Let the rain wash away all my resolve

Laziness came back with a vengeance today. But in all honesty, I did get a lot accomplished... I was very productive on the job search front.... plus I made time to enjoy the day (I watched a movie!) So the day wasn't a total waste by any stretch of the imagination. Plus, it was raining outside, which is fine, because running in the rain is awesome, but at the same time it is a huge deterrent to actually wanting to go outside in the first place. I was going to run around 1:30pm, then Andrew showed up unexpectedly to hang out for a bit before his class - which was such a great surprise!! - but by the time he left, I decided to continue resting and dedicated myself wholeheartedly to job-searching for the rest of the day.

I also made up my mind about the marathon. At this rate, I doubt I'll ever be ready in time. I found out there's a 10-miler that day, which runs the same course as the marathon, just for the first 10 miles. I think this will be a much more reasonable, much more realistic goal. I can definitely run 10 miles, and I can even work towards a faster time over the next 5 weeks. This way I can continue to run at my leisure without feeling super-guilty about every day that goes by without a run. In the meantime, I can enjoy my time off from work, dedicate myself to looking for a job, and focus on getting things straightened out at home.

I am happy with my decision.

Marathon training (or something like it)

I have a marathon coming up in 5 weeks. Yes, FIVE WEEKS. I haven't even officially started training yet, and I'm still holding on to some strange bizzare glimmer of hope that I'm going to be able to run 26.2 miles on March 28th, 2010. Am I crazy? or just very determined? You be the judge.

It's not like I'm even conditioned like I was last time. Before the Philly Marathon, although I was very lackadaisical in my training efforts, I still ran whenever I felt like it, which turned out to be 3-4 days each week, and when I wasn't running, I was cross-training: boxing, kick-boxing, Pilates, Yoga, weight-lifting, you name it, I did it. I was in the second-best shape of my entire life! (The best shape I was EVER in was about 4 months out of college, when I belonged to 4 gyms, taught classes at three of them, and was gung-ho about everything and anything fitness... that year, my entire Christmas list consisted of exercise equipment and workout clothes. No lie.) So, anywho, here I am today, no where near the base fitness level I achieved in fall '08. I have a lot of work to do just to get caught up to that level. Before I can even dream of beginning hard core marathon training, I've got to get a solid foundation of weekly mileage and cardiovascular fitness... and I'm quickly running out of time!! I know I found myself in a similar predicament last time, when I had my wake-up call approx 6 weeks before Philly, butttt - I repeat - back then I was already in awesome shape without even realizing it. I exercised obsessively every day, I pushed myself to the limit on a regular basis. Now I don't do any of that... heck, I'm lucky if I force myself out the door for a run twice a week. That's about the extent of my glorious fitness regimen right now.

This past week was the first week that could actually classify as "training." Up until this point, my weekly mileage has been pretty stagnant. For at least the past two months, I've been running about 6-7 miles. I seriously can't remember the last time my weekly mileage broke 7. Then, this week, I kind of jumped right in. On Wednesday, I ran 5 miles. On Thursday, I ran 6 miles. Then today, I ran 10 miles!!! That's right, TEN MILES! I know experienced distance runners will scoff at my excitement, but to me this is tremendous! That is my longest run so far this year... this season... quite possibly since I've moved to NJ (with the exception of the Philly Distance Run in Oct..) this is HUGE, people! So my total mileage for this week was 21 miles.

