I am just the worst

I still intend to write about the marathon this year... yes, the marathon that was 4 months ago.  Let me just say, it was rough. Like, really rough in so many ways.

Let me get to a little bit of a spoiler and say that I haven't been able to run since Memorial Day weekend due to a whole bunch of bad things happening with my foot. Here's the deal with running long distances- things are going to hurt. They're going to hurt a lot. Often, they get better as you get stronger. So, I assumed some foot/toe pain was just my feet needing to be stronger (and, that is possibly what it was). I ran through it. Actually, I sought out advice on how to mentally deal with the pain and run through.  Training this year was tough for a lot of reasons (a fall early on resulting in PT, snow and ice, food poisoning...) and I'm guessing that I just didn't train as much as I should of and caused some bad foot trauma.

Right now, I'm dealing with plantar fasciitis, a heel spur, a torn tendon, a pulled muscle, a bone bruise, and a little arthritis.  I've not been able to teach or do any kind of activity with impact since the beginning of July.  Before that, we tried anti-inflammatories and a cortisone shot before finally getting an MRI and getting the full picture.  I'm missing teaching classes and running pretty badly.

My last run was the Run to Remember in May. I had just started going to the doctor and was told that I could still run, but I should avoid hills.  It was a flat enough course and I switched from the half marathon to the 5 mile course. It was not great. Lots of pain. But, running just the five miles gave me the chance to watch some friends finish their first half marathons!

So happy to be at the end! 

Bish killing it!

Andrew kicking ass!

But, I've been swimming and I love it!  My first few tries were pretty bad.  I was never a great swimmer. I could tread water and move pretty slowly, but I've never really used swimming as an exercise. I had to force myself to get through 15 minutes of "laps" and then 15 more of aqua jogging. My generous and wonderful friend, Lynne, offered a free lesson and it gave me things to work on!  She showed me how to breath correctly during freestyle and taught me proper technique for both freestyle and breast stroke.  I'm still not great, but I'm good enough to actually get a work out!  She also taught me how to pick out goggles and for the first time, I have some that fit.

I also bought this swimming cap. It keeps the hair out of my face and the added bonus is, given the choice, most swimmers would rather share a lane with someone not wearing this.

LANE TO MYSELF!

Ok, fine.

One week left! AH!!!!

Alright- Here we go.

I've been kind of stubborn about this.  I made it to lifetime with Weight Watchers a couple of years ago.  Buuuuuut, I'm up. I kept thinking that I would just do it on my own because I didn't want to have to pay.  It was less the money and more feeling a bit like a failure.  I just got to relaxed with tracking and choices, plus had a little wrench thrown in called hypothyroidism.  Now that that's under control, I need to get back to good habits.  I know I can do it.  I've done it before!  I'm putting this out there because blogging helped me get to lifetime and I know it can help me get back to goal.  There's no shame in needing a little help!  Unfortunately, there were no meetings close by today, but I'm tracking and I can go back to Jean, my favorite leader, Thursday or Friday morning.  Let's do this!

A week and two days!

First- it's been a while.  20 miles- not so much.  I had a scary couple of days where I couldn't bend my knee or straighten it all the way.  It's not a fun place to be.  It's better!  But it was not fun.  I think it was the rain... which makes me feel old...


Next- we're getting down to the wire.  Today, I drove on Storrow Drive and in Kenmore Square and saw people running (in this beautiful weather) in their race day singlets!  It seems like a good idea for tomorrow since I haven't worn mine in about a year.  I'm pretty sure I'm wearing last year's team Stoneham shirt since it never got to cross the finish line.

Also- got this cool write up in Panorama thanks to Tiffany!

Photo by Samantha Murray

The photo shoot brought me to Copley Square for the first time in a while.  It was exciting and a little scary to think about running through the square in just a few weeks.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited!  But it'll be a tough 26.2 miles and an emotional day.  There's not much to do this week but take care of myself and eat some pasta.  Let's do this!

See YOU in a week!

Long runs or "Why is there always a headwind?!"

I have to admit something here... If you asked me in person, I was honest, but I tried to hide my true fear on this blog for some reason... but I was not 100% sure I was going to be able to handle the marathon this year.  I think I mentioned that training felt particularly hard these past few months.  I didn't start out as ready as I wanted, I fell and hit my head on my first run (that later resulted in whiplash and PT), it snowed every minute of every day this year, and I just had a lot of trouble feeling like I had time.  I had to alter my training schedule a few times and I was getting pretty worried about my long runs.  Even a three miler I did last week felt tough.  My 18 miler this weekend really made me feel a lot better!

