In something I was reading for work, I came across something about a "Life Balance Wheel." It has a circle divided into areas of the person's life:
Career,
Personal Growth,
Fun and Recreation,
Time Alone,
Partner/Romance,
Family,
Friends/Social Life,
Health and Exercise,
Spirituality,
Financial.
And when I read that, it hit me -- running (and boot camp) is what fills a lot of my circles!
It's fun and recreational -- aside from travel, it's probably one of the most fun activities I do with any regularity.
It's one of the things I love doing with my husband.
It's my time with friends and it's a big part of my social life. I run/boot camp with many of my dearest fiends -- feel free to draw your own conclusions about cause/correlation -- when you run with someone, you spend hours talking to them every week, so you'd better hope it's someone you like. I'm very lucky there, and I know it. I don't spend tons of time on the phone with out of town friends, and the local friends I spend the most time talking to are definitely working out friends. Sure, I'm emailing with people while injured, and people have stopped by to sign my cast and commiserate, but it's not the same as spending hours chatting per week.
It's my health and exercise. I have been trying to go to boot camp the last few days and just stay on my mat, doing abs and arms and stuff, but yikes, not really burning any calories at all. I've been struggling to find any cardio I can actually do in this cast, but honestly, even if I found something, I'm not wild about it since I've noticed sweating in the cast is very uncomfortable and makes it even itchier.
It's what I spend most of my "fun money" on, so I guess the financial part of my life is better without it? Not really, since it's fun money and I don't really spend a ton on it.
And in a lot of ways, it's where I feel like I set goals and have personal growth.
So what now??????
I know there's a lot more to my life than running/boot camp, and I know with certainty I'll be back as soon as this ankle is healed, but right now, I'm mostly just crying in my beer at my own little pity party.
Going to the doctor again this morning to get this stupid itchy cast off. And I find out what's next. Another cast for 8 weeks? A brace of some sort? Or (my hope, hope, hope), the "all healed, good luck in the marathon next weekend"?!
Haha, wishful thinking. It's still pretty sore and I'm worried about what the doc will say.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
He Said, She Said
Another quiz. What's funny is that I actually have a few million blog posts I should write. When I ran the San Francisco marathon, I carried my phone and took a bunch of pictures I can share. And I went on a self-guided Breaking Bad tour in Albuquerque. And I turned 40. And I went to Pittsburgh to visit aging inlaws. And I got to meet (and run and have breakfast with) Jennifer, from Running on Lentils -- in real life! But life has kind of been kicking my butt lately! Lots of miles on the road -- running and traveling for work. And I'm just feeling wiped out. So ready to taper. (Heh, clearly written pre-ankle injury.)
But somewhere in the last month or so since I've been inspired to write, I came across another quiz when I was reading the Jen Chooses Joy blog. And it was kind of a fun one, so I wrote out my answers, figuring we'd have some down-time in Pittsburgh for the AC to give his answers, so I wrote mine out, but of course we were busier than expected, so it took another week plus to do this. Anyway, here we go!
Directions: First answer the questions about yourself. Then, without ANY prompting, ask your spouse, boyfriend, partner, etc…these questions about yourself and write down EXACTLY what they say. Husband's answers in BLUE and my answers (written first) in PINK.
1. What is something your wife always says to you?
"Be present." (When I tell him to ignore his phone.)
I love you!
2. What makes your wife happy?
Flowers.
Being with friends and/or family
3. What makes your wife sad?
Injured feet and legs (as I asked these questions, I just finished 22 miles and we are watching wrestling on tv while I sit with my legs on his lap and he's halfheartedly rubbing them) (now that I'm posting this, wearing my below-the-knee cast, waiting for more answers on Thursday about my leg, this would definitely be his answer!).
Missing my family.
4. How does your wife make you laugh?
I don't know. Says funny things.
Silly jokes or showing him funny FB memes.
5. What was your wife like as a child?
Difficult.
Bossy and in my own world.
6. How old is your wife?
40
40 and 2.5 weeks!
7. How tall is your wife?
5’6″ (I laughed, then he said 5'5"?)
5’4″ (maybe 5'5"?)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Run.
Plan and go on vacations and trips.
9. If your wife became famous, what would it be for?
Running. Or a famous lawyer.
Probably losing my $hit and yelling and flailing my arms at inefficiency and waste while someone stood by and recorded the whole thing (I had jury duty a couple weeks ago and the wounds of wasted hours are still fresh).
10. What is your wife really good at?
Arguing. It's your job. You are good at it. No arguing that.
Arguing, negotiating and convincing (it's my job!)
For the record, I am totally appalled by the fact that we agreed on this. Felt like a zinger!
11. What is your wife not very good at?
Barbeque-ing. (I pushed for another answer and he said "sprinting.")
Singing, and being patient.
12. What does your wife do for a job?
She's a lawyer.
Attorney.
13. What is your wife’s favorite food?
Macaroni and cheese.
Too broad to just say cheese? Mac and cheese, pizza, cheesecake...
14. What makes you proud of your wife?
She's very smart. And beautiful.
My running. He brags about me all the time, even if I'm disappointed with my performance in a race.
15. If your wife was a tv or movie character, who would she be?
Someone on Law & Order (you wish you were)
I wouldn't mind hosting The Amazing Race. In terms of a character, I always wanted to be Frances Houseman. I also wanted to be Vivian Ward (but that was before I really understood the movie). But I think right now, I'd most want to be Abby Carmichael (the ADA from Law & Order, I'd frigging love to look like Angie Harmon!), or Elizabeth on The Americans (it would be kind of fun to be a Russian spy living in the US undercover in the 80s). I predict my husband will say Gillian Anderson from the X Files, since he thinks I look a bit like her.
