tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50081671038999871032024-03-13T11:09:38.781-05:00Joanna RunsIt's my Me Time. It's my challenge to myself. It's race results in black & white that are mine and mine alone forever.JoannaRunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09510123248290070029noreply@blogger.comBlogger493125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-45918802433282015172020-12-31T21:44:00.000-06:002020-12-31T21:44:06.663-06:002020 Year in Review<p><span style="color: #800180; font-weight: bold;">Happy New Year's Eve!! </span>We're hours from exiting this dumpster fire and you know what that means--a recap of the year of running. </p><p>As always, big picture stats are first up. </p><p><b>Total 2020 Miles: </b>1,516<br />I ran more than I drove my car, and I ran more than any previous year. 🤯🤯</p><p><b>Cross-Training: </b>About 60 workouts. I count 55 classes in my MindBody app, plus I did training with Robin pre-pandemic and a few times (distanced!) during. Probably about half of this was yoga and half weights or HIIT classes. By <i>far </i>this is the most I've ever cross-trained in a year! </p><p><b>Shiny New PRs: </b>The full marathon distance. 3:39:17, for the Detroit Virtual Marathon on October 18 (recap <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-race-that-lived.html">here</a>). </p><p><b><br />The Year in Pictures</b></p><p><i>January</i><br />2020 was a year of few races due to COVID. But before the world went insane, I did get in the 2020 Polar Prediction Run with these lovely ladies. For this event, you win if you come closest to predicting your finishing time for a 3.65 mile course. I placed this year--second or third I think. It was a lot of fun! Plus it's hosted out of a brewery. With bagels. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-CVSC0ioHo/X-6HUsqiVII/AAAAAAAAen0/V5A8EWs2tTgYAOfQANFhEX_ijoEEbr3XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1536/IMG_20200111_141912_820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-CVSC0ioHo/X-6HUsqiVII/AAAAAAAAen0/V5A8EWs2tTgYAOfQANFhEX_ijoEEbr3XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20200111_141912_820.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>January was also the month I registered for the Detroit Marathon, which I described <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2020/08/i-had-plan-2020-laughed.html">here</a>. I registered with glee and with dreams.<div><br /></div><div><i>March</i><br />On March 13, my older son and I bought everything Giant Eagle would sell us, grabbed a pizza from a local place, and went home to hunker down for what I thought would be a few weeks. At that point in the pandemic, I stopped running with groups, but tried to keep running the paths I knew and loved. This is a picture I took from under a bridge while waiting out the rain one Sunday. It was too muddy to step off-path at many spots, but this did not stop groups, usually 2 or 3, usually white women, from walking or running side by side. You couldn't get away from them or around them, and they did not want to hear about it. Finally I gave up and turned exclusively to roads. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbIXCOdectw/X-6X6Y8H_II/AAAAAAAAep8/dVMADmcwQXQkCNaAKHLpGAB2WqPAg7acQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200329_113418_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbIXCOdectw/X-6X6Y8H_II/AAAAAAAAep8/dVMADmcwQXQkCNaAKHLpGAB2WqPAg7acQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20200329_113418_HDR.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><i>April </i></div><div>After a few weeks, the gyms and yoga studios got up to speed with Livestream classes, and I joined in. No human could purchase free weights for a long time, so I was left with resistance bands, bricks and gallons of water (or fabric softener, apparently) for a while. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YR3SYGK4790/X-6KUSZKV7I/AAAAAAAAeoE/FbsUvyQIbjEBpzG3UBE0bfL8rYEhituOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200409_185655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YR3SYGK4790/X-6KUSZKV7I/AAAAAAAAeoE/FbsUvyQIbjEBpzG3UBE0bfL8rYEhituOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20200409_185655.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I also quickly learned that my basement is too cold for yoga, and my first floor is too noisy after about 7am, so early morning was where it was at for yoga. In a year where I was running record mileage, I needed yoga more than ever. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPKXq1ap7-U/X-6LPTCJb-I/AAAAAAAAeoU/0Bi20kW9EawZd6JkjrF_U3MxHjjrHqkMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200316_075418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPKXq1ap7-U/X-6LPTCJb-I/AAAAAAAAeoU/0Bi20kW9EawZd6JkjrF_U3MxHjjrHqkMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20200316_075418.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>This was also the month where, for the first time in my entire life, I got hot during a run and just took off my shirt. I've been managing a healthy diet for a few years now and it felt good to feel good. I took this picture after the run, still feeling fierce. </div><div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VTjW0vXrV-A/X-6KygaMNVI/AAAAAAAAeoM/tWMmeJEgofMXynsbUGqNDaJz6hOMk43cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200402_170044%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VTjW0vXrV-A/X-6KygaMNVI/AAAAAAAAeoM/tWMmeJEgofMXynsbUGqNDaJz6hOMk43cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20200402_170044%257E2.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><i>June</i><br />Without commuting in the mix, and with the academic year over, I had more time to relax on the patio after morning runs. I was meeting up with runners for socially distanced coffee, but that was it. My family went to a very remote part of WV for 5 days, which was truly a highlight of the year. Training started as soon as we got home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sX9B6fQPIYk/X-6MqNlIB8I/AAAAAAAAeoo/veoTdE_za-ssZoNjOjsKpL2BzJMAFcSdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200630_103826_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sX9B6fQPIYk/X-6MqNlIB8I/AAAAAAAAeoo/veoTdE_za-ssZoNjOjsKpL2BzJMAFcSdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20200630_103826_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><i>July </i><br />As advertised--hot! But a lot of gorgeous mornings and happy miles. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPEuWxQPCXc/X-6NUOTCi_I/AAAAAAAAepA/zUy_HMQ3uvAfvMcwVRxeN8GSGOO-5MbnACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200709_072315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPEuWxQPCXc/X-6NUOTCi_I/AAAAAAAAepA/zUy_HMQ3uvAfvMcwVRxeN8GSGOO-5MbnACPcBGAYYCw/s320/20200709_072315.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Training had started July 1 for my marathon. This was probably a pace run or a tempo run with a warm-up and a cool-down. It started the long process of training my body to run 26.2 miles at a pace that sounded insane. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3U6XDmQhcBM/X-6NUDv3SzI/AAAAAAAAeo0/XWPgqs8acQ0x6My1M-0eItxbwO-GgUzBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/IMG_20200714_073622_354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3U6XDmQhcBM/X-6NUDv3SzI/AAAAAAAAeo0/XWPgqs8acQ0x6My1M-0eItxbwO-GgUzBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20200714_073622_354.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My training plan called for hill workouts which, while it's hilly here, there aren't a lot of hills long enough for this. Friendship is texting someone and asking if they'll meet you the next morning (distanced!) at a hill you don't know the name or location of but know you ran together like 3 year ago and they say yes. The workout was exactly what I needed, both seeing Candice and finding the hill. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axnctaaP4Ww/X-6aKmmJCjI/AAAAAAAAeqI/eQRavuxceTMvwBjjBhzx3iQsFahP2mHGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/IMG_20200804_083603_197%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axnctaaP4Ww/X-6aKmmJCjI/AAAAAAAAeqI/eQRavuxceTMvwBjjBhzx3iQsFahP2mHGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20200804_083603_197%257E2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>September </i></div><div>We have arrived at the peak of my mileage graph by month, building up to the Detroit Marathon. I ran 186 miles this month. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0J6eddCAExA/X-6PMcw052I/AAAAAAAAepI/rGovCs7aTXA5L_WCtzBmSvs0SdnZjePeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Miles2020graph.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0J6eddCAExA/X-6PMcw052I/AAAAAAAAepI/rGovCs7aTXA5L_WCtzBmSvs0SdnZjePeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h234/Miles2020graph.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kids were engaged in remote school. Parents had become teachers' aids. Work was remote. Everything was remote. Everyone was home. All the time. Still. But running was not canceled. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>October</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had some beautiful, warm days in October. My friend Robin and I took advantage of one of them to meet for a short yoga practice at the park over lunch one day. I loved this. I loved that she thought of it, and invited me, and had the Down Dog app all ready to roll for it. And seeing a friend <i>in person </i>had by then become an infrequent, delightful thing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qo9o7u4hujA/X-6QT0ZxorI/AAAAAAAAepQ/LyPvoZjop8QuWkuvoJrwnM27Y7IX5D85QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201008_130155%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1804" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qo9o7u4hujA/X-6QT0ZxorI/AAAAAAAAepQ/LyPvoZjop8QuWkuvoJrwnM27Y7IX5D85QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201008_130155%257E2.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And then, it was race day! I've documented the day <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-race-that-lived.html" target="_blank">here</a>. My virtual race was a clear highlight of the year, and, honestly, a silver lining. It was perfect. I will probably never have another marathon like this one and it's an experience I'm glad I had and got to share with friends and family. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dCjNErmFKq0/X9_C-aQvNfI/AAAAAAAAef4/NVWwnOkeAKwDrzwQPsxY6ouseOSfdDt9ACPcBGAYYCw/s1222/IMG_20201018_171345_845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dCjNErmFKq0/X9_C-aQvNfI/AAAAAAAAef4/NVWwnOkeAKwDrzwQPsxY6ouseOSfdDt9ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/IMG_20201018_171345_845.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>November </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We continued to have warm days into November. I took advantage and got the kids outside when I could. I brought the Thanksgiving festivities to running. I really do love a festive headband. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ak_bteaZhNg/X-6TrjtSFEI/AAAAAAAAepg/frJ0QavNWkg4VqXj4E8h9gC_Cj0BNdAQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201108_123223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ak_bteaZhNg/X-6TrjtSFEI/AAAAAAAAepg/frJ0QavNWkg4VqXj4E8h9gC_Cj0BNdAQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201108_123223.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>December</i></div><div>Ok so I mean it's Cleveland, the warm weather wasn't going to last forever. We had two big storms, but not a whole lot in between. My husband shoveled this path out for me during the first storm. That's love!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uGIp71_Hk4/X-6UfIhBD_I/AAAAAAAAepo/SmmcLgKVreUiPGijE3RIMnbYnQ7qC1VzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201202_072922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uGIp71_Hk4/X-6UfIhBD_I/AAAAAAAAepo/SmmcLgKVreUiPGijE3RIMnbYnQ7qC1VzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201202_072922.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I hit two pretty big milestones in December. The first was the day (12/15) I hit 10,000 miles. I'm sure I've run more than this in my lifetime, but not that I kept track of. I started tracking mileage January 1, 2010. When I realized 10k was within sights, I made it a goal to hit by the end of the year. My new friend Sharon came along with me (distanced!) on this morning to capture the moment. The X was her idea, for ten. So clever! I loved it. Her enthusiasm for my achievement was so uplifting! I was grateful for her company and support. It was a fun run. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sh5nSd_iu78/X-6UfJstkQI/AAAAAAAAeps/EuMIs0NKc-cyf89rM_HotlgK3pT_JX4IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201215_064505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1387" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sh5nSd_iu78/X-6UfJstkQI/AAAAAAAAeps/EuMIs0NKc-cyf89rM_HotlgK3pT_JX4IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201215_064505.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Then this past Sunday somewhere in my long run I hit 1500 miles for the year. I thought I'd stop when I hit that number, but I kept running through the week. Yoga today, and I'll get 2021 started right with some miles tomorrow. </div><div><br /></div><div>There you have it, friends! My 2020 Run in Review. 2020 was so messed up. It made the gifts running gives us even sweeter. As always, running has taught me about myself, and probably more this year than before, for a variety of reasons. Running offered a reprieve from the chaos, and goals I could still work to achieve. Running gave me a race day I will never forget, and has been the basis for some wonderful friendships. I always love the run, but extra this year. </div></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-89671100098949879732020-12-28T11:52:00.002-06:002020-12-28T11:52:39.022-06:00On Running Friendships<div dir="ltr">
I've long appreciated that running introduces me to a lot of people I would not otherwise meet because our lives are too different. Running groups introduce you to people outside your neighborhood, outside your profession, outside your faith community, outside your family, outside the network of people you grew up with. Sometimes you meet people a lot like you. Take my friend Meg. We were both children of academics, in grad school ourselves, both looking for something non-academic to keep us lucid during difficult degree programs. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">But this is not as common as you might think. In fact, it's unusual. More often, I've gotten to know people I had relatively little in common with. Running has that power, to forge unlikely friendships. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">This witchy magic happens largely through the amount of time runners spend together, and through the sometimes raw physical effort of it. There is something about hearing another runner's goals and watching them work their ass off to reach those goals that brings closeness to relationships. It teaches us to cheer for each other, and to share the agony of each other's injuries and setbacks. We don't even have to speak the same language for me to cheer for you in this way. I could make a silent movie about marathon training and you'd cry with me at the finish.</div>
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<div dir="ltr">I got to talking about this recently with a new-to-Cleveland runner. We've both had experiences where the magic of runner friendships didn't work out. The run <i>does</i> have this magic to forge friendships, and the run <i>does</i> change people in the long term, but the run doesn't change the person who shows up on a Tuesday morning. You're going to meet people who just aren't a match for your style. You're going to meet people who throw any number of red flags, and you're going to learn one way or another whether those flags are serious for a friendship or not. Some of them will be. Sometimes, you're going to be too much for some people, and as the saying goes, those are not your people. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Sometimes, things just don't work out.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><b>I wasn't sure for a long time why this felt like a big discovery to me</b>--that running friendships don't always work. In all of life, relationships have highs and lows and don't always work. Why did it feel like I was pulling back the curtain on a running secret? </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">I began endurance running in 2007, three states ago. It took all four states before I saw running friendships that didn't work. True story: I once went for a run with a total stranger through a largely abandoned warehouse district in St. Louis. And it was lovely. Magic! My Utah BRF is not very much like me! We used our differences to learn. We asked questions and respected each other's choices. Magic! I'd had about a decade of incredibly diverse running groups and friendships that had never required question. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">I'd just never seen the witchy magic run out. Until I did. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">The first time I saw it, it had nothing to do with me. A local run squad internally combusted while traveling for a race. I knew most of them but wasn't there and never got involved. Then, maybe a year later, one of the women involved in that explosion said some profoundly unkind things to me--too unkind, too unnecessary, and too relentless. She was the third person I'd ever unfriended on social media. Here in 2020, a handful of red flags I'd been seeing for a while became impossible to ignore or address, and I extracted myself from a group. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Maybe I just got lucky for the first decade. Maybe I was in places where I had much less interaction with a large group (SRTT/MRTT here is huge!) and thus with as many people. I don't know. What I do know is this: running creates an opportunity for friendship. Strong, deep friendships. Friendships that share celebration, determination, experiences, hardship. Friendships that survive time, distance, and the pandemic. It <i>is </i>a witchy magic. I'd forgotten that magic had an edge, but of course it does. But isn't it incredible that it exists? </div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-61634247571114527582020-12-20T16:06:00.000-06:002020-12-20T16:06:23.428-06:00The Race that Lived<p>My last <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2020/08/i-had-plan-2020-laughed.html" target="_blank">post</a> covered through Week 9 of training for the virtual Detroit Marathon. In the weeks that followed, I learned how to create a workout in Garmin Connect and use it on my Forerunner. I did some workouts that intimidated me. I took the training plan one week at a time. The moment the long-range forecast included October 18, I was checking it constantly. My friend Dan and I discussed everything from music preferences to packing lists to logistics. </p><p>Welcome to the (belated) race summary of what turned out to be a silver lining of 2020.</p><p>I'll start about a week before the race, when a mysterious box showed up with our mail. I stalked it on the kitchen counter for a while before remembering that my friend Robin had randomly asked for my address about a week before. Robin was one of the first people I met when I moved to Cleveland. My epic injury (long form <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-long-road.html" target="_blank">here</a>), finally taught my stubborn runner brain that cross-training is my friend. When I wanted to start strength training, I turned to Robin. She was amazingly gracious about meeting me where I was, which was step 1. Ground level. Not only clueless about what I was doing, but also...just weak. She cheered me at every step, worked within my limitations and goals, and has been a huge part of my recovery and a damn good friend. With this gift, she cheered me on remotely in the best possible way. <3</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mG1RZpZ9Kxs/X9_F-WswkyI/AAAAAAAAegA/HPjEwhHL5_cxjEj1L3BpsAEgeN_LOAYMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mG1RZpZ9Kxs/X9_F-WswkyI/AAAAAAAAegA/HPjEwhHL5_cxjEj1L3BpsAEgeN_LOAYMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mug.