Walking the Line

When I was in 4th grade my best friend Catherine and I use to roam the woods that backed up to our neighborhood. Those woods also backed up to Dodgen Middle School. And in those woods, off the school's back parking lot, were cables strung between some pine trees. There were three, about 3-4 feet off the ground and about 10 feet long.

Catherine and I assumed they were for practicing walking on a tight wire. We imagined that once you got to middle school instead of having to do square dancing you got to learn circus tricks. Obviously this did not prove the case as I went to Dodgen for 6th and 7th grade and we never once used them for anything. We were still doing the same old square dancing and four square crap that we had done in elementary school. I can only assume--since I moved before 8th grade- that maybe it was in 8th grade then that you got learn circus tricks.

At any rate, Catherine and I used the cables to play on and we would pretend--what else? That we were tightrope walkers. I have to admit, we were pretty good. Though sometimes we did use the sticks we balanced with to keep us from falling over.

I think it is unfortunate that we never got to put our tight rope walking skills to use. Not that I am planning on joining the circus--especially after the spectacle I made of myself last Sunday in Yoga. Let's just leave it that I will definitely not be sending my resume to Cirque du Soleil.

Nevertheless, I do find myself walking a thin line-- spanning the tightrope, if you will, between the Georgia ING marathon and the Country Music Marathon while I try to juggle recovery, training and a taper. And yes, absolutely that is a nod Johnny Cash. Now I am not a fan of county music but I do love me some Johnny Cash. Wait I think we need a song break. (I love to run to this song, BTW. The freight train rhythm helps me keep an even pace.)

Alrighty then! I am officially signed up. And I am so excited. Fishstick signed up for the half and my old friend Chris has graciously offered us up his guest room. Not to mention I found a $15 off coupon for the marathon--so how could I not do it? Besides, the one and only time I've been to Nashville I had a blast. It was all just too tempting for me to turn the opportunity down. Also, it should be said that since I am looking for a job my commitment to marathoning in the future is tenuous and is probably going to take some hit once I find said job. So, who knows this could be my last hurrah--I hope not, but you never know. . .

So the Stick and I will be rolling into Nashville on Friday the 25th. We will be eating at Chris's restaurant Germantown Cafe. He has promised me a tasty pre race meal and I encourage everyone who doing the marathon to have your pre race meal here too. Or if you can't make it for dinner Friday go enjoy dinner there Saturday night before the concert. And if you live in Nashville already you better go eat there sometime because the menu looks freaking delicious and I know Chris will take good care of you.

Currently I have no goal for this race. Well, okay that isn't true. I should say my only expectation is to finish but of course my goal is to Pr. I don't expect to but I will definitely aim to.

Last week was a great week. This week? Not so much. I knew I would be tired but I completely underestimated how tired. The fatigue could be due to the ridiculously high record pollen counts we've had this week but certainly that is only partially to blame. I'll admit, maybe I did too much last week. But honestly I am happy with how it went. The way I see it, fatigue is an aspect of hard training. Injury though is another thing. And when you push your body when it should be recovering injury is a very real risk. Luckily, all my week did was make me tired. So this week I recovered ( or am recovering). Considering that this week was the kid's spring break it is better that I pushed the envelop with my body last week since I knew I would not have the time for such training this week. So it is working out. Again, see, with the optimism. Such a bright and shiny spot in the universe am I.

And at CMM in two weeks I will get to found out how well I walked the line. Bring it on!

Spring. BREAK!

You know what?

I think I am an optimist.

You know, one of those people who finds the silver lining. Hey! Look. That glass-- that one right there? It is half full.

All I can think is how great it is that I didn't really do much in the way of rest and recovery last week after the marathon.

Because otherwise, this week?

This week would be really frustrating for me if I was all rested and raring to go but couldn't because not only is it spring break for the kids but Atlanta is all decked out in her pretty yellow dress. I posted that picture to try and show you how hazy it is here from the pollen but also because those turtles chilling on that log? That's me.

