C
Clare
Guest
Hi everyone-
This was actually written for the VF forum, but as it seems to be down (sob!), I thought I would post it here. Just had to tell everyone how I did! ;-D
Hey fellow road divas!
Time to check in and tell everyone how you are doing.
Last week was good and bad for me. I was still feeling pretty blah after being sick the week before, so I did not get all my training in. But I did do the 20 mile training session on Saturday! Boy, there's a whole different story!
Here was my semi-puny list for the week:
Sunday - Rest (had done 13 miles the day before)
Monday- Three mile run/walk done with Janet W. Which made it so much nicer! I had a great time, and it was a beautiful day. We trained near my home, going around Lake Zurich. It was good to be able to talk to someone who knew about home exercising and videos! Next week, Janet, I'd like to do it again! (Today was just impossible) Start carbo loading for Saturday's 20 mile training. (burb!)
Tuesday- Thought I had better do some step and get back into, well, step! So even though I was supposed to do 4 miles, I did Step Fit instead. And re-discovered muscles I forgot I had. I also panicked when I realized how much I had forgotten!
Wednesday- 7 miles in less then 80 minutes. That was really fast for me. But I was having some problems later in the day. Just felt yuck again!
Thursday- It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day- but I had so many reports to type that I had to skip my early walk/run, plus I was still feeling pretty yucky. I had planned to have a nice long walk later in the day, but it never happened. I did do about 20 minutes of upper body work and later did Yoga for Back Care. But even then, I was using lower weights and not really trying to get deep into any position. Drink over a gallon of water to start hydrating for Saturday. More carbo loading (burb, burb!)
Friday- Rest in prep for Saturday. Finally get into Chat and spend two hours happily typing my fingers off! Eat, eat, eat, slosh from all the water. (burb, burb, burb!)
Saturday- Get up at 5:00 am to eat my planned pre-race meal and get dressed. Make sure that this time I have my driver's license and money in my fanny pack- something I forgot last time, and barely found enough change on the floor of the car to pay the toll. (You all really don't want to see the condition of my car!) Leave my house by 5:45 to drive to downtown lakeshore Chicago.
Arrive at the Montrose Harbor in the pre-dawn and nervously try to warm-up and stretch. Hundreds of other racers from different TNT area teams are doing the same thing. We are all trying to check in at the same time. Then I have to decide whether I am going to brave the homeless woman who thinks that the Montrose Park toilets are her home. The idea of swatting over the bowl and keeping an eye out for her at the same time is too much. I chicken out. Last time I faced her down was enough! I'll just have to sweat it out.
There is a long series of announcements, during which I find out that most of the people who signed up for Cozumel have dropped down to doing the Chicago Marathon instead. They apparently didn't raise enough money. So now there are only 20 of us going from the Chicago Chapter- instead of 120! And I am the only run/walker. There are several walkers, but the rest are runners. My two coaches tell me that the smaller group is a good thing- that everyone will have more fun and get to know each other better. Easy for them to say- they are going to the Dublin Marathon with about 100 people and won't even be going to Cozumel. I get to meet just one coach that is from the City team who will be going to Mexico.
Finally, it's time to start. The sun is just coming up over the Lake and part of the city horizon- and it looks just like that old song from the 60s- "the morning sun is shining like a red rubber ball". It is spectacular, especially against Navy Pier and the skyline with the Hancock Building in the distance. (Little did I realize it then, but I'm about to find out just how far that distance is!)
My normal run/walk partner is not there, so I find one lady who says she does 13 minute run/walks. More important- she doing 6 minutes running and two minutes walking- which is the same time interval as me. The 13 minute mile is slower then I want to go (at least to start), but I don't want to run alone.
So off we start. We have to do a 3 mile loop northward and then we do 8.5 miles south down the lakeshore and come back 8.5 miles to the start. My partner's name is Kerry, and it is obvious within the first three miles that she is either having an awful day, or she has greatly mis-represented her mileage time to me. We are doing closer to 14 minute miles and I feel like I am constantly surging forward and then falling back to stay with her. I can't get any kind of rhythm going and she walks much slower then me. But, she is nice and chatty- I figure this is not a real race only a training session- it won't matter when I finish.
