My foot has shown remarkable improvement over the past few days, and I don't think it's just because I swapped over to Aleve and medicated myself into numbness. Yesterday I discovered that I could walk without a dramatic limp and that the stepping motion which causes my toes to bend upwards didn't result in sharp, balance-losing pain. Last night, the top of my foot even felt itchy like a healing bruise.
The top of my foot is still swollen, but its feel more superficial now that I'm not in constantly pain with every step. I even half-jogged back to the locker room when I forgot my ipod yesterday afternoon. Okay, maybe not half jogged; limp-bounced in an awkward fashion.
All in all, I have high hopes that I'll be in good enough condition to run the 5k on Sunday. This might seem a bit optimistic. But really, how much damage can I do in 30 minutes? Or if I do damage, how long will it take to actually physically manifest itself in a debilitating manner? More than 30 minutes is what I'm betting!
The other option would be to skip the race and focus on healing in order to pull a normal time at the BAA 5k in April. That's 5 weeks out. I just really want the RNH medal, and to jog in costume. I added a green tie from target to my festive outfit this year. I don't want to waste that $1.00 elasticized tie.
I'll be back with an update later this week. Today is leg day. We'll see how calf raises go.
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Jinglebell 5K
Monday, December 20, 2010 5K, jinglebell, race
I finished the 5K. I had some cute socks to be mildly festive this year. While I wasn't out to impress anyone with my time, I ended up stopping about 1/4 mile to the end when a girl wiped out on some black ice. A number of people stopped, but they kept asking "Is anyone with her? Are you her friend? Are you with her?" rather than running for help. So I ran for help. It was really weird. I mean, I get that you want to make sure she's in good hand (albeit crying and clutching her knee) so you can finish the race, but the group of people I was rolling through the finish with were clearly not competitive runners that were going to blow a PR. Trust me, I was on a leisurely jog.
My friend snapped some nice MIX marketing photos of me post-race, showing off my padded, out of shape figure. We then left to go drinking.
My friend snapped some nice MIX marketing photos of me post-race, showing off my padded, out of shape figure. We then left to go drinking.
Monday, October 25, 2010
half marathon,
race,
race results
0
I'm just going to post-date the review of the BAA race. It's holding up my efforts to actually write about my daily running.
Let's get on with the bad news. I got a new, bad ache in my left foot today. Now keep in mind that my IT band problems are exclusively in the right leg. This sensation showed up about 1 mile into my run. I was going at a slow, easy jog along the Charles when I started to notice a tired muscle ache in the top of my ankle with every step.
The ache grew and grew until it was acute pain. I stopped. I stretched. I tried again for approximately 100 yards. It came on rapidly and I stopped again. I gave my foot a mental pep talk, which appeared to have no effect. So I turned back around. I executed a slightly pathetic limp-jog for a distance, walked, then limp-jogged some more. The running part itself accumulated to about 1.5 miles by the time I got myself back to the gym.
I used the upright bike to complete a cardio workout, then foam rolled, did some of the leg strengthening PT exercises and stretched to finish. It's now about 3 hours later. The top of my ankle has a subtle ache in the background when I move the leg around. That's about it.
My theories about what is wrong revolve around (a) my Dankso clogs which are horrible for my feet, (b) the 7 miles I spent marching rapidly around Boston this weekend in poor shoes, (c) my totally annihilated gym running shoes, and (d) the theory that I'm comping for my right IT band so much that its changed my gait and is bothering my left foot now in unforeseen ways.
I'm going to go for a jog in the morning, so we'll see if it lasts. I'm going to stick to 3 miles in my newer home running shoes, nice and easy.
Let's get on with the bad news. I got a new, bad ache in my left foot today. Now keep in mind that my IT band problems are exclusively in the right leg. This sensation showed up about 1 mile into my run. I was going at a slow, easy jog along the Charles when I started to notice a tired muscle ache in the top of my ankle with every step.
The ache grew and grew until it was acute pain. I stopped. I stretched. I tried again for approximately 100 yards. It came on rapidly and I stopped again. I gave my foot a mental pep talk, which appeared to have no effect. So I turned back around. I executed a slightly pathetic limp-jog for a distance, walked, then limp-jogged some more. The running part itself accumulated to about 1.5 miles by the time I got myself back to the gym.