So today I set out to run 10 miles and that's exactly what I did. It's not as simple as it sounds. Around miles 1-2 I was thinking "this sucks, this was such a bad idea. I'm already tired & out of breath, and overdressed in too many layers so I'm over-heating. It's going to be dark before I get home... Turn around and go back now before you slip on the ice or get hit my a car. You'll never survive... this was such a terrible, terrible idea"... then around mile 4 I started to get my groove and thought to myself "this really isn't so bad. just take it easy. slow & steady wins the race... or in this case, slow & steady finishes the long run without dying. maybe, just maybe, you CAN do this" ... by mile 5 I was cruising along but still scolding myself for leaving the house so late & fearing for my life by running at sundown... on a happier note it was Saturday so I didn't have to worry about the typical rush-hour cars clogging the road during the 5-o'clock hour... at mile 6 I was really getting the hang of it and was almost hesitant to stop, but I was getting hungry so I needed to re-fuel, plus I wanted to check my progress and the time. I checked my phone & was thrilled to discover that I'd been running for an hour so far! I ate a few sports beans and proceeded... around mile 7 I thought to myself "this is it! the final stretch! only 5k left!" and miles 8-9 were consumed by thoughts of "this is it... almost there... don't stop now... keep on going... my nose is running... and I really could use some more sports beans... but I'm not stopping for anything until I finish..." I followed through right to the end and sprinted all-out in the apartment complex! Boy, am I ever proud of myself. Maybe this marathon actually is within my reach. Yes, I'm still holding on to hope that I will be marathon-ready by March 28th, 2010. I guess you can call me crazy-determined. A few lofty goals and a little insanity never hurt anyone. Let the madness begin!

Running for a Cause: The Food Trust

For my first marathon, I wanted to run for something bigger than myself. I looked at all the major charities, like Team for Training, and the MS Team for the Cure, but the major problem with most of those is I don't feel personally affected by any of them... *knock on wood* but I've been very blessed to have healthy people in my life, and no one very close to me has ever been affected by leukemia & lymphoma, aids, diabetes, cancer, etc... granted, my grandmother did die form cancer, and one of my cousins currently lives with cancer, but overall I don't feel that passionately about it to the point where I want to dedicate my running efforts to raising money for the cause. I wanted to run for a cause I TRULY believe in and TRULY feel very passionately about.

I believe wholeheartedly in good nutrition and exercise. So I did some searching online, and that's when I discovered the Food Trust. The Food Trust is a NFP located in Philadelphia that focuses on easy access to affordable, nutritious food for everyone, everywhere. Now here's a cause I can really stand behind!! I firmly believe in the life-long benefits of healthy eating, especially wholesome, nutritious foods. It was a perfect match! I kicked the idea around for a while, waiting to see how my marathon training was progressing before I committed to anything. In the meantime, I wrote to the Food Trust and asked them for help, suggestions, etc... I told them what I was planning on doing and they were beyond thrilled. They offered to help in any way they could. They even sent me a tee-shirt in the mail, along with a packet of newsletters that I could send to my prospective donors. Encouraged by their enthusiasm and support, I wrote an e-mail to all my friends, family, past co-workers, contacts, and acquaintances asking them to donate to the Food Trust. I think what they are doing is truly incredible, and more cities should model organizations after them! Regardless of how much $$ I raise, my main goal was to get the word out about the Food Trust. My hope is that with increased publicity, more people will be aware of the increasing problem of poor access to healthy nutritious food in low-income areas throughout the United State.

So, without further adieu... here's the letter:

Dear Friends,

In approximately one month, I will be running the Philadelphia Marathon in Philadelphia, PA. This is my very first marathon (26.2 miles!), and along with my commitment to training, I am raising awareness for The Food Trust, a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia that works to ensure everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food.

The Food Trust is working to lower the rates of diet-related illnesses, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes, by improving access to healthy food in low-income communities. In addition to operating 30 weekly farmers markets across Philadelphia, The Food Trust partners with over 100 schools and educates children about healthy eating. Their school-based programs, including the state-funded Kindergarten Initiative, have already reduced the incidence of childhood obesity by 50%. The Food Trust also works with city and state officials to increase the number of grocery stores located in lower-income neighborhoods through the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. (To learn more, visit www.thefoodtrust.org.)

