Thoughts/Comments: So my run started out ok, a little stiff.I was already having a bit of sore knee issues during the week, but everything seemed fine.But around 3.5 miles in, it really started bothering me.So I took a few walking breaks here and there.At our turnaround point, this old man on a bike, one of the “helpers” (I say helper b/c I don’t think he’s a coach) said “you need to strengthen your knee, do some deep knee bends.”I’m like yeah, whatever dude.I mean, maybe the strengthen part is true, but the way my knee felt at that point, deep knee bends weren’t gonna help.After he rode off, my pace leader said to get it checked out before doing anything.
After the turnaround, I ran another solid mile before taking a walking break.This one a little longer.At one point, I walked an entire half mile.UGH!So my time TOTALLY sucked, but that’s why.
Even after icing my knee on Saturday, it still hurt just getting around, and especially getting in and out of the car.I also noticed that holding Zoe made things worse, too…and she must know this because she has been begging me to pick her up a lot of the past few days.
Anyway, I have an appointment tomorrow at Athletico, so stay tuned.Until then, no running.
Thoughts/Comments: Soooo tired this morning. I didn't go to sleep til after 10:30, and spent an hour up in the middle of the night with Zoe. I think she has allergies--but that's another story. So I woke up to my alarm at 5am. Next thing I know it's 5:25am. Finally I drag myself out of bed, get dressed and head over to the lakefront. The first few steps were sore ones, feeling yesterday's run. I really prefer to stagger my mid-week runs to every other day, but that's what I get for not running on Monday. So today's run was slower. Once I finished I stretched by my car. That's when I noticed that MY SHIRT WAS ON BACKWARDS. What a DORK!
Technical note: My training this week calls for 3 runs at 4, 6 and 4 miles. To be honest, I'm just trying to get myself back to running mid-week runs. I'll be on schedule by next week, hopefully. I'm like 45 miles away from the 1000 mile "pacebunny" on the training log website Running Ahead. I'm sure I'll catch up once we really start hitting the miles in marathon training. Anyhoo. Have a great day.
Thoughts/Comments: So I made it up early...at first, for some weird reason, the thought of doing 4 miles seemed unbearable. Rather than rolling over in bed I said to myself "Self, just do 3 miles...do whatever...but you can't just stay in bed." So I got out there and put in a little over 3 miles. I was hurtin. Not in a bad way, just in a "dangit, running isn't easy" kinda way. And 3 miles is better than NONE.
I just realized that later this week I'll hit the 400 mark. Woo-hoo!
Time It Took: 1:44:45 (includes several water stops)
Pace: 13:05
Miles this week: 11.1
Miles this month: 11.1
2008 Goal: 388.67/1000 miles
Thoughts/Comments: Well this run wasn’t so bad, considering my lazy-funk I’ve been in and haven’t run since Monday!Also, it was hottttttt.70 degrees is already pretty warm for running, but that humidity was AWFUL!Anyway, enough about that…it is what it is.
Today was the first time I ran with my new group, even though they've been running for a month or so now.Despite searching for any excuse in the world that would keep me away, I couldn’t find one.Jada and Zoe slept all night and didn’t wake up before I left.It wasn’t pouring down rain.My legs felt fresh…so off I went to meet a new set of running friends.
They were pretty cool.Just about everyone lives on the south side like me…everyone but a few people are black, which in the running world, well sometimes you feel like you’re one of “the few, the proud” when you’re out there running on the north side.We chatted about lots of things, including Obama, what if Chicago gets the Olympics, which races we’re running this year in addition to the marathon, etc…
And the best thing about it is when I got home and took a nice cold shower I thought to myself…”maybe I’ll go out for a quick run tomorrow morning.”I think after two weeks of lackadaisical running, I’m feeling up to it again.
Thoughts/Comments: Well I've learned enough in this running venture of mine to know that the first run after a break, self-imposed or just life getting in the way, pretty much sucks. And this one was no different. Legs felt like lead...walked twice. Man! One of the 10 commandments of running (um the ones that I'm making up starting today) is that "one bad run is simply one bad run, nothing more, nothing less."
Pretty hot out there too. I wanted to run this morning, but that feat was impossible due to the diabolical Jada and Zoe, up from about 3:30am until 5:30am. Don't ask.
Oh...and today officially marks my "marathon training" for the Chicago Marathon. Woo hoo!
So I have this friend from my college days, he's like this big time marathoner and he runs several organizations including a triathlon training program for underpriveleged youth, as well as owns a marathon & triathlon training program for adults, too. I joined the group primarily b/c they meet less than a mile from home AND the start times vary based on distance scheduled for that day. We even start just after 5am a few different times. AWESOME, that is PERFECT for me.
Anyway, they've already been training for a month, but I chose to join them at the end of this month, given my marathon and a few other races earlier on. This weekend they're just getting up to 7 miles. Aw, cute, huh? (Let me stop.) So I talked to him about my lead legs, overall tiredness, unenthusiastic-ness etc... He suggested that I might be overdoing it. "Overtraining" is the word he used. Take a break this week til Saturday. If you want (he says) bike those miles you would have run. Or not. Do what you feel like. (I don't think he meant go get a Portillo's Italian Beef and large cheese fries.) But he DID mean to take it easy this week. And no one has to tell me more than once to relax. Consider it DONE.
Yesterday it was 80 degrees. When I ran in the morning it was 70 degrees and 80% humidity. Today when i woke up it was 42 degrees. The expected high is 55.
Run #60 Beverly Area Planning Association's Ridge Run 5K -oh and if you're up to it, 10K
Date/Time: May 26th at 9:30am
Place: in the Beverly neighborhood, far south side, 70 degrees and 80% humidity ; I don't know how people in humid places ever run. It sucks.
Mileage: 3.1
Time It Took: 36:24 (official time)
Pace: 11:44
Miles this week: 3.1
Miles this month: 63.88
2008 Goal: 377.57/1000 miles
Thoughts/Comments: Oh man, I should have looked at the weather report before leaving the house! I was HOT. Steamy. And though I had on a short sleeve shirt, I had on long black running pants...I could've worn my capris or even shorts. It stormed all night and I guess the humidity stuck around. In a rare scene, I hit BOTH water tables during this 5K, and walked thru them. Afterwards, my friend Annah and I, who ran a 9:44 pace, guzzled two bottles of water, got some bananas and oranges, etc... sorry, not feeling chatty, just getting my race report in. It's been a long day.
; I don't know how people in humid places ever run. It sucks.