On January 19, 2013 I started the Shamrock'n Half Marathon training.
Oh. My. God.
Ive been involved the learning-to-run program for a year now, so I am familiar with the program, I know quite a few people and coaches.
This is a whole new ballpark.
First day, I was astounded, literally astounded at how many people showed up. In the groups I'm used to the big groups are about 60 participants. While I don't know exactly how many I'd gauge that there are well over 100 people in this group. Maybe even 150+. So intimidation factor #1, the sheer size of the group.
Intimidation factor #2, is naturally the early morning cold. First Saturday, I noticed the pavement while doing some warm ups had a thin layer of ice on it. Fabulous! There's a sure fire way to slip and fall right on my ass. The cold was pretty severe and while y'all know I prefer the cold to the hot, this was tough. Wearing Capri workout pants instead of my usual shorts, gloves and a hat, I was still numb with cold. Yikes!
Intimidation factor #3, the others. Yes, I know I know...don't compare yourself to others. I fear this concept will take me years to master. It's pretty obvious there are quite a few really experienced runners in this group. I'm grateful that it's broken up into 4 groups depending on level. But still....damn, I feel like I'm beginning all over again. Frustrating, but eh, whatever. Too late to back out now. I'll do what I do...purge forward with reckless drive and just do it.
Intimidation factor #4, the fact that I took a rather long break between Thanksgiving and New Years is haunting me. While speaking to another participant, she mentioned she too took a long break of about 3 months. " Well, I was in a car accident...." yeah, I wanted to stop listening here, but I didn't.
" My back was really out of whack with injuries, sooo" Yeah, I can relate...not. Yeah I got nothing here. I was lazy & tired. That's about it.
But that being said, yesterday was our longest thus far, 4 miles. I did it. The beginning was brutal, as it always is, but after the 1.5 mile warm up, it got easier and easier. So I'm actually looking forward to the longer mileage as I know I'm a slow, slow starter, but then I can kick it up.
So there it is...all the reasons I'm intimidated as hell over this training. But as I've already registered for the Half Marathon, I've got no choices now. I'm purging forward. It's things like this that give me courage, give me confidence, to over come it all means I'm stronger than I thought.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Shoes of Lead
I agreed with myself that I'd get back on track after the New year...so here it is. The track. But why are my shoes filled with lead? Oh my.
I headed out to the track on 1/1/13, to head off my four mile walk. After a long night of fun, I knew that was about all I had in me. Silly me, I should have known better.
Meeting my big brother, I was ahead of him by .75 mile when he arrived- and we started in. It was my brilliant idea to hit up four miles, instead of the usual 3. By the time I actually hit 3 miles, I was dying. Literally dying. I had a hard time keeping up with the guy who weighs 150 lbs more than I do. I wasnt' running, I wasn't even jogging. I was walking. And it was hard. My feet were burning, which I realized my calluses softened up and needed to form again, my back was aching, it honestly felt like I had never walked before in my life.
Seriously?
So of course, as I do, I start to panic. What have I done? I took time off to relax, re-coup and it feels like I've lost running forever. How do I get it back? More intensely, I've got a 13.1 mile race in less than 3 months. Oh. My. God. How in the hell am I going to do this?
Day two of my headache today ( stopping all sugar again usually does this) and an overall feeling of crap, and I am in a whirlwind of fear and panic about what I've done to my body since Thanksgiving and how far down I've fallen, I'm not in such a good place. I also realize that as I've been doing for the past month or so, I'm still fighting off this horrific flu/cold/whatever you want to call it. I've not fully gotten it, thank God, but I can feel it creeping in, ready to attack. Keeping my immunity up has been a challenge, considering the illness is everywhere.
I started my workouts yesterday and I'm just going to keep going. Lord knows how far I can push myself, especially when right now I am still looking for the train that hit me. But I do know that just getting the motor started is the first step.
I plan on another workout tonight, then hopefully to bed early. Sleeping well is a big thing for me. When I am sick, sore, run down...sleeping well seems to always do it for me.
Of course, that in itself is a whole 'nother Oprah.....
So here goes nothing.
I will remember not to panic. I will remember to use fear as my energy. I will remember to always do what I can do. I will remember always to push just a little bit. I will remember to allow others to motivate and inspire me. I will remember that no matter how many people I'm with, who's there or not there, ultimately, it's my body that will cross the finish line....
I headed out to the track on 1/1/13, to head off my four mile walk. After a long night of fun, I knew that was about all I had in me. Silly me, I should have known better.
Meeting my big brother, I was ahead of him by .75 mile when he arrived- and we started in. It was my brilliant idea to hit up four miles, instead of the usual 3. By the time I actually hit 3 miles, I was dying. Literally dying. I had a hard time keeping up with the guy who weighs 150 lbs more than I do. I wasnt' running, I wasn't even jogging. I was walking. And it was hard. My feet were burning, which I realized my calluses softened up and needed to form again, my back was aching, it honestly felt like I had never walked before in my life.
Seriously?
So of course, as I do, I start to panic. What have I done? I took time off to relax, re-coup and it feels like I've lost running forever. How do I get it back? More intensely, I've got a 13.1 mile race in less than 3 months. Oh. My. God. How in the hell am I going to do this?
Day two of my headache today ( stopping all sugar again usually does this) and an overall feeling of crap, and I am in a whirlwind of fear and panic about what I've done to my body since Thanksgiving and how far down I've fallen, I'm not in such a good place. I also realize that as I've been doing for the past month or so, I'm still fighting off this horrific flu/cold/whatever you want to call it. I've not fully gotten it, thank God, but I can feel it creeping in, ready to attack. Keeping my immunity up has been a challenge, considering the illness is everywhere.
I started my workouts yesterday and I'm just going to keep going. Lord knows how far I can push myself, especially when right now I am still looking for the train that hit me. But I do know that just getting the motor started is the first step.
I plan on another workout tonight, then hopefully to bed early. Sleeping well is a big thing for me. When I am sick, sore, run down...sleeping well seems to always do it for me.
Of course, that in itself is a whole 'nother Oprah.....
So here goes nothing.
I will remember not to panic. I will remember to use fear as my energy. I will remember to always do what I can do. I will remember always to push just a little bit. I will remember to allow others to motivate and inspire me. I will remember that no matter how many people I'm with, who's there or not there, ultimately, it's my body that will cross the finish line....
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