16. What do you and your wife do together?
Boot camp.
See the world, travel, cuddle, work out, watch TV.
17. How are you and your wife different?
I like to eat animal flesh.
I'm more of a planner and list-maker.
18. How do you know your wife loves you?
She takes good care of me.
I tell him all the time!
19. What does your wife like most about you?
I don't know. I think she likes pretty much everything about me. Maybe that I don't like sports very much. Except this (while watching wrestling). Be glad we don't live in Iran. This stuff is probably on all the time over there.
His sweetness. He's such a nice and good person, it balances me out. I think we're a good team.
20. Where is your wife’s favorite place to go?
Italy.
Calabria in Italy! If I had to be more specific, I'd say my husband's aunt's house in Lamezia (maybe on the little balcony off "our" room when we stay there), or in the piazza in Pizzo, overlooking the sea and the castle where we got married.
But somewhere in the last month or so since I've been inspired to write, I came across another quiz when I was reading the Jen Chooses Joy blog. And it was kind of a fun one, so I wrote out my answers, figuring we'd have some down-time in Pittsburgh for the AC to give his answers, so I wrote mine out, but of course we were busier than expected, so it took another week plus to do this. Anyway, here we go!
Directions: First answer the questions about yourself. Then, without ANY prompting, ask your spouse, boyfriend, partner, etc…these questions about yourself and write down EXACTLY what they say. Husband's answers in BLUE and my answers (written first) in PINK.
1. What is something your wife always says to you?
"Be present." (When I tell him to ignore his phone.)
I love you!
2. What makes your wife happy?
Flowers.
Being with friends and/or family
3. What makes your wife sad?
Injured feet and legs (as I asked these questions, I just finished 22 miles and we are watching wrestling on tv while I sit with my legs on his lap and he's halfheartedly rubbing them) (now that I'm posting this, wearing my below-the-knee cast, waiting for more answers on Thursday about my leg, this would definitely be his answer!).
Missing my family.
4. How does your wife make you laugh?
I don't know. Says funny things.
Silly jokes or showing him funny FB memes.
5. What was your wife like as a child?
Difficult.
Bossy and in my own world.
6. How old is your wife?
40
40 and 2.5 weeks!
7. How tall is your wife?
5’6″ (I laughed, then he said 5'5"?)
5’4″ (maybe 5'5"?)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Run.
Plan and go on vacations and trips.
9. If your wife became famous, what would it be for?
Running. Or a famous lawyer.
Probably losing my $hit and yelling and flailing my arms at inefficiency and waste while someone stood by and recorded the whole thing (I had jury duty a couple weeks ago and the wounds of wasted hours are still fresh).
10. What is your wife really good at?
Arguing. It's your job. You are good at it. No arguing that.
Arguing, negotiating and convincing (it's my job!)
For the record, I am totally appalled by the fact that we agreed on this. Felt like a zinger!
11. What is your wife not very good at?
Barbeque-ing. (I pushed for another answer and he said "sprinting.")
Singing, and being patient.
12. What does your wife do for a job?
She's a lawyer.
Attorney.
13. What is your wife’s favorite food?
Macaroni and cheese.
Too broad to just say cheese? Mac and cheese, pizza, cheesecake...
14. What makes you proud of your wife?
She's very smart. And beautiful.
My running. He brags about me all the time, even if I'm disappointed with my performance in a race.
15. If your wife was a tv or movie character, who would she be?
Someone on Law & Order (you wish you were)
I wouldn't mind hosting The Amazing Race. In terms of a character, I always wanted to be Frances Houseman. I also wanted to be Vivian Ward (but that was before I really understood the movie). But I think right now, I'd most want to be Abby Carmichael (the ADA from Law & Order, I'd frigging love to look like Angie Harmon!), or Elizabeth on The Americans (it would be kind of fun to be a Russian spy living in the US undercover in the 80s). I predict my husband will say Gillian Anderson from the X Files, since he thinks I look a bit like her.
16. What do you and your wife do together?
Boot camp.
See the world, travel, cuddle, work out, watch TV.
17. How are you and your wife different?
I like to eat animal flesh.
I'm more of a planner and list-maker.
18. How do you know your wife loves you?
She takes good care of me.
I tell him all the time!
19. What does your wife like most about you?
I don't know. I think she likes pretty much everything about me. Maybe that I don't like sports very much. Except this (while watching wrestling). Be glad we don't live in Iran. This stuff is probably on all the time over there.
His sweetness. He's such a nice and good person, it balances me out. I think we're a good team.
20. Where is your wife’s favorite place to go?
Italy.
Calabria in Italy! If I had to be more specific, I'd say my husband's aunt's house in Lamezia (maybe on the little balcony off "our" room when we stay there), or in the piazza in Pizzo, overlooking the sea and the castle where we got married.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Down for the Count
Well ... for the first time in my life, this is my new look:
Ugh. I made it over 40 years without ever getting a cast, and I decide to have my first one put on 2 weeks and 3 days before I have an out-of-town marathon on the calendar for which I am fully trained.
Here's the "before" when I was in the ortho waiting room:
On the upside, I'm lucky both my husband and my running husband chose purple so I didn't have to explain another color to one of them...
Doctor thinks it's grade 3 sprains (my ankle rolled in and out), but there are two possible breaks based on the x-ray. He said the best thing to do was cast and immobilize it for a week, then we'll look at it again next Thursday when the swelling has gone down.
