I started my running week off with one of the most enjoyable runs I’ve ever been on. I woke up early Monday morning to frigid temperatures and once again chose the treadmill over the roads. Shocker, I know. It was only a short 5.5 mile run, but I really pushed myself with the strides, and even mixed in some serious hills. Surprisingly, it felt really great. I am not exactly a fan of running fast – I much prefer to poodle along at a modest shuffle … but the fast sprints made me feel like I had so much more to give. Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded at how strong you really are.
So far, all of my weekday runs have been on the treadmill. I really hate that damn machine, but it’s a life-saver when it’s this cold and dark outside. Tuesday I did 19 miles on the bike after I dropped my best friend from Wisconsin (who came to visit me for 5 days – had an AWESOME time, by the way!) off at the airport, which was the most horribly boring bike ride of my entire life. It was a nice reprieve working out at 4pm, though (rather than my usual 4am) – so many more options on the tv attached to the cardio machine; the most that’s offered at 4am are infomercials & the news. Over and over and over. Oprah, on the other hand, just wasn’t cutting it on Tuesday. I expected the gym to be quiet, but instead found it packed. And of course, both treadmills were being used – grrrr. So rather than slog it out on the roads or the elliptical, I chose the bike. I was so completely and utterly distraught in having to say good-bye (yet again) to a dear friend, that I couldn’t concentrate on anything but moving my legs and the tears streaming down my face. What a mess I was – I wonder what the people running on the treadmills were thinking of me as I cycled my way through the heartache. I’m not gonna lie, though … it was definitely therapeutic. And I felt a bit better (although still heartbroken & lonely) afterwards.
Anyway, I have been slowly getting back in to my normal routine – back to work and early morning runs. No more 3-hour forays in Barnes & Noble, endless chats in Starbucks, sightseeing in Harvard Square and shopping ‘til I drop. While this saddens me to no end, I am secretly grateful that I have my daily routine back. I am a creature of habit & I feel all out of wack when on “vacation”. So bring on the monotony and long runs outside … gotta love January in New England!
The other night I watched the documentary “Spirit of the Marathon” (I love buying movies on Amazon – no fuss & I can watch it anytime I want to on my laptop). What a great movie! The documentary followed the training of 6 people running the Chicago Marathon. Two of them were female first time marathoners. I couldn’t believe how similar their experiences have been to mine Everything they said, I could relate to. And more than once, I thought to myself, “I do that.” I can’t tell you how encouraging that was. If these ladies could do it, so can I!!
Sidebar to my family/friends: I would like to apologize for not being able to do as much fun stuff with you all lately. I know I've upset a few of you because I haven't been the best at returning your calls, going to dinners, or movies or out for drinks (or cutting short such outings) because of my training. I know! I'm not fun anymore right now! I'm sorry! I get the feeling that everyone is getting a little tired of my excuse that I can't do things because of my running. I just want you to know that the training is NOT an excuse - I'm not trying to avoid anyone or purposely not have fun. Running this marathon means so much to me and I want to do it "right." When I made the decision to do this, I knew it was going to require a lot of hard work, time and dedication. I'm sacrificing a lot of thing I really want to do, and I hope you all understand that and appreciate the fact that I'm devoting myself to meeting a goal and reaching a dream. Don't worry, you'll have your friend back in April!
So far, all of my weekday runs have been on the treadmill. I really hate that damn machine, but it’s a life-saver when it’s this cold and dark outside. Tuesday I did 19 miles on the bike after I dropped my best friend from Wisconsin (who came to visit me for 5 days – had an AWESOME time, by the way!) off at the airport, which was the most horribly boring bike ride of my entire life. It was a nice reprieve working out at 4pm, though (rather than my usual 4am) – so many more options on the tv attached to the cardio machine; the most that’s offered at 4am are infomercials & the news. Over and over and over. Oprah, on the other hand, just wasn’t cutting it on Tuesday. I expected the gym to be quiet, but instead found it packed. And of course, both treadmills were being used – grrrr. So rather than slog it out on the roads or the elliptical, I chose the bike. I was so completely and utterly distraught in having to say good-bye (yet again) to a dear friend, that I couldn’t concentrate on anything but moving my legs and the tears streaming down my face. What a mess I was – I wonder what the people running on the treadmills were thinking of me as I cycled my way through the heartache. I’m not gonna lie, though … it was definitely therapeutic. And I felt a bit better (although still heartbroken & lonely) afterwards.
Anyway, I have been slowly getting back in to my normal routine – back to work and early morning runs. No more 3-hour forays in Barnes & Noble, endless chats in Starbucks, sightseeing in Harvard Square and shopping ‘til I drop. While this saddens me to no end, I am secretly grateful that I have my daily routine back. I am a creature of habit & I feel all out of wack when on “vacation”. So bring on the monotony and long runs outside … gotta love January in New England!
The other night I watched the documentary “Spirit of the Marathon” (I love buying movies on Amazon – no fuss & I can watch it anytime I want to on my laptop). What a great movie! The documentary followed the training of 6 people running the Chicago Marathon. Two of them were female first time marathoners. I couldn’t believe how similar their experiences have been to mine Everything they said, I could relate to. And more than once, I thought to myself, “I do that.” I can’t tell you how encouraging that was. If these ladies could do it, so can I!!
The movie also followed two elite runners, bronze Olympic medalist American Deena Kastor and super-fast Kenyan Daniel Njenga. Deena’s story was absolutely amazing. An injury kept her from doing much running in preparation for the marathon, so she had to rely on intense cross-training. Once she started running again, she was fierce. At one point she said that she had run 145 miles that week!!! That’s more miles that I’ve ever run in a month!! And despite all the hardships, she ended up winning! Great movie, even for non-runners.
Sidebar to my family/friends: I would like to apologize for not being able to do as much fun stuff with you all lately. I know I've upset a few of you because I haven't been the best at returning your calls, going to dinners, or movies or out for drinks (or cutting short such outings) because of my training. I know! I'm not fun anymore right now! I'm sorry! I get the feeling that everyone is getting a little tired of my excuse that I can't do things because of my running. I just want you to know that the training is NOT an excuse - I'm not trying to avoid anyone or purposely not have fun. Running this marathon means so much to me and I want to do it "right." When I made the decision to do this, I knew it was going to require a lot of hard work, time and dedication. I'm sacrificing a lot of thing I really want to do, and I hope you all understand that and appreciate the fact that I'm devoting myself to meeting a goal and reaching a dream. Don't worry, you'll have your friend back in April!
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1 comments:
I miss you too! I'm glad the bike could be a little theraputic... even if it wasn't your trusty treadmill. And while shopping, feasting, and coffee house chats are nice, you need to get back on track and hit the ground running again! No more dilly dallying! Run, Sarah, RUN!