Running on Faith

Last night I brought Mason to swim at Crawfish Aquatics.  During his two hour practice, I did my best to do my workout which ended up being about 7.2 miles.  It wasn’t the best, but I am suffering with some leg issues right now.

Anyway, after my run I went inside and chatted with fellow team members, Weesie & No Show(Nancy).  We talked about the heat and the unbelievable funk permanently emanating from our shoes and running clothes.  We talked about the upcoming races.  And we talked about our training and long runs.  No Show had just done a 15 mile run on Monday and made the comment that she only has four more long runs left.

Really?  Only four more?  That made me nervous and excited at the same time.  Nervous because that means the race will be here soon and I have more work to do.  Excited because that means the race will be here soon and my work may almost be done.

This afternoon, I did a short 3.25 mile recovery run.  For the whole run, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to open my presents.  Because while I was running, I planned on counting the long runs and workouts I had left!  I could already imagine having a board on the wall with a low number on it and just marking them off after each run.  And then it will be time to rest up and do the race.  Ooooh!  I am so excited!

And then I looked at my plan.  Somewhere in the back of my brain I should have realized that it was all a fantasy.  I counted my long runs and I have 6 more over 13.1 miles including a 20 miler and two 22 milers.  But that is only 6 long runs.  Maybe I will be cutting out some of my speed/stamina workouts…….nope.  I have 10 more speed workouts.  And 6 more easy runs (not as fast as speed, not as slow as recovery).  And 14 more recovery runs.

Well crap, that is 36 more workouts before the marathon!  So much for that brilliant idea.  I don’t think I will start my countdown quite yet.  Maybe when I hit December, I will come up for air and see where I am again.  Until then, I will just keep my head down and keep moving forward!

The weather finally cleared on Sunday afternoon so Paul, Blake, Camren and I decided to get a family run in.  We drove to my parent’s house to visit and get a little run in.    They have a 2 mile loop in their neighborhood that turned out to be a very good training route.  I grew up in that neighborhood and rode my bike on those roads hundreds of times and I don’t remember all of those hills!  The temperature was GREAT; it was so nice to run without the sun glaring down.

 I did come across two rude little kids who called out “hey lady” every time I ran by their house.  On the last trip, they said “hey lady, give me some of that orange drink.”  Funny thing though, when I turned around and jogged back to the end of their driveway and offered them some of my orange drink, they ran back to their house screaming.  I know, I know, it was not a nice thing to do BUT I was tired and my tooth felt like someone was in there turning a light switch off and on and I was not in the mood for rude little kids.  I was also chased by a big brown dog and this dog wasn’t just playing around.  It wasn’t barking, it was growling.  It also wasn’t just following us down the road; it was nipping at my heels.  Mr. Xctmnt took care of that dog for us….Thank you baby!

 It was a great run, the best I’ve had in a while.  It wasn’t as long as I planned but it’ll do.

 I did get the root canal taken care of today and I’m optimistic that in a few days, I’ll finally be back to normal.  I’m looking forward to seeing our Running on Faith buddies at the Mockler Beverage 5K this Saturday.

 I am Flash and I’m running on faith that the weather will hold out this week so I can get a few more good runs in!

You can have training plans piled 4 feet high.  You can pay 15 coaches to advise you every day.  You can be permanently wired to every time of heart rate monitor, respiration monitor and even a rectal thermometer.  But if you don’t listen to what your body is telling you, you can get in trouble.

I am famous for getting a training plan and following it no matter what.  And that has probably lead to most of the overuse injuries I have had in the past 5 years.  Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, etc. have all plagued me at some point during my training.  I will follow the plan no matter how much it hurts or how bad I am hurt.  And some how I have finished every race I have started.

The particular plan I am on now is not for sissies.  It is demanding on my time, sweat and muscles.  But I am seeing some progress, so it has been worth it.  But the coach who created the plan said the number one goal was to get to race day healthy.  And if I have to move workouts around then so be it.

