The Drizzt Diary

I did it. The weather was perfect–it was a tad bit chilly standing in our ‘corrals’ waiting for our wave (stood there about 30 minutes) start. I was standing next to a girl from Alaska and she was even chilly!!! The race was perfect and fast until about mile 22. I pulled a major cramp in my lower right calf. I think it was due to my body compensating for the swelling in my metatarsal of the right foot. I had been nursing it for about two weeks and could tell I was striking differently. I stopped, I massaged it, I ran, I stopped, I massaged it, I cried……I finished. I had predicted 4:20–remember , this was my first marathon and I wanted it to be positive and fun. It was all of those plus a bit of disappointment. I had my leg tended to after the race because I still had to walk 1.5 miles to the hotel. Salt in my mouth and ice on my leg and I was trucking along. At the restaurant afterwards, I mixed the salt and ice in a margarita and my lower right calf never felt better!! I am signed up to run the Texas Marathon series in 2009. Our first race is New Years Day. Thanks to all of you at Sweat 365 for your encouragement and support. It has been a great 6 month journey and I enjoyed logging every workout with you.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/17/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Total Time: 4:40:00.00
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Average Pace: 10:41.71/mile

well, here we go off to the marathon this weekend.  i have suffered several maladies this week.  to not have auffered anything but a few sore muscles the past 6 months is disheartening to say the least.  I have a “cold” behind or maybe in, my eyes.  have you ever heard of that? it causes vertigo everytime i move my eyes quickly. almost like a sinus issue without the nose and throat ittitation or headache.  i am on meclazine (bad spelling) which is what they give folks with motion sickness.  how ironic!!!  the swelling of the ligament in the bottom of my foot has improved drastically.  but then, i am taking anti inflammatories that they give to dogs (my boss is a retired vet).  it makes you pee like a racehorse so i have stopped them as of 3pm today.  the last malady–i busted a blood vessle on the top of my left foot. i actually felt that baby pop.  needless to say it was burning and felt like hell for 24 hours but has subsided.  at least if it hurts while running i know i am not doing irreparable damage.  it may help take my mind of other things.  there, i feel better that i have vented these things.  no one really understands how something so minor in their eyes can be such a big thing in my eyes.  i try to explain, “yeah, but i have to deal with it for four solid hours!!!”

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/11/2008
• Time: 12:00:00
• Total Time: 00:54:00.00
• Distance: 6 miles
• Average Pace: 8:59.73/mile

ball of my foot hurt last saturday just a bit, got some new insoles,then wednesday it hurt some more. friday i ran only3.3 miles and had to stop.  picked up a new pair of shoes just like the old ones (they had 425 miles on them)–yes, the old ones were dead and the new ones feel great but today, did 7 miles and the ball of my foot was uncomfortable. actually, it is the groove between the big toe and the rest of the toes on the bottom. it is inflammed–did i run too long on dead shoes?  being a newbie, i prolly did. i took some anti-inflammatories and will just rest it.
bright side of today–it was 45 degrees with no wind and our pace was quick and easy.  i pulled on these leopard print fleece gloves of my daughters with the fingertips cut out–made a fashion statement–hey, it matched my black shirt and shorts.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/08/2008
• Time: 10:29:13
• Distance: 10.3 miles

I am in Corpus again–my dad had surgery.  I was running this morning on the ocean front after a rather sleepless night–surgery lasted 7 hours and I wasn’t in bed until 1am–I saw the marathoners I ran with two weekends ago–they are going to San Antonio in 11 days also.  I made the mistake of running with the wind first!  I didn’t realize it was blowing 25 mph with gusts.  I asked the girls who train in Corpus all the time and they just said “you get used to it”. So even though I only did 5 miles, it was a tiring last 2.5–at times I thought I was going to be blown into traffic.  So, back up to the hospital and ICU and wait, wait, wait.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/05/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Total Time: 00:46:00.00
• Distance: 5 miles
• Average Pace: 9:12.15/mile

We met in the fog for 12 x 1 repeats.  We kept our pace at about 8 1/2 minutes.  Had a few at 9.  These repeats are the first I have really enjoyed and felt super strong at.  We didn’t go to the track–my coach has a Garmin and we hit the back roads.  The fog made water droplets on my eyelashes and an eerie mist on my arms.  It glowed like dew on the early morning grass.  I could blink hard and make my eyelashes ‘rain’.  After the repeats, we dried off by running 2 miles–the sun finally came out so we ran to dry off–how many can say they have done that???lol

my dad has to have surgery next week which means i have to get my running in at wierd times and in different venues.  at least the hospital sits on the ocean front in corpus christi.  only thing i don’t like is the ocean breeze–it can get 30mph.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/01/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Distance: 14 miles

Ran my second 4 miles one minute faster than my first 4 miles.  did the 4 and 1 because i had some uphill and some wind.  humidity was LOW-yeah. just took it easy.  then, i went to town and got me some goods for the upcoming race–needed some new ’soles’ for my lovely shoes (those soles had tons of miles on them).  also picked up a shirt for the cooler running and since the cold air hurts my ears–got a headband.  oh yeah–you can never have enough running bras!!! i am pumped about the rock n roll marathon in 15 days!!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 10/30/2008
• Time: 10:00:00
• Total Time: 1:13:00.00
• Distance: 8 miles
• Average Pace: 9:07.11/mile

notice the time of run–we are cooling off.  i actually ran in the afternoon!! i ran the first 3.3 without stopping and did the second 3.3 with the 4 and 1 system.  believe it or not, i was one full minute faster the second half.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 10/28/2008
• Time: 13:00:00
• Total Time: 00:53:30.00
• Distance: 6.6 miles
• Average Pace: 8:06.49/mile

unfortunately my dad is in the hospital and i had to go to corpus christi this weekend.  i went for a wonderful run with some marathoners from the area (my dad’s girlfriend has friends who run and they invited me for their training session) and we ran the ocean front.  beautiful but—windy!!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 10/25/2008
• Time: 09:00:00
• Distance: 7 miles

ran 5 miles at a constant pace.  which is unusual.  i am usually warming up or down during these running sessions or working on some speed or running up and down our one major hill in cs (i’m sure there are others, i just have not found them); never just running for the hell of it.  after 45 minutes i checked my watch and had gone 5.156 miles and wasa ready for a warm shower. we had a cold front and wow–it will get chilly tonight.  finally.  i miss having a normal high of 75 and a normal low of 35. so spoiled.  anyway, i am off to bed. am having too many typos to fix!!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 10/23/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Total Time: 00:45:00.00
• Distance: 5.15 miles
• Average Pace: 8:44.02/mile