Today was a big day. That's right. BIG.
I arrived at the Harris YMCA pool at 5:45 am, towel and goggles in tow. My swimming partner invariably beats me to the pool so I was a little thrown off when I realized none of the swim-capped heads were hers. So I sat down on the bench and waited. I watched lanes open and close. I watched people effortlessly moving through the water. My stomach started to knot as I watched the clock and worried about all the unknowns.
How flipping cold is that water going to be?
Do I even remember how to do anything other than breast stroke?
(Do I even know how to do breast stroke, really?)
Are my goggles going to leak and get water in my last pair of contacts rendering me nearly blind for the better part of a week until my new ones arrive?
Am I going to look like a complete ass?
I waited and pondered and squirmed for about 15 minutes. I resigned myself to the fact that my partner was not showing and went for it - into the pool with goggles smooshed into the soft circles under my eyes (this would be pretty later). First few laps I caved and did breast stroke. Finally, finally, finally - I just did it. I put my face in the water.
Let me repeat.
I put my face in the water!!! (worthy of exclamation points)
I swam for four laps breathing every four strokes and my lungs burned. I kinda liked it but I kinda felt like I might drown so I kinda decided to take a brief moment and observe the other swimmers. They were breathing every two strokes. Well sheesh. What was I thinking? So I went back and forth between two strokes and four strokes and got comfortable. Every 4-6 laps or so I stopped and did a little kickboard since I was barely kicking while swimming. By the end of the 45 minutes I was swimming without counting laps... I had learned a few very important things:
I am not going to drown
and
I can pace myself
and
No one's looking at me
so
who cares if I look like an ass?
5.25.2010
5.20.2010
F(r)un Times
Freedom Park.
Quick turns.
And an IT band on fire.
Yesterday I ran with the boy and two gentleman from my Blue Ridge Relay team. We met somewhere near East Boulevard and did some crazy loopage all over the area. This was the first time I had run after work in a long time and it was gor-geous. The sweat was just pouring off me but I wasn't in the mood for taking my shirt off so it was a rather sticky run with little ventilation. But I am not at all complaining because I like running in the warmth.
Ran 8 miles which was about 1.5 more than I technically should have but I felt good. Had STEM done on my leg earlier in the day and so my hamstring was not even a factor during the run. Iced the ITB and hammy even thought it wasn't really killing me but watching a movie is perfect time to ice.
Got a tasty bit of leftovers combined... tagine sauce a la chicken and rice with some black bean cakes from monday's dinner. 9:15 is officially too late to eat dinner. The only issue with running at night is your belly stays empty way too long. Well that's not the only issue, there is the whole problem of getting too tired or too stressed or too busy by the end of the day. That always sucks.
So I guess the lesson on that is: I am so thankful for my morning running partners. Where would I be without them?
Quick turns.
And an IT band on fire.
Yesterday I ran with the boy and two gentleman from my Blue Ridge Relay team. We met somewhere near East Boulevard and did some crazy loopage all over the area. This was the first time I had run after work in a long time and it was gor-geous. The sweat was just pouring off me but I wasn't in the mood for taking my shirt off so it was a rather sticky run with little ventilation. But I am not at all complaining because I like running in the warmth.
Ran 8 miles which was about 1.5 more than I technically should have but I felt good. Had STEM done on my leg earlier in the day and so my hamstring was not even a factor during the run. Iced the ITB and hammy even thought it wasn't really killing me but watching a movie is perfect time to ice.
Got a tasty bit of leftovers combined... tagine sauce a la chicken and rice with some black bean cakes from monday's dinner. 9:15 is officially too late to eat dinner. The only issue with running at night is your belly stays empty way too long. Well that's not the only issue, there is the whole problem of getting too tired or too stressed or too busy by the end of the day. That always sucks.
So I guess the lesson on that is: I am so thankful for my morning running partners. Where would I be without them?
5.17.2010
Craving
It is a cold, rainy Monday morning and I'm thinking this little blitz from my brother's blog looks beyond satisfying.
5.14.2010
Highs 'n Lows
This hamstring injury has been a rocky road and it hasn't been a damn thing like ice cream.
5.13.2010
Recap Revisited
To motivate myself a wee bit (and because I was messing with my Garmin) I went back through and updated my Athleticore log with splits from Thunder Road. As I write this I feel like that 30 something who is still trying to play beer pong with the boys and remain in his college football days. Except I'm a 20 something and this was relatively recent and I am still in it. Right?
Thought the running side of this blog could use it:
Running Competition
Date: 12/12/2009 7:50:00 AM
Competition: Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon(Road Race)
Event: Marathon @ 3:04:23.00 (7:02 / mi) Place: 1
Warmup/Cooldown: 0 mi
Shoes: Mizuno Precision 10 (10/31/2009)
Temperature: 31°F to 40°F
Conditions: Cloudy & Dry
Intensity: Hard
Overall Feeling: Excellent
Comments: Here goes!
