Sunday: 6 miles. 4pm, sunny, sidewalks relatively clear.
My legs are STILL cold from this run, 4 hours later. It was REALLY sunny today, which did make for a warmer day, but I of course had to wait until 4pm to set out on my run. 4pm is the time of day the sun starts to shift, and although it superficially looks like it's out and shining proudly, the temperature starts to drop, preparing for night. Of course I decide "hey, sounds PERFECT for my long run!"
One thing I'm pretty uptight about on a daily basis is my water intake. I MUST have at least 10 glasses of water. I just feel off if I haven't had enough water. Well before my run the only liquid I took in were 2 cups of coffee. Coffee: a natural diuretic. What's better than not drinking any water? Drinking 2 cups of something that will dehydrate you further! Although it didn't completely hinder my efforts at this run, it did make for a jaunty sprint to the faucet once I got back inside (I assume my actions once the water was in my hand must have been described as "comical gulping")
At about mile 5 I ran through what had to be no less than 3 gallons of dog pee sprinkled throughout fresh, white once-pure snow. And these dogs must have been eating the liquid from glow-in-the-dark-sticks, because this yellow was some type of demon Mountain Dew and yellow Gatoraide hell spawn color. It lasted about 15 feet. It was the most exciting 3 seconds of the 54 minute run.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wittekerke
I have a feeling beer will sneak it's way in a bit more than appropriate for a running-based blog.
I will not be running tonight for obvious reasons (BELGIAN BEER). If you haven't tried Wittekerke, I highly suggest you do. It's skip-a-day-of-running worthy.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Lost Shoes and Soiled Socks
One of the biggest problems I've always had with running is over-thinking. I don't mean this as I over analyze the run, but before I run, I think too much about all my other options of time-filling. I believe in Economics this would be referred to as the "Opportunity Cost." I leave work and think "ok, I'll get home, change, and knock this run out." Then I think "well, I don't have food for dinner, do I want to stop at the grocery store first so my food options are readily available after I run?" And in the 10 minutes between work parking lot and house parking lot, I've settled on taking a nap (see I knew it would pop up!), being GROSSLY groggy and confused when I wake up, and end up watching tv and ordering Jimmy Johns.
A few words stolen from a prominent sportswear brand (let's see if we can identify which one): Just do it.
I know this has always puzzled my boyfriend, John. "I don't see what the big deal is, just do it. Just go for a run." And for years I've resisted. But it truly is the only thing that works—at least for me—just lace up those shoes and hit the road (..or the treadmill, god willing it's not the treadmill...only on desperate occasions). And look, 30-45 minutes later, you're right back home, and you have the night ahead of you.
Getting back to logging in my runs, I have 2 to report.
Wednesday: 4 miles. 6pm, dark outside, sidewalks relatively clear.
I'll be mentioning sidewalk conditions throughout the winter because DAMN people don't know ho to shovel their sidewalks in front of their houses. Makes. Running. Hard.
I always feel defeated right off the bat at these distances. It takes me about 1-1.5 miles to warm up. That's at least 25% of the run I'm struggling going "how am I this out of shape when I am this active?" At 1.5 miles I'm full of myself. "Hell yeah Erica. 4 miles? Why not 8 miles? I'm the strongest man alive!" And then I start running too fast. And at about the 3 mile mark, I'm back to being tired. But, this is nothing out of the ordinary. (note to self, work on a NORMAL pace, not one inflated by ego)
The highlight of this run was seeing a gray men's athletic left shoe in the road. The laces were EXTREMELY loose, so I can only imagine a minimal kicking motion would have sent that thing flying.
I thought my running excursion was done when I got home but not so fast Missy
.
BLOODY SOCK!
My first bloody toe of the season. Unfortunately it was caused by: toe nails. As you begin to run something that you need to be very cognoscente of is the length of your toe nails (in your shoe your toes get all smashed together, and the slightest edge that comes into contact with the side of your toe will rip that skin like...a toenail ripping toe skin). Now, before you start judging me as that crazy long-toenailed untalented runner, keep in mind that you can keep them toes in CHECK, but if you go for a run within the hour that your toenail grows SLIIIIGHTLY longer than then it's original cut...you're in bloody sock territory my friend.
