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This blog is now approximately result number 65 if I Google “2008 AIDS Marathon San Francisco.” Bummer!
Last night I did a maintenance run in the neighborhood by work, by myself. I trained at 5:1, and I took it easy because my shins hurt the tiniest bit as the run progressed (they feel just fine now, no icing necessary). I think that one of my problematic tendencies is that I push myself to go too fast while running (I’m sure this is not surprising). I’m working on holding myself back to go slower than I’d like.
Today, I learned that I love Suzanne Vega, but not so much the charred part of grilled steak (nachos). Truth be told I sort of hazily remembered the latter.
10 miles tomorrow!
Tonight I went on another maintenance run with Garrett. We adhered to our usual route (from his apartment to the Panhandle and back). We also trained at 5:1 tonight since my legs are feeling better and that’s what our groups train at (Garrett’s all the time and mine sometimes). I realized that I look forward to my maintenance runs all day while I’m working. I don’t look forward to the Saturday runs the same way, I think, because they are too early!
Today I even learned how to use the interval timer on my watch (guess how? not by figuring it out myself or reading the instructions). It’s a miracle: I don’t have to keep adding minutes together in my head at the beginning of every cycle.
Garrett was nice enough to make a yummy ginger chicken dish for dinner and we watched an episode of Beauty and the Geek (guess whose idea). I found out today that I have an oral argument in one of my parole cases THIS FRIDAY! It’s not necessarily enough time to prepare, but it’s also not really enough time to freak out! I wish there were more hours in the day. I’m definitely ready for my vacation!
P.S. – Yesterday we went to Sports Basement and I bought several flavors of Gu (neither Strawberry Banana nor Plain), Clif Shot Energy Gel (again, no Plain), a PowerBar Gel Refuel (the tangerine was just exotic enough to be appealing). You can look forward to evaluations of the taste and effects of each one (some have caffeine and some don’t; it appears to be derivative of cola nut).
P.P.S. – I ate so much yesterday for breakfast: one muffin, one piece of cake, and two bagels with cream cheese (the first two things were around the office). I also had a gigantic – and delicious – Easter dinner at Caitlin’s parents’ house, and I ate so much there too (Caitlin couldn’t believe it).
P.P.P.S. - After this Saturday we will have run the distance of a marathon – 26 miles – in eight days. I can’t believe it.
P.S.P.S. – I also can’t believe these “P.S.”-es. They’re just like something a 12-year-old girl would write. Hmmmmm.
Today we ran eight miles. I seriously cannot believe it. Whoa. That distance is almost one-third of a marathon. So far my legs are fine. They had food for us after, which was nice.
We ran out of the park south through the Sunset, which was great because there are wide sidewalks – with parkway grass – and thus all of the pace groups weren’t coming up on each other from both directions.
I spent some time talking to a different cute-ish guy in my pace group. Unfortunately he’s taken (just as well: he didn’t grab my ass during the run) .
The most notable thing about today’s run is that I had my first Gu (energizing gel for runners) . Garrett was nice enough to let me try one of his. It was thoroughly disgusting, but also energizing. It was “raspberry” or “mixed berry.” I thought it would be pink-ish, but it looked almost exactly like my shampoo. I ate it all at once but had to swallow it in two parts. I was amazed at how it increased my energy around mile 4 when I needed it (that’s when I ate it). A group member said he thought it worked because I was talking more (I’m sure you’re relieved that running doesn’t alter my personality).
It seems harder (though more interesting) to run through the City instead of on a track as I did last week. I’m not sure how much of that perception is due to the early hour this week.
Tonight I ran this week’s second maintenance run. I’m relieved that I was able to do so (on the sidewalk, at a 4:1 run/walk ratio), because at this time last week I was on a break to recuperate from shin splints. Happily, Garrett is back from his business trip so we could run together. I enjoyed having my running partner back.
Tonight (really, very early this evening, as I work for the government) after work I ran the week’s first maintenance run. I was little nervous running so soon after seven miles on Sunday given last week’s shin problems, but I decided to give it a shot provided I ran on a track.
Unfortunately the track was closed because some future lesbians adolescent female lacrosse players were having a game. Luckily I could run around the top of the track (above the bleachers) next to lots of other runners, including two hot French guys. The surface of this area was not clay or rubber or whatever the track is, but asphalt, which I think is still better for my legs than concrete. My legs – upper and lower – were definitely more sore during the run than they were on Sunday, but not alarmingly so (thus I completed the run). I’m going to ice them tonight. I also have a bit of runner’s rash on my right thigh from chafing on Sunday, but thankfully I didn’t feel it tonight.
