Icy trails and soapy Gatorade!

I think I should just call this blog "Ridiculous things that happen to me while running"

My plan this week was to take my long run to the Minuteman Trial.  I wasn't sure what the snow and ice situation would be, so I packed my Yaktrax and drove over to Bedford.  It was pretty icy so I gave them a try in the parking lot first.  They really really work.  I started on the trail.

The trail was pretty quiet except for me, maybe 5 other runners, and people walking their dogs.  Oh, and these snow men.

Even thought the Yaktrax stopped me from slipping, the snow and ice really slowed me down.  The trail was pretty solid ice and snow.  It started out at least even and easy to navigate, but gradually became a little bumpy.  After (mildly) rolling on my ankle a couple of times, I decided to turn around.  On the way back, I noticed some of the snow had either melted or blown away and left a lot more exposed solid ice (that was a little scarier to run on).

Also, I had just washed the bottles in my Fuel Belt, but I guess I didn't get all of the soap out... because I'm pretty sure that's not how grape Gatorade or water is supposed to taste.  So I slowly made my way back to the car with water and Gatorade strapped to my torso that I couldn't drink (for about 10 miles) and GU in my belt that I couldn't eat because I had not water to wash it down (Acid reflux without water!).   But I made it!  Super sore...

 

Does ANYONE know what these signs are?

Moral of the story?  Long runs plus ice, snow, and Yaktrax=it feels like you ran twice as far.  Also, rinse out your water bottles 1000 times.

Fever and aches and chills! (Oh, my!)

I cheat and I get food poisoning.  I think that's a sign.

So, I did alright last week food-wise.  I had been trying out adding fish and eggs back into my (mostly) vegan diet.  I had a great run on the indoor track at Shad and great classes.

Oh! Except Tabata.  The only class I teach in which I do not participate and I pulled a muscle.  Luckily, Allison Choat is a master of all things foam roller and racquet ball and I was able to work it out.

Sit on it. No, really.

Friday, I did less well food-wise and then I got food poisoning!  I'll spare you the details, but it's the worst I've ever felt in my life and I'm just going to take that as a sign.  Maybe no fish and eggs and definitely nothing fried.  Probably no beer for a while, but that's just by association.  Chills, fever, and aches... it was just awful.

Fried pickles not pictured because I can't look at them

Sadly, it caused me to miss two BEAUTIFUL running days (and singing with my cast on WERS).  I attempted my long run today.  14 miles was the goal.  Here's what went wrong...

1. Even though I feel about 2000x better than I did on Saturday, I'm probably still dehydrated.  I also missed a whole day of food/fueling for a long run. 

2. I tried out new gear. On a long run.  I'm an idiot. I tried a new... face warmer?  My old balaclava is a little big, but something I hadn't considered is it's got this awesome little screen to breath through.  It stays in place pretty well and warms the air so I'm not breathing in freezing cold air.  The new one is just solid material and the whole thing just gets sucked into my mouth when I breath.  It also is kind of loose and snow falls into when it's not up around your nose.  I also tried a new water bottle holder, a single one.  The balance is off.  I just need to keep with my four smaller bottle belt.

Running isn't always fashionable

3. It snowed.  It wouldn't be a huge deal if I could have seen a little better.  Maybe a hat with a brim?

I finished 5 miles.  Here's my plan...

I hate the treadmill.  So much.  But it's going to snow again this week (and worse it sounds like).  After Tabata on Wednesday, I'm going to complete my 14 miles indoors on various treadmills.  I'm going to trade every couple of miles in hopes that it will help my mind get through it.  I'm not sure it will work, but I NEED to get these miles in.

Marathong training begins!

It's that time again... marathon training! 

First a quick catch up.  I've run a couple of half marathons since I last blogged, both in October, and a 5K January 1st. 

The BAA Half

Wave corrals are a good thing

The start!

The end of the run definitely smelled like we were in a zoo.

And the the Baystate Half Marathon in Lowell.

The start!

I'm sleepy and cold!

They were a week apart and both great courses.  I improved by more than 7 minutes from the BAA to the Baystate.  Part of it, I'm sure, were the hills.  Plus, I got a GPS watch for my birthday (between the two races) and kept an eye on my pace for the Baystate.  The Baystate also was a marathon at the same time.  I crossed the finish line, got some food, and picked up my bag and as I walked past the finish line again, the marathon winner crossed.  I will never understand how people run that fast.


