runs, I completely slacked on the workouts at the end of the season, and I just got so burnt out..it was honestly depressing, because I wanted to WANT to run. I don't know what's different this year, because I'm running more mileage, and more quality mileage at that, but my legs aren't feeling like crap, and I'm still excited to get out there day after day. I want to race, I want to run further, and better, and faster. And I think the thing is besides the fact that I'm actually seeing results from my training, running is just making me happy! And really, isn't that the point of it all? If you're going to struggle through miles and workouts and intervals and races and all of the ridiculousness that it takes to really be able to call yourself a competitive runner, shouldn't it be something that you love, despite its pain and sometimes absurdity? I think I've finally found that. Last year I was content to lay in bed with the BF on a Sunday, not caring in the least that I wasn't doing my long run...and granted, I didn't see him as much last year so there was a certain point where things have to balance out. But this year it doesn't matter if I'm tired, hungover, still drunk for all I care...I'm at Park and Langdon at 10 am...why? Because I love it. I mean, obviously I want to race better, and I'm constantly on a quest for PRs, but if I didn't love it, would I be willing to make that sacrifice for it? Probably not. Bottom line: this season, things finally seem to be coming together for me. I've found the balance between passion and obsession, I'm starting to learn to let bad days and bad races go, and I'm letting myself just enjoy it. Because seriously - what small percentage of the population is able to to what we do? To run 10, 12, 14 miles, to run a mile in under 6 minutes, to not just run for the sake of working out but to compete? And I'm so thankful every day that I go out for a run - from the days when I feel like I'm flying to the days when my legs might as well be made of lead - that by some random turn of events I somehow found this crazy, hilarious, wonderful sport that is distance running.
There's a line in "Again To Carthage" where the main character is contemplating about how in sports, up until a certain point in life, you are always moving forward. Like, you train, each day you get a little better, you PR, you keep training, you get a little better, you PR. Your life is constantly moving forward and you're constantly better than you were yesterday. And that as long as you're there, in your athletic prime, you might as well use it to its fullest and enjoy every minute, because it won't be that way forever. And I think that's part of the reason why I have this blog, because I never want to forget how incredible this running life is - not that I'll ever be done running, but with a team and stuff. We're a special bunch, and however we found our way into this ridiculous sport, we are lucky enough to experience things that most normal people never even imagine.
Going off on random tangents...it's totally why I have this blog.
Oh, and on the topic of luck (both good and bad I guess): St Patrick's Day was quite the entertaining holiday, and much beer was consumed by my roommates and I. We finally made it out of the house at midnight after some ridiculous card games (Irish poker, fittingly :)) and headed to Jordan's Big 10 - a great bar, by the way. Anyway, after playing a few games of shuffleboard we finally sat down and were drinking our beers, when I took a picture and then somehow managed to drop my $300 camera INTO MY BEER. This is like a 16 oz plastic cup...I have no idea what sorts of physics were involved in lining up all those angles but yeah...plop, straight into the beer. It didn't work the next day and I was pretty devastated, and I started looking up things that people did to fix water damage online. Mostly it was just "wait a couple weeks", but one tip was to put it in a plastic bag with rice to help soak up the moisture. Well, I came home from work today, and the BF had apparently discovered that it was working again. SO ridiculous. So, don't drop digital cameras into beer. It's bad.
Ok, time to go back to watching the NCAA tourney. So far I've only had one loss in my bracket that I had going beyond round 2...and since I literally had NO idea what I was doing when I picked my teams, I'd say that's pretty decent.
Did I mention I'm going to train for a marathon this summer? Yeah, more on that one later. :)
I was talking with Claire about how this season is pretty much the opposite of last year for me - last year, I really wasn't focused, I really didn't care, and honestly, running wasn't making me happy - it was like some kind of chore that I had to do. I didn't do long runs, I completely slacked on the workouts at the end of the season, and I just got so burnt out..it was honestly depressing, because I wanted to WANT to run. I don't know what's different this year, because I'm running more mileage, and more quality mileage at that, but my legs aren't feeling like crap, and I'm still excited to get out there day after day. I want to race, I want to run further, and better, and faster. And I think the thing is besides the fact that I'm actually seeing results from my training, running is just making me happy! And really, isn't that the point of it all? If you're going to struggle through miles and workouts and intervals and races and all of the ridiculousness that it takes to really be able to call yourself a competitive runner, shouldn't it be something that you love, despite its pain and sometimes absurdity? I think I've finally found that. Last year I was content to lay in bed with the BF on a Sunday, not caring in the least that I wasn't doing my long run...and granted, I didn't see him as much last year so there was a certain point where things have to balance out. But this year it doesn't matter if I'm tired, hungover, still drunk for all I care...I'm at Park and Langdon at 10 am...why? Because I love it. I mean, obviously I want to race better, and I'm constantly on a quest for PRs, but if I didn't love it, would I be willing to make that sacrifice for it? Probably not. Bottom line: this season, things finally seem to be coming together for me. I've found the balance between passion and obsession, I'm starting to learn to let bad days and bad races go, and I'm letting myself just enjoy it. Because seriously - what small percentage of the population is able to to what we do? To run 10, 12, 14 miles, to run a mile in under 6 minutes, to not just run for the sake of working out but to compete? And I'm so thankful every day that I go out for a run - from the days when I feel like I'm flying to the days when my legs might as well be made of lead - that by some random turn of events I somehow found this crazy, hilarious, wonderful sport that is distance running.
