Sea Level vs. Altitude

When I was starting to run and start preparing for this marathon in Denver, everybody told me that I was crazy for running at altitude. Why would I willingly run at 6,500 feet with no oxygen in Denver when I could run the race at sea level in San Francisco. My explanation has always been that I've never run at sea level (trust me, I didn't run when I lived on the East Coast) so all I'm going to know is what it's like to run at altitude. The silver lining to my trip to CT this week was that I would be able to see what it's like to run at sea level after training at altitude and hopefully kick some butt! Well, I went for my first run today and it kicked my butt. I wish I could say that I was a superstar running crazy miles and not having any trouble breathing but I think that taking a week off from running before this really took away those perks. Damn. We'll see if tomorrow's long run by the beach is any better ...

Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Mileage: 57.0

Struggling

I'm really struggling with running when I'm out of my schedule. I (unfortunately) am in CT for a week to celebrate the life and say goodbye to the best second mother in the world, Mrs. Loux. After an amazing 3 1/2 year battle, cancer finally took this amazing woman from us and needless to say, I rushed home and wanted to spend as much time here as I could to be with Cara and the rest of the Loux family and my friends. As important as it is for me to be here and to have this time to grieve and have comfort, I was really hoping that I would be able to run as well. The problem is that everything else that is going on continues to take precedence over my running. I'll plan on going out for a run and then next thing I know, it's too late and I have to do something else or I don't even bother trying to fit it in because I'm so busy with other things. I want to run, I want to make it a priority but everything else just seems to be more important at times. It's frustrating for me because I haven't run in days and I know that I need to, especially since I know I'm falling behind in training. I love the comfort of a schedule and knowing that I can go after work and not worry about other things being taking the front seat to running. I just need to get out there and run ...

... and unfortunately, I was all set to go today and we're having wonderful downpours and thunder/lightning storms ... probably not the best time to run ... crap ...

Quote of the Day

"Remember, a marathon is just a 10K with a 20 mile warm-up."

Today's Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 55.0

Happy 50th!

During tonight's track practice, I hit my first milestone of running a total of 50 miles! It took me a month or so, but I have ran 50 miles ... wow. A month ago, I couldn't run at all and now I'm running miles at a time and they've added up to 50. It's such a great feeling :)

Unfortunately though, practice was a bit tough tonight. I haven't run since last week's practice and I've got this pleasant head cold that's kicking my butt right now. The general rule of thumb of running while sick is to use the "neck rule" - anything above the neck is okay to run, anything below is grounds to take a day or so off. I went to practice and coach told me just to walk, which was frustrating for me since I haven't run in a week but it was better to me than doing nothing. I just want to make sure that this cold goes away soon so I can get back to running and feeling better as soon as possible. I'm still just happy that I was able to get out there and still participate and hit my 50 mile mark tonight!!

Today's Miles: 5.0

Total Miles: 53.5

Yellowstone

I took advantage of some vacation time and went up to see my friend Cody so we could visit Yellowstone and some other great places in Montana for a few days. I wish I could say that I ran like I wanted to, despite the fact that I placed my running clothes and shoes, but it just never quite worked out for me. I didn't even get to hike very much because Cody had just had his appendix out the week earlier and wasn't quite healthy enough for it yet, which was very disappointing for me. However, I did have a GREAT few days. It was really wonderful to get away and just be surrounded by the beauty of the area. Words cannot describe how peaceful and picturesque it is .. and how happy I was to be there. Instead of trying to describe it, below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip, which were very hard to pick out from over 125 pictures that I took over a 3 day span ...

Frog Legs

I should have known that when coach started chuckling before he told us what our practice of the night was going to entail that it was going to be one of "those" nights. He tells us about a certain workout he affectionately called "frog legs". Eight laps around the track (yes, that's 2 miles which generally isn't a problem for me) but at 100m intervals paces. Easy paces around the curves (to prevent injury on the ankles and knees) and sprints down the straightaways. Now, I've gotten really good at running my distances at my pace - slow and steady wins the race - but sprints kick my butt! The purpose of this exercise is to train your body to be able to slow down and speed up to accommodate various obstacles that will come up during the race but sprinting really took a toll on my body. I will forever cringe at the sound of "frog legs"!!

On a positive note, I have the best mentor in the world, Jim. Not only did he give me a margarita before we started track practice - okay, it was a flavored shot block - but we also genuinely talked about the benefits of drinking beer before races (carbo-loading!) and after (to prevent toxins from building up in your kidneys by flushing them out). Ahh, I'm starting to really like this running thing! :)

Today's Miles: 4.0
Total Miles: 48.5

The iPod Failed Me

I had a brief meltdown last night where I actually thought I was going to be running 24 miles at this mornings group run. Thankfully, I was wrong and we ended up only running for about an hour and a half, which is about 6 miles for me. I felt off this morning and it was another crummy morning - cold and almost rainy. I needed the extra motivation of my iPod, especially since we were just told to go out and run for as far as we could in a certain amount of time. Not before I could finish a complete song on my iPod, it died!! UGH, I needed it so bad on this run and not having it was a huge struggle for me. I officially made a note to myself that I now need to charge it more often during the week, whether I realize I need to or not because I absolutely cannot have that happen to me again. The iPod failed me when I needed it the most. I guess that's what happens when you rely on technology too much...

Today's Miles: 6.0
Total Miles: 44.5