Knowing When to Freakin' Rest Already!

FIRST: I'd like to make a correction from my first entry "Pilot: 2nd Airdate". It was brought to my attention from a source who will remain anonymous, that the time in which my boss (SHOUT OUT) finished her first half marathon was NOT 2:17, but in fact 2:15. Slight error, but it has now been corrected (Are you happy now?).

SECOND: I've had numerous people message me about my blog (even though they might not be following... FOLLOW ME PEOPLE), and I just wanted to say right off the bat, that I really enjoy these messages. Getting messages and posts really motivates me to keep going and keep running (cuz lord knows all I want to do sometimes is just stop). This chronicle, although young and in it's early stages of development, has already seemed to catch a few eyes and it's really cool to know that my words are entertaining and maybe even a little inspiring. I hope that it gives others out there some motivation to go out there and work towards their own personal goal, running or otherwise.

Okay, enough sappy crap. The real reason I write is because I think I'm funny (and totally humble about it). The weird things that go through my mind when I run are sometimes crazy, but they also make me laugh and I"m hoping they make you laugh too. Or at least smile. You don't have a heart if you can't crack a smile when you read this.

So on with today....

Today, I logged in 7.31 miles.  I was SUPPOSED to run 3... so why the crap would I run 4.31 miles over my scheduled run??

No, I didn't lose track of time. That would NEVER happen on a run. I ALWAYS know when it ends. I don't do this for fun people... and no, I wasn't enjoying myself so much I just couldn't stop myself from running. Again, I DON'T DO THIS FOR FUN PEOPLE.

I logged in extra miles because I had to rearrange my workout schedule this week. Why did I rearrange my workout schedule? Well, I did this so I could accommodate my PARTY schedule. You see, I'm making a trip out to Colorado to see a friend (SHOUT OUT) this weekend and normally, I do my long runs on Saturdays. The training regimen I do right now consists of long runs on Saturdays, followed by short runs on Sundays, rest Monday, short Tuesday, medium Wednesday, cross training Thursday, and short Friday (you didn't pay attention to any of that, but its okay). Anyway, I had to bump my long run (12 miles) from Saturday to Friday for this week because I plan on partying.... and who wants to run 12 miles hungover? Who wants to run 12 miles period!?

So in effect, I had to run Wednesday's medium run TODAY to make sure I could do my long run on Friday. I'm literally getting off the plane Friday, driving for an hour and half, getting out, and running 12 miles. I'm a crazy betch. I'd just like to point out, though, that this commitment totally shows my dedication not only to the marathong, but also to partying. A good runner AND a good friend.

But that isn't what I wanted to talk about today. Today, while I was running, I started thinking about all the injuries runners get. You've got shin splints, patellofemoral syndrome, ITB syndrome, bursitis...the list goes on. For me, I've been lucky enough to avoid all of that so far. What I haven't been able to avoid, however, is a sprained ankle. Yes, somehow, I've managed to acutely injure myself (acute meaning that I DID something to myself as opposed to chronic which means that it's an overuse thing. Sort of like, sprained ankle vs. shin splints).

Picture this: You're outside. Decked out in the most comfortable running gear. The temperature is a cool 60 degrees and the sun is out with not a cloud in the sky. The road ahead of you is clear without a distraction in sight.

NOW, picture the exact opposite. Because THOSE were the conditions I had to run in last last Friday. It was POURING rain, freezing, completely dark (the street lights just suck), and there were leaves and sticks, and crap strewn all over the ground. I drove home from work and contemplated running on the treadmill at my complex's gym.

Nope, just kidding. I hate the treadmill.

I pulled up to my apartment and just sat in my car. Since I hate the treadmill, I either run outside or don't run at all. I thought about it....really thought about it. If I didn't run, I'd be skipping a run for an already accelerated training program and I don't have much time to get ready for this marathong. I guess my decision was made at this point: I was going to run.

I did one last check on weather.com to see if the rain would let up any time soon, but no such luck. I laced my nike+ running shoes on (it's a shoe that holds a sensor in the sole so that you can log your miles), and put my newly acquired water wicking jacket on over my under armor turtle neck. I stepped outside and immediately thought of going back inside..... NO. I can't. This marathong is too important. I just had to suck it up and get out there. Someone once said that half the battle is just showing up (I really can't remember who said it...)...and there I was. Showed up.

I started to run and thought, "You know, this isn't too bad. It's kind of fun..." I was 2 miles in when I totally changed my mind. There I was, running...putting one foot in front of the other and all of a sudden- WAH! I stumble over some debris on the sidewalk and roll my right ankle. "WHAT THE F-!? GEEZ! OW! STOOPY (aka stupid)!..." I coudn't believe it. It only hurt a little and I felt more stoopy than in pain at that point. I limped for a bit (but not before I stopped my watch) and was able to shake it off and run again.

I thought everything was all good for the next half mile. I was cruising, trying to just get back home (because the RAIN WAS HORRIBLE) when all of a sudden- BLHWAGHAOA! I roll my right ankle AGAIN!! This time, all my weight falls right on top of it and I actually screamed in pain. I was lucky no one was around.