There's a line in "Again To Carthage" where the main character is contemplating about how in sports, up until a certain point in life, you are always moving forward. Like, you train, each day you get a little better, you PR, you keep training, you get a little better, you PR. Your life is constantly moving forward and you're constantly better than you were yesterday. And that as long as you're there, in your athletic prime, you might as well use it to its fullest and enjoy every minute, because it won't be that way forever. And I think that's part of the reason why I have this blog, because I never want to forget how incredible this running life is - not that I'll ever be done running, but with a team and stuff. We're a special bunch, and however we found our way into this ridiculous sport, we are lucky enough to experience things that most normal people never even imagine.
Going off on random tangents...it's totally why I have this blog.
Oh, and on the topic of luck (both good and bad I guess): St Patrick's Day was quite the entertaining holiday, and much beer was consumed by my roommates and I. We finally made it out of the house at midnight after some ridiculous card games (Irish poker, fittingly :)) and headed to Jordan's Big 10 - a great bar, by the way. Anyway, after playing a few games of shuffleboard we finally sat down and were drinking our beers, when I took a picture and then somehow managed to drop my $300 camera INTO MY BEER. This is like a 16 oz plastic cup...I have no idea what sorts of physics were involved in lining up all those angles but yeah...plop, straight into the beer. It didn't work the next day and I was pretty devastated, and I started looking up things that people did to fix water damage online. Mostly it was just "wait a couple weeks", but one tip was to put it in a plastic bag with rice to help soak up the moisture. Well, I came home from work today, and the BF had apparently discovered that it was working again. SO ridiculous. So, don't drop digital cameras into beer. It's bad.
Ok, time to go back to watching the NCAA tourney. So far I've only had one loss in my bracket that I had going beyond round 2...and since I literally had NO idea what I was doing when I picked my teams, I'd say that's pretty decent.
Did I mention I'm going to train for a marathon this summer? Yeah, more on that one later. :)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Random video: steeplechase is awesome
I found this video on College Humor... its from a meet that my team went to in high school...they randomly had a 1500 meter steeplechase complete with this incredible water pit dug out of a hole in the ground. My coaches never let anyone from my team run it because they didn't want people getting hurt, especially because the meet was right before conference. This is why.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Lesson learned
So here's something I learned today: it is NOT a good idea to try to go on a 14 mile run after hardly eating anything the day before and only eating yogurt and cereal for breakfast. You WILL feel like crap, your legs will want to fall off, and you will curse the day you became a runner.
However, you will also finish your 14 mile run.
So yes, I finally did what I've been planning to do for awhile now - I ran all the way around Lake Monona. It was quite a daunting task considering I was without my usual WTC long run crew thanks to spring break, but the 55 degree weather and sunshine and the fact that I completely failed at running yesterday beckoned me. By the time I got to Olbrich Park (~5 miles in), I was feeling very hungry. A few miles later, somewhere in Monona, I got lost and ended up adding on over a quarter mile to my distance. By the time I got back by the Alliant Energy Center, I pretty much thought my legs could not possibly continue. But I plodded on...it was seriously deathly. I don't know how the hell I made it home. I did end up stopping a few times just to gather myself and try and convince my legs that yes, it was possible to continue running. Overall I ended up running 7:50 pace besides the stops, which I'm pretty happy with all things considered. And I ran around the lake!! It's funny because I saw a couple guys from the WTC at one point who were doing the same thing, and I saw a group of older guys on one side of the lake going the opposite direction, and then again on the other side. So apparently I am not the only one crazy enough to want to celebrate the gorgeous weather by running 14 miles...no big deal.
So another 50 mile week is in the books. I already can't remember what racing feels like, but with how well workouts have been going lately, I'm pretty excited to back off the mileage a little bit and get ready to RACE again. I just need to start working on some hurdles/steeple training...if only the athletic department will stop being assholes and just let us get on the track...but more about that some other time.