He advised I would not be running the Oktoberfest 5k that I love so much this weekend, and that he does not think it looks good for running a marathon in two weeks. But he wouldn't say it was impossible. He said he'd never seen anyone fully recover from grade 3 sprains in less than 2 weeks, but he couldn't say it could never happen. I'm super strong and I think I'll heal fast.
So I guess I'm just going with an extreme taper?
No running obviously, and no swimming since I can't get the cast wet. I might try a stationary bike or an elliptical early next week. I think I need to do something, but the upside to doing nothing is that maybe I'll gain 100+ pounds this week and my cast will split open -- which will finally allow me to scratch my damn leg and point my damn toe! Both of which I'm dying to do!
It hurts like crazy, I've taken a double dose of OTC sleeping pills all three nights with no luck, and I don't think I can stand it any more. I should have asked for pain meds. Ooops.
This officially breaks my years-long streak of no significant running injuries.
So if you don't mind, cross your fingers for a second and hope it's healed by the marathon and definitely that I'm not hobbling through Morocco a month from now... (not asking for prayers, too many things far more worthy of prayers in this world) (can you tell I've been clicking on sob stories on FB to try to keep this all in perspective?) (honestly, I wasn't in PR shape and it's really not the end of the world).
Ugh. I made it over 40 years without ever getting a cast, and I decide to have my first one put on 2 weeks and 3 days before I have an out-of-town marathon on the calendar for which I am fully trained.
Here's the "before" when I was in the ortho waiting room:
Doctor thinks it's grade 3 sprains (my ankle rolled in and out), but there are two possible breaks based on the x-ray. He said the best thing to do was cast and immobilize it for a week, then we'll look at it again next Thursday when the swelling has gone down.
It hurts like crazy, I've taken a double dose of OTC sleeping pills all three nights with no luck, and I don't think I can stand it any more. I should have asked for pain meds. Ooops.
This officially breaks my years-long streak of no significant running injuries.
So if you don't mind, cross your fingers for a second and hope it's healed by the marathon and definitely that I'm not hobbling through Morocco a month from now... (not asking for prayers, too many things far more worthy of prayers in this world) (can you tell I've been clicking on sob stories on FB to try to keep this all in perspective?) (honestly, I wasn't in PR shape and it's really not the end of the world).
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Owww
So I went running yesterday morning in Philly and it did not go well.
It started off wonderfully. I was staying out in the 'burbs, so I ran toward Swarthmore College. Tons of beautiful homes in the area, and running around campus so early was fun.
Technically, sunrise was at 7:10 or something, and I set out a little before 6, planning to run about 10k and wanting to be back by 6:50 or so.
It was not actually pitch black when I started running. A combination of street lights and that pre-dawn light meant I could see just fine, especially after the first mile or so.
It was COLD! Temps in the low 60s, so (like any runner on the first fall-ish run) I wore long sleeves. Totally not necessary, but ah, so nice to get to wear them and not be miserably hot.
I ran until about mile 3.5 and was getting ready to U-turn, thinking I would take a more direct route back to the hotel, so I'd be good on distance.
It was so pretty.
Those were the last happy pictures. 6:26 a.m., both of them.
I wanted to run just a little bit further and I realized the sidewalk I was on was leading to a public transit station. I saw a sidewalk on the other side of the street.
There were a few cars coming from my right, so I waited for them before crossing. There was a car in the distance to my left, but I wasn't worried about it.
As the last car passed, I stepped out into the street to run across. And somehow I stepped on a single huge (softball sized?) rock in the road.
I rolled my left ankle BOTH WAYS, if that's even possible? I went all the way down and got some very slight scrapes on my knees and my left hand, but I think my ankle absorbed all of it. I quickly crawled back to the grass so the oncoming car wouldn't hit me. I sat in the grass for a minute. I actually felt like I was going to pass out it hurt so much. I tried to stand on it and I knew I was done. No more running. I tried to get an uber, but of course my phone wasn't working (100% operator error, I think I tried to turn off the wifi in the morning before I ran but I accidentally put it in airplane mode). So I walked/jogged painfully back to the hotel.
Perhaps the worst part was crossing a very busy intersection -- turns out my defense counsel was driving through and saw me. He said he almost yelled but he was worried I'd turn to see him and get hit by a car. Just hearing that I could have been spared the misery of the last mile almost makes me cry.
Anyway, got to the hotel, got a bag of ice to put on it, and took off my shoe. It was already very swollen and seems to be bruising a bit. Owww. This would happen 2.5 weeks before my marathon. I'm hoping it's just a sprain. I'm kind of a wuss and I don't think I could have gone about 2 miles on a broken ankle.
I ended up settling my case in a hurry just so I could get on an early flight home. I got to the airport, changed my flight, and walked right on a plane to Dallas. They gave me bags of ice on the plane so I could keep icing, but it's ugly. I sat next to a really nice guy and we ended up talking for a fair amount of the flight, which is so rare for me. He's 61, married 26 years, 4 kids, youngest is a senior in HS now. He was connecting in Dallas and heading on to Lake Charles, LA for work. I had started working on the plane, but after about an hour, I asked him what he was reading, and that started the conversation -- he was reading a book by a friend to do an Amazon review for him, and then he told me about this friend, and we just exchanged stories for the next hour-plus about travel, people, family, everything. So pleasant!
As they made a final trash sweep on the plane, I asked if I could get a wheelchair when we landed. I've never used one so I didn't know if you had to pay for it, or arrange it when you booked your flight or what, but apparently not -- you just let them know and they get it set up for you right then and there. They ordered one for me, but when we got off the plane, while there were several wheelchairs, no one was there to push.