_______________________
This race was so much fun! I was so thankful to Logan and Joe and everyone else who ran some of this with me!
Start was pretty pathetic - couldn't get to the line until more than a minute after the gun went off. This helped me run under control for the first mile, about 7:24. Next few miles were a little quicker and then I slowed myself down purposefully so I could save myself for later. Hung out with Alice for a few miles and talked some strategy for the race and about our goals, etc. Ran with the CRC guy who was running 52 that day for a while... definitely good conversation pace! Beautiful area at this point... I absolutely love the first half of this race. Saw Joe and Jinnie around 10 right before Logan joined me. From 12 on, Logan and Joe and I just rolled along laughing and having a good time. Felt good and gradually started picking it up but I was proud of myself for biding my time even though I knew there were women ahead of me. Took the lead around mile 20 after running with Amelia for about 3/4 mile when I got to hear that she kicked butt and PRed in the half. Running through NoDa was great with the "wall" that Logan and I slapped as we went through and Plaza Midwood was awesome with the drunken corner cheering me around the curve and downhill. It was at that point, around mile 24, that I really felt like I was racing this thing and it was time to finish up. Mile 25 came and went and then it was go time! Kent hopped in out of nowhere and it felt like old times as we kicked down the hill to Try Sports or flew over the boardwalks at McMullen. Last mile ended up being about 6:08 pace up that tough hill to the finish so I was proud of that! Overall, I had the most wonderful experience ever and cannot wait to do it again! But of course, I need to wait a while :)
splits:
7:24
6:58
6:52
7:19
7:31
7:14
7:13
7:17
7:05
7:07
7:04
7:12
7:14
7:06
6:57
7:07
7:05
6:55
6:46
6:48
6:49
6:40
6:35
6:30
6:20
6:08
6:07 pace - 2:58 for last .49
Total: 3:04:29
6:58 avg
2116 cal burned
Talk about all over the place!
Thought the running side of this blog could use it:
Running Competition
Date: 12/12/2009 7:50:00 AM
Competition: Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon(Road Race)
Event: Marathon @ 3:04:23.00 (7:02 / mi) Place: 1
Warmup/Cooldown: 0 mi
Shoes: Mizuno Precision 10 (10/31/2009)
Temperature: 31°F to 40°F
Conditions: Cloudy & Dry
Intensity: Hard
Overall Feeling: Excellent
Comments: Here goes!
_______________________
This race was so much fun! I was so thankful to Logan and Joe and everyone else who ran some of this with me!
Start was pretty pathetic - couldn't get to the line until more than a minute after the gun went off. This helped me run under control for the first mile, about 7:24. Next few miles were a little quicker and then I slowed myself down purposefully so I could save myself for later. Hung out with Alice for a few miles and talked some strategy for the race and about our goals, etc. Ran with the CRC guy who was running 52 that day for a while... definitely good conversation pace! Beautiful area at this point... I absolutely love the first half of this race. Saw Joe and Jinnie around 10 right before Logan joined me. From 12 on, Logan and Joe and I just rolled along laughing and having a good time. Felt good and gradually started picking it up but I was proud of myself for biding my time even though I knew there were women ahead of me. Took the lead around mile 20 after running with Amelia for about 3/4 mile when I got to hear that she kicked butt and PRed in the half. Running through NoDa was great with the "wall" that Logan and I slapped as we went through and Plaza Midwood was awesome with the drunken corner cheering me around the curve and downhill. It was at that point, around mile 24, that I really felt like I was racing this thing and it was time to finish up. Mile 25 came and went and then it was go time! Kent hopped in out of nowhere and it felt like old times as we kicked down the hill to Try Sports or flew over the boardwalks at McMullen. Last mile ended up being about 6:08 pace up that tough hill to the finish so I was proud of that! Overall, I had the most wonderful experience ever and cannot wait to do it again! But of course, I need to wait a while :)
splits:
7:24
6:58
6:52
7:19
7:31
7:14
7:13
7:17
7:05
7:07
7:04
7:12
7:14
7:06
6:57
7:07
7:05
6:55
6:46
6:48
6:49
6:40
6:35
6:30
6:20
6:08
6:07 pace - 2:58 for last .49
Total: 3:04:29
6:58 avg
2116 cal burned
Talk about all over the place!
Morning, Miles, and Norah Jones
Kinda interesting when "to failure" occurs on the first rep. Ouch. Did a little workout on my lunch break with our trainer here at the office and ended up in the fetal position of failure once or twice. I think I dropped a few four letter words as well but that's not a big surprise. (This is something I'm working on).