Annnnnd my legs hurt. Perhaps the delicious Capital Brewery Blonde Doppelbock in my fridge will help ease the pain. Combine that with the first grilled-out brat of the season and the fact that I ran 14 miles today, and you pretty much have the best day of spring break ever. Forget Mexico. :)
However, you will also finish your 14 mile run.
So yes, I finally did what I've been planning to do for awhile now - I ran all the way around Lake Monona. It was quite a daunting task considering I was without my usual WTC long run crew thanks to spring break, but the 55 degree weather and sunshine and the fact that I completely failed at running yesterday beckoned me. By the time I got to Olbrich Park (~5 miles in), I was feeling very hungry. A few miles later, somewhere in Monona, I got lost and ended up adding on over a quarter mile to my distance. By the time I got back by the Alliant Energy Center, I pretty much thought my legs could not possibly continue. But I plodded on...it was seriously deathly. I don't know how the hell I made it home. I did end up stopping a few times just to gather myself and try and convince my legs that yes, it was possible to continue running. Overall I ended up running 7:50 pace besides the stops, which I'm pretty happy with all things considered. And I ran around the lake!! It's funny because I saw a couple guys from the WTC at one point who were doing the same thing, and I saw a group of older guys on one side of the lake going the opposite direction, and then again on the other side. So apparently I am not the only one crazy enough to want to celebrate the gorgeous weather by running 14 miles...no big deal.
So another 50 mile week is in the books. I already can't remember what racing feels like, but with how well workouts have been going lately, I'm pretty excited to back off the mileage a little bit and get ready to RACE again. I just need to start working on some hurdles/steeple training...if only the athletic department will stop being assholes and just let us get on the track...but more about that some other time.
Annnnnd my legs hurt. Perhaps the delicious Capital Brewery Blonde Doppelbock in my fridge will help ease the pain. Combine that with the first grilled-out brat of the season and the fact that I ran 14 miles today, and you pretty much have the best day of spring break ever. Forget Mexico. :)
Friday, March 13, 2009
I'm out on the edge of forever, ready to run
[My apologies from the cheesy song that this post title came from...I'm a little ashamed haha]
So the past week or two have been ridiculously fabulous in terms of workouts. Last Wednesday we were supposed to do a mile at half marathon pace and a mile at 10K pace...well, my "half marathon" pace mile was 6:45, and my "10K" pace was 6:11...on the bike path...in the dark...and it was absolutely fabulous. Then there was Sunday's epic long run in the rain, Monday's workout wasn't as great but that was due to some stomach issues...my legs and everything else felt fine, and so I gutted it out through 12 x 1 minute "5k pack" aka ...6:00-6:10 pace, 1 min easy. THEN on Thursday, we were supposed to be doing 2 miles at half marathon pace...which theoretically should be ~7:20 pace for me (not that I could actually run that for a half marathon, but whatever). I ran with Claire, and we ran 6:44 for the first mile, 6:32 for the second...and I DIDN'T EVEN FEEL TIRED. Not in the least bit. Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles faster than planned, and while today my legs felt like complete shit, I still went for a run.
The bottom line is this: I think I might be in the best shape I've been in in my life. I know for a fact I'm in better shape than I was at this time last season, and I'm plowing through workouts at paces I never could have imagined before in my life. It's exciting and scary all at the same time...because its like I'm on the edge of some times that I know could be amazing, and at this point I think I have the potential to do some awesome things this outdoor season...and I just don't want to be disappointed. But all I know is, I'm feeling great, and I'm running 50 miles a week, and its fabulous. How do you quantify "the best shape of your life"? I never thought I'd be in better shape during track than XC, but I've been running a lot of mileage this track season and just feeling so much more into it that I have in the past...last year, I just hated track and running and was so apathetic about everything, and this year its just like, I'm into it 100%. And it just dawns on me randomly in the middle of workouts and runs just how GOOD I feel...which is something I can't say I've ever experienced before. For all I know, this could be the last chance I have to run the way I am - with a team, and meets, and whatever - and I WILL make it count.
Hence, why I will be doing a tempo run tomorrow no matter how much beer I drink tonight...and tomorrow, I will debut in the distance of 0.10K from Brothers to Brats. Could there be anything more awesome??
