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is not so good for running.
Maybe it's for the best, though. I managed an out-and-back 11-mile bridge run before going to my parents' house.
Then, while I was there, I managed 2 more 10-mile runs and 3 1-hour biking sessions.
And now, just a lot of sitting on my butt.
I can feel it growing and the pains starting to come back.
If you run, things hurt. If you don't run, things hurt.
You can't win!
While doing my best at schmoozing at this conference (an art I have yet to master, unless a pained grimace and wildly shifting eyes count as aspects of successful schmoozing), I will try to run.
But, the half is looking better and better as I get more and more out-of-shape.
The icy sidewalks are curtailing any runs for today, or for the forseeable future. No 20-miler for me this week.
What to do?!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Worst Run in Memory
Just after mile 10, I cried.
A short, choking sobbing, it stopped quickly.
Then I started churning my legs again.
Not running because running implies a rhythm, something the whole excursion lacked.
Not enough food, bad sneakers, and a cold that had gotten into my sinuses overdetermined that I was going to have a bad run.
Sleeping well and hydrating is clearly not enough.
I don't want to talk much about this run, in fact. Every injury hurt, but not enough to stop. Every five minutes felt like fifteen.
I'm a whiner: when on a run with someone else, I'll often say "oh, I hurt" or "can't we stop?"
But I rarely mean it. Yesterday, I started seriously questioning why I put myself through these kind of runs.
"Why a marathon? Why not a half? Why have your back seizing, your nose spewing mucus, your foot aching and your quad growling menacingly?"
And then it got cold.
Isn't it supposed to be fun, at least in some sense?
Forcing myself not to turn off where I could have shortened the route, bullying myself into not calling a cab-seriously-I managed to finish off 20 or so horrible miles.
To wake up this morning to a requirement for antibiotics and a doctor mother doing the closest thing she gets to yelling. "I've told you, when you've been sick, that these long endurance runs will comprimise your immune system! What, you want to take MORE days off than you would have had to if you had just skipped yesterday?"
Right now, with the run fresh in my memory, that doesn't seem like the worst idea. Maybe I should rethink the marathon in February. A half sounds nice, doesn't it?
A short, choking sobbing, it stopped quickly.
Then I started churning my legs again.
Not running because running implies a rhythm, something the whole excursion lacked.
Not enough food, bad sneakers, and a cold that had gotten into my sinuses overdetermined that I was going to have a bad run.
Sleeping well and hydrating is clearly not enough.
I don't want to talk much about this run, in fact. Every injury hurt, but not enough to stop. Every five minutes felt like fifteen.
I'm a whiner: when on a run with someone else, I'll often say "oh, I hurt" or "can't we stop?"
But I rarely mean it. Yesterday, I started seriously questioning why I put myself through these kind of runs.
"Why a marathon? Why not a half? Why have your back seizing, your nose spewing mucus, your foot aching and your quad growling menacingly?"
And then it got cold.
Isn't it supposed to be fun, at least in some sense?
Forcing myself not to turn off where I could have shortened the route, bullying myself into not calling a cab-seriously-I managed to finish off 20 or so horrible miles.
To wake up this morning to a requirement for antibiotics and a doctor mother doing the closest thing she gets to yelling. "I've told you, when you've been sick, that these long endurance runs will comprimise your immune system! What, you want to take MORE days off than you would have had to if you had just skipped yesterday?"
Right now, with the run fresh in my memory, that doesn't seem like the worst idea. Maybe I should rethink the marathon in February. A half sounds nice, doesn't it?
Red Hook!
Worthy of at least one exclamation point! If not two!!
Donning my underarmor core warmth shorts (thanks, Chestershire Cat!), my thick tights and a pair of warm-up pants, not to mention the long-sleeved shirt, thermal, two jackets, gloves and a hat, I was ready to go meet Gorges out in the snowy, icy weather.
Except I needed to use the bathroom. Which was harder than you might imagine, with that much spandex to contend with. Lesson learned: use the facilities BEFORE suiting up for a brisk winter run.
So suited up, I ran down Eastern Parkway to Union to Smith Street, where I met up with Gorgeous. Almost instantly, my jaw and chin went numb. This was the day I really missed the turtle neck cowl thingy I lost on my way to the cab for the marathon.