Five miles into the training, and some scary excitement. We have just passed a water fountain, when we hear a shout from behind. We look back and there is a jogger down on the ground, having a seizure of some sort. One of our coaches is up ahead directing the runners around somesort of gathering in the park. We run up to him and tell him the problem. He has a cell phone, so he can call 911. Then we realize that up ahead there is the Self Work-out in the Park going on and there is an ambulance on call there. We run up to the ambulance, but find that someone else has already run to the paramedics. Only problem? They are a private ambulance, hired for the Work-out in the Park- and not really supposed to leave their area. They are still debating the situation- but it is obvious that at least one of the paramedics is going to head out and check out the man. There is nothing further we can do, so we keep on. I do wonder what happened and hope it turned out okay.
About 7 miles in, Kerry starts having hip problems. We have to stop to try and stretch her out several times. I feel like I am tightening up from all the stops. I get the nagging feeling that Kerry is not going to make it, and neither will I if I stay with her. But it really is hard to just leave someone that you just spent over 1 ½ hours running with. I keep hoping that she will suggest that I go on ahead. That would make it easier. But it's not happening and we are now doing 15 minute miles. I'm being passed by some of the walkers from my North suburbs group, and I know they are looking at me funny. It's stupid to feel anxious about it, but I am. I want to try and get into a rhythm so I don't have to think about what I am doing. It usually takes me about 3 miles to find that rhythm. Here is it about 7 miles and I am not yet in stride.
The moment of truth. Kerry is struggling, but we are close to another water stop. I finally have to just tell her that I can not keep going at this start and stop pace (yes, I know ,I start and stop doing the run/walk, but some how it is much smoother when you are doing a constant pace). I know she can get some stretching routines from the coaches at the water stop and maybe they can help her, or maybe she will decide that she has to just walk or stop altogether.
Feeling terrible and guilty, I leave Kerry behind. I finally feel like I am going to be able to get a stride going. Another two miles and I am feeling much better. This is mile 9. It is also Navy Pier. 6 miles from the original start (remember the 3 mile loop?). Hard to believe I am now at the place that I was admiring the sunrise over.
Another decision to make. The people who are doing the Chicago and Dublin marathon are doing 20 miles. They only have 5 weeks till their marathon. The people doing the Cozumel marathon have a choice- they are 8 weeks away and they can do 15 miles or 20 miles. If I want to only do the 15 miles, now is the time to turn around.
But, I'm feeling so good. I'm actually running faster then normal now (maybe in an unconscious effort to make up for lost time) and I have come up on a group of runners (they started after us, so they are not that far ahead of me) that are doing 11 minute miles. I can actually keep pace with them for the run, fall back for the walk and then catch up in the run again. Besides, I am supposed to do my second 20 mile training the weekend of the Cathe trip. My coaches have told me that if I do the two 20 mile training days for the Chicago marathon, that I don't have to worry about doing any mileage on the Cathe trip. That will be a pretty good indicator that I'm training well.
So I keep going. The 11 minute people are really doing more like 12 minutes, which is perfect for me. The temperature is about 75 degrees, there is a slight breeze. Perfect running weather- nothing like the humid 90 degree hell we ran in for the 18 mile training. I'm starting to feel cocky- "this is going to be a snap."
Famous last words.... Running along the lake is real beautiful, but I'm forgetting that most of my long runs have been on trails in forest preserves. The lake front is mostly asphalt and concrete. Even though I mostly train during the week on asphalt and concrete, my joints are getting a pounding they are not used to. I reach the turnaround point behind the Shed Aquarium (11.50 miles). Only 8.5 miles to go. I'm still with the 11 minute (12 minute) mile group. I'm getting plenty of fluids and plenty of power gel. Still feeling good. Still cocky.
About 2 miles past the turnaround point, I'm happy to see Kerry, who is still going towards the Shed Aquarium. She's even still run/walking. She tells me in passing that one of the coaches really helped her stretch out her hips and that she is doing okay- but not great. She may ask to be driven back when she gets to the turnaround point. I'm happy to see her. But glad I am not going at her pace.
But about mile 16 things start going bad. I'm feeling some pain in my right hip joint. But really only when I walk. No pain when running. All the problems I have ever had- my left hamstring, my ITB pain, my swollen ankle- but never ever have I had pain in my hips while running. Does not take me long to figure that it is the hard surface. I'm slowing down and am behind the runners now.