Two observations from Sunday that I forgot to share:
1 . The sun is going to be a factor in my training as it gets closer to spring and summer. As most of you know, I hate exposure to the sun and the reality of getting tan (with the exception of that year I studied abroad and looked like a Mexican after daily tanning salon sessions. I’m sure many of you remember). I bought SPF 50 sunscreen before Sunday’s run and slathered it all over my face and legs. My kneecaps were still a tad red on Monday, and a girl at work said that my face looked tan, but I’m glad I was not burned after one hour and 22 minutes of running at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday! Let’s hope that will continue. It would be nice to be tan though. A part of me would like to have a few base tanning salon sessions so I won’t burn as much outside, but I probably wouldn’t be able to stop and would soon look like George Hamilton or Charlize Theron on Oscar night. Trust. On a sort of related note, I’m considering trying shaving my lower legs so it’s easier to apply sunscreen. I’ve never done that before and I’m not sure how I’ll like it.
2. It was a strange experience running around a track with other “runners.” Everyone else looked so hardcore and runner-like in their running clothes and doing their stretches, etc. They looked like runners, probably because they are. It dawned on me that I probably look like a runner to them in my matching short and shirt, running shoes, and water bottle belt. They have no idea I’ve only run seven miles and got shin splints after six miles. It was weird to think I could pass for a “runner” in a setting comprised of other runners.
Good news: I ran 7 miles today and my lower legs seem to be fine. They hurt the tiniest bit during the run, but not so much that I needed to stop after a mile (that was my plan). I concentrated on taking small steps, contacting my foot flat with the ground (v. heal first), and generally going slowly. I also trained at 4:1 instead of 5:1, which I think can’t hurt at this point. Unfortunately, my right ankle was hurting a little toward the end of the run, but I’m icing it now preventatively and trying not to think about it. I ran on a track at Kezar Stadium, which is on the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park (and also near the Upper Haight and my law school). This was intentional because it is softer than the sidewalk. I’m happy I did this, and not just because there were two cute guys – one playing hackeysack and another napping (don’t worry, he wasn’t a vagrant) – on the field in the center of the track. The downside was that I had to run around the track 28 times. It was boring but I powered through and even ran one or two extra laps to compensate for potential counting errors. In the beginning, the run was extremely tough mentally because I was worried about whether my legs would start to hurt, the fact that I had skipped a maintenance run, and the fact that I was by myself. However, those thoughts slipped away as time went on, and I felt as if I didn’t really get into the run until miles 3 or 4, which kind of surprised me (this feeling was more pronounced than before). While running today I realized that this is truly something that I have to do on my own, which is always a bit scary. True, everyone is supporting me, and I’m training with a group and receiving guidance, but when it comes down to it, I’m the one who has to motivate myself to train and to run and to believe that I can do it and to make it happen. I’m hoping this will result in my feeling proud if (I know, when) I finish. I guess it’s just that as the distances have increased, training continues to be something I have to integrate into my life and I’ve become passingly acquainted with injuries, I realize that this is going to be hard and is going to require sacrifices (this was only clear to me theoretically before).
At any rate, I’m so relieved that I don’t have to drop out of the marathon or drastically modify my training. I’ve been fairly worried and discouraged about the pain during the past week, partially because feeling the pain during the day and icing my legs reminded me of the injury and its potential to interrupt my training schedule. A date who has run 4 or 5 marathons encouraged me by telling me that I was dealing with my shin splints properly, that our long-term training window means I could take 2 or 3 weeks off now and be fine, and that only 1% of marathon runners will train without injury. Interestingly, he said that if it were four months from now, his advice for dealing with shin splints would be to take 4 Advil every 4 hours and maintain my running schedule.
Perhaps some of you are wondering why it is that I trained on Sunday instead of on Saturday. I could tell you that I waited until Sunday because I wanted to give my legs more time to rest. This is not untrue. However, it’s not the entire truth (and we’re all friends here anyway). I went out and got my gay dance on on Friday and Saturday nights (out-of-town lawyers visiting my friend Bart). I had a blast because I haven’t gone out in so long and because it was a welcome distraction from the injury. I intended to still get up to go on Saturday and then on Sunday in Oakland after Saturday fell through, but I simply went to bed too late (and too drunk) for that to happen. I mean, we knew this was going to happen at some point, didn’t we? Though I go out so much less than I used to, it’s me we’re talking about, and I love my nightlife. It’s going to be a challenge to integrate training into my regular activities (we all know I tend to overschedule and want to do it all). I think the key for me is not to insist to myself that I make every training at the exact day and time I’m supposed to, but that I’m going to do the best I can and it will be okay if it doesn’t turn out perfect (this doesn’t sound applicable to any other area of my life, does it?). Incidentally, Garrett’s response to finding out that I didn’t run on Saturday cracked me up: “I knew that guy’s comment about it being okay to skip 2 or 3 weeks would affect your motivation.”
I felt really good after my run. I’m back in the game. Hooray!
As promised I’ve been “observing” my lower legs, and this has led me to the conclusion that they’re jacked. They don’t kill, but they do hurt. It could be any number of things: running on the hard sidewalk, failing to stretch (though see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/health/nutrition/13Best.html?ref=fashion), taking too big of steps, running more than I’m used to for a month, running on Monday instead of Tuesday (closer to last Saturday so less recovery time), or of course the strengthening exercises that I found on-line and did on Tuesday after noticing discomfort (in retrospect, not smart).
