new adventures

I've decided to expand my blog beyond the running stuff. The reality is that running, while important, is only one of many interests to me. I think that's why my posts are so far and few between lately. I like it. It's a part of me. But there are a lot of other parts too. I had a moment of clarity during my run this morning (which often happens in the cool quiet of the early morning) that I've grown a lot as a person this last almost 2 years and that includes the big things like accepting myself and nurturing good relationships and the smaller things like running and making really awesome martinis. So, while I'm not going to stray completely from training talk, I'm going to share other things too.

In that spirit, I wanted to share what I did last night! Pete and I have gotten into the habit of eating dinner at the dining room table to dedicate some real "face time" to each other every night. I've also gotten in the habit of having a cocktail with dinner a few nights a week. The combination makes our meals feel special even if we're sitting in our sweats. Anyway, I created (I'm sure it's been done before but it was the first time that I made a cocktail without a recipe.) a rosemary martini that I've dubbed a Holy Rosemary!. It was inspired by the Herbed Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Crusted Salmon we made from one of my favorite food blogs, Cara's Cravings. I wanted to use up the rest of the rosemary in a timely manner since there aren't too many things I use it in the summer.

Anyway, the smell of rosemary reminded me of the smell of Bombay Sapphire. I'm usually more of a vodka fan, but gin seemed like a more natural fit. We had very little gin left, so I had to use half gin and half vodka. I added muddled rosemary, lime juice and sugar which I shook and strained into a martini glass that I rinsed with dry vermouth (you get a hint of the flavor without adding it to the cocktail). I finished by garnishing with a rosemary sprig.

Pete, who's not really a martini guy, thought it was very smooth and tasty. It also complemented the salmon well. Overall, I was very pleased with this meal. It was incredibly easy, but looked and tasted like it took so much longer. I'm very proud of how far I've come in my cooking. It seems like just yesterday I was cooking ramen every night...

venison in the morning

I’m really getting tired of almost being killed daily. It’s not even because people aren’t being considerate of runners. They simply break traffic rules and are surprised to see me right in front of their hood, looking like a deer in… well, you know the expression.

Yesterday, a woman zoomed up to the intersection with total disregard to where the crosswalk was. There was a bush very close to the intersection which blocks a driver’s vision until the last second. You must stop at the crosswalk and creep forward or wait for the light to change. If I had taken one or two longer strides, I would have gotten hit. I mean, I was right at her window when she hastily pulled away.
I also had another driver (during the same run) decide to try to make a left turn even though the left turn arrow had disappeared and the walk sign had come on. I was midway through the intersection before his tires almost met my toes.

I admit that I’m no saint. I don’t always following the drivers’ manual exactly, but I don’t push limits to where it’s dangerous for those around me. Maybe I do that because I am a pedestrian more times than most. I always wonder if they drive like that all the time or if that was their first offense. Life is too precious to compromise those around you (and yourself). I hope the next time that they’re irritated about a runner crossing their path and slowing them down, they will put themselves in my shoes – or better yet, their own pair of running shoes and try life on the slower side.

the poser

I’m such a running poser. I realize that as soon as I open my Runner’s World every month. Don’t get me wrong. I try to eat healthily and workout regularly, and most of the time I’m successful. BUT I read these articles about people that eat these perfectly portioned meals (30/20/30 – which numbers represent carbs, protein or fat I can never remember) and fartlek and strength train every week without fail make it very apparent that I’m not in that league.

I terribly want to be, but waking up in the mornings to fit in a run seems to be a triumph in and of itself most days (I’m not a morning person – I HATE mornings – but I have to in order to fit it into my day). I also seem to fail every time I plan to cut back on sugars (I can’t resist ice cream in the summer… or winter… ok, I just can’t resist it!) or try to increase the days I strength train (honestly, those days are getting to be farther and farther in between). Not that I was fooling anyone but myself. I have these secret dreams of qualifying for Boston and running marathons all over the globe. And while I still secretly hope they come true, I have come to accept that I’m not the best runner, nor am I near the top of the mediocre runners. But that’s ok.

I run because I love it. I love the healthy glow I get afterward and the feeling of exhaustion and accomplishment. I’m stronger (inside and out) because of it. While I tend to be a perfectionist in the rest of my life (well, excluding this blog which I neglect updating and proofreading), this is the one area where it’s ok for me to not be the best. My only competition is with myself. I don’t have anyone else to beat, nor do I want that responsibility. I run because it’s free and freeing. What can be better than that?

How my puppy jumpstarted my training

So, there haven’t been many blog updates because, in short, I’ve been a slacker. I’ve mostly used the weather as my excuse. I have gotten in a few runs and began taking Pilates, but it’s hard to convince your body it’s a good idea to run when it’s 7 degrees... or freezing rain is falling... or when no one within a 3 mile radius has shoveled their sidewalks, leaving you to dodge salt trucks in the road.