As I mentioned, marathon training started officially last week!  It didn't start off so well.  I'm following a new plan this year that includes runs that are just timed, speed work, and runs with mileage goals (and pace recommendations).  I really would like to improve my time this year. 

My first run was simple... 40 minute jog.  Easy!  It was pretty cold and a little icy.  I piled on my gear and headed out the door.  Out 20 minutes and back 20 minutes, no problem.  I was careful to watch for ice and, as always, cars that don't look while they turn or come out of streets and parking lots.  It was fairly uneventful until around the 3 mile mark.  I was turning on to a street I had been on earlier in the run.  I knew there was a little ice, so I was sure to avoid it until a truck cut it a little close and almost drove up onto the sidewalk with me. I quickly moved out of the way, but must have caught some of the ice.  I slipped and somehow hit my right knee, both palms, right shoulder, and then, finally, the side of my head.  I got up on my feet quickly, because very often embarrassment kicks in first, and tried to assess the situation.  My head was killing me and I was nervous.  I called my husband to come home, but continued to walk home because it was pretty cold. 
We did take a trip to the ER and I was just banged up and sore, no major head injuries. 

Tuesday was obviously a day off, but I had signed up for Lowell's 1st Run on New Years Day!  I didn't want to miss it.  I had signed up for the 10k, but decided to switch over to the 5k since I wasn't sure how I'd feel.  I was also able to run it with my friend and that was way more fun.  I usually run alone and remember to take pictures, but it was chilly and we were chatting, so I forgot!

That's Catie on the mug.

Gloves, a hat, and a wine stopped medal!

It was a really fun run.  We warmed up during and I stored all my swag plus the gloves I brought in my front pockets part way through.  I wonder how many people I passed thought "Good for the pregnant lady".

After that, we got hit with a lot of snow and I was a little bit afraid to run in the snow and ice after Monday.  I did get over to Marathon Sports to get some new sneakers (Brooks Defyance 7), a face mask, and some Yaktrax to combat the ice and snow!  I haven't tried them out yet, but I'm looking forward to feeling a little more secure in the ice this year!

I pushed my long run to today (Monday) as I will probably do until March when I am done with rehearsals and shows for a while.  It was pretty warm and a little rainy when I started.  I decided I wouldn't need my Yaktrax for this run because it was mostly puddles and not a ton of or snow.  It was not my best run.  My feet and sneakers were wet for the whole thing and I got splashed by passing cars.  The rain was off and on, the ice was random and slowed me down.  The puddles were pretty ridiculous.

First week in, not wonderful, but it can only get better from here!  

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!  

Check in. (even though it's only January 2nd)

It's pretty easy to keep resolutions this early on, right? Well, regardless- checking in!


I had an awesome time at Trina's Starlight Lounge with some great friends on New Years Eve.  Great company, snacks, and drinks.  I slept in yesterday, but then I ran 5 miles.  It was not the best five miles I've ever run.  It was not the most fun.  But I did it.  The snow and ice certainly slowed my pace (as did my headache) but it felt good to be out there.  I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but I finally got some compression tights, good socks, and a running jacket (The jacket was part of my Halloween costume).  It's really amazing how much better you feel when you wear clothing that is appropriate to what you are doing.  I also replaced my running shoes.  You don't want to know how overdue that was.

Today, I taught Tabata, ran a mile on the treadmill (on an incline), and did 10 minutes on the stairmill.  I'm feeling inspired by something two friends (the fabulous Jess and Josh) did last year which was run every day one month. Even if it's just a mile. The stairmill is just an old goal. I hate it. But I know it's good for me.  I will say, it's been, at the very least, 6 months since I've stepped on one and it was a lot easier. It is still pretty boring, though.

Food has also been going well. I tried salmon for the first time and it was delicious!  The waitress dropped it first and I had to wait for a new one... but it was worth it!  Sticking to points and feeling pretty in control right  now. Also, my Keurig (Christmas gift) has really been aiding my coffee habit.  It's so easy... and delicious.