One of the things that's awesome about running in the icy snow is that you can claim that you are running slowly because of 'safety'.
Heh.
Gorgeous showed me some neat places in Red Hook, then I ran back to reality and students and exams.
But at least there was Red Hook!
I felt amazing during the entire 10+ mile run. Warm, cozy, happy, and relaxed.
Then the rest of the week arrived.....
Donning my underarmor core warmth shorts (thanks, Chestershire Cat!), my thick tights and a pair of warm-up pants, not to mention the long-sleeved shirt, thermal, two jackets, gloves and a hat, I was ready to go meet Gorges out in the snowy, icy weather.
Except I needed to use the bathroom. Which was harder than you might imagine, with that much spandex to contend with. Lesson learned: use the facilities BEFORE suiting up for a brisk winter run.
So suited up, I ran down Eastern Parkway to Union to Smith Street, where I met up with Gorgeous. Almost instantly, my jaw and chin went numb. This was the day I really missed the turtle neck cowl thingy I lost on my way to the cab for the marathon.
One of the things that's awesome about running in the icy snow is that you can claim that you are running slowly because of 'safety'.
Heh.
Gorgeous showed me some neat places in Red Hook, then I ran back to reality and students and exams.
But at least there was Red Hook!
I felt amazing during the entire 10+ mile run. Warm, cozy, happy, and relaxed.
Then the rest of the week arrived.....
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Last Day of Classes!!!!!!!
"WHEEEEEE!!!!!!!" [sneeze] [sniffle] [sneeze] "WHEEEE!!!!!"
An interesting syncopation was going on in and around me. I was screaming in my head, interrupted by my nose. And the rain.
Because yes, Virginia, it was still raining.
But I couldn't let a little rain stop me! It being the last day of classes, I would have to bring comparatively little with me if I were to run to work: some clothes, a bit of lunch and some papers and my little computer.
So run to work I did.
This was the view from the bridge. There are benefits to being semi-crazy.
Due to the season, I can no longer enjoy the gaudy rainbow that is Manhattan over the bridge at sunrise: a lame (with an accent!) - lover's delight.
But watching New Jersey get illuminated isn't bad, either. No sunrise, as such, but some nice colors in the morning sky.
I know I was going pretty slowly: I kept having mucus issues and, let's face it, I was being a little bit lazy.
But it was a great way to start THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES, nonetheless!
Whee! [sneeze] [sniffle]
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Was that Me Sneezing, or Was that the Sky?
"Seriously?!" The wind tunnel street on which I live was wind-tunneling away this morning, throwing the sheets of rain directly into the side of my face.
I shivered and sneezed, all at the same time. This was going to be fun!
The cold still hasn't gone away. But, Sunday is the first day of my running calendar. And it's bad form to miss the first run of the week! That would have you start the week already behind.
So I finished walking down the stairs. And sneeze again. And again. Booh.
"At least it's not super cold", I think to myself as I force myself to start running into the rain and wind on Eastern Parkway.
My absolute least favorite weather is cold rain. Blizzard on, as long as it doesn't turn to rain.
At least it wasn't super cold.
Amazingly, several people showed up to the run, despite the rain. Craft Beer, the Vivacious Redhead, Ivy League and Ponytail all braved the weather to come out. Craft Beer didn't surprise me because he does all those crazy mud runs.
Heck, I was surprised I was out!
The park was flooded. So we headed outside again, though we took the easier, counter-clockwise direction.
Finally, the rain died down a bit. I ran with Ponytail most of the time. It was good to see her: our schedules have not been overlapping at all. That seems to be the story with most peoples' schedules and mine, actually. I hope next semester will be better.
When you work most of the time and spend the rest doing crazy running stuff or reading, it's hard when you no longer see most of the people you used to do the running stuff with. There goes most of your social interaction for the year!
Turning onto Ocean, we pass this one man. I guess he didn't really like being passed. He started dogging us all down Ocean, just about 100 feet behind us. I could hear his heavy footfalls.
When we turned onto Flatbush, Ponytail said to go ahead. So I decide to catch Ivy League, who was way up ahead, dodging raindrops.
