Running Shorts

Happy new year :)

J4 and I killed today's run!  We ran over to Iwo to meet our running club at a ~9 min/mile clip and then ran 7.5 or so miles around 7:30 min/miles and then an 8:30 min/mile from Iwo home for 10 miles for the day with an overall average of 7:57 min/miles.

Beforehand, I was having a hard time deciding what to do w/ today's run.  Specifically, when should my taper start and what should it look like?  I'm two weeks out from my 1/2 marathon.  I opted for fewer miles and more speed.  Also, when I got home I canceled my race entry for tomorrow's 5K.  My legs are DONE and as much as I LOVE to and ALWAYS run a new year's day race, I don't need to run a 7th day in a row tomorrow.  I need to rest.

J4 and I have a low key New Year's Eve planned w/ some bar hopping in our new neighborhood and some champagne.  Kisses all!  Dream big in 2012!

End of the year

With the end of the calendar year has comes a flurry of race personnel emailing me to convince me to sign up before any price increases.  J4 and I have a lot of races on the calendar as reminders to ourselves, but we have yet to pull the trigger on any of them.  Due to my nutso work schedule, my concern about injury preventing me from racing (though i'm in good health right now), and my indecisiveness about what I want to do next year (marathon?  if so, when?), I can't decide.  J4 hasn't signed up for anything either, and, if I had to guess, he's making sure he's in good health with some solid training behind him before selecting races.  (Note: we missed the Cherry Blossom 10-miler sign-up and I know J4 in particular is interested in racing that if anyone has a number they want to sell when the transfer period opens up).

My award came today from the Richmond 8K (2nd AG).  Richmond was AWESOME and is definitely on my radar for next year.  I'd like to make it back for either (or both) a spring or a fall race.

I don't think I ever mentioned J4's and my last run in Cambridge/Boston.  We went to bed at 2 AM and then met his morning run group at 6:30 AM.  It was a very well attended morning and someone brought a camera.  After the run everyone dispered to go home and shower and then J4's closest friends met him and I for breakfast.  About 45 minutes after we started eating, his cameraman friend showed up w/ a group shot already developed and framed.  How thoughtful was that?!?! 

This morning J4 and I met a Virginia group of morning runners (we actually live the closest to the meeting spot of everyone) and it went well.  We learned a new route and had some company and tomorrow we're joining them again.

They're Looking at Me!

I was up early and running by 7:20 AM.  I ran on a golf course here in Southern Virginia.  My parents, who live on the course, know everything going on out there and I know everyone else in the community must be similarly involved!  I was convinced everyone was up having coffee and looking out their windows at the only person around-me!!

It was a beautiful 40 degree day and I was looking styling in my shorts, t-shirt, and ski mittens.

The day warmed up and I played tennis with my dad and brother.  Ninety-nine percent of the time my family just hits the ball around.  This time we played a match.  We played "Canadian doubles," two vs. one, with my brother and dad rotating being my partner.  This meant I had to serve!!!  It's been a long time since I had to do that.  Also, I have no idea where to stand when you are actually playing a doubles match.  My dad coached me but basically I was a mess.

Then we came home and my dad said, "There are bikes in the garage if you want them."  I said, "HA...really, I just want to eat."  I am starving.  Hello 41 miles last week (that's a lot for me).  I feel hungry like I'm marathon training.  What feels good is that I'm starting to feel not as tired as when I'm marathoning training.  This is my last big week of training before my taper.

People are beginning their year recaps

So I'll do mine!

In the last year I became gainfully employed, moved 9 hours (via car) from Boston, rejoined my old running club, started traveling all over the country, became a PLATINUM preferred hotel points member (YAY!!!!), raced distances from the mile to the marathon, set a bunch of PRs, won a race, didn't start a race (Marine Corps 10K (sad emoticon)), ran Boston (Woot!  Woot!), became a stronger runner even though my ankle is still annoying, had a long-distance relationship, moved in with my boyfriend...and I think that is the major stuff.  This year has been nuts.

