I think that goals are important. I'm an extremely hyper person who is always doing something and having a concrete goal can sometimes help me focus my attention (but often I am left with bits and pieces of ideas strewn about my brain haphazardly). So every once in a while, I put on paper some of my life goals.
For all of you wondering how this is relevant to running, one of my life goals was to run a marathon - now it's to qualify for Boston. And I ran 5 miles this morning and it's still really cold in DC. Ok, now we're going to focus on feelings and my random thoughts now, thank you.
Is it weird to put my goals on a public blog? It certainly makes me more accountable to completing any/all o them. And I'm sure that some will change eventually. And I'm thinking maybe I won't post all of them. But I'd like to just talk freely about some of the things I want.
Like....
1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon. This is obviously no secret and I'm in the process of working towards this one.
2. Get EMT training. This is a new one from this morning and it was inspired by 2 things. First, last night there was a huge earthquake in Haiti and they desperately need help. I heard on Democracy Now radio this morning (my new ipod has radio, I know, I'm way cool) that if you are EMT trained they will send you to places that have natural disasters. I would like to go to Haiti today and help but without any training, I'd be more of a burden than help.
3. Visit 100 countries. So far I've hit up 20. Let's go, I don't have 100 years to do this!
4. Do an ultra marathon, which is defined as any race that's longer than the traditional marathon. 50 miles? 100 miles? I'm not sure yet. I think I have to do a few more marathons before I try this. And this will undoubtedly happen in another country to help with #3.
5. Do karaoke. I think this is doable. Maybe. Perhaps. If I ever work up the nerve/develop a taste for sake.
Ok this is NOT my full life list. This is more like my adventure list! Which is lame! Because there's not a ton of "adventures" on here! But I don't really like nature/camping etc, so a lot of the traditional adventures are not on my list. Plus I've already done some of it. Like a safari. Already crossed off my list. Also, swimming in the Potomac. Crossed off my list FOREVER.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Still Cold. Harumph.
I'm still cold. The cold makes me grouchy. This is a grouchy post.
On Saturday, I went out and did 9 miles in the freezing wind. Geez...I didn't even realize how cold I was until I got home. Well...that's not entirely true. I was fine when I was running towards Capital Hill, but when I started on my way home, the wind was just hitting me in the face. It was the kind of wind that takes your breath away and makes you want to puke. Not fun. But it DOES make you feel really hard core. So I muscled through it. and then went home...and wore a snuggie around my apartment...
But it remains cold, which means that I remain unmotivated to go outside at all, let alone for an hour. Will 2010 be the year that I conquer the treadmill? I have no idea, as I still hate all treadmills. I wish that there was an indoor track around here that I could use. As it is, I will have to either face the cold or face the treadmill. Shudder. Horrible prospects!
I have to pick one or the other every day now, because my next marathon is rapidly approaching. Nah, you say, it's not for a while yet! Plenty of time. Oh really? Sign up for a marathon and see if it feels like you have enough time to train. I be you say no!
Right now I am very tired and fat from the holidays...nothing like sitting around a tree drinking wine, er, juice, and eating cookies to make you feel like a runner!
On Saturday, I went out and did 9 miles in the freezing wind. Geez...I didn't even realize how cold I was until I got home. Well...that's not entirely true. I was fine when I was running towards Capital Hill, but when I started on my way home, the wind was just hitting me in the face. It was the kind of wind that takes your breath away and makes you want to puke. Not fun. But it DOES make you feel really hard core. So I muscled through it. and then went home...and wore a snuggie around my apartment...
But it remains cold, which means that I remain unmotivated to go outside at all, let alone for an hour. Will 2010 be the year that I conquer the treadmill? I have no idea, as I still hate all treadmills. I wish that there was an indoor track around here that I could use. As it is, I will have to either face the cold or face the treadmill. Shudder. Horrible prospects!
I have to pick one or the other every day now, because my next marathon is rapidly approaching. Nah, you say, it's not for a while yet! Plenty of time. Oh really? Sign up for a marathon and see if it feels like you have enough time to train. I be you say no!
Right now I am very tired and fat from the holidays...nothing like sitting around a tree drinking wine, er, juice, and eating cookies to make you feel like a runner!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Forecast:: cold
It's cold. It's freezing and it will be cold until the end of time. The new ice age is upon us.
Ok, ok, it's just winter here in the district.
But it feels like it's been winter FOREVER already and I am so cold that I am completely unmotivated to run. However, I know that if I do not run, the marathon in March will seem like a HUGE mistake and I certainly don't want to feel like running is a mistake. So I must force myself to get out of bed and into my spandex.
I should buy some new spandex.