Got my run on this morning with my Thursday am running partner - starting things back up again. I was pretty pumped as we made our way down the sidewalk chattin' it up. Passed along the highlights of Norah Jones, discussed the Wilco CD he borrowed from me (and returned insulated in paper towel and little plastic baggie when he met me running this morning), and recapped his Twilight race and recent workouts. Felt pretty smooth during this run but was a little more tired than I'd like to be on a 5.5 mile run. Good news... I mapped my run when I got home and it turned out to be 6 - so there. Longest run since I've come back. No, I'm not going to stop counting those.
Speaking of Norah Jones. I have to make a comment. She sang a pretty wonderfully rockin' song about her dog being her only man of the hour and so on. Two things:
1) What kind of dog would the likes of Norah Jones have?
2) What man in his right mind would lie, cheat, or argue with the likes of Norah Jones?
Just thinkin'.
I've always wondered these things when listening to Ben Gibbard, Connor Oberst, and Chris Carrabba - who breaks hearts like these? But you know what? I'm kinda glad they did... because the music that evolves out of heartbreak and heartache and gut-wrenching tears on the pavement is the kind of music I get into. I let it float around in between my ears and I soak it up in my skin and I let it light my memories afire. This is the kind of music I get into. A few eggs cracked to make some omelets of musical genius. Keep 'em crackin loves. Keep 'em crackin.
Got my run on this morning with my Thursday am running partner - starting things back up again. I was pretty pumped as we made our way down the sidewalk chattin' it up. Passed along the highlights of Norah Jones, discussed the Wilco CD he borrowed from me (and returned insulated in paper towel and little plastic baggie when he met me running this morning), and recapped his Twilight race and recent workouts. Felt pretty smooth during this run but was a little more tired than I'd like to be on a 5.5 mile run. Good news... I mapped my run when I got home and it turned out to be 6 - so there. Longest run since I've come back. No, I'm not going to stop counting those.
Speaking of Norah Jones. I have to make a comment. She sang a pretty wonderfully rockin' song about her dog being her only man of the hour and so on. Two things:
1) What kind of dog would the likes of Norah Jones have?
2) What man in his right mind would lie, cheat, or argue with the likes of Norah Jones?
Just thinkin'.
I've always wondered these things when listening to Ben Gibbard, Connor Oberst, and Chris Carrabba - who breaks hearts like these? But you know what? I'm kinda glad they did... because the music that evolves out of heartbreak and heartache and gut-wrenching tears on the pavement is the kind of music I get into. I let it float around in between my ears and I soak it up in my skin and I let it light my memories afire. This is the kind of music I get into. A few eggs cracked to make some omelets of musical genius. Keep 'em crackin loves. Keep 'em crackin.
5.11.2010
Injury Schminjury
So I been doin' a little running lately. If all goes right I'm a gonna have a 25 mile week this week. This is much more palatable than the 10 mile week I had a couple weeks ago. Oh and infinitely more acceptable than the 0 mile week I had the week before that. I no longer feel so discouraged as my hamstring is still very tight but causes me much less pain than before and I am nearly pain free when sitting in vehicles, on my office ball, on couches, on wrought-iron patio furniture, on wicker chairs... well anywhere really that used to drive me crazy.
McMullen Creek Greenway was its usual pseudo-zoo on Monday morning. As my running partners and I briskly made our way down the boardwalk we encountered some interesting sounding wildlife. I say 'sounding' of course because we didn't get to lay eyes on the creature making our skin crawl. Not to mention the bullfrogs sounding off... you have to love little wilderness encounters at 5:30 am. Thomas and I started pushing ourselves a little bit on the way back. I think the nudge to pick up the pace stemmed from our chitchat of frustration at coming back from time off. We commiserated about how much more difficult pace X feels now when it used to just roll for miles.
I'm feeling about 85% better... one step at a time. I woke up today and felt like crap so I decided to cancel my run for the day. By lunchtime I was feeling equal parts better and lazy so I got 4 quick miles in on the lunch break. This was only a half mile less than I had planned for the day but hey - I'm in the business of takin' what I'm gettin'.
And that's all for now, miles and smiles folks.
McMullen Creek Greenway was its usual pseudo-zoo on Monday morning. As my running partners and I briskly made our way down the boardwalk we encountered some interesting sounding wildlife. I say 'sounding' of course because we didn't get to lay eyes on the creature making our skin crawl. Not to mention the bullfrogs sounding off... you have to love little wilderness encounters at 5:30 am. Thomas and I started pushing ourselves a little bit on the way back. I think the nudge to pick up the pace stemmed from our chitchat of frustration at coming back from time off. We commiserated about how much more difficult pace X feels now when it used to just roll for miles.
I'm feeling about 85% better... one step at a time. I woke up today and felt like crap so I decided to cancel my run for the day. By lunchtime I was feeling equal parts better and lazy so I got 4 quick miles in on the lunch break. This was only a half mile less than I had planned for the day but hey - I'm in the business of takin' what I'm gettin'.
And that's all for now, miles and smiles folks.
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