Miles 346-377: Trying, but failing

Normally it is my thoughts that move faster than my mouth, causing me to speak in fits and starts.

Now it appears life has been moving faster than my thoughts, and it is my writing that has suffered.

Several times I have sat post-run, buzzing with the desire to write but finding myself unable to string together coherent sentences.

The end of summer has been a whirlwind of activity, both at work and at home. My parents came for a nice long visit last weekend; this weekend, we dealt with Irene and her aftermath.

And now I find myself only two weeks away from Chicago, hoping that I'm ready.

8/13: 8.5 miles with friends on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
8/16: 3 easy miles
8/18: 3 easy miles
8/21: 10 miles with James
8/24: 4 miles
8/25: 3.5 miles - tempo run fail

Miles 330-333, 334-337, 338-341, 342-345: Sweating out the snot

Post-Bix and post-sinus flare up, I've been doing what I can of The (Sub)Plan. Getting sick and derailed from the schedule I had been keeping is terribly frustrating, but, as today mark's exactly one month until the Chicago Half Marathon, I'm trying to focus on what's coming in the next four weeks not what I've been dealing with for the past ten days.

I have started running in my new shoes - my second pair of Brooks Ravenna. My only complaint with them is the amount of white. What is so pretty and shiny today will be quickly dingy with the fine dust of the Eastern North Carolina sandflat that I live in.

Miles 330-333: Treadmill wheezing.

Miles 334-337: Outdoor easy running/sauna therapy (what else do you call running in 95°F humidity?)

Miles 338-341: Outdoor easy running/sauna therapy 2

Miles 342-345: 2 x 1 mile repeats on treadmill at 8:27/mile pace

Miles 323-329: Davenport's Bix 7

What now feels like many moon ago, I participated in my inaugural Quad City Times Bix 7. After that race, I spent time with my husband's family, flew home, caught a sinus bug, convalesced from said sinus bug, got swamped at work, rode go-karts and played putt-putt in 100 degree weather, and painted my living room.

In the sake of catching up, I'm posting some of the videos and photos I shot while in Davenport.

It bears noting that I was one of three Youngers running in this year's Bix. My mother-in-law Cathy ran her twentieth race, James ran his second, and I my first.  It was truly one of the most awesome and memorable running experiences of my life. Cathy ran a few steps ahead of me the entire race and pushed the pace. We finished in just over 66 minutes. The crowds, the volunteers, the post-party - everything - was awesome.

Especially those Whitey's popsicles they were handing out at the end. I had no idea a grape popsicle could be so orgasmic.

Verdict? I'm thinking this has to become an annual Youngers affair.

Move

I know that the name "Would Rather Walk. Or Run" is a bit of a misnomer, because I haven't written very much about walking.  But I do love to walk. When I'm able, I prefer it over any other form of transportation.

During today's blogroll reading, I found this little bit of perfection (via Dooce). Enjoy.


MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Runner Interrupted.

After an awesome run at the Bix 7 on Saturday, I woke Sunday morning with an intensely painful sore throat.

Which, based on previous experience means only one thing: sinus flare up.

I guess they are infections. I suppose I could go to the doctor every single time. But I'd rather save the drugs for when I really need it.

About 50% of the time I travel, I end up with one of these. It's probably a combination of too little sleep (too excited), dehydration (too excited to remember to drink water and/or to restrict consumption liquids of the dehydrating kind, e.g. coffee and alcohol), and foreign airborne particulates invading my nasal cavity (the volume breathed increased by the deep breaths taken to reign in my excitement). My most memorable flare-up? After celebrating a friend's graduation in Minneapolis, I boarded a train with a full-on sinus headache, significantly impaired hearing due to blocked Eustachian tubes, low-grade fever and a box of Kleenex that, 10 hours later in Chicago, had been turned into vessels of frighteningly green snot.

Yes, I know. Drugs are wonderful. But, in my experience, two days of pain and fatigue coupled with lots of sleep, fresh fruits and veggies and tea is usually all it takes for me to get back on my feet.

So! Today I am in the "sound worse than I feel" stage and tomorrow will bring the Bix 7 post and a brief recap of tonight's first run back after a summer sinus flare-up.

But hey, if this is the only hiccup in The (Sub)Plan, I'm thrilled.

Miles 317-322: Tempo on the Treadmill

Wednesday session on the treadmill: 6-mile tempo run, middle 4 miles at 9:05/mile pace.

Blogpost fail.

Miles 317-322: Erin 4, Treadmill 0.

Miles 312-316: Beating the heat

Today I happily report that, despite post-rainstorm 70% humidity, I was extremely successful in today's 5-mile easy run.

In retrospect, I probably ran a little too fast. Since I'm back to my tried and true Timex digital, I can only report that my total run time was 46:41, translating to a roughly 9:20/mile average pace. The (Sub)Plan calls for 10:30/mile pace for easy runs, and I've already amended it down to the 9:40-10:00/mile range. I'm really starting to buy into this whole holding-back concept on prescribed easy runs; I really shouldn't be happy with going faster.

But, given the weather, that I actually felt really good - like weirdly good - throughout the run, and that this week's schedule is kind of gone to pot as it is due to upcoming mini-vacation and Bix 7 run on Saturday morning, I'm going to relish that not only did I not feel like dying, I actually felt strong.

Hot and sweaty and thirsty and all around gross, but still strong.

In other news, my new running shoes came in today - Huzzah! - and though I won't start breaking them in until after we return, the simple smell of clean rubber is enough to make me smile.

More details on the new duds tomorrow; back to re-hydrating for me.