I used the upright bike to complete a cardio workout, then foam rolled, did some of the leg strengthening PT exercises and stretched to finish. It's now about 3 hours later. The top of my ankle has a subtle ache in the background when I move the leg around. That's about it.
My theories about what is wrong revolve around (a) my Dankso clogs which are horrible for my feet, (b) the 7 miles I spent marching rapidly around Boston this weekend in poor shoes, (c) my totally annihilated gym running shoes, and (d) the theory that I'm comping for my right IT band so much that its changed my gait and is bothering my left foot now in unforeseen ways.
I'm going to go for a jog in the morning, so we'll see if it lasts. I'm going to stick to 3 miles in my newer home running shoes, nice and easy.
Review: B.A.A. Half Marathon
Friday, October 22, 2010 fall races, half marathon, race, race results
B.A.A. Half Marathon: October 10, 2010
As promised, let me tell you about how the much anticipated half went down. As a refresher, I had this brilliant plan in July to run my first sub-2:00 half marathon. I don't remember smoking anything at the time, but for whatever reason, this seemed entirely reasonably for me to accomplish after being out with an injury for six months. It was, at the very least, motivating.
I got a low mileage plan with a nice balance of two easy runs, a speed workout and a long run per week. It quickly went to pot, but what's new? I ended up with my IT band aching like a mother about three weeks before the race, and the last two weeks I just straight up did nothing in order to prevent further injury.
So Sunday morning rolls around. I'd gone to bed at 9pm the night before with my alarm set for 5:30am. The race started at 8:30, but I was anticipating at least an hour to get out to Franklin Park given that it was going to take me two unreliable Sunday-schedule train rides and a shuttle.
Dana-Farber also scheduled the team photo for 8:00am with the gathering time at 7:45am. My plan was to leave the house by 6:30am. I left at 6:45, which got me at the train station for 6:55am. There waiting on the platform was another runner who was up from North Carolina to run the race for her 50th birthday. She too was running for DFCI, so we chatted about our goals, our fundraising, our running experience, our mutual suspicion that we were going to miss the group photo.
We kept each other company from blue line to orange line to the runners' shuttle, and then jogged over to the stands at 8:05 for the last couple of DFCI photos. Needless to say that I am not in the final photos they posted online.
Singlets, bibs, etc. all arrived via mail, so the only thing to do for the next 25 minutes was bag check and port-o-johns. It was a chilly morning, very chilly, but I knew the minute I got on the road, I'd be too hot in long sleeves. I bravely dropped off my bag along with my long sleeve shirt and jacket. I then shivered my way towards the bathroom lines.
On the way over, I ran into Arun from work/gym. I told him about my doubts about finishing today, he showed me a new stretch for the IT band and we waited in line together. While we chatted, he asks if I'd used the gel tablets. I was confused a minute, then he pulled out his bag of fixes which contained little green iboprofen gel tablets. I was like "Oh, yeah, I took a couple." And he's like "No, I mean, topically." At this point I was introduced to the art of stabbing the gel tab with a swiss army knife and slathering your injury with the anti-inflammatory. Even if it didn't work, I was still ready to try anything to get through the race.
We were some of the last runners waiting in line for the portojohns - everyone was, as can be expected, a little frantic. We heard the national anthem, a lot of talk, some more singing, and then about 10 minutes after the official start. I jogged over to the starting line where everyone was still waiting around. My actual start was somewhere around 4 minutes past the gun time, simply because the number of runners was relatively large and fast. Knowing my injuries, I settled into the 10min+ pace group.
The Emerald Necklace is beautiful. The roads are smooth with gently rolling hills. The temperature was perfectly around 60F. It was just a beautiful day for a race.