I keep doing the run/walk for another mile. Then I decide to slow jog all the way- the walking is too painful. I only have 3 miles to go, right?. This works for about another 1 ½ miles. But now I'm starting to have pain on the bottom of my left foot. But guess what? As soon as I stop jogging- the pain in the foot goes away- but the pain in the hip come back.
I'm so close- only 1 ½ miles. At the pace I am going- about 21- 22 minutes. But I really don't know what to do. I try to stop and stretch my hip and my foot. Now, it's really hard to even start again. I'm probably going to have to limp slowly in.
One of my coaches comes by on a bike. He can see I'm struggling and tells me only 1 ½ miles to go. I tell him if he talks to me, maybe I can get my mind off my pain. I also tell him that at this point I could not see myself doing 26.2 miles. Ever! Especially if I'm running on asphalt or concrete down in Mexico. It was easier running 18 miles in that terrible heat on trails then 18 miles in great weather but hard surface.
He stays with me and we discuss my training schedule. He wants to know why I am trying to do step, and when I tell him about the Cathe trip, it turns out he taught step for 5 years and he knows who Cathe is! First man I ever met who had any idea! He says he had taken classes with her at some conventions. And he really liked her. (Of course!)
In order to stay with him on the bike, I have been forced back into a slow jog. There's only about 1/2 mile to go when he leaves me to check on other people. This is the longest half mile, but I am so happy to finally have it over!
It took me 4 hours and 31 minutes. About 13 ½ minute miles. Not too bad at all. I must have really gone much faster with the runners then I thought. But the idea of doing another 6 miles? Another 1 ½ hours? God, it's crushing to even think about.
I was sore as heck (more then that!) for the rest of the day and soooooo tired.... Plus Sunday I am sore and having pain in my hips. I ate and sleep most of the day.
Monday is better, but my back is aching and I don't think I could work-out even if you paid me.
Tuesday morning (today) and I know I have to get back into the training. I pop in my new classical running tape (thanks Daphne for the endorsement!) and head off. No pain, just some soreness that is quickly worked out. 4 miles is 42 minutes. Great for me! Only 8 weeks to go!
Clare
This was actually written for the VF forum, but as it seems to be down (sob!), I thought I would post it here. Just had to tell everyone how I did! ;-D
Hey fellow road divas!
Time to check in and tell everyone how you are doing.
Last week was good and bad for me. I was still feeling pretty blah after being sick the week before, so I did not get all my training in. But I did do the 20 mile training session on Saturday! Boy, there's a whole different story!
Here was my semi-puny list for the week:
Sunday - Rest (had done 13 miles the day before)
Monday- Three mile run/walk done with Janet W. Which made it so much nicer! I had a great time, and it was a beautiful day. We trained near my home, going around Lake Zurich. It was good to be able to talk to someone who knew about home exercising and videos! Next week, Janet, I'd like to do it again! (Today was just impossible) Start carbo loading for Saturday's 20 mile training. (burb!)
Tuesday- Thought I had better do some step and get back into, well, step! So even though I was supposed to do 4 miles, I did Step Fit instead. And re-discovered muscles I forgot I had. I also panicked when I realized how much I had forgotten!
Wednesday- 7 miles in less then 80 minutes. That was really fast for me. But I was having some problems later in the day. Just felt yuck again!
Thursday- It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day- but I had so many reports to type that I had to skip my early walk/run, plus I was still feeling pretty yucky. I had planned to have a nice long walk later in the day, but it never happened. I did do about 20 minutes of upper body work and later did Yoga for Back Care. But even then, I was using lower weights and not really trying to get deep into any position. Drink over a gallon of water to start hydrating for Saturday. More carbo loading (burb, burb!)
Friday- Rest in prep for Saturday. Finally get into Chat and spend two hours happily typing my fingers off! Eat, eat, eat, slosh from all the water. (burb, burb, burb!)
Saturday- Get up at 5:00 am to eat my planned pre-race meal and get dressed. Make sure that this time I have my driver's license and money in my fanny pack- something I forgot last time, and barely found enough change on the floor of the car to pay the toll. (You all really don't want to see the condition of my car!) Leave my house by 5:45 to drive to downtown lakeshore Chicago.
