Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Walk to Run: Day Two
Week: One
Day: Two
Felt: Excellent
Weather: Sunny, blue skies in lower 60's
Surface: road/asphalt
Workout: (walk 5/run 1)x2 + walk 5 +grapevine on toes +walk on toes
Music: "True Believers in the Long Walk Home" by Thick as Thieves
Did I learn anything? That "Mars Viglia" is a great song to run to.
Yesterday was simple: a 15 minute walk. *pbbbttt* I can do that in my sleep! So uneventful really.
This morning was my first real test: running for a couple of minutes is exciting. I never thought I'd say that but there it is, it's exciting. It's exciting because I know I'm on the way back to recovery and running. :) :) :) Soo so so happy today.
The only down side was the guys from the Mass Pike here to mow the grass on the other side of the fence. I get it guys, watching a woman grapevine back and forth for a block is pretty freaky goofy looking, but that you had no shame in openly mocking me thinking I couldn't hear you is just pathetic. Personally, given the beer guts you two were sporting, you're the last ones to be laughing at anyone.
Monday, June 29, 2009
finding my path
Recently I feel like I've been living in Seattle and forgot I moved. I mean, it's practically July and it feels like all it's done all month is rain, drizzle, rain and drizzle again. Today there was a bit of a break in the clouds and the sun made a surprise appearance. I parked McGreavey by the old running path and went for a walk.
The majority of the walk was wonderful. I forgot how much I love the sights and sounds of the river as I walk along. The lush green foliage, the sound of the rushing river, watching the geese and squirrels play in and along the banks of the water. I needed this as the other option, if the rain had come, was another couple rounds around the Natick Mall. :p
A mile and a half from the car, the sky opened up for a few minutes. I managed to walk along under some trees, so it wasn't too bad.
Best site today: a young squirrel hanging upside down from a branch to reach some berries on a tree. When I laughed, he gave me this "What?" look. His tail was wrapped around the branch and his back claws were dug it - but still, it made me laugh.
I got 3 miles in and included some of the PT stuff: walking on my toes, grapevine on my toes and such With a little icing and ibuprofen, it feels fine.
Mall Walking
Apparently I moved to Seattle and forgot - is there another way to explain this weather? I have been walking as part of rehabbing this Achilles injury but it's hard to be consistent when it's raining the way it has been.
What's a girl to do?
Answer: bite the bullet, pick up the iPod and drive to the mall. :shudder:
Because of the popularity of mall walking programs, most customer services desks can tell you how many laps = 1 mile and then it becomes a matter of the mind numbing journey staring at odd window displays and such. My usual haunts have been the Natick Mall, where each lap is just over a mile (if you include the collection wing and a couple of other little wings here and there scattered through the structure). The other night I was sore after all sorts of tension and frustration lodging in my back and sprung for a massage from the people on the second floor.
It was 20 minutes of pure bliss.
Saturday the weather held enough to walk the short loop of my old running paths and Sunday it held enough to take a walk up Heartbreak Hill to Centre Street. But today the rain is back and I'm sighing into my coffee and figuring on making a drive up to Natick where the parking is free and the walk is dull but climate controlled.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
And she's back
After battling injuries, I started running again. I did an ill-prepared Hyannis 10k at the end of February. A more confident Ras Na Heirann and a positively wonderful Doyles 5 miler at the end of March. The world was my oyster and I was feeling good until April came around and it happened again.
On a lovely morning, it felt like someone stabbed me in the back of the heel and I pulled up lame. Cursing and swearing all the way home, I called the orthopedist and got the bad news: most likely a torn achilles.
FUCK!
It is the only word that could be uttered with enough force to begin to express my frustration.
Six weeks with inserts and a boot, I am now ambulatory again. The boot is off and I am now walking. I get to arrange for PT and I go for another check up in 6 weeks. Hopefully then it will be: OK, you can start that c25k again.
But yesterday and today I went for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. My goal is to walk at least 30 minutes a day and keep up my muscle strength, regain some of my fitness and move on from there.
So here's to new beginnings.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Uphill - both ways
When you try to explain to people how running on the hill my street is on is really running up hill both ways, they often respond: but do you do that barefoot and in the snow as well?
