NINE MILES!!!
OMIGOSHIRANNINEMILES!!!
Breathe.
It may seem like a minor accomplishment compared to a half marathon or a FULL marathon, but this is the farthest that I've ever ran.
36 laps were b-o-r-i-n-g and I'm sure I ran them at a snail's pace... Not to mention, it was raining and windy and about 50 degrees below zero (I'm no meterologist but I feel that that was a pretty accurate weather report) but I got'er done.
Today's cliche goes with the theme of my run: I'm on "cloud nine."
Welp, I'm too tired to write my long overdue update right now but I will tonight. I just started coaching lacrosse at Berkeley High and our try-outs and practices go from 6:30 - 8:00 AM... Joy.
P.s. NINE MILES!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sittin' on a Pickle
Since I was lazy yesterday and didn't run, this post digresses from my usual story about some running escapade/accident/achievement (or lack thereof). While I'm home earlier than expected, today was crazy at work and I'm just in one of those moods where a half-marathon seems daunting. I am trying to make myself leave to run around the Berkeley High track by 7:30 (17 minutes!) so I deided to make myself a list of my likes and dislikes about running. Hopefully the more positive list will inspire me to go. Or at least be longer than my anti-exercise tally.
Likes:
- The last few minutes of the run when I'm like "I can totally sprint this in." Will I? Maybe not. But it feels good knowing that I could.
- When my shoe comes untied right when I'm tired. Clutch. I'm not stopping because I want to! My shoe is untied! Would you rather I fall?
- When I realize that the route I just ran used to be a lot more difficult.
- Feeling like I can eat more because I went on a long-ish run.
- Eating more.
- Lapping someone on the track.
- Running by people on the elliptical machines at 24hr and thinking "I'm having more fun!"
- Feeling my muscles ache. Not HURT - but ache.
- The energy boost and endorphin high.
- Bragging about how far I ran on my blog.
- Listening to a song with a beat that seems to match the beat of my feet (wow I am so eloquent)
- Noticing that I am getting better, faster, stronger (to quote Kanye and Daft Punk)
Dislikes:
- The first 3-5 minutes of the run when it is FREEZING cold and I just want to run back inside.
- The last 20 minutes of the run when I'm SWEATY and HOT and wish that it was the first 3-5 minutes of the run.
- Breathing hard when I feel like I shouldn't be.
- An uphill climb that seems to channel the energizer bunny and keep going... and going...
- Tripping and falling and bleeding in front of pedestrians.
- The guilt if I don't run.
- The awkward when-to-eat situation. Running on a full stomach SUCKS. Equally as sucky? Running by houses that are cooking delicious dinners and making my stomach growl.
- When I'm feeling like I could run for days and I hit every red light.
- When I'm feeling like I can't run farther and I hit every green light.
- Uneven sidewalks and curbs. Grrr Berkeley.
Well folks (or should I say folk.. Thanks for reading my blog, Mom!) I am ready to run. 7:28 - time to run laps with the high schoolers. Since there are no red lights to give me a break, I'm tying both shoes VERY loosely.
My cliche of the day is random, but it makes me laugh. I am literally telling this to myself as I procrastinate right now:
Don't just sit there like a bump on a pickle.
Likes:
- The last few minutes of the run when I'm like "I can totally sprint this in." Will I? Maybe not. But it feels good knowing that I could.
- When my shoe comes untied right when I'm tired. Clutch. I'm not stopping because I want to! My shoe is untied! Would you rather I fall?
- When I realize that the route I just ran used to be a lot more difficult.
- Feeling like I can eat more because I went on a long-ish run.
- Eating more.
- Lapping someone on the track.
- Running by people on the elliptical machines at 24hr and thinking "I'm having more fun!"
- Feeling my muscles ache. Not HURT - but ache.
- The energy boost and endorphin high.
- Bragging about how far I ran on my blog.
- Listening to a song with a beat that seems to match the beat of my feet (wow I am so eloquent)
- Noticing that I am getting better, faster, stronger (to quote Kanye and Daft Punk)
Dislikes:
- The first 3-5 minutes of the run when it is FREEZING cold and I just want to run back inside.
- The last 20 minutes of the run when I'm SWEATY and HOT and wish that it was the first 3-5 minutes of the run.
- Breathing hard when I feel like I shouldn't be.