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two and a half days pre-race, carb loading started. A very few of you might remember <a href="https://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2011/05/cleveland-marathon-part-2.html" target="_blank">the saga</a> of the day I learned about fueling the hard way. Ever since, I've used a fueling plan I found in Runner's World. You eat more calories than usual, and about 85% of it is carbs. While that sounds like fun, it's hard on digestion. This is what breakfast looks like. You better believe that is the sugary yogurt, too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DTGNa2V_xtg/X9-3mYJkbhI/AAAAAAAAeeo/0OW6qAM-X4o4i_ic6YIHZYUjygiYIWdoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201017_082700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DTGNa2V_xtg/X9-3mYJkbhI/AAAAAAAAeeo/0OW6qAM-X4o4i_ic6YIHZYUjygiYIWdoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201017_082700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My friend Dan, who had agreed to bike Sherpa my race, was hard at work taking account of his storage capacity for water, food, gear, etc. He asked if I wanted music and I told him I hadn't run with music in years--too many cars, too many dogs. Same for him. But, I told him, if he wanted to play music, I was good with any era of rock other than the song "Blinded by the Light," which I hate powerfully. We talked Gu (so hard to choose!) and figured out how we'd handle water stops. He knows the trail toward Akron well, where I do not. He made sure we picked a starting point that avoided construction and traffic, and that local knowledge is worth its weight in gold.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wl1pC7jG3X8/X9-4hyvsfjI/AAAAAAAAee0/0OnpbCfR7Iwm3HnzGs7TwuEokELF2vHDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201017_153242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wl1pC7jG3X8/X9-4hyvsfjI/AAAAAAAAee0/0OnpbCfR7Iwm3HnzGs7TwuEokELF2vHDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201017_153242.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I checked the weather 583 more times. </div><div><br /></div><div>Had it been in person, the race would have started at 7am, so we planned to start at 7am. I had all these jokes ready for the start line, about how like downtown Detroit the Towpath Trail outside Akron is. All that relevant early 20th century commercial architecture! That radial street network! But when I arrived about 6:45am, we were focused on stowing gear and using the bathroom (A REAL BATHROOM!). </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm pretty sure Dan had purchased a bigger bag to store gear/supplies/etc for the race, and when I handed him my *actual* handful of stuff to carry, probably either wanted to laugh or cry a little. It consisted of: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>2 Gu packets (I had the other 2 in my water bottle)</li><li>3 baggies of folded up TP (to which he said, "no dude would ever have done this")</li><li>A very small bottle of liquid band aid</li><li>My driver's license, credit card, and med insurance all rubber banded together</li><li>My phone (maybe? not even sure I took it?) and car key</li></ul><div>He had packed water for both of us. In the 60-ish seconds he went into the restroom and I was standing alone in the pitch black parking lot, a Jeep came <i>flying </i>into the parking lot, and two guys jumped out of it. I was definitely gauging my distance to my car door for a second, but they took off toward the trail. Dan came back, we took our start line selfie, and headed down toward the trail too. </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eaAO0JrLdfU/X9-7IRts81I/AAAAAAAAefA/giYkjXj2zsYzgzBNjVrrwaVVPQi5qeQ_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201018_070022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1946" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eaAO0JrLdfU/X9-7IRts81I/AAAAAAAAefA/giYkjXj2zsYzgzBNjVrrwaVVPQi5qeQ_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201018_070022.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>It turned out the two guys were cheering for a friend doing a virtual marathon! Chicago, I think. Somewhere else along the way we met someone running the New York marathon. I'd hesitated about wearing the bib the race organizers had sent me because it felt like of cheesy, but in the end, I'm glad I did. It helped create this spirit of community, because the people who are on that path every weekend could ID and support people who were racing. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hesitated to start for a moment because...well, it's sort of strange to just <i>start</i> a marathon. No fanfare, no anthem, no gun, no corrals. Just hitting the start button on your Garmin like any Tuesday morning. And we were off! </div><div><br /></div><div>Our pre-race discussions about pace had made us realize that cycling and running use different vocabularies. Dan had asked if I anticipated our pace would be over 10mph. I explained that this was not the Olympics, so no, but also that I'd need to do some math to figure out what mph I run. So a lot of our conversation focused on math of where we were, what time we'd be someplace else, and how overall pacing was going. I recognized the spot where a friend had taken a picture the previous day by accident. </div><div><br /></div><div>But Dan and I have known each other since 1998 (when I joined the <a href="https://experience-learning.org/" target="_blank">Experience Learning</a> family), so we talked about all sorts of things, too. And that path! Oh man! I don't have any pictures from the path itself, but what a knockout! I really think we got the best possible morning for race day. The foliage was spectacular and, while 5 degrees cooler than ideal for Dan, it was pretty great for running, at about 48 degrees. The path parallels a river and train tracks for long stretches, and forest. Gorgeous. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you're training, it sounds INSANE that you are going to run 26.2 miles at an 8:24/mile pace. INSANE. But then, you put in the work, and while you taper, it's like winding up a Jack in the Box, and you carb load, and it fills those glycogen stores, and then, your body really can do precisely the thing you trained it to do. I ran super, super even splits. My first mile was the slowest, at 8:28, as it should be. After that, every mile was between an 8:15 and 8:23 except one a few seconds faster (after which I 100% said what Shalane Flanagan said in New York that day). And for 24 miles it was all just smooth. </div><div><br /></div><div>At one point we passed a herd of middle aged guys, a few of whom wore Boston jackets. I told Dan how it was called "chicking." The herd was jovial. We saw a handful of other smaller groups and single runners out. Everyone in good spirits. We passed a spot where a woman had been attacked last year while running. I was incredibly thankful for Dan's company.</div><div><br /></div><div>At about mile 23.5, we passed the Canal Exploration Center, which was also the planned finish line. I'd invited a small group of folks, mostly runners, to a socially distanced finish line party. Many of them were there when we passed at 23.5. My husband and kids had made signs--a first--and I might have gotten a little choked up about it. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0ITiRZdQzM/X9_AH2KsCBI/AAAAAAAAefU/GzvUuKC2rZMtZ-lT9o5nEff_FxSRVgREQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1746/121773971_972779419872648_56174236133221700_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1746" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0ITiRZdQzM/X9_AH2KsCBI/AAAAAAAAefU/GzvUuKC2rZMtZ-lT9o5nEff_FxSRVgREQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/121773971_972779419872648_56174236133221700_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8Ig6mNgLhg/X9_AHtK9oYI/AAAAAAAAefQ/5nkWhBqWk_4mF-RJiETMZ3xVww2nTvQ_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1746/131047387_720174645541663_8319898880550095738_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1746" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8Ig6mNgLhg/X9_AHtK9oYI/AAAAAAAAefQ/5nkWhBqWk_4mF-RJiETMZ3xVww2nTvQ_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/131047387_720174645541663_8319898880550095738_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>When my Garmin hit mile 24, I was ready for it to be over. I'd warned Dan that things get dark late in a marathon. Deals are made with devils. Self talk gets desperate. I tried reeeeeeally hard not to verbalize those thoughts, but I had a decidedly grumpy, but on-pace mile. At mile 25 I asked if he would stay behind me, because the bike in my peripheral vision was going to make me motion sick. Then I told him I needed to stop talking, and just "go inside" my head. I needed to put my head down and focus on grinding out the last 1.2. It had always been inevitable--I could feel it coming around mile 17--and it was much better than it usually is, but I was tired.</div><div><br /></div><div>Know what else isn't easy? Math when you're that tired. So I misjudged our turn-around by a few hundredths of a mile. Coming back toward the finish line, first I saw my friend Laurie standing at the bridge with her cow bell. A welcome sight for sure. I could just see my kids up ahead holding up the finisher ribbon the race organizers had sent. And...my Garmin hit 26.2. I just stopped. My brain couldn't process what to do. Laurie said, "You can't stop. They're waiting for you." I said, "Right!" and clicked it back on and kept going. Four one-hundredths on up and through the finisher tape. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQlTbFVyrc0/X9_CR4bdRrI/AAAAAAAAefk/MLnB8xwZnQsMULta8_gGDGkNvmWfW0L2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/122068141_10223314455552425_7275442539082260945_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQlTbFVyrc0/X9_CR4bdRrI/AAAAAAAAefk/MLnB8xwZnQsMULta8_gGDGkNvmWfW0L2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/122068141_10223314455552425_7275442539082260945_o.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Then my knees buckled, and I stopped and put my hands on my knees for a minute and tried to calm my breathing and not sob wildly. It was over! My goal was 3:40 and I ran a <b>3:39:17</b>. My boys were ready with the race medal and the wrap the organizers had sent. Sidebar here: I was crazy impressed with the Detroit Marathon throughout this whole process. They canceled my hotel, contacted me about shipping my race packet, and the social media game was strong. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dCjNErmFKq0/X9_C-aQvNfI/AAAAAAAAefs/GO3ckNP6RpICxrxOf_jFdh5zjmDDO-FywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1222/IMG_20201018_171345_845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dCjNErmFKq0/X9_C-aQvNfI/AAAAAAAAefs/GO3ckNP6RpICxrxOf_jFdh5zjmDDO-FywCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20201018_171345_845.jpg" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>My husband was a rock star who ordered this amazing cake, brought every conceivable thing I might want post-race, and made sure we were all fed and happy. Dan's wife and son came, and they brought me flowers. Flowers! I was beyond blown away by all the love and support of my family and friends. That picture above--I am glowing! That's how it all felt. I had a dream, and my friends and family came out, on a bike, at the finish line, and remote, to cheer me on. Masks and all. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8AJxdR9j8Rc/X9_C-v_Jm3I/AAAAAAAAefw/xVDgMs8Y6wQYF7s71KjnYkno2OBdo9mNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201017_154541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8AJxdR9j8Rc/X9_C-v_Jm3I/AAAAAAAAefw/xVDgMs8Y6wQYF7s71KjnYkno2OBdo9mNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201017_154541.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The most bananas part of this is that, because there was no prize money, I won my Detroit Marathon age group. That's crazy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a year where so many races did not happen, this was the day the Towpath turned into Detroit, Chicago, and New York. This was--to borrow from Harry Potter--the race that lived. Was I bummed not to visit Detroit? Not to experience the magic of a big race? Sure. But the race I had was incredible, and probably once in a lifetime. A real highlight, and silver living, of 2020. </div></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-43882844672414278672020-08-26T21:00:00.000-05:002020-08-26T21:00:25.196-05:00I Had a Plan, 2020 Laughed<p> Alright y'all. We're up to 2020. Then, 2020 happened. </p><p>I'll start by backing up (again). I ran marathon #5 in the spring of 2017. You can read about it <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2017/05/race-report-canton-hall-of-fame-marathon.html">here</a>, but the short version goes like this: I was trained for a PR. I felt confident. Then, it was something like 87* on race day. It was not a day for PRs. I don't even remember what my time was, but it was not fast. I got a sunburn on my back I could see the lines of for a year. </p><p>By early 2018, when maybe I would have considered picking a fall full, I was trying really hard not to be injured, then of course I was. In early 2019, I was focused on getting back to race shape, which I did. I PRed the half twice in 2019 very happily. After the Indy Monumental, I was feeling it. It was time. I wanted my moment with the 26.2. And I knew where. </p><p>Detroit. </p><p>Detroit was my <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2009/10/detroit-marathon.html">first</a>. It has stood out as a significant day in my life. I believed something new about myself after I finished that race. It was time to go back. So I registered. I registered January 1, the day registration opened. I wanted it for me. </p><p><i>* sidebar: there's more of a story here, but for another day </i></p><p>Then, 2020 laughed at all of us. </p><p>Hermes 10 Miler in April: nope<br />Towpath Spring: nope<br />Towpath June: nope<br />Coronabusters 19k Survivor Virtual Race: yes</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Wii9SJ-Iuo/X0cCELWWgXI/AAAAAAAAc-s/qe_ath2XMNQa8p2VgLBu2iz3s1hgNErKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200826_204356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Wii9SJ-Iuo/X0cCELWWgXI/AAAAAAAAc-s/qe_ath2XMNQa8p2VgLBu2iz3s1hgNErKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h240/20200826_204356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Lots and lots of running alone, then cross-training from home. At first, I tried running alone on well-known paths, but there were too many people too unwilling to move over, or not take up the entire path walking in pairs, and it was too much. The cyclists refused to yield when, with nowhere else to go, I'd end up in a bike lane occasionally. Eventually, I opted for smaller neighborhood streets, and settled in. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3BNLZfCBCZw/X0cDBtE7DFI/AAAAAAAAc-0/GHyaQmL5iEcL8j4YzOS5z7yaR21sr3DOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200409_185707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3BNLZfCBCZw/X0cDBtE7DFI/AAAAAAAAc-0/GHyaQmL5iEcL8j4YzOS5z7yaR21sr3DOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/20200409_185707.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In late June, right after we got back from the most socially-distanced vacation ever--to my native West Virginia--the training cycle started. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I made one interval workout harder than it needed to be and that was not a good choice. </li><li>In Week 4, I was scheduled for a sub-46 minute 10k. I need emojis. It was crazy. I ended up about 46:40. In my defense, I was running on pea gravel that did not help. Also, it was stupid hot. I left what I had on the path and called it a win. </li><li>In Week 6 I had a hill workout. Friendship is texting your friend saying, "hey, remember that hill we ran on like 3 years ago and our other friend drove past us? I don't know what it was called and I need to go run up it ten times at 6am tomorrow. Wanna come?" And they say yes, and they respect your effort to stay socially distanced while doing so. </li><li>In Week 8 I ran 200s for the first time in years. <i>That </i>is a fun workout. The interval is so short. You fly and by the time you want to die, it's over. </li><li>Also in Week 8, I was supposed to run a sub-1:50 half marathon, with a slower mile on each end. I don't know what happened. I did it, but it destroyed me. This was this past Sunday actually and I think I'm just now over it. </li></ul><div>To no one's surprise, Detroit went virtual. Sooooooo.......Plan B. </div><div><br /></div><div>You guys, Plan B is NOT what I wanted, but it's a pretty great back-up plan. I opted for the Detroit Virtual race. It won't be in Michigan. It won't be officially measured. But it will BE. A lifer friend of mine who lives about 45 minutes away is going to bike with me on race day (at least part of it) to make sure I don't die. My family and a few friends are planning to come cheer, distanced of course.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm in Week 9 of training and it's a big one: 45 miles. There are days I wake up and my body hurts. There are days I realize my calves are more muscular than they were 3 months ago. There are days I'm starving. There are many, many days I greet the sunrise from the quiet streets with nothing but joy. This is what training looks like. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EeKmX_cjNj0/X0cPXUTAo2I/AAAAAAAAc_A/0Wup0-We4jwAZ6XvELgVD-lPkHssgEcSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200730_060950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EeKmX_cjNj0/X0cPXUTAo2I/AAAAAAAAc_A/0Wup0-We4jwAZ6XvELgVD-lPkHssgEcSQCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/20200730_060950.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>The pandemic has been, well, y'all know how it's been. I've been so thankful for running. Running isn't canceled. Running is a hobby you can do alone. Running has been a safe way to get out of the house. Running-based time to myself has been crucial. Like Fleet Feet says, running changes everything. Running has enriched my life in so many ways, for so long. Especially now. </div><p></p>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-17846979085225200202020-08-22T14:16:00.000-05:002020-08-22T14:16:17.688-05:00OMG, 2020. <p>It's a title that requires no explanation. The home haircuts. That Ohio allowed us to buy cocktails with our carry out orders. The three day hold-before-opening period many households use for mail. The homeschool learning pods. But none of that is even why I titled this post "OMG, 2020." It's that I haven't posted since the end of 2018. A gap like that is, like everything 2020, new for me. Let's back up a little. </p><p><b>A Brief Tour of Running in 2019</b></p><p>In August of 2018, I had long been pretending I wasn't injured. Then, in one step at a trail race, I was sidelined. The long version of this is chronicled <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-long-road.html" target="_blank">here</a>. By the end of 2018 I was up to 6 miles. </p><p>I kept pushing, kept building. In early 2019 I started working with a trainer (miss you! mean it!) every other week and started going to yoga or HIIT classes each off week. By April, I was able to run a half-marathon time that told me I was ready to return to training, and later that month I ran the Hermes 10 miler in 1:19:36. I was <i>on fire </i>and had the best time. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aot1qDXjdWA/X0Fc1rS4ZvI/AAAAAAAAc7w/nnOvkpjjj4crFHRCPwRNH7Y-hlPa-kVBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1812/explosive_sitting.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1812" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aot1qDXjdWA/X0Fc1rS4ZvI/AAAAAAAAc7w/nnOvkpjjj4crFHRCPwRNH7Y-hlPa-kVBQCLcBGAsYHQ/w238-h400/explosive_sitting.jpeg" title="Explosive Sitting at the Gym" width="238" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Explosive Sitting at the Gym<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qL6rZaYTC9s/X0FZbiMUwsI/AAAAAAAAc7k/Q8Su3mbp_EEAhqKGjeZ4lx6tOetdSdHcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/FB_IMG_1554755841731.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qL6rZaYTC9s/X0FZbiMUwsI/AAAAAAAAc7k/Q8Su3mbp_EEAhqKGjeZ4lx6tOetdSdHcwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/FB_IMG_1554755841731.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Katie at Towpath Half, Spring 2019<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>In June I ran the inaugural Sweet and Savory 60 Mile Relay, a benefit for the Cleveland Food Bank. In theory, it was a great race. We started on the west side of Cleveland and ran the Emerald Necklace of the (honest to goodness truly amazing) Metroparks system. The reality was more chaotic, goofy, and raining. It involved pastry. We got lost at least once. I got lost in a parking lot. I learned a lot about managing the logistics of an ultra-distance relay. We laughed a lot. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4lYqL9xr6ug/X0FfCpVXXpI/AAAAAAAAc78/oNHjhV7Cw_olluHNhdYVIu_gQPdteKrHACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20190615_075956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4lYqL9xr6ug/X0FfCpVXXpI/AAAAAAAAc78/oNHjhV7Cw_olluHNhdYVIu_gQPdteKrHACLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/20190615_075956.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Then THE NEXT DAY, I ran the Towpath 10-10, opting for the 10k option because are you insane. It wasn't one of my faster races, but I placed third in my age group and had a great time with friends. </p><p>By early August, I'd buckled down with an actual training plan--my first in, what, two years?! Speed work intimidated me all over again, but I did it anyway. It was on. It was time for my comeback at the half-marathon distance. In October I set a shiny new PR: 1:43:18. This picture is how I felt about it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPH5ATfD5_w/X0FjB3Hm0gI/AAAAAAAAc8I/_NXhlHSS7G4TcCzlC4NnsAc8l2N4j7QGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s717/TowpathF19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="712" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPH5ATfD5_w/X0FjB3Hm0gI/AAAAAAAAc8I/_NXhlHSS7G4TcCzlC4NnsAc8l2N4j7QGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w398-h400/TowpathF19.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><p>My friend Katie also posted a new PR that day. The ending of that race is one I'll never forget. In the last mile or so she'd told me to go ahead. But I KNEW she's a strong sprinter than I am, and this made no sense. But I went. Then just before the finish line I heard her behind me and she'd caught me and it was all the feelings. </p><p>All along, I'd hedged my bets. If the weather was bad for Towpath, or if I just wasn't feeling it that day, I'd run easy and try again a few weeks later at Indy Monumental. My dear friend and St. Louis BRF Rachel loves this race and we'd planned to meet up for it. She was running the full marathon. I was running the half. We were both bringing friends. It was going to be the kind of runner weekend we live for. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BTloSm8-VOE/X0FknJOjRSI/AAAAAAAAc8U/OFEWZX6y5koa1rO3gDoAzR9s_O7HviQrACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/imagejpeg_0%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1024" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BTloSm8-VOE/X0FknJOjRSI/AAAAAAAAc8U/OFEWZX6y5koa1rO3gDoAzR9s_O7HviQrACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h301/imagejpeg_0%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erika, me, Leslie, and Rachel post-race brunching<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first few miles were a lot of weaving. I settled in without expectations. Then, the course opened up, my legs started turning over more quickly, and I knew. I went for it. There were a few miles of real effort, but the beast never came. I finished in 1:41:54, 40/716 in my division. Euphoric. Zero doubt in my mind strength training had made this possible. In 2017 I'd fallen out of yoga's half moon pose every single time because my hips were weak and my obliques were weak. By November 2019, I could hold not only half moon, but crow pose. I'd gotten stronger. </p><p>Meanwhile, Erika was getting introduced to the magic of race day--the energy and the rush of it. When the time came, she and I went out to cheer Rachel in. After brunch, Erika and I spent our day enjoying shopping, boozy milkshakes, and a craft distillery before meeting back up with Rachel and her crew for dinner. Five stars. <u>Recommend</u>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmA8pbkLrFQ/X0FpVvCvxhI/AAAAAAAAc8g/wkQwFbHIBmkvh6G2OlOlyKP4pSvdYiM_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20191109_170213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmA8pbkLrFQ/X0FpVvCvxhI/AAAAAAAAc8g/wkQwFbHIBmkvh6G2OlOlyKP4pSvdYiM_ACLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/20191109_170213.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>By the end of 2019, I'd logged 1,256 miles. I had to foam roll religiously. I was still strength training religiously. But I was clearly through the injury and in fighting form. </p><p>I think I'll stop here and write a second post about 2020 and my current training cycle. I'm halfway through it with a lot to say, so stay tuned. </p>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-42097922263552126592018-12-27T16:52:00.002-06:002018-12-27T16:52:57.528-06:00The Long RoadFirst, the bad news. I haven't written in some time. I've mentioned on Facebook and Instagram that I've been dealing with an injury. That's putting it mildly. I've been dealing with the worst running injury I've ever had, except maybe the stress fracture I got in 11th grade. It's been awful, insightful, and lengthy.<br />
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Then, the good news. Happily, things are looking up after many months. I can easily run 4.5 fast miles, and long runs are back up to 6 miles and climbing.<br />
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My PT encouraged me to write about what's happened, if for no other reason than to provide a chronology for future reference. Since this <i>is </i>a running blog, I thought that made sense!<br />
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Back in about June of 2017, after the Football Hall of Fame Marathon, I was running on the Towpath with my squad. I remember the day. It was a beautiful day. We were chasing each other back to the parking lot, pushing hard through the last mile. My knee buckled. It felt like if I hadn't twitched just right, it could have given out on me, but also that of course I would twitch right. There wasn't anything else to do. Alternately, I might have described it as feeling like my left knee was going to fly out of the left side of my leg, just for a brief moment. <br />
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Over time the buckling happened more frequently. Then, running down bridges got dicey. I figured out that if I took shorter steps and tucked my pelvis in as much as I could, I could reduce the frequency of the buckling. Sometimes it hurt more than other times. I had swelling around my left knee after any run. One day in August 2017, Cathy caught up to me on the Towpath. I was walking the last few miles back to the parking lot at the end of a long run. "What's this?" she said. It was pain. Lots and lots of pain. I foam rolled and stretched and backed off some. By New Years Eve (such a memorable run!) I was running 10 miles with precarious form, a buckling knee, and swelling, but not much pain. I thought I was on the rebound.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4PmAkeJ5kVQ/XCVIeeWXdpI/AAAAAAAAUp8/xjwQhUTiHwQwmRraZiAI2h3bMfDwKUtmwCLcBGAs/s1600/NYE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4PmAkeJ5kVQ/XCVIeeWXdpI/AAAAAAAAUp8/xjwQhUTiHwQwmRraZiAI2h3bMfDwKUtmwCLcBGAs/s320/NYE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NYE 2017</td></tr>
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I ran the Hermes 10 Miler with Candice in April. The last few miles were questionable. Then in May I paced Cathy to a sub-2 Cleveland Rite Aid half. By mile 9 my knee was having those moments, but now they hurt. I tucked and tried to ignore the pain. I could push through. It would be fine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UPYw6zEBrio/XCVJh2Tqk9I/AAAAAAAAUqE/dikzFRdacMYDjODH1ueQiZIsBSZJ0IXIgCLcBGAs/s1600/LikeAGod.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1438" height="315" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UPYw6zEBrio/XCVJh2Tqk9I/AAAAAAAAUqE/dikzFRdacMYDjODH1ueQiZIsBSZJ0IXIgCLcBGAs/s320/LikeAGod.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermes 10 Miler 2018</td></tr>
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I continued more or less in this way until August. But, strangely, over time I noticed that foam rolling was doing less and less for me. There was no pain in my left quad or IT band. I didn't understand it. If my left knee kept swelling, how was foam rolling not helping? Stretching seemed to help, but only for very short periods of time.<br />
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In mid-May my massage therapist observed that my left leg appeared to be longer than my right, caused by having a hip out of joint. She was positive this was my problem. She referred me to a holistic well-being PT-ish person. He agreed with the massage therapist's diagnosis and "adjusted" me. My gait seemed to change after that, with my left foot insisting less often on turning out. This seemed to make sense to me, but at the same time, I saw a lot of red flags about this provider. This was late May. <br />
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In August I attended the third of a three-part trail race series. The August event was 5.2 miles or so. At almost exactly the half-way point, I stepping up and over a root, and something gave out. Suddenly and completely, I could not run. Even a little. My friend Candice passed me and asked if I was OK. I was not OK. She finished and came back to get me. She encouraged me to run even the last tenth of a mile. I couldn't do it. Very simply, this was the day I broke. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-587Do0oRhtw/XCVK9UESNkI/AAAAAAAAUqQ/wE_lg0NFNYogXzdQzcXHrJkp_ac2oJj2wCLcBGAs/s1600/FullMoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-587Do0oRhtw/XCVK9UESNkI/AAAAAAAAUqQ/wE_lg0NFNYogXzdQzcXHrJkp_ac2oJj2wCLcBGAs/s320/FullMoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of our Full Moon crew, at the June race</td></tr>
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I hobbled around for days, and I mean, <i>hobbled</i>. I awoke at night from the pain. My (new) massage therapist nearly bust into tears when she got into my quad a few days later. She wasn't sure if I had been out of joint, but she was sure I was a mess and was at a minimum over-rotating in my left hip. She referred me to a PT in my neighborhood.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As a brief aside about how broken our medical system is, the PT said her company took my insurance. And they do. Just not my employer's version of that insurance. So I called the insurance's preferred provider to find out how I could be seen. They said it would be 5 weeks before I could be seen by the person who could then refer me to a PT, and no word on how much longer than that it would take to actually be seen by a PT. Not solely for this reason, but in part, I elected to continue to pay privately to see the PT in my neighborhood and not even bother with the insurance. I would see her 5 times before I'd even get a referral through my insurance. That's a broken system.*</span></i></div>
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My PT saw me for the first time in late August. She later admitted she did not know then what my problem was. There was a lot going on. And, I was really, <i>really </i>weak. She had me sit on the edge of a table and raise my left knee. She pushed down on it and told me to resist. I couldn't. She had me do a series of fairly simple exercises. I couldn't. There was pain and swelling. She gave me exercises to do twice a day everyday. I thought I was making great progress! Only later did she tell me how pathetic those first few visits were.<br />
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Complicating all this, I had knee surgery when I was 14, which left me without feeling on the left side of my left knee. There was some concern that because I lacked the nerve endings on the side of my knee, my body and brain had no way of communicating about repair. Just...awesome. And if I'm being super honest, I was terrified that whatever happened when I was 14 happened again, and what if it was something that can't happen twice without ending your running life? I worried about this. A lot. <br />
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Weeks of PT focused on my quads, calves, hamstrings, hip abductor and adductor, glutes, lower back, and IT. <br />
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In mid-September I tried to run 1.5 miles. It was....weird. Probably it had happened before and I hadn't noticed, but I could feel the tendons rolling all over my left leg. That's right. Tendons rolling. In my leg. While I ran. <i>My IT band was too loose</i>. I didn't know that was possible. Literally never heard of it. This is why foaming rolling did nothing. <br />
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My PT told me I could build up, half a mile at a time, after each distance had gone well at least twice. Over time and attempts, I felt the tendons rolling less often. Be early December they had stopped rolling all together. Rebuilding went mostly smoothly. Mostly. One day while attempting 3.5 miles, something in my knee felt like it shifted right, and I was done. It hurt, badly, for several days. Other times I have inconsistent aches and pains, but those worry me less.<br />
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By mid-October I was joining friends for short runs again. Candice was really great about it the first time I tried to go and just couldn't. I was so disappointed. But I kept trying, and we got there. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5GcM6eJhU_c/XCVNg3m5cvI/AAAAAAAAUqc/l-mB9gKKYHscMt4V3OPHRPk-U4zwyickgCLcBGAs/s1600/20181018_083723%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1398" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5GcM6eJhU_c/XCVNg3m5cvI/AAAAAAAAUqc/l-mB9gKKYHscMt4V3OPHRPk-U4zwyickgCLcBGAs/s320/20181018_083723%257E2.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Dena and Candice in October</td></tr>
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<b>Most disgustingly,</b> through some back and forth between my PT and massage therapist, I learned that at some point, my left quad realized things were going badly. The response? It threw down an extra attachment point. You know, the attachment points at my hip and knee just weren't doing it, so now I got an extra one--three, actually, close together--mid-thigh. Not only is getting these bumps to release difficult, but my muscle between them had atrophied. Just f**g great. <br />
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By the time I learned that tasty tidbit, I had a lot of questions. Was my hip ever out of joint? How much work will it take to get my mid-thigh anchor point to release? Have I torn my meniscus in the process? Time will tell. Will I run a full marathon again? I don't know, but I sure hope so.<br />
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While recovering, I have joined a gym. It's taken a while, but I am finally getting into something of a routine for strength training. I'm not good at it and I don't enjoy it (there I go sugarcoating), but I need to do it. I've also spectated some races, because if I can't run them, why not cheer?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cWirHqw-Qwo/XCVPwN1zQpI/AAAAAAAAUqo/NuHA49vRFM8Ib-Pw5k5S8cZgWrw7zOtUACLcBGAs/s1600/20181104_093034_HDR%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cWirHqw-Qwo/XCVPwN1zQpI/AAAAAAAAUqo/NuHA49vRFM8Ib-Pw5k5S8cZgWrw7zOtUACLcBGAs/s320/20181104_093034_HDR%257E2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheering on Candice at Autumn Leaves.</td></tr>
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<b>As of today</b>, I have built back up to 6 mile long runs and I ran a fast 4.5 earlier this week without pain during or after. I am clearly on my way. I have zero swelling post-run. My knee has not buckled in months. Tendons have stopped rolling around. The extra anchor point is, at least, much smaller, although I'm not sure it's totally gone. I'll take it. This is HUGE progress. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu3vEEcMCeE/XCVQNfItVJI/AAAAAAAAUqw/lg0yLxMA4Zoha9EKlr7CPRF-9BNsngLJACLcBGAs/s1600/Towpath_16Dec18b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="639" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu3vEEcMCeE/XCVQNfItVJI/AAAAAAAAUqw/lg0yLxMA4Zoha9EKlr7CPRF-9BNsngLJACLcBGAs/s320/Towpath_16Dec18b.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these girls. They have been nothing but patient and encouraging as I've slowly rebuilt.</td></tr>
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<u><b>Lessons Learned</b></u><br />
<b>Lesson #1. </b>Guys, for the love of all things, cross-train. You know those Runners World videos you see and think "oh that seems great!" and then don't do? Do them. Think, "hey, I've been running for years without cross-training much and it's been fine. Why bother?" Wrong. Do it. Think once a week yoga is enough? It isn't. Really really. Work on strength. <br />
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<b>Lesson #2. </b>I used to think Physical Therapists weren't very helpful. Why? After having my first kid I had some lower back pain. I went to a PT who handed me a single Xeroxed page of exercises I could <i>easily </i>have guessed from the Internet. Not. Helpful. This time around, I was lucky to find a great PT who really worked with me to ID the problem and build a plan to fix it. I am eternally grateful to her.<br />
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<b>Lesson #3. </b>If you can find a massage therapist and PT who work well together, keep them. This turned out to be helpful. If not, ask your massage therapist for language to give the PT about what they believe is going on, and vice versa.<br />
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<b>Lesson #4. </b>Last, but definitely not least, if your squad is willing to encourage you and work with you to rebuild, keep them. They are freaking gold. I really don't know what I would do without my running crew here, from the ones I see every week to those I see once every few months. Nothing but supportive. <br />
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I'm not sure what my running goals are for 2019 yet, except to continue to rebuild from this awful setback. I'm signed up for a few races, but am still holding back to see if I think I can really train for something big. I can honestly say right now I'm thankful to be running at all. It makes my heart so happy, and I appreciate it all the more after not knowing what would happen. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-32794966246332704432018-07-01T20:18:00.000-05:002018-07-01T20:26:40.664-05:00June Recap: I What?!?I have zero clues how it's July already, but alas. Summer, slow down! (said every academic ever). Welcome to the June recap.<br />
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Yeah, guys, June was not like any month in recent history. Even the summary stats show that:<br />
<i>Total miles: </i>50. Fifty. I don't want to talk about it, but we're going to. <br />
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<i>Yoga classes: </i>3. Still with the hour-long format and loving it.<br />
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In early June I continued to experience pain around my left hip. I had visited my sports massage lady in late May, and she'd referred me to a "holistic PT" near here, swearing he was some kind of miracle worker. I scheduled an appointment for June 13.<br />
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The appointment took about half an hour. Since he doesn't take insurance this turned out to be a very expensive half hour in which I learned that my pelvis has been out of joint for almost a year. My what? Did what?! The PT took a <i>little </i>too much interest in listing the ways this might have happened and the ways I might avoid it. Some were exactly what you're thinking. One was "did you have big babies?" To which I replied "Yes, but the youngest is six. I've run 5000 miles or so since then. He didn't do this." And I called him an evil son of a bitch when he told me not to run for 2 weeks.<br />
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Sidebar--I cannot take seriously anyone who sells a book they wrote about the power of your primal instinct against pain. If writing such a book doesn't already appear in the <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/how-to-ruin-a-date-with-an-academic-in-5-words/55547" target="_blank">ways to ruin a date with an academic</a>, it should. So it's possible I didn't entirely believe the running embargo was necessary.<br />
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He also told me to avoid anything like lunging or walking on uneven surfaces. I responded by promptly going hiking with my friend Tina.<br />
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And then rock climbing in West Virginia for 3 days, which was mind-bendingly amazing, followed by hiking up Spruce Knob. The WV trip was among the best weeks of my life. Absolute magic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the summit of the south peak of Seneca Rocks--the highest technical peak in the eastern US</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son at the summit of Spruce Knob, the highest mountain in the state</td></tr>
