i had been reading this marathon training book a few weeks ago and just loved the authors perspective and could totally relate. the book was written in a journal format and went in chronological order. i found the book very inspiring and wanted to save the actual marathon day part for closer to my marathon, so she can get me all pumped up.
but last night, i caved and decided that i couldnt wait and just wanted to hear read about how she nailed the marathon. what i didnt see coming was that she fails. what kind of fu**ing self-help/training book is that?
her goal was to run a marathon in about 5 hours. she did all the training and she ended up walking the last 11 miles and finished in 7:30... what?
I was so angry at how she gave up. she actually sat down at one point.
there was no lesson at the end of the book. the only comment was that it was still really awesome finishing a marathon, even though she didnt make her goal time.
i cant believe someone actually gave this girl a book deal with that ending. there are plenty marathoning books out there where you can read about a training program and see how it can be successful... why would anyone want to read the one about how this girl didnt make it?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
My Super Sweet Seventeen!!
Super-sweet might be pushing it, but i did complete 17 miles today.
i was looking at the schedule and realized that i will only have 3 more mileage increases, 18, 20, and 22. after that, i'll keep rotating through them to get faster. and getting faster will be important since i was SLOW today. you could have probably watched a whole season worth of reruns on tv during the time it took me to finish the run. i had put too many hills in the mileage and just kicked my own ass. what was interesting was that it was harder to come down the hills, than it was to go up them. that was an unexpected twist.
to see the map of the run, click here.
other than that, it was hot and super-sunny. i ran out of water twice and had to go on little detours to get some. once my saturday class is over, i'll definitely make sure to get the runs in during the early morning hours on either saturday or sunday. its just hard to try and push harder and harder and try and not pass out from the heat at the same time.
lastly, i discovered a $50 ticket upon my return to the vehicle. apparently, my tags are expired. i look into my glove compartment and i had the new ones in there. blah... i did not know they could give you a ticket for that when the car is parked. now i have to go to the SF traffic authority and show them that i did have my tags and they will reduce the ticket. just blah.
i was looking at the schedule and realized that i will only have 3 more mileage increases, 18, 20, and 22. after that, i'll keep rotating through them to get faster. and getting faster will be important since i was SLOW today. you could have probably watched a whole season worth of reruns on tv during the time it took me to finish the run. i had put too many hills in the mileage and just kicked my own ass. what was interesting was that it was harder to come down the hills, than it was to go up them. that was an unexpected twist.
to see the map of the run, click here.
other than that, it was hot and super-sunny. i ran out of water twice and had to go on little detours to get some. once my saturday class is over, i'll definitely make sure to get the runs in during the early morning hours on either saturday or sunday. its just hard to try and push harder and harder and try and not pass out from the heat at the same time.
lastly, i discovered a $50 ticket upon my return to the vehicle. apparently, my tags are expired. i look into my glove compartment and i had the new ones in there. blah... i did not know they could give you a ticket for that when the car is parked. now i have to go to the SF traffic authority and show them that i did have my tags and they will reduce the ticket. just blah.
Friday, April 25, 2008
i am gracefully stepping off the wagon
as the topic suggests, i am officially ending my attempt at making it to race day "on the wagon." i have cheated so many times (including last night) since the half, that i might as well get off the damn wagon all together and find an alternate form of transportation. i also figured its best to step off by choice, rather than fall off.
the whole not drinking thing worked great during the 3 months i was training for the half. it was actually pretty easy to do and it helped me stay focused and put my mind in training mode. but i feel like after months of running, my mind is not gonna get off training mode just because ive had a few drinks. i'll still have to be careful to not get drunk on the nights before long runs, but who says i cant drink on a random thursday... my hangover at the moment is not affecting my running one bit.
most important of all, im going to vegas in june and the whole city is a "no wagon" zone. AND i cant go to vegas without proper training. it always comes down to training.
ps. i have always been curious about the origin of the expressions involving the metaphorical wagon, so i looked it up.