- An uphill climb that seems to channel the energizer bunny and keep going... and going...
- Tripping and falling and bleeding in front of pedestrians.
- The guilt if I don't run.
- The awkward when-to-eat situation. Running on a full stomach SUCKS. Equally as sucky? Running by houses that are cooking delicious dinners and making my stomach growl.
- When I'm feeling like I could run for days and I hit every red light.
- When I'm feeling like I can't run farther and I hit every green light.
- Uneven sidewalks and curbs. Grrr Berkeley.
Well folks (or should I say folk.. Thanks for reading my blog, Mom!) I am ready to run. 7:28 - time to run laps with the high schoolers. Since there are no red lights to give me a break, I'm tying both shoes VERY loosely.
My cliche of the day is random, but it makes me laugh. I am literally telling this to myself as I procrastinate right now:
Don't just sit there like a bump on a pickle.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Trashbags and Trashed Knees
I hope this comes off as a tale of my perseverance but most likely I just sound like the ridiculous and somewhat (okay very) clutzy person that I am.
Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night (why quote one overused story opening when you could use two?), I went running. I followed through with my plan (see last blog post) and braved the rain for my run. The pluses? It felt great, I barely noticed the rain, it was way easier than I thought it would be to "get back" into running, and I ended up covering around 4.5 miles, which wasn't too shabby considering my previous running hiatus. The minuses? Well, I didn't feel the rain because I oh-so-intelligently decided to run around Berkeley wearing a white garbage bag over my torso in order to protect myself from the rain. Honestly, the bag wasn't as bad as it sounds - the color and texture reflected car lights and I barely noticed the, ahem, plastic rustling noise. However, I got my fair share of gawking/perplexed looks from Berkeley residents battling the rain with their umbrellas. Oh, and an enthusiastic fist pump from one individual sitting on a street corner. Go me!
And thennn last night came around. In a decision that complete deviated from my normal acts of brilliance, I waited allll day to go running and once again ran at night. After months of running without tripping or injuring myself, I repeated the same blunder that first occurred on a run back in October. I didn't lift up my feet. I hit an uneven curb. And I fell.
To give myself some credit, I attempted to keep running after this less-than-graceful accident. When I looked down and saw blood pooling in my socks and shoes (borrowed shoes at that - sorry Rachel!) and realized that my knees looked like they had lost a fight with a cheese grater and a paper shredder, I had to stop. It was time to turn home for a little patch up work. Here is the climax of my story! (Duhhn duhhhn duhhhhhnnnn) After a little clean-up job, I went back out and ran! I got to experience ANOTHER night of people gawking - this time it was my oversized and slightly bloody bandages (sorry for the image) on both knees that drew attention, but I still went through with it! A little slower, a little sorer, but sure as hell a little wiser. From that day on (yes this was just yesterday) I never dragged my feet again. The End.
They say pain is gain, so hopefully my sore knees and elbows will somehow allow me to become incredibly fast and will increase my endurance. I'm about to run right now - we'll see!
Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night (why quote one overused story opening when you could use two?), I went running. I followed through with my plan (see last blog post) and braved the rain for my run. The pluses? It felt great, I barely noticed the rain, it was way easier than I thought it would be to "get back" into running, and I ended up covering around 4.5 miles, which wasn't too shabby considering my previous running hiatus. The minuses? Well, I didn't feel the rain because I oh-so-intelligently decided to run around Berkeley wearing a white garbage bag over my torso in order to protect myself from the rain. Honestly, the bag wasn't as bad as it sounds - the color and texture reflected car lights and I barely noticed the, ahem, plastic rustling noise. However, I got my fair share of gawking/perplexed looks from Berkeley residents battling the rain with their umbrellas. Oh, and an enthusiastic fist pump from one individual sitting on a street corner. Go me!
And thennn last night came around. In a decision that complete deviated from my normal acts of brilliance, I waited allll day to go running and once again ran at night. After months of running without tripping or injuring myself, I repeated the same blunder that first occurred on a run back in October. I didn't lift up my feet. I hit an uneven curb. And I fell.