And here comes this same guy. Every time I speed up, he speeds up, too. But not to pass me: no, he just seems to want to run RIGHT NEXT TO ME. In fact, if I slow down a bit, which I tried as an experiment, he'd slow down, too.
And this kept up all the way up the hill. I supposed I could have gone faster and left him but I still had that cold, which I could feel in my lungs and legs. And I didn't want to race. So why in the heck was this guy trying to race me?
I met Ivy League near the top of the hill. Reaching him, I slowed down. And the heavy-footsteps dude slowed down, too. This was irritating me so much that, when we got to the top and around to GAP, I yelled "Let's do the second loop the other way around!"
Getting Ivy League's attention, Ivy League came to a halt and doubled back. Confident in his 'win', the heavy-footsteps dude continued on around to Prospect Park West. Whew! Finally rid of him.
Plus, by stopping, we got a chance to wish the Engineer good luck on his cross-country 15k! He stopped by GAP to say hi and to let us know that it wasn't some crazy stalker but, instead, him, that had been screaming at us from a car on Flatbush.
In fact, thankfully, we didn't do another loop of the park, at all. Craft Beer went home and the Vivacious Redhead and Ponytail did another half mile with us down Eastern Parkway before heading home.
Ivy League and I kept going, down Eastern Parkway, past the end of Lincoln, and a bit into East New York. With the wind in our faces and the miles we had already completed, I was really feeling the cold by now. I had that thickness and that tickling, back-of-the-throat feeling.
How do you describe how you feel when you are exercising with a cold? It's so unique, it's instantly recognizable but almost impossible to describe? Is it like pornography, where "you know it when you see it?"
Back up Eastern Parkway, to Lincoln, where we enjoyed a bit of a tailwind and some more driving rain. I left Ivy League to the rest of his run and raced home. About 10 miles.
Now to figure out how to get warm, so that I can start that grading!
Ah. The life of a rock star.
I shivered and sneezed, all at the same time. This was going to be fun!
The cold still hasn't gone away. But, Sunday is the first day of my running calendar. And it's bad form to miss the first run of the week! That would have you start the week already behind.
So I finished walking down the stairs. And sneeze again. And again. Booh.
"At least it's not super cold", I think to myself as I force myself to start running into the rain and wind on Eastern Parkway.
My absolute least favorite weather is cold rain. Blizzard on, as long as it doesn't turn to rain.
At least it wasn't super cold.
Amazingly, several people showed up to the run, despite the rain. Craft Beer, the Vivacious Redhead, Ivy League and Ponytail all braved the weather to come out. Craft Beer didn't surprise me because he does all those crazy mud runs.
Heck, I was surprised I was out!
The park was flooded. So we headed outside again, though we took the easier, counter-clockwise direction.
Finally, the rain died down a bit. I ran with Ponytail most of the time. It was good to see her: our schedules have not been overlapping at all. That seems to be the story with most peoples' schedules and mine, actually. I hope next semester will be better.
When you work most of the time and spend the rest doing crazy running stuff or reading, it's hard when you no longer see most of the people you used to do the running stuff with. There goes most of your social interaction for the year!
Turning onto Ocean, we pass this one man. I guess he didn't really like being passed. He started dogging us all down Ocean, just about 100 feet behind us. I could hear his heavy footfalls.
When we turned onto Flatbush, Ponytail said to go ahead. So I decide to catch Ivy League, who was way up ahead, dodging raindrops.
And here comes this same guy. Every time I speed up, he speeds up, too. But not to pass me: no, he just seems to want to run RIGHT NEXT TO ME. In fact, if I slow down a bit, which I tried as an experiment, he'd slow down, too.
And this kept up all the way up the hill. I supposed I could have gone faster and left him but I still had that cold, which I could feel in my lungs and legs. And I didn't want to race. So why in the heck was this guy trying to race me?
I met Ivy League near the top of the hill. Reaching him, I slowed down. And the heavy-footsteps dude slowed down, too. This was irritating me so much that, when we got to the top and around to GAP, I yelled "Let's do the second loop the other way around!"