So the past week or two have been ridiculously fabulous in terms of workouts. Last Wednesday we were supposed to do a mile at half marathon pace and a mile at 10K pace...well, my "half marathon" pace mile was 6:45, and my "10K" pace was 6:11...on the bike path...in the dark...and it was absolutely fabulous. Then there was Sunday's epic long run in the rain, Monday's workout wasn't as great but that was due to some stomach issues...my legs and everything else felt fine, and so I gutted it out through 12 x 1 minute "5k pack" aka ...6:00-6:10 pace, 1 min easy. THEN on Thursday, we were supposed to be doing 2 miles at half marathon pace...which theoretically should be ~7:20 pace for me (not that I could actually run that for a half marathon, but whatever). I ran with Claire, and we ran 6:44 for the first mile, 6:32 for the second...and I DIDN'T EVEN FEEL TIRED. Not in the least bit. Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles faster than planned, and while today my legs felt like complete shit, I still went for a run.
The bottom line is this: I think I might be in the best shape I've been in in my life. I know for a fact I'm in better shape than I was at this time last season, and I'm plowing through workouts at paces I never could have imagined before in my life. It's exciting and scary all at the same time...because its like I'm on the edge of some times that I know could be amazing, and at this point I think I have the potential to do some awesome things this outdoor season...and I just don't want to be disappointed. But all I know is, I'm feeling great, and I'm running 50 miles a week, and its fabulous. How do you quantify "the best shape of your life"? I never thought I'd be in better shape during track than XC, but I've been running a lot of mileage this track season and just feeling so much more into it that I have in the past...last year, I just hated track and running and was so apathetic about everything, and this year its just like, I'm into it 100%. And it just dawns on me randomly in the middle of workouts and runs just how GOOD I feel...which is something I can't say I've ever experienced before. For all I know, this could be the last chance I have to run the way I am - with a team, and meets, and whatever - and I WILL make it count.
Hence, why I will be doing a tempo run tomorrow no matter how much beer I drink tonight...and tomorrow, I will debut in the distance of 0.10K from Brothers to Brats. Could there be anything more awesome??
Sunday, March 08, 2009
The church of long runs
Today when I woke up it was 35 degrees and raining like hell. My alarm went off and I seriously stared at my watch wondering why the hell I was awake and what I had to do at 8:30 in the morning. Oh wait...run...obviously. And somehow, despite the fact that I was at some random party the night before and got almost no sleep (especially with daylight savings time), it turned out to be a GREAT run. 13.3 miles in 1:43...7:45 pace...and I felt fabulous the entire time. Brittany, Claire and I ran a route that I really liked, down Williamson Street and along Lake Monona past a bunch of cool houses and parks into Monona. I don't know what it is, but I LOVE running in the rain. On a day like today when most normal people would refuse to go outside (or, like some of the guys from the club, run 12 miles in a parking garage...I'm not kidding. Runners are so weird :)) I adore being out on the roads soaking wet and thinking about how much of a badass I am for running in this weather. Plus there is just something calming to me about rain...it lulls me into a rhythm that I think I sometimes lack on my long runs because I'm running slower than usual, and half the time have basically thrown myself out of bed and onto the road. But mostly I think its about feeling badass, and thinking about all of the people who aren't out there right now, and how I'm one 13 miler better than any of them.
Long runs are also nice because you have a long time to just kind of think...or if you're me, you have random pieces of random songs floating around in your head (today's selections were "Eidelweiss" and some Guster song that I don't even remember what it was now...why? haha). Of course you talk with the people you're running with, but at a certain point you're just getting tired and everyone is just kind of existing in their own little spheres, but the fact that there's more than one of you just makes you feel better about what you're doing. I was thinking today for some reason about how people more religious than me go to church on Sundays, but me, I attend the church of long runs. If religion is supposed to be about looking inside yourself for a deeper meaning and purpose, I can't see any better way to do that then to spend almost 2 hours pushing your body and being able to spend that time contemplating whatever you choose.
To be continued...because I am exhausted and work at 6:30 am...
Long runs are also nice because you have a long time to just kind of think...or if you're me, you have random pieces of random songs floating around in your head (today's selections were "Eidelweiss" and some Guster song that I don't even remember what it was now...why? haha). Of course you talk with the people you're running with, but at a certain point you're just getting tired and everyone is just kind of existing in their own little spheres, but the fact that there's more than one of you just makes you feel better about what you're doing. I was thinking today for some reason about how people more religious than me go to church on Sundays, but me, I attend the church of long runs. If religion is supposed to be about looking inside yourself for a deeper meaning and purpose, I can't see any better way to do that then to spend almost 2 hours pushing your body and being able to spend that time contemplating whatever you choose.
To be continued...because I am exhausted and work at 6:30 am...
