Here's my goal...5:10.Turbo thinks I should be able to do it...no problema... Of course, his next comment was something like, "That should be easy, can't you run a 10 minute mile mom?"
"Well...yes...the challenge is running 26 of them in a row...so I'll be aiming for 12 minute miles..."
I thought for a little while on Friday, that our last training run would be the perfect bookend to the first in the pouring rain, but the weather held...it alternated between being perfect, or too hot near the smelly marsh on the north side of Crown Point (bacterial decay according to Elsie), or to too cold and windy at Hospitality Point.
Then after the run, BBJ, Mik, Elsie and I took an oath. It went something like...
I, state your name, do solemnly swear (I promise that we all managed to actually state our names, rather than doing the Animal House, "state your name" joke...but only because Paul warned us not to...) ...then we promised to do our best, to have fun, and that we were already winners...something like that...hard to remember because by that point it was incredibly cold and windy and it wasn't much fun standing around in sweaty-wet clothes.
If you weren't there, you should take the oath now...
I got to thinking during this weekend's run about some of my favorite and not so favorite moments in this training season. It was brought on by a herd of 6-minute milers roaring past me about an hour into the hour and a half, out-and-back, taper that we did from Hospitality Point to Crown Point and back...8 miles in an hour and a half...thank you very much....
Anyway, there were Elsie and I, just trucking along after about 5 1/2 miles. I won't speak for Elsie, but I was feeling pretty good...we'd been running more than 5 miles, I was not dying, and I wasn't having any serious conversations with any of my body parts... and then they roar past with such ease (talking and laughing), and I couldn't help but be a little envious because I know that no matter how long I run, or how hard I train, I won't ever run like that, so I found myself thinking...
"Well there's one thing I won't miss"Which, of course, led me to think about other things that I would and would not miss about training. So, since it's the season of awards, I thought that I'd start our first (and probably only) annual heffer-RnR-training awards (I think we should call them The Mabels). So here are some of my nominations.
Favorite long run
I really liked the two runs in Coronado...even though I got lost once. I also think it was the start of me thinking I could actually run long distances, and one of them included the first interaction with Elvis.
Least favorite long run
My nomination would have to go to Torrey Pines...the heat, the hills, the sand, my shoes...I hated all of it.
Favorite training moment during a long runOn all of the out and back runs, my favorite moments were seeing the rest of the herd whenever we'd turn around. You all kept me going.
I especially wanted to thank BBJ for not passing by me too quickly this weekend. I almost kept up with you for awhile.
Least favorite training moment during a long run
Ah geez...I think the couple of miles going through the awful streets of Leukadia (and taking a wrong turn, and missing a water station) on the train run were the worst for me.
A close second would have to go to all of the times I twisted my ankle running through and around the pot-holes and divots in the street around Marina Village.
Favorite humorous training moment
Golly, there have been so many...was it when Betty had her shorts on backward? or when Elsie yelled out that it was all about the tight ass? Betty's experience with Dear Jesus? BBJ introducing us to the idea of bloody nipples? Mik being smarter than us and running her own course? Edith's new relationship with Purple? Alberta spending her time in bed with the Do it Yourself Network? Me, admitting what I did with the map. There are far too many to chose just one.
Least favorite-non funny training moment.
Of course, there's the woman who was hit by the biker...which was just horrible...but as far as our training goes, all of my least favorite moments were on the Torrey Pines Run...and all of them were tempered by the fact that I saw you all afterward, and then Betty and I got to talk about Bones and Leather Nipples...so it was all better after that.
Favorite blog-story
Many of you have told me that you enjoyed the blog in which I was trying to convince my various body parts to continue running during the 20 mile run. I had a lot of fun writing that blog, but my personal all time favorite is probably the iPhone incident blog...mostly because if not for that incident, I may have never really continued with the blog thing in such earnest.
Least favorite blog-story
Probably all my rants about testing. Yuk...
Favorite training gadget-gear I spent money on.
Golly, there are so many of them, but I think we'd all agree that the Sephora face wipes are THE BEST!
For me, in second place are the injinji toe socks. I know its a weird idea, but I haven't had a single blister since I started using them.
Least Favorite, what-a-waste-of-money, training gadet or gear I spent money on
Gosh, I hate to admit, especially on a blog that Walter reads, that I EVER WASTE MONEY ON ANYTHING...but I ordered the Amphipod Running Pack, because, as you all know I can never have enough pockets, but Betty took one look at it and noted that she thought it looked like it would case some serious chafing...which it did...
OK...so these are my nominations. I'm sure you have yours and I want you to share them as well, including any additional award categories you want. What were your favorite/least favorite things about training since January?
By the way, feel free to share your favorite/least favorites even if you've been training vicariously!