First of all, the weather was beautiful on Saturday, just a little windy (and some rain, but we'll get to that).  I have a loop that's just over five miles through Woburn and Winchester.  Somehow no matter which direction I was facing, there was a head wind.  It wasn't constant, but wow, it was strong! 

I decided to stop worrying so much about my speed.  I know it's not going to be what I hoped, but I was never going to win.  I just want to finish.  Any finishing time will be a PR for me since it will be my first completed marathon.  I want to enjoy it.  I decided to take the advice I got from a random gentleman in the lobby of the Stoneham Theater last year, "Walk before you think you need to.  When you feel the best, take it easy".  I decided that I would drink water at every "water stop" and maybe take a little walk every couple of miles. Just for a minute or so unless I really needed it before or for longer.  For my first "water stop", I picked a water bottle from my belt to find that I had only filled the two Gatorade bottles, not the water.  Of course.  I knew I was going to run by a park and I was pretty sure there was a water fountain, so I decided just to fill them up.  And it wasn't on.  Of course.

FOUNTAIN OF LIES!

 I was feeling way to good to let it stop me.  I stopped in Burger King and filled up my water at the soda machine.

I took my walking breaks, ate my Clif Blocks, enjoyed the sun, and then around mile 8, it started to rain.  It was still pretty warm and I was wearing a baseball hat, so no worries.   It rained until about mile 11 and as the clouds parted, "Here Comes the Sun" came on.  Well timed, iPod.

I felt great, I felt strong, I had very little chaffing, and most important, I felt like I could do it.  I used my Mindful Practice thinking and acknowledged any discomfort and pain and it really works. I mean, it doesn't go away, but I didn't dwell on it. 

One quick "review".  I made a quick visit to the lovely people over at Marathon Sports in Melrose to pick up some new socks.  For some reason, my toes just go right through them.  I keep my nails short, I always have someone help me get the right size and brand, but I always seem to end up with holes in the toes.  They recommended a Darn Tough pair.

I mean, look at the packaging

First, they're guaranteed for life.  Second, they are SO comfortable.  I know I've said hundreds of times that you should never try something new on a long run or on race day, but I was desperate.  I was pretty much out of socks.  They stayed put, they breathed, they wicked, and I had no blisters!  I'm sold.  And I recommend them!

Next week is my last bump up in mileage. It's 20.  I never got to 20 last year because of a poorly timed chest cold.  I'm ready this year.  Let's do it!

Marathon Training- week two!

Week two.  It certainly was better than week one (no head injuries or being splashed by puddles).  I got in my speed work, ran on the indoor track at Shad, and my long run felt pretty great yesterday.  The weather was perfect, the ice was mostly melted, and I felt comfortable during the run. After, though...

Injuries, though, can be a funny thing.  Keep in mind, that I am not a doctor and I am not giving any medical advice.  I'm just a clumsy person who has experienced some weird uncomfortable injuries.

I'm definitely dealing with some leftover pain from my stupid ice fall.  My knee is a little painful, my back hurts, and my shoulders are kind of tight.  I'm heating, icing, rolling, and stretching, plus backing off on the weights in my class when I need to.  It's getting better.

Something that I hadn't thought about in a long time is chafing.  It's a terrible thing.  And, for me anyhow, it's only sort of predictable.  I trained for (and ran) two half marathons before last year and I had only had trouble with it once (I tried to wear my fuel belt on my hips to try to look a little less lame.  Not a great idea).  Once I hit the 14-15 mile long run, chafing became an unwelcome part of my life. 

Just get some.  Right away.

Body Glide is a great thing.  I finally bought some last year when I noticed vampire bite marks where the bottom of my sports bra sat.  After that, I discovered new and exciting chafing opportunities during almost every run, long or short.  If you're thinking of running any kind of distance, just get yourself some Body Glide (it's cheap) and put it any place anything touches your skin.  Seams, bands (bras, pants, shirts), even on your feet if you get blisters.