The course itself starts out at a decline, which started me out optimistic. I didn't figure I'd last long enough to have to go back up it again. By mile 5, my right knee started to ache, the IT band subtly flaring up. I didn't drink until mile 7 or 8. It was around maybe 9 that I popped a couple of clif blocks since I'd gone with a yogurt-breakfast that morning - not a hearty fuel. That provided me with a short-lived kick of energy. I swapped to the Gatorade Endurance around that time as well. The pain in my knee was manageable through this period. My fitness level was questionable.
I maintained a little above a 10 min/mile average the first 10 miles, miraculously. It's around the last three miles that my truncated training failed me (I never did a run over 10 miles this summer), and that's also when the course went up hill. This one brutal hill actually slowed me to a walk. I was feeling pain in my left knee just below my patella in addition to my usual right ITBS. Mile 11 was a jog-walk. Mile 12 was where my calves started cramping up on the hills and I came down with stomach cramps. Mile 13 was just a flat-out disaster.
The course heads through the Zoo in the last half mile before reaching the stadium. It curved through some swamp grass on a dirt trail and ran us past an anteater (First race with an anteater as spectator - he looked unimpressed by our efforts). I was power-walking like a crippled old woman at that point. I only picked back up to a jog as we headed out of the zoo, into the park and towards the first of the crowds near the stadium. I made it past the crowds, keeping a brave face, then slowed back down again once we ducked around behind the stadium.
That last 0.1 mile? Lame. It should be inspirational to burst through onto the track with spectators crowding the stands. It was not. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I knew I could pass like 6-7 people in order to at least be 6-7 places ahead in the standings. My time was brutally bad at this point. So with what little energy I had left, I sprinted around the track and through the finish line.
I immediately halted to a pained walk like 2 feet over the kickboard that hides the detectors. No one was directly behind me, thank goodness. I know, I was a jerk, but I was beat up. I dragged myself over to the medical tent only to learn that they were out of ice and I should come back later. Sweet.
I got my medal, loaded up on post-workout food/drink stuffs, and called my friend to meet up. I posed for a couple of post-race photos in my jazzy new long-sleeve Adidas-sponsored finishers t-shirt, and returned for some ice. I then walked off and collapsed in the field until my friend found me.
What a day. The statistics on my run are humiliating, but I'm just happy I finished the damned thing. I was not prepared. I was injured. And I had no business running a half marathon. It was great though. I promised myself that I was going to start taking better care of my knee so that I could do this again next year - and actually rock out.
As promised, let me tell you about how the much anticipated half went down. As a refresher, I had this brilliant plan in July to run my first sub-2:00 half marathon. I don't remember smoking anything at the time, but for whatever reason, this seemed entirely reasonably for me to accomplish after being out with an injury for six months. It was, at the very least, motivating.
I got a low mileage plan with a nice balance of two easy runs, a speed workout and a long run per week. It quickly went to pot, but what's new? I ended up with my IT band aching like a mother about three weeks before the race, and the last two weeks I just straight up did nothing in order to prevent further injury.
So Sunday morning rolls around. I'd gone to bed at 9pm the night before with my alarm set for 5:30am. The race started at 8:30, but I was anticipating at least an hour to get out to Franklin Park given that it was going to take me two unreliable Sunday-schedule train rides and a shuttle.
Dana-Farber also scheduled the team photo for 8:00am with the gathering time at 7:45am. My plan was to leave the house by 6:30am. I left at 6:45, which got me at the train station for 6:55am. There waiting on the platform was another runner who was up from North Carolina to run the race for her 50th birthday. She too was running for DFCI, so we chatted about our goals, our fundraising, our running experience, our mutual suspicion that we were going to miss the group photo.
We kept each other company from blue line to orange line to the runners' shuttle, and then jogged over to the stands at 8:05 for the last couple of DFCI photos. Needless to say that I am not in the final photos they posted online.
Singlets, bibs, etc. all arrived via mail, so the only thing to do for the next 25 minutes was bag check and port-o-johns. It was a chilly morning, very chilly, but I knew the minute I got on the road, I'd be too hot in long sleeves. I bravely dropped off my bag along with my long sleeve shirt and jacket. I then shivered my way towards the bathroom lines.