So I know what you're all thinking and yes, I was able to save the WHITE Smartwool socks that were sullied by my silly toe blood. Those socks cost $17, so yeah, I attended to those before my foot. And by the way, if you've never worn Smartwool socks before get ready to have your world ROCKED the first time you slip your feet into them. I can go into more detail about WHY a pair of socks should cost $17, but that's for another post.
And that sums up that run.
Thursday: 3 miles. 4pm, light outside, sidewalks terrible.
Yes, I ran at 4pm, which by my calculations is an hour before I'm usually home from work, but I had a meeting downtown that got out earlier than I thought, and I REALLLLY wanted to run in the daylight. Plus I brought in doughnuts this morning, so that should make up for lost time.
It snowed all day. I was too excited about the possibility of NOT running in darkness that I didn't take into account all the freshly laid snow on the ground. It was like running on wet cold sand. At least when sand is in the equation there is the possibility of a beach. In my case, there was only the possibility of seeing the right gray shoe to match my discovery from my previous night's run. Fun.
Besides being REALLY hard to run on fresh snow on top of packed snow, laid in front of negligent shoveling houses, it was an uneventful run.
A few words stolen from a prominent sportswear brand (let's see if we can identify which one): Just do it.
I know this has always puzzled my boyfriend, John. "I don't see what the big deal is, just do it. Just go for a run." And for years I've resisted. But it truly is the only thing that works—at least for me—just lace up those shoes and hit the road (..or the treadmill, god willing it's not the treadmill...only on desperate occasions). And look, 30-45 minutes later, you're right back home, and you have the night ahead of you.
Getting back to logging in my runs, I have 2 to report.
Wednesday: 4 miles. 6pm, dark outside, sidewalks relatively clear.
I'll be mentioning sidewalk conditions throughout the winter because DAMN people don't know ho to shovel their sidewalks in front of their houses. Makes. Running. Hard.
I always feel defeated right off the bat at these distances. It takes me about 1-1.5 miles to warm up. That's at least 25% of the run I'm struggling going "how am I this out of shape when I am this active?" At 1.5 miles I'm full of myself. "Hell yeah Erica. 4 miles? Why not 8 miles? I'm the strongest man alive!" And then I start running too fast. And at about the 3 mile mark, I'm back to being tired. But, this is nothing out of the ordinary. (note to self, work on a NORMAL pace, not one inflated by ego)
The highlight of this run was seeing a gray men's athletic left shoe in the road. The laces were EXTREMELY loose, so I can only imagine a minimal kicking motion would have sent that thing flying.
I thought my running excursion was done when I got home but not so fast Missy
.
BLOODY SOCK!My first bloody toe of the season. Unfortunately it was caused by: toe nails. As you begin to run something that you need to be very cognoscente of is the length of your toe nails (in your shoe your toes get all smashed together, and the slightest edge that comes into contact with the side of your toe will rip that skin like...a toenail ripping toe skin). Now, before you start judging me as that crazy long-toenailed untalented runner, keep in mind that you can keep them toes in CHECK, but if you go for a run within the hour that your toenail grows SLIIIIGHTLY longer than then it's original cut...you're in bloody sock territory my friend.
So I know what you're all thinking and yes, I was able to save the WHITE Smartwool socks that were sullied by my silly toe blood. Those socks cost $17, so yeah, I attended to those before my foot. And by the way, if you've never worn Smartwool socks before get ready to have your world ROCKED the first time you slip your feet into them. I can go into more detail about WHY a pair of socks should cost $17, but that's for another post.
And that sums up that run.
Thursday: 3 miles. 4pm, light outside, sidewalks terrible.
Yes, I ran at 4pm, which by my calculations is an hour before I'm usually home from work, but I had a meeting downtown that got out earlier than I thought, and I REALLLLY wanted to run in the daylight. Plus I brought in doughnuts this morning, so that should make up for lost time.
