Well, I guess I've been feeling a little too good about myself with respect to running - even with all the niggling little aches and injuries I've gathered to myself. You'll recall that last week's long run got pushed to this Monday... Well, it was a 13 mile run, so on Saturday -- planning out how I was going to distribute the work I had to do over the next few days -- I thought to myself, "Okay, that time we did the 20 mile run on Monday I was more or less useless at work for the rest of the day, but this is only 13 miles," upon thinking which I promptly proceeded to make a schedule that involved being my usual productive self on Monday afternoon.
Let's just say that that was a mistake. And that I spent a lot of time that afternoon staring blankly past whatever paper I was thinking I might read.
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Monday: 13 miles... see above for commentary
Tuesday: 4 miles, nice and easy
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 4 miles again
As usual, another day off on Friday...
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Less than one week left! A fact which seems less and less real the more I think about it... come to think of it, this whole marathon has been seeming less real the closer it's gotten for several weeks now (more or less since the first time we ran 20 miles). I think when I started this plan, looking for a medium-term goal to work towards, in the back of my mind I was thinking of it just like any other long-term plan... and the last four months have kind of flown by.
Anyway, I guess that also means just one more of these blog posts... I'm not sure whether I'll be mobile enough to make it to the office the day after the Marathon, but check back maybe on May 3rd or 4th and I'll probably have put up the final post.
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Saturday: 3 (!) miles... there comes a point where the time it takes to walk back and forth to the gym (it was rainy today), take a shower, grab lunch, and walk back to the office so far exceeds the time you spend running that it all feels a little silly. And I can now report that 3 miles is basically that point.
Sunday: 8 miles today. It's funny to think that my long run this week would have been just another usual mid-week run a month and a half ago. In related news, I love tapering.
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April 25, 2010
April 18, 2010
Week 16 - The taper begins...
So, last week's 21 miler was the last long run of the training program, and from here on out the name of the game is cutting back on the mileage, recovering from all of the little aches and pains I've accumulated, and just generally letting my body rest up. Honestly, I think I would feel better about the upcoming race if it were a few weeks farther off than it is. I mean, at this point barring injury I'm sure I'll be able to make it across the finish line -- it's the conditional I'll be in as I do that that I'm worried about!
I have to admit, though, that it's kind of nice to have the daily running time starting to shorten up a bit. First: with the semester winding down things are starting to get pretty busy for me, so having running taking a smaller bite out of my schedule is much appreciated. But perhaps a more gratifying second: it feels pretty awesome to run these 4 to 6 milers and realize you could easily do the same run again.
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Monday: After yesterday's grueling 21 mile effort, I invoked my executive privilege to take this day off.
Tuesday: 5 miles, outside, in absolutely perfect Spring weather.
Wednesday: 6 miles, same conditions as on Tuesday.
Thursday: 5 fast miles
As usual, another day off on Friday...
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Not much else to say, update wise... research is keeping me busy, and then end-of-semester stuff for that one class I'm taking is keeping me up late at night. Oh well. How about this though...
Ways In Which My Toaster Is Already Making My Life Better:
(1) Bagels for breakfast!!! (Really, I should just stop the list here, this being the only important item on it... Incidentally, does anybody know a good place to get bagels in Champaign-Urbana?)
(2) Re-heated slices of homemade pizza!! (I like them cold, too, but not having to microwave them to heat them back up = awesome)
(3) Um...it occupies space! (Anything that makes my apartment look less spartan gets at least a few points just for that, I think...)
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Saturday: 4 miles...back on the treadmill, though
Sunday: 4 miles at pace... once again this weekend's schedule got a little shifted around, so we're doing the long run tomorrow instead of today.
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I have to admit, though, that it's kind of nice to have the daily running time starting to shorten up a bit. First: with the semester winding down things are starting to get pretty busy for me, so having running taking a smaller bite out of my schedule is much appreciated. But perhaps a more gratifying second: it feels pretty awesome to run these 4 to 6 milers and realize you could easily do the same run again.
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Monday: After yesterday's grueling 21 mile effort, I invoked my executive privilege to take this day off.
Tuesday: 5 miles, outside, in absolutely perfect Spring weather.
Wednesday: 6 miles, same conditions as on Tuesday.
Thursday: 5 fast miles
As usual, another day off on Friday...
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Not much else to say, update wise... research is keeping me busy, and then end-of-semester stuff for that one class I'm taking is keeping me up late at night. Oh well. How about this though...