On the way over, I ran into Arun from work/gym. I told him about my doubts about finishing today, he showed me a new stretch for the IT band and we waited in line together. While we chatted, he asks if I'd used the gel tablets. I was confused a minute, then he pulled out his bag of fixes which contained little green iboprofen gel tablets. I was like "Oh, yeah, I took a couple." And he's like "No, I mean, topically." At this point I was introduced to the art of stabbing the gel tab with a swiss army knife and slathering your injury with the anti-inflammatory. Even if it didn't work, I was still ready to try anything to get through the race.
We were some of the last runners waiting in line for the portojohns - everyone was, as can be expected, a little frantic. We heard the national anthem, a lot of talk, some more singing, and then about 10 minutes after the official start. I jogged over to the starting line where everyone was still waiting around. My actual start was somewhere around 4 minutes past the gun time, simply because the number of runners was relatively large and fast. Knowing my injuries, I settled into the 10min+ pace group.
The Emerald Necklace is beautiful. The roads are smooth with gently rolling hills. The temperature was perfectly around 60F. It was just a beautiful day for a race.
The course itself starts out at a decline, which started me out optimistic. I didn't figure I'd last long enough to have to go back up it again. By mile 5, my right knee started to ache, the IT band subtly flaring up. I didn't drink until mile 7 or 8. It was around maybe 9 that I popped a couple of clif blocks since I'd gone with a yogurt-breakfast that morning - not a hearty fuel. That provided me with a short-lived kick of energy. I swapped to the Gatorade Endurance around that time as well. The pain in my knee was manageable through this period. My fitness level was questionable.
I maintained a little above a 10 min/mile average the first 10 miles, miraculously. It's around the last three miles that my truncated training failed me (I never did a run over 10 miles this summer), and that's also when the course went up hill. This one brutal hill actually slowed me to a walk. I was feeling pain in my left knee just below my patella in addition to my usual right ITBS. Mile 11 was a jog-walk. Mile 12 was where my calves started cramping up on the hills and I came down with stomach cramps. Mile 13 was just a flat-out disaster.
The course heads through the Zoo in the last half mile before reaching the stadium. It curved through some swamp grass on a dirt trail and ran us past an anteater (First race with an anteater as spectator - he looked unimpressed by our efforts). I was power-walking like a crippled old woman at that point. I only picked back up to a jog as we headed out of the zoo, into the park and towards the first of the crowds near the stadium. I made it past the crowds, keeping a brave face, then slowed back down again once we ducked around behind the stadium.
That last 0.1 mile? Lame. It should be inspirational to burst through onto the track with spectators crowding the stands. It was not. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I knew I could pass like 6-7 people in order to at least be 6-7 places ahead in the standings. My time was brutally bad at this point. So with what little energy I had left, I sprinted around the track and through the finish line.
I immediately halted to a pained walk like 2 feet over the kickboard that hides the detectors. No one was directly behind me, thank goodness. I know, I was a jerk, but I was beat up. I dragged myself over to the medical tent only to learn that they were out of ice and I should come back later. Sweet.
I got my medal, loaded up on post-workout food/drink stuffs, and called my friend to meet up. I posed for a couple of post-race photos in my jazzy new long-sleeve Adidas-sponsored finishers t-shirt, and returned for some ice. I then walked off and collapsed in the field until my friend found me.
What a day. The statistics on my run are humiliating, but I'm just happy I finished the damned thing. I was not prepared. I was injured. And I had no business running a half marathon. It was great though. I promised myself that I was going to start taking better care of my knee so that I could do this again next year - and actually rock out.
My first DNF
Sunday, February 7, 2010 injury, it band, itbs, race
Well, today I hang my head in shame and frustration. It was meant to be a morning of PRs and training assessments. I lined up a 10k for my fifth week of marathon training. The timing worked out perfectly with an easy 14 mile pace run scheduled for Saturday. I felt confident that I would be energized and ready to race come Sunday morning. Six fast-paced miles to finish off a great weekend.
Let's start with a quick overview of the past five weeks, in terms of my long runs. Most everything else has been treadmill speed work, having not done hills in two weeks.
