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Friday, January 30, 2009

The thrill of victory...the agony of speedwork

So, I bounced back from my 16 miler in single digit temperatures (well, at least I "think" I did). I ran 4 miles indoors on Monday and did 1/2 mile intervals on the treadmill inbetween lifting weights on Tuesday.

We got yet ANOTHER snow/sleet/ice storm (hard to believe, I know) on Wednesday, so I decided to wave the white flag and take a rest day. It wasn't so bad, actually. I got to sleep later than usual, watched a movie starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell and got some stuff done at home. Beats sitting in traffic.

I worked yesterday from 6-2, trained a client and then began psyching myself up for the treadmill, yet again. For the life of me, I can't remember where I put my headlamp and, well, running in the dark alone just freaks me out (ask any of my Reach the Beach teammates...they'll tell you).

I did a mile warm-up at an easy pace and then started my first 800 meter repeat (about a 1/2 mile). I've been very sporadic with speedwork since the summer, and figured it would be harder than usual. I was so RIGHT!!! Ugh! The plan was to do 6 of them @ 8.0 mph (about a 7:30/mile pace. I did 4 of them and was grateful that I didn't fall over DEAD!!!

After a long (very long, very slow) cooldown, I hydrated, stretched and headed home. All in all, I managed to crank out 6.5 miles which will only help me on April 20th, 2009.

I checked my personal fundraising webpage and was pleased to see a couple of more donations came in. I am now up to $855. For those who are reading and wish to donate, here is the link:

http://www.lazarushouse.org/BostonMarathon/ViewWalkerProfile.asp?Id=56

TGIF!!!!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Cyndi's training update

Hello, there!

Ah, winter. As I type this, we are on the verge of another snowstorm…anywhere from 3-12” depending on where you live. It certainly makes training for the upcoming 113th Annual Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20th, 2009 challenging!

If it’s not the snow getting us down, it’s the cold. When I did my long run this weekend, I think it was single digits at the start. Thankfully, the sun was strong and there wasn’t much wind. I found a new use for those handwarmers that come in those foil packets too…put one in each pocket of my jacket so my 8 oz. water bottles didn’t freeze. Brilliant!!!

The run I did on Sunday was, technically, a “race”…it was the Boston Prep 16 miler in Derry, NH. This is the 3rd year I’ve done it. Last year I ran unofficially; this year, I opted to register and wear the race # (plus they gave us a WICKED nice dri-fit long sleeve shirt too!)

The course is labeled as “moderately challenging” and they’re not kidding. The hills between miles 10 and 12 are brutal (if anyone knows where Warner Hill Road in Derry is, try driving it sometime and you’ll see what I’m talking about). I ran most of this with 2 friends of mine; one who I’m training for Boston with and another who I’ve done other races with in the past. We went into this with the mentality of an “organized training run” as opposed to an all out push. After all, it’s just a stepping stone to the “big one” on Patriots Day.

My competitive nature got the best of me after the hills and I decided to push the last 4 miles. After it was over, I didn’t feel like it was a successful run. My time was about 5-6 minutes slower than my 2007 official time. I felt a bit defeated and discouraged.

A dear friend of mine helped me realize something very important. It isn’t always about getting a PR. Sometimes, it’s about helping someone else get a PR…or even to just FINISH. I was able to be a part of that on Sunday and, in retrospect, that was so special. I’m thankful to have run the first 10-12 miles with my two friends and have no regrets. I no longer feel like a failure, but instead, learned an important lesson in helping someone else reach their goal. I was inspired. Every race I’ve run in has taught me something. This one was no different.

Speaking of helping someone else reach their goal (come on, you KNEW this was coming), won’t you help me reach my fundraising goal of $3,000 for the Lazarus House? Here is a link to my personal fundraising page:

http://www.lazarushouse.org/BostonMarathon/default.asp

In closing, I’d like to share a quote with you:

"Before you begin a thing remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead. You can only see one thing clearly, and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin."

Kathleen Norris
1880-1966, Novelist

Thank you all for your interest and support. Be safe in the snow tomorrow for those that live in glorious New England!!!

Hugs,

Cyndi