4 miler, shoulda been a 3

My legs are still tired from that speedy run on Sunday. I'm really proud of that time and the 13 minute improvement from my last 10k, but when I was trying to climb down out of my jeep at starbucks this morning, I decided I don't HAVE to try and shave 5 or 10 minutes off my 1:08 in Lincoln Park this weekend. I'm trying to maximize my racing experience from running these two races back to back, but I have to say when I think back to actually running my two 10ks its all a blur... like I was blacked out or something. My sense of timing throughout the race is all messed up, its really weird, like I'm on the outside of the experience looking in, but I can't remember much exactly.
I ran Red River today, which is a favorite training run for me, because it mandates a little hill practice and as far as I am concerned hills are like intervals without the math. I started out at my pace from Sunday and kept it up for the first two miles but my IT band quickly put me in check. I ran the hills pretty strong, but kept the flats easy and slow for recovery. My cardio was fine, but my leg was killing me, like someone had attached a ball and chain to my left hamstring, so I walked in the last quarter of a mile. I think I will do an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow and friday and leave it at that. Next week, I'm going to start making my runs a little long so I have time to warm up.

refocusing

Is a goal a goal if you change your mind? I'm thinking that a marathon in my first year of running is a little ambitious. After this weekend's 10k success, I'm thinking more and more about getting good at this distance 6, 10 ... 13 miles and savoring it for a while. Life's a journey, not destination and if this running stuff is supposed to be my play time, and my play is all work and no play am I missing the point?
Why not race fun races and run fun runs? I'm very excited to try something new and try some trail running at the Dirty Du relay in November. Maybe I will get back on track and do a marathon, maybe I won't.

race report IBM Uptown Classic

PR's for everyone! Yay!
The race was great, despite my self sabotaging beer consumption the night before. I had a nice (walking) warm up and the cool morning made it easier to get going. I had some trouble when we were running through the mall... some dehydration induced visuals (oops!) that quickly subsided at the next water stop. I knew it was an easy course and my legs felt good and quick. I didn't have any leg pain, mostly pain in my sides from struggling to breathe through my smokers lungs and stuffy nose. I don't want to run with nasal spray running down the back of my throat (yuck) but I will have to try something out if I arrive at the start with a stuffed up nose. I knocked 13 minutes off my first 10k time at the Nike human race. I'm much happier running in the cold, which means I will probably have another strong race next weekend in Chicago, of course, if I don't its really not that big of a deal.
I've got some lingering soreness in my hamstrings, probably a result of compensating for the IT band and from pushing myself to hard in yoga while I was unable to go running, so I will have to take it nice and easy in yoga class this week. All in all I'm super happy about my run (it's a great feeling to get to the mile marker a whole minute before your watch says you should) and glad I am on the road to recovery. I've got another 10k next weekend, then a favorite fall cycling event after that. Good times!

On the road again

I ran my favorite neighborhood run at a tidy pace last night. It felt great. Nice to have fresh legs, even if I was kind of spazztastic and off my rhythm, but as long as I'm still in shape, that will come back. I'm still totally torn about what to do on Sunday. I'm really anti walking in races. Even in my worst tri I managed to shuffle my feet just enough to feel like I was trying. I'm just not sure I have six miles of running in my legs quite yet. I have more soreness this morning from last night's quick and easy run. I know 100% I could probably go out there and run a PR 10k but at what expense to the long road of building my mileage back for marathon training?

hip revolt

today I managed to run on the road for 20 min. its the longest run I could muster since I got injured. it felt good. tomorrow I will run a little longer and faster on the treadmill with a long warm up. despite the improvement in my it band, my hips were highly disagreeable. I felt subconcious in the flow class bx I was very very stiff. my hips cramped several times to the point where I had to break the vinyasa and clamor in to childs pose. I was dripping with sweat, but certain I will sleep well tonight.

grease monkey

Despite the difficulty and frustration of being injured, I got a lot of bike projects rolling yesterday. I'm restoring a 5 speed cruiser which will be either a hello kitty bike or a pirate bike. I stripped the frame down and got it ready to be sanded and primed. I put the grandma basket on my schwinn breeze and installed a bell I picked up at a garage sale. Its a really cool bell that looks like an ornate dome in Budapest with a little clanger on a spring. It's cool, zen and hella loud. In fact there have been several requests made that I lay off the clanging while inside the house. What can I say? Safety first.
Like most projects I take on, the pirate bike one was way easier to get started than anticipated, and now that I have all the supplies there's nothing to do but finish the work. I'll crack open the bottom bracket today and hopefully sand and prime the frame. While the paint dries, I'll install the new computer on my road bike and change out the saddle.