Week 1: 15 miler - felt good, achy same-day, fine the next
Week 2: 17.5 miler - felt great, finished off with a sprint
Week 3: 18 miler - felt okay, struggled to finish up, but ended strong; went on an easy jog and pitched into the sidewalk, severely bruising both knees
Week 4: 20 miler - felt good, knees hurt that afternoon but no swelling, healthy as a clam on Sunday without pain
Week 5: 14 miler - start out sluggish, strong and fast from 6-11 miles, endured finish; jogged in old running shoes to bus (0.6 miles) afterwards - exhausted
When I awoke this morning, I felt a nagging pain in the right side of my right knee, and on the left side of my left foot. It feels like one of those pains when you pull the muscle, step on it wrong or sleep on it wrong. Something that you can work out with a little physical activity or rest. So I tried jogging down to the T station, but the foot and knee were both nagging, so I mainly walked. Reaching South Station, I walked to the start line, not ran. Again, a light jog didn't make it feel better, so I figured I'd not irritate it further and save myself for the race.
The race started slow. I was feeling awful, and with the foot and knee pain, my first mile was a whopping 9:43 (gun time). Shocked at just how slow things were going, I pushed myself hard to make up for that extra minute once we passed that clock. I felt myself shift into a faster, rhythmic groove. Feeling good. This lasted approximately 1/2 mile. At which point the pain in my knee was no longer feeling like something I could run through and/or use to drive me. I started having thoughts about whether it would be okay if I just stopped at the 5k. Little did I know that I didn't even have another 1/2 mile left in me.
It got bad fast. The pavement turned to cobbled stone, a stronger stab of pain. I rapidly got back on even ground, a slight limp to my run. I tried gritting my teeth, telling myself to get lost in the music and focus on a running daydream rather than the pain in my knee. But it was persistant, getting stronger and lasting long through my stride. Until finally I just limped to the side and stopped. I figured if I rested for a few minutes, breathed through it, I could pick it back up again to make it to the finish line. I couldn't tell where the end was, however. How close we were.
And then a concerned runner asked if I was okay. Another girl paused as well, identifying herself as a nurse. I had tears running down my face from the effort of running and gritting through the pain, so honestly, I looked worse than it was. I said I was okay, just in pain, to keep running. She got a race volunteer. The race volunteer insisted that I stop and she called for help. It amounted to waiting an extra 60 minutes for the race to finish. It was bitter cold and a wind tunnel, so I said inside the first set of doors to the World Trade Center. Just waited. I tried exercising my knee, bending, tried walking. Rapidly reassuring myself that, no, I probably wouldn't make it the mile back. Although let me tell you, I kind of wish I had insisted more. It was so frustrating, just sitting there. Waiting. Watching all the runners go by and knowing that should be me. Ugh.
The injury isn't even visible. I don't have constant pain or anything blatantly obvious. I only limp some of the time, especially after sitting for a while. I'm just at a loss.
After some googling, its really coming down to one thing: my IT band. This freaks me out, since I simply can't get that kind of injury. I'm staying off it training-wise for the next couple of days. I'll swim tomorrow instead. I'll have one of the nurses or doctors check it out at work. I just need someone to confirm and not confirm what it is so I can work on fixing it. Being that there was no obvious cause and it just appeared this morning, I hope that this is just a fluke, not a longer-term injury. Damnit. I know I pushed myself really hard the past month in terms of distance, but I've felt great. Cardiovascularly I was ready, and my legs, while pained, are not being pushed beyond anything they can't comfortably do.
Let's start with a quick overview of the past five weeks, in terms of my long runs. Most everything else has been treadmill speed work, having not done hills in two weeks.
Week 1: 15 miler - felt good, achy same-day, fine the next
Week 2: 17.5 miler - felt great, finished off with a sprint
Week 3: 18 miler - felt okay, struggled to finish up, but ended strong; went on an easy jog and pitched into the sidewalk, severely bruising both knees
Week 4: 20 miler - felt good, knees hurt that afternoon but no swelling, healthy as a clam on Sunday without pain
Week 5: 14 miler - start out sluggish, strong and fast from 6-11 miles, endured finish; jogged in old running shoes to bus (0.6 miles) afterwards - exhausted
When I awoke this morning, I felt a nagging pain in the right side of my right knee, and on the left side of my left foot. It feels like one of those pains when you pull the muscle, step on it wrong or sleep on it wrong. Something that you can work out with a little physical activity or rest. So I tried jogging down to the T station, but the foot and knee were both nagging, so I mainly walked. Reaching South Station, I walked to the start line, not ran. Again, a light jog didn't make it feel better, so I figured I'd not irritate it further and save myself for the race.
