I made a foolish choice this year and hedged my bets on the New York Marathon. And I did not get in. Unfortunately, in the time it took for them to let me know, I missed registration for the Marine Corps and the Chicago marathons. Now I find that I'm somewhat uninterested in trying to find a replacement one. It seems very strange not to have one looming in the future (of course, it would be overshadowed anyway by the ultramarathon approaching this July).
So instead, I am signing up for half marathons. So far, I have one in September and one in October. One with my mom (Philly Rock N Roll) and one in Hershey, PA - chocolate AND running!!!! I am pretty pumped and I am hoping that I can improve my speed by doing a few shorter races.
This past weekend, I did a 10 mile race in Baltimore. It was a lot more hilly than expected, but I finished in 1:28:08. I am at the point where I am in the top 100 for my age/gender group and sometimes even better (placing 22nd out of 745 with a pace of 7:07/mile for a 5k). I am pretty proud of that. If I could work on my speed AND my distance, I think I could really step it up in my marathons.
The thing about that, however, is that if you want to improve your marathon time you have to actually DO a marathon...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Every little thing
This morning, I went for an 8 mile run before work. It was beautiful - last night, it rained and the paths by my house were empty for the most part. Only a few other brave souls woke up and convinced themselves that it would be a good idea to go out and seize the day. I am always so glad when I do make it out in the morning, but it can definitely be a challenge.
My mom came to visit me this past weekend, therefore I was wearing a new pair of shoes (I actually got TWO new pairs of running sneakers but this isn't about bragging). The pair I was wearing this morning are amazing - they are a bright baby blue and just look so cool (since we're bragging, did I mention that my mom is the best?*). But as I was rolling along, I realized that my foot hurt. I was really in pain. I considered turning around. I saw my running life flash before my eyes. Then I remembered that when I had tied my shoes this morning, I had tied my left shoe a little bit too snugly. At the time, I didn't consider that this would cause me serious pain in the arch of my foot. But it did!! As soon as I stopped and retied the shoe a bit looser, I was fine. And finished my 8 miles.
It just goes to show how important training is. You have to learn your body's needs, you have to learn how to adapt to different situations and crises. One little thing goes wrong and suddenly you think you have to quit. It's finding a way around quitting that seperates the marathoners from the rest of the world. Come my friends. Join me.
*While we're on the subject of MamaMennone....she is going to do a half marathon with me this fall!!!
My mom came to visit me this past weekend, therefore I was wearing a new pair of shoes (I actually got TWO new pairs of running sneakers but this isn't about bragging). The pair I was wearing this morning are amazing - they are a bright baby blue and just look so cool (since we're bragging, did I mention that my mom is the best?*). But as I was rolling along, I realized that my foot hurt. I was really in pain. I considered turning around. I saw my running life flash before my eyes. Then I remembered that when I had tied my shoes this morning, I had tied my left shoe a little bit too snugly. At the time, I didn't consider that this would cause me serious pain in the arch of my foot. But it did!! As soon as I stopped and retied the shoe a bit looser, I was fine. And finished my 8 miles.
It just goes to show how important training is. You have to learn your body's needs, you have to learn how to adapt to different situations and crises. One little thing goes wrong and suddenly you think you have to quit. It's finding a way around quitting that seperates the marathoners from the rest of the world. Come my friends. Join me.
*While we're on the subject of MamaMennone....she is going to do a half marathon with me this fall!!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Ramblings
I like to do stuff just to do it. I planned a trip to China not particularly because I had a huge yearning to go to China, but because I really wanted to check it off my life list. I like to do stuff. I wanted to go, but I wanted to go just to go. I think life is too short to leave off anything just because it seems hard, or far away. There are some problems to my approach though. It can mean that if something doesn't interest me, it means I don't want to do it. I drag my feet. I avoid it like the plague. But that's not really the best solution. It also means that I often do something, like a triathlon, just to the point of surviving it. Sure, I finished a triathlon, but I didn't really do very well. I trained just enough to squeeze by, but not enough to triumph. And the biggest problem that I usually encounter is that once I finally finish it, I discard it. I cross it off my list and wipe my hands off (or take a shower, if it's dirty enough).
Marathons though, I've stuck with. I've done five now and I'm going to keep doing them. Maybe I won't always do them incredibly fast (fastly?), but I'm going to continue to do marathons until my knees have to be replaced and even then I'll do some more.
AND MORE RAMBLINGS.
5ks. I've never been a fan. 3.1 miles? Why bother? But I signed up for a series of 5ks on Fridays in April by my new apartment. And it was SO MUCH FUN. My goal was just to improve my time every week. I did meet this goal (ok I skipped one week, but I did do 4) and I did much better than I expected to. I ended up coming in 22nd out of 745 women in the last race, clocking in at 22:20. TWENTY TWO MINUTES. That is 7 minute miles!
Maybe now I will do more 5ks. I would really like to get faster overall. Maybe if I keep doing fast 5ks, my marathon time will improve!
WHO KNOWS??? THE WORLD IS NOT READY FOR ME TO CONTINUE DOING STUFF!
Marathons though, I've stuck with. I've done five now and I'm going to keep doing them. Maybe I won't always do them incredibly fast (fastly?), but I'm going to continue to do marathons until my knees have to be replaced and even then I'll do some more.
AND MORE RAMBLINGS.
