Hey peeps, it's been 9 months since my last post. I'm starting to think that I should make every post title "falling off the wagon". I had an "okay" fall season, but no peanutbutters. This past weekend I signed up for Tour de Worcester, which is all of the local races I usually run, but a $5 discount for signing up for all 3. In addition, I'm signed up for Rock'n'Roll Providence in August and Virginia Beach in September. Last year wasn't such a good training year between planning a wedding and my coach, brother Jon moving to Boston. Believe it or not, having him crawl up my ass to make sure I'm training was incredibly helpful. While David supports my running, being a militant dictator is not his specialty. I'm using the Nike+ wristband to track my mileage, and I'll start the training plan in April or May. Tracking things really plays to my OCD sensibilities.
Next up: I'm avoiding torturous St. Patrick's Day races, and cheering on brotherJon as he hurls himself across the finish line at the NYC half marathon.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, June 23, 2011
My (hopefully) Triumphant Return
Hello 3 people who read my blog. Did you miss me? I missed you too. I had a relapse. I'm pretty sure there's a dent in my couch from my ass being planted in it since April. And I had a great excuse for my relapse. Weddings don't plan themselves, you know! Well party's over and the inaugural Rock'n'Roll Providence Half Marathon is quickly approaching (8/7 to be precise). If I don't get in gear, my "If found on ground please drag across finish line" shirt may become reality. I didn't run for so long that I didn't notice for a month after the Cox Providence 1/2 that my running shoes were not in my house. It's not easy to lose a pair of flaming pink Nike's but I did. After I ripped them off of my feet, they ended up in a bag that went to my parents house. Did they tell me? No.
After locating my shoes, I did not actually use them for another two weeks. Since May 1st, I've run a total of 3 miles (not at the same time). Two of those miles were run today. Here's to 4 miles tomorrow!
After locating my shoes, I did not actually use them for another two weeks. Since May 1st, I've run a total of 3 miles (not at the same time). Two of those miles were run today. Here's to 4 miles tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Ouch, I Fell Off the Wagon
I know my blog is called "And I Was Running", but the last two weeks have been more like "And I Was Sitting On My Ass Eating Peanut Butter Cookies". This is part of the nasty habit I have of not running for a few weeks after I have a big race, long after I can justify it as a recovery day. Also, David had the impulse to bake peanut butter cookies twice in the last week. Interestingly, Dave ate more cookies than I did, but I am no innocent party.
Yesterday I ran for the first time since coming back from Disney World and boy did it suck. It was the longest 3.1 in the world. David told me that my face wasn't purple when I was finished, but it felt purple. I love the color purple (obvi), but not as a skin color. It makes for ugly finish line photos.
It's time to get back on that wagon now. I impulsively signed up for the Cox Providence Rhode Races 1/2 Marathon on May 1st when Dave received a Providence Groupon for it. $42 for a race that now cost $60? Who could resist? I could have signed up for the 5k, but it seems I've passed that threshold. I used to sign up for 5ks so that I would have a reason to keep running between races, but it seems that 5ks are no longer enough of a challenge. On a conscious level I was unaware that I was looking for a challenge, but the dark recesses of my brain have decided that I am. Even though I'm a tortoise, I know at this point that I can run a 5k and odds are I will not come in last. It seems that I've had to up the mileage of my road races in order to keep my ass in line in between races these days. Also, 1/2 marathons have way better goody bags.
Yesterday I ran for the first time since coming back from Disney World and boy did it suck. It was the longest 3.1 in the world. David told me that my face wasn't purple when I was finished, but it felt purple. I love the color purple (obvi), but not as a skin color. It makes for ugly finish line photos.
It's time to get back on that wagon now. I impulsively signed up for the Cox Providence Rhode Races 1/2 Marathon on May 1st when Dave received a Providence Groupon for it. $42 for a race that now cost $60? Who could resist? I could have signed up for the 5k, but it seems I've passed that threshold. I used to sign up for 5ks so that I would have a reason to keep running between races, but it seems that 5ks are no longer enough of a challenge. On a conscious level I was unaware that I was looking for a challenge, but the dark recesses of my brain have decided that I am. Even though I'm a tortoise, I know at this point that I can run a 5k and odds are I will not come in last. It seems that I've had to up the mileage of my road races in order to keep my ass in line in between races these days. Also, 1/2 marathons have way better goody bags.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Today, the prince will just have to catch up.
My day (as well as my mother's) started promptly at 2:45am on 2/27/11. We needed to get ready and go out to catch the bus to the start line. I was a little groggy and didn't notice that I put my reversable tutu on with the wrong color on the outside. The last bus left at 4am so my OCD tendencies told me to get on the bus by 3:15am. I told my mother she could take a later bus, but she was having none of it. Her chEAR squad duties apparently involved telling any other princesses in earshot that I was the best and cutest princess of them all. It's not that I don't disagree, but I also did not want to draw the ire of any large, angry, tutu-clad princesses.