Ways In Which My Toaster Is Already Making My Life Better:
(1) Bagels for breakfast!!! (Really, I should just stop the list here, this being the only important item on it... Incidentally, does anybody know a good place to get bagels in Champaign-Urbana?)
(2) Re-heated slices of homemade pizza!! (I like them cold, too, but not having to microwave them to heat them back up = awesome)
(3) Um...it occupies space! (Anything that makes my apartment look less spartan gets at least a few points just for that, I think...)
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Saturday: 4 miles...back on the treadmill, though
Sunday: 4 miles at pace... once again this weekend's schedule got a little shifted around, so we're doing the long run tomorrow instead of today.
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April 11, 2010
Week 15 - Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Yeah, so, I have to admit... after today's run (which was, to be honest, difficult and really rather painful) I feel legitimately a bit proud of what I've been able to build myself up to in these last few months. Anyway, for some reason I was thinking about the above-referenced poem earlier this week...let's see how well the analogy holds up:
Pride at fleeting accomplishments: Check (see above)
Two vast and trunkless legs of stone: At first, you'd think this one a bit of a stretch... But after the run I more or less collapsed on the couch with my legs still on the floor, having decided that it would be too much effort to raise them the foot and a half it would have required to be more comfortable lying down. So, to any ant that wandered into my apartment just then, check on the trunkless legs. And I guess they were immobile enough to count as stone.
Shatter'd visage: Hard to say for sure...but seeing as I thought walking across the room to a mirror would have been too herculean an effort, I'm going to guess yes. Check.
Frown and wrinkled lip: Same comment as above...check.
Sneer of cold command: Um...okay, I rather suspect otherwise on this one (or, at least, I sure hope I shouldn't be putting "Check" next to this one...
Yeah, at this point I think I've exhausted any similarities between me and a giant, broken, fictional statue of Ramesses... But of course, do let me know if you come up with anything else!
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Monday: My foot, which I complained about last week, is still bothering me... hopefully that clears up soon. Anyway, I took today off.
Tuesday: Another day off...
Wednesday: Well, my foot wasn't really feeling any better after two days of rest, so I went for a 6 mile run today (How's that for some questionable logic!)
Thursday: So, two days of rest saw no improvement, and running yesterday didn't seem to make things any worse... Kind of confusing, if you ask me. Another day of rest today.
For Friday, more rest!
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On a completely unrelated note, I am to be congratulated for a minor life accomplishment: as of Wednesday I now am finally the proud owner of my very own toaster!
Now, I can already hear you saying, "well, that's not all that impressive, really." And you're right... it isn't. But you have to understand: "toaster" has been item #1 on my "Kitchen appliances I need to buy list" for almost three years now, so the fact that I've finally crossed that off feels like quite the achievement. To be honest, I'm not really sure why it took me so incredibly long to just go out and buy a toaster... I mean, they aren't particularly big and bulky to carry by yourself, they aren't particularly expensive. I think more than anything it was just a combination of inertia, a relative deficit of motivation to go buy stuff for myself, and a love of breakfast cereals that kept me satisfied sans toaster for so long.
But, now that's all over, and I can make myself a bagel in the morning without resorting to broiling a single bagel in the oven. So, the next time you see me, be sure to congratulate me and share in my recent success in this!
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Saturday: Foot still not 100% (a little worried about tomorrow, now)... 3 miles of running and 15 minutes on the stationary bike.
Sunday: 21 eighty-degree, knee-grinding, quad-destroying, foot-throbbing miles. I feel awesome.
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Pride at fleeting accomplishments: Check (see above)
Two vast and trunkless legs of stone: At first, you'd think this one a bit of a stretch... But after the run I more or less collapsed on the couch with my legs still on the floor, having decided that it would be too much effort to raise them the foot and a half it would have required to be more comfortable lying down. So, to any ant that wandered into my apartment just then, check on the trunkless legs. And I guess they were immobile enough to count as stone.
Shatter'd visage: Hard to say for sure...but seeing as I thought walking across the room to a mirror would have been too herculean an effort, I'm going to guess yes. Check.
Frown and wrinkled lip: Same comment as above...check.
Sneer of cold command: Um...okay, I rather suspect otherwise on this one (or, at least, I sure hope I shouldn't be putting "Check" next to this one...
Yeah, at this point I think I've exhausted any similarities between me and a giant, broken, fictional statue of Ramesses... But of course, do let me know if you come up with anything else!
