53 Runner's Commandments

What's your favorite Runner commandment? Mine is #14.....

1. Don't be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don't make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. During group training runs, don't let anyone run alone.
5. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
6. When doing group runs, start on time no matter who's missing.
7. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you'll need to call for a ride.
9. Don't compare yourself to other runners.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won't run.
12. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
13. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
14. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
15. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
17. Talk like a runner. "Singlets" are worn on warm days. "Tank tops" are worn to the beach.
18. Don't talk about your running injuries. People don't want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
19. Don't always run alone.
20. Don't always run with people.
21. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
23. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you'll get during racing.
24. Races aren't just for those who can run fast.
25. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
26. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn't feel like running.
27. Be modest after a race, especially if you have reason to brag.
28. If you say, "Let's run this race together," then you must stay with that person no matter how slow.
29. Think twice before agreeing to run with someone during a race.
30. There is nothing boring about running. There are, however, boring people who run.
31. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
32. Distance running is like cod liver oil. At first it makes you feel awful, then it makes you feel better.
33. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
34. Don't try to outrun dogs.
35. Don't trust runners who show up at races claiming to be tired, out of shape, or not feeling well.
36. Don't wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won't run very often.
37. When tempted to stop being a runner, make a list of the reasons you started.
38. Never run alongside very old or very young racers. They get all of the applause.
39. Without goals, training has no purpose.
40. During training runs, let the slowest runner in the group set the pace.
41. The first year in a new age group offers the best opportunity for trophies.
42. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
43. Spend more time running on the roads than sitting on the couch.
44. Make progress in your training, but progress at your own rate.
45. "Winning" means different things to different people.
46. Unless you make your living as a runner, don't take running too seriously.
47. Runners who never fail are runners who never try anything great.
48. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn't look good in tights.
49. Never confuse the Ben-Gay tube with the toothpaste tube.
50. Never apologize for doing the best you can.
51. Preventing running injuries is easier than curing them.
52. Running is simple. Don't make it complicated.
53. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn't come until the end of the run.

Done!

OK, bedroom is officially repainted and we are taking a time out for a few days before we begin the next house project. This project took forever....ok, it took a week, but when you are living in chaos and stuff is everywhere, it feels like forever!

Now, back to refocusing on my stuff.....still at the gym.....still haven't really run......still frustrated. Ugh! When does it end?? I'm guessing it will end when I finally suck it up and go for a run and realize it isn't that bad.....it's all in my head now. My trainer at the gym has extended our 5am workout group another 4 weeks...she rocks! At least I've been sticking with the workouts and I haven't completely thrown in the towel! I also started softball last week (team through work) and will play every Tuesday night until July. Good stuff! I'm pretty sure I couldn't move my arm the day after the game. Apparently my body wasn't used to the motion of throwing a ball! :)

I'm off to take enjoy some much needed down time! I officially won't have another day off until May 22 b/c I'm a chaperone for the Washington D.C. 8th grade trip next weekend. Whoo Hoo! I hope D.C. is ready for us!

Struggling....

The half marathon really took a toll on me and not in a good way. I was definitely sick, so physically I wasn't 100% and didn't even realize! It took me so long to recover, and not from muscle pain. Surprisingly, I had virtually no muscle soreness, I was just run down and mentally burned from the run.

So, I decided to take last week off from all things running (including blogging) and gym related! OK, I did my 5am workout that monday morning, but that was it. I did stuff around the house and yard, but no workouts. I kind of felt like a slug, but I think I needed it! No, I know I needed it!

I was back to the gym yesterday morning for my 5am workout and I'm getting back into the swing of things. I'm still feeling run down.....this is kind of ridiculous.....not sure what is going on mentally/physically, but I'm trying to push through it and get some good workouts in with the hope that a kick butt workout pulls me out of this space!

Post Run Recovery

Conveniently, I didn't even mention the fact that I had a very hard time recovering Sunday. My mind is probably choosing to forget that part of the day! My muscles were firing all day and I couldn't get my body to relax. I also had to force myself to eat because I felt nauseous. I tried to take a nap, but kept tossing and turning and my head started pounding. I had a bagel and water at the finish and then I forced down some pasta with bolonese sauce that Alex had made. Along with more water. I just couldn't get comfortable and didn't feel right at all. I have to say, this was the worst I've ever felt after a run. Seriously, I was miserable the rest of the day. I finally got to sleep sunday night and then made myself get up at 5am monday morning for my trainer workout. It was worth it because I worked out whatever junk was in my muscles and I actually haven't been sore very much at all.

So, who knows what was going on, but obviously I need to go back to the drawing board b/c my body was missing something on sunday between all my problems during the run and then my lack of recovery.

Unity Health Systems Flower City Challege 1/2 Marathon

I had a lot of anxiety going into this event for a few reasons.....

1. I didn't train nearly as much as necessary to have a decent time.....
2. The forecast called for continuous rain/downpours beginning at 1am and not ending for days.....
3. My husband had been sick all week and I was not feeling 100%......
4. We watched a rather depressing movie the night before this run and I ended up in a very strange mental space...
5. I wasn't sure how I was feeling about my pre run banana, toast, and peanut butter...