The sweet guy I'd talked to for most of the flight had carried my suitcase off the plane for me and hung out with me while I was waiting for a chair-pusher. He eventually asked the guy at the counter if he could just push me, and the guy said it was fine. He insisted he had more than 2 hours before his flight and he didn't mind. He pushed me to the tram that we took to the terminal where we parked. And while he pushed me, he dragged my suitcase and briefcase with his other arm (I carried his briefcase on my lap). We got to the terminal where I was parked and he was ready to push me all the way out to my car, but I insisted he stop at the security exit -- no telling what the lines would be like to go back in to security and I didn't want him to risk a mess. It just kind of blew my mind. And I never even got his name (though I know where he lives, the names/schools/future plans of his kids, names of his brothers, father's age, his surgical history, how he spent the summer when he was 19, what he thinks about Donald Trump, etc.).
How in the world are there people this nice in the world still?
Needless to say, no mile repeats for me this morning. I slept late and I'm about to leave for the ortho. I got an 8:00 appointment because I want to have it checked out. And I want to hear from "a real M.D." (to quote Pretty Woman) that it's just a sprain and it will be fine in about 3 days...
Fingers crossed!
It started off wonderfully. I was staying out in the 'burbs, so I ran toward Swarthmore College. Tons of beautiful homes in the area, and running around campus so early was fun.
Technically, sunrise was at 7:10 or something, and I set out a little before 6, planning to run about 10k and wanting to be back by 6:50 or so.
It was not actually pitch black when I started running. A combination of street lights and that pre-dawn light meant I could see just fine, especially after the first mile or so.
It was COLD! Temps in the low 60s, so (like any runner on the first fall-ish run) I wore long sleeves. Totally not necessary, but ah, so nice to get to wear them and not be miserably hot.
I ran until about mile 3.5 and was getting ready to U-turn, thinking I would take a more direct route back to the hotel, so I'd be good on distance.
It was so pretty.
Those were the last happy pictures. 6:26 a.m., both of them.
I wanted to run just a little bit further and I realized the sidewalk I was on was leading to a public transit station. I saw a sidewalk on the other side of the street.
There were a few cars coming from my right, so I waited for them before crossing. There was a car in the distance to my left, but I wasn't worried about it.
As the last car passed, I stepped out into the street to run across. And somehow I stepped on a single huge (softball sized?) rock in the road.
I rolled my left ankle BOTH WAYS, if that's even possible? I went all the way down and got some very slight scrapes on my knees and my left hand, but I think my ankle absorbed all of it. I quickly crawled back to the grass so the oncoming car wouldn't hit me. I sat in the grass for a minute. I actually felt like I was going to pass out it hurt so much. I tried to stand on it and I knew I was done. No more running. I tried to get an uber, but of course my phone wasn't working (100% operator error, I think I tried to turn off the wifi in the morning before I ran but I accidentally put it in airplane mode). So I walked/jogged painfully back to the hotel.
Perhaps the worst part was crossing a very busy intersection -- turns out my defense counsel was driving through and saw me. He said he almost yelled but he was worried I'd turn to see him and get hit by a car. Just hearing that I could have been spared the misery of the last mile almost makes me cry.
Anyway, got to the hotel, got a bag of ice to put on it, and took off my shoe. It was already very swollen and seems to be bruising a bit. Owww. This would happen 2.5 weeks before my marathon. I'm hoping it's just a sprain. I'm kind of a wuss and I don't think I could have gone about 2 miles on a broken ankle.
And a picture of the swelling on the inside.
I ended up settling my case in a hurry just so I could get on an early flight home. I got to the airport, changed my flight, and walked right on a plane to Dallas. They gave me bags of ice on the plane so I could keep icing, but it's ugly. I sat next to a really nice guy and we ended up talking for a fair amount of the flight, which is so rare for me. He's 61, married 26 years, 4 kids, youngest is a senior in HS now. He was connecting in Dallas and heading on to Lake Charles, LA for work. I had started working on the plane, but after about an hour, I asked him what he was reading, and that started the conversation -- he was reading a book by a friend to do an Amazon review for him, and then he told me about this friend, and we just exchanged stories for the next hour-plus about travel, people, family, everything. So pleasant!
As they made a final trash sweep on the plane, I asked if I could get a wheelchair when we landed. I've never used one so I didn't know if you had to pay for it, or arrange it when you booked your flight or what, but apparently not -- you just let them know and they get it set up for you right then and there. They ordered one for me, but when we got off the plane, while there were several wheelchairs, no one was there to push.
The sweet guy I'd talked to for most of the flight had carried my suitcase off the plane for me and hung out with me while I was waiting for a chair-pusher. He eventually asked the guy at the counter if he could just push me, and the guy said it was fine. He insisted he had more than 2 hours before his flight and he didn't mind. He pushed me to the tram that we took to the terminal where we parked. And while he pushed me, he dragged my suitcase and briefcase with his other arm (I carried his briefcase on my lap). We got to the terminal where I was parked and he was ready to push me all the way out to my car, but I insisted he stop at the security exit -- no telling what the lines would be like to go back in to security and I didn't want him to risk a mess. It just kind of blew my mind. And I never even got his name (though I know where he lives, the names/schools/future plans of his kids, names of his brothers, father's age, his surgical history, how he spent the summer when he was 19, what he thinks about Donald Trump, etc.).
How in the world are there people this nice in the world still?
Needless to say, no mile repeats for me this morning. I slept late and I'm about to leave for the ortho. I got an 8:00 appointment because I want to have it checked out. And I want to hear from "a real M.D." (to quote Pretty Woman) that it's just a sprain and it will be fine in about 3 days...
Fingers crossed!
Monday, September 14, 2015
Done and done!
