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
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