In my opinion, The Food Trust addresses a glaring issue in modern society and espouses an extremely worthwhile cause - one that I care deeply about helping. As a runner and certified fitness professional, I subscribe to the "food as fuel" mentality. I also advocate eating healthy, wholesome, fresh, whole foods brimming with essential nutrients. It pains me to see the lack of access to fresh food in society today - and even worse, a lack of knowledge about the importance of good nutrition.

I wanted to run my first marathon for something larger than myself. That is why I chose to promote The Food Trust through my training efforts. I believe that given the right resources and widespread support, the Food Trust is leading the way in eradicating the nutritional crisis – and all the resulting health problems - in America today. I invite you to join me in supporting them and hope you will consider making a donation on my behalf. You can go directly to the website: http://www.thefoodtrust.org/php/donations/index.php.

Although I've been a runner for years, 26.2 miles is extremely intimidating and it is going to take hard work and commitment to get there. I am blogging my progress: http://community.active.com/blogs/julierunsphilly. Check back often for updates! Thanks for all your love & support.

In good health,

Julie


PS – Please spread the word!

A Reality Check

so it's been a while since I updated. to be perfectly honest, I've been completely exhausted. training is going pretty well. at least I thought it was going well until today... I've ran or cross-trained every single day for the past 9 days. I was very excited to be getting back into a routine.

the problem occurred today when I decided to look at a legitimate marathon training schedule. I have 6 weeks left. At this point, I'm supposed to be up to 30-40 miles per week. I haven't run more than 20 miles per week in the past month...

I AM SCARED that I'll never get up to the mileage I need & still have time to taper before the marathon. I'm not sure what to do. Should I jump up to 40 miles next week and pick up the training plan from that point? or should I gradually increase my mileage and do whatever I can, but peak at 30 miles per week? when should I start to taper? I want to make sure my muscles are fully recovered before the marathon... I've only done 2 "long" runs up to this point... a 12-miler and a 15-miler. I still have to fit in at the very least ONE very long run of 18 or 20 miles (ideally, I should have done anywhere from 2-5 of these over the past 4 months), and I have to do this before 2 weeks prior to the marathon. yikes! I know my fitness level is gradually improving, but I'm fearful for my running ability and the pre-marathon timeline. this training business is turning out to be a much bigger commitment than I ever anticipated.

Hitting the hills

to mix things up a bit, today I did a "hill" workout on the treadmill. basically, I experimented with the gradient, raising & lowering the incline and speed to match my comfort level. I had no idea that treadmills could be so steep!!! the maximum gradient goes up to 15.0 (what is that measuring anyway, degrees??). At that incline, I could only jog along at a 12-min/mi pace... it was so steep!!! I did this for about a minute, then gradually lowered the incline until it was down to 10 (degrees??), then when I caught my breath I jumped right back up to 15, lasted there for about a minute, then had to gradually lower again, and repeated this process 3 times over 20 minutes. this is great practice though. it definitely gets your HR way up. I can't wait to do it again!

"hills are speedwork in disguise"... I will never forget these words of some famous runner (of course the famous runner is so famous I forget his/her name, but that's beside the point) the important part is the sage advice. you have to put in a lot of extra effort to go up a hill at any given speed. so when you get accustomed to exerting more effort and working harder, and put that same amount of effort on flat ground, you will go even farther. it's a basic physics principle. something about work and distance, but of course I forget the exact formula... after all, that was 7 years ago...

on another completely un-related note, I have a cramp in my right forefoot, which is incredibly annoying.