Yesterday was my last long-long run for the season. 22 miles, but they were glorious! We're having a freakish cold spell here and it dropped down to 66 degrees and 56% humidity. I felt like I could have run forever!
I got to run in temps in the 60s last weekend in Pittsburgh, but there were hills there! Haha. It was actually a much easier run for me yesterday than the week before, which I guess is good as I get closer to the race.
My big issue was that I need new shoes. I have worn Brooks Glycerin forever, seriously, probably the better part of a decade -- with a couple flirtations with other shoes that turned out to be just flings.
Well, my purple Brooks Glycerin 12s were getting worn out, so I went to buy more. Not available at my local running store (and I always try to buy there first; as nice as online discounts are...). So I just bought a pair of Brooks Glycerin 13s. I switched seamlessly from the 11 to 12 whenever that transition happened. I remember some bumps transitioning from 10 to 11, but I got used to them.
The Brooks Glycerin 13s suck. There's no other way to put it. I talked about it with someone at the store and my problem is not unique. Apparently they switched to a slightly thicker insert or insole in the shoe and when I get over about 9 miles and I'm sweating a lot, they bunch up. It's insane! And totally unworkable.
So I'm trying to both transition to a new shoe (going back to Asics Supernova I think), but I'm also trying to buy all available Glycerin 12s just to get me through the marathons on the calendar as of right now. Nothing local, nothing readily available online, but after CALLING a Dick's outside of Philly, I found a pair and they said they'd ship to the Dick's right by my office. And I found another pair at a running store in Washington state that they are supposedly going to ship (but as far as I can tell, they never shipped or charged me and it's been over a week). So I wore my new Asics to run on Saturday, but back to my trusty worn out Glycerin 12s for my 22-miler. I'll survive. I might switch to the Asics more quickly than planned and start trying to wear them on all my weekday runs just in case none of the Glycerin 12s I tried to order ever show up. I bet I could get one more marathon out of the pair I have. And if I have any short weekdays under 8 miles, I could wear the Glycerin 13s.
The rest of the weekend was lazy. Extremely and crazily so. It was lovely. I was working in Austin last week, and Philly this week, so having some down time was nice. I'm trying to think if I did anything other than run, nap, and watch Dexter. I don't think I did!
So one more intense running week, if I can survive, and then I'll really be tapering. And one more travel week of work, if I can survive, then I'll be local until I go home for my race for 4 days, and then to Spain a few days later for vacation. Unfortunately work is going to be chaos for the next couple weeks, but I'll get through it!
I got to run in temps in the 60s last weekend in Pittsburgh, but there were hills there! Haha. It was actually a much easier run for me yesterday than the week before, which I guess is good as I get closer to the race.
My big issue was that I need new shoes. I have worn Brooks Glycerin forever, seriously, probably the better part of a decade -- with a couple flirtations with other shoes that turned out to be just flings.
Well, my purple Brooks Glycerin 12s were getting worn out, so I went to buy more. Not available at my local running store (and I always try to buy there first; as nice as online discounts are...). So I just bought a pair of Brooks Glycerin 13s. I switched seamlessly from the 11 to 12 whenever that transition happened. I remember some bumps transitioning from 10 to 11, but I got used to them.
The Brooks Glycerin 13s suck. There's no other way to put it. I talked about it with someone at the store and my problem is not unique. Apparently they switched to a slightly thicker insert or insole in the shoe and when I get over about 9 miles and I'm sweating a lot, they bunch up. It's insane! And totally unworkable.
So I'm trying to both transition to a new shoe (going back to Asics Supernova I think), but I'm also trying to buy all available Glycerin 12s just to get me through the marathons on the calendar as of right now. Nothing local, nothing readily available online, but after CALLING a Dick's outside of Philly, I found a pair and they said they'd ship to the Dick's right by my office. And I found another pair at a running store in Washington state that they are supposedly going to ship (but as far as I can tell, they never shipped or charged me and it's been over a week). So I wore my new Asics to run on Saturday, but back to my trusty worn out Glycerin 12s for my 22-miler. I'll survive. I might switch to the Asics more quickly than planned and start trying to wear them on all my weekday runs just in case none of the Glycerin 12s I tried to order ever show up. I bet I could get one more marathon out of the pair I have. And if I have any short weekdays under 8 miles, I could wear the Glycerin 13s.
The rest of the weekend was lazy. Extremely and crazily so. It was lovely. I was working in Austin last week, and Philly this week, so having some down time was nice. I'm trying to think if I did anything other than run, nap, and watch Dexter. I don't think I did!
So one more intense running week, if I can survive, and then I'll really be tapering. And one more travel week of work, if I can survive, then I'll be local until I go home for my race for 4 days, and then to Spain a few days later for vacation. Unfortunately work is going to be chaos for the next couple weeks, but I'll get through it!
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Running Quiz
Saw this quiz at the end of June on Hungry Runner Girl's site, and thought it would be fun to answer. Especially since I haven't had anything to say lately! Things are ticking along, and life as a Master's runner is remarkably similar to life pre-Master's. Going to Pittsburgh tonight for some time with in-laws -- and (more exciting for me) an IRL meet-up with a blogger! (Details to follow.)
1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?
Tough call for me. Both sound great, but the whole point of the question of course is to choose. I'll pick mountain trail -- the elevation sounds miserable, but it sounds like it would be shaded and wouldn't be hot, so that would be nice.
2. If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?
I'm not sure what this question is asking -- am I to invent a flavor or pick an existing one? For a new flavor, maybe like a cucumber mint? I don't really like cucumbers, but cucumber infused water is refreshing, and the mint would be nice. And that wouldn't be sweet, which I think would be a nice change from all other gatorades. Of existing flavors, the only one I hate is red. My fave is probably orange G2, but the blue is good, so is purple, and yellow is fine.