It snowed all day. I was too excited about the possibility of NOT running in darkness that I didn't take into account all the freshly laid snow on the ground. It was like running on wet cold sand. At least when sand is in the equation there is the possibility of a beach. In my case, there was only the possibility of seeing the right gray shoe to match my discovery from my previous night's run. Fun.
Besides being REALLY hard to run on fresh snow on top of packed snow, laid in front of negligent shoveling houses, it was an uneventful run.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Welcome to the Crazy World of Wacky Runners
I'm afraid that title may be misleading. I'm not sure if anything in this post will quite cover "crazy" or "wacky" but rest assured, if I continue this blog, it certainly will.
My name is Erica. I've made the decision to run in the first ever Kalamazoo Marathon. Why? Was it to prove my fitness level? To reach a lifelong goal? Was it for pride or maybe honor? Unfortunately my answer to all of those things would be, no.
-a little history of my running past-
I HATED running when I was a kid. From elementary school through middle school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the beginning of gym class we had to run 4 laps around the playground (yes, I had a playground in middle school. It was a private school. A private school with snack and recess, and we called our teachers by their first names...yeah, that's what I thought). I. Hated. Those. Days. 4 laps around the playground equaled roughly 1/2 mile. 2 times a year—once in the fall and once in the spring—we had to do fitness testing that involved the dreaded 1 mile run. THAT'S 8 LAPS. There was nothing that caused me more anxiety than thinking about those mile run days (that may also have something to do with the private schooling. What else is there to have anxiety about when you have 13 other people in your graduating class).
Anyhoo, fast forward to the summer before high school, and the crushing realization that you're going to a public high school with 1200 other kids that have mostly all grown up together at the same elementary and middle schools. Schools you were not a part of because you were too busy eating your snack and running laps around the playground as you entered your adolescence. I knew that fall sports teams practiced through the summer to get ready for the season when school started. Once I decided this was my ticket into high school and friendship, it was time to choose my destiny: Women's Tennis, Cheerleading, Volleyball, Women's Golf, or Cross Country. I don't golf or play tennis, I'm not what you would call the "cheerleading" type, and I am 5'1, so Volleyball was out of the question. I joined the Husky Cross Country team (yep, our mascot was a medium-size, wolf-like, snow-loving dog).
I'd like to say it was all a love affair from there and I've been running ever since, but I've had long hard struggles and continue to have long hard struggles with running. I've had wicked shin splints, sprained ankles, a fatigued hip flexor, stress fractures, multiple toenails fall off, about a million blisters (90% of which occur in my ARCHES!!), and have spent hundreds to fuel this "hobby" (mainly bandages for my arch blisters, which I'm sure you're going to hear about ad nauseum).
Ok, catch up to more recently. When I graduated from Western Michigan University in December 2008 and got a job (a good job too) I realized all the free homework-less time adults have after they get home from work. So I set a goal for myself, run a half marathon. It was January 2009 and I signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon in September. I had 9 months to train. After a few weeks went by, I realized I would be ready for the Borgess Half Marathon in April. I was ready when April 25 rolled around and I ran it in 2hr 12min (give or take some seconds). I also threw up about 2 seconds after I crossed the finish line (although that's a story for another day), but that's neither here nor there.
I've been casually running since, hovering right around 3 mile runs, and it's always a struggle to run. A struggle everyday. I'd much rather enjoy this "Real Housewives of Flint" marathon or go out right after work and drink "too much" (I put this in quotations because really, is there a thing as too much?). I'd rather do just about anything than run. But it really is a love/hate relationship. I hate pushing myself to run after a long day, but I love the feeling after. If I don't do a single thing all day, but went for a run, I'll still feel accomplished.
-Back to my original question-
Why am I running the Kalamazoo Marathon? I'd say mainly bragging rights. And hey, after the actual race (26.2 miles?!!?) I'll at least earn myself a week off from running!
I'm starting this blog for 2 reasons.
1. To keep myself accountable and in check. I paid $50—that's right, I got the earlybird special, it must be the Jewish blood in my veins—and I will run all $50 worth!
