I ran the 10K yesterday evening, and got in at a very satisfactory 67 minutes and 45 seconds.
I had been hoping for 60 minutes, but due to some oversights, I'm happy that I made it through the whole course still standing.
The race was fun for a lot of reasons. For example, all the people who like to dress up for the race - someone was wearing a pair of shorts with buttocks, advertising a rendition of the Full Monty. Another thing was, as we were passing underneath the Queensway, everyone let out yells to echo through. That was fun.
I am also extremely thankful to everyone who lined up to watch the 10k'ers go by. All the adults with signs, the children with their pots and pans, and the people who would read my name off my race bib and encourage me to keep going. Even if I didn't know them, it was like each of them were cheering at least in part for me.
I did learn a few good lessons from this, though:
1. Keep water with you: I had decided not to bring my water bottle with me, because I dislike wearing it while running. However, the water stations were set so far apart that, from kilometer 4 to kilometer 8, there was nothing. I was reduced to walk two minutes, run two minutes. By the time I got to the 8km water station, I was knocking back about 2.5 cups. The sun was punishing, and I think I would have gotten a much better time had I had a constant source of water. I'm lucky I didn't seize up or faint!
2. They're not joking when they say hydrate before the run: if I had maintained my hydration level on the day of that I had the day before, lesson #1 wouldn't have been quite as much a problem.
3. If you have blisters from another sport, make sure they're cushioned: I took care of them and while they didn't really cause me that much trouble during the race, I did feel them.
And then the two things that I had known before, through common sense: who cares if everyone else is wearing the race day shirt? If it's hot and sunny, wear white; and, ice your knees after.
I do wish John Stanton's book had a bit more detail of post-race recovery. For me, I did what felt natural. I had a steak dinner, drank water, and went to bed.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tapering Down
So begins my last week of running with the 10K clinic. Today was our last lesson, and I'm so sad that it's ending. Fortunately, the topic was what to expect on race day, which did a lot to alleviate my worries - what to do, where to go, and most of the little things that were freaking me out.
I've met so many wonderful people; listing them would take too long. I can only say that I look forward to seeing them again in the next race.
I'm not focusing on race day too much for fear that my nerves will overtake me. My goal time is around one hour. I hope my friends are waiting at the end. Oh, and apparently if I'm running enough on my own, they will announce my name as I cross the finish line. They'll probably mispronounce it anyway.
I've met so many wonderful people; listing them would take too long. I can only say that I look forward to seeing them again in the next race.
I'm not focusing on race day too much for fear that my nerves will overtake me. My goal time is around one hour. I hope my friends are waiting at the end. Oh, and apparently if I'm running enough on my own, they will announce my name as I cross the finish line. They'll probably mispronounce it anyway.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thirteen-k, schmirteen-k
Remember that lovely little long run I mentioned last week? That was supposed to be 10k, but would be 13k?
It was 14.6k. And I did it all.
It was wonderful. After a week of worrying if my knees would collapse on me, or I'd have enough energy, we did nearly 15k in approximately one hour and 42 minutes.
I won't say that it went splendidly, but it went a heck of a lot better than last week's, and even yesterday's run.
The scenery was fantastic. We ran up the canal, and behind the Parliament buildings, over to the Portage bridge, crossed the river there, and then back along Rue Laurier (on the Gatineau side) to the Alexandra bridge. We came back across that, along Sussex Drive, and then down the Canal again.
Along the way, my knees occasionally felt wobbly and weak, but I kept reminding myself that you can't just push back the wall, you have to break through it. To acknowledge the wall's ability to break means the sky's the limit. By the end of the run, I was still going pretty strong.
Just imagine, another 6k, and that would be a half-marathon distance.
At this point, we're going to be 'tapering down' our distances, resting up for the race day. What this means is that soon, the 10k race will be here (the counter shows 'NAN' for Not a Number, but it's in 13 days), and my lovely group of running partners will be disbanded and move on to other goals. I'm sad to think of this, because they've really shown me how awesome running can be, how friendly runners are, and how wonderful their encouragement is. I've met so many wonderful people through the Running Room, and I'll miss running with them, but that doesn't mean I won't see them again!
On a different note, it occurred to me that I can wait to get my Garmin - I'm sure I won't need it for the 10k race, and I can pick it up when I go home to Alberta for a week because, wonder of wonders, Alberta doesn't have a provincial sales tax! Also, Garmins are much less expensive at Costco. Win-win!
It was 14.6k. And I did it all.
It was wonderful. After a week of worrying if my knees would collapse on me, or I'd have enough energy, we did nearly 15k in approximately one hour and 42 minutes.
I won't say that it went splendidly, but it went a heck of a lot better than last week's, and even yesterday's run.
The scenery was fantastic. We ran up the canal, and behind the Parliament buildings, over to the Portage bridge, crossed the river there, and then back along Rue Laurier (on the Gatineau side) to the Alexandra bridge. We came back across that, along Sussex Drive, and then down the Canal again.