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20001215
Muy interesante!
the whole not drinking thing worked great during the 3 months i was training for the half. it was actually pretty easy to do and it helped me stay focused and put my mind in training mode. but i feel like after months of running, my mind is not gonna get off training mode just because ive had a few drinks. i'll still have to be careful to not get drunk on the nights before long runs, but who says i cant drink on a random thursday... my hangover at the moment is not affecting my running one bit.
most important of all, im going to vegas in june and the whole city is a "no wagon" zone. AND i cant go to vegas without proper training. it always comes down to training.
ps. i have always been curious about the origin of the expressions involving the metaphorical wagon, so i looked it up.
http://www.randomhouse.com
Muy interesante!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Happy Patriots' Day
The Boston Marathon was today and I was following the action at work to see which Kenyan will win. (a Kenyan did win. Robert Cheruiyot won for the fourth time and finished in 2:07)
But aside from all the pros who come year after year from all over the world, there are a lot of regular runners who train to qualify for boston for years. boston marathon got so popular that runners need to qualify by finishing another marathon in a set time. for my age group, women need to finish in 3hr40mins... thats running roughly 8 minute miles. men in the 18-35 group need to run a 3:10 marathon... roughly 7 minute miles.
not to compare myself, but just to put things in perspective, a lot of armatures run to finish - which means they train just so they can physically drag themselves for 26.2 miles. The SF Marathon has a time-limit because it is run on city streets and the course will be closed after 6 hours... about 13:30 mins/mile is the pace for finishing in just under 6 hours.
The Boston Marathon has been going on Patriots' Day (3rd Monday of April) since 1897. This officially makes it the oldest road race since it started one year after the first marathon event at the 1896 Olympics. women weren't allowed to run in boston marathon and in 1967 a women registered with her initials and got a race number. race officials tackled her and tried to take her out of the race once they noticed her, but she finished. It wasnt until 1972 that women were officially allowed to race in Boston and subsequently other long-distance road races.
if you are intrigued by all these facts, there is plenty on info on www.bostonmarathon.org/
But aside from all the pros who come year after year from all over the world, there are a lot of regular runners who train to qualify for boston for years. boston marathon got so popular that runners need to qualify by finishing another marathon in a set time. for my age group, women need to finish in 3hr40mins... thats running roughly 8 minute miles. men in the 18-35 group need to run a 3:10 marathon... roughly 7 minute miles.
not to compare myself, but just to put things in perspective, a lot of armatures run to finish - which means they train just so they can physically drag themselves for 26.2 miles. The SF Marathon has a time-limit because it is run on city streets and the course will be closed after 6 hours... about 13:30 mins/mile is the pace for finishing in just under 6 hours.
The Boston Marathon has been going on Patriots' Day (3rd Monday of April) since 1897. This officially makes it the oldest road race since it started one year after the first marathon event at the 1896 Olympics. women weren't allowed to run in boston marathon and in 1967 a women registered with her initials and got a race number. race officials tackled her and tried to take her out of the race once they noticed her, but she finished. It wasnt until 1972 that women were officially allowed to race in Boston and subsequently other long-distance road races.
if you are intrigued by all these facts, there is plenty on info on www.bostonmarathon.org/
Sunday, April 20, 2008
"Our short runs used to be our long runs"
i saw this quote the other day on an Adidas Women banner ad online and it definitely applied to a day like today when i put off the running till pretty late since there was only a "short run" (8 miles) on the schedule. whats funny is that only a few months ago i had to run 8 for the first time and was pretty ready to pass out afterward.
I ran around lake Merced in SF and then around the surrounding neighborhood to hit the 8. i really like that area - most of the run was along the SF State perimeter. I would love to live down there, a few blocks from the ocean. (putting that on the to-do list)
It was a beautiful san francisco day and i even got to see the sun set at the end of my run. there was also a nice breeze that turned into a bit of a tornado when i got closer to the ocean. overall, it was quick and painless and just nice to have an easy week before next weekend's looooong run.