This morning I got up at 5 and went down to the Washington Monument and back. It was cold. COLD! I was disappointed to see that the National Tree does not in fact stay on all night for people like me who are up at crazy times. We would like to see some holiday cheer! In reality, December is a great time to run outside even in the cold, because of all the holiday lights that people have up. It's very cheerful and festive, even at 5am. No, really, I'm not joking.
So now all I have to do is convince everyone to leave it up until March...
Last weekend, I did a Jingle All the Way 10k. During that run, I saw a guy with a vest on that said "blind athlete." I realized that he had his wrist tied to a woman who was pacing with him, making sure he stayed on course, and making sure that he didn't trip on anything.
I was so impressed by this! Perhaps one day I will be a blind runner's guide! Perhaps one day I will NEED a guide! So who will sign up for this task now? I want to have this lined up, I have very poor eyesight already, so if the day should ever come that contacts don't fix it anymore, I need someone to be willing to go my pace and tie themselves to me for 4 hours.
Who's in?
Ok, ok, it's just winter here in the district.
But it feels like it's been winter FOREVER already and I am so cold that I am completely unmotivated to run. However, I know that if I do not run, the marathon in March will seem like a HUGE mistake and I certainly don't want to feel like running is a mistake. So I must force myself to get out of bed and into my spandex.
I should buy some new spandex.
This morning I got up at 5 and went down to the Washington Monument and back. It was cold. COLD! I was disappointed to see that the National Tree does not in fact stay on all night for people like me who are up at crazy times. We would like to see some holiday cheer! In reality, December is a great time to run outside even in the cold, because of all the holiday lights that people have up. It's very cheerful and festive, even at 5am. No, really, I'm not joking.
So now all I have to do is convince everyone to leave it up until March...
Last weekend, I did a Jingle All the Way 10k. During that run, I saw a guy with a vest on that said "blind athlete." I realized that he had his wrist tied to a woman who was pacing with him, making sure he stayed on course, and making sure that he didn't trip on anything.
I was so impressed by this! Perhaps one day I will be a blind runner's guide! Perhaps one day I will NEED a guide! So who will sign up for this task now? I want to have this lined up, I have very poor eyesight already, so if the day should ever come that contacts don't fix it anymore, I need someone to be willing to go my pace and tie themselves to me for 4 hours.
Who's in?
Monday, November 16, 2009
A visit to the podiatrist
Because I am 50, I went to the podiatrist today.
Ok, not really. I went to the podiatrist because I've still been having some ankle pain from the Nike marathon. I finally scheduled an appointment last week because I was TERRIFIED of being sidelined now that I signed up to do another marathon.
Because I am a hypochondriac, there probably was no real reason for worry.
That statement is more true than the first one I made, but actually I think it was a good thing that I went. The podiatrist I randomly selected from Google Maps turned out to be a runner, which is always good in my book. I like it when someone in their profession can actually have some insight in the activities of their patients. (However, that is not the sort of thing I discuss in great detail with my gynecologist, although I suppose you could)
Basically, I have strained my Peroneus, which is a big muscle in my ankle. If I had done too much after the marathon, I could have seriously screwed it up, but luckily I am a cautious, somewhat sane individual (with somewhat sane-er friends who forbid me from running) and I did not do that.
The solution?
Stretching.
Oh, the irony...
Ok, not really. I went to the podiatrist because I've still been having some ankle pain from the Nike marathon. I finally scheduled an appointment last week because I was TERRIFIED of being sidelined now that I signed up to do another marathon.
Because I am a hypochondriac, there probably was no real reason for worry.
That statement is more true than the first one I made, but actually I think it was a good thing that I went. The podiatrist I randomly selected from Google Maps turned out to be a runner, which is always good in my book. I like it when someone in their profession can actually have some insight in the activities of their patients. (However, that is not the sort of thing I discuss in great detail with my gynecologist, although I suppose you could)
Basically, I have strained my Peroneus, which is a big muscle in my ankle. If I had done too much after the marathon, I could have seriously screwed it up, but luckily I am a cautious, somewhat sane individual (with somewhat sane-er friends who forbid me from running) and I did not do that.
The solution?
Stretching.
Oh, the irony...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
4 months to marathon?
HAHAHAHA! I have signed up for my next marathon!!! Gales of laughter are hiding my nerves. I signed up for the Nation’s Marathon on March 20, 2010. This will definitely give me an incentive to run throughout winter and focus on bringing my time down. My goal is to finish this one in 4 hours or less. Then the next one I’ll cut off the next 20 minutes and qualify for Boston. If all goes accordingly.
