I forgot to wish Michelle good luck in her upcoming November 26 Seattle Marathon. This will be the second marathon this month for the little Marathon Maniac, and her third since the beginning of October.
At dinner tonight I was reading "Run Minnesota" a magazine put out by the Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA) and there was an article on running blogs in it. I haven't come across too many Minnesota running blogs, so I was very interested in the article. The author, Zeke*, has his own running blog, and I related to alot of what he had to say about blogging. Especially their addictive nature. In a sidebar was a list of his favorite running blogs, and although mine wasn't one of them (what's up with that?), Runner Susan was. I was pleased to see it, but it's not as if the woman needs more comments. :-)
Here's what he said about her:
She's not afraid to blog about any bodily function and how it pertains to running. She's funny, clever, witty and extremely creative."
He got that right.
Thank you for your kind words regarding my aunt. I leave tomorrow morning for NYC, then take the train to Lawngeyeland. Now I'm going to go pack, which for me is like trying to squeeze size 10 hips into size 6 pants.
*I'm in an ethical dilemna. He goes by Zeke on his blog, but lists his real name in the magazine. I should use his real name, but I don't want to out him.
I won't be posting for a few days. Today I received news that my aunt died and I'm going to New York to be with my family. When I get back, I'm leaving for Chicago for the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll be back home in about ten days.
ShoreTurtle is running the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday. I'm not sure, but I think it's his first marathon. Good luck to him.
And good luck to Stephano, who will be running the Florence Marathon on Nov, 26 (that's the Sunday after Thanksgiving for us Yanks). Don't piss off the Black Knight! Check out his photos, which shows what great shape you can be in after 2 decades of racing.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Run strong. :-)
Here's a quick update on K: she had 6 stitches and the wound was about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. We think she hit a power cable that was sticking out of the ground. How it impaled her on the front of her leg, we can't figure out. She was looking for potholes and rocks, but this cable blended in with the ground. I spoke to her on Thursday, the day after the accident, and she was in good spirits and feeling fine. Her calf hurt; she said it felt like a big charley-horse, which we attributed to her stopping so abruptly. The doctor gave her a muscle relaxer and wasn't overly concerned about it. Thanks to all of you who sent her good wishes.
Head coach, Nancee, sent me the following in an e-mail: "It is a very unsettling thing to see an injury like that -- especially recognizing that it could happen to any of us who are out there running at night..." She nailed it. Even though K sounded fine, I walked around with a knot in my stomach all day Thursday, and slept fitfully on Wednesday night. It could happen to any of us and I was afraid of it happening to me.
But today I went running with the group. As Sister Smile said, "There are too many good things outside to miss." I can't really see myself running for 3 hours on a treadmill! My coach is Beth, but we ran with another club and coach Sarah offered to run with us. She had just run the Marine Corp Marathon, so was looking for a nice, easy run. There were four of us, two guys, coach Sarah and me. The guys ran 4 miles, but I wanted to run 6 so Sarah ran with me. She's a four hour marathoner, so you can imagine how slow it must have seemed for her, but she never complained. However, she pushed the pace and it was great to run alonside her. I had never met her before and I enjoyed talking to another woman runner, asking her running history. She's run several marathons and has been running about 10 years. Unfortunately, I hadn't charged the Garmin and it stopped after 15 minutes, so I don't have a record of my mileage and splits.
The local running store was offering 25% off to the class, so I went there after the run. I signed up with the beginning/recreational runners group because the marathon training group was too fast for me. My goal is to work on my speed and endurance, then PR at the Nike Women's marathon next October. The group runs on Monday and Wednesday nights, and I figured it would help me with my speed. It will also ensure I actually run; nothing like a group waiting for you to get you out of the house. Then I can run on Saturday's with my friends. Today was special, because of the store run.
Who can resist a bargain? I needed new shoes; those Asics Gel Kinsei I bought last winter were no longer giving me any support. God, I loved those shoes! I also have a pair of Adidas Supernova Cushion, but the Kinsei were what I reached for whenever I had a long run. So I bought a new pair for $41 off retail! I also got a pair of Smartwool socks, a case of GU, and a reflective vest for 30% off. I'll go to REI to buy a headlamp. The one I bought for $15 is lame and Wednesday's accident taught me not to skimp on safety. The guy at the running store told me to buy Petzl Tikka, which they didn't carry at this store. I'll let you know how it works out.
