Running through the Tulips - April

[7rider]

Woot! I actually RAN tonight!

I signed up for a coached 8k program with my running club but since I have been doing zero running since March, I was unsure I'd be able to do this at all. Tonight, we met at a local college's track, ran a few laps to warm up, ran 2 timed laps at speed to set our pace group, and another lap or two to cool down.

So I ended up with just shy of 2.4 miles. And no pain! Yeah, I wore compression sleeves and right now I'm icing my leg and popped naproxen just in case...but the fact that I got a run in without agony is a milestone.

I have custom orthotics on order. Hopefully they will come in soon and I can get back to my training. Now, my biggest fear is in my zeal, doing too much, too soon. Somebody stop me now.

[solobiker]

Short but steep trail run today..about 4.5 miles with over 1000 feet of elevation gain. I am not the fastest but it felt great!!

[Selkie]

That's great news, 7!! :-) What did you decide to do about your event?

Ran Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday so far, all 5.4 milers. The weather hasn't been that great, as it's been cooler and unsettled. Luckily, the rain took a break during my Mon & Thurs sessions. Tuesday was sunny and a bit warmer. Felt good.

We have a 10K planned for Sunday, but it might be cold and rainy! The race starts/ends in different places, so we have to metro back to the start after we finish. If the weather isn't pleasant, I might take a pass and just do a 7 miler from home.

[7rider]

That's great news, 7!! :-) What did you decide to do about your event?

Ran Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday so far, all 5.4 milers. The weather hasn't been that great, as it's been cooler and unsettled. Luckily, the rain took a break during my Mon & Thurs sessions. Tuesday was sunny and a bit warmer. Felt good.

We have a 10K planned for Sunday, but it might be cold and rainy! The race starts/ends in different places, so we have to metro back to the start after we finish. If the weather isn't pleasant, I might take a pass and just do a 7 miler from home.

Well....I already canceled the first one (in Hagerstown last weekend). The upcoming two are still "iffy". Hopefully, I can do it. One of the guys in my tri club has a signature in his emails that reads:
"Run when you can. Walk when you can't, and crawl when you must. Just keep moving forward!"
That will be my mantra for any upcoming events!

You are rocking the running! I was going to volunteer at Sunday's 10K (Pikes Peek?) but had to pull out due to other commitments. I think you may luck out with weather. The roads may be wet, but I'm hopeful it won't actively rain Sunday. Hope....

[Selkie]

7 - If you keep it up, I bet you'll be able to do your upcoming events. Even if you have to walk part of the running legs of them, you'll more than make up for it on the bike.

Sorry I'll miss you at the Pikes Peek! Not sure if the 7:50 starting time is a blessing or a curse, since we'll be schlepping over from Arlington. Weather is still iffy---I wouldn't mind rain if it were going to be warmer, but the early morning temps will probably be in the mid-to-high 40s. They promise that it's a completely downhill course, so bombs away!

[OakLeaf]

Met my goal for the Illinois Marathon. Took all I had. Report in a couple of days...

[yellow]

Met my goal for the Illinois Marathon. Took all I had. Report in a couple of days...

YAY! Congratulations!

[Catrin]

Met my goal for the Illinois Marathon. Took all I had. Report in a couple of days...

Wooot! Looking forward to reading all about it!

[indysteel]

Congrats, Oak!!! I'm looking forward to your full report.

[redrhodie]

Me too! Glad it worked out.

[emily_in_nc]

Congrats, oak!

I have not run in awhile. First, it just got TOO freakin' hot, and I couldn't make myself go. Then I took a minor tumble on my beach bike and hit the bone on the inside of my ankle (the pointy one that sticks out) hard on a rock, probably bruising my bone, so I had to take a few more days off. Then we traveled the past few days. Yesterday I did an intense 90-minute yoga class and today we took a long bike ride. Tomorrow I am scheduled for another run. It's really hot, so I pray I can make myself go!

[Bike Chick]

Met my goal for the Illinois Marathon. Took all I had. Report in a couple of days...

Great job, Oak! Can't wait to read the report.

[7rider]

Great job, Oak! Can't wait to read the report.

Me too!!

Selkie - how'd the 10k go?

[Selkie]

That's great news, Oak.

Seven, the race was fun, overall. It was chilly, but luckily, the pavement was pretty much dry by the time we started. As advertised, it was mostly downhill, which was great, and the section before the finish in front of White Flint Mall was steep enough that you could let gravity help you along.

The logistics were a bit of a challenge. We started at the Shady Grove Metro Station and as mentioned, ended at White Flint. Had to schlep up to the metro stop to get back to the car. Sunday schedule for Metro, so we ended up waiting 14 minutes for a train. Everyone was sweaty and getting cold, but Marylanders aren't whiners. The train wasn't crowded, which meant that anyone who wanted a seat got one.

MCRRs put on a good race. The after race food offerings were great and varied (healthy choices to fried food). In addition to the fleece top that was in my race bag, one of the volunteers gave me a gorgeous race t-shirt. They started the race in waves, so there was none of that stop/start/walk stuff and overcrowding at the beginning of the race. Well organized, great support, encouragement from the volunteers all along the route, etc. We ran down two lanes of the northbound part of 355---impressive amount of support from MCPD.

I ran a good race---went at a fast clip for most of it. This was my longest race in years, so I was surprised that I didn't run out of gas. Physically, felt fine.

My results: pace 8:25; finished 26th of 163 in my age group; finished 281 of 1,445 women.

Brian had a great race, too, and enjoyed it. We're planning on doing it again in 2013 (hope to see you there!)

[rubysoho]

Peeking into this thread. I've picked up a bit of running again to supplement the days I can't get on my bike. The last week and a half they've all been treadmill runs because I've been experimenting with new shoes. I love my VFFs and they've done really well over the past year but I love them more on dirt trails than I do on concrete/asphalt. I was hoping to find a shoe that could give me that trail/dirt feel without too much padding. I think I've settled on Adizeros for now. They felt the best out of all the "minimalist" shoes ... which imo aren't really all that minimal but that could be another thread.

Anyway, I'm excited to be running again. So far my max distance has been the occasional 5k. I signed myself up for a 10k in August, a Sprint Tri in September and my friend wants me to do a 10 mile run in October. This time last year I was barely running a mile so even if I only complete the 10k I will still be very happy.