On getting active...

My weigh in sucked, but I knew it would. And I didn't really care. Pizza, frosting, allergies, Divorce Court, Cheezits, who the f*ck am I trying to kid. The way I see it. I probably gained 4 lbs last week (when I stayed home for work and skipped weigh in) and lost 2 while I was trying to get it all under control this week. I am totally zen about the whole thing, really! Really, really!
Then I get back to work and fire up the weight tracker. Sweet! A line graph for my fat azz. Whatever. I type in my 2.2+ and it tells me "Maybe it's time to get active, make time to take a walk with a friend."
Um, get active? I have been in forced INACTIVITY due to injury which was sustained from a 10 mile run followed up by a 2 hour yoga class. Get active, bitch? I'll tell you about gettin active muthaf*cka. I am going to get a big ass needle shoved in my knee so I can run two 10ks this month. And you tell me to get active?
Needless to say, I have turned off the "motivational comments" portion of my tracker.

beautiful morning

I'm still not running. I am trying to be more zen about it. Its hard to believe I am bummed I CANT go run, when only 3 or 4 months ago I would go out of my way to avoid running altogether. Anyway lots of cross training. I had a good yoga class last night that ended with some fabulous opposite nostril breathing that got all the gunk outta my head. Totally cured my recent allergy problems. The rain last night helped too. I got the lock sawed off my road bike and my grandmaw bike that were joined together like Siamese twins. My ride was good. I made excellent time. I hope to go swimming later, but only if I can get home in time to watch the debate.

fall swim at stacy pool

I arrived under the cover of darkness. My heart stopped when I jumped in the chilly water, but I was immediately awake. I watched the sun rise as I swam my laps. I cut through the dark blue water in peaceful waves. I gotta go with Ice Cube on this one "It was a good day."
Of course, now my IT band has completely revolted on me and it was a miracle I even made it up the steps to my office. I really don't know what to do about chilling it out. I massage it and rolly it, but the minute I stop giving it attention it starts screaming again. If you could actually hear my IT band it would sound like the endangered screamapiller on the Simpsons. I will try to placate it with some yoga later, but if it doesn't stop I may have to scrap my long run tomorrow.

downtime

I've been feeling craptastic with allergies which has given me time to contemplate my ridiculous training week last week, which ended in the yoga class from hell. I overdid it. I burnt myself out mentally and physically. That rule about not adding more than 10% to your mileage... they mean it, really. You should listen to that one. Fer reals. Also... if you have orthotics, you should not decide they are outdated and renounce them on a 10 miler (you know the ten miler you shouldnt be running because you shouldn't add more than 10%.)
Anyways, I bought a treadmill for $60 on craigslist and fired it up this morning. I was thinking I could run inside until the ragweed situation improves. Ten minutes in to my 3 mile test drive, the IT band pain on the side of my leg stopped me in my tracks. It had been sore all week, but I had put it out of my head because of my other allergy related malaise. Its insistent pain had actually spread to my lower back and hips and had grown in persistence to a pain that was now comparable to when I had the bursitis in my hip. I massaged out a very obvious and scary knot, digging my knuckle in to my skin as my PT had shown me. Then on to the foam roller. And on the rolly there were tears. Will I ever get to the point where I don't swear like a sailor and cry like a baby on that satanic piece of styrofoam? Who knows. But it works! I managed to get back on the 'mill and walk for 30 minutes. I'm going to run an easy 5 (3 with a friend) before the debate, and hope for the best. I'm running two 10ks at the end of this month, so I gotta stop sneezing and seizing up and get back in the game.