Running Report # 5

I have been pushing my body during the last couple of weeks to levels that might be just normal for some runners but totally challenging for me. I have never been very athletic in my life and even though I don’t like to recognize it I am not 20ish anymore. My body is just learning the thoroughness of training and is trying to adapt to be a more serious runner.

Crossing the Brooklyn Br.

Be able to wake up any given morning and decide to go out and run a marathon distance is priceless for me!!! make me feel alive, fit and mentally strong. I know I am not fast but I think I am good for long distance. I enjoy the long runs and what is more weird ....I do enjoy to run alone and without music. When people ask me what do I think about  my answer is "nothing" and that is true. I just run and focus on my forms and the road. Most of the time I don't think about anything else, even in those tough days where you have many things in your mind....well I can completely disconnect. May be the only thing I think about is the race I am training for because that keeps me focus on running. It is like "reseting" my mind and when I finish I can see everything else much more clear.

Grand Central

Going back to this week report, I think the most important lesson was to put in practice the saying “Listen to your body”. One of my running  friends used to laugh about me taking days off and saying this all the time but she learned in a bad way that this is very important.  I have always listening to my body and the only injury  I have had so far was related to my arthritis which most probable is genetic  and not an injury for overuse.  We are not all the same and may be some privileged bodies don’t need to rest as mush as I do. For example I know I need at least 2 complete days off before any important race or run to perform well.

After my  long run the previous Sunday I managed to do my runs on Tuesday and Wednesday but my legs were feeling really tired. On Thursday I was completely energy less and by the time I got home for my evening run I was actually ready to go to bed  :(

I knew I was going to have another tough weekend with a 24 miller so I decided to listen to my body and skip the run on Thursday. At this point I do believe a day of rest can be more beneficial than a 6 miles run and since Fridays are always my day off my body got  2 complete days off.

Also, I stuffed myself with a lot of  fat, sugar and high calories food but still I was not feeling well. I was tired and without energy. Fortunately I was planning to work from home on Friday so I was able to sleep a little more, 9 straight hours of deeply sleep. When I woke up on Friday I was not yet 100% recovered but feeling much better than the night before. I worked from home that day which mean pajamas all day long!!! Plus since during summer we have Flexible Summer Schedule at the office I was able to just work until 2 PM.  I rest, kept eating and took a nice hot bubble bath that totally revitalized me. 

Brooklyn Br.

I was concerned about my long run on Saturday but I woke up full of energy, like a new person!!  I knew even before starting that it could be a great run.

As Park Avenue was closed to traffic I decided to run from my place in the UES to Brooklyn Br but I wasn't sure whether I will go afterwards.  I love to just start running and change route depending how I feel or what I see or whatever.

Once in the bridge I decided to run across it and back heading to Battery Park. I thought about running back home on Park Avenue and complete my 24 miles with a loop in the park but then I changed mind as I always try to run far from home when I need to do a long run . I know I can always take a public transportation but it is a mental thing and if I am in the other side of the city it  is  more difficult to head back home before completing my run. Hahahaha

From Battery Park I ran on the Westside Highway. I was feeling really good, the weather was hot but not that much humid so I was doing well.

Have you ever try to run and eat pretzels at the same time?? I did it this weekend for fist time and trust me…it is not as easy as it seems!!! Run. Eat, Breath!!!! Finally I needed to walk some steeps to be able to eat them because I was choked!!

Sea Port

Anyway the experience was good since I was able to replace some of my GU for the pretzels, ½ luna bar and some zips of soda. This was the first time I eat running and I think my body handled it well because I didn’t feel upset as sometimes happen with the GU.

I wasn’t really pushing the pace, my objectives were to complete the run, not to hit any wall and practicing with the food but by mile 17 I was feeling so good that I started to think  " just 9 miles to go for 26.2 and if I do the last 9 miles at 9 minutes or less I can even do my marathon time”……let’s do it!!!

I was @ 72nd on  Riverside Park and the plan was to head to the GW Br. and back until the 26.2 mile mark…I had a plan!! I really pushed the pace and completed the 26.2 doing a beautiful negative split considering that at the beginning I was running @10:30 mm and taking pictures!!  LOL… I finally did 10:06 mm which is a very mediocre time but it is good enough for me since it gave me 2 minutes less than my best marathon time and more considering that until mile 17 I was not racing at all.

I was so happy and exited at the same time…I couldn’t stop thinking “ you just ran a marathon!!! Without people cheering, no partner runners, no aid stations,  nothing…just you, wall?? which wall?? what is that??”

Sunday morning I completed a 7 miles run.  I did some walking on the hills and the down hills were really painful but it is amazing how the body changes in a short time....last November after the NYC Marathon I had troubles walking the following day and the day after I was walking as slow as a 90 years old woman  and not to mention that just the idea of doing stairs hurt me :)

Riverside Park

May 2nd was the last time I ran that distance and after that I was injured for almost 2 months doing just short runs and limping most of the time. I was pain free just around mid July but unable to run more than a couple of miles without being out of breath or in pain.  A month later I have completed 3 x 20+ miles long runs and my weekly millage has increased to levels I one thought were impossible for me….I think I can conclude my training is going well :)

Also this week I have met some guys that are going to run the same ultra and they gave me a lot of good advice. They called this 50 miles ultra " a short one" hahahaha...may be for them that are used to run many 100 miles during the year but for me seems as long as running to Argentina!!

Ps. I am totally pain free!!! (knocking wooden and as there is always someone with bad energy around as we say in Argentina, “que te recontre” or “ I wish you the double you wish to me”, not that I believe in these things but....just in case :))