The WORST problem I had was during the actual marathon.  It's cold when you train for Boston. I did most of my runs in long sleeves.  I definitely did some trial runs with my race day outfit, but by the time the temperature was right, the runs were tapering off.  It never occurred to me that my iPod armband would cause trouble.

Arm

Under my armpit

Toes.  Just forget about your feet looking ok in sandals.  Get ready for the horrified looks you'll get from nail techs as you try to explain why your feet look the way they do.  My poor second toe on my right foot really got the worst of it.  I didn't blister until the actual marathon, but there was pretty much constant pain in that toe after the long runs hit 13 miles.  I did eventually lose the nail and it felt about 1000 times better when it finally went.  I'm trying out some new shoes (Brooks Defyance 7.  The Defyance 6 were pretty great all fall) and am hoping to avoid some toe problems in the future.

If ugly feet and lost toenails gross you out, you should probably just look at this picture of Winston and not scroll down anymore.

Gross.

Tah-dah

It's just nail polish... but still gross, sorry

Boston Marathon 2013

I've thought about writing about the marathon for months and just never got all that far.  I'm registered for the 2014 Boston Marathon, so I've been thinking about the training and that day a lot lately.  I planned on writing about the marathon a lot.  I thought about it the days before and during the race. I tried to remember different things that happened and at which mile, when songs came on, crowd signs, etc.  While this isn't the post I had planned on writing, this was my experience.

So let's start with this information- I had not run for two weeks before the marathon.  I have no good reason and no explanation for this.  I worked out. I mean, I taught my classes.  But no running.  I was sick for a bit and couldn't get to my 20 miler (chest cold) and then just... ya know  Nothing.  

Friday, April 12th, I drove into Boston to pick up my race packet. 

Nerves setting in.

So busy...

The finish line

Aaaaaah! It was just three days away!

I spend some time walking through the expo.  I bough an official Boston Marathon sweatshirt and stuffed unicorn (a kid in a stroller told me that that one's name was "Ralph").  I looked at different socks, shirts, stickers, shoe charms... so many things.  I needed to get myself a new sparkley blue headband and a super hot fanny pack.  You know how they tell you never to try anything new on race day? They even mean headbands. I'll get to that later.

Spike! Oh.. um, Ralph.

You can see the fear in my eyes. 

That weekend was spent worrying, setting my stuff out for race day, checking it 2000 more times, seeing a show, and eating carbs (so many carbs).  The night before, I tried to get to bed early, but I didn't sleep very well.

I got up nice and early that morning.  I wanted to make sure I had some coffee and some breakfast and some time to relax before heading to Ram's "Magic Bus" with the Shamrock running club. It was an early start, but my wave didn't run until... 10?

Winston has no idea why I'm awake.

Breakfast of champions...? I ate more on the bus, don't worry

I got dressed... posed for a picture (it might have taken a few)

That's fear.  And awkwardness. 

And we headed out for the bus.  It was a little cold (better than hot!) and I bundled up and settled in.  I was pretty nervous, so I spent a lot of time looking at my phone, checking Facebook and texting with friends to keep my mind of the miles ahead... even though we were all just talking about... the miles.  So many miles.  We made it to Hopkinton!

So many people!

AAAAAAAAH!

I hung out on the bus until I got word that my teammates (Brad and Kristin) had made it in from Boston.  We stretched, we chatted, we waited for our wave to be called.  We slowly made our way up to the starting line.  There were people outside on their lawns giving out hair ties, vasoline (chaffing), water, and sunblock.  There were people already clapping and cheering us on, people holding signs.  I was already starting to get emotional.  And I was cold. SO cold.

We made it to the start line and just had a few more minutes to wait.  Brad, Kristin, and I wished each other well because we knew our speeds would be very different.  And we were off!  We were running the Boston Marathon!  For the first mile or so, I saw more people peeing on the side of the road and in the woods than I have ever seen in my life (this is presented without comment).  

I knew I had some people that would be cheering me on on the side. I wondered if I would actually be able to find them.  Right away, I saw Anthony and Lisa Huntington (who snapped the picture below).  I waved and heard "You go baby girl!" from Lisa and almost started to cry again.  :)  

I'm the one turning around.  And smiling because it's only been, like, a mile.

