Hard to believe the second half of the year is upon us.
Saw this on Facebook yesterday morning…
Who STARTS their marathon training 26 days before the race?!!! ME!!!! =)
Aside from the two 10Ks I shuffled through in June and the two attempts to run 4 miles in May, I haven’t run since I crossed the finish line of the NJ Marathon back on April 27th thanks to my tendonitis. So yesterday’s “official” return to running was a happy day. A slow 5k! At 7:30am, the humidity was already 83% but I didn’t care….I was running and sweating out stuff, and listening to music! (I haven’t had music on my bike rides because I’ve wanted to be more alert for cars and pedestrians.)
It felt so good physically and mentally. Slow….but good.
I also spent a few minutes with the foam roller, stick and some weights (and COFFEE!!)
And then I had a conference call (worked from home yesterday)…
Next up in my “accelerated” marathon training schedule for dummies is a 5 miler on Thursday morning followed by another physical therapy session that afternoon and then over the holiday weekend I’ll be running an easy 8 miler and biking too. I’ll also be doing lots of stretching.
I’m actually feeling really relaxed about the marathon. It’s nice to have a goal of just finishing =) If I just keep my pace slow and slowly build my miles I’ll be doing all that I can do realistically to get me to the starting line healthy. Undertrained….but healthy. With a 6 hour time cutoff I could do run/walk intervals and still keep my pace slow. Or I could drop back to the half at the expo. So it’s a win win! And frankly, the reason I’m going and running San Fran is because Lisa’s sister Valerie is running her first full and when Lisa decided to go support her I wanted to go too….and then Michelle said she was running the half and then Roger said he was doing the 52.4 (which pavementrunner is also doing) and my favorite blog friend TSA is doing the half as well. So it’s really going to be a huge party and celebration.
OK off to get ready for work! Happy Humpday! Happy July!
I have a new profound gratitude for spectators—it’s hard work!
This morning the doodle and I were up and on the road by 5:45am to head down to the Spring Lake 5 Miler in Spring Lake, NJ. We met up with Lisa and her cousin Bill who lives nearby and then walked a few blocks to meet up with Elvia, Colleen and Luie.
the first time i’ve ever been in a pre-race photo wearing jeans lol! (Thanks Elvia for the pic)
I stopped quick to pick up my tech shirt and commemorative glass. Hey! I might not have been able to run or get a medal but i did pay for this race and the swag that goes with it right? =)
Spring Lake 5 Swag
A few minutes before the race started Duncan and I skooched out to the first few hundred feet past the starting line so once the race started we could see everyone before scooting up a few blocks to wait for them at mile 3. (I kinda like that I used “skooched” and “scooting” in the same sentence.)
The cutest, furriest spectator just patiently waiting to see some of his favorite runners…
cutest spectator ever!
Well the start was successful. I snapped a few shots of the first group of runners passing by…
Then I saw Lisa and Bill, and while I was calling out for them Elvia saw me. So i snapped this pic of her and managed to get Lisa and Bill in the background (although they didn’t see me or know i was taking the pic). Spectator lesson #1: Call out to your runner by their name and SHOUT IT for best outcome. I had a moment of panic when I saw Lisa and Bill and all I could do was say “Hey! Hi! Let me take your picture”. Only problem was I didn’t say ” HEY LISA, HEY BILL”. LOL! Luckily at least Elvia saw me.
There they are!
Once they ran past, Duncan and I walked up a few blocks and got a good spot at the 3 mile mark to try to see them. Now when we arrived the lead male hadn’t even arrived yet so it was pretty empty. I set myself up on the outside of the turn so that I’d be able to get a good view as the runners turned the corner. Spectator lesson #2: Be specific to which side of the road you’ll be. I didn’t even think to discuss this with them and needless to say I missed EVERYONE!
Strangers at mile 3
I watched the front runners fly by, then the middle of the pack and then the back of the pack…. Finally I noticed the time. It was 9:11am. They started about 8:35. Surely they must have passed. With a bit of disappointment I decided Duncan and I better just head to the finish to catch them. But as we were about 2 blocks away I realized getting through the crowds of runners who had finished, especially with Duncan in tow, would be rather challenging. Just at that moment I got a text from Lisa that they had finished and were coming down the chute so I just stayed put. Spectator lesson #3: Pay attention to the time! I was so focused on making sure I had my camera at the ready I didn’t pay attention to my watch.
Good thing they found ME!!
