san francisco marathon

I finished. That's the good part. The other good part is that I had a great 15 miles. Then I got sick. I threw up every mile (or more) for the rest of the race. Ugh. Not so good. I finished in 4:32, which means that at least I finished faster than the ING Ga or Vermont times that I posted. I know that getting sick is reason enough not to get down about it, but I was really disappointed in my time. I could have broken 4 hours. My 1/2 time was 2:02 minutes, and my pace picked up and the course was more downhill/flat after the half.

The course is a great one - the fan support isn't so great. The race begins at the Embarcadero and winds along the coast past Pier 39 and the Ghirdelli Plaza thing up to and across the Golden Gate bridge. As many times as I've been to San Francisco, I've never been on the Golden Gate, so I was appropriately awed. The marathon planners were kind enough to put some kind of hard thing across the grates and seams (based on my Chicago experience, those aren't fun in wet-ish conditions), and I really appreciate that kind of attention to detail... After that, it gets pretty hilly for the next 8 or 9 miles... I think that we were in Golden Gate Park at the 1/2, and we stayed in there for what seemed to be a long time. Really pretty, though - and there was a trail along the paved course that people who wanted to be kinder to their knees used. That kind of option is a nice thing... I really can't speak about most of the rest of the course. It was a bit of a blur. Many port-a-potties. I can say that. But after throwing up in one of them, I decided the side of the course made a much more pleasant option... Great volunteers, too - both in the Medical tents, at the water stops, and just along the course. Many of those along the course were members of Hell's Angels - they were fired up, and they didn't mind sharing that. Also much appreciated. I started crying about mile 23 - when you are sick, everything sucks - and one of these very large guys said that he would carry me to the finish line if he could... Thanks, friend. I made it there by myself, though, and all I felt was relief that it was over.

For the 1st time in my life (at least since I started running), I thought to myself, "I am NEVER doing this again." Now I'm thinking I'm never going to do it if I'm sick again. Such is the runners' way, I suppose. :)

california

Cali has always been one of my favorite states - right behind the home state (GA)... and now I'm doing one of my favorite things in one of my favorite places - I'm running the San Francisco marathon on Sunday. :) I'm pretty excited. If you could measure excitement, multiply that by at least 2 or 3, and that's how nervous I am. I've never run a marathon really by myself. My first, Chicago, was with Team in Training. The other 2, I've run with my training buddy, JH. This one, its just me and the race. And the hills. And the view. And the xx000 other runners. We'll see. Because its just me, I can run my race. I just don't really know how to do that. Training alone has been a journey - I definitely feed off of other people, so pushing myself is pretty hard. I hope that being around so many other runners will give me that source to feed from. In the past, I've been impressed with how friendly runners are - I hope that that holds true on Sunday! I'm looking forward to meeting new friends - even if I'm only in contact with them for a little while.

Yesterday, JH pointed out that my nerves might be coming from the fact that I have more pressure on this marathon. I don't have anyone else to blame or look at in the way of an excuse if my time isn't what I want or what other people seem to expect. Oh... the pressure. I feel like its been so long since I've done a long run (it can't have been too terribly long ago, but it feels like it was in another lifetime), it just makes me worry that I'm not adequately prepared. Agh. We'll see. That's what I keep saying. We'll see.

I want to have fun. Will I have fun if I don't do as well as I want to? I don't know. Can I do as well as I want to? I don't know. We'll have to see. Actually, I hope that we don't see. I want to do as well as I want to. sub-4 hours. or at least right at 4 hours. eh... here goes!

hot hot heat

In the last few days, I demonstrated brilliance on a number of levels. If there is a special ed. version of grad. school, I think that my behavior in the last few days at least comes close to warranting placement. Last night, after my class (with a pretty good presentation, but that was before the storms came and I got stupid), I took Marta. I don't usually take Marta after my Mon./Wed. class because it is so late (and Marta is so scary). Felicia's boyfriend has been coming to pick us up. Her class got out early last night, so I told her not to worry about me. So... I'm taking Marta. By myself. At 10:45. Very scary. And then, because I have no sense of direction and when I'm tired and scared can't think straight, went the wrong way on Marta. VERY VERY BAD. I realized the error of my ways after 2 stops, but then had to stand - BY MYSELF - on the platform in Vine City for 25 minutes. My startle response was demonstrably hyperactive, but I was so tired that my eyes hurt. Even worse, the next train to come eastbound opened its doors and I got on, only to have all of the lights go out. When I was already terrified, being on a marta train with the lights out really didn't help matters at all. I survived, and will not ever take marta by myself ever ever again. At least not at night like that.

