Counting Women

Yes, women. That was my game during the resolution 10 miler today. I've had a stressful couple of weeks. While some people find a good long run as relief from stress, I tend to let all of the things that cause me stress to take over my thoughts if I'm not careful. This results in less motivation during long runs. So, as soon as my "stressers" started to haunt me this morning, I began to play my little game called "counting women." The course is a very familiar out-and-back which makes scenic distractions hard to come by. I knew that there were many runners ahead of me, so when the women in first place flew past me at 4 (mile 6 for her) I counted her. From then on I counted everybody with a race number that looked female. I may have missed some or accidentally counted others, but oh well. This game worked out great for a while. I figured out my overall place by mile 5 and I figured that I was ahead of 5 women already. Woot! Unfortunately, by mile 5-1/2 I ran out of women. Sooo, I needed a new mental distraction. I decided to go all out and try to improve my place in line. With my nifty garmin to guide me, I elongated my stride and picked up the pace. By mile 6 I caught up with a pair of lovely ladies, one of whom I just happened to know from my running club. What a pleasant surprise! By mile eight I was able to take on one more lady before I started feeling like I hit the wall. Good thing I was almost done! Satisfied about my quicker pace and moving from 33rd place to 31st, I maintained back to the finish line. I almost, and I mean almost by about 1 second, almost passed one more lady, but she saw me coming and picked it up.

Needless to say, I was pretty satisfied with my performance today. No shiny ribbons or anything, but I did the best that I could do. Yay!

Oh, and here's a bonus pic: Figaro, the perfect post-race meal! LOL!

Endurance

Endurance...That's my resolution for the year. There are lots of things going on this year that will require me to endure.

Physical Endurance: I'm getting back into the marathon scene. My hope is to finally go for that maniac status that I have been dreaming about for two years now. I know what I need to do to keep my body going: listen, listen, pamper, pamper, and be consistent (translation - if it hurts, hold back: if it's too hard, slow down: wear good shoes and clothes; get massages and take ice baths; and get my a** out there, even if I don't feel like it).

Academic/Mental Endurance: I'm trying to finish my master's degree. I picked a project that requires some very focused thinking skills. This is a challenge for me, considering that I am trying to do it while working full time and training for marathons. I don't think well if I am tired or hungry. I don't think well if I am stressed out. If I don't finish this year then I will have to pay thousands more to apply for an extension and another year at an out-of-state school. I would much rather be done. In the teaching world, I am in the midst of re-establishing/rebuilding a level of professional respect from my colleagues, which was quickly lost due to new state mandates and a shift in administration. As far as music education for my school district, I can only forsee challenges in the coming years. *grumble, grumble*

Emotional Endurance: When I am tired or stressed, I have a hard time keeping a handle on my emotional state. I shut down and can't think well. In addition to the running goals, crappy work politics and trying to finish my master's, my husband is likely to deploy this year. If he doesn't deploy, that probably means he's getting his foot amputated. Either way, I get to look forward to some big emotional event. I know what to expect, but that doesn't make it any easier. I am hoping that keeping busy with life and running will help me out. I also need to consider my panic/anxiety disorder issues. I am a little concerned about how that's going to take shape while Mike is gone. I know that I just need to let nature and fate take their courses, but that is so much easier said than done.

So there, my endurance is my overall focus. Wish me luck.

The fascinating thing about getting older

No, I don't think I am getting OLD yet, just old-ER. I don't feel like I am getting older and I am sure I still look younger than my age - which I am sure I should be happy about, but I am sick of not being taken seriously in situations where it really matters. Anyhoo, there are a few things in life that are reminding me that my youth is no less of a physical trait and more of a mindset these days.

So, on Sunday, I ran a little over 7 miles. I am definitely happy with that, given my lack of running in the last couple of months. During the run, I actually felt pretty good. I didn't feel any additional fatigue when I passed that 5 mile mark and I didn't feel like taking a nap afterward. What really hit me is how I felt a couple of hours later...My hips were sore, my calves were sore, my torso was sore, my hamstrings were sore. I was walking through a mall for only about 30 minutes before I felt like dropping my shopping backs and lying down to stretch out. I, of course, waited until I got home to stretch. Oh my goodness, have I lost my flexibility over the years!! Two days before, I felt much more flexible. Is it true that one simple long run could make me feel so stiff!?? Yikes!!

Honestly, I am not frightened or upset about getting older, just a little surprised sometimes about how much less I am able to bounce around like I did fifteen years ago. In fact, there are quite a few people I know who didn't even start running until they were much older than I am now and they are amazing endurance athletes. I am somehow looking forward to the fact that age won't have to be an excuse to push to the limits. Heck, perhaps age will help me to keep running longer, faster, harder...just because I can.

I still got it baby!

Two days ago, I kicked my own butt at the YMCA. I ran two miles at a 10:00 minute pace, then spent 30 minutes on the eliptical. That doesn't sound like a lot to me, but 5 weeks with a respiratory infection apparently takes a lot out of you.

Yesterday, I slept in an extra hour and then joined up with Rob from my run club. He was at the local park working on the first of four 50-kilometer runs in four days. I managed a little over 4 miles with him between a 10 and 11 minute pace and felt drained. Yikes.

New Year's Eve night, Mike and I had a lovely and relaxing time at the neighbor's house. This was a good distraction and an encouraging reality check. You see, I am around so many marathon maniacs and ultra runners that I forget how beneficial it is to do the short runs too. What seems like "just" an hour of running or "just 5 miles" is a LOT to most people. Then I realized that the fact that I was CHOOSING to get up on New Year's Day to go and run 5 miles in the rain and cold was something to be proud of.

I set up my nifty garmin 405 to track average pace, distance, time and also set my virtual partner to a 10-1/2 minute goal pace. The first couple of miles felt great. Just a little bit of a push in pace, but definitely manageable. A quick glance at the 405 was a great boost, as I was holding steady at a 9:15 pace. I was leaving my virtual partner in the dust!!

Then a random dude who was also running caught up with me and started up a conversation. This was good for me because he was holding a pace slightly faster than me, so I had to push a little harder to stay in the conversation. This made the last three miles feel like a breeze! It was so nice to pass my Mike at a water station to brag to him about my faster-than-expected pace and not need his help at all. He's always there for me, by the way. I couldn't have picked a better husband! :)

This was just a great race to start the year, expecially after the struggles of the last couple of years. My finishing time was not even near what I know I could do if I was up to par in training, but it was definitely better than I expected. I'm proud of my accomplishments today: 7 minutes faster finishing time than goal, third place in my age group, and feeling strong! Yes!