5ks. I've never been a fan. 3.1 miles? Why bother? But I signed up for a series of 5ks on Fridays in April by my new apartment. And it was SO MUCH FUN. My goal was just to improve my time every week. I did meet this goal (ok I skipped one week, but I did do 4) and I did much better than I expected to. I ended up coming in 22nd out of 745 women in the last race, clocking in at 22:20. TWENTY TWO MINUTES. That is 7 minute miles!
Maybe now I will do more 5ks. I would really like to get faster overall. Maybe if I keep doing fast 5ks, my marathon time will improve!
WHO KNOWS??? THE WORLD IS NOT READY FOR ME TO CONTINUE DOING STUFF!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Who needs New York?
New York. What a stupid, ugly, crowded city. Who would want to do a marathon there anyway?
....me....
Sadly, I did not win the lottery to run in the NY Marathon this year. And because I had to wait until yesterday to find out, I missed registration for the Marine Corps Marathon and the Chicago Marathon, neither of which require a lottery system. I could have a guaranteed spot in either, but instead I have to consider options like Philly, Baltimore, or Richmond. Or I could do the Nike Women's again and lose my ankles to the hills. But I probably won't do that.
Now, do I hold a grudge against both London and NY and never apply to their lotteries again? Decisions, decisions...guess I better go visit each city to see if it's worth it. London in June. Maybe NYC in July?
....me....
Sadly, I did not win the lottery to run in the NY Marathon this year. And because I had to wait until yesterday to find out, I missed registration for the Marine Corps Marathon and the Chicago Marathon, neither of which require a lottery system. I could have a guaranteed spot in either, but instead I have to consider options like Philly, Baltimore, or Richmond. Or I could do the Nike Women's again and lose my ankles to the hills. But I probably won't do that.
Now, do I hold a grudge against both London and NY and never apply to their lotteries again? Decisions, decisions...guess I better go visit each city to see if it's worth it. London in June. Maybe NYC in July?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
DC Marathon, 2011
Last year, I PR'ed in the DC marathon. This year was not quite as fast. However, I really wasn't properly trained, so I was happy to finish at all.
DC Marathons really beat me up though. Last year I had to go to the medic tent at the end for anti-nausea medicine. This year I had to go to one during the race and have them wrap my knee. I've never had knee issues, so it was painful and worrying to suddenly develop one. I've also never stopped at a medic station during a race, so I was worried they would tell me I couldn't keep running. No fear though! The girl who wrapped my knee was incredibly nice. I told her, "you're my hero!" which maybe weirded her out a little, but there is no way I could have finished the race without having the knee wrapped!
Currently, I am experiencing no knee pain, so don't worry about little old me.
This weekend is the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile run. I can't wait to run with my mom again! We had so much fun last year and I'm really looking forward to doing it again. Also, I moved from the hood of DC to Pentagon City (yes, I can see Macy's from my apartment) and therefore I could sign up for the Crystal City 5k Friday races in April...so now I have 3 races in the course of 8 days. I'm positive that this will help me kick start my running, prep me for the 24 hour race in July, and in general make me a better person.
High hopes.
DC Marathons really beat me up though. Last year I had to go to the medic tent at the end for anti-nausea medicine. This year I had to go to one during the race and have them wrap my knee. I've never had knee issues, so it was painful and worrying to suddenly develop one. I've also never stopped at a medic station during a race, so I was worried they would tell me I couldn't keep running. No fear though! The girl who wrapped my knee was incredibly nice. I told her, "you're my hero!" which maybe weirded her out a little, but there is no way I could have finished the race without having the knee wrapped!
Currently, I am experiencing no knee pain, so don't worry about little old me.
This weekend is the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile run. I can't wait to run with my mom again! We had so much fun last year and I'm really looking forward to doing it again. Also, I moved from the hood of DC to Pentagon City (yes, I can see Macy's from my apartment) and therefore I could sign up for the Crystal City 5k Friday races in April...so now I have 3 races in the course of 8 days. I'm positive that this will help me kick start my running, prep me for the 24 hour race in July, and in general make me a better person.
High hopes.
Friday, March 11, 2011
What women want (are you overcompensating for something here?)
There is a great scene in the terrible movie "What Women Want" where Helen Hunt's character is thinking of a pitch for Nike's women's division. In her head she's describing a woman running: "She's running. It's early, it's quiet. Just the sound of her feet on the asphalt. She likes to run alone. No pressure, no stress. This is the one place she can be herself. Look any way she wants, dress, think any way she wants. No game playing, no rules."
This is how I feel about running. You can be yourself. No one is judging you. That is running. You're not the person who didn't get into grad school, or the person who messed something up at home or at work. You're the runner.
Sometimes, the only reason why I continue to run is because I feel like it's the only thing I'm capable of doing. Sometimes every other part of my life feels like I'm failing or stupid or incompetent. Running saves me from that. When I tell people that I run marathons or that I'm training for an ultramarathon, then they listen to me. Then they think I'm important. The truth is that I'm not even that good at running, but at least when you're running all that matters is that you reach the finish line.
This is how I feel about running. You can be yourself. No one is judging you. That is running. You're not the person who didn't get into grad school, or the person who messed something up at home or at work. You're the runner.
Sometimes, the only reason why I continue to run is because I feel like it's the only thing I'm capable of doing. Sometimes every other part of my life feels like I'm failing or stupid or incompetent. Running saves me from that. When I tell people that I run marathons or that I'm training for an ultramarathon, then they listen to me. Then they think I'm important. The truth is that I'm not even that good at running, but at least when you're running all that matters is that you reach the finish line.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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