So it turns out, the best non-running advice I got was the write my name in big letters on my shirt.  I know it sounds silly, but nothing makes you feel more like a superstar than the Boston Marathon crowd cheering your name as you pass. (and it took until mile 15 before I got my first mispronunciation (it was Shana).  Pretty impressive.)

The first ten miles honestly flew by.  I recognized the streets of Ashland, Framingham, and Natick as we ran through. I remember some of music that played (Kate deLima's suggestion, "Thrift Shop" turned out to be a good one, because it was pretty fuckin' awesome).  

You know what's hard?  Pacing your high fives.  So many adorable kids and encouraging adults.  That was some other advice I was given, "Don't high five every kid in Hopkinton".  It's hard advice to take.

Do you want to know the weird thing that happens when you run at my pace? You will eventually get passed by all of the people in costumes.  Somewhere around mile 9 maybe, a whole bunch of hamburgers started to pass me (a gaggle?).  Dora the Explorer and I spent most of Framingham and Natick taking turns passing.  At some point, I was passed by a banana holding up a speaker.  I sort of snapped this picture because, I mean... come on.

Yep.

Just before the halfway point is, what I think was, my favorite part of the marathon, Wellesley College.  I had heard about it, but there was really nothing that could have prepared me for the amazingness that is the ladies of Wellesley.  The signs! The screams!  The high fives! The kisses being offered!  Signs that read "Kiss me I'm____" ("in a long distance relationship", "Italian", "a lesbian", etc) and "Finally some men around here!"

Right after Wellesley, I remember thinking "I like half marathons".  It's a respectable distance that doesn't disrupt your life and you still get a medal and snacks.  And I would have been done.  And my toes were really starting to hurt.  I said to a couple around mile 15 "This was a terrible idea!"

Random words of advice and wisdom from other runners flashed through my head.  "When you see the fire station in Newton and make the turn, that's not Heartbreak Hill".  Ok, so there was the fire station and then some hills.  My details start to get fuzzy here, but I know I started to be offered some beer.  I know I saw my friend Katie.  And I saw the awesome people from Stoneham Theatre.  That took me a couple of seconds to sort out.  I heard them and I heard my name and waved, but it took some time to register that I actually knew them!  The hills continued.  I took a little walking break here and there (more than just the water stations) to pace myself for Heartbreak Hill.

I have to admit that I didn't run Heartbreak Hill before that day.  I should have, probably.  There are a lot of hills in Woburn and Winchester on my normal routes, so I reasoned that I was doing a pretty good job of training for the hills in the marathon.  I still had nightmares about it.  In those dreams, I came to pretty much a wall of a hill that I had to climb on all fours.  It kept getting higher and I rarely made it to the top.  I kept going up the hills in Newton that I thought preceded it and thought "Wow, this is a little bit further away than I thought".  I looked over to my right and saw a sign that said "YOU MADE IT UP HEARTBREAK HILL!"  I stopped and asked the young guy holding it "Wait. SERIOUSLY!?"  "..... YEAH!"  I cried.  I was going to finish.  I kept running.

The Boston College area is a very close second to Wellesley.  They are excited and they have beer and they are so proud of everyone!  A lot of them were yelling out "name on shirt, I love you!"  I'm pretty sure that I always yelled back that I loved them, too. I needed to.  I was tired, I was so sick of my peanut butter GU and Gatorade and water and I really wanted their beer, but I knew it wasn't a good idea.  I kept running.

Very very soon after Boston College, the police officers on the route started to look different.  They weren't nervous, but they weren't watching the runners.  They were diverting us on to the sidewalk.  One of them said "We're stopping the race ahead".  I was so confused and SURE that I heard him wrong.  I kept running.  Another officer said the same thing and that's it.  I stopped to ask a concerned (and quiet) on looker what was going on.  "There was an explosion at the finish line".  Surely I heard him wrong.  There were still spectators.  We were all still running.  He must have been mistaken.  I took my phone out of my running belt and it was dead.  Keep running.

"We're moving the finish line" said another officer.  "What happened?!" another runner asked.  No answer.  I passed a woman and a soldier on the sidewalk offering use of their cell phones.  I took them up on it.  I tried to call Kevin, but his phone was also dead.  I tried my parents, but cell service was just stopped.  I didn't know what to do.  My plan was to run for as long as I could because people that I loved were at that finish line and I had no idea how to find them or if they were ok.