I'm pretty freaked out right now. I joined a new running group, and we went out tonight. We start at 6, and it's already dark by then. Tonight we broke up into two groups of three, because we were having a scavenger hunt. This is a beginners/recreational runners group and the scavenger hunt was to make running an enjoyable activity for the beginners. The two women I ran with are both experienced runners, and one had recently completed the Wisconsin Ironman.
The roads are not well-lit and there is some road construction going on in the area. We wear reflective vests and some of us wear headlamps. Ironman K joined our group tonight as a guest; she's not familiar with the area.
All was going fine, and then for safety's sake, we were looking to run into the neighborhood to get away from the highway traffic. K was in the lead and as she ran into the construction zone so started screaming. We caught up with her and learned that she hit something and her leg was bleeding very significantly. We walked over to the nearby gas station and applied paper towels to her shin. The guys working there gave us a bag of ice and called 911. K laid down on the ground and elevated her leg, while her friend A applied compression. Good thing we watched ER, we joked. I supposed we should have covered her with a blanket to prevent shock, but we didn't think of it.
I sat on the ground and had K put her head on my lap so she would be more comfortable while we waited for the ambulance. The police arrived first and took her information, and within 20 minutes the ambulance came. There was no chance of treating her on the spot and letting her go--she was destined for the hospital. Fortunately, K was coherent and told us her medical history--allergic to tetanus! We were all calm, at least on the outside, but I was just trying to be strong for K. I joked that I had something to put on my blog.
When the ambulance arrived, the attendant cleaned up her leg. That's when I saw the damage: a hole about the size of a nickel in her shin. I looked away so that she wouldn't see me freaked out. A. saw me and mouthed, "Is it bad?" I nodded. But K saw her wound and reacted very calmly.
The ambulance whisked her away to the hospital and A and I walked back to the club to report what had happened. Of course our coach was freaked out and felt guilty, although she has nothing to feel guilty about. It was an accident. "From now on, we're running on the treadmill," she said. I almost agree with her.
A. drove K's car to the hospital and planned to meet her husband there. I showered and drove to meet my friend for dinner. You would think after all that blood I wouldn't be able to eat, but I was famished. And shaky; I needed food to take the edge off. As I drove to the restaurant, I thought about how dangerous running is--one mis-step and you've got a twisted ankle or worse. And bicycling can be hazardous, too. It makes me scared of athletics.
I usually run with my cell phone, but for this short run, I didn't bring it. I will from now on. I try to anticipate what can go wrong and at the same time scoff at myself for being such a "worry wart." I wait for people who are slower than me, to make sure they're OK. I think it's time to buy that Road ID I'm always seeing advertised.
I wasn't going to post about this accident, because I didn't want to sensationalize K.'s injury. But I wanted to share this with you, because it's so unsettling. And I wanted to know if any of you have experienced injury on the run and how you deal with it.
I spoke with A. about an hour ago, (two hours post accident). K is still at the emergency room and expects to be released in a few hours. I figured they'd hospitalize her, but I guess they're going to let her go home. I'll call tomorrow and see how she's doing. My guess is that she's going to be in a lot of pain. If you pray, please remember her in your prayers.
Yesterday I ran the Turkey Trot, a 5K with a cool sweatshirt. I ran it last year with my friend Barb and had such a good time I returned for a repeat performance, although this year I was on my own.
The race began at 8 a.m., but I wanted to make sure I got there early so I could park and use the bathroom. After going to bed at 1:30 (!) I got up at 5:30 and took a hot bath, then had a bagel. But no coffee. And no shorts and singlets this weekend--I'm back in Minnesota! Tights, long-sleeve shirt, vest, and headband. Temps were in the low 30s, with a real-feel in the mid-20s.
When I got there at 7 a.m., the first person I saw was Angel, a woman I know from my Club Run days. Coincidentally, I saw her at my health club the day before and she told me that she and her husband were volunteers. Angel graciously let me stash my gear in her locker, then she went off to work.
While waiting for the race to start, I wandered around with my camera to capture the flavor of the race. There were the usual turkeys, and a flock of women dressed up as nuns. One woman told me that they really were nuns, but they weren't. Liar, liar, pants on fire!
About fifteen minutes before the start, there was an aerobics class outside. This was so the racers could warm up. First, she had us do a bunch of lifts with weights. That was a mistake--I'm plenty sore today. Then she had us do some aerobic movements. Somehow I was up in front all by myself--what a dork!
