As some of you may know, I was injured last summer with severe IT band issues. And now, with 9 days to go until the Boston Marathon, I fear they are returning.
As much as I love my new shoes, I think I will switch back to my old ones for the remainder of training. Perhaps my new ones don't have the support I need, or perhaps I jumped into such a minimal shoe too soon, or perhaps I did too many hills.
Whatever the reason, the side of my left knee is currently throbbing.
I have one more long run of 12 miles, and a handful of 5 milers. Do I run them? Do I skip them? Do I elliptical them?
Thoughts? Experiences? Advice?
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Days like Today
Days like today make me reconsider my decision to spend time at home this summer. While I know I need the break, I will miss my friends an awful lot.
I woke up before the sun (again!) for my usual bowl of oats, lemon water, and coffee. After doing some blogging and letting breakfast digest, I set out to meet my running club for a long run!
I had 15 miles on the agenda, but I figured that doing 14 (12 with the club + 1 to meet them and 1 back) was good enough. It was a great run! There were some parts where we were really pushing the pace, but I felt totally fine! I think my awesome new shoes and elongated sleeping patterns helped. Throughout the run, I just kept thinking ... ok, so now only 16 miles to go and it's a marathon!
After retrieving my laundry from the now-opened laundry room, taking a shower, and flopping for a while; I headed to campus to pick up some coursebooks and help my friend move into her new housing assignment. She didn't enjoy apartment style living, so she reassigned back to campus for the spring. I think it was a good choice for her.
We hung out, chatted for awhile, then headed out to a nearby town to pick up some take-out. We ended up grabbing some pho. I'm now obsessed with Asian noodles!
I only snapped a picture of the broth because there were these weird, well, my friend called them a rather inappropriate-for-the-blog body part, but I'll just go with 'things' floating in it. Any ideas? I know it wasn't meat.
Stuffed to the brim, we watched some episodes of Scrubs (I still don't understand the obsession with this show) and called it a night.
I really want to spend more time with my friends this spring. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my work and stress that I hermitize in my misery. They always make me feel happy :)
Do you like pho?
Are you a fan of Scrubs?
I woke up before the sun (again!) for my usual bowl of oats, lemon water, and coffee. After doing some blogging and letting breakfast digest, I set out to meet my running club for a long run!
I had 15 miles on the agenda, but I figured that doing 14 (12 with the club + 1 to meet them and 1 back) was good enough. It was a great run! There were some parts where we were really pushing the pace, but I felt totally fine! I think my awesome new shoes and elongated sleeping patterns helped. Throughout the run, I just kept thinking ... ok, so now only 16 miles to go and it's a marathon!
After retrieving my laundry from the now-opened laundry room, taking a shower, and flopping for a while; I headed to campus to pick up some coursebooks and help my friend move into her new housing assignment. She didn't enjoy apartment style living, so she reassigned back to campus for the spring. I think it was a good choice for her.
We hung out, chatted for awhile, then headed out to a nearby town to pick up some take-out. We ended up grabbing some pho. I'm now obsessed with Asian noodles!
I only snapped a picture of the broth because there were these weird, well, my friend called them a rather inappropriate-for-the-blog body part, but I'll just go with 'things' floating in it. Any ideas? I know it wasn't meat.
Stuffed to the brim, we watched some episodes of Scrubs (I still don't understand the obsession with this show) and called it a night.
I really want to spend more time with my friends this spring. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my work and stress that I hermitize in my misery. They always make me feel happy :)
Do you like pho?
Are you a fan of Scrubs?
Saturday, March 23, 2013
21 Miles and Reflections on Running
I'm currently training for the upcoming Boston Marathon (April 15!). When people find out that I'm working towards Boston, then inevitably ask me, "What's your time goal?"
If this were last year, I would have said sub-3:23, which was my qualifying time. But, after being injured this past summer and easing my way back into the sport, I have decided to adopt a more laid-back approach to running.
Leading up to my injury, I was preoccupied with mile splits, with running doubles, and with going as fast and as far as I possibly could. I would wake up some mornings, run fifteen miles, then go to class and finish up the day with a hard eight miler with my running club. I knew I couldn't maintain this lifestyle, not with a demanding courseload and friends who wanted to hang out; nevertheless, I tried to, just so that I could make a PR. And, instead of even crossing the finish line of my goal race, the San Francisco Marathon, I ended up in physical therapy.
While I would love to nail a PR in the Boston Marathon this year, I now recognize the sacrifices I would have to make. My stress level would skyrocket, my grades, would suffer, and my friends wouldn't know I existed. With my type-A personality, working towards a PR at Boston would become my obsession. I knew that this training cycle, I wanted to find sustainability and balance among all the aspects of my life.
Around mile 11 of today's 21 mile run, Emma and I started chatting with a pair of runners who had stopped at the same water fountain that we did. We were a decent distance away from any towns, so I figured they were out for a long run also.
"Are you training for anything?" I asked.
The one man just laughed, wiping sweat off his brow with his shirt.
"Life."
"I like that answer."
"Training for life" pretty much sums up my approach to this year's Boston Marathon. Life is not a race for the fastest time. Sure, one could argue that life is a distance event. But, life is also a fulfillment event. Running, like life, can take you on adventures to beautiful places, if you are willing to take a breather and look around. It can also strengthen friendships, if you are willing to take it slow enough to chat. And it can teach you to love and respect yourself, if you are willing to give yourself a break every now and then.
This April, I don't want to sacrifice my enjoyment of running (or life) just for a race; I have no time goals for the Boston Marathon. Of course I want to finish. But, I also want to be able to think back on the entire experience - the exploratory trail runs, the weekend runs with friends, and the short strides up Heartbreak Hill - with a smile.
If this were last year, I would have said sub-3:23, which was my qualifying time. But, after being injured this past summer and easing my way back into the sport, I have decided to adopt a more laid-back approach to running.
Leading up to my injury, I was preoccupied with mile splits, with running doubles, and with going as fast and as far as I possibly could. I would wake up some mornings, run fifteen miles, then go to class and finish up the day with a hard eight miler with my running club. I knew I couldn't maintain this lifestyle, not with a demanding courseload and friends who wanted to hang out; nevertheless, I tried to, just so that I could make a PR. And, instead of even crossing the finish line of my goal race, the San Francisco Marathon, I ended up in physical therapy.
While I would love to nail a PR in the Boston Marathon this year, I now recognize the sacrifices I would have to make. My stress level would skyrocket, my grades, would suffer, and my friends wouldn't know I existed. With my type-A personality, working towards a PR at Boston would become my obsession. I knew that this training cycle, I wanted to find sustainability and balance among all the aspects of my life.
Around mile 11 of today's 21 mile run, Emma and I started chatting with a pair of runners who had stopped at the same water fountain that we did. We were a decent distance away from any towns, so I figured they were out for a long run also.
"Are you training for anything?" I asked.
The one man just laughed, wiping sweat off his brow with his shirt.
"Life."
"I like that answer."
"Training for life" pretty much sums up my approach to this year's Boston Marathon. Life is not a race for the fastest time. Sure, one could argue that life is a distance event. But, life is also a fulfillment event. Running, like life, can take you on adventures to beautiful places, if you are willing to take a breather and look around. It can also strengthen friendships, if you are willing to take it slow enough to chat. And it can teach you to love and respect yourself, if you are willing to give yourself a break every now and then.
This April, I don't want to sacrifice my enjoyment of running (or life) just for a race; I have no time goals for the Boston Marathon. Of course I want to finish. But, I also want to be able to think back on the entire experience - the exploratory trail runs, the weekend runs with friends, and the short strides up Heartbreak Hill - with a smile.
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