It was a few miles of "We're going to stop ahead" before they actually stopped the race.  I was just before Kenmore Square where I knew Corey and Sarah and the Lynn crew would have been.  We just were stopped. No other instructions.  I looked around and saw a Whole Foods across the street.  I knew that I was going to have to eat something and get some water.  I was so grateful for my fanny pack running belt and last minute decision to through $20 and my credit card in.  Whole Foods let me use their phone.  Still no answer from Kevin, but I left another message.  I managed to get a hold of my sister at my parents' house.  I could barely hold it together.  I asked her to please post on my Facebook wall to let everyone know that I was ok and to see if anyone had heard from Kevin.  She said that James was acting as a point person and posting any news he received.  She had read that Kevin was with Aimee and friends and was safe a little while before.  I told her I was going to try to walk back and find a meeting area.

I walked up to the bridge into Kenmore where an officer told me that I would have to go around another way.  I was shivering at this point.  It wasn't all that cold, but I had lost a lot of water and was covered in sweat.  I was just in capris and a tank top with wet hair and no mylar blanket.  I walked around a little more and ran into another officer that told me and another runner there would be buses running up Comm Ave to bring us to a meeting area and the buses with our bags at the Common.  He gave me a long sleeved t-shirt and apologized for not having a sweatshirt.  The other runner, George from Florida, and I walked up to Comm Ave.  He was up from Florida and needed to get back to his family at his hotel.  He spoke with them and knew they were ok.  We got to the bus stop and waited a few minutes.  "They're not coming", he said.  "We've gone this far, want to just walk?"  We walked.

It was long, and man it was windy.  We still didn't really know what was happening.  We were sore, we were cold, we were scared.  On Beacon Street, people were sitting outside of their apartments offering people a place to rest, a phone to use, and something to eat and drink.  We passed some other runners walking the other way with their yellow bags who told us that the buses were now on Newbury St.  George and I parted ways as he went back to his hotel and I went to the bus.  The volunteers at the buses gave me back my bag, but told me they were planning on setting up a family meeting place at the Common still.  I put on all of the clothes from my bag and took a mylar blanket and kept walking to the Common.

I was pretty disoriented and I can't imagine what I looked like.  I was tired, I was crying, and limping a little.  People I passed randomly offered use of their phones and help, but I really didn't know what to do.  I got to the public gardens and a swat team was surrounding a school bus.  No one knew anything about a meeting area.  I made it to the Common and wandered around.  When you are lost and scared EVERYONE looks like someone you know.  That day, everyone looked like Kevin or Corey Jackson (for some reason).  Every time I realized it wasn't them, I cried, but kept walking.

I decided to find a place to stay put because I wasn't sure I could keep walking.  I made it to the Panera Tremont and decided that I would call Kevin and hope that he was going to find a charger for his phone.  What's funny is, I was so confused, that I really thought that even with everything going on, Panera wouldn't let me use their phone if I didn't order something.  Of course, they let me make a call and asked what else they could do.  I tried Kevin's phone and it rang.... but no answer.  I tried once more and he picked up!  I could barely form words, but it turned out he was right down the street.

He parked his car, practically on the sidewalk, and ran in.  I have never been so relieved in my life.  I broke down, we hugged, I'm sure we made people uncomfortable.  The manager teared up and asked if we were ok, if there was anything else we needed.

We got in the car to drive out of Boston and I was able to charge my phone.  As soon as it powered up, it was ringing.  I called friends and family back and could barely hear what they were saying because my phone kept beeping with text notifications.  I answered all my texts, all my Facebook messages and posts, and emails.  I felt so bad for not being able to do it sooner.  I checked in with friends I knew had been there and they were all ok.

We didn't know what to do, so we went to Chili's for food and beer.  Seriously.  Chips and beer, that's all I wanted to think about.  The televisions in the lounge were all silently replaying the events from that afternoon.  I learned more about what had happened.  Our waitress noticed my BAA sweatshirt and asked if we had been there.  A neighboring table overheard and bought us a round of beer.  They didn't want us to know who they were, so we made a big cheers and thank you gesture hoping they would see.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur.  Kevin and I both took Tuesday off to spend together.  I went back to classes Wednesday (completely unable to participate).  I saw Stoneham's production of Millie featuring one of the our runners, Brad.  I can't believe he was able to to the entire show that soon after.  Here's something to compare it to:  He did the entire show full of dance numbers as if he had not run (and finished) a marathon two days before.  I groaned when I stood up at intermission. We got together with friends for dinner and drinks.  We were grateful that people we knew were ok.  We weren't part of the lockdown area that Friday, but we stayed in, glued to television and Facebook to make sure people we loved were alright.