I decided to skip this week’s second maintenance run in hopes that I’ll recover by Saturday so I can run with the group. I’ve also been icing my lower legs for 20 minutes every two hours (yes, even at work) . Though I’m reminding myself that shin splints are a common overuse injury for new runners, I’m predictably totally nervous about missing even one maintenance run, and especially about the prospect of having to curtail my training further or – egads! – not running the marathon. I don’t want to disappoint myself and everyone who is cheering me on. However, as Stacey pointed out, it’s nearly impossible to train for a marathon without some sort of physical mishap. I just didn’t think mine would be so soon!
Tonight I did another maintenance run by myself. I used the pre-planned route from last week, which again took me through lower Pacific Heights for a good portion of the distance (40 minutes of running ends up being spread over about 4 miles if I haven’t mentioned it before). I think the nice surroundings made the time pass really quickly, and I also think I’m getting used to 40 minutes of running, which makes me happy. I’m continuing to train at 5:1, and I don’t find it too challenging (don’t get me wrong, I don’t find it too easy either).
The downside of today’s run is that is was hard to get through mentally because I have my first evidentiary hearing on Wednesday (I’m totally worried because I’m still utterly unprepared, though we all know I’d worry anyway) and because I’ve come to regret a missed romantic opportunity with the benefit of hindsight.
Positively, I haven’t found myself caught up in a prostitute sting operation. Hooray!
Additionally, my shins were bothering me a bit during tonight’s run. They’re weren’t necessarily hurting, but I was conscious of them in a way that I don’t think is typical for me while running. It’s something I’m going to keep observing.
In case you’re wondering, Jackson Browne’s 1982 hit “Somebody’s Baby” from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack inspired the title of tonight’s blog post. I’ve been listening to that song today, probably because I heard it on the easy listening station last night. Fun fact: my dad went to high school with – and was only two classes below – Jackson Browne.
I’ve got to stop with the cornball headlines on this blog. However, if you’re reading this blog and you had the time and means to contribute to my fundraising efforts, my hat is off to you because your contribution helped me reach the amount necessary for me to get a yellow, weatherproof AIDS Marathon Training Program hat. It was totally embarrassing: yesterday they called the 20 or 30 runners who qualified in front of the group before we started running and told everyone else to ask us for fundraising tips. Unfortunately, the only tip I have is to make sure you have generous friends and family before you commit to raising money.
The hat will make a great souvenir. I’m not terribly excited about the hat itself because I don’t do hats (they mess up the all-important hair and never fit my head just right), and it’s yellow (um, no).
If you’re reading this blog and haven’t yet had the time to contribute but have the means and inclination, there is good news: I’m still short of my $1,800 fundraising goal that I must meet by May 2, 2008!
Today we ran six miles. I’ve definitely never done that before. It wasn’t so bad other than it being very cold before we started running. However, I was ready to stop by the end. It wasn’t as if I absolutely had to stop, but I was certainly happy to do so. It might have been because I didn’t eat anything this morning before running (I didn’t have any cereal and was too lazy to buy any last night). I’m totally tired now, but I don’t think it’s from running; I feel sleepy because I got up at 6:00 a.m. (it’s just not natural for me to wake up when it’s still mostly dark).
I sampled a PowerBar-type gummi-type snack during the run. I’m sure everyone reading knows that my experience eating these types of delights is limited to say the least (in fact this qualifies as another first). What I tried today had some sort of fruit flavor and it was actually kind of good. I didn’t love the consistency (it melted too much and stuck to my teeth, which I detest), but it tasted great.
Today was also the first time I took public transportation to the super-remote (at Ocean Beach, by the Beach Chalet) run site (Garrett – who is nice enough to drive me – is traveling for work). It was no problem: I only had to wake up 30 minutes early yet I got there with 20 minutes to spare.
Today was also the first time that I had my ass slapped in an athletic context. Here, I think the slapper might have had other motivations beyond a friendly heterosexual football-type slap, but it’s a first nonetheless.
Another first: I saw a guy whom I dated briefly in law school, either training for the half marathon or in a slow pace group. I knew it wasn’t possible that there wouldn’t be someone like that in this training because it’s a [too-] small gay world.
Happily, I’m really liking the bulk of the people I talk to on my run more and more: I had some great conversations with our pace group leader, that nice girl and her boyfriend, and a random lawyer from West Virginia who is doing the half marathon and ran with us briefly. I didn’t think he was gay until he mentioned being on the board of an organization for gay lawyers.
Finally, two firsts unrelated to running: Meghan led me in a super-fun (and very basic because of my lack of experience) yoga class last night (my homework is two morning stretches), and I bought my first box of Girl Scout cookies – Samoas – of the year after the run. All but two are gone. Same old Steven.
It’s a beautiful day here! I hope you’re having a great weekend!
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