No worries, I am not a total turtle but my workouts have been slow and way easy. And I think that is okay since I wore my butt out last week and then got myself schooled at yoga on Sunday. So I am welcoming the easy workouts I've been doing this week. Today, for example, I did an easy bike at the Greenway while Lala and the kids played with clay and bird watched:
Truth is that my workouts are easy because in part it is all that I can manage physically. Not to mention, all this pollen makes me sleepy. My first allergy symptom is always fatigue. Next the ball (or rather the snot)will get rolling with a sore throat and not end until I have a sinus infection. Upside is that I always lose weight when I have sinus infection--and the worse the infection the greater the weight loss. See? Silver lining.Optimist. I don't know. I just liked that picture of the ducks. They're a couple. They were sleeping. I took it today on our bird watching hike. I am burnt out on bird watching, by the way. (Wes, I feel for you. Your childhood. I can only imagine . . . Lala referenced your Dad's book a bazillion times.)

Anyway, I am combating the pollen as I am not optimistic about what happens to me once grasses start blooming. I was preemptive and took my first ever Claritan today. Maybe I can avoid the snot after all. Word on the street is that you need to have the allergy meds in place before you get attacked.

So yeah, look at me. All chill on my slacker workouts. Not stressing at all. Really. I'm not. Promise.

Okay, a little but I am not letting it get in the way of fun even if I am not spending spring break at the beach.

Yesterday, I hosted a play date for kids and Mommies. Unfortunately not all my Mommy pals could make it and as it ended up it was as expected- just the "Losers": Memee, DeeDee, me, T, oh and all the littles.
I made Momosas: Champagne, Orange Stoli and a splash of OJ. Bwhahahahaha. . . So everyone had fun! We even invited the husbands to come play when they got done at work. So it was an eight hour play date.
Meme on the electric razor:

Deedee on Carmella's bike:
The kids had lots of fun too as not only did they get play all day with their oldest friends but also because I gave them chocolate and Tara gave them cupcakes:







The rest of this week is going to rain which will be great because it will wash us clean of the pollen but bad because I will have to think up indoor stuff for us to do. Admittedly, I am not so good at the indoor stuff but I thinking maybe it is time they both learn to roller skate. . .

On Being Odd

Yesterday I took Carmella to a classmate's birthday party. Usually, at her age, you drop them off but the place for the party was too far for me to drive back home. So I just hung out.

When it came time for cake I could see Carmella was anxious and uncomfortable. I went over to her and she said ever so quietly, " Mommy, I don't want any cake."

Carmella does not like cake. Carmella also hates to be rude or draw attention to herself. I assured her it was fine for her not to eat the cake and just say no thank you.

She still looked upset at the prospect of having to say anything negative so I asked her if she wanted me to say something for her. She nodded and seemed quite relieved. There was another anxious minute when someone else tried to force cake on her but she politely said no thank you and a crisis was averted.

So Carmella had no cake and nothing terrible happened. I could see her physically relax once the whole cake thing was over and they got to go play again.

After the party was over and we were in the car Carmella confided that " Mommy I don't like being odd."

I froze and I thought; Oh my God she knows that she is weird.

But then Carmella said " I really liked it better when I was even. You know, like when I was six. It is going to take so long for me to be eight. I just don't like being odd."

In other odd news I have felt really pretty darn great since the marathon. I am seriously considering the Country Music Marathon at the end of the month and have pretty much started training for it. So here is how my "recovery" week has gone. Yes, I know I am being naughty and I am sure I will feel terrible next week. But hey, I felt strong this week so I took advantage of it.
Sunday: marathon

Monday: 4 miles on the treadmill. Walked for 2 minutes and then bumped the pace to 6mph and climbed the ladder to 7.5 mph until the 3.1 mark and then climbed down. Came in just under 37 minutes.

Tuesday: Pretty day so Lola and I ran the 3.1 loop at Columns on the trail. In the afternoon I hit the pool and swam 30 minutes. Swim felt amazing.

