Running Skirt

Ok, so perhaps it's not reasonable to run the Bronx Half in three weeks. But that's ok. I'm going to try. Back in December when thinking about my next goal it was to run another Half in two hours and cut out eight minutes of time. But alas my goal again is just to finish due to my late decision of running this race. But it's kind of hard to turn it down when it's the Bronx! It's my neighborhood so I feel I must run the race (not quite, but close by). And even if that means just finishing it I know I'll have a good time. Last night I ran four miles in the gym on the track. It felt good! I was tired at the end but my goal is to do a 7 or 8 mile run this Sunday and see how it goes. If I'm not dying then I know I'll be ok for the race. I'm back. I'm focused. Probably not being very smart about it. But I'm excited. It feels good to have another goal.

I hadn't run in about two weeks. Sunday, after I got home from the knitting store, Akiva called and asked if I wanted to go for a run. I did but I was nervous. Would the pain in my heel come back? Had I given it enough time to heal (no pun intended :) )? I hadn't had too much trouble in the past while so I thought I would give it a try.

So here's how it went:

Mile one: I was feeling good. I remembered that I like running. We ran the first mile in 9:30--a good pace for me.

Mile two: the pain came back. It was hard to put any pressure on the right foot. I was very frustrated. There was no way I was going to do more than two miles. How on earth did I do thirteen? I limped the rest of the way home disappointed.

What to do? I am sort of impatient but I feel that I am forced to wait. A guy in my lab told me to see a doctor. I am not sure a doctor would tell me anything except to stop running for a while. Some "almost" doctors have diagnosed me as having plantar fasciitus. Perhaps. But there's not much to do about that but wait.

So in the meantime I took a Pilates class. Maybe Wednesday a yoga class. Someone told me to go to the pool and "run" in the pool. It builds strength for when I get back to running on the road. We'll see about that one...

So I am not sure why I didn't post immediately following the run in Philidelphia. Perhaps I just wanted my foot to feel better, or maybe I was just lazy...In any case, it was a wonderful adventure. I arrived Saturday night with Danny, Akiva, and my friend Bracha. We stayed at a wonderful Marriot hotel just outside of Phili. I say that the hotel was wonderful because the beds were extremely comfortable and the rooms were very clean. Sunday morning I woke up very excited. I am not sure I have ever kept up an exercise program such as this and now I was reaching my thirteen-mile goal...

Running is a unique way to explore a city. I have visitied Phildelphia before but saw some select sites. On this course I got an overview of the famous sites, small stores, restaraunts, parks, boathouses, colleges...I didn't need an iPod during the race because I was so entertained by my surroundings.

At mile six Bracha met me on 20th street. It was great fun to run with her for a block before I continued on the next seven miles. Seeing familiar faces really does energize you. I know it was only thirteen miles, but it's still nice to share the experience with people that are close to you...and at the same time I was sharing this eperience with thousands of other people I didn't know yet still felt connected to. This was evident around mile 9. There was a huge hill and I was just about to slow down and start to walk when a woman next to me gave me some sports beans and told me I was going to be ok.

I guess the best line of the day was at mile 10 when someone on the sidelines yelled "Run Skirt Lady, Run"

I've kind of taken a bit of a break the past week and a half. My right foot was in a lot of pain at the end of the race. I suppose I wasn't watching my step and landed on it strangely. It's much better now and I think it's time to start moving once again. I need to come up withi a new goal. I think that will be to work on my time. I finished the face in 2:08 and I think next time I will finish in 2:00. I know I can do it. My goal this time was to get to thirteen and now that I now I can finish, I want to finish faster.

Throught these past few months people ask me if I feel healthier. I tell them it's hard to compare because you get used to a new baseline. But I feel good, I feel strong, I feel I can set more goals and complete them.

When I started running a few months ago I started outside. So that is what Iam used to. Perhaps it's harder in the sense that you have to set your own pace and keep it up, but I like moving around and watching the scenery as I go by. Unfortunately yesterday was a treadmill day. I didn't run in the morning and I got out of lab when after dark so I didn't have much of a choice.

Maybe it's becauase I don't have an iPod. Maybe it's because there wasn't a TV in front of me. Maybe it's because the guys' basketball game was finished. But I just got bored after a while. I finished my four miles and was happy to get out of there.

The good news is that I felt a lot less tight that on Sunday. So I suppose I should keep up these small runs to keep me in check for Sunday.

Yesterday was one of those days where one should be cuddled up on a couch with a cup of tea watching a movie. Outside was windy, rainy, and dreary and I blamed the weather for my groggy mood. At 1pm it was time to leave my apartment and try and get the day started. The rain didn't seem like it was going to let up, but I thought that maybe a run would give me some energy. But alas it did not. I felt achy and slow. I was wet and uncomfortable. After running two miles I decided to turn back for a total of four miles. I didn't complete my goal of six miles. I didn't accomplish much after that. All and all it was an unproductive day. I suppose we all have our bad days. I don't know how I ran twelve miles last week and yesterday's four seemed impossible. But I will take it easy this week, eat right, sleep well, and recharge for Sunday.

The last time I had run was Tuesday. I was a bit of a slacker last week and was nervous that it would be a difficult run. But perhaps the weather and the beautiful scenery propelled me forward. Autumn was in full bloom as we ran up the West Side Highway towards the Bronx. With the GW Bridge in the distance, the Hudson River to our left, and the beautiful red, orange, and yellow leafed trees that surrounded us, the run was very pleasant. I kept my usual pace of around 10 minute miles. Running just under twelve miles yesterday, I know that that in two weeks time there won't be a problem finishing this race. And when I complete my goal of distance I will have to think about my next step...Should I work on my time? Should I work on distance? I suppose I will focus on these things after Phili and in the meantime enjoy the next two weeks of running in Autumn.