First week done!

I have completed week 1 of Hal Higdon's novice 2 half marathon training programme. It's a simple programme, nothing fancy - no hills, no track, no speed work. The goal is not just to complete the race, but set a PR.  the novice 1 programme is geared toward just finishing. 

However, I don't see how it is going to be possible to run a PR without any hill or speed training, because a PR implies that you run faster than in your previous half.  And we all know that you have to run track if you are hoping to pick up the pace a bit.  Still, I chose this programme rather than the intermediate one (which does include those other components), because I have no mileage basis. I have nothing to build on - nada, niente, de rien.  

So this week included 4 days of running.  The distances were not very long, but I guess with base miles, the key is consistency.  Some days were easier than others, but I mixed it up a bit and run up a very big hill on one of the runs.  That was quite tiring, as I just don't have the legs yet for this, but no worries, I will continue, and I know I'm a going to be running up hills quite effortlessly one of these days  - not unlike the past,when I used to sprint up hills, and get past everyone.  So even though its slow going (my pace that is), there is nothing for it, but to suck it up and continue running.  I think I should change the name of my blog to "Just Suck It Up And Run"! 

Secondly, since my last post on "sucking it up", quite a few things have happened, which I have refused to allow to side track me. I as rear-ended, then the dealership scratched my car after a routine service (ok small, first world problems thus far), and then some potentially upsetting news last week. I say potentially, because I don't know yet, but why worry about things one can't control? The only thing  I can control is my decision to go out and run.  And anyway, I'll deal with whatever bridge I have to cross when I get there.  But in the meantime, why waste a day worrying?

Boston's Race to Remember - half marathon

                                          (photo courtesy of race website)

Yesterday, Sunday 30 May, I ran my first official half marathon.  My previous 2 were run on my birthday, and on World Run Day, and rather than pay the fee for an official race, I donated the money to charity instead.  Admittedly I had not done much training for the race on Sunday, and I had signed up for it about 2 weeks ago, in the hope that it would inspire and push me to challenge my limits.  I do not recommend this to anyone, as this is a terrible strategy, but I desperately needed to do a race, which would make me feel that anything is possible.  I managed to get in a couple of early morning runs,  and 2 long runs of 8 and 11 miles respectively.  No hills, and no fartlek training.  My goal was to run, and finish the race.
On Saturday morning Stuart and I drove down to the Seaport World Trade Centre to pick up my race number.  There was a small expo, and a huge crowd of people.  On race day, there were more than 8000 people.  We also signed up as bone marrow donors, and were entered into the international database.  this was something that I had been thinking about for a while, and had already discussed with Stuart.  Both of us were blood donors, but after the BSE or mad cow disease in the UK, Stuart was not allowed to donate anymore.  On moving to the US, the same is true.  Since we have both lived in the UK and Europe (which had both BSE and TSE), the US will not accept us for fear of variant CJD.  So it was really good to have the opportunity to register on Saturday.
I wanted to run in shorts yesterday, but opted for capris at the last moment, and I think it was a wise decision, since I like to cover up when it is particularly hot.  The best running decision I ever made, was to wear my Camelbak 1.5L hydration pack.  I usually drink a lot, and the weather has been rather warm here in Boston - on average around 80°F everyday.  Well, Sunday morning, Stuart drove me down to the  race start, arriving around 7:30ish, and already it was 84°F!  After the national anthem, we were off.  I stood near the back, since I knew my pace would be around 12m/mile.  By the time we set off, I was already sweating profusely.
It was a hill start, and we ran over a bridge, then another.  I had a few quick sips of water after that, and heard people asking when the water stop was coming up.  The first one came up around mile 2, and there were so many people just standing there, drinking.  I ran on, towards another bridge....Boston really is quite hilly!  Anyway, at this point the sun was beating down mercilessly, and people had started walking.  I passed a few, and then we over the Longfellow bridge, down Memorial Drive and continued to Harvard University, before doubling back, this time cutting through Back Bay, passing Boston Common, up down Commonwealth Avenue, and back to the start/finish.
The highlight of my run, was on the way back up Memorial Drive, as I neared Harvard Bridge and looked up, I saw Stuart standing there.  It was so unexpected, that that, and a combination of the incredible heat, made me burst into tears!  Let it be said, it is hard to run, cry and breathe at the same time!  It stopped as suddenly as it had started, since immediately beyond the bridge, was another hill.  All in all, I counted around 5 water stations - too few for such a hot day.  I stopped a couple of times to have some gatorade, and throughout the race there were people who were collapsing with either heat exhaustion, or a liquid overdose.  I guess it must be quite difficult to know how much to drink at a water station, especially when your internal thermometer has gone haywire.
The miles flew by.  I did not suffer, I just got through them.  One after the other.  I knew I did not have a hope in hell of picking up the speed, but that was not what this race was about.  I ran all the hills, and yes, it did feel good passing all those people walking up them.  Sure, some of them eventually sped past me, but that was fine.  I truly felt that I ran my own race.  Around mile 11 my hip joints started feeling a bit achy, so I walked for a bit, had some gatorade, then ran on.  At mile 11 and a half they felt seriously achy, and I thought of Paavo Nurmi's quote on my blog - the bit about muscles being bits of rubber.  Well rubber bounces, just like muscles  and nothing can really happen to them.  I am not running fast enough to injure anything, so why stop?  That got me to mile 12.
The last mile my darling pussycat Mr Jones, got me through.  Stuart had recently taken a day off, but had a conference call with Geneva.  He went into the bedroom to take it, and closed the door shutting out Mr Jones and Toffy (our other pussy).  Naturally Mr J. wanted to get in and no amount of coaxing could get him to stop trying to open the door.  Not even an offering of catnip.  He looked at it, licked his lips and turned back to the door.  That will power and determination was amazing to see.  He wanted Stuart - nothing else.  Well, I thought, if he could do it, so can I.  And I breezed through mile 13 and the point 1. I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 40 minutes, and I was so pleased that I had started and finished this race!  There were  no more medals, as they had taken entries on the morning itself, and had therefore run out.  Hopefully they will post me one.
After a bottle of water, and some stretching, I took a leisurely walk to the T, and went home.  After a shower, a banana and 2 boiled eggs, I fell asleep.  Afterwards I read on the race website that someone had moved some of the cones, so that the runners missed a water stop.  There were other snafus as well, and these are currently being addressed by the race director.  Well, today saw a nice walk as my hips are still a bit stiff, but I am hoping to go for a run tomorrow morning!    More about the race nutrition in another post....I am in need of some more rest....