Wednesday: Beautiful day and was so bummed Steph couldn't ride. I hit the Greenway with my bike. I rode out to Webb Bridge and then rode over to Tara's to say hello. While in a bike lane on Webb Bridge some horrible woman rolled down her window and yelled at me to "Get on the sidewalk!" We exchanged finger gestures. Somehow she missed this sign:
And trust me, not to be ugly but . . . if ever there was someone who could have benefited from a little time on the bike it was this woman. That is all I am saying.

Anyway, after stopping by T's I rode back to the trail and did a 1.5 loops. Guessing mileage for the day was around 31 miles.

Thursday: Woke up feeling really good. Decided it was time to hit the hills. Did 10 miles at a moderate pace on my hilly loop. All good. Happily, no complaints from the calves or the quads.

Friday: 6 miles on the hills recovery.

Saturday: Bit hungover this morning because I enjoyed some cocktails here last night. Waited out the rain. Finally it cleared up and I got in 14 miles. Nothing fast but I ran a consistent pace. Would have been perfect at 12 miles but I still managed.

So the "odd" totals are:
Running: 63 miles--remember 26.2 of those were the marathon so not really a true big mileage week.
Bike: 31 miles
Swim: 1 mile

One last odd tibit: Thank you to Dusty and Jason and everyone who helped me get my resume together and for all the great advice/support/direction as I look for a job. I also really appreciate every one's well wishes at my interview this week. I was called back for a second interview and offered a position. Unfortunately I will be turning it down. It is an outsides sales position that is commission based only. While I would love to do outside sales (though, ideal is writing marketing content)and have no problem with commission--as I think I can sell the heck out of anything--I do need something with benefits and some sort of base. I mean, I think, having one income (read small business owner) that is pretty much commissioned based is enough for one household. So still looking.

Oh, and as always, thanks for reading and indulging my self absorption.

Dead Legs

I have been streaking now for 15 days. This might be a record for me, though I might have gone in the past for as much as 3 weeks. Generally speaking though I am good for a 10 day streak and then I need to take a rest day. My workouts of late have been pretty hard and long so I am a little surprised to still find myself hanging in.

Here is how last week broke down:

Sunday: 6 mile run~ about 48 minutes/general aerobic run on hills

Monday: 105 minutes of swimming. 65 minutes of hiking and running with the kids in the afternoon

Tuesday: 15 minutes of walking/running with the kids. 120 minutes of running (8:38 pace--little over 14 miles)--hilly

Wednesday: 120+ minutes of biking/ 17 minutes of running (2 miles) (ugh, hills!): 1 mile walk with kids in the evening

Thursday: 30 minutes of running on the treadmill (3 miles between tempo and marathon pace. .5 mile walking), 30 minutes of swimming

Friday: 180 minutes of running for 21 miles at 8:50 pace (yep, more hills!)

Saturday: 40 minutes of running for 5 miles recovery with the last mile at tempo. (relatively flat, one hill)

Totals:
Running: 51 miles
Swimming: 4 miles
Biking: 28 miles
Walking/Hiking with kids: 6 miles

And the reward from this is dead legs.

Okay, really just my calf muscles--now known as the giant lead balls on the backside of shin.

I am not exactly sure what the problem is. Definitely not a joint/bone issue and doesn't feel like tendinitis. Really it feels like the muscle is in a knot--or has a knot in it-- and it makes the rest of my leg hurt because of all the tension in the calf muscle. It isn't bothersome on the downhill or flats but on the uphill it can stop me in my tracks. My guess is calf strain. Seems I had this problem last year when I was hitting the 70 mile weeks doing doubles and taking no rest.

Yesterday I hit the trail for 6 miles and my calf muscle was super tight on the left leg. I thought it might loosen up but no dice. I think maybe there were just too many hills. The run was rough and that was very frustrating for me.