Impromptu 10K

post-boxing class today I hopped on the treadmill at the gym with absolutely no plan in mind. I figured I would run at least 3 miles, or however far I could get in a half hour, maybe 4 miles... or heck maybe even go for 5. the most I would possibly do is 6... and even that was really a stretch, based on the fact that it was extremely late at night, and I was tired, lazy, sore, and my ipod battery died. (I even thought ahead and brought my ipod so I wouldn't have to be bored with the typical treadmill drudgery. But, of course, since I haven't touched my ipod since summer ended, and I haven't charged it in equally as long, no amount of wishful thinking, prayer, or will power was going to get that thing to turn on.) So I was left with 4 choices: deal with it & do a short run, push through and go all out no matter what, sing to myself & listen to the music over the gym's stereo system, or just don't run at all. Obviously choice #4 was not a legitimate option by any stretch of the imagination. So I went with a hybrid of options #2 & #3... and I ended up running an entire 10K!!!! It was incredibly hard, and I struggled & pushed myself the whole way there. By mile 4.9, I was wondering how I would ever make even one more step, when one of the guys from my boxing class walked by, waved & said "you're doing GREAT!" That was just awesome. It gave me the motivation I needed to persevere through and complete an entire 10K. woah.

So, impromptu 10K. completed in 49:48. not too shabby at all. My pace translated into sub-8-minute miles!!! and the last 1.5 miles were even slightly faster!

there really aren't many benefits to running on a treadmill. It's boring, the scenery never changes, it's boring, you don't get the excitement, changing terrain, or fresh air that can only be found in the great outdoors, and did I mention it's BORING!? although there is one thing I really like about it: you can track your progress by setting the pace for your run, and setting the pace on a treadmill helps your body learn to identify what running at a certain pace feels like and helps you maintain a certain pace when you are exhausted, and otherwise would have already given up or at least slowed down.

I can't wait until my next 10K race. I'm really excited to see what my time will be. I'm registered for the Ben Franklin Bridge Challenge in early November, about 3 weeks before the marathon. So far, that's the only race I have scheduled between now & Nov 23.

The Acorn Award

the weather called for light, misty rain all day, turning into torrential downpours by the night time... it was not looking promising for a run. I kept tabs on the weather throughout the day & noticed that it barely rained at all. (the weathermen were wrong! gasp! how shocking!) although the sky did look incredibly overcast & grey. soooo just before dusk I decided the time had come. It was time to venture outside and run. I was so excited & so proud of myself! I got about 1.5 miles away from my house before it started raining. really hard. raindrops collected in my eyes so I could barely see clearly, I was soaked, and I had to dash for cover under the nearest tree. I was also over-dressed, slightly over-heated & suffocating from the humidity. I was just over a mile away from my house, it was late, it was getting dark, and the rain wasn't showing any signs of letting up any time soon. soooo... I did what any sensible runner would do... I kept going!!!!

I forged ahead in the dark and the rain, armed with my reflective gear and LED flashlight. It was as much an exercise in mental toughness as physical stamina. perhaps even more so. Mr Heath, my old cross country coach used to talk to us about mental toughness before each race. We needed our minds to be like an acorn - unbreakable. After each race, whichever runner endured the most challenges, yet emerged triumphant, would receive the team "acorn." This honor was probably even more coveted than a first-place finish. The acorn award proved you were completely, totally, 100% mentally in the race, that you could persevere through pain, overcome obstacles, endure challenges, push through no matter what, and succeed against the odds. it's a valuable lesson to that applies to life in general.

mental toughness will get you anywhere. today, it got me through an 8 mile run. Mr Heath would be proud.

After all that, I'm really glad I kept going, because the rain cleared up within 5 minutes. If I had turned around & gone home, I would have been completely bummed. Instead, I was positively elated to be out running. The downpour broke the humidity, and the rain cooled me off, so after that I was good to go! I seriously considered doing 12 miles, but cut it short at 8. The only thing that stopped me from going the distance was the fact that it was rapidly getting darker outside, and I didn't want to be out running in the pitch black for too long. Running at night is very very scary, unless you have a personal bodyguard, ninja, or friend named Mike to guide & protect you on your nightly run. the pitch black really scares me when I'm out alone. I'm afraid I'll either A) trip over something I don't see on the ground, or B) get hit by a car who doesn't see me until it's too late. so I try to avoid the scenario as much as possible. Either way, now that it's officially fall, it gets a lot darker a lot earlier in the day, so I didn't want to stay out too long... plus, my legs were sore!!! My legs just did not want to move, which made it a very tough run, especially through the winding hilly roads of Greenwich.

despite the fact that it was cut short, today's run was pretty significant. the important thing is that I went out in the first place. I stuck it out through the rain. I ran up hills, in new unchartered territory, in the dark, when I my legs were completely sore. I seriously was going to go the distance (if it wasn't so late & dark).

mental toughness will get you anywhere.