World Run Day - 8 November 2009

Today was World Run Day, and it was also my 'one year anniversary'.  It is exactly one year to the day that I went for my first run outdoors on my own. In a post of the same title one year ago, I blogged about what a huge step this was for me, running without a partner or my team. That first run was a 5 miler, and I felt relatively sure that I would complete it within an hour. And indeed I did - after that it seemed like a whole new dimension in running opened up.
A couple of weeks ago I signed up for the 2009 World Run Day. It was exhilirating and I felt excited because I was keen to see how far I had progressed this year. Therefore I felt that I had to do something special. One of my goals this year is to run 2 half marathons, but so far I have not yet managed to sign up for anything. This is partially due to my foot woes, partially because I have not managed to nail down a programme and a lot to do with motivation.
It is easy enough to feel motivated in your head, but when there is a disconnect with your determination, nothing happens. Well, after I found my new running programme, I decided to try and squeeze in the 2 half marathons before the end of the year, using the long runs. World Run Day provided me with one of those 'long run' opportunities, so I signed up for 13.1 miles.
Having learned a lesson from last Sunday, I prepared everything meticulously last night. I put out my clothes, my shoes and my snack. I made sure to eat all the right things and drink lots of fluids. I was up early today, and it promised to be a stunning day as I peeped out of the living room window. The sky was turning pink and the Boston skyline was silhouetted in the emerging sunbeams. I am out of GUs and hammergels, so last night I decided that a mini kitkat snack bar would do the job if I started feeling weak kneed on the run.
I started the run at 7am this morning and it was a marvelous feeling! Not only did I reflect on the sheer joy of running, abut also on this past year. It was a great run, and even though the last 3 miles were a bit tough in that I could not run as fast as I wanted, I enjoyed every second of it. I completed my first half marathon, made a donation to charity, and also gained some valuable experience in running longer distances.
I usually have an espresso before my outdoor runs and my races, but this morning I had some porridge. Unfortunately I do not like eating so early in the morning, but wanted to eat something. The problem was that I only had 10 minutes between finishing breakfast and starting the run. So the first 5 miles were slow, as my system tried to digest! The middle miles were great and I felt quite strong, I picked up the pace a bit and felt I was making a decent time. However the last 3 miles were quite tortuous. I had the legs to finish, but they also felt a bit tired at the same time! Still, this was a very useful experience, and I know what to try and do differently next time. Who knows, I might even find a half marathon to sign up for.

My First Half Marathon!

I finally bit the bullet, and signed up for my first half marathon. Boston's Run to Remember on 24th May is a half marathon through the city of Boston. OK, truth be told, I originally wanted to sign up for the Walt Disney Princess half marathon which takes place on 8th March in Florida. Having never been much in the princess business, I was curious to "find out what kind of princess I am" as the event publicity announces. Unfortunately Stuart will be in Europe that week, and I don't fancy going to Florida on my own - not for my first half. It would be nice to have my own personal fan there, so I chose a half closer to home - although according to Stuart I don't have to go to Florida to find out whether I am a princess or not! Anyway, I am now officially doing a half marathon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even though May seems a long time away, it's not really since I was hoping to do my first triathlon before then. By the way, I have to learn to ride a bike and how to swim in open water. Now I really have confessed all. I took some bike lessons in Oxford a few years ago, but the common philosophy seems to be "get on the bike and pedal". Well, it sort of works, but I think I am going down to the Bicycling school and am going to take a few lessons as I am not very good at taking turns.
Well, as soon as I have my vertical race out of the way in Feb, I shall get down to running a bit more. The long run seems to have fallen by the wayside, as I did not do one last week and I might struggle with one this week. Well maybe a short long run?