My running is going well.  I am pretty sure that is due to two things: 1) running more miles and 2) being able to train consistently since February 2010 (two months after I stepped in a pothole).  I've had a few minor injuries that led to 3 days off here, 5 days off there, and 8 days off in the summer of 2010.  However, I haven't had any injuries that have sidelined me for three weeks (the usual amount I would take off to heal) or two months (post-breaking my jaw or tearing my ankle to shreds) that required starting over from scratch (2 minutes on/2 minutes off) as I did every six months or so for the last decade.  Things have been generally consistent and that has been good for my running.

In short, the year has been nuts and my running is in a positive place.

This morning J4 and I did a long run through historic Jamestown.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

The Olympic Marathon Trials are in less than a month!

There is a lot of coverage of the upcoming trials right now in the running community and it's very exciting.  J4 and I are going to watch the trials in Houston and we are stoked.  That said, that also means it's less than a month before my 1/2 marathon (the day after the trials) and I wish I had more time to train!  I don't feel very fast right now or like I'm doing very hard (or any) workouts, but I hope that's just b/c I'm running a lot of miles and more days per week than I did before this month.

Also related to the race, I've been worried for a while that I'm going to be stuck behind people slower than me.  You could register directly for the Houston races (as opposed to entering the lottery) if you ran a qualifying time at certain races.  The marathon qualifying time was 4 hours (for men and women).  I registered for the 1/2 marathon with my Boston Marathon time (3:49) so while that helped me get into the race, I didn't get to pick a predicted finishing time like the lottery entrants.  AND, of course, there is no switching corrals.  I'm hoping to run 1:30-1:35 and I'm not amused that I'm likely going to be starting pretty far back.  J4 doesn't think this is going to be a problem "because the roads are wide in Texas" but I'm worried.  I'm a worrier.

I missed three planned miles of running this week which I do NOT like to do.  Due to J4's move (3.5 hours of sleep the night before driving from Boston to DC) and me going on a business trip the next day (4 hours of sleep before traveling) I was a hot mess by Tuesday night.  I got to the hotel after work and ran 3 miles.  I felt too awful physically and mentally to continue and went to my hotel room to eat dinner and buy x-mas presents online.  Other than that things are going okay with my training and I just need to motivate to run harder when I run!

A strong start to the weekend

I finally feel like my apartment is ready for someone else to see it.  It's picked up, and clean (with the use of cleaning products!), and there are groceries.  There isn't enough room for everything (and J4's stuff isn't even here yet!) but that's the situation we're dealing with.

I had a lot to do today (run 14 miles, work, brunch party, clean (this was a large task), grocery shop) so at 7 AM when the alarm went off I chanted to myself, DON'T BE LAZY, DON'T BE LAZY.  Get the run DONE.  At 7:50 I ran a mile to meet my running club and then ran 6 miles with the group.  I turned around and ran the 7 miles back home alone.  When I was with my clubmates I was running with all guys and we ran 8 min/miles.  I was concerned that might not end well but even after I turned around I continued to knock out 8s.  YES!!!  I just lack confidence, not endurance.

Then, however, I made it back to the Potomac and I hit a massive headwind.  SLOW AUDREY.  However, I ended the run with 14 miles and a 8:15 min/mile average so I am going to call the run a success.  It's hard to know if I'm more fit than during the summer or simply not dying in the heat.  Also, I was nervous to run 14 miles today but it went just fine.  I don't know why I'm so unconfident; I feel like I'm not training hard enough.

It's been a good day so far and now I'm going to watch the Biggest Loser finale while I wait for my new roommate to get here.

CRAZY PARTY!!! WOOOHOOO!!!

J4 drives down tomorrow and we fly back to Boston Sunday and then drive his stuff down in a moving van on Monday.  In honor of this last night alone, it's totally party central here!!  J/k.  I worked late and now I'm making my apartment habitable for another person.  I think J4 will be happy I folded (almost all) the clean clothes in the giant pile in the middle of my (soon our) bedroom.

J4 has been feted in Boston for the past few weeks.  There have been lunches, breakfasts, dinners, good-bye parties, good-bye runs, and bromantic email exchanges between him and friends.  It's nuts!  He has so many friends!