The bus dropped us off at the family meeting area around 3:45. This is when I noticed that I put my skirt on inside out. I finished choking down my bagel, took some pre-dawn pictures, peed in a very dark portapotty, and then joined a sea of princesses on a mile-long (for real) walk to the start line. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was in corral C when I picked up my bib on Friday (corrals were lettered A-F). It was very satisfying to walk past the later corrals, if I do say so myself! Also, there were more men running this race than people may realize, and they were not relegated to the last corral, either. Some were princes, and then there were a few drag princesses. And one Captain America, who clearly was oblivious to the fact that he was running a Disney race and not a Universal race.
The fairy godmother from Cinderella sent each corral off, followed by a firework blast. At 6am I was finally across the start line. It was already 60 degrees out! I needed to move it because the temperature would only go up from there. As usual, Disney did an excellent job with entertainment along the way. Running down the highway from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom, my fellow princesses and I encountered the Black Pearl with Captain Jack Sparrow at the helm, a hot air balloon version of the Epcot ball, photo ops with all of the Disney princes and the very random yet equally entertaining, men jumping on trampolines. After 5 miles we were finally headed into the Magic Kingdom, up Main St. USA, through Tomorrowland (where we met space ranger Chip and Dale), and then onto Fantasyland, where perhaps the best photo opportunity arises: Running through the Cinderella's Castle! This year, I was determined to take some fabulous race photos, as I have often ended up with less-than-stellar options in the past. This time, I'll have a hard time choosing which picture(s?) to buy.
By mile 7 my fellow runners and I were back on the highway, and running directly in the sun that had risen somewhere around mile 6. Where were my sunglasses? In my car. In Massachusetts. As the temperature started to rise, that's when the course wound up a highway entrance ramp and onto an overpass. Oh yes, there was some walking going on at that point. I kept going, and eventually made it to mile 10, where I encountered a life-size plastic army man yelling at me to keep going. At mile 12 we entered Epcot, where I was met spectators shouting, "you're almost there". I stopped believing them around mile 12.5. It was the longest mile ever! But I needed to get it together, because it was almost time for my close-up. If there's one thing I've learned, its that I need to be able to smile and leap across that finish line, lest I be cursed with shitty finish line photos that look like I'm taking an unusually strenuous Sunday stroll.
This is the part where I cross the finish line. In case you don't remember, my finish time was 2:45:57. Not a personal best, but I only missed it by a couple minutes. Considering the 80+ degree whether, it wasn't too shabby a performance. Again, I was just happy to finish (and not last)! In some of my finish line photos, I'm looking to my left. Why? Because I could hear my mother screaming my name from that direction. I couldn't see her, but I could hear her!
After getting my medal and post race snacks, I made my way to the family meeting area. At this point, my feet were numb so I lost the shoes, even before I found mom. Then I found mom and my body quickly started to shit the bed, dry-heaving for a bit (can't leave that part out!) and the numbness in my feet spread through my whole body. Very pleasant, what happens to one's body after running 13.1 miles! But that passes, and then it's time for the obligatory picture taking. Last but not least, you go back to the hotel room, wash the salt off, put on your "I did it!" t-shirt that you bought before you actually "did it", put your medal back on, and proceed to wander through a Disney park for the rest of the day.
So for those of you who are keeping track, that's one 1/2 marathon down, but I still have one more to go for that coast to coast medal!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Next stop: Disney World
Today was my last long run before the big 13.1. Thursday I get on the plane, and Sunday I put on my finest Minnie Mouse ears and run. I did 10 miles in 1:59:26. My Nike+ seemed to be back on track after last week recording that I ran 10 miles in 1:31:32, and ran one of my miles in 5:43. Just call me Uta Pippig! In reality, I have never broken a 10 minute mile, nevermind half of that, so last week's alleged 10 mile run was really only about 8. This week's run was far more realistic (and painful). I hope to be able to walk down a flight of stairs in less than 10 minutes by Monday!
Luckily this time, there was nothing so tempting on the television screen at the gym today. Two weeks ago when I was running 8 miles, there was a Phantom Gourmet marathon on one of the televisions. I was Bugs Bunny, chasing the carrot on the stick.