What a thrill it is to sign up for a marathon. There’s the initial hesitation – you might go to the site several times, enter your name and contact info, and then when it comes to payment, you chicken out. You might tell people that you’re thinking of it and then laugh, to try to gauge their reaction to your insane idea. Or you might secretly hide it so that you don’t have to hear THEIR laughter. Then when you actually register, there’s a flood of relief followed by imminent panic. Panic then succumbs to reason – you can do this. It’s just 26.2 miles. Then reason dies an instant death to JOY! Another marathon! HUZZAH!
Well…perhaps you were with me until the joy part.
Anyway…the main point here is that next year I will be doing multiple marathons and now I’m well on my way. I will not let cold weather or lack of training time or swollen ankles or black toenails or the swine flu or the bird flu or anything else stand in my way to Boston!
What a thrill it is to sign up for a marathon. There’s the initial hesitation – you might go to the site several times, enter your name and contact info, and then when it comes to payment, you chicken out. You might tell people that you’re thinking of it and then laugh, to try to gauge their reaction to your insane idea. Or you might secretly hide it so that you don’t have to hear THEIR laughter. Then when you actually register, there’s a flood of relief followed by imminent panic. Panic then succumbs to reason – you can do this. It’s just 26.2 miles. Then reason dies an instant death to JOY! Another marathon! HUZZAH!
Well…perhaps you were with me until the joy part.
Anyway…the main point here is that next year I will be doing multiple marathons and now I’m well on my way. I will not let cold weather or lack of training time or swollen ankles or black toenails or the swine flu or the bird flu or anything else stand in my way to Boston!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Always reaching for the next challenge
If anyone is truly an avid reader, you will notice that the top of my blog no longer reads: 2009: The Year of the Triathlon. Now it reads: Goal: Boston 2011.
Yes, my friends. I have decided that my new challenge will be to learn a new skill - how to run fast. In order to qualify for Boston, I must complete a marathon in 3:40:00. This means I have to cut off 43 minutes from my best marathon time and basically run 26.2 miles at a 9.16 pace. That's the maximum I can do in order to reach this time.
How is this going to happen? I'm not really sure yet. I know that I will have to learn how to do 7 miles in an hour consistently. I know that I will have to do speed drills. It's possible that I will have to talk to a coach. But I think this is a good challenge. I'm hoping to complete this at the Marine Corps marathon 2010, which is in general a flat, easy course with lots of cheerleaders!
In the meantime, I will need to find multiple races to run between now and then. I'm not giving myself a lot of time here - the 2011 race is less than 2 years away. This is going to take some dedicated running and I will actually have to focus on my time now - not my favorite thing to do.
Away we go!
Yes, my friends. I have decided that my new challenge will be to learn a new skill - how to run fast. In order to qualify for Boston, I must complete a marathon in 3:40:00. This means I have to cut off 43 minutes from my best marathon time and basically run 26.2 miles at a 9.16 pace. That's the maximum I can do in order to reach this time.
How is this going to happen? I'm not really sure yet. I know that I will have to learn how to do 7 miles in an hour consistently. I know that I will have to do speed drills. It's possible that I will have to talk to a coach. But I think this is a good challenge. I'm hoping to complete this at the Marine Corps marathon 2010, which is in general a flat, easy course with lots of cheerleaders!
In the meantime, I will need to find multiple races to run between now and then. I'm not giving myself a lot of time here - the 2011 race is less than 2 years away. This is going to take some dedicated running and I will actually have to focus on my time now - not my favorite thing to do.
Away we go!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Why I Love the NY Times
Why do I love the NY Times? Because they print articles like this!!
What's the moral of the story? Running is not only good for you, but human beings are MADE TO RUN! We are born for it! When God created Adam and Eve, He was like, go, move your gluteus maximus (butt) as I have made it ONLY FOR RUNNING!!!!!
Are you not inspired!? How can you not be? What a fantastic article, New York Times. I applaud you for your efforts in the fight against American Obesity.
Also...I found out today that my birthday is on WORLD RUN DAY! Was I born under a lucky star or WHAT.
Details here
(Please note my advanced use of hyperlinks in this post.)
What's the moral of the story? Running is not only good for you, but human beings are MADE TO RUN! We are born for it! When God created Adam and Eve, He was like, go, move your gluteus maximus (butt) as I have made it ONLY FOR RUNNING!!!!!
Are you not inspired!? How can you not be? What a fantastic article, New York Times. I applaud you for your efforts in the fight against American Obesity.
Also...I found out today that my birthday is on WORLD RUN DAY! Was I born under a lucky star or WHAT.
Details here
(Please note my advanced use of hyperlinks in this post.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)