The next week, the BAA organized a place for people to pick up their bags and medals.  Part of me felt strange about it, but I wanted to go in and get the medal.  I went in, unsure of what to expect.  There was a room full of yellow bags and about five volunteers checking off numbers and handing out medals.  They had a mini finish line and insisted on placing my finisher medal on my neck and then taking a picture.  I cried and one woman told me she was the "Official hugger".  The BAA is a wonderful organization.

I'm really honored and excited that they are letting us all run again next year.  I only know a little bit of what to expect.  I know a little bit more about how to train and about what not to do.  I know that I'll probably cry a lot.  And I know that we're all going to finish.

Training, eating, and stuff

I had hoped to be blogging more often, but the summer went by so fast!  Quick recap:

Fiddler on the Roof at Reagle Music Theatre of Boston:

Frumah Sarah

Frumah Sarah and Gramdma Tzeitel

Mr. Dan Sullivan, my bottom/better half

Water bottle dance?

Insanity Certification! 

New favorite class to teach!

 I've subbed a couple of times, plus did a one time class at Shad.  It's the first time I had people actually lay on the floor in the middle of a work out.

I ran my first 5k! I know it sounds weird, but I was pretty nervous.  I'm not all that fast and I'm always afraid I'll finish last.  I just wanted to finish in under 30 minutes, and I did.  28:59 to be exact.  It was a small race, so I even got a prize in my age group.  It was a fun event.

Right now, I'm training for the BAA Half Marathon on October 13th. It sold out in under 15 minutes, so I'm very lucky to have a spot.  It'll be my first time running this race, so I'm not sure what to expect.  Kevin and I are also signed up for the Massachusetts Rebel Race on October 26th.  I'm a little nervous about this one.  We signed up for the 15k, so that means 3 times around the course and a lot of obstacles.  I'm fairly certain I will just hang from the monkey bars George Michael Arrested Development style, but I think I have a fighting chance at the climbing and crawling through the mud.


Ok. I have to admit, again, eating habits have not been all that great for a while.  I recently had two really great weeks followed by one really terrible one and it's gone a little like that for quite some time.  This time, I'm physically writing down my points and activity, and that actually is helping me stick to the plan a little bit more. I'm definitely struggling and it's really just the food.

Oh! And I get to run the Boston Marathon again :)

Updates!

Oh, hey!

It's been a long time.  Since the last time I blogged, I finished up my long training runs (missed the 20 because of injuries and a bad cold), ran in the marathon, and ran a half marathon.  I plan on writing separate blogs about the Boston Marathon and about the Run to Remember (half).

So here's what's new... since I last blogged, two shows opened and closed (A New Brain with Moonbox productions and Legally Blonde with NextDoor Theatre), I've been cast in three shows (Fiddler on the Roof as Fruma Sarah with Reagle Music Theatre, A Little Princess as Miss Amelia with Fiddlehead Theatre, and Company as Amy with Moonbox).  I started teaching a new club- Shad Hall at Harvard Business School, plus I'm still at the North Suburban YMCA and Today's Fitness.

A New Brain.  Just a typical day. Tutu,
spinning plates, dude dressed as a frog in a blazer.

Ok. I have to admit, I've been struggling with tracking and staying on plan food-wise.  It's not hard. I know it's not hard.  I've done it before, I'm just having some trouble.  I've put some weight back on, and it's coming back in different places than it used to!  This ends. Now. Seriously.  I know I need to get back to meetings and that will help a ton.  I keep thinking back to what one of our meeting members in Woburn said about becoming lifetime and staying at goal.  Once you hit lifetime, you only have to weigh in once a month, but Frank said he goes every week and weighs in because otherwise, you're just "playing games with the scale".  He's totally right.
I was on plan yesterday, and I'm on track today!  I'm going to go to a meeting this Friday in Burlington with my favorite leader from the now closed Woburn location.

To inspire myself, I bought a new cookbook, Appetite for Reduction: 125 Low Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Last night, I made:

I promise, I'm wearing shorts.

