To Run or Not to Run

Update on training:
This past week, I have been steadily weight lifting and cross training on the Erg, Stair Master and Elliptical machines.  I was supposed to run between 3-5 miles the last several days.  However, this nagging, sharp pain in my left shin has reminded me to take it easy. I don't know how many more days I can take it easy.   I read that people with shin splint injuries need to take it easy up to a few weeks to heal...I can't afford to take that much time off, can I?  I should say I'm fortunate I am catching it early on so I can give myself time to heal.  It is discouraging like, being benched when I know I am good enough to play. 


Tonight, it is to be 6 miles running, but I am going to try and accomplish it with minimal impact by "running" on the Elliptical.  I would say I'm entering the darkest period of my training; my miles are getting longer and challenging, the aches and pains are building, the NYC Half Marathon is looming.  


On Fundraising:
Fundraising goal to date: $2731.00!!!  Made possible by Bobby's grandparents!  Thank you to G+G Robert and Mona Speaker for helping me on my journey.  Your support has kept me positive through the training.  :-) 




A personal favorite Quote of the Day: Believe in yourself, know yourself, deny yourself and be humble. - John Treacy's four principles of training prior to Los Angeles 1984 marathon

12 Miles of Physical Pain, but remain Optimistic

12 Miles: Out to Arsenal and Back, Boston side of the Charles River. 

                                    

Yummy, gummy, sugary sustenance.




1/16/10 retro: I ran 12 miles with shin splints.   Right before I got to the Northeastern Rowing Club house, I had to stop and stretch, but stretching is futile.  Coach Rick stopped to evaluate my condition and suggested I roll my foot in circles to loosen up my ankles.  From now until marathon day, I will need to ice and elevate my legs after my workouts to reduce inflammation.  I hope/pray it doesn't get worse.  Coach Rick reminded me that this is the mind/body conflict.  That I needed to not focus on the pain and to push through it.  Whenever my mind wanted to think negative thoughts, "I don't know if I can run another mile let alone finish 7 more miles," I thought about the marathon and my fundraising efforts.  I told the coach that all I could think of is to walk at the end of the 12 miles and just thinking of finishing this run.  He said to remain in the present.  I took up his advice and taking pictures along my run got my mind off the throbbing, stabbing pain in my legs and next thing I knew it, I had 1 more mile to go.  I practiced run/walk the last mile.  


It was pretty balmy weather for runners and I wore way too many layers.  Luckily, I had a camelbak with plenty of water to keep me hydrated.  We had 2 water stops for 12 miles and I knew it wouldn't have been enough to keep me going.  




1/18/10 retro: I was supposed to run 3 easy miles, and I could only accomplish 0.50 miles because the shin splints felt like they are going snap my tibia in half.  So, I switched to stairmaster for 45 minutes, which didn't help as I was still pounding on the machine. :-/
I read when recovering from shin splints, it is best to use this progression before returning to road running:  Water Running --> Cycling --> Stair Master --> Treadmill --> Road Running.    




I'll assess at the end of the week to see if my legs are healing.  I'm so close to completing half marathon status!!






Quote of the Day: "Live boldly, follow our dreams, take risks, look after our friends, and smile when the mountain is the steepest." - Bear Grylls

Shin Splints-UH OH!

Last night, I was supposed to run 5 miles, but I felt shooting pain go up my leg.  I stopped just 0.10 shy of hitting 3 miles at an easy 9:40/mile pace.  It is possible that I am developing shin splints from doing hills or doing sprints.   Early in my training I felt shin splints, but I took it easy, but now they are getting more aggravated.  Last night, I switched to erging 4000m and called it a night.   I was disappointed because I am getting faster, but limited because of my condition.  Today, is rest day.  Tomorrow is 12 miles. 














Quote of the Day:

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought."
--Arthur Blank

It's Official-Entrant into Boston Marathon!

"Dear Alexis:

Your entry for the 114th Boston Marathon has been received...We look forward to your participation on race day!

Boston Athletic Association"

YAY!  


Last night, I had a quick work out of running 2 miles and biked 6 miles at a vigorous, consistent speed of 22. I didn't have time to do weights as I went out to hang out with some friends.  I had a moment of weakness last night. Three slices of Domino's pizza and cookies made my workout feel worthless.  It was nice to relax in a slothful manner for the first time in months!  