Alright, one last night in my bed where I can sleep as diagonal as I want!!!!!  :)

Me+bed

AHHH!!!...I am such a bad go-to-sleep person.  It's late.  I'm still up.  I worked late and then spent all night on-line Christmas shopping.  This is after I read all about how sleep is SOOOO important for athletic recovery.  I also think it's SOOO important for not getting sick since the world is a petri dish.  Alas, I suck at getting into bed even though I am a very good sleeper once I am there.

Last night I was having anxiety about a new group of runners who invited me to run with them. I have blogged multiple times about I how I used to always run alone and I didn't like running w/ other people.  After I started running w/ J4 I started running w/ other people pretty often and it was no big thing.  I even LIKED it.  At first I would be nervous a group was too fast for me and then I would go and (even if they were faster than me) it was fine.  No one was trying to run me into the ground.

Well, there is a group of runners in VA who live right near me who run in the mornings and have invited me to run w/ them a whole bunch (I've actually been hoping to find people to run with!) and I was finally in town and I freaked out that they run too fast and I didn't go.  My "in" in the group told me they run 7:30-8 min/miles "but it's chill" and promised me I would be fine.  However, I was worried it would not be fine after my intervals the day before.  So I ran alone.  I admit I seem to have social anxiety around running.  It's not like I couldn't find my way home after living here for a total of 7 years!!  I think I'll show up next time when I am more confident I am rested and can keep up.  Maybe.

This morning I did my Pentagon loop.  It was pretty great and I ran just as fast as I wanted :)

This is Florida

I have a really unflattering picture of me post-run in the Linear Park of Fort Myers, FL, where you can see the gnats stuck to my face.  The gnats were also on my clothes and in my hair.  It was disgusting.

My first run in Florida was in 70 degree rain.  My second run consisted of intervals in 70 degree sunshine.  The park was kind of nice.  In the rain it was desolate.  In the sun there were cyclists out.  No one was wearing a helmet.

I am now back home in DC!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAYYYYYYYYY!~  The woman I was sitting next to on the plane had this look of horror on her face when I told her about my week.  She asked how I liked Florida and I told her I was only there for a day.  She inquired, but I thought you were gone for a week?  I told her I'd been in Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, New Jersey, and Florida.  She was definitely appalled.

One last run for the road

Last week I had two runs in Philadelphia.  One morning things did NOT go well.  From the comfort of my hotel room my phone told me that it was 61 F outside with light rain.  This seemed within the realm of possible as I had run in 56 degree temps in DC the day before.  I made it outside in my shorts and tank top but the air seemed cool and more than "briskly refreshing."  I was only running ~3 miles, however, as I was easing into 6 days of running per week and this was my extra, previously no running day.  With the idea that I was going to be outside for less than 30 minutes I decided to get started and get it done despite being dressed for summer running.

HOLY COLD BLOCKS OF ICE HANDS.  When my hands get really cold I run with them on my stomach or back (directly on my skin) and I spent quite a bit of the run in that position.  Upon my return I found out it was 38 degrees out!!!!!!  My hands don't do well in 50 degrees let alone in the 30s!!!

After work in NY on Friday I hopped on a train to BOSTON!!!!  On Saturday I took part in my tri team's annual pub run.  It was great to be reunited with everyone and I hung out with Laura.  Here she is in her number for the event.

That's the equation for the speed of light.  I don't know what to say.  We're a special bunch; this is what we make for bibs.  I wore "pie" in honor of my MIT boyfriend.

I ran about 9 miles total for the day-six during the pub run and three to the start at 11 AM.  After the event I went to J4's running club's holiday party.  I arrived just as they made the announcement that they were losing a member b/c, "He fell in looooooove with <gasp> a member of a rival running club."  Yup, that's my J4.  He's moving south next week!

Today J4 had to practically push me out of the house to do my 12 mile long run.  I was NOT inclined.  It was cold out!!  It was warm inside!!  I did a loop of the River and it was flat (which my ankle loved) and it was simply nice to be back on what was once a very regular running route.  Except for my hands which were a touch cold even in J4's ski gloves, the rest of me was warm in the 38 degree weather.  (Today I was appropriately wearing tights, an ear-warmer, and a long-sleeved shirt!!)