I give myself the acorn for this one.

What else would you do on a Friday night?

Friday night run... 3.5 miles in Stamford

"Night Moves"

Yay for running at night! I'm so proud of myself for making it out of the house after dark and having enough energy to put in a quick 3 miles. This run was reminiscent of the old "Night Moves" days... in college, I used to run late at night with my friend Mike. Thanks to Mike, I made it out the door countless times to run well after dark, when I was otherwise ready to crash for the night. I would be lounging around the apartment, my roommates would be in their pjs watching a movie, and Mike would show up at our apt door, clad in shorts, tee shirt & sneakers, all eager smiles and bursting with energy, LED flashlight in hand... he had WAY more energy than any college-aged guy I've ever met.. and a child-like enthusiasm about literally everything he did. With Mike's trusty flashlight guiding our way, we masterfully navigated the winding streets of Fairfield, CT and tactfully avoided being hit by passing cars. I struggled to keep up with Mike as he bounded along effortlessly, slowing down as needed to match my pace. We had a few good chats along the way, and occasionally our other friends would join us. We affectionately referred to our adventures as "Night Moves." We had a theme song. We even started a facebook group. I really miss those days.

New Sneakers!

new shoes arrived yesterday! yay! can't wait to use them. I have no idea how far I'll go today, but it's Saturday so it's going to be a long run, I'm excited to go, and it's a beautiful day outside =)

Thanks to the guys at New Balance Cherry Hill for sending them so quickly! I've been a loyal NB customer since I bought my very first pair of running sneakers wayyyy back in '02 at the Haddonfield Running Company (At the time, my cross-country coach knew the owner and sent our entire team there, because it was pretty much the only place you could go to at the time and get a proper gait analysis, expert advice, and get properly fitted with speciatly running shoes. I ended up with the NB 764's and through the years, have grown with the shoe... 765, 766, 767... and on to the most recent upgrade: 768. I still have that very first pair of 764's, and it's amazing too see how rapidly technology and cushioning has advanced in such a short period of time.) Which brings up another interesting topic: the benfits of modern cushioning and support technology vs the "barefoot revolution," but that will have to wait until another day. Right now, I am going for a run!

15.2 miles later.....

that's right! I just ran 15.2 miles! that's farther than I've EVER run in my ENTIRE life. It's farther than my typical average weekly mileage. I ran through Rye, Harrison, and Purchase, NY and into Greenwich, CT. And it only took me 2 hours 40 minutes total (I had to walk up a couple of hills, plus I stopped once to ask the mailman for directions, and a few times to check my heart rate). Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful run. Very peaceful areas. I went down tons of residential roads lined with private estates and gated driveways, the kind of roads that twist & turn every which way, that wind in & out of trees, up & down hills, and alongside brooks & fancy golf courses. Don't get me wrong, it was not the most amazingly scenic route, but it was very peaceful being out on those roads... since there's no businesses for miles, no intersections or stoplights and practically no cars on the road... it's just you and the road, except for the occassional car or cyclist.

This is only week 2 of training and I already ran 15 miles. woah. Maybe this won't be as tough as I thought. Then again, I am probably diving in head-first way too soon, and it will probably end up being even tougher than I imagined. I probably won't even be able to walk tomorrow.