There are two parts to losing weight: diet and excerise. As somebody who has had two motivational interviewing trainings in the last week, I'm hyper-aware of the stages of change. I'll let you guess which stage of change I'm in for each of these issues! Lets put it this way, I've been obsessing over where to eat my post-race meal for about a month (I've settled on the Rose and Crowne Pub in Epcot in case anybody was wondering. No good brunch places at Disney World). So while my eating habits have improved considerably, I still crave bread, cake and eggs, the three food groups of the Brickman clan. I have however, gotten better at resisting. Tonight was not one of those nights! As I write this, I'm enjoying a little sundae from Friendly's as a reward for finishing 10 miles! Nice and melty, and very Brickman. And no, I didn't put it in the microwave this time.
Luckily this time, there was nothing so tempting on the television screen at the gym today. Two weeks ago when I was running 8 miles, there was a Phantom Gourmet marathon on one of the televisions. I was Bugs Bunny, chasing the carrot on the stick.
There are two parts to losing weight: diet and excerise. As somebody who has had two motivational interviewing trainings in the last week, I'm hyper-aware of the stages of change. I'll let you guess which stage of change I'm in for each of these issues! Lets put it this way, I've been obsessing over where to eat my post-race meal for about a month (I've settled on the Rose and Crowne Pub in Epcot in case anybody was wondering. No good brunch places at Disney World). So while my eating habits have improved considerably, I still crave bread, cake and eggs, the three food groups of the Brickman clan. I have however, gotten better at resisting. Tonight was not one of those nights! As I write this, I'm enjoying a little sundae from Friendly's as a reward for finishing 10 miles! Nice and melty, and very Brickman. And no, I didn't put it in the microwave this time.
Friday, February 18, 2011
My first (and very long) blog post
Welcome and salutations. I like to write, and my favorite subject to write about is myself, particularly when I do weird things. In my opinion, running is a weird thing to do voluntarily. Running is meant as the "flight" component of "fight or flight response". Am I in danger of being eaten by a lion or hyena? I think not. So how is it that 9 days from now, I will be running my second 1/2 marathon?
Brainwashing.
My brother started running in 2006 and quickly became addicted, crossing finish lines and collecting medals. And oh yeah, he lost a ton of weight. Its that last bit there that is the reason I started running. My doctor is also my mother's doctor, so she had seen my future, and didn't like what she saw. As if I was unaware of my overweightness, she showed me my BMI. 120 lbs is 20 lbs overweight if you are 4'9, for those who might be curious.
When I returned to Worcester in the fall of 2007, my brother dragged me to the gym and made me sign up. He then put me on a couch to 5k plan. And do you know what happened? I actually ran a 5k. On May 4th 2008 I ran the inaugural Cox Providence Rhode Race in 34:13! It was the coldest, rainiest day in months, but these races are rain or shine, or in some cases, snow. I was pleased to finish, and not come in last!
I kind of fell off of the running wagon for a few months after that, and at my next race, the 2nd Annual Canal Digger 5k, in September 2008, I thought I was going to drop dead before getting to the finish line. As it turns out, practice really does make perfect. I finished 10th from the end. It was very sad. I wasn't last, but I was too close to last for comfort. I started running more often, so that wouldn't happen anymore!
I kept at it, and continued to run local 5ks. The thing about running 5ks is that you don't typically give out medals. A few do, but to get the good stuff, you've got to run farther...like 10 miles farther. No biggie. Did I mention that running 1/2 marathons are an excellent excuse to go on vacation? And the medals and tshirts are waaaaay better! I'm a sucker for a good tshirt.
I started training for my first 1/2 marathon in the spring of 2010, and had signed up for two races: The Rhode Races 1/2 marathon, as a practice run to see if I could complete 13.1 in less than 3.5 hours, and the 5th Annual Disneyland 1/2 marathon, because who doesn't want to run through Sleeping Beauty's castle? I ended up with a foot injury, and unable to run the Rhode Race in May. So that whole "practice" race thing went out the window. At this point I was working on following the coolrunning.com 1/2 marathon training plan, which was taking longer than what was outlined in the plan. I had to do each week twice. Time was running out and I still hadn't even run 10 miles, nevermind 13.1. I went to run 10 miles 2 weeks before I jetted off to California. Failure of epic proportions. I had gone for an impromptu walk in a pair of flip flops the day before and developed a massive blister ON THE TOP of my foot. There were not enough bandaids in the world to keep this thing covered and only made it 2 miles before I had to hobble back to the house, broken and defeated. I had one week to recover from the blister of the century and run 10 miles. Would you believe I did it? Because I did...ish. 5 miles, nap, then 5 more miles. That counts, right? Well it was going to have to suffice.
Off to California we go! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was not in the last corral when I picked up my packet, and my bib number was 8910. My OCD tendencies really loved the bib number! I crossed the finish line in a respectable, and far from last, 2:43:23! My fiance (the spectator) and my brother (who had finished literally an hour and a half before me) were there to crown me with Mickey Mouse ears. I just finished the Disneyland half marathon! What did I do next? I went to Disneyland!