Last week my body talked to me.  There were a lot of four letter words used and none of them were “love”, “easy”, or “good.”  To say that my legs were unhappy with me would be an understatement.  So unlike most politicians these days, I actually stopped and listened to what my body had to say.  And then I gave it some rest.  I stopped the workout.

On Saturday, Hardcore and I ran the Middendorf 10 mile race.  You can read the race report here.  This time I told my body what I wanted, and it did its best to deliver.  Of course, it also let me know that the price was going to be high.  That price involved me hobbling around the house Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday as well.  Something in my lower left leg is not happy at all.

Today was going to be a Goldilocks workout: not too hard, not too easy, but just right.  I headed out trying to dodge rain drops knowing that a monsoon with some hellacious thunderstorms were heading my.  After two miles, my body told me there was still a balance due on the bill from Saturday’s race.  Fine.  I guess you want a tip too?  So with the looming hurricane, I decided to switch tomorrow’s recovery workout to today, and do this workout tomorrow.  It may make things complicated later in the week, but it was the wise thing to do.

Hold one minute please…….Okay.  My body just told me that I stink and need to go take a shower.  Hopefully it will be less vocal during tomorrow’s run.

Hello to all the Flash Fans out there.  I’m sorry I’ve been silent for so long.  I have been running although not as much as I should be.  I’ve been dealing with struggles in my professional life which pretty much causes me to be in a bad mood around the clock.  It’s hard to write positive sounding posts when I feel so lousy at the end of the day.  Add to that, a lopsided face (dental issues) and a tooth that’s been throbbing since Tuesday.  At least there’s an end in sight for that tooth, I have a root canal scheduled for tomorrow.

Last week-end was impossible for a long run because we had a cross country meet for Blake on Saturday and a triathlon for Paul and Blake on Sunday in Lafayette.  Between those times, I took Camren to a Baton Rouge Playmakers play, went grocery shopping, made a trip to Sam’s and spent 4 hours at church with Blake and his confirmation group working on a service project.

Monday I was able to get three good miles in and I felt great about that.  Tuesday is when the tooth ache started.  Thursday I finally made it to the dentist and explained the problem.  She gave me a few numbing shots to last several hours so I could get a run in and eat something.   

Yesterday, I sat at a cross country meet for 6 hours.  Yes, that’s 6 hours and in the rain at that.  As I watched those young people come in to cross the finish line, I felt the running inspiration come back to me which is something I’ve forgotten over the last few weeks.  Several of them were crying, some were grunting and growling and some were just yelling in pain.  I know exactly how that feels and I don’t run nearly as fast as most of them do.  If you’ve never witnessed a cross country meet, you really should one day.  Just leave early enough to get a parking spot because most areas of land that are big enough to have 2 to 3 mile loop for a run like this have very inadequate parking!

This morning, Paul and I got up at 6:00 a.m. to run, I was nervous about the tooth but I took the prescribed pain meds and hoped it would get me through at least 12 to 13 miles.  At 6:30, on the way out the door, Paul decided to look at the radar.  Great idea.  It showed rain on its way and approaching quickly.  We decided to wait it out for 20 minutes or so and we just laid down on the couch and chairs in the living room.  And wouldn’t you know, 10 minutes later the sky opened up and the rain came pouring in.  It rained like that for 3 hours and we now have Lake McCullough in our back yard.  Perhaps we should cross train today and switch to open water swimming instead.  We may try to get our run in later in the day if the weather holds out but as least I finally got to sleep late!

This is Flash and I’m running on faith that my running will get back on track!

Normally one of the keys to accomplishing a goal is staying focused.  Right now, with the advice of Hardcore and Mr Xctmnt, I have decided to lose all focus about qualifying for Boston.  Because I have figured out that with every run and every workout I do,  I evaluate it compared to what I need for Boston.  And for most of my workouts, they are not cutting.

What is happening is that my running has become a job with no enjoyment at all.  And that is not what this marathon should be about.  This should be about raising money for St. Jude, enjoying the training with my team mates, and just working towards a good race.