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So, I didn't <i>exactly </i>follow the PT's orders, but I also wasn't about to change up my trip, and I'm not sure how much I believed him. Since this happened I've learned that it's fairly common for runners AND yogis to pop out of joint. I've now heard one story of a runner getting adjusted in the <i>middle </i>of an ultra trail race, and another of being casually put back in joint on a massage table at a race finish line.<br />
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I tell you this to say two things:<br />
<ol>
<li>If you hurt and foam rolling doesn't help and massage provides only temporary relief, go see a PT sooner rather than later. I wish I'd seen one six months ago. Truthfully, a foam roller and/or massage therapist had never failed me. Ever. Until now. </li>
<li>It's way more common than you might think. Or at least, way more common than I thought. </li>
</ol>
In happier running news though, a bunch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIO6HHIdW04/Wzl-pw5WD2I/AAAAAAAATTY/erLwWQOWA2QxPWPtbCil5GRzhkuorpJiQCLcBGAs/s1600/BigRun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIO6HHIdW04/Wzl-pw5WD2I/AAAAAAAATTY/erLwWQOWA2QxPWPtbCil5GRzhkuorpJiQCLcBGAs/s320/BigRun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Big Run in early June</td></tr>
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Then, Rachel and I kept our June streak alive. Before the running embargo, my Dad and I planned a very last minute trip to St. Louis for the opera festival. Happily, this was just before Rachel's marathon (WHERE SHE BQ'ED LIKE A BOSS) and I got a few miles in with her. While opera isn't really my jam, the trip was delightful. I got to see dear friends, eat good food, make some memories with my Dad, and soak in a city I so love. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In St. Louis</td></tr>
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Soon after, my friend Katie had her baby. We found her walking at the end of our long run today (July 1), and I got to meet the baby. More on that next month, but can I just say how impressed I am that Katie is up and walking two miles already?! Total badass. <br />
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Then just a few days ago, I ran my third ever trail race, which was a mud bath of epic proportions, and a lot of fun. I signed up for a 3-race series with these beauties and a few other mommas who missed the picture. There are after pictures somewhere, but I prefer to just tell you I had to throw my shoes in the washer. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SU-yNo6U1uM/Wzl_AS0lkMI/AAAAAAAATTg/7FCegFW3SwcXDORsWIntzl6S29fO-aEzgCLcBGAs/s1600/FullMoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SU-yNo6U1uM/Wzl_AS0lkMI/AAAAAAAATTg/7FCegFW3SwcXDORsWIntzl6S29fO-aEzgCLcBGAs/s320/FullMoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Becky, Candice, and Laurie at the Full Moon Trail Race 3-Miler</td></tr>
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Here at the start of July, I still can't run long miles, but when the pain comes, it comes on distinctly differently than before. I'm hoping this means I'm still in joint and my muscles are just adjusting. I'll be going to a less quacky PT in the coming weeks, keeping my fingers crossed, and really working on beefing up my primal instincts. Stay tuned. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-72921239959729669082018-06-02T20:13:00.002-05:002018-06-02T20:13:59.808-05:00May Recap<br />
I started tracking my nutrition again sometime in April, using the app MyFitnessPal. The app offers a lot of functionality. It gives a calorie "budget"--the number I should aim for given my height, weight, gender, and weight goal. The number is based on your standard daily activity level, which it determines based on the type of job you have (on your feet a lot, desk job, etc). You then enter everything you eat. If you exercise, you enter that too<i>, </i>and it adjusts the calorie budget to accommodate the calories you've burned.<br />
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This led to my running 5 days a week. I literally ran so I could eat. I'm that lady. 😂😆<br />
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This brings me to my total miles for the month: <i>120.7</i>.<br />
I'm close to 500 for the year and 7000 since I started tracking! I should hit both in June. <br />
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The most memorable runs were certainly the <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2018/05/cleveland-rite-aid-half-marathon-race.html" target="_blank">Rite Aid Half</a> and my mid-week run to the West Side Market.<br />
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An update on the Rite Aid Half. Remember I reported there was a lot of online complaining about the course and people believing it was as much half a mile too long? I went back and checked my old race data. I learned that I typically run a half (13.1 miles) in 13.19-13.25 miles. I clocked 13.37 at Rite Aid. So, it <i>was </i>a little high for a typical half for me. The race organizers announced later that the turn-around had been misplaced, and the course was 0.18 miles too long. This puts the race right in line with my "normal" GPS error. I respect their effort in double checking and reporting out. <br />
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What's weird about it, though, is that they aren't adjusting people's finishing times. The <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2011/04/race-recap-martian-half.html" target="_blank">only other time I've seen a mis-measured course</a>, the organizers adjusted everyone's official race time down accordingly. Is there a standard operating protocol for when this happens? What have you seen races do elsewhere in this situation? <br />
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My other memorable run: The West Side Market is an absolute gem in Cleveland. It's a publicly owned food market that dates to 1840 and has operated out of its current building since 1912. (Read more <a href="http://westsidemarket.org/about/" target="_blank">here</a>) One day in May I ran from my town to the market to meet my parents for lunch and some produce shopping. The run was perfect and our visit to the market was wonderful. I bought strawberries and made jam out of them.<br />
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<i> </i>I also did my regular long runs on Sundays and met up pretty regularly with Candice, who takes the best silly post-run pictures. The only rule? We never re-take them. One and done. <br />
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Outside of running, I went to two yoga classes. The second one was an hour-long class with an instructor I hadn't had in many months. The class was harder than I expected, which I realized is partly due to the fact that I've been doing 45 minute classes all academic year. Welcome change for the summer. I'm really looking forward to getting stronger through the longer class.<br />
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Otherwise, summer in Cleveland really is the best. There are festivals, races, concerts, and about anything you can imagine, every weekend, all over the metro region. Here are a few pictures from a recent field trip I chaperoned with my older son. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arcade</td></tr>
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I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some other events. I think that's just a sign of a great month. How did your May shape up? Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-30238509106470307742018-05-22T09:55:00.004-05:002018-05-22T09:57:22.526-05:00Cleveland Rite Aid Half-Marathon Race ReportOn Sunday I toed the line at the Rite Aid Half-Marathon. It truly was coming full circle. In 2011 <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2011/05/cleveland-marathon-part-2.html" target="_blank">I ran the full</a>. It was the first time I ever visited Cleveland and I had no idea I'd later move here. Seven years later and here we are, back at that same start line. This is one of those times it's hard to wrap my mind around all the places we've lived and the journey through them all. <br />
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Sunday morning I was up at 4:45 to make sure I got all the way through the routine before leaving to catch the train to downtown at 5:20. The train was surprisingly full--I think I counted ~50 people, and I couldn't see all the way to the back of the second car. The train newbies clutch their singles as they board, because on the Rapid (our train system), you pay when you board when going east, and when you exit when going west, and this is totally unclear unless someone tells you. There is something vaguely charming about the quirkiness of it--of the assumption that people understand it. <br />
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When I exited the train at Tower City (the central hub), it was raining, harder than you'd like if you plan to wait outside at the start line. Instead, I found my way to the bathrooms, because indoor permanent restroom > port-a-potty. Then, as I was about to leave to head toward the start, my Sunday morning crew messaged me to stay put, that they were coming into Tower City and we'd just meet there. We hung around about as long as we dared before heading to the start.<br />
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As we snuck through an opening in the corral gate, moments before the start, I saw my friend Robin who was there as a volunteer, because she's awesome like that.<br />
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Moments later, Cathy, Tina and I were off and headed over the start line. The course wound through downtown and, other than going over some metal grate bridges, was a pretty flat, smooth course. The most noteworthy part of the early miles was another runner.<br />
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There was a woman running with a Cleveland Indians flag. A full flag, on a pole that was several feet long. It said Indians and had a picture of the mascot. I've seen people run with Marine Corps flags, and that I understand. But the Indians?! Curiosity got the better of me. "Did you lose a bet?" I asked her jokingly. She glared at me. "Just a big fan of the Indians? Why the flag?" She replied that they are getting rid of the Chief as the mascot and she is protesting.<br />
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I blankly stared for a moment and moved back away from her. <i>Come again? </i>I thought. <i>You're running in the rain with a generic Indians flag to protest</i>?! Cathy and I just looked at each other. I mean, if you're gonna protest maybe just make it clear what you're protesting? So Cathy and I talked about how people get too wrapped up in things sometimes.<br />
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I was trying to keep us at about a 8:57-9:00 pace throughout, with a planned slower start and to make it up in the middle somewhere. We got wrapped up in the energy of the start, but got into our groove pretty quickly. Here are the mile splits:<br />
<i>Mile 1: </i>8:36<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Mile 2: </i>8:51<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Mile 3: </i>9:09<br />
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<i>Mile 4: </i>8:40 (we had some downhill)<br />
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<i>Mile 5: </i>8:58<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Mile 6: </i>8:52<br />
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In the middle of mile 7 we came around a corner to meet, face-to-face, the course's largest hill. I actually laughed at how unexpected it was, just so all of a suddent. According to my Garmin, even including the last few feet of elevation gain that were really past what <i>looked </i>like the top of the hill, this "monster" was 100 feet in elevation gain. About 70 feet of this came in about a quarter mile. I said out loud, "Can we agree not to complain about this later on Facebook?"<br />
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No, no we couldn't. I've been struggling with all the complaining lately. After the Hermes 10 Miler in April, people took to the Hermes page, the MRTT page, and their own timelines to complain about a hill. For Rite Aid, people complained about all sorts of things, including this "monster" hill. It was a quarter mile. If you spend more than 4 minutes complaining about it, you have spent longer complaining than you did running/walking it.<br />
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People also complained loudly that they thought the course measured long. I find all the casting of aspersions disrespectful to the race organizers. I think they know how to measure a course. If you think the turn-around was wrong, send them a note to double check the placement. My first sub-2 was in a race where the turn-around was misplaced. They acknowledged it and adjusted our finish times. It happens.<br />
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But all the online complaining about things that may or may not be valid, that I find difficult. Guys, MapMyRun is not super accurate! It tends to measure long. Cathy and I ran side-by-side and hers clocked the course at 13.7, while my Garmin measured it at 13.37. Also, the very urban environment is hard for GPS accuracy. I recently ran the Hermes 10 miler in vaguely the same part of town. My Garmin under-measured it by a quarter mile, just due to the hills/buildings/overpasses. All this stuff is legit. And if it isn't, and the course was actually long, they will sort it out. <br />
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We lost a few seconds at the turn-around, which was a 180* turn, but otherwise stayed reasonably close to mile-to-mile goal times through the second half, adjusting up and down for water stops and slight elevation changes. I enjoyed the on-course music and crowd, and by the second half the rain had stopped. It was just a cool, foggy morning.<br />
<i>Mile 7</i>: 9:09 (the turn-around)<br />
<i>Mile 8: </i>8:56<br />
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<i>Mile 9: </i>8:47<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Mile 10: </i>8:58<br />
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<i>Mile 11: </i>9:03<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Mile 12: </i>8:49<br />
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Cathy was going for her first sub-2 half. I've seen her run sub-2 paced 10 milers almost every Sunday for months. Then she goes to races and psyches herself out! Today would be different. I told her I would make sure she crossed in under 2 hours. Over the last few miles she kept asking me, "Are we going to make it?" "Are we still under 2?" ""How much time before 2 hours?" I kept telling her we were fine, even if Garmin error was insane, we were fine! She had this.<br />
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We approached a bridge back into downtown. I reminded her how many times she'd trained over the shorter, steeper bridges on the Towpath, all for this moment. She nailed it. There was a slight incline into the block-long straight-away. We attacked it. She had this. We kicked from about half a mile out. <br />
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<i>Mile 13: </i>8:39<br />
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FINISH: 1:58:27.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie (our very pregnant race crew/cheering section), Tina, me, and Cathy</td></tr>
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I couldn't have been happier to see Cathy reach her goal. She was so well trained and ready for this! I loved getting to be part of it. A runner's first sub-2 is such an achievement!<br />
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After, we were all a little chilly, so Cathy and I found a merch tent. I bought a "Run the Land" t-shirt (LOVE!!) and she bought a nice race sweatshirt. They screen printed my shirt on the spot, so it was even warm when I put it on.<br />
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We tried a couple places for brunch but due to the race route, we found we couldn't get out of downtown headed in the right direction. We ended up eating on the east side, which worked out well to join up with Candice and her daughter. </div>
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All told, what a great race experience. I'm just so full of gratitude for it all.</div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-5215780205920732132018-04-09T20:18:00.000-05:002018-04-09T20:18:30.196-05:00March Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I know, I'm really late. Life has been busy. You know the deal. </div>
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On the running front, soooo much going on in March<i>. </i>Let's start with the big picture numbers:<i> </i></div>
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<i>Total Miles: </i>103 (Hundo club! Yay!)<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Yoga Classes: </i>3 (I missed a week during spring break)</div>
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I had some highlights this month, including a 5-mile race with friends. It was my friend Candice's first race post-injury. It was billed as an obstacle course, which it wasn't. When we arrived no one was feeling it. It was a very cold, very windy day, and we'd be running on the beach of Lake Erie. So....cold wet sand? After a mile we all warmed up and it ended up being a lot of fun. No one was pushing the pace. We were just out to be out and get Candice back out there. We went to brunch after at a place I'd never been. Good food and loved the vibe of the place. </div>
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Afterwards, Laurie went to Fleet Feet and bought three new pairs of shoes because we'd "run on dead fish" during the race. There's a chance she's more focused on clean shoes than I am. <br />
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With Candice back, it meant a return to running in the dark with her. I particularly like this post-run selfie. A beautiful sunrise and a goofy friend. That's a wonderful morning.</div>
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One Saturday we decided to meet at an intersection where we'd never met. I parked part-way between my house and the meet-up spot and ran to meet her. If there's one thing to know about Candice is that she loathes being late. Loathes it. So when our meet-up time came and went and no Candice, I knew something was up. I waited close to 10 minutes. I considered what might have happened, and just started running in the direction I thought was most likely where she'd ended up. We found each other, ran, and got breakfast at a drop-dead amazing bakery. I drank about 30oz of coffee and ate, then decided I should run back to my car. Don't do that. That's dumb. I did that. <br />
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Throughout March, I also continued running about once a week with my neighbor Jake. We've been running together since early last summer. It's been a great way to get to know him, and the accountability of a running buddy is always a good thing. I realized I'd never taken a picture of us. <br />
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My long run schedule got rearranged a few times for different reasons. The last day of March this meant running closer to home. I "picked up" Candice for the six middle miles of this run. I had to laugh when she said "what's two miles from your house" and I knew exactly. Only a runner would know down to 0.02 miles the distance to everything. <br />
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This run was also something of a wake-up call. I felt this run substantially more than most long runs. Why? Because my usual long run has about 75 total feet of elevation gain. Running closer to home means about 300 feet. Lesson: I need to vary my long runs more. Running on totally flat ground all the time is going to make a hilly race feel a lot harder.<br />
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And, we do stuff other than run. Since I realize this is hard to believe, here's a picture. We got together for a glass blowing class on night, then went out for dinner after. We made glass flowers. We got to choose our colors and even the shape of the stem, and the total length (shorter ones if they were ring holders). I would definitely do it again!<br />
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I also ran with my usual Sunday morning crew a few times. I enjoy them so much. For some reason this is the only picture I can find at the moment. I will have to correct that for April.<br />
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-51112644695587696582018-03-05T20:21:00.000-06:002018-03-05T20:21:04.270-06:00February Review<i>Miles: </i>73<br />
I'll be up front: I had some challenges this month. I ended up missing my long run twice--once due to illness and once due to weather. I missed some weekday runs due largely to weather. This was life.<br />
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But then sometimes you run in the fluffy beautiful snow and get frost in your eyelashes and everything is right in the world. <br />
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I had two notable runs. The first was on Valentine's Day. A project I'd had under review for two long, agonizing years at work had finally been accepted. When the email came I got up, changed, and went for a run. I ran fast. I ran happy. I ran 5.6 miles at an 8:12 pace, and was trying to go slow at first. I ran mostly negative splits. It was one of those runs that is everything. You fly, and you smile.<br />
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Then the next morning, I went running with my neighbor. I told him I needed a shake out run after going so fast the day before. We spent it dodging last bits of ice and snow, most of which had melted overnight from warmer temperatures and rain.<br />
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When we got back to our street and stopped at his house, I looked down at my left ankle, which hurt, and was surprised to see it was bleeding. My sock was so short it didn't protect my foot from the top of my shoe, which isn't usually a problem. It hurt to walk. "Should I drive you home?" my neighbor kindly offered. It's about a tenth of a mile. No, I said, I'd just take the shoe off. But then it was weird to walk in one shoe. So that's how I came to walk barefoot in Cleveland in February. <br />
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<i>Yoga classes: </i>5<br />
I attended my weekly 45-minute lunchtime Vinyasa class four times. Man, I love this class.<br />
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I also attended a Yin class with my friend Candice at the end of the month. I'd never heard of it, Yin. In the first 5 minutes I thought, "well, at least it's only an hour I'm wasting." But by the end I was ready to sign up to go back.<br />
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The good: Such.Deep.Stretching.<br />
The bad: I'm just not that into my chakras.<br />
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Runners talk about <i>everything</i>. We talk about poop a lot. We talk about our bodies a lot. We talk about pain, and triumph, and random, mundane things. You know what we don't talk about? Our chakras. Not one time--ever--have I heard someone mid-run be like, "You know, my air chakra is just out of whack this week." No. Not a thing.<br />
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So yinning, what is it? It's holding a pose for 1-4 minutes. You won't sweat, or feel frustrated. You will leave feeling amazing. Try it. If you hate it, it was only an hour. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-36252768190948764732018-02-11T16:37:00.000-06:002018-02-11T16:37:32.746-06:00January Review: A Tribute To Yoga<i>Total Miles: </i>84.9<br />
<i>Yoga Classes: </i>5. This might, in all seriousness, be some sort of record for me.<br />
<i>Other: </i>I went skiing one day with my older son. I love those days so much. <br />
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Before I get to my Tribute To Yoga, a brief review of running.<br />
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Mid-month my friend Candice was finally ready to start re-entry to running, after dealing with an injury. I was happy to meet her one sunny Friday to see how things would go. After a quick 30 minutes we were all smiles. <br />
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People sometimes ask how I manage to run outside in Cleveland in the winter. How do I deal with the weather?<br />
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Sometimes you get lucky and it sleets on your rest day. Often, you suck it up and run on snowy roads or in a snowstorm. When forced to, you get on a treadmill. But sometimes, if you can just wait and go at a different time, either the storm has passed or the roads are cleared. My delightful Sunday run group used this last strategy a few times--just ran later. On this day, I think we started at 4 or 5pm. This is one of my favorite pictures of us.<br />
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<i>My Tribute To Yoga</i><br />
In about 2004, I regularly attended a Pilates class for about a year. A few years later, I discovered yoga, mostly through DVDs I found in clearance bins. I don't, frankly, remember the first yoga class I ever attended. What I am certain of is that I saw a sports medicine doc and a sports massage therapist for a knotted left piriformis early in 2011. <br />
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I went to a few classes in St. Louis, sometimes with my friend Linda. In Utah, I attended a weekly class at my work for about a year, then an early morning class near my house another year. The class was seldom difficult. I enjoyed the feeling I had when I left. But I can't say I enjoyed yoga. It was something I did to avoid injury. I did it because I felt I had to. <br />
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I felt like that until just a few months ago. Back in September, I realized that my knotted piriformis was part of the problem I was having with my knee. I also learned that I'm really tight in places, and that my iliopsoas was really, really angry. Yoga could help. <br />
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I also finally learned the expression "set your intention" for your practice. Prior that, I saw yoga as essentially standing still and sweating while frustrated. I finally grasped that I needed to take yoga <i>inward</i>. That was difficult at first for this runner, who loves to go fast and who is decidedly extroverted. But with practice, I got it. Finally. <br />
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Then, about 3 weeks ago, in mid-late January, my piriformis finally released. After at least 7 years of living with it in a sometimes-painful knot, it finally released. You might wonder how I did this. The answer isn't glamorous: Weeks of sitting on a golf ball for long stretches, then rolling on a pressure point ball until one day, it let go.<br />
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After that, yoga positions that call on hip strength became more realistic, but on my left side, it often feels like there is nothing there to hold me up. Like my body has to learn how to live without the knot now. Like it just stopped trying to build muscle there, because a knot was in the way, or because my body had to compensate for it. But I'm going every week, and I'm slowly seeing improvement.<br />
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What's better? I actually look forward to it now. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-3335971357997397942018-01-01T20:50:00.000-06:002018-01-01T20:56:34.485-06:002017 In ReviewWhat.A.Year.<br />
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2017 was our first full year in Ohio. My highest mileage year ever. A year of new PRs for the 5k and 10k distance. My fifth marathon. New friends. So many other things.<br />
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<b>The Big Picture</b><br />
<i>Running miles:</i><b> </b>1320.6. Highest ever! Woohoo!!<br />
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I can <i> </i>easily pick out some notable events on this graph. For instance, <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2017/05/race-report-canton-hall-of-fame-marathon.html" target="_blank">Marathon #5 </a>happened April 30, and some time off in May. Then, one day in September some pain I'd been having came to a head, and I had to drastically cut mileage, even dropping back from the Towpath Half in October to its 10k distance. I spent November and December slowly building back up. On New Years Eve, I finally got back up to 10 miles for my long run. <br />
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<i>Bike miles: </i>15<br />
Really just biking to yoga class and back over the summer.<br />
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<i>Yoga classes: </i>14<br />
I went about twice a month from June onward. I know it's not a lot, but I'm calling this one a win.<br />
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<b>The Actual Pictures</b><br />
Past the numbers, this year was nothing short of incredible. It started out a little rough, as my transition out of Utah and to life here was a bumpy one in some respects. The year ended on such a bright note--logging ten miles in ten degree weather with a group of funny, honest, strong women I got to know along the way.<br />
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That "along the way" covers so much! It's an odd thing to type, but I feel like I gained a metric shit-ton of wisdom this year. The year brought some preposterously less-than-rosie situations and also some new and renewed friendships that have made my heart so full. <br />
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<i>I learned (or re-learned) how crucial it is to always cheer for
your people. Even if you disagree with them. Especially when you're competing
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So, this should apply to everything. EVERYTHING. It's in economics--cooperative competition makes a thriving set of businesses in a region. In running, Shalene Flanagan <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/11/opinion/sunday/shalane-flanagan-marathon-running.html" target="_blank">taught us about applying this to running</a>.<i> </i>I watched the NY Marathon finish like 20 times. I wasn't misty-eyed you were misty-eyed. It was awesome.<br />
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In general, runners are great about this life lesson. We're conditioned over thousands of miles to cheer for other runners. In November, I ran a local 5k with friends. I paced my friend Candice for the first two miles, and then knew she had it and I wasn't any additional help, so I went ahead. When she later realized I won our age group and she won second, she exclaimed, "You bitch!" with the biggest smile and a congratulatory hug. Because the fact that I ran faster only means she chased me. The fact that my friend Katie runs faster than I do only makes me stronger, because for months I chased her on long runs. Your ability does not diminish me, it makes me better.<br />
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This flip-side of this lesson learned is respecting the voice in your head that alerts you to red flags. That tells you that sometimes, other people make you uncomfortable, and you need to respect that and shift the situation rather than ignore it.<i> </i>This year, I gained the confidence--through some hard-learned lessons--to hear that guiding voice, and to set some limits on what I was willing to accept. <br />
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<i>Put yourself out there</i></div>
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Part of the confidence needed to hear that guiding voice is in the willingness to put yourself out there to change your situation, whatever the issue is. Put yourself out there. Try new things. There was so much good waiting for me. I just had to look. Soooo many applications of this this year, but take this picture from early 2017. The hardest part of running in the winter is convincing yourself to just go. Go! And then you go and it's not terrible at all. Look at us. We're laughing. It was cold as $&%^* that day. </div>
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Such a theme of my year. Where I felt overwhelmed by getting to know neighbors in 2016, I embraced it in 2017. When I missed a long run one Saturday this past summer, I joined up with a group I didn't know (through MRTT) on Sunday, and began forming friendships that have come to mean so much with an amazing group of women. And when I had the courage in other situations to say, "hey, these things don't sit right with me," I found support and more doors opening than closing. </div>
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<i> </i></div>
<br />
<b>About Those PRs</b><br />
The 5k PR happened by accident, pacing my friend. After that I realized I hadn't run a 5k literally in years. YEARS. So this is a goal for 2018--to race one for real and see what happens.<br />
<b> </b><br />
I PRed the 10k twice this year. First, at the Hofbrauhaus 10k in August. I had a head cold which slowed me down, but I was happy with the results. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Cathy at Hofbrauhaus</td></tr>
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Then, one day on a long run, some pain I'd had for months just came to a point where I couldn't keep it at bay any longer. Cathy found me walking back to the start during a long run. "What's this?" she said as she came up to me. I told her I was in pain. This was September. On the last day I could, I dropped my Towpath Half registration to the 10k. I wasn't sure I could even do that without hurting, but I did (you can read about that <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2017/11/october-ish-recap.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I won my age group and PRed, both of which were a surprise. I turned in a 48:13 that day, and while I'm sure I still have more to give at that distance, I'll take that one.<br />
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My long run group was in full force that day, a few of us PRing and
cheering each other in. My friend Kelly came from WV which made me so
happy, and I got to watch her turn in her first sub-2 half.<br />
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But then, despite a consistent training cycle, I did NOT PR my spring marathon. Because it was 86* and sunny. But that's the thing about marathons--there is no certainty. I'm not sure I'll re-attempt that one in 2018, but I will go for a half PR for sure.<br />
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<b>Looking Ahead</b><br />
I finished<b> </b>2017 feeling so hopeful. I have come to love Cleveland, and it has come to be my home. As a family, we have found our people in our neighborhood and elsewhere. Maybe it sounds corny, but my heart is so full ending this year--full of thankfulness for our street and our neighborhood, full of love for this crazy tribe of runner women I've come to be part of, full of appreciation for other aspects of life that have nothing to do with running.<br />
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So, 2018, I'm coming for that 5k PR. I'd love another 10k PR. And I'd most of all love a 13.1 PR, but that one will be difficult. I'm going to have a great time trying. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-7013665834977493602017-12-01T20:36:00.001-06:002018-02-19T13:47:16.185-06:00What I Learned Through Helping a Mentally Ill Person for a YearThis post has taken me more miles of solo running to work through than perhaps any other in this blog's history. It's not running related other than I've used running to work through it. It is, however, important. It is important that as a society we permit mental illness to be discussed without shame. I can only hope my words help achieve that goal, or help someone else in the effort.<br />
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I listened to and tried to help a friend suffering from mental illness for a year. We'll call my friend Pat. At first I didn't know it was mental illness. At first I only knew Pat was going through a rough period in life. At first, because it isn't in my wiring to realize it, I also did not realize the role narcissism played in Pat's mental illness. To summarize an incredibly complex story, after a year, a group of friends working with Pat attempted an intervention, to push Pat toward professional psychiatric assistance. It did not go well, and afterward Pat lied to us about seeking treatment we came to learn Pat did not actually seek. Out of exasperation, exhaustion, and sadness, we all cut ties with Pat. We blocked Pat on social media and via phone. <br />
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The year took a lot out of me. It wasn't anything I wasn't happy to give for a friend, and I'm not sorry for trying. But it was emotionally exhausting in a way I'd never experienced. It's taken me a long time to process the lessons learned from this experience.<br />
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I have no training in psychology or any health field. I offer you no warranties about my experience. I have no credentials to support the labels I have affixed to Pat (depressed, narcissistic). I offer this because I went looking for help online and found things like this helpful. Here's what I learned from a year of trying to help Pat. <br />
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<b>1. Do not expect any of it to make sense</b><br />
Pat's downward spiral started with one self-constructed lie, told to
heal an old wound and with flagrant disregard for reality or realistic
expectations. Pat engaged in some very bad and life-altering behavior as a result of
believing this lie. Pat was burned by this behavior. Pat could not
accept that the behavior had been bad, that the repercussions had been
predictable and warranted. Pat lashed out, primarily by sharing inappropriate information publicly and constructing stories from manipulated parts of other stories. <br />
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<br />
Sharing inappropriate information was shocking behavior from Pat--totally out of character. When I say inappropriate, I mean incredibly personal information about Pat and others. I and others warned Pat--<i>you shouldn't do this, this is too much</i>. I believe Pat's intent was to convince others how upstanding Pat was, and what a victim Pat was. It was shocking. And scary. And weird. And made no sense. <br />
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Like the over-sharing, stories were constructed to portray Pat in a particular way. The story line was made up of elements of real events, but each element had been dissociated from its original context and turned to fit into an image of Pat as a victim and hero simultaneously. The stories became Pat's reality--became Pat's prison of obsession. The stories consumed Pat. There was no relationship with Pat outside these stories. The over-sharing of personal information was sometimes done to support pieces of these stories, which also did not often make sense. <br />
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The stories only made sense if you accepted that they were constructed
to portray Pat as victim and hero, to garner attention and build up
Pat's ego. If you expected the stories to come from reality, that was
another matter entirely. And Pat screamed this story and its new elements 24/7 as they developed. It thickened, and after a while standing at the edge pointing Pat back to the light of reality became impossible. <b> </b><br />
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<b>2. There will be a lot of intentional fishing for the mentally ill person to figure out how to get a rise out of you</b><br />
Any hint at questioning the story was met with brutal and swift personal attack. To get through the personal attacks, I had to embrace the knowledge that they weren't real. Pat probably did not even believe the horrible things said. After watching Pat attack someone else, I realized Pat had been fishing for some time, just slipping bits of bait into conversation to see what would get a reaction, then waiting. Example: When Pat saw someone hesitate to discuss domestic violence, Pat remembered it. Pat later accused that person of having had domestic violence in her life and wasn't Pat a great friend for not having judged her for not dealing with it, and how dare she judge Pat for Pat's life. This had the desired effect of temporarily disarming her. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>3. Someone has to want help</b><br />
Yes, we've all heard this before. I did not fully appreciate that it also means <i>you cannot talk someone into wanting help. </i>Remember, you cannot expect the thoughts and actions of a narcissistic, mentally ill person to make sense. That means you cannot logically outline the reasons they should seek help. Logic will not apply. You also cannot appeal to the emotions of a narcissist to get help, because a narcissist believes they really are special and above others. The desire for help has to come from within them. They have to want it, and you cannot make them want it. <br />