The race started slow. I was feeling awful, and with the foot and knee pain, my first mile was a whopping 9:43 (gun time). Shocked at just how slow things were going, I pushed myself hard to make up for that extra minute once we passed that clock. I felt myself shift into a faster, rhythmic groove. Feeling good. This lasted approximately 1/2 mile. At which point the pain in my knee was no longer feeling like something I could run through and/or use to drive me. I started having thoughts about whether it would be okay if I just stopped at the 5k. Little did I know that I didn't even have another 1/2 mile left in me.
It got bad fast. The pavement turned to cobbled stone, a stronger stab of pain. I rapidly got back on even ground, a slight limp to my run. I tried gritting my teeth, telling myself to get lost in the music and focus on a running daydream rather than the pain in my knee. But it was persistant, getting stronger and lasting long through my stride. Until finally I just limped to the side and stopped. I figured if I rested for a few minutes, breathed through it, I could pick it back up again to make it to the finish line. I couldn't tell where the end was, however. How close we were.
And then a concerned runner asked if I was okay. Another girl paused as well, identifying herself as a nurse. I had tears running down my face from the effort of running and gritting through the pain, so honestly, I looked worse than it was. I said I was okay, just in pain, to keep running. She got a race volunteer. The race volunteer insisted that I stop and she called for help. It amounted to waiting an extra 60 minutes for the race to finish. It was bitter cold and a wind tunnel, so I said inside the first set of doors to the World Trade Center. Just waited. I tried exercising my knee, bending, tried walking. Rapidly reassuring myself that, no, I probably wouldn't make it the mile back. Although let me tell you, I kind of wish I had insisted more. It was so frustrating, just sitting there. Waiting. Watching all the runners go by and knowing that should be me. Ugh.
The injury isn't even visible. I don't have constant pain or anything blatantly obvious. I only limp some of the time, especially after sitting for a while. I'm just at a loss.
After some googling, its really coming down to one thing: my IT band. This freaks me out, since I simply can't get that kind of injury. I'm staying off it training-wise for the next couple of days. I'll swim tomorrow instead. I'll have one of the nurses or doctors check it out at work. I just need someone to confirm and not confirm what it is so I can work on fixing it. Being that there was no obvious cause and it just appeared this morning, I hope that this is just a fluke, not a longer-term injury. Damnit. I know I pushed myself really hard the past month in terms of distance, but I've felt great. Cardiovascularly I was ready, and my legs, while pained, are not being pushed beyond anything they can't comfortably do.
Which marathon to run?
Saturday, March 28, 2009 marathons, race
Now that I'm 100% behind running this spring rather than next fall (and my determination to run my first marathon before I turn 28), I'm rapidly researching for the best possible options. I have several. I have a couple of factors to consider:
- Travel and accommodation costs
- Course elevations (hills!)
- Temperature/heat
- Proximity to my half marathon on May 24th
The races that are available to me are:
Sugarloaf Marathon (May 17th)
- The goodies: t-shirt, postrace breakfast, buy-in pasta dinner, postrace massage, finisher medal
- 13 water stations
- Continuous straight course
- Scenic, mountainous course
- The first 5 miles of the marathon are flat, miles 5-10 are rolling hills with a steady two-mile climb at mile 8. The last 16 miles are downhill (I heard that they weren't really downhill)
- $55 registration fee
- ~$200 car rental
- $100 hotel
San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (May 31st)
- 60*F 6:30am start, 70*F finish
- one loop course, city running
-Goodies: concert ticket, finishers certificate, beer!, finisher medal, food & water
- Support: 26 Entertainment stages, 40 Cheerleader squads, 19 Water stations, with Cytomax at 10 water stations, 1 Gel Zone, 20 Medical tents
- $110 registration fee
- $300 airfare
- $200 hotel
- taxi costs
Lake Placid Marathon (June 14th)
- low 70s weather
- simulaneous relay and half marathon
- 2 loop course
- steep incline at end of each loop
- not a certified course, qualifier course, asphalt
- scenic, gorgeous mountainous course
- no ipods :(
- 29 aid stations: water, Gatorade drink , energy bars, energy gel, fruit, pretzels, cookies, and other energy foods. Free Post Race Athlete Food and drink are available at the Olympic Oval finish area.