Only five more days folks... I can hardly believe it.
I pledge to barely finish this race, to be proud of myself and to never, ever, ever do a marathon again!
ReplyDeleteMy best moment - will be reaching the destination.
Worst moment - realizing I'd miss a month due to a soccer injury and then realizing I'd miss 2 more months of soccer to finish training.
But mostly, I've enjoyed spending so much time with people I love. This Spring has been extremely stressful for me and I have needed the diversion! Thank you all!
best training run: Oceanside 17 mile run
ReplyDeleteworst training run: Torrey Pines; funny Paul said not to run the La Jolla Half, but this run basically covered all the tough parts of the LJ 1/2. Heat and Hills was a b-ah-ch.
best moment: sharing post run moments at breakfast
worst moments: feeling calf muscle tissue rip away from achilles tendon twice (empathy with Betty)
When I took my marathon predicted time bracelet on Saturday of 4:20, I didn't realize that I took the stoner code time, but I hope that those endorphins will give me the high necessary to finish on Sunday. I'll be in the beer garden, if there is one or at the massage table.
I'd recite all the Paul Greer-isms, but you all know them already.
I think after this Sunday I will walk (limp) away with some incredible tan lines. My predicted time is under 5 and I have 3 different arm bands to predict times to hel pme get there.
ReplyDeleteAs for last Sunday I guess I ordered a different set of bookends because it rained on me pretty bad. Last practice run and I over slept. I loved as you all were finishing up and I could see Alice in her keylime pie shirt coming toward me. I want you all to know that when I got to Grand and the water station was locked I shook the water station hoping water would come out but got nothing. But in an hour and a half I ran 9...
My oath during the race is to suck it up even when my bumper hurts, to not complain if my headlights rip off, to not cuss at anyone and to only make fun of people under my breath.
As for how I feel about the 6 minute milers, they kill me and I want to trip them when they run by. It's the truth!!! I wish I could do that. I did feel better about myself when I saw one of them on Tuesday wearing white spandex with gree underwear under them. I am not to upset anymore especially since their legs are as big as my arm.
I will agree with Alice that the Coronado run was awesome and I love any run that I get to see you guys along the way because it reminds me that their is a support system out there know matter how sarcastic it is.
It is a toss up for me with the least favorite. The first one was the Sue Krenn 15k because I was pissed I kepted getting passed by a speed walker and Torrey Pines when I had to run up the huge hill with poop man.
Favorite training moments would be goofying around with you guys and least favorite is getting lost at the end of the 20 mile run and trying run run faster to get away from boob man.
My favorite funny is Betty's shorts on backwards. I love having breakfast and being apart of this group adventure. Thank you for all of the laughs
Well...my most favorite run was when we took the train to oceanside and ran from there to Solana beach. It was beautiful and I still can't believe I can run so far. It just seems so far even in a car...even on a train!(a little Dr. Seuss for you)
ReplyDeleteThe worst moment was when I got home after those long runs and took a shower and then realized that I had many raw places, in very odd places.
UNTIL....I was told about GLIDE...that's what friends are for. THat was a lifessaver that made it all possible.
Last but not the least...I love the breakfast crew...we ate at some great places and were so hungry... and chatting merrily while our bodies relaxed until we got up to walk again and the memory of the long run we did came back as we waddled away to the next Saturday.
You people are the best and I am glad to be doing this with you. You don't give up! Until the end...
Rare dermatoglyphs is definitely the biggest wind this year, sweeping bags and frye mules
ReplyDelete, I always feel uncomfortable if I don't come to one. But I don't recommend that you try to be particularly exaggerated.
After all, it will be a problem if you can wear it next year. I have already bought a pair of By Far with crocodile pattern.In addition to our good-looking clothes, shoes can still fascinate you. "The type is frye sale, in fact, there are quite a lot of colors, but my favorite is this pair of crocodile pattern red and blue color matching, it is too individual!
At that time, many friends asked me to buy frye billy short
, but unfortunately I couldn't get it when the code was broken.....but it is still a cinnabar mole in my heart. I told myself to start it immediately if I made money.
Black, gray and brown are the three natural colors, which meet the needs of Asian girls for natural makeup. Everyone knows that Europeans and Americans havelight grey contacts, so when expressing some exotic makeup, I will choose the big blue and big green models that match them.
ReplyDeleteRemember Taylor Swift's imitation makeup? I used blue-violet pure black eyes. Using makeup techniques to deepen the contours of the eyes, coupled with the most important cosmetic contact lenses, the eyes really look like Europeans and Americans.
Such a dark brown model will change totwilight brown when exposed to the sun under the sun. It seems to have a sense of blur, and it looks very nice with natural earthy light makeup.