Tonight, I will complete 5 miles and make conscious decisions about my dinner.  Today also marks my 4 year anniversary to Bobby.  My gifts were: Double Stuffed Oreos, Godiva chocolates and an Edible Arrangements sent to my place of work.  Is he trying to make this diet incredibly difficult? I will not surrender! 












Quote of the day: "All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will tell you you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough, they'll say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you no, a thousand times no until all the No's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. They will tell you no. And you will tell them yes." - UNKNOWN

Thank You Coutu Family!

Mr and Mrs Coutu, Max, Grace and Ethan, THANK YOU for your support and for contributing to my cause!!! I came home from the gym tonight, got the mail and found your wonderful gift.  I hope to be a great role model to you kids, that with hard work and dedication, you can reach your goals!  


You vs. Yourself

While I was running on the treadmill today, I noticed a guy' t-shirt said, "You vs. Yourself", it made me think of how far I have come in my training; and how much more I have to go.
Tonight, I completed 6 miles on a stationary bike for 26 minutes.  Then I completed a tempo run, which was a 10 minute warm up at 10:30 min/mile, then launched into the tempo run.  It lasted 35 minutes at a 9:25 min/mile, at a 0.5 incline.For a tempo run, you run at your 10k pace.  For the past year, my 10k pace was 10:00/mile, which for me has been horrible due to my injuries. 

During the run, I started to visualize running the marathon.  Visualizing my runs or races helps me mentally prepare for what is to come and psychs me up.  My mind went to the middle of the race, again before reaching Heartbreak Hill.  I could feel my adrenaline surging through my veins, I felt so fast and the run felt effortless!    After this work out, I know I have improved in my speed!!  I owe it to doing hills and weight lifting.   I feel I could have gone faster, but I didn't want to push myself too hard.  Afterward, I did some weights for upper body and a 10 min. ab workout. I left the gym at 8:15pm and felt elated!  I am beating the person I was yesterday, the person I was a year ago.  

 Quote of the Day:

"Goals.There's not telling what you can do when you get 

 

inspired by them. There's no telling what you can do when

 

you believe in them. There's no telling what will happen when

 

you act upon them.' 

Jim Rohn

 

Plowing through the winter work outs

Workout: 2 miles on stair master 70-120 steps/min., 3 sets/12 weight lift arms, lunges, hamstring, quads, lower back extensions, abs workout-obligques 



Last night, I was supposed to run 3 miles instead I conquered a stair master from hell.  I noticed that everyone goes to the gym on Mondays, then the no-shows increase as the week moves on.  When I got to the gym, I was mentally prepared to stationary run and stare at the wall for 55 minutes, which is incredibly boring and takes great mental strength to handle it.  However, nearly every piece of equipment was used except for 1 stair master.  


So, I did the stair master at a vigorous tempo trying to mimic running hills for 1 hour sans Pandora on iPhone.  To stave off boredom, I did intervals of 2 minutes at 115-120 steps/min. and resting at 70-85 steps/min. for 3-4 minutes.  It was a tough workout and I felt the surge of lactic acid building up in my quads. 


Hills = Nemesis 
 I kept thinking about the Newton hills that I will meet.  I read about the foreboding hills, it can/will be deflating to the body and mind. In the Boston Marathon, runners would complete 13 miles before taking on the 4 miles of straight hills, which is where most of the glycogen stores are depleted, leaving many runners exhausted.  Then, when you are on the brink of exhaustion and hunger, you realize you have 9 more miles to go.  Oh my freakin' goodness, I had a moment of "oh sh**, what did I get myself into?" I get tired after doing 2 miles of hills. I know I must practice running long distances with hills.    


I know one way to build strength and speed is to run the Harvard Stadium.  It's a horseshoe shaped coliseum. 





 When I was a rower, we sprinted up the stadium steps like gazelles.  Since it is winter, there is probably snow and ice covering the granite seats.  This Saturday, after my 12 mile run with my team, I'll mosey on over to the famed H.S. and see if I can tackle a few rows.  

