Started running again

Alright, after 2 weeks of being sick, and a week of having absolutely NO desire to run, I finally got myself out of bed (at 10am) and got in a short run this morning (2 miles.) Its amazing how much you lose after a few weeks of not running. I am gonna do 3 short runs this week, and get back in to the long runs next weekend with 6 miles. It has been 2 months since I started training! And it is only 2 months until my half-marathon. Wow.

I went out to brunch with everyone after their Two Bridge run yesterday. I hadn't been able to rouse myself to run with the group, but I made it in time for cheeseburgers at The Dram Shop. It is great to finally talk to some people on the team, which I'd been avoiding doing up until this point. Now they actually have a vested interest in my training and I have people to keep me on track. Most of them are doing the Alaska marathon, which sounds beautiful. Its daytime all day, and not really crowded. But San Diego is going to be great. I will have all my cousins and family there to support me! Wish me luck!

Week 6: Sick :(

I spent most of Week 6 only being able to breath out of one nostril. So I missed the 8K last Saturday in Central Park and I haven't run in over a week. Which means I have to start up again after a week of being completely lazy. Wish me luck!

Week 5: To Half Marathon or Not To Half Marathon

Well this morning's run went much better than Wednesday's. I switched to a different pair of running shoes and my shins weren't a problem. But about 25 minutes in my left foot fell asleep... while i was RUNNING on it. How is that even possible? I just kicked it against a pole a few times and woke it up. I did five miles, in an hour and 23 minutes. I did the reverse direction of the loop that I normally do, and it was soo much better running down the long hill by Grand Army Plaza than running up it. While running I decided that I wanted to focus on being able to run a half marathon, as opposed to run/walking a full marathon. Of course, I still have to work on my sweat rash "situation." But other than that I think training is going pretty well. I treated myself to a pedicure/leg massage, it was wonderful! Next weekend we are running an 8K (5 miles) in Central Park, which apparently has lots of ups and downs. Wish me luck! Also, if you haven't already, please donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societ, who are helping train me for this event, at http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr09/eleanorrigby164

Bad Practice

Tonight was not a very "encouraging" group practice. It was the first Wendesday night that I made it to. I spent most of the day talking myself in and out of going. But I'd been putting it off for 4 weeks, so tonight I had to make it. We were set up to run a 1/4 mile at a faster speed than usual, and then a 1/4 mile slow recovery. I made it through three rounds, but in about the same time most people did 6-8. During the warm-up job my right shin started aching, and became a sharp pain during the first 1/4 mile "on." I limped back, fighting back tears. Everyone else was speeding past me, seemingly at ease. I started a downward spiral of second guessing my decisionon to do this and spent the last half hour trying not to breakdown and have a total flip-out in front of everyone. I'll admit I shed some tears. Everyone was very encouraging, which just made me want to cry even more.

Finally we called it a night. My mentor David was great, and the coaches too, saying encouraging things. But I just felt like a big idiot. This Saturday I am supposed to run 6 miles, which I know I can do. I ran/walked 5 miles last weekend, so I know I can do it. I'm gonna start stretching at work and switch back to my previous running shoes to see if that makes a difference. We have another race in 2 weeks, only 5 miles, through Central Park. Tonight made me even more determined to do this. I hate not being good at something. I CAN do this!

What Was I Thinking??

Well I ran five miles this morning and the whole time I was thinking "what was I thinking?" The first 20 minutes my shins were on fire, the next 20 I limped through the ache and then finally I think my body just went numb and I didn't feel it any more. It took me an hour and 23 minutes, which is about a 16.5 minute mile. At this pace it'll take me over 7 hours to finish the marathon, which also happens to be the time limit. But I have another 3 months to train and build up my speed and endurance. I really have to start stretching regularly and doing other exercises on the days I don't run to build up my whole body strength. I also have to find out how to avoid getting sweat rashes in private places.

It was a beautiful day in the Park. I just wanted to finish in under an hour and a half, which I did. So I consider the day a success and a wake up call. The next road race we are doing is March 14th, a 5-miler in Central Park. It will be interesting to see how much more strength I build by then. Stay tuned for more updates.

Photos from the 5K

Here is a picture of me before the 5K started. It was about 20 degrees.

I am about 50 feet from the finish line at this point. Apparently this is what I look like when smiling while running.

Lastly is a photo of me enjoying the post race bagel. I am also seriously considering getting back in my bed for a nap.

5K

Today was my first road race, a 5K around Prospect Park. It took me 45 minutes and 41 seconds to run the 3.1 miles. It was really exhilarating. At this pace of a 15 minute mile, it'll take me 6.5 hours to finish the marathon. The last 5 minutes I really kicked it in to high gear. Initially I wanted to finish under 50 minutes, but when I realized I was keeping pace to finish in 45 I really pushed myself. The other Team in Training folks were really supportive and all cheered me on at the finish line. Thanks to David my mentor for taking pictures, which I'll be posting soon. As soon as I was done running I wanted to collapse. They gave me water and a bagel, which I devoured like I hadn't eaten in weeks. The beginning of the race was really nerve racking, especially since they "corral" all 5000 runners and it took about 5 minutes before my group even passed the start line.

I have also raised almost $2500 of my $4000 for Team in Training, and I still have 3 months left. I will post pictures soon, check back for more updates!