Heaps ‘O Hell

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Saturday’s nine mile run was rightly called Heaps ‘O Hell. This is gonna be a bitch session, Dear Readers.

So…the tale:

E and I started our run missing our other long running partner, T. We saw others on the roads, which was wonderful.

We felt the need for a warm up, which we did in the first couple of miles. The run felt normal, and we were running at my normal pace, with E being the dear that she is, staying slow so that we could chat along the way and make the miles melt away. We caught up on each others’ lives and the various shows, projects and books we’re working through. Although we were feeling a bit exhausted when we hit mile marker 2.5, in general, the time flew by.

Ok…so that was the first five miles.

Skip to mile 5.01.

Holy Shit. This is a looooong run.

Holy Shit. . . . Holy SHIT.

E and I have done long runs before. T, E and I had run 8 miles two weeks prior and felt totally ok. We were tired, which is natural, but we were ok. Looking back to my post on it, I see that we were (then) looking forward with enthusiasm and great anticipation to finishing the half marathon in April.

Not 9.

Nine is a whole new ballgame, my friends. E and I spent two of the remaining four miles discussing what this Holy Shit factor is, as it seems not only psychological, but also physiological, and not just for one of us, but both. Strongly.

So what is this joyful experience? We do not believe it’s the wall that people experience at or around mile twenty in a marathon, where one’s glycogen store is completely depleted. It’s not that dramatic.

Rather, it feels like one’s entire body aches. A lot. It’s a pain based experience, not a winded one. One’s lungs are not what feel bad, so they don’t slow you down. One’s legs ache a lot going up any incline. One’s back radiates pain up and down one’s spine that starts in the small of the back. Basically, it feels like your body is pissed at you for doing this to it and is trying to get you to stop; it’s yelling at you.

From our experience, that’s the worst of it. It doesn’t get worse the farther you go. E actually ran 10 miles; while I did 9 (she is SO amazing!!). She hurt as much as I did, and we both hurt to the end.

Once we stopped, the back pain went away, but our legs felt like jellyfish and were quite tender. We were both exhausted. The next day, we were generally ok. So this does seem to be a running-based immediate issue, rather than one that carries on after the run is over.

We hope that at some point, if one keeps running, the pain abates or goes away entirely. Regardless, we’re planning a ten mile long run this weekend. Smart? Who knows.

Have any of you run nine miles and felt/not felt this? What’s your experience? Does it get easier for the 11, 12 and 13 miles? Is this something that abates the more runs one does nine miles or longer?

Some Inspirational Runners

One small change in one’s life opens a vista of new possibility; but as with most endeavors, one needs inspiration to stay the course.

In addition to exergaming, running has become an integral part of my weekly plan. I actually work around my thrice weekly runs, and make sure appointments, drop offs, pick-ups, and everything else allows for the 1-2 hour set asides. I am self admittedly not fast, but I am consistent and persistent.

Originally all of my running was in solitude. I liked it that way. I still do. It gives me time to zone out, meditate or think projects through depending on the day. Generally I think of it as my time with G-d.

But over the last few months, running has become more of a community for me. There are a lot of people who run around here. You just need to know to listen for folks talking about it. It’s as though one becomes more attuned to certain phrases or notes when one opens up the possibility of a new chord in one’s life.

We all need heroes. Women who run here inspire me. I look forward to hearing their stories, and they make me smile when I see them on the roads. They’re all fabulous moms and ladies. Each of them has their own story. Here is a bit of how these women's relate to mine:

K, like all of these local women, is phenomenal. She balances kids, a household, everything else, and she runs….like the wind. Actually, all of these women are fast, graceful and somewhat like gazelles. She introduced me to my favorite 10K route, K’s 10K. She’s run multiple marathons and talks about it as though we all can…and I’m actually beginning to believe that that is the case. Without her, I definitely would not. I look forward to seeing her on runs, and ask her advice on anything she’s willing to discuss.

D gets us all out there moving our asses. She’s a ring leader and a sweetheart under her knee socked power running exterior. She’s definitely someone I’d want in my zombie combat unit.

H brings grace to everything she does. She’s like a ray of sunshine gliding along the mountain roads.

J was one of my first running heroes, and continues to amaze me. She is a brick 4+ miler plus other workouts wonder woman. I am generally in awe of her stamina and consistency. And she bakes. Well. And she’s a sweetheart.

MG is our sideliner for now. Before having her second child recently, she was winning her age catagory while 7 or 8 months pregnant. Just...wow. Right?!

E is a true anchor woman. She keeps it all together and tells us to shut up or put up to get out on the roads regardless of weather. I could see her strapped to the side of a mountain impasse with wind, snow and ice swirling around her and she’d keep going and convincing the rest of us to do it too.  I love running with her and appreciate it that in order to discuss life, class and the latest episodes of The Real Housewives, she slows waaaay down to keep pace with some of us.

T began running a few months ago with a Couch to 5K app on her cell phone. She’s come a looong way, Baby. She, E and I ran a little more than 8 miles last Sunday. She and I generally pace each other, but I’m admittedly the happy geriatric turtle of the bunch. Last Sunday, she ran ahead for the final 2 miles and I was so impressed as I watched her power up the final hills.

These women are some of the best of us, but we all have it in us to get out there. Whether a gazelle or geriatric turtle, we can all excel.

Who inspires you?

Training

There’s been a tremendous amount going on since my last post. Mostly all excellent.

Regarding training, it continues and I’m seeing quite a bit of progress. With eight and a half weeks until the More Half Marathon in Manhattan, the focus has moved beyond simply staying the course to get there. Being comfortable in the midst of the process allows one to look around and appreciate it a bit more.

I’ve settled into the following weekly routine, which is an amended version of Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 program:

Monday = yoga

Tuesday = run 4 miles

Wednesday = cross train core and upper body

Thursday = run 4 miles

Friday = cross train core and upper body

Saturday = rest

Sunday = long run

Please note that cross training is still done using exergames.

This past Sunday, E, T and I ran a little over eight miles for our long run. That’s right, eight blessed miles. We were pretty amazed. That’s the longest any of us has ever run.

We felt great!

We became aware that, like, wow, we could go more maybe on another day…nine didn’t seem so out of the picture. And if nine isn’t so far out of the picture, then ten is just a little beyond that. And a wee bit farther sits thirteen. Wait; thirteen…that’s a HALF MARATHON!

All of our training thus far has brought us to this point. We are completing the distances, able to recuperate, and go and do it again…and again.

All pretty exciting stuff!