Monthly Archives: August 2013

Ow.

In general, runners tend to be idiots.

At least in my personal experience.

On Wednesday, my calf was a little sore, but nothing too bad.  I figured it was just a knot that needed to loosen up, so I got on the treadmill for my five mile run.

Those running intervals hurt!  So after about ten minutes of nothing changing, I decided perhaps I could walk.  Walking still hurt, but nothing too bad.  I ended up doing about 2.5 miles, just to get some activity after a day of teleworking from the couch.

By the time I went to bed Wednesday, my calf HURT.  Well, more than it should have.  But it wasn’t swollen or tender to the touch, so I figured it was just stupidity.

Thursday it was better, but still sore when I walked, so I limped around a bit.

It’s still improving, and I’m getting a massage this morning (pre-scheduled), so that should help, but this weekend’s 8 mile run and 15+ mile bike ride are up in the air.  Might move my 8 miler to Monday and see how I feel Sunday for the bike ride.

But you know what would have been the better plan?  STOPPING WHEN IT HURT!  If I had just gotten off the treadmill on Wednesday when I realized my muscles weren’t loosening up, I would probably feel fine.

But we runners can be idiots.

My Raceiversary

Disneyland Half Marathon 2010

Today is the three year anniversary of my first half marathon.  I can’t believe it’s only been three years.  That morning, I didn’t know if I would be able to finish the race.  And since then, I have completed a total of 22 half marathons, a marathon, and two triathlons.

As I have said with my running story, I went through some pretty scary health issues in 2010, and on this race morning, I was terrified that I wouldn’t finish.  I had a plan, and I had solid training behind me.  I just had to keep going.  Having never covered 13.1 miles before, my biggest fear was the sweepers.  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish in 3.5 hours.

I don’t remember a whole lot about that race, because I think I spent a lot of time just thinking about continuing to move forward.  But one thing I do remember is looking at my watch around mile 10 and realizing that I had plenty of time left to cover the last 5k.  Well over an hour, in fact.  And I knew that I could probably walk it in and still finish within 3.5 hours.

That race remains my 5th fastest half marathon.  I’ve learned a lot since then, and I’ve learned that I enjoy slowing down a bit and enjoying the journey.  I still have races where I want to push for time, and sometimes I surprise myself with speed, but I also enjoy going out and running with a friend, chatting through the miles.  And at Disney races, I’m sure to slow down and see the sights.  I don’t often stop for character photos (long lines), but if there’s a short line or a cool photo op along the way, I pause for a few seconds to capture the memory.

I admit, I’ve done the math multiple times to make sure that I’ve got it right.  Only three years.  Amazing.

The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

 

I’m not sure how much attention it is getting nationally or internationally, but today is the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

That’s its official name, but a lot of people remember it as the event where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Over 250,000 people attended the march, the biggest of its time and one of the first to have major television coverage.  It was a huge event in the Civil Rights Movement and is credited as one of the catalysts for the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

The goals for the march were:

  • Passage of meaningful civil rights legislation.
  • Immediate elimination of school segregation.
  • A program of public works, including job training, for the unemployed.
  • A Federal law prohibiting discrimination in public or private hiring.
  • A $2-an-hour minimum wage nationwide.
  • Withholding Federal funds from programs that tolerate discrimination.
  • Enforcement of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution by reducing congressional representation from States that disenfranchise citizens.
  • A broadened Fair Labor Standards Act to currently excluded employment areas.
  • Authority for the Attorney General to institute injunctive suits when constitutional rights are violated

August 28, 1963 also fell on a Wednesday, and many workers in Washington, DC either participated or stayed home and watched on television, as the coverage of the march pre-empted other shows.

The march is being re-enacted today in Washington and will be followed by a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial.  While I won’t be participating (crowds of that size make my panic attacks flare up), I will be watching the coverage.

I still find it amazing that all of this happened only fifty years ago.  I know our society isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the concept of this type of segregation seems so foreign to me.  I guess that’s a sign that we have moved forward.  But there’s still work to be done.

 

And to cite my sources, in addition to my own knowledge, facts were pulled from here and here.

Back to Basics

For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing with the Fitbit.  So far, I like it.  It’s clear that on work days, I do not move enough, so it has inspired me to start going for 30 minute walks at lunch time (don’t worry, I still eat my lunch, just while working, which… isn’t ideal, but better than nothing).

One thing that I like with the Fitbit that frustrated me about the Weight Watchers ActiveLink is that I can’t accurately check where I am on the ActiveLink throughout the day.  The Fitbit gives me clear readouts and I can sync it to my phone, which I love.  Of course, the ActiveLink has other features that I wish the Fitbit had (like the ability to wear it swimming), so it’s really what works best for you.

But the point of this post isn’t to talk about the Fitbit.  Instead, I wanted to talk about the fact that I’m trying a different approach to weight-loss.  I’m going back to careful calorie counting.  But this time, I’m doing it on the Fitbit website, where I can see an estimate of my calories burned versus the calories I take in.  I know that none of these calculators are perfect, but I feel like at least the Fitbit is measuring my movement, which has to count for something.

It will be interesting to see where my eating goes awry.  Because clearly something is going wrong.  I’m going to try this out for a while and see what happens.  If nothing else, maybe I’ll end up with a more balanced diet.  Even though the popcorn and wine dinner works for Olivia Pope, it’s probably not going to work for me.

(And if you don’t get the reference, you are clearly missing out on an excellent show.)

Confidence, don’t fail me now!

Yesterday, I got in my first long run outside in a while. 8 miles. The weather was absolutely perfect. Nice and cool. Unusual for late August, but I am certainly not complaining.

I definitely had some unusual self esteem issues while running. I was meandering along, doing my 1/1 pattern, not really pushing, just working in distance (speed work comes midweek). And as per usual, I was pretty regularly passed by other runners. Nothing new. But for some reason, during that run, it bothered me. I can’t explain it. Maybe it was because I was flying on such a high from the Tri that I have forgotten that I am a turtle. Maybe it was because only the super fast runners were out. Or maybe it was simply that I haven’t been out for a long run in a number of weeks and forgot what it was like.

It really wasn’t that big of a deal. It wasn’t like I came in and cried. I didn’t really even think about it that much. It was just unusual for that feeling to creep in.

I guess it goes to show that even confident runners have crises of confidence from time to time.