- $75 registration fee
- ~$200 car rental
- ~$200 hotel
Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (June 27th)
- day after my 28th birthday
- mid-60s temperature
- simultaneous half marathon
- half-loop city running
- Boston qualifier
- Goodies: tech t-shirt, finishers medal, certificate, concerts,
- Support: aid station, bands every mile
- $120 registration fee
-~$500 airfare
- $200 hotel
- Travel and accommodation costs
- Course elevations (hills!)
- Temperature/heat
- Proximity to my half marathon on May 24th
The races that are available to me are:
Sugarloaf Marathon (May 17th)
- The goodies: t-shirt, postrace breakfast, buy-in pasta dinner, postrace massage, finisher medal
- 13 water stations
- Continuous straight course
- Scenic, mountainous course
- The first 5 miles of the marathon are flat, miles 5-10 are rolling hills with a steady two-mile climb at mile 8. The last 16 miles are downhill (I heard that they weren't really downhill)
- $55 registration fee
- ~$200 car rental
- $100 hotel
San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (May 31st)
- 60*F 6:30am start, 70*F finish
- one loop course, city running
-Goodies: concert ticket, finishers certificate, beer!, finisher medal, food & water
- Support: 26 Entertainment stages, 40 Cheerleader squads, 19 Water stations, with Cytomax at 10 water stations, 1 Gel Zone, 20 Medical tents
- $110 registration fee
- $300 airfare
- $200 hotel
- taxi costs
Lake Placid Marathon (June 14th)
- low 70s weather
- simulaneous relay and half marathon
- 2 loop course
- steep incline at end of each loop
- not a certified course, qualifier course, asphalt
- scenic, gorgeous mountainous course
- no ipods :(
- 29 aid stations: water, Gatorade drink , energy bars, energy gel, fruit, pretzels, cookies, and other energy foods. Free Post Race Athlete Food and drink are available at the Olympic Oval finish area.
- $75 registration fee
- ~$200 car rental
- ~$200 hotel
Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (June 27th)
- day after my 28th birthday
- mid-60s temperature
- simultaneous half marathon
- half-loop city running
- Boston qualifier
- Goodies: tech t-shirt, finishers medal, certificate, concerts,
- Support: aid station, bands every mile
- $120 registration fee
-~$500 airfare
- $200 hotel
Pain serves a worthy purpose
Sunday, March 15, 2009 5K, race, race results
Pain by itself is merely pain, but the experience of pain coupled with an understanding that the pain serves a worthy purpose is suffering. Suffering can be endured because there is a reason for it that is worth the effort. - Gary Zuvak
This morning was the annual Ras na hEireann 5K race. It has at least doubled in size this year with 5,000 registered runners. I swear, it was only 2,000 last year, but perhaps I'm wrong. They shifted the start line to Highland this year rather than Somerville Ave outside The Burren.
I ran a PR, barely. Not exactly the pace I had been aiming for. I was hoping to run between an 8:00-8:15 min/mile. Instead, I ran 8:40min/mile, coming in with a chip time of 26:55. The reasons behind my failure were twofold.
(1) I pushed too hard, too soon. I set myself up at the 8 min/mile mark. With the 8 minute racers. So I hit the first mile at 8:10min. And that's almost exclusively uphill. I felt my speed drop off after that. I knew it was going to be bad when I was over 17 minutes in at the 2nd mile marker. There was no way to make up that time.