2. Through my running hi-jinks I want to encourage anyone who doesn't quite consider themselves a "runner" either to keep at it. But hey, if no one reads this I can at least say I entertained myself with stories of puking, blisters, money-saving, and napping (I know that last one wasn't covered in this post, but I'm 3000% positive it will be a frequent theme).
So here's to the first Kalamazoo Marathon, and the rough months ahead.
My name is Erica. I've made the decision to run in the first ever Kalamazoo Marathon. Why? Was it to prove my fitness level? To reach a lifelong goal? Was it for pride or maybe honor? Unfortunately my answer to all of those things would be, no.
-a little history of my running past-
I HATED running when I was a kid. From elementary school through middle school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the beginning of gym class we had to run 4 laps around the playground (yes, I had a playground in middle school. It was a private school. A private school with snack and recess, and we called our teachers by their first names...yeah, that's what I thought). I. Hated. Those. Days. 4 laps around the playground equaled roughly 1/2 mile. 2 times a year—once in the fall and once in the spring—we had to do fitness testing that involved the dreaded 1 mile run. THAT'S 8 LAPS. There was nothing that caused me more anxiety than thinking about those mile run days (that may also have something to do with the private schooling. What else is there to have anxiety about when you have 13 other people in your graduating class).
Anyhoo, fast forward to the summer before high school, and the crushing realization that you're going to a public high school with 1200 other kids that have mostly all grown up together at the same elementary and middle schools. Schools you were not a part of because you were too busy eating your snack and running laps around the playground as you entered your adolescence. I knew that fall sports teams practiced through the summer to get ready for the season when school started. Once I decided this was my ticket into high school and friendship, it was time to choose my destiny: Women's Tennis, Cheerleading, Volleyball, Women's Golf, or Cross Country. I don't golf or play tennis, I'm not what you would call the "cheerleading" type, and I am 5'1, so Volleyball was out of the question. I joined the Husky Cross Country team (yep, our mascot was a medium-size, wolf-like, snow-loving dog).
I'd like to say it was all a love affair from there and I've been running ever since, but I've had long hard struggles and continue to have long hard struggles with running. I've had wicked shin splints, sprained ankles, a fatigued hip flexor, stress fractures, multiple toenails fall off, about a million blisters (90% of which occur in my ARCHES!!), and have spent hundreds to fuel this "hobby" (mainly bandages for my arch blisters, which I'm sure you're going to hear about ad nauseum).
Ok, catch up to more recently. When I graduated from Western Michigan University in December 2008 and got a job (a good job too) I realized all the free homework-less time adults have after they get home from work. So I set a goal for myself, run a half marathon. It was January 2009 and I signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon in September. I had 9 months to train. After a few weeks went by, I realized I would be ready for the Borgess Half Marathon in April. I was ready when April 25 rolled around and I ran it in 2hr 12min (give or take some seconds). I also threw up about 2 seconds after I crossed the finish line (although that's a story for another day), but that's neither here nor there.
I've been casually running since, hovering right around 3 mile runs, and it's always a struggle to run. A struggle everyday. I'd much rather enjoy this "Real Housewives of Flint" marathon or go out right after work and drink "too much" (I put this in quotations because really, is there a thing as too much?). I'd rather do just about anything than run. But it really is a love/hate relationship. I hate pushing myself to run after a long day, but I love the feeling after. If I don't do a single thing all day, but went for a run, I'll still feel accomplished.
-Back to my original question-
Why am I running the Kalamazoo Marathon? I'd say mainly bragging rights. And hey, after the actual race (26.2 miles?!!?) I'll at least earn myself a week off from running!
I'm starting this blog for 2 reasons.
1. To keep myself accountable and in check. I paid $50—that's right, I got the earlybird special, it must be the Jewish blood in my veins—and I will run all $50 worth!
2. Through my running hi-jinks I want to encourage anyone who doesn't quite consider themselves a "runner" either to keep at it. But hey, if no one reads this I can at least say I entertained myself with stories of puking, blisters, money-saving, and napping (I know that last one wasn't covered in this post, but I'm 3000% positive it will be a frequent theme).
So here's to the first Kalamazoo Marathon, and the rough months ahead.
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