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Hilarity ensues
If any of you are UW-Madison students or alums, or even if you live in Madison, you probably know of the phenomenon that is the Badger Herald Shoutouts. Basically people can anonymously "shout out" to whatever...something stupid they saw someone say/do, things they like, the weather, something that happened....pretty much, anything at all. Anyway, Monday after practice, Brittany and I were sitting around after doing abs, when suddenly we noticed this guy running with his hands in a really awkward way. At first I thought he just had a really weird running style, but as he kept coming around we realized - he was counting laps. On his hands. And he just looked utterly ridiculous. Not to mention, its not like this guy was any kind of serious runner (although..I guess the fact that he can't count laps in his head kind of gave that one away..), he was running probably over 10 minute mile pace in basketball shorts and one of those SUPER sweet t-shirts with the arms cut off and down the sides. So basically, we decided he was deserving of a shoutout. So here's what I posten:
SO to the guy at the shell counting laps on his hands. I'm sorry you don't know how to count in your head, but seeing you give the world a high five as you came around on your 5th lap just made me laugh.
First of all, it got posted in the paper (which means someone thought it was funny - that always makes me happy). But THEN, today I go browse the online shoutouts section, and here's what I see:
1411. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2009 @ 1:40pm:
SO to whoever made fun of me for counting laps at the shell. I'd like to see you run over 5 MILES and count all the laps. Funny how the eliptical does that for you...
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Lets rip this one apart piece by piece, shall we?
1 - Oooh, 5 miles? You must be quite the badass. Especially considering I had just finished an 8 mile track workout, and somehow managed to keep track of all the laps without using my fingers. :)
2 - Elliptical? Ouch. I actually am offended. Too bad the only time I've been on an elliptical in my life was last year when my IT band flared up, and wanted to shoot myself the entire time.
3 - 5 miles..35 laps? I think my brain might explode with the sheer ridiculousness of attempting to count to 35.
Oh boy. Being a competitive runner makes you a little bit of an elitist sometimes. I realize that there are plenty of people in this world better than me at running, but considering I am 100% confident that I could take this kid over any distance, it amuses me that he would think that I'm one of the other group of people I tend to make fun of at the Shell - chicks on the elliptical either reading books, talking on their cell phones, or looking like they spent about an hour doing their hair before they came to work out. But I digress...anyway, I basically almost peed my pants when I read the response. So here's to you, lap counter guy...I hope you continue to be super proud of your "over 5 miles", and that you know that if I ever see you at the Shell again, I will still be laughing at you.
Tonight's workout calls for 2 miles easy, 1 mile @ half marathon pace, 3 minutes easy, 1 mile @ 10k pace, 2 easy, 3 x 300 @ 5K pace. Let's see...thats something like 7 miles? Let's see if I can manage to do it without counting on my hands. :)
SO to the guy at the shell counting laps on his hands. I'm sorry you don't know how to count in your head, but seeing you give the world a high five as you came around on your 5th lap just made me laugh.
First of all, it got posted in the paper (which means someone thought it was funny - that always makes me happy). But THEN, today I go browse the online shoutouts section, and here's what I see:
1411. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2009 @ 1:40pm:
SO to whoever made fun of me for counting laps at the shell. I'd like to see you run over 5 MILES and count all the laps. Funny how the eliptical does that for you...
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Lets rip this one apart piece by piece, shall we?
1 - Oooh, 5 miles? You must be quite the badass. Especially considering I had just finished an 8 mile track workout, and somehow managed to keep track of all the laps without using my fingers. :)
2 - Elliptical? Ouch. I actually am offended. Too bad the only time I've been on an elliptical in my life was last year when my IT band flared up, and wanted to shoot myself the entire time.
3 - 5 miles..35 laps? I think my brain might explode with the sheer ridiculousness of attempting to count to 35.
Oh boy. Being a competitive runner makes you a little bit of an elitist sometimes. I realize that there are plenty of people in this world better than me at running, but considering I am 100% confident that I could take this kid over any distance, it amuses me that he would think that I'm one of the other group of people I tend to make fun of at the Shell - chicks on the elliptical either reading books, talking on their cell phones, or looking like they spent about an hour doing their hair before they came to work out. But I digress...anyway, I basically almost peed my pants when I read the response. So here's to you, lap counter guy...I hope you continue to be super proud of your "over 5 miles", and that you know that if I ever see you at the Shell again, I will still be laughing at you.
Tonight's workout calls for 2 miles easy, 1 mile @ half marathon pace, 3 minutes easy, 1 mile @ 10k pace, 2 easy, 3 x 300 @ 5K pace. Let's see...thats something like 7 miles? Let's see if I can manage to do it without counting on my hands. :)
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