In countless running articles, they say, to never try new foods on the day you are racing-too many consequences will ensue. My friend, L, tried Gu when we ran the Boston Half Marathon.  She never ate it before and got terribly sick from it afterwards.  I tried it for the first time when I ran NYC Half Marathon and ate bit by bit and it was a saving grace.  Besides eating Gu, which has the texture of Vaseline, I need to find out what foods to eat during my run to keep my body from shutting down.  All in all, I am injury free, getting faster and lighter.  My marathon goal time is 4:30.  I hope I can meet or beat it!

Inspiring quote of the day:
"If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad." Denis Waitley

11 Mile Run!

1/10/2010
Location: Boston, MA
Route: 11 miles along the Charles River

Saturday morning, the Boston Marathon coalition had an unofficial team run.  We met at the usual Revolution Gym in Boston.  Our route was along the Charles River, it was an out and back run to Weeks Bridge. At 8am, it was 21 degrees, sunny, with a brisk wind, which was stronger along the river. The route was narrow and many times icy, luckily I did not slip.  It was encouraging to see many other runners out for a morning run.   I got very tired around mile 9, probably because I was running faster than I intended.  The worry that kept going through my mind was that I was going to get another parking ticket because my meter ran out of time.  So, I ran a 9:50m/mile, when I was trying to run 10:30min/mile to reserve my energy. I wanted to run walk the last couple of miles, but once I slowed down, pain in my feet and any generated heat would just dissipate. After I finished, I had a migraine that lasted the day/night.  I drank so much water throughout the day, but it probably wasn't enough. I wouldn't say it was a bad run, it was really nice out.  It was challenging fighting the cold, wind, and blinded by sun.  I know I need to do more weight lifting in my legs and back because I was hunching over.  Bad posture leads to injuries.






A few days ago, I found out I got into the NYC Half Marathon on March 21, 2010! I ran it two summers ago and it was my very first half marathon.  Central Park has several inclines, which I didn't prepare in my training.  Now, I know what to expect with this run and can better prepare.  It was such a fun experience, I look forward to running it again, and hopefully beat my previous time!

Here are some photos from my run.

Starting my run on the Esplanade.

Somewhere between mile 9-10 along the Cambridge side of the river. The light was blinding!

Boston and the snow covered Charles River.

Running to the Revolution Gym at the end of my run.

Bostonian walking her dogs.

Comm. Ave

Public Gardens were barren.

Thank You Debbie Lee!

THANK YOU Debbie Lee for helping me be 1 step closer to the finish line! I appreciate your support and for asking your friends to donate as well.  My tally: $2676.00!!

Thank You Daddy!

Dad, I deeply appreciate your support in this endeavor, THANK YOU! I dedicate this run in honor of my family; and I hope someday we can do a half marathon together.  I hope to see you at the finish line of the Boston Marathon!   






“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
Mitch Albom

Kick off the New Year on a good note

I received a lovely donation from John, Cynthia and Kai Speaker :-) I THANK YOU!!  This is starting off 2010 on a great note! Every dollar donated goes right to the students.   Winter training is tough-fight through cold weather, rain, and snow; but I know it will only make me stronger!  I will wear your medals proudly.  I will make a special one for Kai in the shape of a fish :-)

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop











Last night, I ran 5 miles on the treadmill.  I incorporated 3 miles of hills up to 4.5 grade. It was strenuous on my breathing.  Afterwards, I did some leg exercises: press, squat, lunge and wall sits.  Then I did abdominal workouts with weights.  It was a great work out compared to the other day. Perhaps hydration is key to a good work out.  

 Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. 

At my company, we are doing our own version of BIGGEST LOSER!  I installed a free iPhone App-LOSE IT.  

LOSE IT tracks how many calories you ate versus how many calories lost in my work outs.  It's another tool to keep me accountable on my weight gain/lost, eating and training.      

My New Years Resolutions

1. 2010 is the official start of my ambitious goal to Summit the Tallest Peaks in 50 States.  I will start on MA, VT, NH, RI, CT This year, I'll start on VT, NH, MA, RI, CT, and if I can make it up to Katahdin by the end of the summer, then I'll try for that too.