The post-race leg pain was pretty intense, and walking down stairs was a problem for at least 3 days after. And yet, I'm doing it again! Its all about the tshirts, the medals, and the glory! Like I started out saying, 20 pages ago, I'm running the Disney World Princess 1/2 marathon in 9 days, and then going back to Disneyland in the fall. Not only will I get a fabulous medal for each race, but an extra special Coast to Coast medal for completing a Disney race on each coast in the same calendar year. Also, people are quite impressed when I tell them how far I can run. Its not the main reason I do it, but its a pretty fun, and motivating bonus. If you had met me 3 years ago, I would have thought you were having a psychotic break if you asked me to run anything over a mile, but here I am, living to tell the tale. As my brother says, I'm very impressed with myself.
Follow the adventures of an unathletic girl partaking in athletics!
Brainwashing.
My brother started running in 2006 and quickly became addicted, crossing finish lines and collecting medals. And oh yeah, he lost a ton of weight. Its that last bit there that is the reason I started running. My doctor is also my mother's doctor, so she had seen my future, and didn't like what she saw. As if I was unaware of my overweightness, she showed me my BMI. 120 lbs is 20 lbs overweight if you are 4'9, for those who might be curious.
When I returned to Worcester in the fall of 2007, my brother dragged me to the gym and made me sign up. He then put me on a couch to 5k plan. And do you know what happened? I actually ran a 5k. On May 4th 2008 I ran the inaugural Cox Providence Rhode Race in 34:13! It was the coldest, rainiest day in months, but these races are rain or shine, or in some cases, snow. I was pleased to finish, and not come in last!
I kind of fell off of the running wagon for a few months after that, and at my next race, the 2nd Annual Canal Digger 5k, in September 2008, I thought I was going to drop dead before getting to the finish line. As it turns out, practice really does make perfect. I finished 10th from the end. It was very sad. I wasn't last, but I was too close to last for comfort. I started running more often, so that wouldn't happen anymore!
I kept at it, and continued to run local 5ks. The thing about running 5ks is that you don't typically give out medals. A few do, but to get the good stuff, you've got to run farther...like 10 miles farther. No biggie. Did I mention that running 1/2 marathons are an excellent excuse to go on vacation? And the medals and tshirts are waaaaay better! I'm a sucker for a good tshirt.
I started training for my first 1/2 marathon in the spring of 2010, and had signed up for two races: The Rhode Races 1/2 marathon, as a practice run to see if I could complete 13.1 in less than 3.5 hours, and the 5th Annual Disneyland 1/2 marathon, because who doesn't want to run through Sleeping Beauty's castle? I ended up with a foot injury, and unable to run the Rhode Race in May. So that whole "practice" race thing went out the window. At this point I was working on following the coolrunning.com 1/2 marathon training plan, which was taking longer than what was outlined in the plan. I had to do each week twice. Time was running out and I still hadn't even run 10 miles, nevermind 13.1. I went to run 10 miles 2 weeks before I jetted off to California. Failure of epic proportions. I had gone for an impromptu walk in a pair of flip flops the day before and developed a massive blister ON THE TOP of my foot. There were not enough bandaids in the world to keep this thing covered and only made it 2 miles before I had to hobble back to the house, broken and defeated. I had one week to recover from the blister of the century and run 10 miles. Would you believe I did it? Because I did...ish. 5 miles, nap, then 5 more miles. That counts, right? Well it was going to have to suffice.
Off to California we go! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was not in the last corral when I picked up my packet, and my bib number was 8910. My OCD tendencies really loved the bib number! I crossed the finish line in a respectable, and far from last, 2:43:23! My fiance (the spectator) and my brother (who had finished literally an hour and a half before me) were there to crown me with Mickey Mouse ears. I just finished the Disneyland half marathon! What did I do next? I went to Disneyland!
The post-race leg pain was pretty intense, and walking down stairs was a problem for at least 3 days after. And yet, I'm doing it again! Its all about the tshirts, the medals, and the glory! Like I started out saying, 20 pages ago, I'm running the Disney World Princess 1/2 marathon in 9 days, and then going back to Disneyland in the fall. Not only will I get a fabulous medal for each race, but an extra special Coast to Coast medal for completing a Disney race on each coast in the same calendar year. Also, people are quite impressed when I tell them how far I can run. Its not the main reason I do it, but its a pretty fun, and motivating bonus. If you had met me 3 years ago, I would have thought you were having a psychotic break if you asked me to run anything over a mile, but here I am, living to tell the tale. As my brother says, I'm very impressed with myself.
Follow the adventures of an unathletic girl partaking in athletics!
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