Going for Speed: Weekly Round-Up (3)

It’s bloody cold again in DC.

On any normal day, I’d think that I was a wimp for not running outside because of a little cold weather. (I'm from New England, damn it, and I'll tell you when it's cold.) Yesterday just happened to be the coldest day so far this season, and I decided that it would be best to allow my better judgment to prevail and complete my long run on the treadmill. When I went out for errands, I layered just enough to make sure that I would be mistaken for a giant, teal marshmallow.

Of course, none of this actually prevented the worst cough/headache/sore throat combination from setting in. It's cool, though. I didn't mind having some time to rest and catch up on my pleasure reading and a few projects for work. Hopefully, whatever cold this is will be mostly gone by tomorrow so that I can move onto Week 4 of my training:

Monday – Cardio/Strength Training
Tuesday – 3 miles
Wednesday – Speed Workout: 6 x 400m at 5K Pace
Thursday – 3 miles
Friday – Rest
Saturday – 8 miles
Sunday – 3 miles

On the subject of Saturday's errands, I made a trip to my favorite running store yesterday to restock my stash of Jelly Belly Sport Beans and ended up purchasing my first Sweaty Band. My hair is too short to pull back in any meaningful way, so I was excited to find something that would keep it out of my face and stay in place during runs. I mean, I haven’t actually worn it during a run to test it out -- but not one strand of hair has fallen out of place while writing this post.

If you’re interested in winning a Sweaty Band, one of the coolest fro-cos (freshman counselor in Yale-speak) in the history of fro-cos is hosting a giveaway on her blog. Check it out the giveaway and her general awesomeness at Stuff Jewish Girls Like.

18 Miles by the Numbers

Jiminy jillikers, Batman! It’s September, and I just finished an 18-mile run!

There is nothing quite like a good, fast, wind-in-your-hair run in September. The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, and I’m looking forward to frolicking later (or at least claiming a lawn chair on my roof and reading for a while). Right now, my weather widget says that it is 74 degrees – which means that it was much cooler earlier this morning when I started my run.

Today’s run was incredible! I kept a steady pace, planned water stops well, and had a pretty good runner’s high going – especially by Mile 14. Here are a couple of numbers to help paint a picture of my 18-mile journey:

Number of songs played: 49

Number of tactless men who ought to keep their lecherous thoughts to themselves: 3 (Yeah, jerk, I might be rocking out to Styx but I can still hear everything you say to me.)

Number of 40+ year-old runners who proved that they could outrun me: 2

Number of energy gels: 2 (Lemon Sublime and Tri-Berry. Both are still pretty disgusting.)

Number of elephants: 1 (not kidding)

Number of unintentional fist pumps during “Every Time We Touch”: 10

Number of times I skipped “Don’t Stop Believing” because it was premature: 3

Mile Mark when I needed to hear “Don’t Stop Believing”: 16

Mile Mark when I felt like a total bad ass: 18

And with that, this crazy train keeps rolling. Happy Labor Day Weekend, everyone!

Run, Baby, Run

I was ready to post on Wednesday about how I was one run away from smashing into a wall, but my run on Thursday went much better than expected so I felt silly. I’m in no way losing motivation. I’m looking forward to the next couple of months, and I’m really excited about running my first marathon. (I’m also looking forward to the changing season which will bring the following: sweaters, hot chocolate, warm blankets, and snuggling. Mmmm…snuggling.) On Wednesday, though, I definitely felt my body reaching the point of “Aw hell no!" but I guess that happens when you try to run when you're sick. I probably shouldn't do that anymore. Then again, my new found addiction to running seems to be calling the shots these days.

Reminder: the goal is to cross the finish line with enough of a functioning body to think about running another race.

I decided not to go to New Haven this weekend, which meant that I got to run a glorious (and I use the term loosely) 16 miles in DC. I started my run at 7 this morning just to make sure that I was able to meet my coworker (who joined me for three miles) by 9 AM. I didn't realize how quiet 7 AM is on a weekend. During the week, everyone's going to work, going to school, or going on morning runs. I started by running up to the boarder between DC and Maryland, coming down through Glover Park and Georgetown, and back to my apartment with just enough time to meet my coworker. (By the way, I actually felt comfortable running the first 10 miles. COMFORTABLE.) Then, my coworker and I hit three miles worth of trails, and I finished my last three on the treadmill.

I tried my first energy gel today -- Lemon Sublime GU. It was kind of gross, but I figured I should try an energy gel before my race. The official gel of the Baltimore Marathon is Powerbar Energy Gel, but the running store was all out. I'll get around to testing the sponsored gel on my longest run. Other than being gross, I think it helped to have the extra boost along the way.

When I finished my run and took my shoes off, I noticed that my left second toenail had turned black. Hypochondriac Alisha freaked out and called both of her parents thinking that she might have a blood clot or some exotic runner's disease. Thankfully, it doesn't hurt. However, I thought about going to the doctor and spent some time on WebMD and Google. (I was still betting on exotic runner's disease.) Then, I sent Matt a message because as a future M.D. and a runner, I figured he would know what was up. It turns out that I bruised my toenail, and I get to watch it die and fall off! Sweet! And gross! Mostly gross. But, kind of awesome.

Three miles tomorrow, and then I roll into Week 10 with a bruised toe, a nearly lost voice, and a knee that hates me.