3. If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?
Shoes. Especially since I JUST bought a brand new watch this week (need to post about that). I should probably buy clothes since my stuff is all old and tired, but I always love fresh shoes.
4. Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?
Training plan. Pretty religiously except on my two-three breaks per year (early May, overseas vacation, and Christmas/New Year's). I usually have some "goal race" in October, and something else in April or early May. Even if I'm not running that goal race hard, I'm on a training plan for it. If for some reason I'm not on a training plan, then I'm still following one because I'm running with my buddies and someone is always on a training plan.
5. Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?
I'd rather start with the uphill. It's hard for me to get going, might as well get the hill out of the way. Plus, I love negative splits (though they often prove elusive for me).
6. When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?
We go to boot camp three days per week, if that counts as cross-training. In terms of solo cross-training, none really, unless I can count Bikram yoga classes? But those aren't solo either. I've been thinking about getting a bike (my current expense wish list is doing an extra mortgage payment, revamping my everyday wardrobe, having cash money for our trip to Europe/Africa NEXT MONTH, getting lasik on my eyes, and buying a bike). I'm also attempting to bump up my savings account with the expectation that I'm going to need to buy a new car soon. So my answer to this question will hopefully be "biking!" if you ask me again in about a year.
7. What is your preference— Out and back, point to point or loop runs?
Point to point is first place, loop is second place, out and back is my least favorite (and, incidentally, what I do most frequently).
8. If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a:
running buddy. Keeps you accountable, can push you out there, keeps the runs interesting, safety bonus. Is it cheating to pick that since it's not something you buy? In terms of purchases, I'd say good shoes. Spend the money there first.
9. Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?
Not really. On rare occasions, we will see an armadillo. That's probably the wildest and craziest thing. We see rabbits sometimes. There's also the occasional possum or a fox, once a coyote, and often dogs and cats (sometimes that appear to be stray or at least unattended). I've seen some animals like deer and moose while running in other states, but nothing like that locally.
10. Ever gotten lost while out on a run?
Yes. Not often, but it's happened a few times. Locally, if I'm lost, it's usually in the neighborhood by the J (Royal and 75), where I do my weekday training runs with friends from January to April. We tend to spread out more those months, and it's so dark, and we have so many different routes in that area that are so unfamiliar to me, so I get lost there sometimes. And it's a hilly neighborhood, so I get really nervous if I get lost! Anything but extra HILLY miles! I try to be a lot more careful about directions when I'm out of town so that I can find my way back -- so even when I found myself running in scary parts of Camden, NJ, I wouldn't say I was lost -- I knew exactly how to get back to Philly and to my hotel.
11. If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?
I'd probably pick a smoothie since I usually run in the morning. Spinach, kale, frozen fruit mix, frozen beets, carrot juice, soy milk, Vega protein powder, chia seeds, and ground flaxseed. It's such a pain to make it when I get back from a run and I'm dripping wet with sweat, so it would be nice to have that waiting. In terms of a meal other than breakfast, I would like a huge salad waiting for me. When I run home from work in the summer, it's so hot that I can't imagine eating anything warm and I'd love to have the perfect salad there waiting.
12. Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?
Shorts. I have one skirt that I basically refuse to wear (I think I've worn it twice; not looked upon favorably by my friends, and I felt ridiculous). I hate capris since I think it's silly to have a pant leg cut off at the widest part of your lower leg, but at the same time, they're usually more weather appropriate than tights or shorts for a couple months of the year here, so I do grudgingly wear them.
13. At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?
Usually about mile two. Definitely at least two miles before track or speed work. Ideally, I like at least 3 miles before starting marathon pace.
14. What do you do with your key when you run?
On weekdays, I put it in a pocket in my shorts (another reason I hate capris, some of my capris don't have pockets, but if it's cold enough for me to wear capris, then it's cold enough for gloves and I just shove it in there). On the weekends, I leave my key in the running store where we start and finish.
15. If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?
Boston, hands-down. It was a PR at the time (and therefore a re-Q), and the crowd support and experience were unparalleled. I had a bunch of friends running as well, which made it even more special. Plus it was our second wedding anniversary and we were flying to Italy the next day.
16. What type of run is your least favorite type of run?
Perhaps the easiest question in this quiz -- progressive tempo! I hate it, I suck at it, I frequently fail, and did I mention that I really hate it? But I still do PT occasionally because I know it makes me stronger. Fortunately, we're rarely asked to do PT in the summer. So now I associate it with dark, cold runs in the neighborhood where I easily get lost, and that makes me hate it even more. After many years of bombing those runs, now, when I see it on the schedule, I try hard to sandbag the first mile in hopes that it will help me to accomplish the goal. It sometimes works, it often doesn't. On the schedule I follow, when there is PT, it's usually a couple miles warm-up, then PT for 3-5 miles, then 1-2 miles cooldown, and each PT mile is supposed to be 15 seconds faster than the previous. The way it usually goes for me is: warm-up, then suddenly run fast, have a solid mile 1, then try to run 15 seconds faster, usually run about 20 seconds faster, then try to speed up another 15 seconds for mile 3, begin feeling like I'm failing, end up with a split matching PT mile 1, then try to speed up more (either back to mile 2 pace, or where mile 3 was supposed to be, or where mile 4 is supposed to be), fail miserably, walk until the split (the end of the PT), then run my cooldown, berating myself the whole time. Miserable!