Week #2 Update

training was derailed once again this week. The week started so well on Monday with an 8-miler on the treadmill at the gym after work... that's right folks, I ran 8 miles on the TREADMILL... what a drag. I'm going to have to get used to it though, given the crazy work schedule and the fact that I really don't like running when it's dark outside... and I can't drag myself out of bed early enough to run in the mornings, so it looks like my options are treadmill or bust. Either way, it was an amazing workout, I zoned out and ran a pretty easy pace, around 8:30 for the first 6 miles. I had only planned to run 6, but pushed myself to keep going. I really struggled through those last 2 miles, alternating between going all-out (around 6:30 miles) and short rest/recovery walks, I completed the entire 8 in under 1 hour 10 mins. Sweet! So proud of myself. I felt fantastic, was completely exhausted in a good way, grabbed a smoothie, then drove home & went right to bed.

Tuesday I was lucky enough to get out of work at lunch time and do a quick 3.5 miles around Stamford.

Then things got crazy at work. I had my runs all scheduled, just like last week, but I ended up having to sacrifice on Wed-Friday. The search I am working on is falling apart pretty quickly, so I had to spend pretty much all day scraping up new candidates, and despite all my efforts, ended up with absolutely nothing to show for it. The absolute last thing I could possibly do was leave the office to spend an hour of my day running. It was awful. By the time I got home each day, it was dark out and I didn't have the energy left to do anything.

To top things off, after Monday's run, I developed 2 gigantic blisters on my left foot, one right on the inside of my arch, and one directly on the ball of my foot, between by big toe and my second toe. Whenever I attempt to pop blisters, I always get carried away and end up cutting them off entirely. That's exactly what I did this time... exposing about 2 inches of raw skin... it hurt so bad I had to wear flip-flops. Chances are high that I probably couldn't have gone running even if I had the time.

This absolutely can not happen again.

What a wasted weekend...

This weekend was a complete disaster. Training was derailed in a huge way. It all started Saturday morning. I was going to go on my first "long" run... somewhere from 8-12 miles depending on how I felt... at an nice easy pace (to recover from yesterday's speed workout). My dad called first thing in the morning to tell me my cousin was playing field hockey in Greenwich. but he had no details, like time, location, etc. So I spent half the morning calling all my family members, trying to figure out where & when my cousin was playing. I would decide when to run once I figured that out... then I found out she was playing in Darien, which is a heck of a lot farther away than Greenwich (40 mins vs 10 mins), and I wasn't going to make it in time. I got hungry, so I had to eat something. Then I had to let my food settle. By then it was mid-day, the hottest part of the day, and I decided to wait until it got a little cooler... I read magazines... went online... got hungry again... ate again... food settled... (what a viscious cycle)... then I got caught up reading and by the time I looked at the clock I realized if I left it'd be dark outside by the time I got back. Plus I was hungry and minorly exhausted from sitting around doing nothing all day. So Saturday was shot.

Then Sunday arrives and I'm determined to fit in a run some way, somehow. After all, it was OK if I missed Saturday, since it was the day after my speed workout, and rest days are an essential part of training, but 2 rest days in a row? when I've only begun training? forget it!!! that's a recipie for disaster. if I don't start running regularly and get in the habit now, I'm never going to be ready by marathon day! On Sunday, I didn't wake up until noon. The only thing I wanted to do all day - besides run - was go to the Rye Farmer's Market. So I had this brilliant idea: I was going to run there! By the time I decided all this & got ready to go, I realized that if I ran to the market, I would have exactly 5 minutes to peruse before they closed at 2:00. I put on my running attire anyway, grabbed a water bottle & towel, hopped in my car, and drove to the farmers market, fully intending to bring my purchases home, quickly drop them off, and then drive to a nearby park. Back at the house, once I put my fresh produce away, I didn't feel like going out again, so I didn't. I sat around being lazy & lethargic, reading, eating ice cream and pretzels all day. And before I knew it, Sunday was shot too.