I think I've caught it. Now that I finally got back to it, I REALLY don't want to give it up....Ever....Again.
There's a race in Louisville KY in February that I've got my eye on. We'll see if I work up the courage to do it.
I LOVE running. I keep wondering why I ever took a hiatus....and then the reality of pregnancy and postpartum jumps into my mind. It will be interesting to see how I handle it next time around. Hopefully no more 5-year gaps!
I've been reading about women and ultramarathoning. Women have a better chance of keeping up with men in longer races (the longer the race, the narrower the pace gap gets). And older women often beat younger women. This gives me SO MUCH HOPE in terms of being able to keep doing this, and do it better than I do now once I can devote more energy to it (ie, when my kids are older, so the long runs early in the morning won't make me a bad mom because the kids are grown up and on to other things).
I really think that this could be appealing to me for a number of reasons. My first basis is just how much I loved Tecumseh two weeks ago. It was breathtakingly beautiful to be out in the woods hearing the wind and the snow falling. And the distance and mental coping that the hills required were such a fun game for me. The idea of running races all over the place, meeting lots of people and swapping stories, jokes, and battle scars....it just all seems like a whole lot of fun.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Going home
Have you ever wanted something for so long that when it finally happened you couldn't quite get your mind around it??
This morning they called Ben to tell him he had gotten a job in Blue Ash, Ohio. When he called me, I had just dropped Bee off at preschool. It was one of the only times in my life that I've been truly speechless....I see now where Kristeva and some others talk about non-language. All I could do was scream excitedly, laugh, and cry.
Some of the not-so-rosy realities (double-renting for up to 60 days, figuring out where we'll live, BUYING a house, needing a new preschool, losing WonderLab, losing the University library) have started to sink in.
But I'm going home. All those not-so-perfect elements pale in comparison. It's going to be so good. I can't even stand it!
This morning they called Ben to tell him he had gotten a job in Blue Ash, Ohio. When he called me, I had just dropped Bee off at preschool. It was one of the only times in my life that I've been truly speechless....I see now where Kristeva and some others talk about non-language. All I could do was scream excitedly, laugh, and cry.
Some of the not-so-rosy realities (double-renting for up to 60 days, figuring out where we'll live, BUYING a house, needing a new preschool, losing WonderLab, losing the University library) have started to sink in.
But I'm going home. All those not-so-perfect elements pale in comparison. It's going to be so good. I can't even stand it!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Oh.....my.....gosh
I woke up this morning at 7:15, looked out the window and thought "2 inches my eye."
And thus began the adventure. We got ready, me in my cold gear and Ben and kids in coats, and took off along a snowy and a little slick version of the roads toward where the race was supposed to start.
Anyone hear anything ominous in that sentence? There was a change of plan because of the snow, and they started the race from the finish and made it into an out-and-back rather than a point-to-point. This nearly made me cry, as I was convinced that when I got to the new starting line AN HOUR LATE they wouldn't let me run. Luckily, they were planning for those few of us who drove up to the REAL start (I guess since they didn't send out any notification they expected miscommunication....go figure). I gave my bib number and name to an accommodating young woman with a blue clipboard, and a very nice man named Rick and I were off. He kept a really fast pace, and had interesting things to talk about. It was a nice first 8 miles, though the slickness of the packed-down snow made things interesting. After that, he took off and I dropped back and, for most of the rest of the race, was alone. I passed people, both those who were far ahead of me coming back after the turnaround and those who were slowing up, and occasionally would swap a joke with someone, but that was about it.
The woods were beautiful....the snow was the wet sticky kind that settles on individual branches. And quiet. I could hear the snow falling. It was eerie in a good way, ethereal...I did lots of praying and talking to myself.
Things were MUDDY for the second half of the race, coming back. What do you expect when 500 people or so trample snow on the way out, and then do it again coming back, right? The best part was a hill with ropes strung along the trees like banisters to help us go down and then (coming back) pull up along. I think my favorite part was the really big spruce trees....I think they were mile 9-ish going out (so then mile 17-ish coming back).