17. What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on?
Knowing I'm meeting my friends. If I ran solo, I could see myself snoozing, dawdling or blowing it off completely. While I do have a marathon on the books in just about a month (!!!), the way I'm running now, I'd have to be insane to go for a PR, so it's just going to be a race like any other. So that race doesn't motivate me at all, it's the people waiting for me, the conversation, the companionship, the shared laughs about a bet about how many people we'll see on the bike path and joking that the bet's loser has to feed Bobby his gu like a little bird (Bobby was like, hey, how did I get drawn into all this? I don't want any of you bastards anywhere near my mouth drooling gu!).
18. When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start?
Drive almost 2 miles to start. I run from home occasionally (maybe once a week?), unless you count my commuting miles to/from work, obviously 50% of my commutes leave from home, but those are junk miles, not my quality runs. For quality runs, I'm usually meeting my friends and we all meet at a running store (or at our hill loop starting point), so I drive to get there.
19. When running in daylight: are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?
Usually an annoyance. Almost all my runs start in the dark, so sunglasses are just an unnecessary pain for the first part of the run. I often wish I had them when it gets sunnier, but I actually don't really like wearing them. Sweat drips on them, or they'll fog up if I stop for a light, or they'll bounce around. Plus, now that I'm 40+, I need to really focus on squinting more so those wrinkles around my eyes will really start to pop!
20. When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting?
Depends on the circumstance -- my OCD nature, my friends, or the fact that I'm still miles from my car. On the roads, I can rely on my friends or being far from my car to keep me going. At the track, it's pretty much all up to me. This morning we had 4 mile repeats at the track. First one was great (3 seconds faster than planned), miles 2 & 3 were dead even (and both 7 second faster than mile 1), and then I was ready to be done. I convinced myself to run the first lap of the last repeat. Then I pushed to get the first half of it done and considered taking a break and then doing another 800, but then I figured I'd aim for 1000 meters, then it was just 600 more meters and I just wanted to finish it, even though I knew full well I was slowing down and there was no chance I'd stick my times. I finished number 4 solely due to my OCD nature -- just wanting to check the box on my calendar schedule and fill in my 4 mile repeat times. Mile 4 was 4 seconds slower than goal (so 7 seconds slower than mile 1, and 14 seconds slower than miles 2 and 3). I read my husband my splits and he thought it was great. I kept saying the times weren't the issue, it was the order -- if I'd run time 4, then time 1, then times 2 and 3, it would have been progressive tempo basically, a negative split, a thing of beauty. I'd have been thrilled! But like I said, progressive tempo is hard for me! But either way, all 4 repeats done, all pretty close to goal time. Sticking it out today for the win!
If I read your blog, feel free to answer these yourself, I'm interested in your responses!
1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?
Tough call for me. Both sound great, but the whole point of the question of course is to choose. I'll pick mountain trail -- the elevation sounds miserable, but it sounds like it would be shaded and wouldn't be hot, so that would be nice.
2. If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?
I'm not sure what this question is asking -- am I to invent a flavor or pick an existing one? For a new flavor, maybe like a cucumber mint? I don't really like cucumbers, but cucumber infused water is refreshing, and the mint would be nice. And that wouldn't be sweet, which I think would be a nice change from all other gatorades. Of existing flavors, the only one I hate is red. My fave is probably orange G2, but the blue is good, so is purple, and yellow is fine.
3. If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?
Shoes. Especially since I JUST bought a brand new watch this week (need to post about that). I should probably buy clothes since my stuff is all old and tired, but I always love fresh shoes.
4. Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?
Training plan. Pretty religiously except on my two-three breaks per year (early May, overseas vacation, and Christmas/New Year's). I usually have some "goal race" in October, and something else in April or early May. Even if I'm not running that goal race hard, I'm on a training plan for it. If for some reason I'm not on a training plan, then I'm still following one because I'm running with my buddies and someone is always on a training plan.
5. Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?
I'd rather start with the uphill. It's hard for me to get going, might as well get the hill out of the way. Plus, I love negative splits (though they often prove elusive for me).
6. When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?
We go to boot camp three days per week, if that counts as cross-training. In terms of solo cross-training, none really, unless I can count Bikram yoga classes? But those aren't solo either. I've been thinking about getting a bike (my current expense wish list is doing an extra mortgage payment, revamping my everyday wardrobe, having cash money for our trip to Europe/Africa NEXT MONTH, getting lasik on my eyes, and buying a bike). I'm also attempting to bump up my savings account with the expectation that I'm going to need to buy a new car soon. So my answer to this question will hopefully be "biking!" if you ask me again in about a year.
7. What is your preference— Out and back, point to point or loop runs?
Point to point is first place, loop is second place, out and back is my least favorite (and, incidentally, what I do most frequently).
8. If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a:
running buddy. Keeps you accountable, can push you out there, keeps the runs interesting, safety bonus. Is it cheating to pick that since it's not something you buy? In terms of purchases, I'd say good shoes. Spend the money there first.
9. Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?
Not really. On rare occasions, we will see an armadillo. That's probably the wildest and craziest thing. We see rabbits sometimes. There's also the occasional possum or a fox, once a coyote, and often dogs and cats (sometimes that appear to be stray or at least unattended). I've seen some animals like deer and moose while running in other states, but nothing like that locally.
10. Ever gotten lost while out on a run?
Yes. Not often, but it's happened a few times. Locally, if I'm lost, it's usually in the neighborhood by the J (Royal and 75), where I do my weekday training runs with friends from January to April. We tend to spread out more those months, and it's so dark, and we have so many different routes in that area that are so unfamiliar to me, so I get lost there sometimes. And it's a hilly neighborhood, so I get really nervous if I get lost! Anything but extra HILLY miles! I try to be a lot more careful about directions when I'm out of town so that I can find my way back -- so even when I found myself running in scary parts of Camden, NJ, I wouldn't say I was lost -- I knew exactly how to get back to Philly and to my hotel.