Congrats to the cousins
Running Peepettes
It really was cool to be in the shoes of a spectator this morning for sure.
the spectator duo! (thanks Elvia for the pic
I don’t think I ever noticed how each runner has their own unique running form. And I enjoyed hearing one mom telling her small children to look out for daddy who should be passing by any minute. It’s a great thing when kids can be inspired by their parents healthy and active sport. I really was thrilled to have Duncan with me. He was quite a magnet and attracted many pet friendly people to give him some love.
When you really want to participate in something you just have to find a way to do it even if it isn’t in the way you wanted. I came home feeling happy. Just as happy as if I had run. Running races isn’t always about the actual running part….the social and energetic elements of race day were still there for me! And then the best thing happened. Lisa gave me her turkey sub sandwich (the race is sponsored by Jersey Mike’s Subs) Thank you Lisa for not only being a vegetarian but gluten free too leaving no chance in hell you could eat that sandwich!). So on the drive home duncan and I split it and all that remained was this little piece of lettuce…
little lettuce leftover
After an early rise and 3 hours on my feet Duncan and I chilled on the couch for a few hours before heading back out this afternoon for a walk at the park. It started to rain within minutes of walking but we kept going and walked an hour.
is this just pathetic or adorable or both?
My ankle pain, weakness and soreness comes and goes randomly from hour to hour lately so while I was walking this afternoon it actually felt pretty good but this morning it was achy. And now I’m icing it!!!! Not that I’m counting but its’ now been 14 days since I last ran.
Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.
Any spectator failure stories? Any spectator tips?
Yup. I’m at an all time low. And it’s ok. I just have to get it out so I’ve invited myself to a pity party for 1 tonight. Well Duncan has already crashed the party =)
Rest in Peace Lambchop!
So this morning I headed out to Brooklyn to meet up with my running peeps for a 5K and some additional pre-race miles as well.
it was super foggy on the Verrazano Bridge this morning
Lisa’s new apartment….A tree grows in Brooklyn (and a Mike hides behind it). Thanks Elvia for the pic.
Lisa, me and Mike (thanks Elvia for the pic). This was before we started running and my ankle felt good (hence the smile).
We started out from Lisa’s house and headed to JD’s house via a loop of the park making it 4 miles. From the first step my ankle felt “uncomfortable” but it wasn’t pain, just achy. We arrived at JDs and had a little breakfast and chit chat before walking to the starting line for the family-friendly PTA 5k in Prospect Park.
walking to the start
Elvia and Lisa =)
JD’s daughter brought her scooter and her adorable disney helmet adorned with a dandelion =)
As soon as we started walking to the starting line I noticed I was limping. I figured maybe the ankle just stiffened up but when the race began and I tried to run I was pretty much shut down as I felt pain at this point. So I just walked/limped and texted Lisa to let her and the gang know. She said if I wanted they’d wait for me at the Grand Army Plaza entrance which is actually only 2.5 miles from where we began and we could just head back to her house and not finish the 5K. What a great group of friends! They gave up finishing their race for me. (it was a fun run so no timing chips or medals or anything but still I was very happy they did that). It took me an hour to walk those couple of miles. We headed out of the park and straight to the farmer’s market where everyone got some goodies. I got a gluten-free apple pie.
pretty much killed the entire pie (it was smaller than a regular size but bigger than those single serve minis)
Body & Soul Gluten-Free and Vegan goodies
Then we walked a few blocks down for coffee and eventually back to Lisa’s before I headed home and immediately started icing!
So what does all this mean? It means I’m trying to make a dr. appointment ASAP. I’m still thinking it’s tendonitis but with such intense pain when I tried running again after breakfast I really got worried and started to think about other things like, eeek…. fractures. (I’ve since calmed myself down from the ledge). I know this could mean weeks of PT and rest and that means my half marathon next weekend is in jeopardy but I refuse to go beyond that. I’m also trying to devise a plan for cross-training that won’t aggravate the ankle because I feel like a slug right now. And hey, maybe this will be the catalyst to get me to focus on upper body and core strength training that i’ve been neglecting since forever.
Well, I’m late for my pity party! Catch ya later.
Question: Injuries…how do you cope? any miracle therapies to suggest? Have you ever had to bail on a race you paid for because of an injury?
First let me say how silly I am for the title of my post on Sunday. It should have been Almost Silent Sunday…not Saturday. Lol. Post Marathon brain fog I suppose!
Second let me apologize for the novel you are about to hopefully read 🙂 Also, I purchased the pics from Marathonfoto but they aren’t available for download yet…grrr! So I apologize for the proofs. OK here goes…
Sunday started at 4:20 am! I got up, showered and dressed and was having my breakfast by 5:00 am
Who STARTS their marathon training 26 days before the race?!!! ME!!!! =)
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