To give myself some credit, I attempted to keep running after this less-than-graceful accident. When I looked down and saw blood pooling in my socks and shoes (borrowed shoes at that - sorry Rachel!) and realized that my knees looked like they had lost a fight with a cheese grater and a paper shredder, I had to stop. It was time to turn home for a little patch up work. Here is the climax of my story! (Duhhn duhhhn duhhhhhnnnn) After a little clean-up job, I went back out and ran! I got to experience ANOTHER night of people gawking - this time it was my oversized and slightly bloody bandages (sorry for the image) on both knees that drew attention, but I still went through with it! A little slower, a little sorer, but sure as hell a little wiser. From that day on (yes this was just yesterday) I never dragged my feet again. The End.
They say pain is gain, so hopefully my sore knees and elbows will somehow allow me to become incredibly fast and will increase my endurance. I'm about to run right now - we'll see!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Rollercoaaaaster.. of Running
The lack of my blog posts recently is, quite sadly, reflective of my lack of running. For the past 3 days the weather here has been crazy - lightning, hail, the works - and I have not found it in me to brave Mother Nature's bipolar monsoon. Yes I am using that as an excuse... More on that later. However, I have to celebrate one victory that occurred last Thursday.
I RAN 7 MILES!!!
I might have looked disheveled, exhausted, and delirious, but I ran the farthest that I ever have before. When I started my run, I had no plan whatsoever to run that far. But I guessed my recent runs paid off.. Every time I hit that "half-way point" where I was supposed to turn the corner, I told myself "hey what's one more street?" and kept going. Highlight of my run: at around mile 5, I passed by two older gentlemen. One of them shouted out at me "girl, you gotta get your knees up!" and then turned to his friend, and said "she's gotta get her knees up!" They got me. My feet were DRAGGING. And I'm not going to lie, I tried to "get my knees up" a little more and it helped! Lucky me for having personal running coaches to help me brave the streets of Berkeley and Oakland.
After that accomplishment I ran twice more and it was great. Then Monday came. And Tuesday came. And Wednesday came. And the weather came. And I slacked. I think this is going to be one of my bigger challenges... Coming back from a 3 day break (and after doing so well!) and hurting as I get back on track to conquering the half marathon. The worst is that it's all mental, the whole "getting back on the horse" cliche. BUT I CAN DO IT!!! I have my running stuff packed up and I am hitting the track after work today. If I put it in writing, it will happen?
Finally, in other news, next week I am planning to meet the UPA students who are going to DC!!! I am really looking forward to this... It will be wonderful to meet and talk to the kids who we are all making donations for and for whom I am running. I think this will be the inspiration I need to keep at it!
Here is my terrible cliche for this post: Rome wasn't built in a day. Seriously though. Baby steps.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Pace Yo'self
What a weekend. Well, what a Friday night. Nothing better than playing Truth-or-Dare in the middle of a crowded bar in SF and eventually bonding with graffiti "artists" from Brooklyn who are here in the city to spread their signature or sketch (their words, not mine). Humph.
Needless, to say, today was a change of pace as I got up at 6:30am to walk 4 1/2 miles to the Marina in Emeryville so I could run with some of the UPA peeps who are also training. They were ridiculously nice and super supportive - I felt a little silly, as most of them are finishing their final weeks of training before a January race so they went a LOT farther than me. Still, I am on track with my schedule and seeing all of these UPA teachers and their friends take on anywhere from 9 to 15 miles is inspiring. There were a couple of others training for the Oakland 1/2 as well, and our 4 mile run was good enough for me!
One thing is for sure.. Never. Again. Am. I. Not. Wearing. Layers. I assumed a 9am run would be warm-ish, what a JOKE. Everyone else seemed to get the memo about how cold it is - especially right by the water - and I have learned my lesson, perhaps the hard way.
My next goal is to learn how to pace myself. We started our runs today with "Ready, set, go!" and as one of the most competitive people this side of the, well, hemisphere, I automatically speed up when I hear those words. Thankfully, I was only running 4 miles, because while I survived, I was trying to hang with the faster runners who were running 10+ miles. It's pathetic, but I kept checking behind me as I completed my run to make sure no one was going to pass me. I need to get OUT of the frame of mind that I need to compete with others and first and foremost concentrate on competing with myself. If that means starting out slow (which it does) then so be it.
Cliche of the day: Slow and steady wins the race. True story.