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<b>4. Sometimes, there will be nothing you can do</b><br />
This one was the hardest for me by a wide margin. If you haven't gathered already, I'm pretty logically oriented. I see problems, I evaluate their possible solutions, and I implement one. In this scenario, it felt like knowing the wiring in your house was unsafe and doing nothing. <i>Actual people</i>, multiple actual people, felt unsafe. I worried about Pat's physical safety. We tried all possible avenues to get Pat help, even a few avenues we just forced to exist out of desperation. It was incredibly difficult to accept that there was a problem of actual human safety and well-being--a problem I could see and explain clearly--and no viable solution. <br />
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<b>5. Getting out is hard</b><br />
I have yet to meet a narcissist who does not want to control others. I have garden variety narcissists in my life in other capacities and struggle with this with them. Some do it passive aggressively. Some forcefully. Some by manipulation. But they all do it.<br />
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Pat was no different. Pat wanted our attention unconditionally and at all times. We tried to remove ourselves via silence, but Pat was relentless. We asked Pat to stop contacting us. It went poorly. It was painful. But when you tell someone they don't own you and they respond poorly, that has to tell you that leaving was the right choice. It was for us.<br />
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At the end of all this, would I do it again? Yes. I would hope anyone would. Part of our job on Earth is to care for our friends. But I would look for clues more wisely than I did before. I learned a lot about self-care through this. It's real. It's important. Sometimes caring for others can gut you. There has to be a limit, and you have to know when you've reached it. It's something I'm continuing to learn. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-69667319542772494602017-11-01T20:57:00.000-05:002017-11-01T20:57:07.252-05:00October-ish RecapBack in September I started having real trouble with an injury coming out of my left hip. The strain wasn't new. I'd been struggling to contain it most of the summer. But then one day, I just couldn't any more. I couldn't keep my left knee from turning out. I couldn't take shorter steps to keep it from wanting to slip. I couldn't hold the pain at bay. So to make a long story short, I eventually downgraded my registration for the Towpath Half to the 10k. It's why I never posted a September recap. It was such a disappointment after a great training season. <br />
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Despite rest, yoga, and limited massage therapy, the problem hasn't gone away. So...October was pretty low mileage. Let's be real about this for a moment. Yes, I was bummed to miss cool mornings and fall foliage. But...after 9 straight months of training, the mornings sleeping in weren't so bad either.<br />
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At the end of this, I ran <i>way </i>more miles in September than in October. It sounds better if I tell you the 2-month total: 186. Let's go with that.<br />
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The highlight of my October was certainly the Towpath 10k. My friend Kelly and her older daughter came from West Virginia, and this was running gold. Kelly started running relatively recently and has gained a ton of speed in a short period of time. I see pictures of her smiling during races. We've talked at length about training. In short, it's been fun to watch her take on running, and even better to get to share a weekend.<br />
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The other reason I loved this race day: my Sunday running group. We coordinated logistics and cheered each other on. They are wonderful. <br />
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On Saturday Kelly and I went to packet pick-up, where we ran into Cathy. We picked up some goodies, our bibs, all the hoopla. There was a sweetly presented yet quite confusing promotion about pee cups. Since Kelly lives in WV, she doesn't have a local Athleta (true story: I was 20 before I saw a Gap), so we went to the mall for a bit. Ice cream was involved.<br />
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Then, because we're both 10s on the Type A scale, we were up, dressed, and out of the house ahead of schedule on Sunday. We met my friends to switch people between cars, Kelly with them to the half-marathon start and Kathy with me to the 10k start. We headed to the parking and our starting lines. Kathy and I stretched, as we were both having some issues. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LXwwgArNAvE/Wfp0rZYKllI/AAAAAAAAQnM/ZHuSHO4t6KocNdNmut1yPM8uyXqJeE7kACLcBGAs/s1600/20171008_073113%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1026" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LXwwgArNAvE/Wfp0rZYKllI/AAAAAAAAQnM/ZHuSHO4t6KocNdNmut1yPM8uyXqJeE7kACLcBGAs/s320/20171008_073113%257E2.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>At the start line</i></td></tr>
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Race day weather was outstanding. It had rained the previous day, which kept the dust down on the Towpath. It was cool and beautiful. I felt good. Somehow, magically, probably from adrenaline, my knee/hip didn't give me trouble. I used my old mantras, and reminded myself how many hours I'd trained for these minutes. That it didn't matter if I was tired. I just pushed, and enjoyed it.<br />
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I came in at 48:04, which was enough to win my age group. Go me!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With my age group award</i></td></tr>
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I went through the finishing area and came back around to cheer in my friends. One by one they came in, with two setting their first sub-2 hours half times, and getting new PR's in the process! That's a big day for any runner, and I was so pleased I got to be part of it for them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XB_5O5HkrLE/Wfp2t02M7AI/AAAAAAAAQnc/KIbJfTbQgNQpLTKclpG1t1VgbZrEF4VWgCLcBGAs/s1600/FB_IMG_1507483201690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1440" height="177" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XB_5O5HkrLE/Wfp2t02M7AI/AAAAAAAAQnc/KIbJfTbQgNQpLTKclpG1t1VgbZrEF4VWgCLcBGAs/s320/FB_IMG_1507483201690.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Front, left to right: Kathy, Katie, Tina, Cathy<br />Back: me and Kelly</i></td></tr>
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Once everyone was in, Kelly and I went to the Park's general store (which is completely adorable) to buy a cup of coffee. She said she'd dropped her debit card and cash when she'd gotten her fuel out of the zippered pocket of her water bottle mid-race. As I was paying for our items, the cashier asked if it was together and I mentioned her loss. The cashier replied that someone had turned in both items. We found our way to the lost and found and--yes--there they were! The lost & found people were as happy she turned up there as we were someone had turned in her items. The running community is great.<br />
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After lunch at one of my family's favorite spots, Kelly and her daughter were headed back home.<br />
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The rest of October was low-key. I didn't run a whole lot. My last run of the month was in cold rain. Because the forecast said 5% chance of rain but it's Cleveland so.<br />
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Moving into November, I'm hoping my hip/knee will find some peace. I'm enjoying yoga in the meantime though. I've gotten onto going to a place by my work over lunch time, sometimes with another running friend. There's a nice studio near my house too, and I go there sometimes. It's taken years--literally years--but I do finally actually enjoy yoga! It's possible.<br />
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That's the recap! I'm hoping for a few more miles in November. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-37721174841503371722017-09-01T15:59:00.001-05:002017-09-01T15:59:32.560-05:00August RecapIt's September 1. This morning I ran with my beloved purple plaid arm sleeves and a tank top, and this evening I will change out my summer wreath for a fall one on my front door. Summer is over. Yes, I love summer. I'm an academic--of course I love summer. But fall running is the best. The leaves. The cool mornings. The races. Love.it.all. So here's to putting a bow on a pretty spectacular August.<br />
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<b>Early August</b><br />
The first week of August led up to the Hofbrauhaus 10k, which holds a special place in my heart. Last year I ran it just to see if I was fit and uninjured enough to hold a sub-9 minute pace for 6 miles. I loved the super flat, out and back course, and the post-race party. I looked forward to race registration all winter, and was delighted when my MIL paid for my entry as a birthday gift.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Pre-race with Cathy, part of my Sunday morning crew<u><br /></u></span></td></tr>
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When August rolled around this year, I'd set my sights on really racing it, with a goal of running about a 7:30 pace. Mother Nature had other intentions, and saddled me with a terrible cold. I was not able to run my desired pace, but I was thankful for the opportunity to race.<br />
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After the race I heard an announcement about checking your finishing place at a tent. I was curious how I'd done. I made my way over and had to laugh when the guys' side had a really long line and the women's had about 5 people--it felt like justice for women's restrooms (and, ok, maybe a testament to the male ego). I checked my place and was surprised to learn I'd placed second in my age group!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">I'll take it!<u><br /></u></span></td></tr>
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<b>Mid-August</b></div>
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By mid-August, to focus on the positive outcome of a fairly terrible story, I had the occasion to reconnect with some wonderful ladies I used to run more with than I had recently. We planned a Dash & Dine, which is exactly what it sounds like. I had so much fun. I really missed this group. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin somehow escaped the photo op</td></tr>
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Also, mid-month, I did my first speed work in several months. It was 800s, which I <i>love </i>doing. I was at the end of my cold and wasn't sure if my lungs were ready to be pushed that hard. I hit my target paces. I also wondered if my neighbors thought I was crazy as I kept running around the block.<br />
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<b>Late August</b><br />
By late August my Sunday morning group found ourselves in the dark at 6am. The first time this happened we just ran together until the horizon lightened enough to let us see our surroundings better. After that we decided to meet a little later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">We clean up ok! Missing Katie's mom and Cathy though</span></td></tr>
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I've enjoyed my Sunday morning group so, so much. I admire and have fun with the women I run with, and the place we run at is absolutely beautiful. The last few weeks we've watched the fog lift off the river as the sun rises and watched egrets (I think) hunt over the water. I've taken in fields full of yellow wildflowers, and along the riverbank, beautiful wild lilies. This is an easy place to love. <br />
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On weekday runs, by late August I'd mixed things up by running in other neighborhoods a few times. On one of those runs Candice introduced me to one of her running friends who I'd never met. Good times! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting new runner friends</td></tr>
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<b> Looking forward to September</b>, I have a month full of training leading up to the Towpath Half in early October. I'd love a PR but will settle for a course PR. We'll see how this month goes.<br />
<br />
In summary:<br />
<b>Miles: </b>124.5<br />
<br />
<b>Cross Training</b> <br />
<i>Days lifting weights:</i><b> </b>One! Yikes! I thought I was doing better than this.<br />
<i>Yoga: </i>Twice.<br />
Ok, so clearly the bump in miles this month meant less cross-training. I will try to do better on this in September. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-91010455609506079652017-08-04T12:19:00.000-05:002017-08-04T12:19:15.729-05:00July RecapMy July was everything summer should be--tons of outdoor activities and taking time to try new things. I just missed the 100 mile mark, but not by a lot, and in exchange for more cross-training than I've done in a long time.Welcome to the July recap.<br />
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Variety was the theme this month! I not only attended three yoga classes, but I also did three weight lifting days and started tracking my food intake again. My husband claims ping pong is exercise, so I'm also posting this picture of me playing croquet on the 4th of July.<br />
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Cross training and food tracking comes through commitment and practice. No one wakes up wanting to track their food intake. It takes time. It takes discipline. For me, it's worthwhile when I have a goal, like trying to lose weight, or lose fat, or feel healthier. Introduced to it last winter, I've been using the MyFitnessPal app from Under Armor. It's great--and free! Doing this has encouraged me to try new foods, to reach daily nutritional goals without getting bored with my diet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greek yogurt blended with ice, frozen berries, and 1 tbsp agave syrup</td></tr>
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With weight lifting, I started with a handful of machines at the gym and with truly pathetic weights on them. Over three sessions I added one more machine and increased my weights a little on the others. I lifted a little when we went on vacation, too. There is something satisfying about it. <br />
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And finally, one day I went on an 11 mile bike ride through various city neighborhoods. This was the longest bike ride I'd ever done! It was so fun. My guide for the afternoon was a colleague who knows the city very well and told me all about how various development projects had come together. I have lots of pictures from this day, but will share this one: The house from A Christmas Story. Did you know it was filmed in Cleveland? You can take tours! <br />
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On the running front, I continued meeting my wonderful little Sunday morning running group. Each week we meet and run 10 miles. Sadly I don't have access to a group picture at the moment, or I'd share. I also finally "ran the bridges" downtown, which I also have no pictures of, but thoroughly enjoyed.<br />
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Mid-month I went to Pittsburgh to hang out with my best friend. Our hotel was near the Heritage Trail, which runs along both sides of the rivers and I believe elsewhere as well. I enjoyed seeing some of the sites while only getting a little bit lost. I actually ran across the bridge pictured below, and on the other side saw the Duquesne Incline and Fort Pitt Tunnel. <br />
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On the last day of the month my fall training cycle started. I'm training for a half marathon in October, with a minimum goal of a course PR. The training schedule is tough, but I'm as ready as I'm going to be. I've built a lot of endurance this year. <br />
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<u>In Summary</u><br />
Running miles for the month: 93.7<br />
Weight lifting sessions: 3.5<br />
Yoga classes: 3<br />
Miles biked: 24Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-41697955559219884872017-07-02T10:18:00.000-05:002017-07-02T10:18:20.789-05:00June RecapAfter the <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2017/05/race-report-canton-hall-of-fame-marathon.html" target="_blank">Canton Marathon</a> I dialed it down a notch in May. Ok, a lot. I cut miles by two-thirds and rested. When June rolled around I was ready to get back out there. I had some help getting it done.<br />
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Following in our tradition of The Adventures of Shannon and Joanna*, the first Saturday in June I plotted a route into the city where I met Shannon and we ran a round trip to Lake Erie and back. It brings me more than a little joy that I can run to a lakefront from my house. That's something I've never been able to say. And we had a good time doing it. AND she drove me home, so I didn't have to run back up the big hill.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>If you squint at the background, I promise there's a lighthouse behind us</i></td></tr>
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A few days later my long-time and interstate running buddy Rachel and her incredibly fast friend Barb came to visit while vacationing. Like we do, we ran. June wouldn't be complete without it. I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed this. We've known each other for almost 6 years in which a lot has happened for us both. We have history. We talk deeply. I savor our visits. <br />
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I've talked before about MRTT, which is a national, free running group for women, that has local chapters. It's been among my favorite parts of moving to Cleveland. Women post their plans and look for others to run with. Through this, I found a Sunday early morning running group I've done three longer runs with now. Each week has been a slightly different group of women. I've really enjoyed getting to know them.<br />
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Later in the month I started having trouble with my left quad/knee/foot, which isn't a new thing. While I was running hills in the winter and spring this was less of a problem, but the moment I stop doing things that strengthen my hips and glutes, it's right back. Step 1: yoga. At first because Shannon invited me to a free yoga event downtown for International Yoga Day. I enjoyed this so, so much. Even if I did get bird poop on my elbow. I consoled myself with lunch and beer afterward. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Posted by Lululemon. We're in there somewhere.</i></td></tr>
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This past week I finally went to yoga at a studio near me. It was hard. I needed the ass kicking. I will be returning.<br />
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The thing about yoga, I don't enjoy it. I'm sweating and<i> </i>standing still. I like both but not at the same time. I'm a runner who loves to go fast. And I like to get stuff done--like stuff I can check off a list. That's not yoga. The whole inner world of yoga is something I have to work at embracing. At the same time, I also don't hate yoga. Hot yoga, different story. No love lost there. Anyway, yoga is a thing I do to keep running from hurting me. And I need to keep doing it.<br />
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All told, I turned in this year's 5th 100+ mile month, and by month's end my 2017 miles exceed all of 2016, which is nuts.<br />
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<i>Miles: </i>100.3<br />
<i>Goals for July: </i>Strengthen hips, get left quad/knee situation stopped<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* The Adventures of Shannon and Joanna, which I adore, consist mostly of Shannon graciously showing me all the fun things Northeast Ohio has to offer, and me getting her lost, caught in ice storms, or agreeing while she's drunk to run really long distances the following day. Gradually I'm finding things to invite her to. </span>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-49047463872936794592017-05-03T20:39:00.000-05:002017-05-03T20:39:17.969-05:00Race Report: Canton Hall of Fame MarathonLast week was weird and nice. I slept in. I ate a <i>lot </i>of carbs. I worried. I hydrated. And then it was time to leave for Canton.<br />
