Busy, busy, busy! My blog has been a little quiet lately as I've been running in a million directions (pun intended?).
First of all, let's talk about the 16 miler. So here's what I've learned: long distance running is not for the faint of heart. You've got to be dedicated to it. Somewhere around mile 10, the run is no longer "fun" per say, but you get something quite different out of it. A sense of accomplishment, of overcoming challenge that most people would give in to. I think most people would read those last two sentences and certify me as insane... I mean if something's not fun, why do it? Why torture yourself? I'm not sure how to convey the sense of pride that comes along when you finish, but that feeling of doing something I never thought I could do is a very powerful driving force.
That being said, having a passion and a will can only get you so far. As I've written in posts before, you've got to prepare. Eat right the day before/morning of, hydrate the day before and stay hydrated as you run, get plenty of sleep. So a fatal flaw in my 16 miler is I didn't follow through on all these things. I didn't have the best night before meal, I didn't focus on my hydration, and I didn't sleep enough. Let me tell you, I felt it. All in all, I still made a decent time, considering how tired I felt. Somewhere around mile 11, when I realized I still had 5 more to go, that's when the "heart" kicked in. I just dug down and kept going. After all, how else am I going to get home?
This was also the first run that I was actually a bit sore after. It only lasted a day or so, but I was surprised. And thus, my pre-run ibuprofen will now become a staple in my routine :)
Turns out running is not the only thing I'd say is "not for the faint of heart." If you're squeamish, time to stop reading the post. If you're curious, read on...
So I've sustained a second injury on my training journey (this race may kill me before it even gets here). I had gotten a very painful toenail on my left foot a few months ago which was from a subungual hematoma - aka blood that collected under the nail. Then just a few weeks ago, a similar issue arose in another nail on the same foot. So the old wive's tail that your nail will fall off after an injury like that... total baloney. It just sits in place and wiggles, and a nice podiatrist takes it off for you.
Two of these things are nothing like the others:
First of all, let's talk about the 16 miler. So here's what I've learned: long distance running is not for the faint of heart. You've got to be dedicated to it. Somewhere around mile 10, the run is no longer "fun" per say, but you get something quite different out of it. A sense of accomplishment, of overcoming challenge that most people would give in to. I think most people would read those last two sentences and certify me as insane... I mean if something's not fun, why do it? Why torture yourself? I'm not sure how to convey the sense of pride that comes along when you finish, but that feeling of doing something I never thought I could do is a very powerful driving force.
That being said, having a passion and a will can only get you so far. As I've written in posts before, you've got to prepare. Eat right the day before/morning of, hydrate the day before and stay hydrated as you run, get plenty of sleep. So a fatal flaw in my 16 miler is I didn't follow through on all these things. I didn't have the best night before meal, I didn't focus on my hydration, and I didn't sleep enough. Let me tell you, I felt it. All in all, I still made a decent time, considering how tired I felt. Somewhere around mile 11, when I realized I still had 5 more to go, that's when the "heart" kicked in. I just dug down and kept going. After all, how else am I going to get home?
This was also the first run that I was actually a bit sore after. It only lasted a day or so, but I was surprised. And thus, my pre-run ibuprofen will now become a staple in my routine :)
Turns out running is not the only thing I'd say is "not for the faint of heart." If you're squeamish, time to stop reading the post. If you're curious, read on...
So I've sustained a second injury on my training journey (this race may kill me before it even gets here). I had gotten a very painful toenail on my left foot a few months ago which was from a subungual hematoma - aka blood that collected under the nail. Then just a few weeks ago, a similar issue arose in another nail on the same foot. So the old wive's tail that your nail will fall off after an injury like that... total baloney. It just sits in place and wiggles, and a nice podiatrist takes it off for you.
Two of these things are nothing like the others:
Say hello to "runner's toe." (Guess I'm serious now!)
Basically my nail is hitting the front or top of my shoe repeatedly, and caused it to lift up off the nail bed. Turns out my new kicks - even a half size too big - are causing me a bit of a problem. But no worries... the nice podiatrist tells me I'll have nails again in 6-9 months. Awesome.
Pray for the other 8 little piggies that they don't suffer a similar fate. Trust me, I'm taking precautions!
The race approacheth....
Pray for the other 8 little piggies that they don't suffer a similar fate. Trust me, I'm taking precautions!
The race approacheth....
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