Worst long run

          The plan was 13.1 miles on the Jones Beach Bikeway off of Cedar Creek Park at 6am, instead it turned out to be 12 miles at 7am which only 7 were running miles and 5 were walking, but sometimes you have to readjust your goals depending on he circumstances. 

             I did not happen to look at the weather report that day. Normally I do, yet, this time around I had assumed it would be cook enough. I woke up and seeing as I'm staying at my mom's house we got to talking as I drank up her jet black coffee. We talked for an hour and finally got to the trailhead at 7am. I followed a 4:1 run:walk ratio for 7 miles. The path was cool but full of bugs, my compression shorts tore at my inner thigh and I was bitten by sand flies every time I slowed down. At first it was cool, then I was in full sunlight all the way to the beach. Once at the beach (mile 5), I found a bathroom and repaired my shorts with a safety pin I happened to have on my hydration vest, lubes up my inner upper arms where I tend to chafe and took off my top, wet it, wet my cap and continued on my way. 10 minutes later my top and hat were again bone dry and I could not get cook enough. 

         At mile 7 my body could not get cool enough and I chose to walk until I could get cool enough to run again. I felt bad for walking for about half a mile until I noticed that even walking would be a challenge in this heat. I began to feel dizzy; even walking I could not get cool enough. I finished off my last salt pill and noticed I may not have packed enough, I needed far more than 3 pills with the amount of sweating I was doing. 

                I was never happier to see the end of a bike path as I was during this run. Got to my car, stretched, drove home and started my day. Despite not having met my initial goal I felt like a superstar. I ran in 87 degree weather, with a humidity of 70% and did good time for the time I did run. Most importantly, I did not give up. I also figured all this training will come in handy somewhere. 

          

This is the path on the Jones Beach Bikeway off of Cedar Creek Park 


almost done!


Loved seeing this patch of grass growing through the pavement. 


almost a surreal view....bee on flower.....

6 miles around the lake

         
         I guess I have just gotten use to feeling super inadequate at this running thing. But thanks to my mantra, "don't ever give up." I have paid very little attention to how shitty I feel about my running.  I woke up at 5:30am and dragged my body out of bed, had coffee and used every mental tactic in the book to get my ass out the door. Once I am out though, everything changes. This other person emerges, a more confident, happy, driven person. So no matter how I feel when I wake up, having done this process many, many, many times over I know that the better me will for sure emerge once I get moving. I trust the process so much that I don't question any part of the struggle any more. I did not see another runner for almost 4 miles into the run....which always gives me an even a bigger boost.... who else is crazy enough to run on this gravelly mess of a trail. My ankles have become much stronger and can now handle more of the uneven terrain. 

   
These sneakers.... in case you can't see there is blue stitching on both sides. I have had to sew them....I say they have about another year and a half of running in them... I have probably already run 3 marathons and a 50 miler in them, but they are so damn comfy. You see, when you wear you shoes evenly, your sneakers become like those minimalist shoes, and your feet get stronger and more use to running with less and less padding. It's a great natural way to becoming more minimalist without the injuries often associated with minimalist running. 


Felt good today and chose to pick up all types of trash left by losers on the trail....here, two people sat and enjoyed the beautiful lake as they are, then left their crap behind.... 





Came back home to discover that my dahlias were finally blooming. They had all died last year. I had dug them out and stored them in a paper bag until to find them all dried out completely over the winter, so I had to buy all new bulbs....so here are my new babies.... I will not be digging them out this year, instead, I will leave them in the ground and hope they do not freeze in the winter. 

Mysteries of the Mind

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             I went to the 24-hour gym to do my 9 miles at 10pm last night. To help my mind from melting into mush during the run I watched endless episodes of some unsolved mysteries on Amazon Prime.... the normally fearless Miriam left the gym at 1am absolutely terrified that I'd be the horrible victim of some crime, worse yet, an unsolved crime!!!..... it's funny now....but last night I was not in a good space parking and walking to my door...alone, in the dark. This is coming from a woman who use to run DC streets at 4am, in winter. This proves that we humans are very impressionable beings, we believe completely everything we put into our minds....the operative words here are, "we put in"....meaning, we all along we can control what we put in our thoughts......... NO MORE unsolved murder mysteries shows for me.... next time I will stick to comedy...

Running Goals

         Ever since I started running again in 2013 I have been become real good at setting realistic goals for myself in terms of running. After completing an 8K race in 2013 I set my goals to the half marathon and soon, I had signed up for a 50K in West Virginia. Granted, moving from a half marathon distance to a 50K distance with a crazy elevation is a bit odd, it worked for me. I then went on to running 7 marathons and even qualifying as a Marathon Maniac. 

        But where are my goals now? It all depends on what happens in my next 3 races. I have the Marine Corps in two weeks, the Rehoboth Beach Marathon in December and my first 50 miler in March. My short term goals are obviously to finish all three races. Speed is not really part of my goals for these coming months, but I would like to work on time at some point in the future. I can't work on my speed goals now for to work on speed it would require me working on my eating habits and while training for marathons and a 50 miler it would be tough to simultaneously work on my weight and restricting calories and such. Yet, I would like to move off running after March 2018 and focus primarily on weight training, some running and mainly focusing on the quality of my food intake. 