Anyway, this has caused me to begin worrying more and more about my performance in the upcoming Pittsburgh marathon. I needed to get back on track, despite the gloomy Pittsburgh winter.

The solution came in a pretty little spunky package - the sweetest little puppy in the entire world named Daisy. Surprisingly, she would be the key to kicking my butt back into full training gear.

How my Daisy has begun training me:

No matter how cold it is at 6 a.m., it’s always warmer than it was at 2 a.m. when I took the dog outside in just my robe and slippers.

A puppy means that I can no longer hit the snooze 10 times before actually waking up. After getting out of bed, feeding and walking the dog, why bother going back to bed? It’s easier to just start my day.

In order to feed her breakfast, I wake up early enough to eat breakfast myself.

Running in the morning means that I have the huge reward of snuggling with my puppy after work. She greets me as if to say, “You did good today!” and I get to enjoy her puppy kisses all evening.

Went with the novice plan

I couldn't justify possibly injuring myself just to follow the Intermediate plan again, so I find myself a novice for my second marathon. The good news is that I didn't have to run yesterday, but I will today. I am waiting until after work since it will be about 10 degrees warmer then (hopefully!). I'm crossing my fingers that I can stave off injuries this time...

Last night, Pete and I made Salmon Provençal with Zucchini and rice. Yum! Definitely a new favorite. Plus, it happens to be an amazing dish for a runner. I could eat this once a week!

Fudge! I'm already behind?!?!

So, a lovely little elf bought me a Garmin Forerunner 305 for Christmas. :) I think I spent the last 3 days reading the manual from beginning to end. Apparently, all the drooling I did over it in Chicago did not go unnoticed! Hehe. It was totally unexpected, and I'm so excited to begin training for Pittsburgh with it! Which brings me to the title of my post...

Holy crap! Pittsburgh's in 18 weeks! For some reason, I thought I'd have 2 more weeks until I needed to start training for the Pittsburgh Marathon. I just printed out the training schedule today, and sure enough, I have to start... TODAY! Aack! Now, my dilemma is whether to go with the Hal Higdon Intermediate I plan that I used for Chicago and served me well, or scale back a bit and use one of the novice programs. I struggled a lot with my knees (ITBS in both legs) before, during and after Chicago, so I've not done much more than stretch, some PT and walking. I don't want to re-injure myself by adding miles too quickly. I only have a few hours to decide, since I need to start after work!

Chicago :)

Finally... the recap.

First, I need to thank everyone who supported me during my training and this rough time in my life. I know that I would not have kept my focus without all of you cheering me on.

I did really well for the first half of the race. As you know, I had knee problems for the 2 or 3 weeks prior to the race, and tried to error on the side of rest leading up to it. However, around mile 2, I got a familiar stabbing pain in my right knee. I was about to cry because I knew if the pain continued like that, there was no way I would be able to finish even if I just walked. So, I said a quick prayer, took some elongated strides in an effort to stretch out the tendon and it went away for the most part. I had a dull pain for the next 11 miles, but right around the halfway point, the stabbing pain came back with a vengeance. At 13.1 miles, my time was about 2:06.

Again, I tried to take longer strides, but the pain was much more intense this time. I stopped and stretched for a minute and managed to make it to around mile 17 where I was at the point of half-running/half-limping. Fortunately, at mile 18 there was a medical tent. I iced both knees briefly, had my right knee wrapped and took ibuprofen. While it was wise to stop, it took somewhere between 10-15 minutes because someone on the course collapsed right after I arrived and much of the medical team went to help them. I was disappointed in “wasting” that much time, but I know I couldn’t have run more if they hadn’t wrapped my knee. I felt much better until mile 21. Even with the wrap, the pain was getting worse. It was at that point that I decided to finish even if I walked the remaining 5.2 miles! I was a rather pathetic sight kind of running/kind of hopping, but I finished! My official time was 4:56:25. That was a full hour more than I anticipated finishing in, but again, I finished. And that’s what this was all about. :)

The most amazing thing about the race was how aware I became of others. I saw a father pushing his mentally disabled child in a jogging stroller (he passed me); a cancer survivor that also was bleeding down her legs due to chaffing, but running with the biggest smile on her face; kids cheering on their mom, dad, grandparent; and others just there to feel alive. It reminded me that while I have challenges, so do others. In the end, we're all out there just trying to overcome. It was a very humbling, beautiful experience. The people of Chicago also were gracious in welcoming such a large crowd. There was great support from the aid stations to people offering high fives and encouragement to struggling runners.

Again, I cannot stress how much it meant to receive all the texts after the race and emails and messages from everyone. Thank you for your support through this process. I really feel like Sunday marked a new beginning for me.

My race day support - Pete. :)