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Tick Tock Tick Tock Goes The Cuckoo Clock

May13

Just two more days and really at this point of the evening it really is one more day.   Two days till I attempt to run a 50K.   Somehow this really seemed like an amazingly great idea a few months ago.   Today not so much.   Today is the more, “What was I thinking?” kind of day.

What was I thinking

I usually get asked two questions about my upcoming race.   The first one is how far in miles is a 50K.   I had to look it up because although I knew it was 31 point something, I really didn’t know what the point was either.   It is 31.7 miles.    At some point it doesn’t matter except at the end when you are counting them down.

The second question is why?    We’ve been through this before.   Why not?

You think I would be nervous.   You think I’d be packed.   You think I would have read through all the information they sent.    I don’t even have directions to the hotel mapped out.  I will get to all of these things shortly I’m sure.    I’m actually pretty calm for some reason.   I guess you might refer to it as the calm before the storm.    Besides at this point I’m in for the LONG haul which hopefully will be only 31.7 miles baring any wrong turns.   Again, this is why I need to read the information and look at the map.   I can’t just follow the crowd because how do I know they won’t leave me in the dust or even that they know where they are going.

As far as goals, my number one and really only goal is to finish.   I would, of course, like to finish well but finishing is number one.   And as far as what I mean by finishing well, I do not mean winning the Cuckoo Clock the winners get.   I mean to finish strong.   To finish like I trained for this.   To finish without feeling like I want to die.  (Why am I doing this again?)   I would also like to make sure to finish before the twelve and half hour alloted time.   I think I should be ok as when I did the trail marathon in January I was at six and half hours.   That gives me a nice cushion:)

But it is time to get prepared.    It’s time to open the door to utra running and see what that is all about.    I would like to say that I will be one and done, but I said that about marathons too and I’ve already run 2 more than I said I would not counting NYCM coming in November.    And I won’t lie in the back of my mind I’m already toying with a 50 miler for the year I turn 50 which thankfully is a few years away.    Besides, I really should just get through this weekend before I start talking smack!!

Either way it’s going to be a great time filled with lots of laughs and good company since there are many BAMR’s going from my running group.   Some are doing 25k, some 50k, and the truly insane ones are doing 50 miles but insanity is a wonderful thing!  The support of these women is something I wish everyone experiences in their life in some shape or form.

Friends

So I’m off to do all the things that I need to do, but you can count on hearing more about this not matter how it turns out.

What are you doing this weekend?

 

 

 

Denial is a Wonderful Thing

Apr12

Runner’s are a funny breed when it comes to getting injured.   I know many runners who the first thing they do when they wipe out  on a run is to stop their Garmin.  I, personally, don’t see anything wrong with that either.   Seriously!   If you don’t stop your watch, you are going to mess up your paces.    Admit it, you do the same thing.   Don’t you?

Then there are the times that maybe the injury is a little more than just falling during a run.   Denial is a powerful thing and most runners I know embrace it 100%   Even if we aren’t in denial about getting injured, maybe we are denial about how injured we are.   Maybe something like rolling your ankle.  Yes, you can admit that it is hurt.   No, you can’t admit how hurt because that’s just crazy talk.

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That being said, I’ve been a very good girl and rested for two weeks.   Is the ankle all better.   Nope.    Does that mean I am going to keep resting it?   Nope.

This past weekend I took it out on a test run.   A local Parish in town has an annual 5K.   It’s for a good cause.   It’s a great fast course and it’s local.    I knew I was going to be running on Monday, so I thought this was a perfect place to test out my foot.   Seems reasonable to me, don’t you think?

I went to the 5K with no expectations except to test ankle.   That might be a slight lie, but that is what I told myself.   I did know that I wasn’t going to push it too hard.    The race started and it felt so good to be running that I just went with it.   I felt my foot/ankle the whole time, but  just under the surface.   I ended up with a really nice run, but was sad that I was 3 seconds off of a personal record.   Official time 27:20:40.   Now I had wished that I pushed a little harder, but it is what it is.   Besides I was running again, so Yeah!

After the race, I did feel sore and my foot was still tender.   But it is what it is.   It just needs some more time and I’m being smart about it.  Really, I think that I am.

Monday I went for 8 miles and a nice and easy pace.    My foot was more of a dull ache and manageable.   I actually felt better after the 8 than I did after the 5K since I wasn’t pushing the pace.    I am rolling into the end of my 50K training and really need to be smart but also prepared for the race.  Scary thought is that it is literally only a month away!!    One thing that I have going for me besides having a great coach is that I am not putting any pressure on for my pace.   My goal is to finish.    That is all.   Seems like both a reasonable and doable goal to me.

What type of injured runner are you?

Not that I am saying I’m injured.   I’m just need some TLC:)

 

Run, Run, and Run Some More

Feb26

Looking at the calendar, my next big race is now less than a month away.   The New York City Half Marathon.   I’m very excited about it and I’ve been doing quite a bit of training to see if I can make it a sub 2 half.   Still not sure, but I will never know unless I try.    Now that being said, I realized something about a week or so ago too.    Something that didn’t really occur to me.  Yes, I’ve been speed training for the half but I’ve also started training for my 50K.  To me that seems so distant because it’s 3 months away.    I’ve learned though that doesn’t mean that I am waiting for the half to be over to start training for it.

Once I realized this, my new manta to get me out the door become

50K’s don’t just happen.

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Now I know that to be true.   I expected it.   Somehow though in my mind I was still training for the half which made the 50K seem like it wasn’t real.   I realized though when I had a long run that was 14 miles.   That was my Aha moment.   That was the moment it all become real.   That was the moment that I thought to myself, “What am I doing?”

I’m hoping these are normal thoughts.   Then again I never claimed to be normal.

Someone asked me what I was training for and when I told them they thought I was crazy.   They asked me, “Why the hell would you want to do that?”

I really had no answer.   Other than that I thought it would be a fun challenge and that it is something I  do it for me..    They rolled their eyes and did not see the fun in it.   That is ok.   A lot of people do a lot of things for fun that I just don’t get.    Now I’m not saying all this training is fun, but it does clear my mind and allow me to pretty much eat what I want.    So for me that is a win.

Around the same time that I made the realization that I was in 50K training, something else exciting happened too.    I had joined a group that matches runners with those who can’t run.  Runners can be matched with individuals with special needs or the group I’m in their sibling, the unsung hero.  I was finally matched!  So now my running is really not all about me.  It is for both of us.   Someone that will inspire me to push further.  That is all I will say about my unsung hero for her privacy.      It’s a cool feeling though.      This is still very new to me as I’ve only recently been matched, but I can’t wait to see how this develops.

IRun