         But I do have another goal brewing and it's the one of going back to the West Virginia Trilogy in the fall of 2018 and beating my time from the last time I did a 50K there. Now, THAT would be a worthwhile goal. When I first ran it I did it within second of the cutoff go 10 hours. It has rained that day and I had fallen several times and the back of my thigh was in extreme pain, but I finished. The RD of the race later wrote me a hand-written note and said he's hope to see me the next year and I have never gone back to get my vengeance on that mountain. So as this dream of going back to the crazy mountains brews I dream of finding new exciting adventures far and wide. When I go to Tennessee in March to run my 50 miler that would be the first time I would leave my little family and be away from them for so long, three days! This trip is like getting my toes wet and seeing how it goes, trying out something new. I have a strong feeling I am going to love it. 
             
             But I cannot even allow myself to think that far ahead yet. First, the marathons this fall, then the race in March and then, ever so slowly open the door to the possibility of going back to the mountains to beat my time. Hills are not my favorite thing either. Yet, exploring new aspects of my running is what makes running worth while. What are your running goals?

 

 

          

Dare to dream big, but work small

          When I crossed that 50K finish mark on October 11, 2013 lots of things changed for me, but primarily in the way I relate to my own body. All my life I have been like an entity, totally separate from my body, driving my body through all these potentially dangerous habits. First, the stupid diets from Atkins to the Soup diets, all the way down to the an eight-day lemonade fast, yes, I only drank lemonade with cayenne pepper for 8 days. Then came the smoking in my 20's, then the staying up ungodly late hours to party and dragging myself around for the next few days. All these are example of how my body is being treated as dispensable. But crossing that 50K finish line after 10 hours, 29 minutes, 45 seconds  made me see how much my body can give back if given the proper care and training. And please!!! know that in the running world this is not a fast time for a 50K, in fact I came in DEAD LAST, so know that by no means am I bragging....but I DID finished under the cutoff by 15 seconds, in other words....I finished and that was quite huge for ME.

         One might think there is no difference between "making" one's body train and run a 50K and "making" one's body run 7 miles on zero training, at first glance, both experiences ARE hard on the body. Well, there is a huge difference. For one, for the 50K that is, you are working with your body over a period of months to slowly scale up your training to be ready for what it's going to go through. It's a painstakingly long process that requires tons of planning, lots of learning and mistakes making.  As the training slowly increases your body takes time to heal during the schedules rest days and comes back stronger. On the other hand, the 7 miles on zero training is absolute suicide, even 3 miles on zero training is dangerous, but I hear about people doing this quite often these days. Just going out there and pounding their body mercilessly and never once checking in, never once realizing it's going to be a bitch tomorrow when I wake up.

         If there is one thing I have learned from long-distance running is all kinds of facts about my body, how it operates, what is bound to injure it. I know that on cold days I can cause my shin to spasm, especially if I try to pass a slightly faster runner on a hill, which sadly HAS happened (and caused me months of recovery). I have learned that insoles are overpriced pieces of shit that cause more damage than good, I have learned that the first 2 miles of any runs will make you hate life but once it goes away you will be so grateful that you're running, I have learned to recognize which morning aches go away by noon and which aches are more serious and may require a day off. I have learned that a good bra is worth every penny and that Vaseline under my arms is absolutely necessary if I am to run 8+ miles, I have learned that good socks, again, are worth every penny. I have learned that I can wear shorts and a t-shirt in weather as cold as 40 degrees, bundle up any more and I will be tying my extra top around my waist at mile 3. You see, all this knowledge comes from the training. The training is not just an annoying meaty center meant to be ignored. In so many ways, the training IS the race. Just like in life, the end result does not encompass the experience of the journey. The certificate, the graduation, the promotion ceremony all are just mere stamps on the enormous and lengthy path it took to get there.

          Perhaps that is why I have been so cheery these past few weeks. I started my training plan and once again I am on this journey, this long trudge to the top, every day focusing on that day only. I have always been a person who needs a purpose. There are two kinds of people in this world, the incidental types who let life happen to them and the hopefuls. The "hopefuls" need an idea, a dream to chew on and as long as they have that bone, they can go through all kinds of hell and all will be fine because like holding a map, the Way is clear. Therefore, following this plan is very much like having this dream that one day will be realized, but I am not concerned about that now, THE DAY, I have learned, comes soon enough, but to have it come you need not focus on it, just trudge along, day after day, step after step.

         So choose the right plan for your current fitness level and dare to dream big. Keep your nose to the grind and make each day count. Before you know it, you will be on top of the world and in a world where instant gratification is the only language, no one will know how you ever made it so far.

marathon seven done!!