Needless, to say, today was a change of pace as I got up at 6:30am to walk 4 1/2 miles to the Marina in Emeryville so I could run with some of the UPA peeps who are also training. They were ridiculously nice and super supportive - I felt a little silly, as most of them are finishing their final weeks of training before a January race so they went a LOT farther than me. Still, I am on track with my schedule and seeing all of these UPA teachers and their friends take on anywhere from 9 to 15 miles is inspiring. There were a couple of others training for the Oakland 1/2 as well, and our 4 mile run was good enough for me!
One thing is for sure.. Never. Again. Am. I. Not. Wearing. Layers. I assumed a 9am run would be warm-ish, what a JOKE. Everyone else seemed to get the memo about how cold it is - especially right by the water - and I have learned my lesson, perhaps the hard way.
My next goal is to learn how to pace myself. We started our runs today with "Ready, set, go!" and as one of the most competitive people this side of the, well, hemisphere, I automatically speed up when I hear those words. Thankfully, I was only running 4 miles, because while I survived, I was trying to hang with the faster runners who were running 10+ miles. It's pathetic, but I kept checking behind me as I completed my run to make sure no one was going to pass me. I need to get OUT of the frame of mind that I need to compete with others and first and foremost concentrate on competing with myself. If that means starting out slow (which it does) then so be it.
Cliche of the day: Slow and steady wins the race. True story.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Cliches and Procrastination
I hate cliches but unfortunately I use them far too often to be able to judge others. My most recent appropriate little ditty is: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."
Actually, it should probably be "this week is the first week of the rest of your life." After debating about running a 10k for MONTHS, I decided to one-up my subconcsious and sign up for a 1/2 marathon. Holy jeez. Furthermore, I took steps to ENSURE that I would not flake out, as I am prone to do, by promising the Urban Promise Academy's Close Up Program (a fantastic cause) that I would fundraise for them. My picture and informational blurb up on their website was the best and worst thing to happen to me this week, but either way it did make my commitment to the 1/2 marathon a total and absolute (is that redundant?) reality. Sweet.
That being said, I have now ran for the past four days and ohhhh boyyy I can't believe that I was tearing it up on the lacrosse field as of a year ago. And by "tearing it up," I mean playing a low defensive position and only covering about half of the field every game, but it's all relative and saying that makes me feel better. Needless to say, I am
a) sore
b) annoyed that it seems to get dark at 4 pm this time of year
c) was breathing always this hard?
d) impressed by the elderly Berkeley residents that speedwalk around me as I "run"
My greatest accomplishment of this week was to get up early and go running. If only I could run the 1.5mi that I walk to work every morning, my endurance would greatly improve. But the "ifs" and "buts" are NOT going to stand in my way! I can do this!
Please note that as I type this post, I am procrastinating about today's run. Okay. No more wasting time. Here's to a week of firsts - first time signing up for a half-marathon, first blog post ever, first time I've tasted alcohol! Okay, I'm kidding about the last one. These may be "firsts", but they (knock on wood) won't be "lasts"!
Actually, it should probably be "this week is the first week of the rest of your life." After debating about running a 10k for MONTHS, I decided to one-up my subconcsious and sign up for a 1/2 marathon. Holy jeez. Furthermore, I took steps to ENSURE that I would not flake out, as I am prone to do, by promising the Urban Promise Academy's Close Up Program (a fantastic cause) that I would fundraise for them. My picture and informational blurb up on their website was the best and worst thing to happen to me this week, but either way it did make my commitment to the 1/2 marathon a total and absolute (is that redundant?) reality. Sweet.
That being said, I have now ran for the past four days and ohhhh boyyy I can't believe that I was tearing it up on the lacrosse field as of a year ago. And by "tearing it up," I mean playing a low defensive position and only covering about half of the field every game, but it's all relative and saying that makes me feel better. Needless to say, I am
a) sore
b) annoyed that it seems to get dark at 4 pm this time of year
c) was breathing always this hard?
d) impressed by the elderly Berkeley residents that speedwalk around me as I "run"
My greatest accomplishment of this week was to get up early and go running. If only I could run the 1.5mi that I walk to work every morning, my endurance would greatly improve. But the "ifs" and "buts" are NOT going to stand in my way! I can do this!
Please note that as I type this post, I am procrastinating about today's run. Okay. No more wasting time. Here's to a week of firsts - first time signing up for a half-marathon, first blog post ever, first time I've tasted alcohol! Okay, I'm kidding about the last one. These may be "firsts", but they (knock on wood) won't be "lasts"!
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