I ran around lake Merced in SF and then around the surrounding neighborhood to hit the 8. i really like that area - most of the run was along the SF State perimeter. I would love to live down there, a few blocks from the ocean. (putting that on the to-do list)
It was a beautiful san francisco day and i even got to see the sun set at the end of my run. there was also a nice breeze that turned into a bit of a tornado when i got closer to the ocean. overall, it was quick and painless and just nice to have an easy week before next weekend's looooong run.
Friday, April 18, 2008
One down, one to go
"one down, one to go" almost always has a positive tone. like, i took one final and got one to go. i won one game, and got one to go. in my case, its not so good. i injured one ankle and got one good one left.
lets start from the beginning. i was getting out of bed Wednesday morning when i put my foot down on the latest issue of "runner's world" and my ankle did a twisty thing. (another reasons i hate getting up in the morning) i didnt think much of it and just cursed the day and moved on. i had a pretty inactive day and though the ankle did not feel great, it wasnt too bad either.
fast-forward to thursday morning when i woke up with a swollen ankle that was now hurting every time i put my foot down. i iced all day and had to skip the running last night and just stuck to the bike to avoid impact. the swelling has gone down significantly today, so im taking this as a sign that i should be good to go again over the weekend.
its just amazing that ive run hundreds of miles over the past months and i hurt myself getting out of bed by stepping on a magazine on the floor. blah.
but aside from the general tone of this post, im actually in a good mood today. i felt like i needed to say that since the posts make me sound like a huge negative nancy.
lets start from the beginning. i was getting out of bed Wednesday morning when i put my foot down on the latest issue of "runner's world" and my ankle did a twisty thing. (another reasons i hate getting up in the morning) i didnt think much of it and just cursed the day and moved on. i had a pretty inactive day and though the ankle did not feel great, it wasnt too bad either.
fast-forward to thursday morning when i woke up with a swollen ankle that was now hurting every time i put my foot down. i iced all day and had to skip the running last night and just stuck to the bike to avoid impact. the swelling has gone down significantly today, so im taking this as a sign that i should be good to go again over the weekend.
its just amazing that ive run hundreds of miles over the past months and i hurt myself getting out of bed by stepping on a magazine on the floor. blah.
but aside from the general tone of this post, im actually in a good mood today. i felt like i needed to say that since the posts make me sound like a huge negative nancy.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
active recovery
i got up this morning and checked my training calendar to see what kind of mileage i have to look forward to and was amazed to find the word "active recovery" there. upon further inspection, i learned that since the long weekend runs are growing kinda crazy, i get more days off from running during the week. granted active recovery is telling me im supposed to do an alternate physical activity today, i am going to make an executive decision and rule that attending a baseball game counts.
i really did need a day off... when i was at the gym yesterday bouncing on the treadmill just fast enough that i dont fall off, i realized that i was still hella sore from sunday. what i dont understand is how my abs are sore. im pretty sure i would remember if i had done a few hundred crunches on top of running 15 miles. but its nothing that a nice ball-park hotdog can't fix.
speaking of the gym, the tangerine lady was back yesterday. this woman brings 2-3 tangerines and peels and eats them as she sits on the stationary bike watching TV. i saw her for the first time last week and she was there again yesterday. its just so weird and the smell really spreads and it takes a few minutes for ppl to realize where its coming from. i guess there are worse smells than tangerine... i just dont get why she has to eat in the main work-out room as everyone else is trying to sweat off their lunches.
i really did need a day off... when i was at the gym yesterday bouncing on the treadmill just fast enough that i dont fall off, i realized that i was still hella sore from sunday. what i dont understand is how my abs are sore. im pretty sure i would remember if i had done a few hundred crunches on top of running 15 miles. but its nothing that a nice ball-park hotdog can't fix.
speaking of the gym, the tangerine lady was back yesterday. this woman brings 2-3 tangerines and peels and eats them as she sits on the stationary bike watching TV. i saw her for the first time last week and she was there again yesterday. its just so weird and the smell really spreads and it takes a few minutes for ppl to realize where its coming from. i guess there are worse smells than tangerine... i just dont get why she has to eat in the main work-out room as everyone else is trying to sweat off their lunches.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
way too early, way too hot
i got up at 6:30 this morning and was on the road at 7. that's SEVEN on a sunday. I'm glad anyone potentially reading this knows me, so i dont have to spend time explaining my extreme dislike for the a.m. hours. I was clearly bitter about this, especially since i had ignored the original plan of staying out only until midnight last night (try 1:45). but the important thing is i actually got up as opposed to throw my alarm out the window.