 Delicious!  Toasted cumin seeds will soon make their way into other things I cook.  Also, I made way too much quinoa, so there will be a lot of quinoa dishes this week...

I tried a hot yoga class yesterday!  I was the first one to sweat. Like... before class started, already sweating.  I'm going to add it to my routine.

I'm also training to teach Insanity this weekend!  I'm terrified.

16.2 miles!

16 miles in one day.  I guess, if you want to be all technical, I did do the Walk for Hunger when I was in high school.  It was not a good day.  My dad dropped me off at a friend's house and I was wearing jeans, crappy  sneakers, and a t-shirt.  I was not an active kid, but I didn't really realize how much walking 20 miles would be.  Oh! I did bring an extra pair of socks because someone in our group recommended it.  He said at the half way point, we would all stop and change our socks.  (he wasn't wrong)  So, 20 miles is a long way.  It's even longer if you only walk from class to class and home from the bus stop and then one Sunday decide to join your friends for a 20 miles walk.  It was a long time ago, but I remember my hands swelled up to twice their size, changing socks halfway through was a wonderful idea, I got a ride home from a friend of a friend and could barely get out of their car, and then next day walking class to class was torture.  14 year old me would not believe that 32 year old me would run a marathon.

So, snow again last weekend.  I did end up running my long run on Thursday again.  I woke up with a bit of a stomach ache (totally not from ice cream the night before, why would you think that?) and slept in a little bit.  Plus, the dog seemed tired and I didn't want him to sleep in alone.  (he is currently asleep under my feet near the space heater)

Something I really need to keep in mind is just how long long runs take.  Getting up late and then running for 3 hours or so is really going to put a dent in your day.  Just FYI to future me. 

Because I felt better after some extra sleep and because I knew schedule and snow-wise that this was the only day I could really make this all work out, I packed up my GU, mixed up some Gatorade, and went for it.  I am always amazed by how quickly time can pass when a run is feeling really really great.  I really enjoy my running route and have come up with various modifications of it so that I can use the basic loop for almost any distance.  The sidewalks were still not amazing, so I stuck to the side of the road when I needed to.  The weather was beautiful and the wind wasn't too bad.  I made it maybe 6.5 miles and decided I should probably eat some GU.  Now, I hadn't really thought about the combination or flavors, but do yourself a favor and get peanut butter GU and grape Gatorade.  It works.  You're welcome. One more suggestion- make sure you buy regular Gatorade and not G2.   It's good, but I probably could have used the extra stuff in the regular kind.

Too low

Just don't look at it while you eat it.

Something else I've noticed about running later in the day- all of the pizza places are open for business and smell amazing.  And they are everywhere.  Winchester and Woburn are full of pizza places, funeral homes, and cemeteries.  I'm not kidding, check it out.

I made it through about 11 miles with only breaks to walk on the snow and ice and then a couple of stops for traffic lights.  Nothing too crazy. I decided to mix a little walking in now because of the "walk before you think you need to" advice.  It's a hard thing to gauge.  

I really felt great during this run for about 14.2 miles.  Then (as I said on DailyMile) I wondered if I could call a cab.  Is that allowed?  My toes were sore, knees have seen better days, and I had stepped in a big puddle around mile 12.  I was out of Gatorade and water and the wind picked up just enough to make things a little annoying.  I made it. It wasn't pretty, but I made it.  I got home and had to take the dog out.  If any neighbors were looking out the window at the idiot in running tights trying to clean up after her dog, they must have had quite a laugh.  It was an ordeal.  A long and painful ordeal.  

I got home to stretch and "foam" roll.  Oh! So, the roller I bought wasn't quite enough.  I got some advice from my boss at the YMCA and bought PVC pipe.  No kidding.  

Seriously. 

It works. It is 10x more effective (for me) than a foam roller.  I'm not a doctor or an expert, so please don't do anything I say without checking in with one!  I will say, it's a little weird to get used to because it's more slippery AND it's staticy, so there will a hair/fur situation.  Also, your dog will try to put all of his toys on your lap as you roll your hamstrings.  

Thursday afternoon and night was little tough.  Not as bad as I thought, but not super comfortable.  Plus I had to face these at rehearsal:

COME on!