This all turned into the perfect mix for a not so great run.

First, this was a wonderful event that was very well organized and easy to maneuver. Fleet Feet Rochester (Ellen and Boots) truly put on a top notch inaugural event! The entire event was a full weekend that included a Duathalon and Triathlon on Saturday and the 1/2 Marathon and a 5K on Sunday. All events toured the participants through all the beautiful treasures and historic neighborhoods that Rochester holds. We began at the Rochester War Memorial, wove through the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood (where we were cheered on by members in period attire!), and then headed past Frontier Field, where our Rochester Red Wings play. We then made our way down Main St. to East Ave. and passed the Little Theatre (best popcorn ever!), George Eastman House (Kodak), and headed to Park Ave neighborhood. We then made our way to Highland Park area and began our trek through Mt. Hope Cemetery where we spent about 2 miles. Once out of Mt. Hope, we ran through the University of Rochester campus, over the Ford St. Bridge, into the Corn Hill Neighborhood, and then could see the finish line back at the War Memorial. What an incredible course through our beautiful city!

Now....what I was really feeling that day! I chose to run with the 2:30 pace group and bumped into my friend Kelly (who was running her first half marathon) as well as some other friends I trained with last summer at Fleet Feet. Ellen from Fleet Feet was shouting encouragement from the microphone and then got us ready and yelled GO! It was invigorating; I was actually feeling really good! There was a ton of crowd support (actually the 5kers and family) cheering us on as we started our 13.1 mile journey. I did learn one thing about myself right out of the gate....I start way too fast! I was having a hard time getting into the groove with the pace group and kept getting ahead. Once I got the feeling of the 2:30 pace, I was feeling pretty good. Kelly and I were chatting and running, saw my friends Derek & Katie road marshalling at mile 1 and got in a good high five.

All was good up until the 3 mile mark and my stomach started cramping. Awesome. Way too early in the run to deal with this. I knew from the pre race newsletter that there would be a porta potty at the 5k point, so I figured I would stop before it got too bad. Little did I know, this would turn into my fatal error for the run. There was one porta potty and a 4 person long line. I lost about 4-5 minutes waiting, and I was trying to bounce around to keep my legs warm, but it wasn't working. At this point, the race participants were dwindling, and next thing we know (b/c there were still at least 4 people in line behind me), the ambulance goes by. Seriously...am I now at the end of the run!! I've been at the end of a run one time only and I swore that would never happen again. So, I did my business, and got back on the road with the goal of getting back in front of the ambulance, which was now a good 1/2 mile or more ahead of me. My legs felt like LEAD!!!! I started freaking out b/c I still had 10 miles to go! Ugh!! But, I pushed it hard, passed a bunch of people and caught up to the ambulance as we were turning to head up to Park Ave. Yay!! I was elated when I caught up and got ahead and then settled into a comfortable pace that would get me to the finish. At this point, I had already thrown the towel in on my hope of 2:30 b/c I had just lost too much time with the bathroom stop and now felt worse that I did before I stopped. My new goal was to just keep moving, and, with the course being nice and flat at this point, that wasn't too difficult.

Next up was the Highland area and Mt. Hope Cemetery. I knew there were hills coming, but I was truly unprepared for the continuous, repeating hills. Especially when I got to what wasn't just a hill, but was a cobblestone hill. Are you kidding me?? I was already feeling somewhat defeated, and the hills pushed me over the edge. Somewhere in the cemetery, I felt like I could possibly throw up or start crying, I wasn't sure...and I was feeling severely dehydrated. What the heck was happening?? I had hydrated for days, it was cool and misty weather, and I had been taking water, sport drinks, and GU from the aid stations. But, I started getting scared that I wasn't actually going to finish. My legs also started breaking down and I had to start taking walk breaks. Ugh! I hated it and just felt terrible....which didn't help my mental space.

Luckily, while in Mt. Hope Cemetary, I found my new friend Rene! Yay! She was also struggling and we decided to help each other to the finish. We started doing a run/walk rotation while chatting it up and found our way out of Mt. Hope, through UofR, over the Ford St. bridge, and past Corn Hill to the finish line! Whoo Hoo!! I had a few more break down moments in that time (calves cramping), but knew we were closing in on the finish, so I pushed through.


As I said in my last post, I matched an old Half time, and I'll take that with all the issues I had.

Lastly, I have to say, I have never seen volunteers who were more supportive and encouraging in any other run. Their incredible smiles and words of encouragement meant more than they will ever know.....they helped me through some tough moments. Thank you!

Alright, that was my day. Now I where I'm at and exactly how much work I have ahead of me to get read for NYC!!

Today......

Kicked my behind. Seriously. I'm still recovering, not feeling that great right now. I had a hard time about midway through (around 7miles) and alot of my parts started breaking down. I'll give more of an update tomorrow and a better overview of what was a fantastic course. I finished, didn't have a PR, but matched the time from my very first half marathon in '07. I'll take that!