Getting Ivy League's attention, Ivy League came to a halt and doubled back. Confident in his 'win', the heavy-footsteps dude continued on around to Prospect Park West. Whew! Finally rid of him.
Plus, by stopping, we got a chance to wish the Engineer good luck on his cross-country 15k! He stopped by GAP to say hi and to let us know that it wasn't some crazy stalker but, instead, him, that had been screaming at us from a car on Flatbush.
In fact, thankfully, we didn't do another loop of the park, at all. Craft Beer went home and the Vivacious Redhead and Ponytail did another half mile with us down Eastern Parkway before heading home.
Ivy League and I kept going, down Eastern Parkway, past the end of Lincoln, and a bit into East New York. With the wind in our faces and the miles we had already completed, I was really feeling the cold by now. I had that thickness and that tickling, back-of-the-throat feeling.
How do you describe how you feel when you are exercising with a cold? It's so unique, it's instantly recognizable but almost impossible to describe? Is it like pornography, where "you know it when you see it?"
Back up Eastern Parkway, to Lincoln, where we enjoyed a bit of a tailwind and some more driving rain. I left Ivy League to the rest of his run and raced home. About 10 miles.
Now to figure out how to get warm, so that I can start that grading!
Ah. The life of a rock star.
Stress Release
"I want to scream and jump up in the air and stretch all my muscles, all at once!" I shouted to myself walking down Eastern Parkway.
Then I started laughing at myself. Out loud. I had the semi-usual experience of people edging away from me on the greenway.
Nothing like seeming to be crazy for some mugging prevention!
Anyway, it was comparatively beautiful, comparatively warm and I was like a small child having been forced to sit still for too long.
So out the door I went.
The Vivacious Redhead was on fire yesterday! I know I was dehydrated because I wasn't able to drink water during much of the test I had taken that morning but she was really pushing it!
Around the park clockwise, including the Propect Park Southwest hill, we flew. I actually stopped talking up the hill, a feat that the Vivacious Redhead is sure to wish that she could accomplish more often! A bit under 7 but I'll take it.
Then back to run errands and to think, and discard the thought, about grading.
Finally, a birthday party. That was interesting and fun. Don't think I'll be elbow-rubbing with that crowd in the near future, so I had to take notes on clothes and make sure to eat a lot of food.
I want a disco chandelier. I saw one at the party mansion. It's been decided. That will be my goal in life.
At least for the near future.
Until I can elbow-rub with the well-to-do, or something.
Then I started laughing at myself. Out loud. I had the semi-usual experience of people edging away from me on the greenway.
Nothing like seeming to be crazy for some mugging prevention!
Anyway, it was comparatively beautiful, comparatively warm and I was like a small child having been forced to sit still for too long.
So out the door I went.
The Vivacious Redhead was on fire yesterday! I know I was dehydrated because I wasn't able to drink water during much of the test I had taken that morning but she was really pushing it!
Around the park clockwise, including the Propect Park Southwest hill, we flew. I actually stopped talking up the hill, a feat that the Vivacious Redhead is sure to wish that she could accomplish more often! A bit under 7 but I'll take it.
Then back to run errands and to think, and discard the thought, about grading.
Finally, a birthday party. That was interesting and fun. Don't think I'll be elbow-rubbing with that crowd in the near future, so I had to take notes on clothes and make sure to eat a lot of food.
I want a disco chandelier. I saw one at the party mansion. It's been decided. That will be my goal in life.
At least for the near future.
Until I can elbow-rub with the well-to-do, or something.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Nothing Like some Bridges for some Brisk Running!
Ivy League persuaded me to go running with him in the afternoon yesterday. He did not persuade me to go all 16 miles with him but he did end up persuading me to go longer than I was planning.
Persuasive little bugger. He also persuaded me to take the subway in the freezing cold last night, insted of taking a car. I blame him for the continuance of my cold! The fact that I still have a cold today, on Important Test Day, is in NO WAY related to the fact that I walked around yesterday morning/afternoon in the cold, nor is it related to the fact that I was shivering in my apartment for most of the day, nor is it related to my run in freezing temperatures.
No. I've decided. It's all HIS fault. Otherwise, it would be my fault. And we can't have that, now can we?