Now please don’t get the wrong impression.  I am not going to go curl up on the couch with a half gallon of Rocky Road ice cream and watch a House marathon on T.V.  I am going to continue training the exact same plan that has been kicking my butt for the past 12 weeks.  Because it is only a good training plan with the goal of running a fast marathon.  And whether that “fast” is good enough to qualify for Boston or not remains to be seen.

So I will take out my contacts, let my eyes lose all focus and just run the workouts to the best of my ability.  And whatever happens on December 5th happens.  I will worry about it then.

Sometimes I pray for rain.  Sometimes I pray for sunshine.  Sometimes I pray for a cool front.  Sometimes I pray for more sleep.  I always pray that what I am doing will help someone else.  And these days, I am praying for something else: just to survive each workout.

My running mileage and intensity is going through the roof.  After only 3 days this week, I am already over 23 miles.  My legs are dead.  I am exhausted.  But somehow, I must keep going.

Yesterday’s run was not something I was looking forward to.  It was going to be a very long workout with some long intervals.  I started out with my 30 minute warm-up and the legs were (as usual) feeling a little dead.  After the 30 minutes, I stopped and stretched a bit while drinking some Gatorade.  In reality, I was trying to avoid hitting the start button because what followed were 5 intervals of 5 minutes each at a 7:10 to 7:35 pace with a 3 minute jog between them.  I did not want to start!

So I started saying some prayers.  Actually, it was one prayer. “God, get me through the first 4 intervals and I will take care of the last one.”  About 10 seconds after saying it, I added, “God, if You get me through the first 4, I know You will be doing the last one as well.”  And then I hit the button.

I am not going to lie and say they were easy and I was floating on clouds the whole time.  Not the case.  But I did do all five of them and hit my paces on every one.  I even fought through a cramping stomach on the third one and still made my pace.  So for that, Thank You God!

I ended up running over 10 miles during this “speed workout”.  And even though it was exhausting, I did it.  One more down.  One step closer.  One more prayer answered.

I apologize for not updating my progress sooner.  As every new school year does, this one has certainly brought its challenges.  For the 1^st time in 8 years, Blake and Camren are in different schools and on different schedules.  I’ve made the training a priority however posting my updates has been shuffled to the back of my “to do” list.  It does look like we are finally settling into a routine so I should be able to get back on track.

My training is coming along well and Paul and I continue to run every Tuesday and Thursday evening.  Those runs are 3 or 4 miles, depending on the homework load AND what time Blake and I get home from his cross country practice.  Saturday is still my long run day and two weeks ago I ran 12 miles for my long run.  It was a terrible morning (even at 6:00 a.m., it was already hot and muggy).  At the end of the first 7 miles, I planned to stop at our driveway, grab a Powerade and my sunglasses.  (Next time I’ll remember to leave a small towel to wipe the sweat from my face so I will be able to see!)  Usually, once I stop in the middle of a run, I struggle to resume my pace and this run would be no different.  So, I took it as a sign that it was a perfect opportunity to start practicing the run/walk strategy that I will probably need to get through the 26 miles.  So, for the next 5 miles, I practiced my 10/2 strategy (running 10 minutes & walking 2 minutes).  I was concerned with how this would work but it was fine.  I just had to stay honest, pay attention to my watch and keep those time intervals in check.  It took 2 hrs and 27 minutes to complete 12 miles and I was very happy with that.  It was a very hot morning, my legs were tired from the increased mileage during the week and my running top was causing a very uncomfortable chafe.  Unfortunately, I kept that sick, dehydrated feeling most of the day and never really felt better until I ate a good meal later for supper.

This past Saturday, Paul and I tried something different.  Blake had cross country practice at Highland Road Park so we decided that we’d try it too.  Bad idea, I should’ve listened to Timbeaux.  Running on hills with wet grass is not safe for me.  Add a couple of disc golfers and a 100 talented high school kids from various schools (who are also running), and it just gets worse.  I ran the two mile course and quit.  I felt inadequate and I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t going to get run over.  Paul thoroughly enjoyed it and he’ll do it again.  I’ll probably find another way to get my training in while Blake is at practice…

This is Flash and I’m running on faith that I’ll settle in a routine soon so I can get back on track with my posts and keep my “fans” interested in my training progress!