The runners were awesome. Everyone was courteous about the trail conditions, getting out of each others' way so people could pass, cheering each other on. At one point three of us backed up on one side of a stream crossing and two other runners were on the other side. It was WAY too wide to jump, and there was no way anybody wanted wet feet. So we took turns, one from each side, until we all made it. Just stopped and waited like good little turn-takers! I said to the guy in front of me "It's so nice that people are nice!" He said "Yeah, it's good that people are nice." That, to me, is a testament of the better parts of human nature.
Oh, and I finished it in 4:51:40....unofficially. I just took an hour off the clock time at my finish, since I started an hour late. We'll have to see how I did for real once they adjust for everyone and post results. I was shooting for 5 hours as a "hooray, wouldn't it be nice if it's nice weather and I can do really well!?" So I'm proud of myself.
I'd love to do one on the road after this....I bet I could kick the crap out of it.
And thus began the adventure. We got ready, me in my cold gear and Ben and kids in coats, and took off along a snowy and a little slick version of the roads toward where the race was supposed to start.
Anyone hear anything ominous in that sentence? There was a change of plan because of the snow, and they started the race from the finish and made it into an out-and-back rather than a point-to-point. This nearly made me cry, as I was convinced that when I got to the new starting line AN HOUR LATE they wouldn't let me run. Luckily, they were planning for those few of us who drove up to the REAL start (I guess since they didn't send out any notification they expected miscommunication....go figure). I gave my bib number and name to an accommodating young woman with a blue clipboard, and a very nice man named Rick and I were off. He kept a really fast pace, and had interesting things to talk about. It was a nice first 8 miles, though the slickness of the packed-down snow made things interesting. After that, he took off and I dropped back and, for most of the rest of the race, was alone. I passed people, both those who were far ahead of me coming back after the turnaround and those who were slowing up, and occasionally would swap a joke with someone, but that was about it.
The woods were beautiful....the snow was the wet sticky kind that settles on individual branches. And quiet. I could hear the snow falling. It was eerie in a good way, ethereal...I did lots of praying and talking to myself.
Things were MUDDY for the second half of the race, coming back. What do you expect when 500 people or so trample snow on the way out, and then do it again coming back, right? The best part was a hill with ropes strung along the trees like banisters to help us go down and then (coming back) pull up along. I think my favorite part was the really big spruce trees....I think they were mile 9-ish going out (so then mile 17-ish coming back).
The runners were awesome. Everyone was courteous about the trail conditions, getting out of each others' way so people could pass, cheering each other on. At one point three of us backed up on one side of a stream crossing and two other runners were on the other side. It was WAY too wide to jump, and there was no way anybody wanted wet feet. So we took turns, one from each side, until we all made it. Just stopped and waited like good little turn-takers! I said to the guy in front of me "It's so nice that people are nice!" He said "Yeah, it's good that people are nice." That, to me, is a testament of the better parts of human nature.
Oh, and I finished it in 4:51:40....unofficially. I just took an hour off the clock time at my finish, since I started an hour late. We'll have to see how I did for real once they adjust for everyone and post results. I was shooting for 5 hours as a "hooray, wouldn't it be nice if it's nice weather and I can do really well!?" So I'm proud of myself.
I'd love to do one on the road after this....I bet I could kick the crap out of it.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Tecumseh
I've been running like a crazy person, long runs like I'd never run before. I've been absolutely excited and overjoyed at the prospect of running my first marathon, especially one on a trail. I love the environment of trail running, I've always been better at it than at road running.
In looking at the results from the last few years, I learned something....men usually outnumber women by about 3-to-1 at this race. I started to get a little intimidated.
And now,on the eve of the event, I have to admit that I'm more than just a little skeptical/afraid: the weather forecast is calling for a high of freezing, 6 mph winds, and snow. From 7 am til 7 pm. Effectively the whole race.
And yet, I'm going to do it. Attempt it, at very least. I've never, ever, EVER had a "did not finish" result. I hope that tomorrow won't change that.
In looking at the results from the last few years, I learned something....men usually outnumber women by about 3-to-1 at this race. I started to get a little intimidated.
And now,on the eve of the event, I have to admit that I'm more than just a little skeptical/afraid: the weather forecast is calling for a high of freezing, 6 mph winds, and snow. From 7 am til 7 pm. Effectively the whole race.
And yet, I'm going to do it. Attempt it, at very least. I've never, ever, EVER had a "did not finish" result. I hope that tomorrow won't change that.
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