Today was my 8 mile training run. I've never run so far in my life! Claire had a plan that we start at Monroe and just run home along the path. It sounded crazy, but it felt even crazier as Steve drove us downtown. Could we really do this?
I am happy and amazed to say that it was a breeze!
I am so sore and blistered, but the weather was amazing, and the run felt great. NEXT WEEK: TEN.
Before my run, with my coffee, Fuzzy noted the occasion with this:
What a week!
So I ran 7 miles (what what?!) on Saturday--the furthest I have ever run! I ran with Claire and it was awesome and fun and sort of easy (except for the part where I ran out of fuel.) However, I was CRACKED THE EFF OUT the rest of the day, to the point where someone told me later I was a one woman sitcom. I was so tired and sore and miserable. Plus, I was all lady-times the next day, which makes me freaking exhausted and sore anyways. So I was a piece of work for a few days.
Cut to Monday, when I taught a wedding first dance for a couple. IT WAS AWESOME. They are an amazing couple, and they picked the dance up like a dream. The dance, however, is REALLY aerobic, and I haven't taught in ages, so it was a hard core 2 hour dance session on a concrete and linoleum floor. No big, right?
Tuesday morning, I was dead tired. I knew I had to run 5 miles so I forced myself to get up and try. It was one of the hardest "runs" of my life. I probably only ran about .5 miles, and then walked another 2.5. Once I was halfway out, I wanted to cry cause I knew the getting home was going to be really hard. I made it home, but felt like a failure. I convinced myself that at least I had tried.
Cut to Tuesday evening, 7:45. I get up to go to a meeting, and there is a searing pain in my tailbone. Cut to 8:15 at said meeting, and I am in so much pain, that I can't sit still. I try to stretch to make it stop, and there is no relief. By the time I get home, I can barely walk. The pain made me toss and turn and wince all night.
It was still intense yesterday, so much that I took ibuprofen, and it takes a LOT to get me to take any sort of drug or pain killer. I was just moving slowly all day.
Then today, it was all gone.
I was scared to make it flair up again, so I decided to take today's run easy. I did a brisk 2 mile walk and ran another mile, off and on. I am doing 8 on Saturday. For the first time, I am a little bit nervous, but I bet everything will be fine. I'll do it like a champ, then take it easy next week, then rock the hell out of that 10 miles next Saturday.
Note1: It was so hot today! I loved it. I was wearing too many clothes, though.
Note2: I took Ashley's advice and listened to comedy for most of the run. It was fun! The only problem, though, is that BEING a comedian, I had to know who each new segment was, if I couldn't tell by their voices. Therefore, every time a new clip started, I gave it a second, then unzipped my race belt, pulled out my phone, and looked. So while it was good to get my mind off of other things, it added its own layer of complications.
It's been a while since I've posted an update on my training. We are now 2.5 weeks away from the big 10 mile race, and so far, everything is going great! Here are some random thoughts about random things:
*I've discovered that the regular 3 runs a week training schedule that Fuzzy made for me doesn't jive so much with my body. Running twice a week, however, is my jam.
*The first 2 miles are always hard. Yesterday, with my 5 mile run, the last mile was the easiest by far.
*Running with friends makes running SO much better and easier. I've been lucky to have Andrea and Claire as my training partners again, and the other night Claire and I also ran with Kristen. It helps to talk and distract yourself!
*When running solo, I find that if I plan projects and think about things that I need to think about anyway, it keeps my brain from doing what it wants to do, which is tell me to stop. Shut up, brain!
*Running when it is warm out is SO much better and easier than running when it is cold. It was 54 yesterday for my run, and while some people were in tanks and shorts, I was in my long pants, jacket, hat and gloves. But it was still way easier than running in 30 degrees.
*Soundgarden still is the best running music for me.
*I am excited for the SF 10 to be over, and while I am still going to do some races over the summer, I am looking forward to doing other activities like lake swimming, biking, dance class and yoga.
This weekend, I am going to attempt to run 7 miles, which will be the furthest I've ever run! Wish me luck!
Yesterday Fuzzy and I ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K. Yeah, I know what you are thinking--it was April 7th not March 17th. Aside from that, the Shamrock Shuffle is the kickoff of the summer race season in Chicago, with about 40,000 runners. This was my first time running the Shuffle, but Fuzzy has done it a couple times before. Since I am training for the Soldier Field 10 mile in May, this was essentially a training run for me, since the distance was just shy of 5 miles. The furthest I've ever run is 6 miles last summer, so I am about to get into "every run is my longest run" territory.
The weather was awesome--super sunny and 50 degrees. Now, that is still too cold for an Erica, but it's better than the 30s. I wore appropriately bundled clothes, but opted to not wear my gloves. I was comfortable for the whole run.
Our wave started at 9:15, but that meant that we didn't cross the start line til 10am. I am long over any type of pre-race jitters, so Fuzzy and I just hung out in the corral trying to stay warmed up. The plan was to start together, then Fuzzy would take off (he is faster than me) and he would watch me at the finish line. I had my tried and true running mix, which is about an hour, and my Nike+ GPS lady to tell me how I was doing. It was clear from the start that the GPS was jacked up, cause she told me I was at a mile 7 minutes in. Um...not possible. I turned off the GPS and just ran using the time on my watch and listening to my tunes.
I have to confess that I've been off my training schedule the last couple weeks. It's either been too cold, or there is no treadmill free at the gym, or I've not been able to get up early enough to run before the day starts, or things have been hurting. But I've been trying to still run when I can and adapt the schedule to fit in how it can. So I was concerned that I wasn't going to finish before the cut-off time or that I was going to have to walk a lot. With 5 more to add on before the big race in May, I've been a little inconfident.