This week is a little step back week, so my long run is only 12 miles.  That sounds wonderful.  This week, the snow is supposed to come tomorrow and Thursday, so I may even get to run on the weekend.  

Please don't forget- you can donate here!   

And March 9th is the long awaited return of Close Enough!  All of the cover charge goes towards marathon fundraising.

Oh the weather outside is weather...

Something I hadn't thought too much about when I signed on for the marathon was what the weather was going to be like during training.  I know I live in New England and it's winter, but it was just so mild last year that I didn't think about it too much.  I've run in the winter before, but I wasn't really training for anything, so if it was bad out, I'd go inside and run on the treadmill or use some other machine.  I took a lot of Spin classes instead of running.  There's really no way around running outside in the winter if you're planning on a marathon in April, though!

There's nothing wrong with treadmill running.  In fact, I've read that if you set your treadmill on a slight incline, you can duplicate a little bit of the effort of running outside.  My problem is, I can only run for about half an hour indoors before I want to scream.  I vary the speed, I listen to music, I even watch TV and I just can't mentally do it.  3 miles indoors is my mental limit, so long runs are out of the question.  I feel like a 10 mile run outdoors goes by way faster than 3 on a machine.  

Last week, I ran longer than I ever have in the past- 15.5 miles!  I've run two half marathons and run one long 13 mile training run, and at the end of all of them I thought "Yeah, that's enough", so I wasn't sure how this would go.  In my last entry, I talked about the group 13 mile run in Boston.  There were ups and downs and at the end, I was pretty done.  The week after that was a 'step back' week in the long run miles, just 10 (just).  It was fairly uneventful.  I did it on Thursday instead of waiting for the weekend because we had some ("some") snow coming.  I practiced adding in some walking per the advice of my new running friend at the gym Bob.  He's run 16 marathons, so I feel like his advice is worth listening to.  He said that if you add in some walking as the mileage goes up, recovery after is a little easier.  Sold.  PS- there was quite a lot of snow, so it turns out that was a good plan.  

Winston is not a fan of the snow.

Ok- back to last week's 15+ miler.  I'm really really trying to not worry about my speed.  I'm not fast to begin with, and that's fine, but I need to remember that my goal is to finish this time around.  15 miles felt pretty good.  I did it on a Thursday again because, wouldn't you know it, we had more snow on the way.  It was beautiful out, but the sidewalks sucked. I tried to stay on them for the first few miles, but after slipping a few times, I just ran on the side of the road.  The streets on my route are pretty wide and I got back to the sidewalk when I could, but it was much much safer this way.  I walked a bit here and there (some of it was because of snow or ice, some was intentional).  I can't decide how I feel about the walking.  Cardio wise- the walk isn't needed (slow, remember?) but I wonder if it is helping my knees/legs/feet at all.  Sometimes the short walking break is welcome, but it's harder to start back up again at the miles get higher.  

Also- I faced my fear of geese.

They're plotting something.

I had one hiss and chase me last year, but it was with a bunch of little baby geese.  I kept my distance, but man they're mean!  These guys just moved out of the way all three times I passed them. (most of them moved to the left, but one of them just kept running forward in front of me for a while until it figure it all out). 

Overall, the run was great.  (I did sink into some snow trying to hit the "walk" button at an intersection.  I figured it out for the second and third pass)  I actually enjoy the long miles by myself.  I was worried I would go a little crazy just running for that long, but it's weirdly relaxing.  You can't really do anything else but run, enjoy some music (if that's your kind of thing), and take in the scenery.  Since it was a long run, it did require my super sexy Fuel Belt and some GU.  That stuff totally helps, but wow the last thing you want to do is down something that tastes like frosting while you're working out.  Some people seem to be into those jelly beans, but I feel like I would bite my tongue while I tried to chew and run.  

So this week, the long run is 16.  I'll probably do it tomorrow because I hear there's more snow coming. Awesome.  

There is still time to DONATE!  Think of me downing some peanut butter GU tomorrow morning running on the side of the road, trying to avoid geese. 

Saturday- February 23-  I am hosting a Zumba class at the rehearsal space at Stoneham Theatre!  12:00pm, $10 all proceeds go to marathon fundraising!  It's a great chance to try Zumba with a fun group of people :)  

Also - March 9th marks the return of Close Enough!  $5 cover at Dockside Restaurant in Malden and again, all proceeds go to marathon fundraising!