Arrive at the Montrose Harbor in the pre-dawn and nervously try to warm-up and stretch. Hundreds of other racers from different TNT area teams are doing the same thing. We are all trying to check in at the same time. Then I have to decide whether I am going to brave the homeless woman who thinks that the Montrose Park toilets are her home. The idea of swatting over the bowl and keeping an eye out for her at the same time is too much. I chicken out. Last time I faced her down was enough! I'll just have to sweat it out.
There is a long series of announcements, during which I find out that most of the people who signed up for Cozumel have dropped down to doing the Chicago Marathon instead. They apparently didn't raise enough money. So now there are only 20 of us going from the Chicago Chapter- instead of 120! And I am the only run/walker. There are several walkers, but the rest are runners. My two coaches tell me that the smaller group is a good thing- that everyone will have more fun and get to know each other better. Easy for them to say- they are going to the Dublin Marathon with about 100 people and won't even be going to Cozumel. I get to meet just one coach that is from the City team who will be going to Mexico.
Finally, it's time to start. The sun is just coming up over the Lake and part of the city horizon- and it looks just like that old song from the 60s- "the morning sun is shining like a red rubber ball". It is spectacular, especially against Navy Pier and the skyline with the Hancock Building in the distance. (Little did I realize it then, but I'm about to find out just how far that distance is!)
My normal run/walk partner is not there, so I find one lady who says she does 13 minute run/walks. More important- she doing 6 minutes running and two minutes walking- which is the same time interval as me. The 13 minute mile is slower then I want to go (at least to start), but I don't want to run alone.
So off we start. We have to do a 3 mile loop northward and then we do 8.5 miles south down the lakeshore and come back 8.5 miles to the start. My partner's name is Kerry, and it is obvious within the first three miles that she is either having an awful day, or she has greatly mis-represented her mileage time to me. We are doing closer to 14 minute miles and I feel like I am constantly surging forward and then falling back to stay with her. I can't get any kind of rhythm going and she walks much slower then me. But, she is nice and chatty- I figure this is not a real race only a training session- it won't matter when I finish.
Five miles into the training, and some scary excitement. We have just passed a water fountain, when we hear a shout from behind. We look back and there is a jogger down on the ground, having a seizure of some sort. One of our coaches is up ahead directing the runners around somesort of gathering in the park. We run up to him and tell him the problem. He has a cell phone, so he can call 911. Then we realize that up ahead there is the Self Work-out in the Park going on and there is an ambulance on call there. We run up to the ambulance, but find that someone else has already run to the paramedics. Only problem? They are a private ambulance, hired for the Work-out in the Park- and not really supposed to leave their area. They are still debating the situation- but it is obvious that at least one of the paramedics is going to head out and check out the man. There is nothing further we can do, so we keep on. I do wonder what happened and hope it turned out okay.
About 7 miles in, Kerry starts having hip problems. We have to stop to try and stretch her out several times. I feel like I am tightening up from all the stops. I get the nagging feeling that Kerry is not going to make it, and neither will I if I stay with her. But it really is hard to just leave someone that you just spent over 1 ½ hours running with. I keep hoping that she will suggest that I go on ahead. That would make it easier. But it's not happening and we are now doing 15 minute miles. I'm being passed by some of the walkers from my North suburbs group, and I know they are looking at me funny. It's stupid to feel anxious about it, but I am. I want to try and get into a rhythm so I don't have to think about what I am doing. It usually takes me about 3 miles to find that rhythm. Here is it about 7 miles and I am not yet in stride.
The moment of truth. Kerry is struggling, but we are close to another water stop. I finally have to just tell her that I can not keep going at this start and stop pace (yes, I know ,I start and stop doing the run/walk, but some how it is much smoother when you are doing a constant pace). I know she can get some stretching routines from the coaches at the water stop and maybe they can help her, or maybe she will decide that she has to just walk or stop altogether.
Feeling terrible and guilty, I leave Kerry behind. I finally feel like I am going to be able to get a stride going. Another two miles and I am feeling much better. This is mile 9. It is also Navy Pier. 6 miles from the original start (remember the 3 mile loop?). Hard to believe I am now at the place that I was admiring the sunrise over.