11. If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?
I'd probably pick a smoothie since I usually run in the morning. Spinach, kale, frozen fruit mix, frozen beets, carrot juice, soy milk, Vega protein powder, chia seeds, and ground flaxseed. It's such a pain to make it when I get back from a run and I'm dripping wet with sweat, so it would be nice to have that waiting. In terms of a meal other than breakfast, I would like a huge salad waiting for me. When I run home from work in the summer, it's so hot that I can't imagine eating anything warm and I'd love to have the perfect salad there waiting.
12. Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?
Shorts. I have one skirt that I basically refuse to wear (I think I've worn it twice; not looked upon favorably by my friends, and I felt ridiculous). I hate capris since I think it's silly to have a pant leg cut off at the widest part of your lower leg, but at the same time, they're usually more weather appropriate than tights or shorts for a couple months of the year here, so I do grudgingly wear them.
13. At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?
Usually about mile two. Definitely at least two miles before track or speed work. Ideally, I like at least 3 miles before starting marathon pace.
14. What do you do with your key when you run?
On weekdays, I put it in a pocket in my shorts (another reason I hate capris, some of my capris don't have pockets, but if it's cold enough for me to wear capris, then it's cold enough for gloves and I just shove it in there). On the weekends, I leave my key in the running store where we start and finish.
15. If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?
Boston, hands-down. It was a PR at the time (and therefore a re-Q), and the crowd support and experience were unparalleled. I had a bunch of friends running as well, which made it even more special. Plus it was our second wedding anniversary and we were flying to Italy the next day.
16. What type of run is your least favorite type of run?
Perhaps the easiest question in this quiz -- progressive tempo! I hate it, I suck at it, I frequently fail, and did I mention that I really hate it? But I still do PT occasionally because I know it makes me stronger. Fortunately, we're rarely asked to do PT in the summer. So now I associate it with dark, cold runs in the neighborhood where I easily get lost, and that makes me hate it even more. After many years of bombing those runs, now, when I see it on the schedule, I try hard to sandbag the first mile in hopes that it will help me to accomplish the goal. It sometimes works, it often doesn't. On the schedule I follow, when there is PT, it's usually a couple miles warm-up, then PT for 3-5 miles, then 1-2 miles cooldown, and each PT mile is supposed to be 15 seconds faster than the previous. The way it usually goes for me is: warm-up, then suddenly run fast, have a solid mile 1, then try to run 15 seconds faster, usually run about 20 seconds faster, then try to speed up another 15 seconds for mile 3, begin feeling like I'm failing, end up with a split matching PT mile 1, then try to speed up more (either back to mile 2 pace, or where mile 3 was supposed to be, or where mile 4 is supposed to be), fail miserably, walk until the split (the end of the PT), then run my cooldown, berating myself the whole time. Miserable!
17. What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on?
Knowing I'm meeting my friends. If I ran solo, I could see myself snoozing, dawdling or blowing it off completely. While I do have a marathon on the books in just about a month (!!!), the way I'm running now, I'd have to be insane to go for a PR, so it's just going to be a race like any other. So that race doesn't motivate me at all, it's the people waiting for me, the conversation, the companionship, the shared laughs about a bet about how many people we'll see on the bike path and joking that the bet's loser has to feed Bobby his gu like a little bird (Bobby was like, hey, how did I get drawn into all this? I don't want any of you bastards anywhere near my mouth drooling gu!).
18. When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start?
Drive almost 2 miles to start. I run from home occasionally (maybe once a week?), unless you count my commuting miles to/from work, obviously 50% of my commutes leave from home, but those are junk miles, not my quality runs. For quality runs, I'm usually meeting my friends and we all meet at a running store (or at our hill loop starting point), so I drive to get there.
19. When running in daylight: are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?
Usually an annoyance. Almost all my runs start in the dark, so sunglasses are just an unnecessary pain for the first part of the run. I often wish I had them when it gets sunnier, but I actually don't really like wearing them. Sweat drips on them, or they'll fog up if I stop for a light, or they'll bounce around. Plus, now that I'm 40+, I need to really focus on squinting more so those wrinkles around my eyes will really start to pop!
20. When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting?
Depends on the circumstance -- my OCD nature, my friends, or the fact that I'm still miles from my car. On the roads, I can rely on my friends or being far from my car to keep me going. At the track, it's pretty much all up to me. This morning we had 4 mile repeats at the track. First one was great (3 seconds faster than planned), miles 2 & 3 were dead even (and both 7 second faster than mile 1), and then I was ready to be done. I convinced myself to run the first lap of the last repeat. Then I pushed to get the first half of it done and considered taking a break and then doing another 800, but then I figured I'd aim for 1000 meters, then it was just 600 more meters and I just wanted to finish it, even though I knew full well I was slowing down and there was no chance I'd stick my times. I finished number 4 solely due to my OCD nature -- just wanting to check the box on my calendar schedule and fill in my 4 mile repeat times. Mile 4 was 4 seconds slower than goal (so 7 seconds slower than mile 1, and 14 seconds slower than miles 2 and 3). I read my husband my splits and he thought it was great. I kept saying the times weren't the issue, it was the order -- if I'd run time 4, then time 1, then times 2 and 3, it would have been progressive tempo basically, a negative split, a thing of beauty. I'd have been thrilled! But like I said, progressive tempo is hard for me! But either way, all 4 repeats done, all pretty close to goal time. Sticking it out today for the win!
If I read your blog, feel free to answer these yourself, I'm interested in your responses!
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