Anyway, I'm standing there, soaked, hurt, and totally frustrated. WTF, I was just trying to be a dedicated runner and do the right thing by running despite the horrible weather conditions! I tried to walk on it... NOPE, not happening. This sucks. I reach into my jacket to get my phone- crap, I didn't bring it. I didn't want it to get wet. At this point, I'm not just screwed...I'm F--KED. I couldn't walk, I didn't have my phone, it was raining, it was dark, and I was still a half mile away from my apartment....

There was only one thing I could do at this point....CRY.

Just kidding, I didn't cry. But I did feel like punching myself. Seeing as how I didn't have any other option, I just limped. Even if it took me an hour, the only thing I could do was limp home. And that's what I did...

I finally got back home, jumped into the kitchen (you'd think I'd jump into the bathroom, but this was closest part of my apartment that I could drip wet) and assessed the damage. I unlaced my shoes and pulled my shoe off. OW. I peeled my soaked sock off my foot. DOUBLE OW. I look at my ankle. DAYEM THAT THING IS SWOLLEN. Seeing as how my ankle was in a state of shock, I did what any avid runner would do. I called my daddy.

After a conversation with both my parents (If I call my dad, I get put on speaker phone so my mom can hear. If I call my mom, it's speaker phone for my dad too), I iced and just kept thinking how the hell I was going to do my long run the next day. I'm a runner, damn it! This marathong is going to come and go whether or not I was ready for it and I would prefer to be ready! I iced, and decided to see if I could maybe run on it, so I did a trial run in my apartment. NOPE, not happening. I couldn't do it, it hurt so freakin' bad.

To sort of put an end to this post, I texted my cousin (who has run, like, 5 marathongs, including Boston!) and asked for some advice. I was worried that by skipping a run...especially a long run, it would be completely detrimental for my training. I just want to do this right, you know? She said rest. REST REST REST.

For the runners out there: There comes a point when you have to decide if continuing to run is going to hurt your game more versus if you rest. For me at this point, my cousin was right. I just had to lay off the running for a while. I was not happy about this. But not because I love running- I hate running, remember? I was SO not happy because Thanksgiving was coming up and running meant burning calories. And burning calories meant zero guilt or regrets about eating anything and everything (I ended up eating that way anyway).

So anyway, I rested for about 3 days, tried to run, then realized I needed to rest some more. All in all, the time I spent resting sucked. I felt lazy and a bit like I was shirking my duty to this training program. But since then, I've managed to PR on my 5K TWICE and my 10K, which has been cool.

So lesson learned, a little time off can actually be beneficial. For me at that time, rest seemed like the most illogical concept to me. If it wasn't on my already printed training schedule, I wasn't going to do it, plain and simple. But I'm glad I listened to my body a little and let it rest and get my ankle better. My ankle is still a bit wobbly, but I can run. At right now, that's all that matters.

Turkey Trotting

You know you're a runner when you begin to attribute completely obscure ideas to running. For me, this happened when I got into my car this morning to go to work.

I walked up to my car and let out a distasteful sigh while I rolled my eyes because my car was covered in ice. The temps here are getting frigid and it's starting to affect my daily routine of waking up way too late, throwing clothes on, and hopping into my car and just driving off. Now, I have to wake up way too late, throw clothes on, and hop into a frozen carsicle where I have to sit and wait for the defroster to kick in and do it's thang. That took about 10 minutes this morning.

Anyway, I sat there waiting for my car windows to defrost when out of the corner of my eye, I see what I thought was a dog running by. Then, another one goes by. Then another. And another! What the hell... I mean, I know that my apartment complex has this "we welcome all dogs and animals policy", but this was at 7:15 in the morning. I would hardly believe that a pack of dogs would be running through the complex at this hour.

So, I peel my eyes away from my phone where I'm checking my email only to see NOT dogs...but a whole entire herd of turkeys just streaming by! A herd? Is that what their called? A pack? A gaggle? No, that's geese I think. Whatever. A BUTTLOAD of turkeys. And I'm talking...STREAMING by...like, on a mission, or a mecca. Yeah, a mecca. Those turkeys were headed to the promised land of all the most indulgent and richest birdseed they could feast their beaks on.

Now, you might be thinking, "What the hell are turkeys doing running through your apartment complex?!". Unless you're my running partner, who lives in the same complex (SHOUT OUT), I wouldn't expect you to think this was a normal happening. But it is. Sort of. Turkeys live here on the property, so it's totally normal to see them running around and eating and pooping (their poops are just like bird poops...but like, 5 times bigger; fun fact). But I've never seen them like this.

As I'm watching them stream by, I see this one turkey trailing in the back of the buttload. The first thing I notice about this little guy: His left leg swings out as he runs and it sort of makes him do this wobble-run. It was as if he had a knee in his right leg, but not in his left leg. OR it was like he was knock-kneed. It was like watching an oopma-loompa run, except THIS oompa-loompa was the runt of all oompa-loompas and had to try even harder than ALL the other oompa-loompas just to keep up. Poor little guy. THEN I thought, what if I ran like that?

What if what I was watching was the turkey version of a marathong?? You had the strong turkeys in the front. These were the runners who trained hard and were veterens of the sport; or they're the Shalane Flanagans of the sport (look her up, she's AMAZING). Then, you have the turkeys in the middle of the buttload. These runners were good, but not the best, but still held their own. THEN you have the little runty oompa-loompa all the way in the back, desperately struggling to keep up. He was definitely a first-timer.

Watching those turkeys made me think: "What if I'M struggling in the back of the buttload with a knock-kneed leg that swings out during my marathong? What if I just can't keep up?"

Okay, well, those that know me know that I'm obviously physically not like that, but STILL. Self-confidence is everyone's own worst enemy and it's probably number 1 on my list of enemies. Well, that and my mom's white chocolate cheesecake. But more importantly for this blog, my number 1 enemy is self-confidence and this runty back-of the-pack turkey is my metaphorical self-confidence.

If I don't have the self-confidence to just KNOW that I can do this, then I'll never be able to finish. I just have to accept the fact that I'm NOT Shalane Flanagan (look her up, she's AMAZING), I'm not even middle-buttload worthy. I'm just me and I'm just running because I can. Finishing a marathong is something that not a lot of people do in their lifetime, and hell, it's my first one, so I'll PR for SURE! (Personal Record aka best time ever)

Pilot: 2nd Airdate

OKAY. ROUND 2.

I deleted my older posts from today and have officially decided to chronicle only my training days to prepare for a marathong. I figure, this content is actually worth looking back on. The other crap....well, it was just that. Crap. I decided to keep the title of the blog because what I've managed to learn over the past 10 months since I started running, is that all of my problems have been totally alleviated by one thing: running. Through running, I've managed to put structure into my life, I've managed to eat healthy foods, feel better about myself, reduce my stress level from work, etc. So even though I absolutely HATE the act of running, it's still brought so much to my life. 

SO, onward with the show!

My best friend and I have decided to run a marathong. Well, that's not the whole story. My running journey really started all the way back in March of 2010. My boss had just finished running the Shamrock Half Marathong that month and came to work daily with stories of training, weight lifting, runs, etc. Now, let me put one thing out there that everyone should know before I continue on: My boss, a GREAT boss, possibly the best boss I've ever had... well, she was the LAST person I'd ever imagine running...and running a half marathong no less. When she first told me she was going to run a half marathong, I said, "Oh cool!" but thought to myself, "There is no way she's going to stick with that". Nothing against her, I just couldn't picture her committing to this enormous feat...running 13.1 miles.

It was the day after she finished (2:17 was her time, I think), I couldn't believe it. She ran 13.1 miles...all at once. WTF. The most I had ever run up until that point was 5 miles, and I thought 5 miles was like traveling to another country and back.  But she did it, and I was inspired. 

My boss's only athletic background was being on the dance team in high school. Me? Basketball from 7th-10th grade, Lacrosse from 10th-college. Surely if SHE could do a half marathong, I could. She invited me to train with her for the Parkway Half Marathong in May 2010, and off I went. 

My boss ended up getting injured and didn't run that half marathong, but I made a new friend along the way who became my running partner. For 2 months, we ran short runs during the work week and long runs on the weekends. It was tough. We gradually increased our miles from 6-10 during the long runs and my knees were sore after every run. Despite my body going through a whole new type of hell, I never felt in better shape.

The Parkway Half Marathong came and went, and I"ll be sure to talk about that whole experience in a later post, but the result was amazing. I ran 13.1 miles...all at once. And I couldn't be more proud. All throughout college, I played lacrosse and was NEVER a distance runner. I was quick on my footwork and I could beat out most people if the race was kept to under 80yds. Running distance was and is NOT easy. But I did it! 2:07... my goal was to beat my boss's time. I did.

After that race, I was quick to sign up for another halfie....the Disneyland Half Marathong in August. Long story short, the group I was supposed to go with fizzled and I ended up not running. Hopefully next year, because I hear it's totally awesome.

All of that history brings me to where I am today: Training for the Surf City Marathong in Huntington Beach, CA on February 6, 2010. My bestie and I had originally decided on the half marathong, but then saw that the price for the full marathong was only $15 more. Why not get our money's worth, right?

Well, here we are. Moreover, here I AM. My best friend lives half a state away from me, so we can't train together. And even if we did, she'd kick my ASK (that wasn't a typo. It's from a youtube.com clip....search for "kick my ask". You'll get it.). I've got 10 weeks to prepare for a 26.2 mile run. W...T...F...

So far, it's been pretty good. I'm working on my tempo and PR-ing on my 5Ks and 10Ks. What really sucks is that it's getting cold and rainy. What sucks even more is that I reFUSE to run on a treadmill. So I basically running outside in whatever weather Mother Nature decides to throw at me.  It should be interesting though....training for my first marathong during the winter (GREAT DECISION).  Whatever the result is, though, I'm excited for the journey....should be a good one.