Why oh Why

I'm not sure what made me decide last night to suddenly become rigid in my training. I really questioned this at 5am when the alarm started going off. It couldn't possibly be time to run again! We got off the track last night after a rough workout in the heat and now here it is, less than 10 hours later and it's time to run again. Shit! This was going to hurt. Unlike other mornings, there was no talk of rescheduling the run. We got ready in silence, knowing what we were each thinking, and headed out the door. I wish I could say once we got moving things got easier, but that was not the case. Things were tight and uncomfortable the whole time. Once we got far enough away from the house that the urge to turn around and walk home subsided there was some idle chatter. By the time it was over though things started to improve. A morning run wakes you up more than any amount of coffee, by the time I got in the car things were perfectly aligned. I was ready to tackle my day. Too bad I crashed at 9:30am and was ready to return to bed! Let's see how tomorrow goes!!

Days till NYC: 107
Miles trained today: 4

20 weeks

So it's started for real!! Training for NYC. I know, I have been training. But now it starts for real. 20 weeks out, no more slacking, no more excuses. I have spent the last week pining over my schedule, must say it looks pretty. That's not going to help me cross the finish line, so I have to make that pretty schedule translate into hard miles. I pledge that starting this week I will plan my miles in advance and unless stopped by injury will get them done as planned. I pledge no skipping long runs. No more getting cornered at the end of the week!

Here's the thing, I'm still pissed about the Providence Marathon. We ran the Breakers and finished it, but Providence was supposed to be our marathon. We trained hard and were focused and then the dreaded injury. Joe doesn't get it, he still got to run. He improved from his Breakers finish time, I still haven't had that chance. It's a hard pill to swallow and I'm not over it. I won't be over it until I finish a marathon better than the Breakers. I'm not doing 2 track workouts, 1 hill workout and a long run a week to have a shitty time. I want this and I want it bad.

Days till NYC: 108
Miles trained today: 7

Ugh!

This was going to be tough. Joe is running a race today, so that leaves me to run alone today. We have plenty going on this afternoon so it was going to happen this morning or never. It came close to not happening, I was stalling. It wasn't until Mia pulled me out the door. She wouldn't calm down this morning, it was like she knew it was going to me be and her. Enough already! We got going, 30 mins late, but we were running. Some would complain about the weather this morning, it was in the 50s, in my opinion perfect running weather. We had the roads to ourselves. The nice thing about running with Mia is I don't have to worry about going out too hard, she has one speed and won't allow me to push past it. We took one of our old winter running routes and recycled it. This route is nice for early mornings. We run along roads that are typically filled with traffic and people, but early in the morning we owned the roads. Heading down Mineral Spring, we were alone, passed one woman on her way to the bus stop. There was some light traffic at Lonsdale, but it quickly thinned. I wondered where everyone was, from my perspective it was a nice day out. Running down North Main only some buses passed us, to Mia's dismay. She hates kids, bikes, and trucks and busses, we survived it. I almost couldn't believe it when we hit Charles St for the last 2 miles. For a run that almost didn't happen we were having a blast. We made it home and don't have long to relax before moving on to the next item on our to do list today, but the run was out of the way!

Days till NYC: 112
Miles trained today: 7

A Perfect Night

It was 4:50am, the alarm went off. We got up, got dressed, close to out the door....and then we went back to bed. It was just too much. So tonight we regrouped and thank God we did because it ended up being perfect! With all the complaints about the weather I haven't heard enough about what it's been good for. It's been great running weather. Nice and cool, not too humid! As we turned onto the Blvd there was a sea of people running towards us. It was exhilarating to see all those other people out there. If it had been typical weather for a July evening we would have been hiding in AC. Going up Hope St we had to dodge people all over the sidewalks, more people enjoying themselves! A cop cheered us along when we had a half mile to go. I'm so glad we got called back to bed or we would have missed this!