Tense negotiations concerning route completed, Ivy League and I headed down New York Avenue. I go out pretty fast, trying to stretch my legs and warm up. Wisely, after a couple of miles, Ivy League mentions this and we slow down. I was happy about this later, as I didn't bring any water or gu and I didn't want to take any of his, as he was running much longer than I was supposed to.
Having more of a sugar crash on the Queensboro bridge would not have been pretty.
We jag onto Marcy, then follow it across Flushing, where it turns into Union. A left on 5th Street takes us down to the Williamsburg Bridge, the first of three bridges we'd cross. It's always psychologically harder to go across from Brooklyn first, when we are planning to come right back across. Going from Brooklyn is hard! Plus, the whole time, I am thinking about how much harder the bridge is on the way back from Manhattan.
But, we managit without too much pain. So off we go up north on Bedford. After a tiny kerfluffle in Williamsburg, we find where it intersects with Nassau and continue on Nassau until we reach McGuinness Avenue.
Not the nicest part of the run. We still have some miles to go but it is past the half-way point (for me, at least!) so I'm tired. And we are surrounded by fast-food joints and tire places. Plus, I can't look at Ivy League, as he is running in the traffic lane with the traffic flowing in his direction. There is a LOT of traffic on McGuinness!
Thankfully for my nerves, he takes to the sidewalk for at least part of this stretch.
Over the Pulaski Bridge we run. The temperature drops significantly. I wonder why this is: the Williamsburg Bridge is taller, and crosses the same body of water, yet the wind isn't nearly as bad as over the Pulaski or the Queensboro. And similarly for the Brooklyn or the Manhattan: they are all cold and windy but not to the same extent as their Queens kin. I had taken off my gloves and hat prior to the crossing. While we run over the bridge, my hands turn to icicles. Brrrrrr.
"If we were in the marathon, we'd be over half-way done!" I exclaimed near the end of the bridge. Ivy League says that there is still a marker up from the marathon, which I missed. Cool!
Up 11th we run, with the trucks and traffic. Here's where I've made a mis-calculation: I wanted to go 10 miles yesterday, or 12, max. Yet I thought, from the map, that we'd be able to get on the Queensboro from 11th.
Wrong. We end up running over 1/2 a mile to the east before being able to access the bridge. Oops! I need to remember this, as I am planning to use the Queensboro for hill practice in January.
Up onto the Queensboro. I'm ecstatic because of low blood sugar and the thought that I am almost done!
Ivy League is less ecstatic, knowing he still has to turn into the park while I trundle off to some nice hot tea at Starbucks.
Note: while I do not condone huge corporations in general, and do not like the quality of Starbucks coffee or its prices in particular, it is terribly convenient for meeting-up purposes to have this many Starbucks in the city. Knowing that I would have to wait for Ivy League at the end of the run and not wanting to schlep my office keys with me, I googled locations for Starbucks for each possible iteration of the proposed run. And, lo and behold, there were convenient meeting places for each!
Some fancy turning gets us onto 59th from the Queensboro and we get into the one really ugly part of the run. Other aspects might not have been asthetically pleasing but the route was great in that we had to stop very few times previously, considering we started running at about 3:00pm on a Friday. Our luck turns in Manhattan, however. 59th is miserable. Every light is a stop-and-shiver and the tourists with their packages and three-abreast and erratic walking is terrible in its awfulness. Their taxes might pay my salary but that doesn't stop me from complaining about them!
I leave Ivy League at the south-east corner of the park. I end up having to walk several times across the side of the park. The tourists are exacerbated by a fire on the other side of the street, causing the opposite sidewalk to be closed and gawkers to abound.
Finally make it to Starbucks and I settle in with Friday's crossword.
Yes, I said it. And no, I didn't buy it there. Knowing I'd be waiting for a bit, I stuffed the crossword into a pocket and my pen into my sportsbra before I left the house.
How's that for planning?
Persuasive little bugger. He also persuaded me to take the subway in the freezing cold last night, insted of taking a car. I blame him for the continuance of my cold! The fact that I still have a cold today, on Important Test Day, is in NO WAY related to the fact that I walked around yesterday morning/afternoon in the cold, nor is it related to the fact that I was shivering in my apartment for most of the day, nor is it related to my run in freezing temperatures.