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Packet pick-up went relatively smoothly. I, like everyone else, parked illegally in a fire lane. No one seemed concerned. Just like there weren't signs directing us to appropriate parking, there weren't signs telling us where to enter the large school campus to find the expo. I wandered a bit with other people until we saw someone leaving with a bag, and they directed us in. Once inside things were easy.<br />
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I saw Shannon working at a race info table for a fall event. I got my bib and my <i>teeny tiny </i>women's race t-shirt. I had plans to room at a nearby hotel with two other women in my running group (although I'd never met them). Just as I was ready to leave I got a message that they were also at the expo. I met them and a friend of theirs, so we all went to the hotel, got checked in, and headed to dinner.<br />
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We tried an Italian place but, sadly, it was prom, so that was a no-go. We ended up at...wait for it...Cracker Barrel. Fun fact: the Cracker Barrel does not serve pasta. We loaded up on pancakes, french toast, and a few daring souls on meat, and called it a night. (Run group fail on the photo op)<br />
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I stayed up for a while with the girls in my room, watching TV and talking. Checking the weather one last time. Earlier in the week rain had been a huge concern. It looked like we'd clear from the rain, but that it would be in the upper 70's by the end of the race.<br />
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We did our Flat Momma (picture below) and headed to bed about 9:30.<br />
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We were all awake well before 5am Sunday. Our prep worked like a highly choreographed dance, even though we'd only just met. What great girls I got to room with! We were out by 5:30 and headed to the fairgrounds to park and board the bus to the start area.<br />
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Once at the start, we all did what runners do: used the port-a-potties. Stood around nervously. Saw people we knew. Peed again. Took a group picture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MRTT Cleveland, Akron, even a few PGH I think. And a lot of people missed the photo op. It was so much fun meeting so many people I'd only known via Facebook.</td></tr>
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When I lined up, another runner told me the start had been delayed 15 or 20 minutes due to an accident on the Interstate. I later learned this accident snarled the parking situation for at least several hundred runners. We anxiously waited. And then, we were off. I was sort of in disbelief that after all the training, it was finally really race day.<br />
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My shins cramped for about the first two miles, but the pace felt fine. I knew the first 4.5ish were pretty flat, so I just settled in an enjoyed it. I saw Shannon and her girls around mile 3 <i>handing out water. </i>This was unexpected. She wasn't signed up to man an aid station. Whoever was signed up didn't show, and since Shannon's awesome like that, she enlisted her tiny terrors and they got the job done.<br />
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Mile 1: 8:54<br />
Mile 2: 8:49<br />
Mile 3: 8:47<br />
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We passed the big hospital, a landmark I knew to look for, and started a gentle uphill. I'd memorized the altitude trends mile by mile. By mile 9 or so we were headed up Market, the bit I knew was the hardest stretch of the whole race. I'd planned for this. I lowered my pace a few seconds.<br />
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<br />Mile 4: 8:48<br />
Mile 5: 8:58<br />
Mile 6: 8:50<br />
Mile 7: 8:54<br />
Mile 8: 8:44<br />
Mile 9: 9:01<br />
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We wound through some neighborhoods and made a bunch of tuns and headed toward the half-marathon finish, near the start line. <br />
Mile 10: 9:14 (I think I paused for a water stop)<br />
Mile 11: 8:58<br />
Mile 12: 8:53<br />
Mile 13: 9:06<br />
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Where I'd hoped to be about 1:54 at the half, I was something like 1:56. I could deal with that. It might be hard to pull off my PR, but I'd easily be under 4 hours and the PR still felt possible.<br />
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And then mile 14 happened. Or, it didn't happen. I'm really not sure. My legs felt fine. My cardio felt fine. And I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my fast miles were over. The forecast has said the heat would come on quickly, and it had. It was hot. It was humid. And that was it. <br />
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Mile 14: 9:15<br />
Mile 15: 9:42<br />
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I saw Laurie at 15.5. She'd made me a sign and I LOVE HER FOR IT to get my PR. I saw it and just shook my head, and told her that had ended about a mile and a half earlier. Oh, how I wished that weren't true. <br />
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So here's what I'll say for me in this scenario. I can't say I wasn't well-hydrated. I can't say I didn't have enough carbs, or that I wasn't prepared, or that I wasn't rested. In fact, I was really well prepared for this situation. A few faster people I knew ended up only slowing their races by 5-10 minutes, but I think they were the exceptions. For a while I kept mile times respectable by running slower and walking through water stations. <br />
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Mile 16: 9:49<br />
Mile 17: 9:36<br />
Mile 18: 10:33<br />
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And then I....well....let's just say it involved my asking a police officer not to arrest me. <br />
Mile 19: 15:54<br />
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After that, strictly owing to the amount of time I'd already been on the course and the heat, there were no points to be won. There was nothing that could be done to salvage a time I wanted. My goal became finishing without getting sick, and that meant more walking. Everyone was walking. <br />
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Mile 20: 11:04<br />
Mile 21: 11:29<br />
Mile 22: 11:37<br />
Mile 23: 11:09<br />
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Somewhere around mile 24 I found Shannon again. I'd actually seen her once earlier, arguing with a man who was just determined a road wasn't open (it was) and nearly getting arrested for being belligerent about it. But anyway, mile 24, she'd been looking for me long enough that she'd set a time, and if I hadn't shown up by then she was calling the med tent to see if I'd checked in somewhere. I was fine, I was just slow. She had her girls in the double stroller and they jumped in with me. SO MANY PEOPLE asked if she'd done the whole race with the stroller. After a bit, someone would start to say something and we'd both just reply "<b>no, </b>she's just with me for a few miles!"<br />
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And let me say, thank God this woman had sunscreen in the stroller. The bit I put on my shoulders meant my shoulders were the only part of my upper body that didn't burn. <br />
Mile 24: 12:23<br />
Mile 25: 12:40<br />
Mile 26: 11:50<br />
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Just before mile 26 we found my family. Shannon and her girls jumped out and I grabbed my older son to run me in. I always cry at the end of a marathon, but running down the straightaway holding his hand there was no keeping the emotions back.<br />
<br />
Finish: 4:26:15.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fd5SGT9F4qQ/WQqD_unqdSI/AAAAAAAAN9o/Wlqkx9oHFOMUrvm2WrkGoV9vOFdB92wXACLcB/s1600/20170430_121039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fd5SGT9F4qQ/WQqD_unqdSI/AAAAAAAAN9o/Wlqkx9oHFOMUrvm2WrkGoV9vOFdB92wXACLcB/s320/20170430_121039.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This might be the only photo of either of my children ever to exist on this blog. I just love it so much.</td></tr>
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Was race day what I wanted? No. It was not even my second fastest marathon. And that has to be ok. As a wise friend reminded me, the training and the race are separate events. There is no certainty in a marathon. It just means I'll chase that PR another day.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-86757253850669731762017-04-29T12:18:00.001-05:002017-04-29T12:18:23.519-05:00Pre-race jittersBecause even for Marathon #5, I still get nervous before the race.<br />
<br />
I've enjoyed some great workouts since my Week 14 recap. Shannon ran part of my 12-miler last weekend with me and showed me a new route while we were at it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W1YcHnijSfY/WQTFQt0PSeI/AAAAAAAAN7U/pwWFj7xgDtEHdVVuHpCwKk00uO42sXY7gCLcB/s1600/20170422_081208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W1YcHnijSfY/WQTFQt0PSeI/AAAAAAAAN7U/pwWFj7xgDtEHdVVuHpCwKk00uO42sXY7gCLcB/s320/20170422_081208.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & Shannon. I can't imagine this training cycle without her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wdgDYaxZFNg/WQTFRDsEuJI/AAAAAAAAN7Y/nXGoth06ILEHptaI3wByhgOWiOa9IKvFwCLcB/s1600/20170422_085816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wdgDYaxZFNg/WQTFRDsEuJI/AAAAAAAAN7Y/nXGoth06ILEHptaI3wByhgOWiOa9IKvFwCLcB/s320/20170422_085816.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running here does not suck.</td></tr>
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This week, she ran my last fast workout with me, which was 5 miles with 3 at 8:18. It was a gorgeous sunrise and, after settling into the run, it was <i>so </i>fun to go fast. It was especially fun I think because I knew this was it before the race. I loved it so much.<br />
<br />
And then, just a few easy miles from there until tomorrow--race day.<br />
<br />
Mid-day Thursday I switched to carb loading, following an article I got several years back in Runner's World--the same plan I used before my last full marathon (fall 2014). I have to say, I had a much harder time with it this time around. My diet has changed since 2014 to where I just don't eat as much sugar or as many carbs as I used to. Switching to an almost-all-carb diet has been difficult, even for such a short period of time. I've had to scale back from what the plan recommends, and eaten more "real food" to keep my body happy. But, I've eaten enough to say I've carb loaded. Hopefully it's enough. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qc4TpJKw_s/WQTGqnNIwHI/AAAAAAAAN7s/DtorZuB32HIDajC-zKZNjDy1F2cTs-HkQCLcB/s1600/20170427_120222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qc4TpJKw_s/WQTGqnNIwHI/AAAAAAAAN7s/DtorZuB32HIDajC-zKZNjDy1F2cTs-HkQCLcB/s320/20170427_120222.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This yogurt is so unbelievably sweet. Like frozen custard that isn't frozen. I'm sure someone can eat this as part of a meal, but it isn't me.</td></tr>
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<br />
In my final act of pre-race over-planning, I've Google Street Viewed the race course so I know what to expect. I did not buy a Pace Band (yes, I know you can do this for free if you're willing to ignore terrain), but I have studied the elevation chart and memorized my mile-by-mile planned pace.<br />
<br />
I've checked the weather hawkishly. Earlier in the week my weather app was sure we'd have an 80% chance of thunderstorms. Fact: I nearly cried when I realized that would likely mean a race cancellation. Luckily, at this point the chance of a storm is pretty slim. Race temps will be in the upper 60s and 70s and probably quite humid. I think I'm as tolerant of heat and humidity as most people (brief aside: Clevelanders love to complain about humidity), and I'm hydrating like a champ today.<br />
<br />
Last thoughts before I pack up and head to Canton?<br />
<br />
<i>I'm nervous.</i> I'm afraid allergies or a cold or something might compromise me. I'm afraid of the weather.I worry that I haven't mentally prepared enough for this race. I'm just nervous. <br />
<br />
<i>I'm thankful. </i>Training for this race has so frequently reminded me how lucky I am to have landed here. I've particularly gotten to know my friends Laurie and Shannon during this training cycle, and hope someday they know what their friendship and support has meant to me. I've gotten to know running routes all over the east side of Cleveland and have come to appreciate how awesomely beautiful many of those routes are.<br />
<br />
<i>I'm so much healthier than I was a year ago. </i>Over the past year I've been able to address some nagging pains and injuries. Training this spring has felt much easier than it did the last time I used the same training schedule, and that encourages me. I've also lost a little weight, largely thanks to changes in my diet.<br />
<br />
That's what I've got. Let's go do this thing. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-6636786255234243162017-04-16T16:31:00.001-05:002017-04-16T16:31:30.984-05:00Marathon Training Week 14: You may saaaaay it's a taperBut when I'm still running 45 miles a week it's kind of hard to see how. Welcome to the recap!<br />
<br />
<b>Monday</b><br />
Today was novel in two regards. First, I'm not sure my calves have ever been this tight. So tight I stopped to stretch them about 3 times in the first 1-2 miles, and even to massage them once. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish my 8 miles. Finally around the end of mile 2, when I stopped at a light for a bit and stretched again, finally they released. Just, wow, though. I think I was trying so hard not to slip on Saturday that I must have changed my gait or something. Who knows!<br />
<br />
The second thing: there was a discarded red apple on the sidewalk in front of the middle school. What better place! It made me laugh out loud.<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday</b><br />
Tuesday morning it was raining, so I stayed in bed and put the run off until Wednesday.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Wednesday</b><br />
I got to go fast. I love to go fast. As I was running fast--and smiling--I thought, today will be the day my co-workers drive past me and wonder why I'm grinning like an idiot while running. I just...I love to go fast.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Thursday</b><br />
Seven easy miles. I did a loop down through the next town over and home. On my way back I saw a small purse left behind on a park bench, near a school. I hesitated. What should I do? Should I take it into the school, in case it's a student's? In case they could check it for ID and try to find the person? I went back and picked it up and opened it. If it had a wallet or phone, I decided, I would take it to the school. It didn't. Just some lip gloss and a few similar items. I hoped it hadn't been picked over already. I hoped no one loved the particular bag a lot.<br />
<br />
<b>Friday</b><br />
I got lost going to Shannon's house, a full 36 hours after telling her we could run near her because I was sure I could finally find her house. Someday, someday I hope to say reliable things to that woman while planning our runs. 2017 is not, apparently, that year. Thankfully my phone had come back the day before so while it had deleted her contact information at least I did have GPS. <br />
<br />
We ran through horse farms. Beautiful, rolling hill, green pasture, mansion-laden, horse farms. The sun was streaming through some clouds. The horses were pasturing while wearing blankets, which I hadn't seen in so long (maybe ever?) I'd forgotten it was a thing they sometimes do. Beautiful morning with a wonderful friend.<br />
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<b>Saturday</b><br />
I realized I've nearly completed this race season and haven't brunched after a Saturday long run even one time. Unacceptable! So I texted Laurie and Shannon Friday night to see who was game. To my great joy, Laurie said she could run a few miles with me. SO HAPPY TO HAVE HER BACK!! So Saturday morning I went to our agreed-upon trail head to run the first 9 solo. In perfect timing, just as I was walking off the trail back into the parking lot, Laurie pulled in. It was so good to see her again. We ran my last 6 together, then headed to brunch.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLpK3_i2b4U/WPKDeSF6mqI/AAAAAAAAN5A/DSaYIEwjRuw3W6PW9ncWkXSF96GYFE3rACLcB/s1600/20170415_103147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLpK3_i2b4U/WPKDeSF6mqI/AAAAAAAAN5A/DSaYIEwjRuw3W6PW9ncWkXSF96GYFE3rACLcB/s320/20170415_103147.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Laurie & me</i></td></tr>
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Both Shannon and my friend Rosie met us for brunch. I <i>loved </i>the place we ate at. Everything looked so good, it was hard to choose. They served the best breakfast sausage I've maybe ever had. What a win.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UhuIe4JkF3U/WPPh25MU8uI/AAAAAAAAN6E/MgDCl2qunK8hcOLc1dvhO27Go8UUAhPVACLcB/s1600/IMG_20901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UhuIe4JkF3U/WPPh25MU8uI/AAAAAAAAN6E/MgDCl2qunK8hcOLc1dvhO27Go8UUAhPVACLcB/s320/IMG_20901.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dream team of strong-willed women</td></tr>
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<i>Total Miles: </i>45<br />
<i>Favorite Run: </i>I loved going fast. I loved the horse farms with Shannon. Laurie was back. This week, I can't call a favorite. There was just too much good.<br />
<br />
Next week I taper in earnest, cutting back more dramatically on miles and effort. I'm ready. <br />
<br />
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-13401910585068361292017-04-10T12:47:00.001-05:002017-04-10T12:47:51.819-05:00Marathon Training Week 13: Rain and snow and ice, oh my!<b>Monday</b><br />
Six easy miles. I told myself to relax, that this is the weekly reset button on running. I did finally relax into it, it just took a little bit. <br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday</b><br />
I'm using my iPad for most things since I currently don't have a phone. I forget that when I sleepily hit the iPad when my alarm goes off, the way I have the settings it just turns it off. And so, I turned off my alarm and slept an extra roughly 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
It was <i>hard</i> to make myself get up. I was over-tired the night before and had slept ok, but not great.I told myself it was probably still raining (it wasn't). I told myself my stomach hurt and I should go back to bed (it did, but this is pretty normal when I first get up when it's super early, and not at all an excuse to go back to bed). I told myself I could switch my rest day (tomorrow) to today and push this back (I shouldn't--it was a tough workout). I fought back against the inner voice and won. I made it to the back door, to my shoes, and outside.<br />
<br />
Two mile warm-up: easy, slow, steady. No big deal.<br />
<br />
8 x 800 Yassos.<br />
Yes. This day has finally arrived.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Yassos: you run 8 800s in the minute:second pace of your hour:minute target race pace. So, if you wanted to run a 4:00 marathon, you'd do Yasso 800s at 4:00 per 800) </span><br />
<br />
In all sincerity, I have been looking forward to this for weeks. I ran 6x800 a few weeks ago, but on a treadmill, which might make it a little easier to pace. Would I be able to do them at pace outside? For 8 of them?<br />
<br />
Yes. My slowest 800 was still a few seconds faster than my goal pace. Success!<br />
<br />
The run did feel substantially harder than my treadmill version had. In part, this was due to wind. In part, I ran the intervals faster. And once, I had to dodge a car. All told, definitely pleased with this one.<br />
<br />
(And those cool-down miles, sooooo slow)<br />
<br />
<b>Wednesday</b><br />
Rest day. Like a mother.<br />
<br />
<b>Thursday </b><br />
This is an actual Facebook Messenger conversation with details obscured to protect the innocent. <b> </b><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">I ran through an honest-to-God thunderstorm. Thunder. Lightening. In the dark. At on</span></b><span style="font-weight: normal;">e point </span>I thought, "I'm not sure it's possible to rain any harder." There was a puddle so big it covered three-quarters of the road; I got lucky though and got to it when there were no cars, so I could walk around it. It was so bad at one moment I fantasized Shannon would just materialize with pastry (because <a href="http://joannaruns.blogspot.com/2017/03/marathon-training-week-8-multicultural.html" target="_blank">she does that</a>) and a dry, warm car (which I knew I was not out at the right time to really hope for). Of my 7 miles, it was raining for about 5. </div>