Along the way, my knees occasionally felt wobbly and weak, but I kept reminding myself that you can't just push back the wall, you have to break through it. To acknowledge the wall's ability to break means the sky's the limit. By the end of the run, I was still going pretty strong.
Just imagine, another 6k, and that would be a half-marathon distance.
At this point, we're going to be 'tapering down' our distances, resting up for the race day. What this means is that soon, the 10k race will be here (the counter shows 'NAN' for Not a Number, but it's in 13 days), and my lovely group of running partners will be disbanded and move on to other goals. I'm sad to think of this, because they've really shown me how awesome running can be, how friendly runners are, and how wonderful their encouragement is. I've met so many wonderful people through the Running Room, and I'll miss running with them, but that doesn't mean I won't see them again!
On a different note, it occurred to me that I can wait to get my Garmin - I'm sure I won't need it for the 10k race, and I can pick it up when I go home to Alberta for a week because, wonder of wonders, Alberta doesn't have a provincial sales tax! Also, Garmins are much less expensive at Costco. Win-win!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
New Lessons to Learn
Whee to running 9km today! Only one more kilometer and we've made the race! Next week, 13km, into Gatineau and back. Like we're putting it all together.
I learned a few things in the past few weeks:
1. It doesn't look like I'll be doing without the help of my athletic therapist anytime soon. Admittedly, I did make it almost a month without needing a visit, but after the try-out, my left knee started to hurt. After a check-in, she said it was some muscles that attach to the knee being aggravated. The cure is lots of stretching and not doing try-outs again.
2. Eating even half a bagel in under an hour before I run is a bad idea. I slept in this morning, and suddenly woke up with about 10 minutes to spare before I had to catch the bus. On my way out the door, I grabbed half of a bagel and munched on most of that. The results were sadly predictable: cramps and stitches!
3. Ice is my friend, and I need more cold compresses. I noticed today that my knees felt almost tired and achy; the feeling is hard to describe. I asked my running coach and he said ice them. The only problem being that I only have one ice pack, but I have the standard two knees. Oooh, maybe I can get the ice version of those heat-wraps.
Those are my lessons for this week.
In other news, I have decided that I want to slim down. Admitting this on a blog is kind of big for me, because of the cognitive dissonance and guilt I feel over this idea: Do I really need to slim down? Am I setting myself up for disappointment? Am I allowing myself to buy into silly Hollywood ideals and images? Am I betraying my younger self who swore she would never buy in to weight loss if she wasn't badly overweight?
I had a brief talk with my sister about this. We agreed that losing some extra pounds for running was beneficial (my knees might thank me), and vanity is not the best reason. I figure at least I have two reasons.
It's been hard to even say to my friends. I don't want them to say, "But Jelly, you're fabulous as you are; you may carry some extra pounds, but you carry it well!" I want them to say, "Okay, you'll look awesome when you're done."
However, I realize that I had most of these worries, in one way, with running. The best I can do is go for it, set my goal, be informed, and to keep at it.
Look at where it's got me so far.
I learned a few things in the past few weeks:
1. It doesn't look like I'll be doing without the help of my athletic therapist anytime soon. Admittedly, I did make it almost a month without needing a visit, but after the try-out, my left knee started to hurt. After a check-in, she said it was some muscles that attach to the knee being aggravated. The cure is lots of stretching and not doing try-outs again.
2. Eating even half a bagel in under an hour before I run is a bad idea. I slept in this morning, and suddenly woke up with about 10 minutes to spare before I had to catch the bus. On my way out the door, I grabbed half of a bagel and munched on most of that. The results were sadly predictable: cramps and stitches!
3. Ice is my friend, and I need more cold compresses. I noticed today that my knees felt almost tired and achy; the feeling is hard to describe. I asked my running coach and he said ice them. The only problem being that I only have one ice pack, but I have the standard two knees. Oooh, maybe I can get the ice version of those heat-wraps.
Those are my lessons for this week.
In other news, I have decided that I want to slim down. Admitting this on a blog is kind of big for me, because of the cognitive dissonance and guilt I feel over this idea: Do I really need to slim down? Am I setting myself up for disappointment? Am I allowing myself to buy into silly Hollywood ideals and images? Am I betraying my younger self who swore she would never buy in to weight loss if she wasn't badly overweight?
I had a brief talk with my sister about this. We agreed that losing some extra pounds for running was beneficial (my knees might thank me), and vanity is not the best reason. I figure at least I have two reasons.
It's been hard to even say to my friends. I don't want them to say, "But Jelly, you're fabulous as you are; you may carry some extra pounds, but you carry it well!" I want them to say, "Okay, you'll look awesome when you're done."
However, I realize that I had most of these worries, in one way, with running. The best I can do is go for it, set my goal, be informed, and to keep at it.
Look at where it's got me so far.
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