No. I've decided. It's all HIS fault. Otherwise, it would be my fault. And we can't have that, now can we?
Tense negotiations concerning route completed, Ivy League and I headed down New York Avenue. I go out pretty fast, trying to stretch my legs and warm up. Wisely, after a couple of miles, Ivy League mentions this and we slow down. I was happy about this later, as I didn't bring any water or gu and I didn't want to take any of his, as he was running much longer than I was supposed to.
Having more of a sugar crash on the Queensboro bridge would not have been pretty.
We jag onto Marcy, then follow it across Flushing, where it turns into Union. A left on 5th Street takes us down to the Williamsburg Bridge, the first of three bridges we'd cross. It's always psychologically harder to go across from Brooklyn first, when we are planning to come right back across. Going from Brooklyn is hard! Plus, the whole time, I am thinking about how much harder the bridge is on the way back from Manhattan.
But, we managit without too much pain. So off we go up north on Bedford. After a tiny kerfluffle in Williamsburg, we find where it intersects with Nassau and continue on Nassau until we reach McGuinness Avenue.
Not the nicest part of the run. We still have some miles to go but it is past the half-way point (for me, at least!) so I'm tired. And we are surrounded by fast-food joints and tire places. Plus, I can't look at Ivy League, as he is running in the traffic lane with the traffic flowing in his direction. There is a LOT of traffic on McGuinness!
Thankfully for my nerves, he takes to the sidewalk for at least part of this stretch.
Over the Pulaski Bridge we run. The temperature drops significantly. I wonder why this is: the Williamsburg Bridge is taller, and crosses the same body of water, yet the wind isn't nearly as bad as over the Pulaski or the Queensboro. And similarly for the Brooklyn or the Manhattan: they are all cold and windy but not to the same extent as their Queens kin. I had taken off my gloves and hat prior to the crossing. While we run over the bridge, my hands turn to icicles. Brrrrrr.
"If we were in the marathon, we'd be over half-way done!" I exclaimed near the end of the bridge. Ivy League says that there is still a marker up from the marathon, which I missed. Cool!
Up 11th we run, with the trucks and traffic. Here's where I've made a mis-calculation: I wanted to go 10 miles yesterday, or 12, max. Yet I thought, from the map, that we'd be able to get on the Queensboro from 11th.
Wrong. We end up running over 1/2 a mile to the east before being able to access the bridge. Oops! I need to remember this, as I am planning to use the Queensboro for hill practice in January.
Up onto the Queensboro. I'm ecstatic because of low blood sugar and the thought that I am almost done!
Ivy League is less ecstatic, knowing he still has to turn into the park while I trundle off to some nice hot tea at Starbucks.
Note: while I do not condone huge corporations in general, and do not like the quality of Starbucks coffee or its prices in particular, it is terribly convenient for meeting-up purposes to have this many Starbucks in the city. Knowing that I would have to wait for Ivy League at the end of the run and not wanting to schlep my office keys with me, I googled locations for Starbucks for each possible iteration of the proposed run. And, lo and behold, there were convenient meeting places for each!
Some fancy turning gets us onto 59th from the Queensboro and we get into the one really ugly part of the run. Other aspects might not have been asthetically pleasing but the route was great in that we had to stop very few times previously, considering we started running at about 3:00pm on a Friday. Our luck turns in Manhattan, however. 59th is miserable. Every light is a stop-and-shiver and the tourists with their packages and three-abreast and erratic walking is terrible in its awfulness. Their taxes might pay my salary but that doesn't stop me from complaining about them!
I leave Ivy League at the south-east corner of the park. I end up having to walk several times across the side of the park. The tourists are exacerbated by a fire on the other side of the street, causing the opposite sidewalk to be closed and gawkers to abound.
Finally make it to Starbucks and I settle in with Friday's crossword.
Yes, I said it. And no, I didn't buy it there. Knowing I'd be waiting for a bit, I stuffed the crossword into a pocket and my pen into my sportsbra before I left the house.
How's that for planning?
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