Saturday morning, Paul and I were up at 6:00 and running by 6:30; we had different plans though.  My goal was to run 10 miles and he planned to run 13 (I always joke with him, telling him he just has to “one up” me).  It was a nice cool morning and I felt like it would be a good run once I got started however I was quite upset when the alarm went off.  Paul didn’t mention it but I did hit the alarm clock rather roughly when it went off at 6:00.

The first hour was cool and comfortable.  As I made the turn to start my last 5 miles, I picked up my frozen Gatorade and I noticed the sun had started peeking through the clouds and it was heating up.  A song popped into my head, “Here comes the sun, and I say it’s alright…..”  Paul and I have run in some pretty intense heat so I really felt like I would be alright.

My mind started to drift to what good has come from my running because around the 7 mile mark, not much felt good.  I thought back to my first 5K.  My cousin Julie was there running the same race and we ran into each other by accident.  She was an accomplished runner already and I was just getting started.  Then I thought about my 2^nd and 3^rd 5K (and several after that) and the fact that I had the opportunity to run with my Aunt Carol.  She and I had always been close but running brought us closer. When we see each other, we still talk “running” and she understands why you push yourself even when you don’t feel like.  So, if nothing else good comes from my running, I can say that I was able to get to know two family members a little better.

My mind snapped back to the real world when my father in law, Mr. Xctmnt Sr, drove up and passed me a cold bottle of water.  For that quick moment, I felt like Lance Armstrong in the Tour De France.  I was pretty tired and I couldn’t speak but I was very grateful for that water and I’m sure he knows that.  He always seems to show up just when I need the water.  At the 9 mile mark I came upon an elderly gentleman walking his dog.  I forced myself to speak which was a mistake.  Any other time, I wouldn’t mind stopping for a chat but not at mile 9 of a 10 mile run.  I tried jogging in place while he was talking but I stopped that because it was distracting him.  I finally said my goodbyes and headed for home.  That last mile was awful; I really have a hard time resuming running once I stop.  I made it though, 10 miles in 2 hours.  And later than day, Paul asked the dreaded question…”So, do you wanna ride tomorrow?” AAGGHH

So…Sunday morning, we were up at 7:00 and riding by 7:30 and I don’t need to say that my legs were shot from running 10 miles the day before.  It turned out to be a great ride; I stayed close to Paul, tucked right behind his back wheel.  We rode 22 miles and I averaged 16.9 MPH.  I think that’s a record for me!

Tuesday, Paul and I got our last week day run in town while the boys were in swim class.  It was a cool 90 degrees and overcast.  I know 90 may not sound cool to a lot of people but when you’ve been running at 5:15 in the afternoon in the blazing sun in 100 + degrees, 90 degrees feels great.  This is Blake and Camren’s last week of swim class and I think I might actually miss those late afternoon runs.  There’s something to be said for running immediately after work.  The heat and the pavement seem to help pound out the mental stress that my job creates.

I don’t know why, but this run was one of the best runs I’ve had in a while.  My legs recovered nicely from the week-end.  As I was heading back across the pedestrian bridge to the last half mile, I smelled what I THOUGHT were homemade hamburgers and French fries.  It smelled so good, that instead of breathing out of mouth like I should’ve been doing, I was breathing out of my nose so I could smell the aroma.  It was actually making the run feel easy!  As Paul caught and passed me, he asked me if I smelled the pot….WHAT?!  Apparently off to the side of the parking lot, there were some folks getting their afternoon “smoke” in and my sensitive nose picked it up. I argued with Paul…no that was homemade hamburgers and French fries, I was sure of it.  He gently reminded me that pot is a hallucinogen.  Whatever it was, it made the last ½ mile very pleasant.