(2) Yesterday's run hit me full force around the 2nd mile. My quads started to ache - the way they ache I'm around 9-10 miles into a long run. I didn't give my legs enough time to rest between the long easy run yesterday and the hard, fast short run today. That was a mistake that wore me down after the first kick.
The weather was around 56 degrees, I believe. A light wind, but then again, that might have just been the breeze created by the 1,000 or so runners ahead of me. Very sunny, warm. I wore a long-sleeve wicked shirt under my cottom race-t-shirt, along with a pair of knee-length tights. It was hot. As I walked there, I was trying to figure out a way to publicly remove the long sleeve t-shirt from under the short sleeve in public. I never came up with a plan before the race started.
Anyway, it was a festive atmosphere. There was an adorable beagle with his owners standing nearby me in the starting crowd. The little guy was super excited and just kept howling endlessly, incessantly in that way only beagles can manage. As soon as the race started, he and his dad took off. I swear, that beagle was literally pulling along the owner - and he was no slow runner. I have a blurry photo of it.
The adorable, howling, racing beagle.
Statistics:
Fillies: 31/171
Overall: 1448/4151
Everyone got their finisher's medal, which was adorable this year with a built-in bottle opener. Running and drinking really is the theme of the race. It ends at a variety of local pubs. You buy the beer, but theoretically some of the bars have food. The awards are presented at The Burren, which along the the other big nearby pubs had lines headed down the street within ten minutes of my personal finish.
Post-race line outside The Burren
Post-race line outside Joshua Tree
There were lots of fun, spirited outfits running the race, but a couple of these guys really stood out. Oh and did I mention The Bear who was lined up in the 6-7min/mile pace? Holy. He ran that in a bear suit! He was way far ahead of me by the end.
The Bear, chillin' in the crowd, like any other runners.
Look closely at this crowd, what's missing?
A patriotic hair-do
This morning was the annual Ras na hEireann 5K race. It has at least doubled in size this year with 5,000 registered runners. I swear, it was only 2,000 last year, but perhaps I'm wrong. They shifted the start line to Highland this year rather than Somerville Ave outside The Burren.
I ran a PR, barely. Not exactly the pace I had been aiming for. I was hoping to run between an 8:00-8:15 min/mile. Instead, I ran 8:40min/mile, coming in with a chip time of 26:55. The reasons behind my failure were twofold.
(1) I pushed too hard, too soon. I set myself up at the 8 min/mile mark. With the 8 minute racers. So I hit the first mile at 8:10min. And that's almost exclusively uphill. I felt my speed drop off after that. I knew it was going to be bad when I was over 17 minutes in at the 2nd mile marker. There was no way to make up that time.
(2) Yesterday's run hit me full force around the 2nd mile. My quads started to ache - the way they ache I'm around 9-10 miles into a long run. I didn't give my legs enough time to rest between the long easy run yesterday and the hard, fast short run today. That was a mistake that wore me down after the first kick.
The weather was around 56 degrees, I believe. A light wind, but then again, that might have just been the breeze created by the 1,000 or so runners ahead of me. Very sunny, warm. I wore a long-sleeve wicked shirt under my cottom race-t-shirt, along with a pair of knee-length tights. It was hot. As I walked there, I was trying to figure out a way to publicly remove the long sleeve t-shirt from under the short sleeve in public. I never came up with a plan before the race started.
Anyway, it was a festive atmosphere. There was an adorable beagle with his owners standing nearby me in the starting crowd. The little guy was super excited and just kept howling endlessly, incessantly in that way only beagles can manage. As soon as the race started, he and his dad took off. I swear, that beagle was literally pulling along the owner - and he was no slow runner. I have a blurry photo of it.
The adorable, howling, racing beagle.
Statistics:
Fillies: 31/171
Overall: 1448/4151
Post-race line outside The Burren
Post-race line outside Joshua Tree
There were lots of fun, spirited outfits running the race, but a couple of these guys really stood out. Oh and did I mention The Bear who was lined up in the 6-7min/mile pace? Holy. He ran that in a bear suit! He was way far ahead of me by the end.
The Bear, chillin' in the crowd, like any other runners.
Look closely at this crowd, what's missing?
A patriotic hair-do
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