Day's till NYC: 114
Miles trained today: 7

Do or Die

So I've backed myself into a corner this week. I ned to get in 37-39 miles and had planned to run 6 days with one day off. Well it's Wednesday and I haven't run at all this week. That means I have 4, 6.5 mile runs and a 12 miler ahead of me. Yep, that sucks! So today I had a plan, I would run to track and get my miles in that way. A great plan, until the storms rolled in. I had one foot out the door tonight when the skies turned back and the thunder started. After much debating I drove to the track. When I got there it was still a downpour. What I really going to do this? I have no choice. I got out of the car and slowly dragged myself onto the track. Not even halfway through my first lap there was a BEAUTIFUL rainbow in the sky. It was perfectly formed and had incredibly sharp colors. By the time I finished that lap it was gone. But it was just enough for me. Had I dragged my feet any longer I would have missed it. And, had I been on track with my mileage this week I wouldn't have been there early, so I was meant to see it. I'll get my miles in, I have my motivation for the week.

Days till NYC:115
Miles trained today: 6.5

My slow partner

Mia runs with us about once a week, her longest distance to date is about 8 miles. To say she runs with us is an overstatement. She quickly walks next to me, never breaking into a run or even a jog. It's pretty embarrassing to be going full out, breathing heavy with sweat pouring down my face and I look next to me and she's just walking along. Her running career started about a year and a half ago when Joe was injured. I didn't want to run alone so I volunteered her for the job. She doesn't mind running in the rain or cold, but with the heat, she doesn't go out if it's over 70ish. Mia, like most women, struggles with her weight and therefore continues to run. With a weekly run she keeps her weight to a svelte 35lbs, any higher and the vet starts to nag us about her diet. Little does he know it's hard for runners to control their appetites!

Up until recently we have been perfectly matched training partners, but we've hit a snafu. I'm getting too fast for her. She prefers a 10 min mile. This allows her to walk along with no effort, as we've gotten faster her endurance has started to suffer. At a 9:20 pace she can hang for 3-4 miles and then she poops out. Part of me wonders if it's an act because at the faster pace she doesn't have enough time to sniff out the route. Every runner strives to achieve more speed, but it's tough when you become faster than your running partner. Now if I started to get faster than Joe I would be psyched and rub his nose in it, fortunately I don't have this competitive spirit with Mia.

I'm not ready for Mia to retire from running, but I'm not sure how Bob will take it if I tell him I had to hold back so my dog could run with me. For now I keep her at the 5 mile distance and pace myself to ensure I don't outrun her before we hit the car, it would be quite the workout to have to run the last 2 miles carrying my 35lb running partner.

Days till NYC: 120
Miles trained today: 5

Why do I run?

I'll be honest, running is not my favorite activity, but yet I spend hours doing it. So today, in honor of the fact I have completed not 1 but 2 track workouts this week I am going to list the top 10 reasons why I run.

1. I like to eat without thinking about if I will gain weight. Since I started to run I have found that it doesn't matter what I eat.
2. I like to brag. There is nothing like hot dogging it at work about my 7 mile run that morning.
3. I like to run with my dog Mia. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like Stanley way more than Mia. But the dog can run!
4. I like to bitch about how much I hate to run. What can I say, I'm a help rejecting complainer :)
5. I like that I get better at it.
6. I've met nice people who run. At this point if I quit running I would have to leave New England, too many people who peer pressure me to return.
7. I like to own the streets. There is something that happens at 5:30am on the streets when no one else is out there, it's amazing.
8. I like to be outside. Since we have started running we spend so much more time outdoors, there is nothing like fresh air to clean your mind.
9. I want to get faster than Joe. Mark my words, it may not happen until we are racing each other with canes, but I will beat the bastard in a 5k someday!
10. I like how it makes me feel. I felt terrible going into tonight's workout and after a tough workout I'm feeling at peace with where things are in my life right now.

Days till NYC: 122
Miles trained today: 5