So somehow, I've made it to the taper stage of my Goofy Challenge training. Hallelujah! Unfortunately, I seem to be using it as an excuse to completely slack off of running. Last week, I ran a total of 7 miles. Seven! And it was difficult to even do those! I mean, granted...it was Christmas week, and we did have 2 feet of snow on the ground/sidewalks that didn't melt for a week...but I still felt lazy. And ate a ton of food. I know they say you are supposed to gain a little weight during the taper, but I'm at a whopping 4 llbs! Must be all that chocolate cake and Chick-fil-A I've been putting away...
I've also had a bit of a stuffy nose/head, which has made me lazy. At least, that was my excuse for skipping 12 miles on Sunday. I ran 6 with my training partner in the cold, windy dark last night instead. It actually wasn't too bad. We're going to attempt to get 6 more in Thursday after work. Except, it is supposed to rain/snow again. Lovely. This weekend is scheduled for 4 miles on Saturday, and 8 on Sunday. I'm going to up it to 5 and 9 to try and make up for some of my recent laziness.
The bonus to this 5 week taper is I think my body is starting to heal from a lot of the little nagging injuries I was ignoring during the high mileage portion of training...a crunchy ankle, tight hip, and achy achilles/calf. All of those have pretty much gone away, and I feel ready to take on a half marathon followed by a full marathon. Mileage-wise, I have 24 more miles to run before the races.
If I ever say I want to do something like this again, someone please dissuade me! I know I will be so happy to have finished, but it has really taken a toll on me! Back-to-back weekend runs allow no time for sleeping in, or the weekend AM coffee-in-hand-couch-lounging. I can't wait for the "mandatory" 2 week break that I'm supposed to take once we are done with the races! I know some people run/exercise after a few days, but I will not be one of them. If the experts say I need to take two weeks off, I'm going to listen to them. Who am I, the Lazy Runner, to question the running experts?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Blizzard '09
Remember that winter storm I mentioned in the last blog? Well, it definitely hit...and thus I didn't complete the 22 mile run. By the time I woke up Saturday morning, there was already 4 inches or so on the ground, and it didn't let up. We ended up with over 20 inches of snow. Yikes! I have never seen that much snow in my life!
I did get 11 miles in on Friday morning, though. We ran from my house through Eastport, to the Naval Academy, and back. I'm glad that was accomplished, because I still don't think I'll be able to get out on the roads to run anytime soon! There are still huge mounds of snow in most places where the sidewalk should be!
Today, I managed 3 miles on the dreadmill at the office during lunch. My training partner (who ran 20 miles on the treadmill during the snow...crazy!) is out of town for the holidays, so I'll be running on my own this weekend. Since we are now in the taper phase, I have 4 on the schedule for Saturday, and 12 on Sunday. I don't look forward to running 12 by myself, so I've talked my boyfriend into riding his bike on the NCR Trail while I run. He won't be with me, but at least I'll be motivated to get out there!
I did get 11 miles in on Friday morning, though. We ran from my house through Eastport, to the Naval Academy, and back. I'm glad that was accomplished, because I still don't think I'll be able to get out on the roads to run anytime soon! There are still huge mounds of snow in most places where the sidewalk should be!
Today, I managed 3 miles on the dreadmill at the office during lunch. My training partner (who ran 20 miles on the treadmill during the snow...crazy!) is out of town for the holidays, so I'll be running on my own this weekend. Since we are now in the taper phase, I have 4 on the schedule for Saturday, and 12 on Sunday. I don't look forward to running 12 by myself, so I've talked my boyfriend into riding his bike on the NCR Trail while I run. He won't be with me, but at least I'll be motivated to get out there!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Playing Catch Up on This Here Blog
Well, since I last posted on this blog, I've logged 51 miles. Yikes! It has only been 2 weeks, but that shows you how much I've been running!
The 10 miles/20 miles weekend was a tough one. Saturday morning, we ended up running in rain/snow. We logged 10 miles on the BWI Trail Loop around the airport. The weather started out as rain, and gradually changed over to snow as it got colder. My rain jacket doesn't work so well anymore; thus, I was soaked through by the end of the run. We went to lunch afterwards, and it took me about 3 hours post-shower to warm up!
Our 20 miler was a test of will. We woke up to clear skies, but the snow from the day before had frozen over, so the B&A Trail was rather icy. 3 miles into the run, I wasn't at all sure if I could continue. At about Mile 6, I started to feel better, and by 8 I was ready to finish the whole thing. My only issue was a very tight hamstring for the last 2 miles. I suffered through, though.
Last weekend was an easy 6 miles on Saturday, and 12 miles on Sunday. To get the miles in, we actually ran the Anniversary Race through Quiet Waters Park. The race is only 9.3 miles, so we ran 2.7 beforehand. It was, of course, raining. I was soaked again, and chilled again. This run wasn't the greatest...I was tired and didn't want to do it at all. I perservered again, though. Perserverance seems to be becoming my running theme...