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Monday: My foot, which I complained about last week, is still bothering me... hopefully that clears up soon. Anyway, I took today off.
Tuesday: Another day off...
Wednesday: Well, my foot wasn't really feeling any better after two days of rest, so I went for a 6 mile run today (How's that for some questionable logic!)
Thursday: So, two days of rest saw no improvement, and running yesterday didn't seem to make things any worse... Kind of confusing, if you ask me. Another day of rest today.
For Friday, more rest!
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On a completely unrelated note, I am to be congratulated for a minor life accomplishment: as of Wednesday I now am finally the proud owner of my very own toaster!
Now, I can already hear you saying, "well, that's not all that impressive, really." And you're right... it isn't. But you have to understand: "toaster" has been item #1 on my "Kitchen appliances I need to buy list" for almost three years now, so the fact that I've finally crossed that off feels like quite the achievement. To be honest, I'm not really sure why it took me so incredibly long to just go out and buy a toaster... I mean, they aren't particularly big and bulky to carry by yourself, they aren't particularly expensive. I think more than anything it was just a combination of inertia, a relative deficit of motivation to go buy stuff for myself, and a love of breakfast cereals that kept me satisfied sans toaster for so long.
But, now that's all over, and I can make myself a bagel in the morning without resorting to broiling a single bagel in the oven. So, the next time you see me, be sure to congratulate me and share in my recent success in this!
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Saturday: Foot still not 100% (a little worried about tomorrow, now)... 3 miles of running and 15 minutes on the stationary bike.
Sunday: 21 eighty-degree, knee-grinding, quad-destroying, foot-throbbing miles. I feel awesome.
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April 4, 2010
Week 14 - In which I haven't all that much time to write this
This week was another scheduled "rest" week, and I assure you it has been much appreciated. I think between the long run on Monday and the temporarily altered diet this week my body has just been struggling to recover fully. I mean, don't get me wrong...matzah can be delicious (well...rather, you can put enough delicious toppings on it to make it acceptable), but I've decided that there's just no humanly possible way to consume enough of it to get the quantity of carbs running seems to demand. I kind of long for a grapefruit (um...where of course by grapefruit I mean bread. And pasta. And also bread.)
Otherwise, this past week was pretty uneventful...mostly just catching up on research and trying to stay on top of class. And, actually, between a meeting with my advisor tomorrow, homework and minor term paper items due for class this week, and a 20 minute talk I'm supposed to be preparing, today is still pretty busy for me. So, unfortunately, I'm going to have to keep this week's post short.
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Tuesday: 20 minutes on the stationary bike and 15 on the elliptical.
Wednesday: 5 miles, over which my legs were unusually whiny.
Thursday: 5 miles. This was the day that, between the wear and the lack of carbs, I was really feeling it. A much more difficult run than I was expecting.
Friday: The usual day off...
Saturday: My foot was bothering me a lot (which was strange... it felt fine on Thursday, and Friday obviously I didn't do anything to aggravate anything), so I substituted some time on the stationary bike for my usual running.
Sunday: 12 miles in 65 degree sunny weather. Truly, a great day to be out running, and a shame that I have to spend the rest of it inside!
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Just finished: "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" Not really my favorite of DFW's works, but I really liked at least a few of the short stories. Also, I'm starting to realize that in the last year I've read most of his stuff. Just a few books left, now.
Otherwise, this past week was pretty uneventful...mostly just catching up on research and trying to stay on top of class. And, actually, between a meeting with my advisor tomorrow, homework and minor term paper items due for class this week, and a 20 minute talk I'm supposed to be preparing, today is still pretty busy for me. So, unfortunately, I'm going to have to keep this week's post short.
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Tuesday: 20 minutes on the stationary bike and 15 on the elliptical.
Wednesday: 5 miles, over which my legs were unusually whiny.
Thursday: 5 miles. This was the day that, between the wear and the lack of carbs, I was really feeling it. A much more difficult run than I was expecting.
Friday: The usual day off...
Saturday: My foot was bothering me a lot (which was strange... it felt fine on Thursday, and Friday obviously I didn't do anything to aggravate anything), so I substituted some time on the stationary bike for my usual running.
Sunday: 12 miles in 65 degree sunny weather. Truly, a great day to be out running, and a shame that I have to spend the rest of it inside!
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Just finished: "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" Not really my favorite of DFW's works, but I really liked at least a few of the short stories. Also, I'm starting to realize that in the last year I've read most of his stuff. Just a few books left, now.
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