A Running Rut

Good morning all! I’m back and a little less stressed finally. The big meeting on Monday went very well. And then yesterday was a busy day full of follow-up stuff related to it.

But I did get out for a run last night, although it was kind of pathetic. I only ran 3.5 miles and not at a very fast pace. I pretty much feel like I am starting at square one with training for the Boilermaker on July 11th. Plus, I’m signed up for a 5-mile run this Sunday and I have a feeling it’s going to be tough for me.

What I thought might help inspire me and get me back into running mode a bit was to review some of my marathon training runs I did from Jan – April.

January

• In January, I ran with my new Garmin for the first time and was amazed and instantly in love. I tried to relive that feeling a bit.
• Then a little while later, I ran my first race of 2010, which also happened to be my first NYRR’s race and my first race EVER in NYC! It was also only 21 degrees outside – insanity!
• On January 15, I decided to run another marathon to try to qualify for Boston. I chose my next marathon: Poconos Race for the Red in May 2010! So training commenced immediately.
• Ran my first “longish” training run – 9 miles with Katherine.  
• On January 24, Lauren came down to NYC and we ran the NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon. My first half marathon, which meant a new PR.

February

• I had a great 12.4 mile training run early in the month.
• I ran another 12 miles in 17 degrees upstate and fought with my Garmin while trying to figure out the settings.
• I discovered that I had truly become a “winter runner.”
• I ran 14 miles after being forced to take a mini training break because of a cold. It hurt and I was so nervous that I wouldn’t qualify for Boston, based on that run and my apparent lack of speed.

March

• My first long run in March was a 15-miler and it left me feeling a little bit better than the last one.
• Then I scaled back to 11 miles and hit up a bridal shower and bachelorette party afterwards – fun!!
• Then I had a speedy mid-week 8 mile run, that both surprised me and gave me new hope for qualifying for Boston.
• Fellow runners Katherine and Liz we kind enough to run part of my 17-mile training run with me, and it flew right by!
• I dealt with an awful “worst care scenario” run, which helped me figure out what not to eat before a run.
• Then I ran my 18-mile training run in conjunction with a 15k race in Central Park and felt great!!

April

• In the beginning of April, I scaled back to 13 miles and ran it with the Scotland 10k race in Central Park.
• And then came my first 20-mile training run. I thought I would have some running buddies for part of it, but it was only me the whole time. It was a tough run, but I rocked it!!
• I dealt with more doubts about my speed, my training and my ability to qualify for Boston.
• Then I had some not-so-fun IT Band issues surface.
• But around that time, the Boston Marathon was taking place and I decided it was no time for me to slack, so I ran a good 12-mile training run with hardly any pain.
• And then finally, it was time for my last long training run. I ran it in conjunction with the More/Fitness Half Marathon and in the POURING rain.

May

• Now in May, I began to taper. I brought it back down to 12 miles, hit up a friend’s wedding and had some serious marathon nerves.
• I ran my 8-mile training run in Utica, NY and went off the grid for a bit with lots of activities going on.
• About 3 days before the marathon, I start carb-loading a bit.
• Then I prepped as best I could…
• And FINALLY, I ran the Pocono Run for the Red Marathon and GOT MY BQ!!

So I know that totally just bored you, but it was a good exercise for me. We all have ups and downs with running. It really helps me to see the progression of my training, see that it wasn’t perfect, that I had some tough spots and recognize that this little struggle I’m having right now will also pass.

I’m a runner and I think I’ll always be a runner, but I need to understand that I’m not always going to be the most motivated runner or always have awesome runs. I may go through ups and downs, but that’s okay.

So – I’m taking my latest stinky runs in stride (no pun intended) and am going to run however I feel comfortable and not worry too much about measuring myself against my previous times or feelings, or other people.

Do you ever get in running ruts? How do you deal?

Ok – moving on! There seems to a consistent color scheme to my foods lately.  This weekend I had some delicious fruit – kiwi and apricot.

And then for dinner last night, I made this:

Do you see the green and orange them? A little weird.

This recipe was simple – brown rice cooked in water and chicken broth. Chicken with cooked veggies, including corn, peas and carrots. Then I sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese into the pan and cooked it all together a little while longer to make it creamy. One of my favorite easy recipes!

I think I’m taking tonight off from running, especially since rain appear imminent. And I promise that a book review for Cutting for Stone is coming – I swear!!

Have a good hump day all!