Seriously, that 1.5 mile stretch is uphill from my house to the crest before it dips and goes back up the hill a bit. When you turn around, you're not really running down hill and you find yourself running back uphill until you reach the crest again and then you have a sharp down hill until you get back to the house. It's one of the hardest 1.5 miles you can run around here - there is actually a much harder one about a half mile from my house as that side of the same hill is much steeper but has more of a downhill feel when you're running down it.
I'll probably go out again today and do the 1.5 a second time to see if it's any easier after running it yesterday. I doubt it will be, it's been almost a year and it's still a tough freakin' run.
Seriously, that 1.5 mile stretch is uphill from my house to the crest before it dips and goes back up the hill a bit. When you turn around, you're not really running down hill and you find yourself running back uphill until you reach the crest again and then you have a sharp down hill until you get back to the house. It's one of the hardest 1.5 miles you can run around here - there is actually a much harder one about a half mile from my house as that side of the same hill is much steeper but has more of a downhill feel when you're running down it.
I'll probably go out again today and do the 1.5 a second time to see if it's any easier after running it yesterday. I doubt it will be, it's been almost a year and it's still a tough freakin' run.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Some days the bear eats you
Tonight was my first race since... well, since March.
It was one of the weekly 2.6 mile races and I decided to give it a try. It wasn't a question of being physically ready - as I pretty much am sure I was. I wasn't mentally ready, and that makes a difference.
This isn't a "well, well, you tried..." sort of thing. This is a mile in I realized I just wasn't there. I ran about a mile and realized I was done. I walked the last 1.6 miles and threw in a bit of jogging here and there, but emotionally I was not in a good place. Perhaps I tried to push myself a bit too soon. Perhaps all those injury fears that I had finally dumped the day I set up a 1/2 training program and then promptly went down for the count were still a bit too close to the surface. Whatever it was, it wasn't a case of willing myself through.
It was a horrible run, no two ways around it. I will eventually figure out how to run that course with joy again, it just wasn't going to be tonight. In the meantime, my vertigo seems to have gone away and it's time for me to figure out a new course of action and give this a try again next Thursday night.
It was one of the weekly 2.6 mile races and I decided to give it a try. It wasn't a question of being physically ready - as I pretty much am sure I was. I wasn't mentally ready, and that makes a difference.
This isn't a "well, well, you tried..." sort of thing. This is a mile in I realized I just wasn't there. I ran about a mile and realized I was done. I walked the last 1.6 miles and threw in a bit of jogging here and there, but emotionally I was not in a good place. Perhaps I tried to push myself a bit too soon. Perhaps all those injury fears that I had finally dumped the day I set up a 1/2 training program and then promptly went down for the count were still a bit too close to the surface. Whatever it was, it wasn't a case of willing myself through.
It was a horrible run, no two ways around it. I will eventually figure out how to run that course with joy again, it just wasn't going to be tonight. In the meantime, my vertigo seems to have gone away and it's time for me to figure out a new course of action and give this a try again next Thursday night.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Where Am I? What Am I Doing?
Just as I started running and feeling good about it again, I started having problems with vertigo. So after a week of taking anitbiotics for a possible low-grade sinus infection, I'm better. Tomorrow I'll try going for a run and see how I do.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Two down
This morning I was committed to volunteer at the New Charles River Run and I had 2 miles scheduled on my c25k plan. This meant getting up hella early on a Sunday to get my run in.
But I did it. I ran two miles in 24:49 - which is a 12:24 mile. So even though I was saying things to myself like, "Whoa girl, take it down a notch...." and forcing myself to slow down, I ran 2 miles at my regular pace. There's something truly gratifying about that. I'm scheduled to do a 2.5 long run next Sunday, but I may move it up to Thursday and run the US Blues 2.6 miler... we'll see.
Either way, I'm feeling like I've got 2 down and a whole life more ahead.
But I did it. I ran two miles in 24:49 - which is a 12:24 mile. So even though I was saying things to myself like, "Whoa girl, take it down a notch...." and forcing myself to slow down, I ran 2 miles at my regular pace. There's something truly gratifying about that. I'm scheduled to do a 2.5 long run next Sunday, but I may move it up to Thursday and run the US Blues 2.6 miler... we'll see.
Either way, I'm feeling like I've got 2 down and a whole life more ahead.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