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I was so wet when I got home that I put my shirt in the bathroom sink. Fact. </div>
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<b>Friday <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6BOHfy5UEAo/WOeQzCTRFuI/AAAAAAAAN3k/or3pdlFMp48ojeHpKfM6Ik_nOcjMuh8qACLcB/s1600/AprilSnow_Edited.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6BOHfy5UEAo/WOeQzCTRFuI/AAAAAAAAN3k/or3pdlFMp48ojeHpKfM6Ik_nOcjMuh8qACLcB/s320/AprilSnow_Edited.JPG" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cleveland: </b>We had a mild winter <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Me: </b>Ok, but can it be done now? </div>
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</b></div>
Later in the day I had occasion to drive through rolling hills and lots of trees. It was gorgeous. Like, the kind of day where people stop and get out of their cars to capture the perfect picture of snow-laden trees hanging over the road. Beautiful. And I did finally get the easy run done. I've lived here long enough to know the roads will be clear by mid-afternoon, so I waited until then. <br />
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<b>Saturday</b></div>
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<i>Plan A</i>: meet a group running a point to point that would end with breakfast. Make new friends! Run new places!</div>
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I got up at 4:30 to get dressed and drive to the meet-up. Because I don't have a phone, I looked up all the directions for the whole round trip. And then realized, I didn't have time. It was 30 minutes from the end back to the cars, and then ~45 minutes back home. And with a group running a variety of paces, I was not going to get home with enough time to shower, eat, and get the rest of the way ready for my younger son's 5th birthday party*, which was at the house. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(*Sidebar: if you're a parent wondering where the hell your kid's invitation was, we tried. He was determined to invite just a few kids from his daycare. How about more kids from your class? No. How about kids from the street? No thanks.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I reluctantly texted my soon-to-be running buddy to cancel. So disappointed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Plan B: </i>Run alone near home. I went back to bed for a while, then got up and ran. I quickly realized the path I usually run on days like this still had too much snow and ice on it and was not passable. I redirected, no big deal. As I do, I circled back to my house at the halfway point to refill water and grab more Gu. I left again and headed north. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">My path north goes through a one-block stretch of road that's currently closed for maintenance, and thus isn't being treated for snow/ice. I walked over the snow and ran where it was clear. Then my feet flew out from under me. It wasn't clear. It just looked clear. A sheet of ice. <i>The good news</i>: my internal monologue reacted well--I knew what to do. Mid-air I was bracing for impact. <i>The bad news</i>: I landed pretty f-ing hard. I groaned. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">A guy heard me. He came running to see if I was ok. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">He fell exactly the same way on the sheet of ice. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">We were both fine. He at least had on a thick hat that probably protected his head, which was my chief concern for me. I noticed shortly after that both hands were bleeding, just a little. I didn't know until I got my shower later that I also got an impressive bruise on my left elbow. Then there were muscle-related responses. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">At mile 20 my left shin clenched hard into a ball. I actually had to walk a few times, and that night it hurt so much I could barely walk. By Sunday morning, and after a good bit of massage, it relaxed. My abs hurt on the left side into Monday. But all told, the incident was more funny than painful. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I finished my 22 miler slower than most long runs, and feeling successful. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It feels weird to say when I'm still running 45 miles next week, but the taper has officially started! It's all downhill to race day. It's hard to believe I've arrived at the taper already! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Total miles: </i>50</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Favorite run: </i>The Yassos, easily. </span> </span></div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-48506905879375470542017-04-02T20:04:00.000-05:002017-04-02T20:04:37.300-05:00Marathon Training Week 12: Sideways<b>Monday</b><br />
I did not even make it off the starting block this week before having to rearrange. My younger son didn't eat much Sunday, tossed and turned a lot Sunday night, and didn't eat breakfast Monday, earning him a day at home. And my husband was out of town. So I had no way to run.<br />
<b> </b><br />
I have a 1-mile time trial later this week. I'll ditch that, move everything back a day, and take today as a rest day. So I'll only miss 1 mile. That's a small price to pay for a maybe vaguely sick kid.<br />
<br />
Also, my phone got stuck in a perpetual reboot cycle, earning <i>it </i>a trip home to ATT to be fixed. I'll be lean on pictures until it's back. Sad face.<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday</b><br />
What a morning. My intention of getting both kids dropped off the minute their schools opened did not happen. I was over-tired and slept a bit past my alarm. And then kids. When you're trying to rush to get out of the house. Glacial. I had them both dropped off and I was back home by about 9:15. I checked work email and took care of a few things, then headed out.<br />
<br />
I was dressed for rain, which meant I was hot for the first half, until the turn-around. It started to very lightly rain at about 5.5, which was fine, because:<br />
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<b>Wednesday</b></div>
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Stilllll sideways. I came home early from work so I could run before picking up the kids. I had 9 miles planned with some fast miles. I got through the 2 mile warm-up and knew I didn't have it today. I suspect running at 4:15 was largely to blame, but who knows. I remembered that I had 6 easy miles sometime later in the week, so I did that instead and called it a day. </div>
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<b>Thursday</b></div>
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It rained all day. ALL DAY. As in, thunder and lightening and heavy rain. So no. That 9 miles I pushed back? Not happening. </div>
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<b> </b></div>
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<b>Friday</b></div>
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Still raining. A lot. </div>
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<b>Saturday</b></div>
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Some hours after my weather app said we'd moved to a 0% chance of rain--<i>zero percent</i>--it was still raining. But by mid-morning it stopped. I spent the morning cleaning the house, and headed out about 2pm for my long run. </div>
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<b> </b></div>
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I was sc<b></b>heduled for 13 miles but was feeling guilty about missing 18 miles earlier in the week. Good news: I can run 13 miles pretty casually. Less good news: I have to think about 16 miles a little bit. I stopped by the house at 11.5 to get water and whatnot, and after that I was entombed in lactic acid that would not go away. I finished 16 miles at a just fine average pace, but I felt it. </div>
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<i>Total miles planned: </i>44</div>
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<i>Total miles ran: </i>29</div>
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<i>Favorite run: </i>I mean, I guess Tuesday, although to be honest it wasn't very memorable. The week just didn't really happen. </div>
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There isn't anything I can do about it, and there wasn't much I could do about it as it was happening. I have to just move on. Next week is another 50-mile week, and with it, my last shot at a really long run before the race. I'm eager to get this coming week right. </div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-16884140650204932062017-03-27T19:37:00.002-05:002017-03-27T19:37:34.499-05:00Marathon Training Week 11: 50 MilesFor, I believe, the third time in my life, I hit 50 miles in a week. Welcome to week 11!<br />
<br />
<b>Monday</b><br />
My weather app did that thing again where it couldn't decide if I was in the clear or would be running in rain and snow. Gun shy after Saturday's hypothermic debacle, I went back to bed, packed a gym bag, and hit up the treadmill later for this easy run.<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday</b><br />
When I stepped outside, it felt like spring. The fog held a chill: damp, quiet, calm. The air smelled of wet leaves. It was dark. My feet crunched on pavement, its occasional gravel under my weight.<br />
<br />
<b>Wednesday</b><br />
Rest day.<b> </b>Brought clothes to do office yoga but ran out of time, so I did it at home in the evening. I used a new workout from doyogawithme. The workout wasn't as fulfilling as others I've used, but I enjoyed trying a new one and getting the benefit of a workout. It's amazing how much even a little yoga can heal things that hurt from running.<br />
<br />
<b>Thursday</b><br />
18 degrees when I stepped outside. I was cold at first, but knew I'd warm up after a mile or two. And oh, these are the mornings I live for. I was most of the way finished before the sun really rose. Before that, I could see hints of light on the horizon, all in shades of blue, leading up to the inky, dark sky and a sliver of a moon over the lake.<br />
<br />
The run felt easier than I expected, all but a small uphill part. I was home before anyone was awake, which let me get breakfast started and clean dishes put away.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq5gXDf4B0Q/WNPkfIPsbBI/AAAAAAAAN1E/xkbl67k_pA0x16JtQO5Nu5jAOV-0-GFrgCLcB/s1600/20170323_075920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq5gXDf4B0Q/WNPkfIPsbBI/AAAAAAAAN1E/xkbl67k_pA0x16JtQO5Nu5jAOV-0-GFrgCLcB/s320/20170323_075920.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmmmm</td></tr>
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<b>Friday</b><br />
Shannon and I met for this easy 5 miler. Well, easy for me. She was pushing a jogging stroller containing 3 and 5 year old girls. Not so easy. But a beautiful cool morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kafCRm3-ZbU/WNmsgsnxljI/AAAAAAAAN2c/InZDF6ZevY0iBkhb2zxX6yWYyI07O4UoQCLcB/s1600/20170324_092337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kafCRm3-ZbU/WNmsgsnxljI/AAAAAAAAN2c/InZDF6ZevY0iBkhb2zxX6yWYyI07O4UoQCLcB/s320/20170324_092337.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There wasn't a memo. We just showed up like this.</td></tr>
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<b>Saturday</b><br />
I must have checked the weather 40 times between Friday afternoon and Saturday. Rain or no rain? Rain or no rain? I finally decided that while it might rain, it looked unlikely to rain until at least 10am. If I started early enough, I could get this 22 miler finished before the rain came.<br />
<br />
But just to be sure, because, lake effect, I told Shannon I'd text her before 6am if plans changed.<br />
<br />
The plan only changed because I was a few minutes late getting out of my house. I ran the same 2.7 miles as last week to meet her. We ran 6 miles together. Without incident. I so appreciated having the company for part of this very, very long run.<br />
<br />
Shortly after parting ways I saw a skunk. I stopped where I was, about 30 feet from it, and let it waddle itself across the road and well into the other side of the street before I proceeded. Without question, and with more thanks than I know how to express here, this was the most disruptive, concerning part of this run.<br />
<br />
I finished out 11.5 miles to end up back at my house. I left a note for my still-sleeping husband, listened to the kids playing quietly, refilled my water, grabbed more Gu, and was back out the door. Down to the lake, a lap around, a lap through Cleveland Heights, another lap of the lake, and back toward the house. I got tired toward the end. Mile 21 was a 9:55 pace.<b> </b>I know enough to harness this as an opportunity to train my brain to deal with fatigue, and that's exactly what I did.<br />
<br />
<b>Total miles: </b>50. FIFTY!<br />
<b>Favorite run: </b>I loved them all. Ok, not Monday, but all the others. Gorgeous sunrise one day. The smell of spring another. Running with Shannon. A successful 22 miles. It's too hard to pick this week. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008167103899987103.post-17962868784829578782017-03-19T21:59:00.000-05:002017-03-19T21:59:36.332-05:00Marathon Training Week 10: The Week I Learned What Lake Effect Actually Means<b>Monday</b><br />
It's spring break at my university, which gave me the luxury of running this 4 miles mid-day. Nice.<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday</b><br />
As the east coast braced for soul-crushing snow, and as my older son's school was canceled, I kept watching the forecast and saying, guys, it says only 1-3" overnight. And guess what? We got about 4" of snow overnight. NBD. But it kept snowing through Tuesday, and the roads weren't great until mid-afternoon, at which point my window for getting 'er done had closed, as I was entertaining the kids. The worst part of the day was that my university also closed, so I didn't have access to the gym to do this run indoors.<br />
<br />
<b>
<b>Wednesday</b><br />
</b>With institutions re-opened, I headed to the gym to get my speed work done for the week. Could I have done it outside? Probably. But, SO COLD. Today was the second time this winter the cold has bothered me, and mostly at this point its because I went ahead and put the Easter wreath on my front door.<br />
<br />
My training schedule sends me to the track only twice in this 16 weeks, and today was the first, for 800m repeats. I dutifully set my treadmill to 0.5%-1% grade (I varied it through the run) to simulate running outdoors. It might still be because I was on a treadmill, but these 800s felt pretty easy. This one was a win.<b><br />
<br />
<b>Thursday</b><br />
</b>I don't watch a ton of tv, but lately when I have, I've been <i>all over </i>the commercials for fried chicken sandwiches. Hell, for almost any food. Today while I was getting my 10 miles of pace running done, my husband picked up lunch. So bad. So good. If there had been two, I would have eaten two.<b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QH5a2P4L9xc/WMv4Y6U64WI/AAAAAAAANzA/9nBZc2zHTJMYiFJhyIPwu3YwNoxt7IYlQCLcB/s1600/20170316_134011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QH5a2P4L9xc/WMv4Y6U64WI/AAAAAAAANzA/9nBZc2zHTJMYiFJhyIPwu3YwNoxt7IYlQCLcB/s320/20170316_134011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My once per year fast food</td></tr>
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<b>Friday</b><br />
</b>The only rest Friday on my entire schedule. And thank goodness, because this body is tired.<b><br />
<br />
<b>Saturday</b><br />
</b>The following are copied and pasted from an actual text conversation: <b><br />
<b><br /></b>
</b><i>Friday 11am</i>: "I'm showing <span class="_5yl5">rain and snow all day tomorrow but clear/foggy Sunday. Unless things change, I will likely do my run Sunday instead."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="_5yl5"><i>Friday 10:55pm: </i></span><span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5">"Now it's saying maybe clear. I'm going to bed now and getting up early to check weather and will decide then."</span></span><br />
<span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5"> </span> </span><br />
<i>Shannon, Saturday, 6:29am:</i> <span class="_5yl5">"Mine is saying rain snow mix for 60-70%."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="_5yl5"><i>Saturday, 8:36am</i>: "</span><span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5">My phone can't decide. I checked twice in the last 5 minutes and it said two different things. It says it's going to rain but the radar looks clear until about 1."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5"><i>Saturday, 9:21am</i>: "</span></span><span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5">I think the weather is going to hold"</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5">So we went. I ran almost 3 miles to a train station where I met Shannon and her bike. She biked and I ran about 3 miles east, where I wish we had aerial video of us going opposite directions around a cul-de-sac, and back. About the time we got back it started to rain/snow/ice pellet. We stopped to take a video and decide what to do.</span></span><b>
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<b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRyX0DMlfnG/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Not counting this as a workout! We quit. We are drinking.</a></b></div>
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<b>A post shared by Shannon (@clerunningmom) on <time datetime="2017-03-18T17:00:03+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 18, 2017 at 10:00am PDT</time></b></div>
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</b>So things weren't good at that point. We hoped the storm was just blowing through, that we were just getting the edge of something nearby, because, THE PREDICTIVE RADAR HAD BEEN CLEAR. I'd checked 487 times. The hourly forecast had been inconsistent but looked like it would be clear. I'D CHECKED.<br />
<br />
So we kept running. The plan was to stop by my house 3 miles later anyway, so worst case, we could bail then if necessary.<br />
<br />
Things did not get better. Things got worse. Much worse. People driving by started staring openly at us, shaking their heads. And, to make matters infinitely worse, neither of us was wearing a jacket. I hadn't had a hat until we went past her car. I was wearing regular, non-thermal, non-water resistant tights. I was wearing my lightest, thinnest gloves. Her feet were wet. I had no money on me. <br />
<br />
We finally arrived at my house and went inside. We plainly couldn't do the other 8 miles. We went upstairs to get dry clothes. After I changed, I found her in my kids' bathroom with her feet in the tub, running the hottest water it would give her. Her toes looked like death. Fully changed, I could not stop shivering. This lasted an hour. Neither of us could have been coerced to change into real clothes or leave again for a while after that. So at some point we gave up on the day and started baking and drinking beer. I missed an event in my neighborhood in the midst of all this and I feel terrible about it. I also missed my husband's first tae kwon do belt test, and I'm sorry for that too. And I'm bitterly disappointed to have not completed a long run. But the day ended many hours later, smiles all around, after our families had a left-overs dinner at our house. The day ended like this. Yes, most of what she's wearing is mine. <i>Especially </i>those slippers.<b><br />
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<b>What I learned</b>:</b> "Lake effect" does not just mean "lots of snow." My whole life, I thought that's what it meant. Lake effect means a storm is moving off the lake and it could end up anywhere, violently, quickly, and the meteorologists really cannot tell you where it will land. That my weather app kept changing its mind reflected this. That we got caught in ice pellets blasting at our faces was the result.<b><br />
<br />
<b>Total Miles Scheduled: </b></b>43<b><br />
<b>Total Miles Ran: </b></b>35<b><br />
<b>Favorite Run: </b></b>No, the long run was not my favorite, but certainly one I won't forget. Ever. And it was an amazing day at the end of the day. <b>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script></b>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603790455041808953noreply@blogger.com0