why so early? because it was supposed to get pretty hot and i was trying to avoid passing out. and this was a good decision on my part, cause by 9:00 when i was running back, it was HOT.
the highlight of the whole day was that i actually completed 15 miles. this is a bigger deal than it may look cause this was my 4th try at breaking 14. the other 3 attempts had ended with my body's decision to no longer participate in my running.
also, this was my first time running down in the south bay, so it was nice to have a change of scenery. the trail goes from campbell to los gatos... along a creek. the creek could at times be credited for the soothing sound of water along the run (kinda like those fake home fountains). but what the creek really contributed to my run was BUGS. lots and lots of them. i ate so many i lost count and also my shirt looked like the car windshield when you go on a road trip. hella bugs had run into me and stuck to my shirt. i hope my words are painting the picture.
other than the bugs, and the heat, and the fact that my arm-band radio running device stopped working at mile 2, i would say the run went pretty well. i ran at or close to my goal pace almost the whole time. this is with the exception of mile 10, when i was going so slow that i was almost running in place.
i think that about covers my morning adventure. now that i have updated this, i have to go find another excuse to not work on my paper for tomorrow.
why so early? because it was supposed to get pretty hot and i was trying to avoid passing out. and this was a good decision on my part, cause by 9:00 when i was running back, it was HOT.
the highlight of the whole day was that i actually completed 15 miles. this is a bigger deal than it may look cause this was my 4th try at breaking 14. the other 3 attempts had ended with my body's decision to no longer participate in my running.
also, this was my first time running down in the south bay, so it was nice to have a change of scenery. the trail goes from campbell to los gatos... along a creek. the creek could at times be credited for the soothing sound of water along the run (kinda like those fake home fountains). but what the creek really contributed to my run was BUGS. lots and lots of them. i ate so many i lost count and also my shirt looked like the car windshield when you go on a road trip. hella bugs had run into me and stuck to my shirt. i hope my words are painting the picture.
other than the bugs, and the heat, and the fact that my arm-band radio running device stopped working at mile 2, i would say the run went pretty well. i ran at or close to my goal pace almost the whole time. this is with the exception of mile 10, when i was going so slow that i was almost running in place.
i think that about covers my morning adventure. now that i have updated this, i have to go find another excuse to not work on my paper for tomorrow.
Friday, April 11, 2008
post numero uno
I'm pretty sure that i've hit "a wall" if not "the wall" in my training. this imaginary wall refers to when your feet feel like they are made of lead and your lungs feel like they are the size of a pea. but apparently its all mental and has nothing to do with the fact that after running 14 miles, one might actually be tired.
So, I've resorted to reading a lot of on-line marathon coaching pages as well as 2 books on marathon training in order to figure out what happened to my full-proof plan to run further and/or faster every week.
Most of these coaches believe in keeping track of training obstacles and a bunch of them recommended blogging as a way to just get out the frustrations that are hard to avoid during months of training. This is what i call "internet therapy" and it's much cheaper than actually getting a running coach to yell motivational things at me.
i've never been one of those people who kept an online diary or live-journal or xanga, or any of those things, so ... this has a lot of awkward potential.
So, I've resorted to reading a lot of on-line marathon coaching pages as well as 2 books on marathon training in order to figure out what happened to my full-proof plan to run further and/or faster every week.
Most of these coaches believe in keeping track of training obstacles and a bunch of them recommended blogging as a way to just get out the frustrations that are hard to avoid during months of training. This is what i call "internet therapy" and it's much cheaper than actually getting a running coach to yell motivational things at me.
i've never been one of those people who kept an online diary or live-journal or xanga, or any of those things, so ... this has a lot of awkward potential.
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