Another decision to make. The people who are doing the Chicago and Dublin marathon are doing 20 miles. They only have 5 weeks till their marathon. The people doing the Cozumel marathon have a choice- they are 8 weeks away and they can do 15 miles or 20 miles. If I want to only do the 15 miles, now is the time to turn around.
But, I'm feeling so good. I'm actually running faster then normal now (maybe in an unconscious effort to make up for lost time) and I have come up on a group of runners (they started after us, so they are not that far ahead of me) that are doing 11 minute miles. I can actually keep pace with them for the run, fall back for the walk and then catch up in the run again. Besides, I am supposed to do my second 20 mile training the weekend of the Cathe trip. My coaches have told me that if I do the two 20 mile training days for the Chicago marathon, that I don't have to worry about doing any mileage on the Cathe trip. That will be a pretty good indicator that I'm training well.
So I keep going. The 11 minute people are really doing more like 12 minutes, which is perfect for me. The temperature is about 75 degrees, there is a slight breeze. Perfect running weather- nothing like the humid 90 degree hell we ran in for the 18 mile training. I'm starting to feel cocky- "this is going to be a snap."
Famous last words.... Running along the lake is real beautiful, but I'm forgetting that most of my long runs have been on trails in forest preserves. The lake front is mostly asphalt and concrete. Even though I mostly train during the week on asphalt and concrete, my joints are getting a pounding they are not used to. I reach the turnaround point behind the Shed Aquarium (11.50 miles). Only 8.5 miles to go. I'm still with the 11 minute (12 minute) mile group. I'm getting plenty of fluids and plenty of power gel. Still feeling good. Still cocky.
About 2 miles past the turnaround point, I'm happy to see Kerry, who is still going towards the Shed Aquarium. She's even still run/walking. She tells me in passing that one of the coaches really helped her stretch out her hips and that she is doing okay- but not great. She may ask to be driven back when she gets to the turnaround point. I'm happy to see her. But glad I am not going at her pace.
But about mile 16 things start going bad. I'm feeling some pain in my right hip joint. But really only when I walk. No pain when running. All the problems I have ever had- my left hamstring, my ITB pain, my swollen ankle- but never ever have I had pain in my hips while running. Does not take me long to figure that it is the hard surface. I'm slowing down and am behind the runners now.
I keep doing the run/walk for another mile. Then I decide to slow jog all the way- the walking is too painful. I only have 3 miles to go, right?. This works for about another 1 ½ miles. But now I'm starting to have pain on the bottom of my left foot. But guess what? As soon as I stop jogging- the pain in the foot goes away- but the pain in the hip come back.
I'm so close- only 1 ½ miles. At the pace I am going- about 21- 22 minutes. But I really don't know what to do. I try to stop and stretch my hip and my foot. Now, it's really hard to even start again. I'm probably going to have to limp slowly in.
One of my coaches comes by on a bike. He can see I'm struggling and tells me only 1 ½ miles to go. I tell him if he talks to me, maybe I can get my mind off my pain. I also tell him that at this point I could not see myself doing 26.2 miles. Ever! Especially if I'm running on asphalt or concrete down in Mexico. It was easier running 18 miles in that terrible heat on trails then 18 miles in great weather but hard surface.
He stays with me and we discuss my training schedule. He wants to know why I am trying to do step, and when I tell him about the Cathe trip, it turns out he taught step for 5 years and he knows who Cathe is! First man I ever met who had any idea! He says he had taken classes with her at some conventions. And he really liked her. (Of course!)
In order to stay with him on the bike, I have been forced back into a slow jog. There's only about 1/2 mile to go when he leaves me to check on other people. This is the longest half mile, but I am so happy to finally have it over!
It took me 4 hours and 31 minutes. About 13 ½ minute miles. Not too bad at all. I must have really gone much faster with the runners then I thought. But the idea of doing another 6 miles? Another 1 ½ hours? God, it's crushing to even think about.
I was sore as heck (more then that!) for the rest of the day and soooooo tired.... Plus Sunday I am sore and having pain in my hips. I ate and sleep most of the day.
Monday is better, but my back is aching and I don't think I could work-out even if you paid me.
Tuesday morning (today) and I know I have to get back into the training. I pop in my new classical running tape (thanks Daphne for the endorsement!) and head off. No pain, just some soreness that is quickly worked out. 4 miles is 42 minutes. Great for me! Only 8 weeks to go!
Clare