Mondays are usually a 5 mile easy run while Beau is at speech, a 2 hour bike ride with Steph and then an easy 30 minute swim in the evening. This morning I woke up and both calf muscles looked a little swollen and felt hard--particularly the left one that is giving me the most trouble. Steph is sick (feel better soon!) and it was too cold for me anyway to bike so I figured I'd hit the gym for a treadmill speed session and a swim. Then tonight I figured I could hit the bike trainer.

I got about a mile and a quarter into my warm up and my legs just felt dead. I am sure I could have pushed it and gotten at least a 5k done but tomorrow is the first of 2 2 hour runs I have planned this week. The longer runs are more important than the speedwork outs. My speed is fine for my marathon goal-- I just need to get the endurance to catch up so I can hit a sub 3:30 (McMillan says I can do 3:20 based on my 10k and half time. I say, yeah right.).

So while I hated to quit my run it was necessary in the scheme of my training plan. I suppose I could have walked but I can barely stand running on the treadmill and I really dislike walking in general--it just takes too long.

I went and changed for the pool. The whole time I kept thinking how what I really needed was a full rest day but damn blasted streak. BUT, I am not giving up on the streaking. Not yet anyway.

I walked out to the pool and I saw a guy in another lane with a buoy between his legs and a band around his ankles. And that gave me an idea.

A dead leg swim.

Sure it probably would have been easier with a buoy and the band but I didn't have either. I really had to focus on not kicking but at the same time keeping my hips up and legs afloat. I had to push my chest a little lower in the water than I normally do and pull harder with my arms but it really helped keep my legs from dragging. It was kinda neat to tweak my stroke and see how just the tiniest body adjustments would make it easier or harder. So today's workout was a modified workout in the spirit of active recovery to keep me in the streak:

30 minute swim using only my arms. I know, it is ridiculous how little it takes for me to be impressed with myself.

So just 40 minutes (10 minutes from treadmill) today but nevertheless the streak continues! 15/0

Returning to the hills

Since ING I've been hitting the treadmill a lot and then last week-- since I was in Sea Pines-- my runs were also flat. Pretty much I have been avoiding hills and long runs.

I have been doing lots of 5k, 10k and 7 mile runs. And lots of speed work. I have run twice my regular 6 miles course from my house. At first I couldn't figure out why it felt so hard and then I remembered, oh yeah, the hills.

So this week:
Monday: 6 miles outside in the morning and then did a 5k in 21:40 on the treadmill in the evening. Weights--legs and arms.
Tuesday: 6 on the treadmill in 42 minutes flat and then walked out the the last .2 to finish in 45 minutes.
Wednesday: Treadmill again. This time 4 miles in 28:30. Weights--just upper body.

So this morning my legs were all kinds of sore from 3 straight days of "speed work" but the day was perfect-- although a bit windy. So I decided to try to do 15 miles. It ended up being 16 and it was hard but I still finished in 2 hours and 19 minutes for an 8:43 pace. Not great but I am still happy with it.

So I feel like I am all recovered. Anyone else already dive back into the long runs?

And PS. I am sooooo glad to not being doing Boston this year. The weather sounds horrible--70% chance of rain, windy and a high of 44 degrees? No thank you--been there done that.

Recover-ING

Slowly feeling better. Still a little more tired than usual and the quads are not at all cooperative about walking downstairs. Very stiff in the morning--think Tin Man. Feet though are feeling much better and the swelling in my hands is nearly gone.

Yesterday I managed 35 minutes--easy-- on the elliptical and 20 minutes of upper body weights and lots of stretching. I felt better right afterwards but woke up feeling tighter and more sore this morning than yesterday. As the day went on I felt better and this afternoon I ran a 5k in around 25 minutes and then jogged/walked another mile or 2. I wasn't really paying attention because I was chatting with my gym buddy Mike. Everything felt pretty good considering. Funny how running feels more comfortable than walking right now. I stretched again tonight and my legs are still way tight. I also find it strange that my Achilles and calf's-- that gave me so many problems in training-- haven't bothered me at all or even during the race.

So still working the kinks out over here. How is everyone else faring?