Why not Wednesday...

Checking in from Brooklyn NYC!  Don't ask me how I ended up in Brooklyn, between booking a room for a set of meetings requiring the overnight stay in Manhattan getting canclled and not a day later another meeting getting scheduled with the same requirement, of course I couldn't get the original room and ended up out in Brooklyn versus Midtown for the night. 

This mornings conversation with one of the admins:
Liz:  "Beth, how is it you come in to the city once a week from RI and are here at 8:30?"
Me:  "Ah, it is much easier commute earlier?"
Liz:  "Your nuts. Hey, we have the department holiday thing tomorrow. Are you coming in tomorrow?"
Me:  "Yep"
Liz:   "Please tell me you are staying overnight."
Me:  "Brooklyn"
Liz *looking very concerned*:  "Where, exactly?"
Me:  "The Sheraton on Duffield Street" 
Liz:  "That isn't a great neighborhood. You couldn't find something in Midtown?"
Me:  "Ah, no... Well, it will be an adventure!"
Liz:  "You are simply not right in the head are you?"
Me:  "Your just figuring this out?"

I met up with a gal pal I haven't seen in far too long for some dinner and drinks and catching up.  But that isn't why you tune in...

Monday was batshit crazy at work so no squeezing in a run for me... blargh...  Although I do need to give my knee a break, so all in all for the best.  TRX was on the agenda and good as always.  I'm nearly able to complete rolling planks for the full 30 seconds.  Whoop!

Tuesday I got to run, and nearly 6 miles.  Yeah, why didn't I just keep going the extra 0.03?  I thought I did...  oh well.  But hey, my minute per mile pace is improving!!



Green shirt to remember a friend!

It was a yucky cloudy rainy day.  The rain started getting a little more serious as I was finishing up.  Hmm  I should have gone another, mile I like running in the rain.  Stretching in the gym after I met up with someone asking if it was raining outside.  "Ah, yeah, and getting a little bit more serious about it."  She said, "You LIKE running in the rain?"  As if there is something wrong with it?  I replied that I liked it and she replied that she didn't like to get her shoes wet.  Huh, never really considered that...  oh well.  I can't stand the dreadmill. To each his own.  Although I do sort of feel sorry for the hampsters on the dreadmill when I venture outside for my run.  Maybe they think I'm nuts?  Feh, whatever...  I'm happy, and that is what matters, right?

What are your thoughts on the dreadmill?  Running in the rain?  Wet shoes?

So now we are at Wednesday.  I remember my few years at Star Prairie Elementary School in Star Prairie Wisconsin and spelling.  Not sure which grade, Mrs. Kanutson or Mrs. Fish and the name of the 4th grade teacher escapes me.  Huh...  well February and Wednesday were two words I could NEVER get correct.  Ok milk was also one, but that was because of phonics and I say it "melk" and well it isn't spelled like it sounds.  Anyhoodles, whichever teacher sat me down and sounded out  wednesday and februaryand how to spell them, thank you!  Each time I spell one or the other I think Feb RU ary and Wed Nes Day.  Educators are an important part of our lives and society and they just don't get the recognition they deserve.

I'll get to run again on Friday, hopefully on the trail, but work is batshit crazy, so perhaps not...

Sincerely,
Beth, in Brooklyn

OUCH!

Today was my last long run before the marathon.  In one week from now I will have run my first marathon.  I am so excited, I'm not really that apprehensive.  I've trained for this.  I set out a decent training plan and mostly followed it.  As of today I've logged running nearly 350 miles and at a 10 min mile pace that is nearly 60 hours of running.  This does not include my walking or any other cross training.  Is this enough?  To finish respectably, yes.

Training Plan with Notes

The changes I have felt and witnessed in my own body and mind have been amazing on this soon to be 18 week journey culminating in me finishing my first marathon.  Truly a challenge I am thrilled to have taken on and hunger for the next one.  Any suggestions on my next marathon? next challenge? next race?

My pace was slow today, I was feeling a little, honestly, hung over.  Even the pic Hubb snapped of me in my "Never mess with a woman who runs 26.2 miles for fun" tech shirt showed me to be a little "delicate" as one of my British friends calls it.  Although my shirt is really a mauve not a purple so maybe it was the lighting?

Hubb "Should you really be wearing that shirt yet?"

I ran my usual long run route.  Said HI to the ladies stoop sitting sipping coffee and smoking their cigarettes.  The little old man was shuffling across the street to pick up his Sunday paper, no dog, I wonder if the dog just wasn't into going out on this crisp fall a.m. or if he expired.  Kinda the same old same old, not a lot to report on.  One other runner, lots of cars, no bikes.