I would like to say that I’ve been very encouraged by the response to the letters Paul and I sent to our family and friends earlier this month.  Donations are coming in and that does make the training easier and it’s been very motivating.  For most of our friends, tuition was just due at the beginning of this month.  And now for a lot of our family and those same friends (myself included), we are all buying school supplies and uniforms.  It seems like this time of year is as expensive as Christmas.  That being said, I am grateful for anything we collect.  I failed to mention in my letter something important that Paul and I have been trying to remember to tell folks….every dime that’s donated in the name of the Running on Faith team goes straight to St Jude hospital.  Any training and travel expenses incurred are paid out of our own funds.  With that being said, I need to dip into those personal funds because it’s time for a new pair of running shoes for me.  I have my eye on a pair of Nike Air Max Moto+7 in the yellow Lance style.  What can I say….I’m a Lance Armstrong fan!

This is Flash and I’m running on faith that not only will I reach people and convince them to donate to St Jude but just maybe one person will read my blogs and decide to start running too!       

You haven’t heard from me in about two weeks but I’m still running and either I’m adjusting to the heat or it’s cooling off a bit.  I’m still running two days a week while the boys are in swim class.  One of those days, I turned into a “hill” day and I run over the pedestrian bridge that crosses Bluebonnet 9 or 10 times on each side.  Those days are not fun and I feel pretty close to throwing up when I’m done.  On the days I don’t run, I’m on the treadmill at home and I changed the program to incline intervals.  (Someone please tell me Memphis is flat……)  

This past Saturday morning we were on the road for 6:30 a.m.  My plan was 9 miles and since it was pretty foggy and cool, I thought I would be OK.  Wrong…too much hill work and running during the week, I guess.  It caught up with me around mile 6, my legs turned to lead and every step took effort.  I continued on, thanking God for keeping it overcast with a light breeze but around the 7 and ½ mile mark, I came REALLY close to walking.   But a little voice in my head said only losers stop and walk this close to the finish, it also said that a St Jude patient can’t just stop when they want too; they have to keep going.  So, I continued on, wondering how in the world I’ll be able to run 26 miles.  I’m getting worried, the training has been fairly easy up until now but I know that one day soon, it’ll be time to increase my long run mileage and I wonder when I’ll find the time and the energy.  An hour and 40 minutes later, I was done and when I say done, I mean DONE.  I made it back to our driveway and sat down (actually, collapsed may be a better word).  I did manage, with the help of Paul, to make it to our back patio where I sat for a while, drank a Powerade and thought about eating pizza.  My legs continued to ache the rest of the day and then I developed a terrible headache (I know I’m not drinking enough during my runs).  I’ve tried to work on it but I just can’t take in fluids while I’m running, it throws my stride off, messes my breathing up AND I spill it all over myself.  Paul made it all better when he took us out to eat pizza later that afternoon.  That was the BEST pizza I’ve ever had, and well deserved I might add.

Sunday morning, we were on the road with our bikes for 7:30 and planning for a 20-22 mile ride.  Great idea for Paul, bad idea for Marci.  That terrible ache in my legs returned in full force AND that light breeze I mentioned during Saturday’s run felt more like hurricane winds while I was on the bike.  Riding is hard for me, it’s getting better, but it’s still hard.  At Paul’s “request” I rode for as hard and fast as I could for a mile….well maybe a ½ mile.  It was an uphill stretch and I shifted my gears the wrong way, making it much harder to pedal.  I’m still learning…. At one point, Paul asked me if riding was easier than running.  It may be for some people, but not for me. We did finish the ride in an hour and a half and neither of crashed…although, I ran off the road once while trying to drink and ride.  Another bad idea!

While I’m training for this marathon, I’ve decided to concentrate on this event only.  I will skip the upcoming Rocketchix Triathlon here in Baton Rouge as a competitor but I plan to participate as a volunteer. 

I am Flash and I’m running on faith that there are folks out there reading my posts and considering making a donation to my team.  Thanks!