         I am writing 2 weeks post race about my 7th marathon. Seems like forever ago....four days before the race I had driven to NYC to say goodbye to my grandma who had had a stroke the week before and now here I was back in DC trying to complete a race when my heart was not in it. The first 17 miles went just fine, but right around mile 18, after I had made it past the dreaded bridge, I lost steam and started to get very emotional. The guilt of not being with my mom for these very tough day got to me. I also felt so sad for all my aunts and uncles so tightly holding on to hope that my grandma would eventually pull through and she could go back home. She never made it back home. She died a week later on a Thursday. Since then other tragedies have happened, one of the the election of a bigot to the White House. I cannot even get myself to utter his name, less look at him on TV. I have run a few runs since, a few 3 milers, a few 2 and even a 4 miler. 

         One good thing that came out of this race was a new friend. During the friend I met another struggling runner, a young man, and helping him realize his first marathon helped me tremendously to keep me focused on other things besides my own problems. Two weeks later I used the bib numbers on the photos to find him online. Happens that he was also looking for me and even wrote about me in his own running blog. Overall, very cool turn of events in light of all the gloomy things going on. 

Pre marathon preparations

You 

Two weeks from marathon

          I am two weeks from MCM and my confidence is shot and my mood is foul. I'm not sure why I feel this way really. Being a practicing buddhist and a runner has taught me to just learn to sit with the emotions as they come, and allow them to come and go naturally without a rush. Therefore, instead of fighting them or trying to get rid of them, for the past few days I've been low and watching these feelings come and go. Most likely my hormones are going crazy, but I can't be , seeing as I have not been to a doctor (nor will I be going). Yet, for someone like me, who is normally super busy with always something going on, one would ever see it or recognize that these things are going on in me. But, this week  HAS been super tough, getting up at 4 or 5am and making myself go running, or going to the gym or even feeling good about my second 20 miler in 8 days, which SHOULD be a no-brainer. I'm not saying I'm not proud of this run. I do feel proud that I was able to finish a second 20 miler in 8 days, something I have not done for my other marathons, ever! But, a large part of me feels somewhat numb overall. Of course, I did a gratuitous 20-miler (19.5 actually) and I should be feeling quite awesome indeed, but nope, I'm struggling to celebrate, or even feel generally good at all. Again, it might be my hormones going crazy. When no real reasons exist for one's negative feelings, it's most likely hormones and I have to simply ignore and/or distrust my thoughts for some time. Nevertheless, knowing the WHY does not necessarily solve it. I have been quite a witch lately. It's not easy for my family to experience me in this mood. 

               About the run, this was a fairly easy run. Having already done my initial 20-miler I had a lot less pressure for this run. I did run a very easy 17 miles and then I hit the trails where there was gravel. Oh, I don't like gravel at all. My ankles have a really hard time adjusting to the unevenness of it and I ended up walking most of the remaining miles. I did beat myself up over it for the entire 3 miles but was not about to make it up at all, I was spent and I was D.O.N.E. But what a gorgeous fall day it turned out to be Sunday and it was all mine! I did not see even one human being either running or walking until hour 3 of my run. So you see, the streets did belong to me from 5am to almost 8am!

I LOOOOVE seeing funny things on my runs.....looks like someone emptied the entire contents of their oven on the sidewalk.....As much as I hate to see liter and litterers this was quite amusing.....

20 miles baby!!

        I love rain.....I love running in the rain. Unfortunately, it only rained ever so lightly and ended within the first hour. What was most shocking is that I did not see another walking person or even a runner until about mile 9. 

              I don't think of myself as competitive until a streak of competitiveness sneaks out and takes a hold of me. Then I know I am as competitive as they come, I just pretend not to be. As I approached an intersection an older man and a very young woman entered the path in front of me and were doing a faster pace than me for some time. Every time I'd look up they were further and further forward. In situations like these I always make a mental note to run my own run and not to worry about others' pace. After about 10 minutes I look up and the young woman is walking. The older man is motioning with his hands trying to get her to start back up. She starts back up but by the time she does I am only a few dozen yards behind and quickly pass them both. Wow, this is new to me...passing someone, and more importantly, passing a woman half my age. It did bring a small smile to my face.  

            I saw a fox for the third time in my life. Its gait is a bit like it's confused and at one point it started walking towards me....In a split second I decided the mace would not work, too windy. The whistle would not work, it would wake everyone up where I was running. So instead, I just made crazy motions with my arms and off it went. That was easy.  
            I did find a pair of keys. I picked them up and ran with them, then thought I should drop them at anyone's driveway and surely they'd find the owner. About half a block later I change my mind. Nope, this was an accidental find by me and seeing as I believe very strongly that there are no such things as accidents I felt it my job to find the owner of these keys. I was too lazy to stop and place them in the back of my hydration pack so in my hands they sat for about 7-8 miles. This might be the work of a guardian angel and I am a person they thought would do the job, and not stop until I find the owner, so I will do just that. 

17 miles behind me.....3 to go......I'm going to do this!

 I posted this picture on my Facebook, and only later did I see the big huge pile of salt on my left temple. For the past 4 long runs I have stopped taking any kind of food on my long runs. I was famished by mile 13, but then I forgot all about it and was fine with water and S-caps the whole way. 

 My feet were particularly in pain so I decided to dip them in icy water for 8-10 seconds at a time. It did help quite a bit. What also helped was staying in bed for about 2 hours after the run.