Two weekends, two races

Last weekend I ran a 5k with my sister and niece. We all PR’d (go JJ!). Mine was fast enough to win my age group (thank goodness I haven’t yet turned 35–I couldn’t catch the two 35+ women ahead of me), and just fast enough for me to startle, then humiliate a high-school-age boy in the last quarter mile. Granted, my running wasn’t enough to humiliate him: that came from me announcing that “An old lady is coming up behind you…you’d better burn it up!” I am nothing if not classy.

24:22. Not bad for having spent 4 months and 500 miles training more for distance than speed. I’m beginning to wonder if a 22:– 5k is within reach.

This weekend we’ll travel to Ottawa to run what we’ve been training for: a half marathon for myself, a full marathon for Spouse. My last long run was a race-sim that would’ve given me a 2:04 finish, and my audacious goal is to come in under 2:00. The weather is looking to be ideal, and my legs feel fantastic. Here’s hoping.

 

Obsessions

Runners are full of ‘em. Presently, I am obsessed by the weather forecast, which I must check somewhere around four times a day to get a sense of what I should wear (or not wear) for my next run, for the next long run, for the upcoming race. I’m watching this page like a hawk and honing in on May 26. Currently, the race forecast is a high of 65 and “abundant sunshine.” I’m happy to see a high of 65 come down from a high of 73, which would have me sweating like I was doing the Badwater ultra. (I am what some euphemistically call a copious sweater.) From the flyover of the course, it looks like it lacks shade. For a race that starts at 9am and will end for me (hopefully) just after 11, this is serious: there will be sunscreen. Gallons of it, perhaps.

Another obsession: shoes. I picked up a new pair Monday afternoon to replace the Launches that I’ve put about 350 miles on since the start of the year. This time, I’m trying Mizunos, a lightweight model with a little structure in the heel but less padding under the forefoot. My 8ish-mile run yesterday had me adjusting my stride to land in a more neutral position on my right side–I tend to heel-strike on the right, midfoot-strike on the left. I’m not sure how wise it is to mess with one’s stride, even if one is improving it, three weeks before a race, but nothing hurts and I feel light and fast. I take that as a good sign.

Another obsession: mileage. My training schedule is peaking, which means I did a 15-miler (9 easy, 4 fast, 2 easy) last Sunday, 7 plus strides yesterday, and will do 4×2-mile repeats tomorrow morning. If you had told me five years ago that I’d run 8 or 10 miles before work and not think too much of it (as long as I had at least two lunches handy for the day), I would’ve said you were crazy. I would’ve said the person who runs 8 miles before work is crazy. I might have been right. Still, it feels pretty f-ing good to be where I am right now, especially given where I was this time last year.

Run, Grims, run!

 

Derby Day Races at School

Invited to name their horses, many students chose names like “Princess Bubblegum,” “Bella,” and “Rock Shark.” Nuala chose “Ted.”

Month 47

Nuala,

Here we are, one month from your fourth birthday, and you are quite apparently in the middle of a developmental Great Leap Forward. Like the one in China, there are some unpleasant consequences like whining, inability to get through the school day without a potty accident, and waking in the middle of the night almost every night. Unlike the one in China, the balance sheet is overwhelmingly positive. You, my sweet big girl, are beginning to read.

You like the blueberry stains around your mouth, don’t you? We had your favorite oatmeal pancakes with blueberries that morning.

You’ve been sounding out words and phonograms at school, but in the last couple weeks, the process has clicked for you. Our minds are boggled at how grown up you are. What’s more, just as we were beginning to adjust to the idea of you as a reading and writing human being, you learned to ride a bicycle–without training wheels.

I guess I assumed that one day I’d be responsible for teaching you this particular skill, and quite frankly it hadn’t occurred to me to do so yet, but it qualifies as a “lesson” at your school. After a few weeks of practicing on the balance bikes (the ones without pedals), you took up the bike with pedals and sped around in circles. I took this video the day you learned how to ride. We can’t get over it.

You’re at this amazing juncture between toddlerhood and childhood, and until we fall firmly into childhood, I don’t know if we’ll be able to wrap our brains around it all.

Love,

Mama

 

A house full of runners

There are a few running-related things to note because I haven’t done so yet.

First, I’ve said that I’m registered for a half marathon at the end of May. The same day, Spouse will be running as well. He, however, will be running a full marathon. I suppose it’s because he’s built more like a bulldog than a whippet, but upon hearing this news many of my friends have asked, “Really? Can he really do it?” The answer, friends, is yes. He not only can do it, he is doing it. He did his first 14-miler last weekend (actually 14.4 due to a mid-run change of course), and he’ll do his first 16-miler this weekend. I believe he is very pleased that he’s getting ready to run farther than I’ve ever run. He should be. He’s awesome.

Second, Nuala is now so fast in a sprint that Spouse and myself can barely catch her. I am just thankful that she can’t sustain it for more than 20 yards or so. But she’s only 3 years old, for the love of all that is holy. We’re in for it.

Third, I managed to stay on track with my training schedule last week and kick the cold mostly to the curb. I have some nagging phlegm, but it never escalated into an infection of any sort, and taking a couple easy-run days off gave me the rest I needed to do my speedwork and long run. With the exception of some time change difficulties, I’m feeling really good. I wish I had some way to explain what went on from April to December last year. It doesn’t seem quite right that 10mg of Prozac daily could set it all straight. I suppose I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, though, and be thankful for the ability to run 25 to 30 miles a week and tend to my job, household, and relationships with the energy each requires.

What is it about pride goeth-ing before a fall?

I was so pleased that I’d hit every single one of my training runs over the last five weeks, meeting or exceeding pace goals, while feeling great. I’ve been running 4 days a week, rather than my usual 3, and have worked up to an 11-mile long run and 5-mile tempo run comfortably. I have even found myself wondering whether a sub-2:15 half-marathon goal at the end of May is too conservative a target. So of COURSE I’ve come down with a righteous cold that feels very much like the cold I got last year–the one that preceded 8ish months of dizziness and fatigue.

At least this is the cut-back week on my training schedule, with all easy-pace runs and a much shorter long run. I ran Thursday morning in spite of the snot, because Wednesday’s itchy eyes and sneezing had felt like allergies rather than a cold, but 2 miles in, which was 2 miles away from home, my knees and overall energy level informed me that I’d been mistaken. I finished my 4 easy, did the morning getting-everyone-out-of-the-house routine and limped into work, only to cancel most of my appointments and head home at 10. I’m home again today, having spent much of the last 20 hours or so in bed.

There’s another easy run on the schedule tomorrow, a 4-miler, which at this point I can do while taking a nap. Still, though, I’ll almost certainly be skipping it. There’s something about several months’ worth of a body not complying that encourages one to ACTUALLY rest when rest is needed. I’m not as young and invulnerable as I used to be. Man, isn’t that awful?

My favorite thing ever

Last weekend, Nuala dressed herself, checked out her outfit, and said, “Mom, I look awesome.”

There is absolutely nothing not to love about this kid.