This weekend is going to be rough. It's our last long run weekend with 11 on Friday morning and 22 on Saturday. The issue (besides the distance)? The forecasters are calling for a Winter Storm. Of course! That's just what we need for our 22 mile run...snow and wind all day. Lovely. I am planning on heading out to by a new rain jacket...but if it's too bad, I'm going to bag the 22 and just do as many as I can. It's not worth getting sick over...at this point, we've logged 2 20ish mile runs, with back to backs, as well. If we dont' get 22 in, then we'll just have a month long taper. You do what you can...
The 10 miles/20 miles weekend was a tough one. Saturday morning, we ended up running in rain/snow. We logged 10 miles on the BWI Trail Loop around the airport. The weather started out as rain, and gradually changed over to snow as it got colder. My rain jacket doesn't work so well anymore; thus, I was soaked through by the end of the run. We went to lunch afterwards, and it took me about 3 hours post-shower to warm up!
Our 20 miler was a test of will. We woke up to clear skies, but the snow from the day before had frozen over, so the B&A Trail was rather icy. 3 miles into the run, I wasn't at all sure if I could continue. At about Mile 6, I started to feel better, and by 8 I was ready to finish the whole thing. My only issue was a very tight hamstring for the last 2 miles. I suffered through, though.
Last weekend was an easy 6 miles on Saturday, and 12 miles on Sunday. To get the miles in, we actually ran the Anniversary Race through Quiet Waters Park. The race is only 9.3 miles, so we ran 2.7 beforehand. It was, of course, raining. I was soaked again, and chilled again. This run wasn't the greatest...I was tired and didn't want to do it at all. I perservered again, though. Perserverance seems to be becoming my running theme...
This weekend is going to be rough. It's our last long run weekend with 11 on Friday morning and 22 on Saturday. The issue (besides the distance)? The forecasters are calling for a Winter Storm. Of course! That's just what we need for our 22 mile run...snow and wind all day. Lovely. I am planning on heading out to by a new rain jacket...but if it's too bad, I'm going to bag the 22 and just do as many as I can. It's not worth getting sick over...at this point, we've logged 2 20ish mile runs, with back to backs, as well. If we dont' get 22 in, then we'll just have a month long taper. You do what you can...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Too Much Time off for Turkey Day
It was a real struggle for me to run during Thanksgiving week. But, I managed to get some miles in anyway. Not the mileage that I needed, but I was proud of myself for doing what I did! Tuesday night, it was raining, but I knew I needed to do something to prevent my legs from forgetting how to run. I ran 3 miles by running up and down my street twice. Boring.
I flew to SC for the holiday, and forced myself to get up and out for 3 miles on Friday morning. We had early mornings each day I was there. I was supposed to log 6 on Saturday, but I just couldn't do it! I was awake in time, but I couldn't get myself out the door. It was in the 30s, and I had neglected to bring warm enough gear. I also just wanted to sit, relax, and drink my coffee. So that's what I did!
Sunday, I was back in town, and met some friends for a nice, slow 12 miles. We ran to Thomas Point, and then an abbreviated Bay Ridge loop. Surprisingly, it wasn't really a tough run, even with all of the hills! My total mileage for the week was 18...lower than it should be, but I think I will survive.
This weekend is another "cornerstone" with 10 and 20 on the schedule. I popped out 3 today on the dreadmill at the office, and will hopefully have rested legs in time for the 30 mile weekend. I believe we will be running 10 miles in the rain on the BWI trail Saturday. It's back to the good ole B&A Trail on Sunday for 20 miles. Sunday is supposed to be sunny, but cold. I'll take cold over rain for 20 miles any day!
I flew to SC for the holiday, and forced myself to get up and out for 3 miles on Friday morning. We had early mornings each day I was there. I was supposed to log 6 on Saturday, but I just couldn't do it! I was awake in time, but I couldn't get myself out the door. It was in the 30s, and I had neglected to bring warm enough gear. I also just wanted to sit, relax, and drink my coffee. So that's what I did!
Sunday, I was back in town, and met some friends for a nice, slow 12 miles. We ran to Thomas Point, and then an abbreviated Bay Ridge loop. Surprisingly, it wasn't really a tough run, even with all of the hills! My total mileage for the week was 18...lower than it should be, but I think I will survive.
This weekend is another "cornerstone" with 10 and 20 on the schedule. I popped out 3 today on the dreadmill at the office, and will hopefully have rested legs in time for the 30 mile weekend. I believe we will be running 10 miles in the rain on the BWI trail Saturday. It's back to the good ole B&A Trail on Sunday for 20 miles. Sunday is supposed to be sunny, but cold. I'll take cold over rain for 20 miles any day!
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