This week, Shelby and I have run between 14 and 15 miles: 2.5 miles Tuesday, 3 miles Wednesday, 5 miles Saturday, and 4 miles Sunday. I didn't intend to run that much, but everything has felt good so far--and she was soooo much calmer every day after our runs. Without the activity, she has put on a little weight and taken to chasing my cat and Meeso, some times going on random sprints around the house late at night. She gets bored at the dog park after 20 minutes or so, so that wasn't helping as much as I had hoped.
Not running had the opposite effect on me: My mood slumped considerably, and I felt tired much of the time. This year's running span has been my longest consecutive stretch of running (or doing any kind of exercise) without a break in my life at nine months (so far), and the positive addiction wasn't evident until the toe forced me to take those three weeks off. Getting my bike out again was great, but it didn't provide the same intensity and has the added issue of being dangerous in a city that is not bike friendly. I couldn't stand going to the gym, trying to find machines to use that would give me the same exhausted, exhilarated, fulfilled feeling that running gave me. Swimming, biking, elliptical machines--none of them did it. I like running too much--purposeless, random running just to get out and move without mechanical devices aiding the way. Weird. I never thought I would admit to such a thing, but there it is. It makes me feel good, it has reshaped my body a bit (more on that later), and it gives me a chance to bond with Shelby and what bit of nature I can experience in a city environment. I like running.
If I can keep taking it slow and keeping the mileage within reason, I'm hoping we'll be in good shape for whatever short runs I sign up this fall (our zoo's 4-mile run is one of my favs, and I signed up to be one leg in a marathon relay team months ago). I'm still considering doing the MS150 this year, too, now that I've gotten back onto my bike. We'll see.
Showing posts with label relief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relief. Show all posts
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Made It (Sigh)
Too tired to fully explore everything the way I want to right now, I am posting something tonight as a sort of bookmark for the event: I might have exacerbated the injury to my left big toe (also known as the hallux, Latin fans), but I did finish my first half-marathon this past Saturday in two hours and three minutes, just a few minutes past where I wanted to be. Keeping the toe injury and the lack of altitude readiness in mind, I'm okay with that finish.
Having gotten to our hotel an hour-and-a-half later than hoped after a tire almost blew out and had to be replaced, the boyfriend and I had less than 12 hours to acclimate to the 8,500-foot altitude before getting up at a little after 5:00 a.m. to head to the start line. After standing outside for an hour and fifteen minutes in 48 degree weather, I was off with a 12-minute first mile that was my longest. Yes, indeed, I ran negative splits (increasingly faster miles) for the most part up until the last couple of miles, where I ran out of steam--and, I think, air. The hardest miles were the first few, where I was doubting my ability to keep going, and the last few, where the mountain scenery (gushing stream on the left-hand side, pine and birch trees on the right, mountains and blue sky everywhere) was no longer working its charm because every particle in me was gasping for the finish line.
I managed a sprint and a smile at the end, though, and one more silent thanks for the dog who couldn't participate but who had pulled me through all the miles that got me there. I think she was the happiest of the three dogs when we got home, but I've already told her: No more running until the toe is x-rayed, and no more longer distances this year. We'll be okay.
(P.S. I forgot to mention a couple of weeks ago that I had another first for the summer: My first medal! I was first in my age group for a local 5k with around 400 participants. It's been quite a summer for the running, and I hate to take it easy now, knowing all the good fall runs coming up, but . . .)
Having gotten to our hotel an hour-and-a-half later than hoped after a tire almost blew out and had to be replaced, the boyfriend and I had less than 12 hours to acclimate to the 8,500-foot altitude before getting up at a little after 5:00 a.m. to head to the start line. After standing outside for an hour and fifteen minutes in 48 degree weather, I was off with a 12-minute first mile that was my longest. Yes, indeed, I ran negative splits (increasingly faster miles) for the most part up until the last couple of miles, where I ran out of steam--and, I think, air. The hardest miles were the first few, where I was doubting my ability to keep going, and the last few, where the mountain scenery (gushing stream on the left-hand side, pine and birch trees on the right, mountains and blue sky everywhere) was no longer working its charm because every particle in me was gasping for the finish line.
I managed a sprint and a smile at the end, though, and one more silent thanks for the dog who couldn't participate but who had pulled me through all the miles that got me there. I think she was the happiest of the three dogs when we got home, but I've already told her: No more running until the toe is x-rayed, and no more longer distances this year. We'll be okay.
(P.S. I forgot to mention a couple of weeks ago that I had another first for the summer: My first medal! I was first in my age group for a local 5k with around 400 participants. It's been quite a summer for the running, and I hate to take it easy now, knowing all the good fall runs coming up, but . . .)
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