Then it was time to line up. Walkers were to start at 8:02, so I went ahead of them. But I was still in the back. My Garmin was ready and I pressed Start as I crossed the starting line. My goal was to push myself and run the whole way, no walking breaks. Which I did. I ran hard and when I got winded, I slowed down.
Within the first mile, I was passed by a couple pushing a stroller, and by two power-walkers, a man and later a woman. The man had two hip replacements and he walked faster than I ran. Good for him!
Last year they gave out prizes for random categories--one man won for "Shortest Shorts." The voters were the volunteers on the course and I campaigned shamelessly this year so that I would win a prize. I smiled ("Best Smile") and thanked the volunteers ("Most Polite") so that my race number would be called afterwards for a prize. Truth be told, I usually thank the volunteers anyway. Soon I just focused on the race, especially when I had a hill to climb.
Someday I would dearly love to run a 30 minute 5K, which would mean 10 minute miles. But I'm not there yet. Instead I tried to keep my pace under 12 minutes, which for the most part I did. I paced myself until about mile 2.5, then I picked it up. There was a large group of people about a block ahead of me, and eventually I was able to catch them--including the stroller pushing couple--then pass them!
As I turned the corner to the finish line, the woman power walker was just ahead. I lengthened my stride and crossed the finish line ahead of her! Angel and Rick were there, recording the clock time, but I wasn't sure where the finish line was and just kept running through the chute. Someone had to tell me to stop so that they could pull off the tab at the bottom of my number. That's when I stopped the Garmin, which read 36:01. So that means I ran just under 36 minutes. :-)
I wandered over to get some post-race nutrition in the form of Great Harvest rolls and drinkable yogurt. Then I listened as they announced the prizes. This year, instead of categories, they were going by race numbers. Like if the digits on your race number add up to, say, six. Most of the prizes were going to little kids. Then there was one where two kids and a middle-aged woman were in contention for a prize. The first one to answer the trivia question would win. The question was: "Who was the first person to break the 4-minute mile?" I ran up to the woman and said Roger Bannister, then walked away. She got the prize! She came over and asked me how I knew that; I told her I'm just a running geek. She offered to share some of her prize with me, but I told her no.
Well, Karma happens, because as I was standing there, they called for people whose race number ends with 7. That's me! I had to answer a trivia question--Which Minnesotan ran the 1500 meters in the last Olympics? Hint: it was a woman. Doo Do Doo Do Doo Do Dooo... Carrie Tollefson! I got a $10 discount at a local running store. Cool!
The 5K is a fun distance to run. You can run hard because you know you don't have to do it for long. My average pace was 11:22. Here are my splits:
Mile 1 11:42
Mile 2 11:47
Mile 3 10:56
Mile .17 9:29
As I drove home, I thought about Bold and Nancy Toby doing Ironman Florida. I sent good vibes their way, then took a nap.
There are so many races going on, that it's hard to keep track. First, thank you all for your good wishes when I was running my half last Sunday. That same day was also the Marine Corp Marathon, which Jeanne conquered. You'll pee your pants from laughing so hard reading her race report. Either that or be totally horrified! *Jeanne* quietly ran MCM--her second in the same month! She'd qualify for Marathon Maniacs if she lives in Washington state. And Bex was in the top 10% of female finishers!
Then the week before was the Nike Women's marathon and half-M in San Francisco. Juls and 21st Century Mom both got their Tiffany bling in the half-marathon, each under less than ideal conditions. And Running By completed her first marathon!
Then Irene found her way to San Jose and, well, rocked the SJ Rock and Roll Marathon.
Congratulations, runners!
There are more events going on this weekend. Ironman Florida, which Nancy Toby and Bolder in Boulder are participating in, is tomorrow. That's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, then a marathon. Oh, my aching quads!
If you keep hanging around the barber shop, you're going to get a haircut. Michelle is running her second marathon on Sunday, having finished her first marathon a month ago! She hangs around with the Marathon Maniacs and it seems she has become one. :-)
Finally, the New York City Marathon is Sunday and Sister Smile is running it. Grace is doing her part for international relations by escorting a wheelchair racer from Russia, whose name is Meri.
Good luck to all of you! If I missed anyone, I apologize. But it's late and I need to get to bed. I have a 5K to run in the morning.
[Note: I fixed the broken links]