When I trained for the Providence 1/2 marathon I ran in May, I would post my route as a rorschach test, while not an inkblot sometimes it made interesting figures and people enjoyed pitching in guesses.  My purpose was to talk about Lung Cancer and who I had dedicated my loop in the park to.  I still do that loop and still think about and meditate on someone I know with or has passed from lung cancer or someone who has a loved one with or has passed from lung cancer.  I dedicated this loop to the last name I've added to my list, a new friend had an Uncle who passed from Lung Cancer, quite quickly after diagnosis.  This disease touches so many people in so many ways.

See anything? The loop in the park is just to the left of the green bubble.

This afternoon my massage therapist friend came over to the house to work on me, mostly my legs.  She arrived at 3 to the chaos that is our house with four dogs barking and jumping all over the place.  She is not unaccustomed to dogs and took it all in stride.  The fearsome foursome also joined us for my torture, er massage, session.  There were a couple of screams and yelps that upset the dogs a bit.  These were prompted by Amy releasing my bound together IT band and hamstring.  I was ordered to sit on ice as soon as she left.  GLADLY, that HURT and I could feel the pressure release.   What surprised me most was the fact my toes stopped cramping up.  Holy cow, she worked all that bound up fascia up and down my legs and hips from the PF and the compensation my muscles made as I was recovering from the PF.  Who would have thunk this was the reason my toes were cramping and flipping me off!!

Amy mentioned she reviewed my PF treatment plan with the trainer for the CT Sun Women's Basketball team.  She is their massage therapist.  I run in some pretty impressive circles, eh?  She said the trainer wished his athletes were so diligent with recovery from injury.  If only he could get the women to follow the plans he laid out for them they would see results and here is this pure ammature plugging along and seeing actual results.  I felt pretty smug, wouldn't you?

The dogs did their best to keep an eye on Amy and also win her over with their charms.  Love them!

I've been frothing at the the mouth to run Bluff Point, I think I mentioned it rained all day Friday.  I did take my eldest dog out there.  I've never taken anyone out there, it has always been my place.  Half way through the trail it dawned on me this has always been just my place.  I was happy to share it with Gizmo.  He loved the one one one time although was getting pretty tired by the end of the trail.  We saw some beautiful sights and he seemed to sniff some interesting smells.  Slowly the sun came out making it an even better trip.   I did want to splash through the mud and puddles.  I tried to remain dignified, it was difficult.

View of the swamp just before the first uphill.

View of the LI Sound, sailboat in the distance.

The last downhill

There were a few runners on the trail.  I was so jealous. After the marathon you can trail run again, don't risk injury, don't risk injury!!!

On the last downhill from all the rain the trail was pretty beaten up.  I caught the glimpse of a runner behind me, bright green shirt, nice!  Making sure she can be seen!  Two thumbs up.  I maneuvered Gizmo to the more rutty part of the trail, giving her the best part of the trail for THE best part of the trail.  She passed, we exchanged hellos and thank you's.  I said "This is the best part of the trail, isn't it?" She said "Yes, down hill and near the end."  then we both heard it, CRACK, the tell tale sound of a dead tree falling in the woods. The at least 5 inch in diameter dead tree, fell, she instinctively put her hands over her head, the tree, missing her head by inches, caught her left foot.  She fell.  I rushed up "Are you OK?"  She got up, stopped her GPS, looked around, disgusted at the forming scrape on her left shin, and answered "Yes, I think I am fine.  Do you have a cell phone?"  She was going to call her husband.  They were staying at the Marriott and he ran part of the trail with her and was going back to the hotel.  No luck getting ahold of her hubb.  We walked out to the parking lot.  Chatting about running.  She was one week out from the New Orleans Half Marathon and was wondering if what felt like a broken toe or two were going to cause her to not PR that race.  I told her was training for my first marathon and while wanted to run the trail, didn't for fear of injury.  She said "Totally hear you there."  Ooops sometimes I need to think before I speak!!

When we got near the trailhead, we were about 0.2 miles from the end, there was her husband.  He saw her with me and another woman and our dogs and the blood running down her left leg and said "Oh honey what happened?"  She had kept it together very well until then but really wanted to break down "I nearly got killed by a tree falling." I could hear her voice crack.  He comforted her and eventually realized they had RUN to Bluff Point and shouted, "Hey, can you give us a ride?"  Of course, no problem.  Loaded them and Gizmo up into the car and we chatted about running and injuries and that she would just tape up the toes and run next weekend.  Atta girl, don't let this near death experience get you down.

Her husband asked if she was planning on wearing heels to the wedding they were attending.  Really?

I never asked their names, I do have their phone numbers from her trying to get ahold of him.  Maybe I'll text them and see how she is doing.  Guess I could ask if she wore the flip flops or the heels?

This is why I don't run without my phone.  I had a nasty tumble on the Vin Gormley trail that shook me up bad enough to keep it with me.  Not that anyone would have been able to find me, but at least I could try!!??!

Stats:

Slow but steady

Sincerely,
Beth fully in taper mode

Mud

I peeked outside this afternoon and noticed it was looking damp.  Big Grin!  MUD!  I muttered something about "Woo hoo muddy run and Boy Wonder just smiled and said you really are crazy."  Duh....

Had a few things to pick up the grocery store, we were out of salad.  We go through nearly a pound of mixed greens a day, between Hubbs daily salad snack and dinner, yep that is about right.  Got the groceries (daily W.I.F.E. duties = done)

Off to Bluff Point!  Giddy up Vinnie!


I called Hubb and let him know I was going running on the trail.  He mentioned I hadn't been there as frequently as last summer.  I know, I am miserable, not running it weekly.  All he could say was "Enjoy your four wheeling."

It was a lovely wet run, not as muddy as I had expected, but then I didn't motor through ALL the mud puddles, while I love them, I do have a Marathon coming up in less than 4 weeks.  *bites nails*  Probably should avoid injuiries!!

When I got home, salad greens in tow, I was met with:

"Hon, If your story is that you were out running in the mud your shoes should at least have a little mud on them."

"Love, they do have some mud on them, I'm just so fast they don't have time to gather mud."

*chuckle chuckle*

The trail was wet rather than muddy.  I came home Thanksgiving morning WAY more muddy, and WAY more wet as the trail was flooded.  I think that is what he was expecting?

It was a great run.  Just running, not looking at my Garmin, just running, not even thinking much.  Well except for the long slightly inclining straightaway, my Godsmack Voodoo straight away.  For some reason the dulcet tones of Sully Erna guide me up that section more often than not. While Sully wasn't singing in my ear my mind was taking in the beauty of the fall woods nearing dusk.  Oh yeah, and hoping I didn't trip on a stick or twist my ankle on a rock.  Wouldn't that suck, less that 4 weeks away from MCM and I'm taken out by nature?

Stats:

Not a bad overall pace.

Well I really need to concentrate on NEGATIVE splits
but hey this run was for the love the joy the awesomeness of rain and mud!

Y'all have seen the trail before...

Sincerely,
Beth, who may actually sleep through the night tonight, fingers crossed!

One Crown Coming Up! Oh Yeah and My Take of Blessing of The Fleet Road Race

Friday started with a dentist appointment.  Hubbs latest dental adventure funded a new 80" television for the dentists home.  I think they saw easy prey when I sat in the hygienists chair?  Upper back left tooth, cracked.  Crown next summer, most likely.  Yippiee.

Friday ended with a 10 mile road race, Blessing of the Fleet, in Narragansett, RI.  Sir GIS-A-Lot talked me into this way back in March, we'd go up with a couple other local runners.  My BIL, due to transportation issues, also had to bail.  Work runner friend Don said, thanks but no thanks "It can be a hot one." Can't say they missed too much.  They would have been running to fast to take in what I took in!

My stats:  time: 1:45:51 / overall place: 2,134/ 2,642  / place in age/sex 237/317  (splits below - what do I do with this data!???!?!!?  anyone? Buller?)

The walkers (462 of them) started 30 minutes before the runners (2,642).  The walkers, and by that I don't mean Zombies, hubb was nearly bummed he missed this if there were actually zombies involved. The walkers were to start at 5:30.  I got up to the start area about 5:30, plenty o'time to walk around a bit, get a little jog in, get warmed up.  Mother Nature had other plans, she had a shower in mind. A nice accompaniment to the humid stillness.

The sky threatened

And it rained

And it stopped just about 5:50.  I wandered up to the starting line.  The race was getting chip timed so everyone didn't need to crowd the front to get a decent race time or pace or why ever people crowd the start line.  Why do people crowd the start line?  Let the elite runners, the top 10% up there, the ones that are going to blow through these 10 miles in 50 minutes to an hour.  So it drizzled, we hung out, 6 o'clock came and the walkers were summoned to the starting line.  "Walkers?"  Said the runners around me.  We thought they went at 5:30.  Well the officials held the race for 30 minutes so the weather could clear.  Runners now start at 6:30.  Now there is a mass of runners, 2,642 finished so there were more starters as a few people dropped out mid way through.  I hope for the best for the ones who didn't make the decision and were taken off the course on a stretcher.  This throng of runners crowding both sides of the street waiting anxiously to get the signal to fill the start chute.  There were a few incidents of jumping the gun to fill the start chute (which was an active roadway) and the police had to cut a swath through the crowd to let vehicles through.  There was one lady who looked terrified, the guy next to me said, "I think I just saw her lock her doors, she is in fear of all of us." I said, "We do look like an unruly bunch, don't we?"

Blessing Course

We were off at 6:30, my plan was to not go fast out of the chute.  As I sucked wind at mile 1 and saw a 9 minutes on the mile 1 clock I thought, well shit this isn't a good start.  I backed down and passed mile 2 at 19 minutes.  (splits below).   The air was still, stark still, it was still and heavy.  Ugh.  We are at the mile 2 inner dialogue of Seriously Beth, what in the world do you think you are doing?  Hey wait, she can run 14 miles.  Seriously Beth, you've had two lousy nights sleep, it is humid, you don't want to injure yourself.  Hey wait, you could try slowing down and get in a quality run, work on form, pay attention to form.  Seriously Beth and Hey wait battled it out and I saw the mile 3 marker.  Ah well that was fun, lets get back to business here.

Mile 4 approaches.  Damn I really need to pee, is there a porta poty?  Nope... Oh look a dirt side street, I'll just sneak down here.  Ahhhh....   Back to it, adjusting my sweat and rain soaked shorts and tank.  And look at this young boys with the hose out hosing off the runners.  HOLY COW did that feel good!

Mile 5 HALF WAY!  Ya freaking Hooo! People handing out crushed ice, thank you very much I'll just slip some under my hat! A little George Thorogood I Drink Alone on the iPod... hey let's turn this up.  And it dies.  The ear buds most likely...  They may say sweat proof, it is a big fat lie.  On, no probs. Take off the ear hooks and shove the wires in my bra and hope for no chafing.

And now, approaching Mile 6, I get to hear the conversations of the other runners and the walkers.  Side note the first walker finished at 1:49:57, so pshew I didn't get beat by a walker.  Behind me I hear a couple critiquing the other runners styles.  She lands on her toes to much, that can't be good for her.  She lands to heavy on her heels.  Did you see the guy with the ugly shoes.  And the one going barefoot, how weird is that.  Oh, I think, I have to see this pair.  They waddled, it was cute, waddling like a couple ducks squawking like a couple of chickens the whole while.  And PS, those shorts totally don't go with those shoes, just sayin'.

Mile 6 and most of 7 were in the woods. BEAUTIFUL, no sun, no breeze, but no sun.


Then we came up on the party street, very cool.  More walkers to deal with though.  Why must you walk 4 abreast.  I am seriously sorry for knocking into people and getting knocked into people, this isn't roller derby, I get that, just move to the right, as you've been instructed.  I am sure you can hear the sloshing of my water bottle and the squishing of the runners soaked shoes.  Move over, PALEAZE!  OH lookey more boys with water hoses, yes please spray me, you are wonderful.


There is a little up hill approaching mile 9, Sir GIS-A-Lot warned me about this he said don't take it easy keep your pace up because it is all down hill from there.  It was.  I got nearer and nearer the chute and got more pumped, I passed quite a few people and "chicked a dude".  Stomping on those timing mats I was winded and felt great.


Now what the devil are all these people doing standing in the finishers area?  You, with the stroller, WTF?  Oh grapes, oh orange quarters, oh hot dogs, ugh solid food sounds disgusting.  OH shit, sorry for kicking your stroller but hey if I stop I WILL pass out...  Get me out of this crowd.  And finally I am out of the crowd standing near the sea wall munching on grapes and talking to another runner and dog lover.  Hey Carlos!


And then on the bus to get back to Vinnie, change into a dry shirt (Hubb brought me back a super cool t-shirt from The Cape, picture later) and go home.


I was beat, I managed to shower, and talk to Hubb for 15 minutes before I went to bed.

Blessing Splits

Blessing Pace and Elevation, guess where I stopped to tinkle...  LOL