My Nike+ estimated I would finish in an hour and 8 minutes.
Usually when I run, the first 1 to 1.5 miles hurts really badly in my hips, shins and knees. But something amazing happened yesterday--when I started running, it just felt good. I ran and loved it. My posture was good, the run felt easy. I checked my watch to see how long I'd been running without a walk break, and it was 19 minutes. And I kept running. I didn't take a walk break til I got at the 3 mile mark, at about 34 minutes in. I just didn't want to stop! I was Forrest Gump!
I walked at the 3 mile for a few seconds, and then a couple more times in the last 2 miles, but not really over 4 minutes total. I felt great! It didn't hurt! My training worked!
The course ended on a big hill, so I walked up that a bit, and once we turned the corner, there was the finish line. I looked at my watch, and realized that I could possibly finish in less than an hour. So I kicked it into high gear--and finished in 59:16! BOOM!
I am so freaking proud of myself.
I called Fuzzy, and he was surprised that I finished so quickly--he was still in the finishing chute himself! He finished 10 minutes before me, so we met up to celebrate our victories!
5 miles and going strong! Now I am not afraid of 10! I know I will be able to do it.
I always like to get a post-race garbage can photo.
Official Times here!
YEAH!
My dear beloved husband made me a training schedule for both the Shamrock Shuffle (5 miles April 7th) and the Soldier Field 10 (10 miles May 25th), and it has been incredibly helpful in knowing how much I am supposed to run when. I am feeling good about my training these days. We joined the Park District gym half a block from our house, so I have been able to run on a treadmill indoors. The only problem is that there is a 30 minute limit (and the treadmills are in demand a lot), so I can't run over 2.5 miles there. The good news is that with the treadmill, I am able to track how fast I am running and the miles I am putting in, and I am happy to say that my speed is increasing. This weekend, however, I am going to have to put in some time outside in the cold. I am learning, though, the best times for me to go when the gym is a little less crowded (9:15am and noon on weekdays are the best times.) Also, the gym has some great weight machines, so I've been able to work my arms, too. It's totally affordable, so I might consider keeping up the membership, when when it is sunny and awesome outside. Oh man, won't sunny and warm be incredible?
We also have some fun races coming up, like the Rave Run, Foam Fest and Ragnar!
LADIES!!!
What's the biggest problem that women face when running a race these days? You guessed it! Not enough time for shopping! And how do you fit in yoga class, girltalk, and cocktails while you are training? Who has the time, amiright Ladies? Well, move over stuffy co-ed marathons--there's a new girl in town!
Actual text for the Zooma Women's Half-Marathon email I received this morning:
Run the newest women's fitness event in Chicago! Join us for a full weekend of serious racing and serious celebration-including sponsored cocktail hours, yoga, and fun times with running friends.
A half marathon and 10K start and finish in scenic Montrose Harbor, with views of the Chicago skyline. A scenic and flat course will give you a tour of the lakefront. After the finish line, there's serious celebration with wine, massage, live music, shopping and fun.
Seriously, you guys! That event MUST be some serious fun, since they seriously used the word serious 3 times to describe it. OMG!!!
...
Ok, so I have to admit that I've been thinking about running a half-marathon later this summer, since I will have run 10 miles in May, and I have been considering doing a women's event and triathlon instead of the Chicago triathlon this year. I am the target market for this event--but for some reason, this ad really got under my skin this morning. The things that appeal to me about a women-only event are not stereotypes like shopping, cocktails, yoga and girlfriends. It is because, in my experience, women are more supportive of each other in a competition environment. I've now done 4 triathlons, and in all of them, I've been knocked in the head and swum over by men and been passed by in the bike and run without so much as a glance from the male competitors. Whereas, with the women, we check in with each other, especially in the swim to make sure everyone is ok and to offer encouragement, and in the bike or the run, we talk to each other, make jokes, and tell each other to keep going. It is an amazing communal experience.
But here's the deal. That doesn't make us any less of an athlete than our male counterparts. Women are badass athletes. I love the feeling of doing something really freaking hard and out of my comfort zone. I mean, I used to box, for goodness sake. And while, yes, I love my girlfriends and frequently meet them out for cocktails, I don't like being reduced to a stereotype to get me to sign up for a race. So instead of perpetuating a cliche, I wish that this event had been promoting the amazing power of women. Because that will always make me sign up more than the promise of a finishers necklace and a glass of cheap wine.
Ooh, girl, I love me some Dance Dance Party Party, and after a year and a half hiatus, I DJ'd last week. It was a BLAST! Here's the write-up (some pics not the most safe for work.) Thanks gals! See you soon!
So here they are:
1) I want to get to dance class more. It makes me feel good and it makes me happy. So I want to make it a priority.
2) I want to run the Soldier Field 10 mile race in May. This means I will need to start training soon, and as we all know, I have zero tolerance for running in the cold. So this one makes me a bit nervous. And the furthest I've ever run is 6 miles, so this is a big jump in distance for me.
3) I want to do the full Chicago Triathlon again. I wanted to do the full Big Foot Tri in Wisconsin, but it turns out that we will be out of town that day, sadly.
I worked out yesterday for the first time in a long time, and I am hella sore today, but it feels so good. I am going to try to be better about it this year--when you work out you feel better and have more energy, so it's only good for you! I let myself take a few months of rest in there, and now it's time to WORK. I might also try some new fun classes here and there if I can, too. But for now, while it is cold out and I am trying to save money, I am going to use my arsenal of workout DVDs.
BRING IT 2013!!!
At the Crypt Run 5K at Rosehill Cemetery.