Mt. Marcy, Adirondacks, NY at 5,305 ft  
Mt. Greylock, MA at 3,487 ft
Mt. Mansfield,  Lamoille County, VT at 4,393 ft above sea level. 
Jerimoth Hill, Foster, RI stands at an unimpressive 812 ft (247 m) above sea level.  
Mt. Frissell, Litchfield, CT at 2,380 ft 
Mt. Katahdin, Baxter State Park, ME


2. Attempt 8 at conquering my fear of being comfortable in the water: Go white water rafting. I never did it before. 


3. Stop making commitments/double booking myself/saying yes if I have doubt I won't be able to follow through.






Last night, I was feeling extremely tired and under the weather.  The last thing I wanted to do after work was go to the gym.  The gym was PACKED with new members all off to a good start on their personal New Year Resolutions (NYR)-whether it's get fit, lose baby fat, earn their pre-pregnancy body, get their sexy back, or run a marathon.  Every machine was being abused and a queue formed, NYR hopefuls eager to take the next available apparatus.  Two ergs opened up and I jumped on one for a 2000 meter warm up.  Then I tried running on an old treadmill in an undesirable location, but I couldn't focus and my body was dehydrated.  I was ready to give up, but I thought about all the people and STUDENTS counting on me. I had to find something last night that would work.  I got on a stair master and did 25 sets of hill intervals.  My legs were burning with pain, which was good, I was pushing myself.  I finished feeling satisfied with the work out.  Then I did weights for abs and arms.  


Today it is all about chugging water to get ready and hydrated for tonight's work out- 6 mile run.

Thank You to my Anonymous Donor!

Dec. 31, 2009 ended on a high note with a WHOPPING $262.00 from a generous anonymous donor!!!!  I wish to find out who you are so I can personally thank you.  Regardless, THANK YOU!!!  With your support, I was able to surpass my Birthmas goal of $2,500.00 and I actually raised through cash/check and electronic donations $2556.00!! 

 I know the next four months are going to go by so fast and time is ever so valuable. Which is why every single day will go to plan, prep and execute my fund raising events.  I am so fortunate to be able to raise over $2,500.00 in a short amount of time, but I have much more to raise.   

Happy new year!! I ran 10 miles today!

1/3/10 Retro: 

This past week was spent in a "Chateau" in Moultonboro, New Hampshire hugging Lake Winnipesaukee and enjoying all that Old Man Winter has to offer.  I was able to get in some skiing, snowshoeing, and of course winter running.  My legs were tenderized from skiing at Gunstock the day before my epic 10 mile run. 

Our corks found in the snowy wood not to far from where we celebrated the New Year.

New Years Day, I waited and hydrated until I recovered from NYE revelry to embark on my run. While all of my friends hunkered down with cups of hot chocolate around a 17 inch television to watch the Winter Classic broadcast at Fenway Park, I was wheezing while running up serpentine hills in the snow.  

The weather was perfect.  The afternoon was about 30 degrees with a continuous light dusting of flakes. The air was brisk and clean. 

Animal prints in the velvety snow reminded me of their existence.  

Snow left no tree branch nude.  I think I am getting used to running outdoors because 30 degrees is warm to me! At first I wanted to run on pavement, so I ran to the main road.  

The main road had its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that it provides little thinking-I can run in one direction until I decide to turn around. Second, my legs get used to the pounding on pavement. However, it proved to be more dangerous, since snow was plowed on both sides, there was barely any shoulder for me to run.  I was constantly crossing the meandering road to avoid being roadkill.  The cars on this main road were probably going 50 miles per hour.  I saw a car every 7 minutes or so.  The image of the totaled car flipped on its back like a turtle kept flashing through my mind.  We were driving back from Gunstock as the snowstorm was rolling in and an unfortunate car must have been speeding, which ended in the car looking like it was crushed in a compactor.  So, I went back to our rental house tucked in a quiet neighborhood and realized there were a lot of HILLS. 

The sun was going down at 4, the air got increasingly colder.  By the end of it, I grew tired and my legs couldn't handle another hill.  My lungs stung from sucking in cold air.  I ran back in just in time to see the final moments of the Bruins win in overtime! A sweet New Year!! 

Happy New Year! I hope that you squeeze the life out of 2010, embark on an adventure and reach your goals! 






Reading for today:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost