With a little help from my friends

Okay, with A LOT of help from my friends. Monday was a much needed reprieve from the day-in-day-out stressors of life. A great dinner with two great friends, one who I knew would be there and the other one who surprised me. Tater tots, laughter, and hugs... Sometimes exercising the soul is just as important as exercising the body. I left with a belly full of food and a heart full of love. 

Why spend money on weights?

I had a successful 14-mile run yesterday. I am definitely a cooler-weather runner. I think I will definitely move to the UP now. Pine trees, Northern lights, fantastic accents...ahhh, perfect. Just need to run some hills to prepare. 

Anywho, I ran loops at Busse Woods so I could refill my handheld water bottle. My friction burn is still healing and I didn't want to wear my fuel belt. The trail was packed. CARA had a group finishing up when I was starting, plus the day was beautiful so a lot of people were out walking, running, biking, rollerblading, fishing, etc. In one of the picnic groves there was an authentic Pow Wow taking place. That parking lot was packed with cars, trucks, and campers. I even saw a sign that said "Welcome Stanley Cup!"

Overall my run went well. I averaged a slower pace than I wanted but it was probably on par with what I should be running. My KT tape didn't stay on though. I need to watch the instruction video again to see what I'm doing wrong. Fortunately I had a planned water stop at the car and had remembered to bring my knee straps. I added those to both knees for the last 6 miles. I am worried about how my knees will hold up for the marathon. 

By far my favorite sight during my run was a man running ahead of me who stopped to do squats while lifting one end of the picnic table! Who needs an expensive weight set when there are picnic tables sitting around? Plus it gives a certain badass suburban running trail cred. And no, I didn't try it. I don't need a hernia. 

Ouch

Last weekend was my 18-miler. It was long and painful. And 1.25 miles short of actually being 18 miles. My pace dropped, no plummeted as the miles ticked by, particularly in the last 5. Everything hurt. My calves were the second loudest complainers with my mind being the first. Anytime I stopped, which increased in frequency with the miles, I felt like I was going to vomit. I didn't know if I needed more water or less. If I needed more, I was running out and unsure if I could ration the remaining to successfully complete the run. I had run 6 miles to Busse Woods then 6 miles on the bike trail there. Just when I was deciding how to portion out my water, I saw a water pump on the side of the trail. I was so excited. Until I got closer, that is. The lever was missing. And two red plastic locks with the words "Under treatment" stamped on them were attached to the pump. It was like realizing the oasis was just a mirage. I decided to ration as best I could, with stopping at McDonald's on the way back and asking to fill my water bottles as a fallback option. Fortunately, after the 9-mile turn around, and after running over the bridge under which there were three men in a row boat one of whom was belting out some sort of song or serenade, I spotted another water pump that I hadn't seen on the way out. And this one looked like it had a level. So I stopped to investigate. Not being one who normally pumps my water, it took me many pumps to get the water going. But finally it came, cold and refreshing. I drank some, hoping that I wouldn't get dysentery or lead poisoning because of the rusty pipe held together with duct tape. I was too thirsty to think about it too much so I filled my canteens for the return home. That was one highlight of the run.

The other was the sight of sprinklers in the distance. Since I don't learn my lessons, I had run in a black tank. I had checked the temperature prior to leaving for my run and thought I would be okay. Not even close. After mile 3, I took the tank off and wrapped it around my fuel belt. It would stay there for the rest of the run. Since I was able to fill my water bottles at the pump, I had dumped some water on me but the sprinklers. Oh, the sprinklers! They were watering the expansive lawn of a business park. And they needed me to run through them. So I did. Laughing the whole time. That would be the last time I laughed during this run.

At mile 12.5 my watch beeped that it had a low battery. I was prepared for this likelihood since I had neglected to charge it the night before. I had been obsessing about my slow pace, and how it was getting increasingly slow, so now I just waited. "When it shuts down, I'm walking." It didn't shut down until mile 16.5. By then I knew I had a little over a mile home. I told myself to run another ~0.25 mile then walk the rest of the way home. While I would have preferred running the whole 18, this was definitely the right decision. My recovery was better because I kept moving, allowing my calves to loosen up.

When I got home I grabbed my keys and did end up going to McDonald's. For 15 miles I had been thinking about their mango pineapple smoothie and I was bound and determined to get one. I went for a large and devoured it. It didn't upset my stomach so this just might have to be my recovery drink of choice after my long runs. :) 

I'm glad I had that moment of delicious goodness because upon showering I was about to discover the disadvantage of running with a fuel belt on bare skin...that's right, friction burns. And oh my, do they ever sting in the shower. Plus there was that added element of surprise since I didn't know I had one until the water hit my back. Wow, that smarts! 

Isn't running fun?! ;)

"More than getting by", Excerpts from a TWLOHA blog

"We are encouraged, time and time again, to be visible and vulnerable with others, with the hope of being a part of something bigger than ourselves."

http://twloha.com/blog/You-Deserve-More-Than-Getting-By

Opening up and being vulnerable is scary sometimes. Allowing others to see into my mind's inner workings can leave me feeling exposed. But the mutual benefits of building that community with a kindred spirit far outweighs the initial anxiety of opening up. 

"We were meant to live life with one another. To know and be known. To hear and be heard. To love and be loved."

Muscle Memory

When training for a marathon it's easy to focus on the long runs. But the shorter and middle distance runs are equally as important. My running companion described it as allowing my body to go, "oh yeah, I remember what running 5 miles is like." It's good to get out there, quicken the pace, and run a shorter run.

I had an excellent 4 mile run the other night. I've been feeling slow in the long runs. This is mainly attributed to the fact that I am, indeed, slow. Still, I don't like to feel slow. I decided this 4 mile run would be my Muscle Memory run. My chance to speed up my pace and remember how it feels to run a shorter distance. Plus, properly training for endurance running stresses the importance of the shorter run to protect from injury in the longer runs. I went out later in the evening. I ran at Melas because there are the softball leagues and stadium lights. There were also two skunks and a man inexplicably walking around the park with a golf putter in his hand. Both of these sightings made me uneasy and may have contributed postively to my overall 9:38 pace, but I am okay with that. Especially because I was neither sprayed by the skunks nor was I bludgeoned to death. 

What I enjoyed the most about this run, however, was not just the Muscle Memory I experienced in the physical act of running, but the Muscle Memory I felt in my mind. Running can be like a comforting companion. One who sees my tears and asks if everything is alright. Then, when I shake my head no, follows with, "What can I do?" while holding me close. The comfort of just being there, existing together. It was Muscle Memory of the heart. And I needed that more.

Sleepless Night

Not only will they recognize who you are, they will remind you...as many times as you need to hear it.