So today, I enjoyed sleeping in. Because I was so tired after that ordeal. And then, when I woke up, I decided that I would wait and run in the later afternoon/evening. When it was 85 out. Great. I ran 4 - very very hot - miles from my house around Piedmont Park and back. Much sweat. But then I hopped in the pool for about 25 minutes and swam some laps. It felt great!

i think i'm alone now

It is good for me to run by myself sometimes. This summer, despite my lamenting the lack of a running buddy for my long runs, I've really been doing more training with people than without. While I REALLY appreciate their company, I've also realized that I really need to do a couple of runs each week solo. Yesterday, I did about 4 miles near my house, and then FS came over and I did the equivalent of 3 miles on the Arc Trainer. Gracious, its hot in that gym! The really fun part came after that, when we went and jumped in the pool. We swam around for about 20 minutes, I'd guess - not really a workout, but it felt awesome!

Last night was one of my finals. I really felt kind of sad to take it. I know that there is so much that I don't know, and my opportunity to have a structured environment with people more expert than me with whom to learn is over. :( I hope I know enough to get by. The diagnosis class is the one that worries me in terms of application - I know that I'll always have the book to go by, but its a very bad thing to screw that up!

This morning, I ran 3 miles around Chastain Park. Its also a good run. Right about 24 minutes. The San Francisco Marathon is in 4 days! FOUR DAYS! wow. I hadn't really thought about how close it is... These last 2 days that I've run alone have been really great, and doing a good long run on Sunday will be a welcome change from the taper runs that I've been saddled with lately. YAY for long runs! We'll see how it goes... I really want to beat my PR, but, uh, it is San Francisco. Kind of hilly. I've trained well (I think), and I'm going to try to have as good a time as I can. We'll see. :) Luck!

from the north to the south

On Friday, I ran on the north edge of the city, around Buckhead. I ran about 4 miles (prob. just under 4 miles), in about 25 minutes (just a little under 25 minutes). It was a good run - went by fast. It was a new route - I started on Pharr Road, and ran through some of the neighborhoods off of E. Wesley, down to Piedmont Rd., up E. Paces Ferry, and then down Peachtree to Pharr, and finished it up. Good run.

Today, JH and I ran 6 miles around Grant Parkish area. It was a good run - I really liked the hills that were on that course. There were a number of steep, but not long hills. All the better for attacking, I say! :)

I am knee deep in the taper part of the plan. UGH. It makes me crazy... stir crazy. only 1 week till San Francisco. I can hang on that long. If it wasn't for the end of the semester, my nerves wouldn't need to run quite so badly. Oh well...

2=1

Yesterday, i logged 4 miles. 2 slow, 2 fastish (7 min./mile on the fast part). all track, so that was nice.

Today, 4 around Chastain park. It was hot. I ran for just under 30 minutes. Sweat. Fun.

as the weather turns

so... I've not been doing a very good job of keeping up on here. Last week, I think I kept relatively close to a taper plan. I ran 4 miles on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday (but I was with someone who is just getting back into training, so some of it was walking...), and then did a run/elliptical combo. equivalent to 5 miles on Thursday. I walked about 2.5 miles on Friday for a little rest / cross-training. Saturday, I was supposed to run 9 miles, but plans changed. I ran 8 on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. Today is a rest day. PTL. :)

Yesterday's 9 miler was a really good run - we ran in the evening, and it had rained hard in the afternoon. This made it quite much cooler than it often is in the late afternoon, although the humidity was still quite an ordeal. We went on a new route that I really liked - Highland (from Ralph McGill area) up to Amsterdam, to Piedmont, up 14th street to Peachtree, and finishing back at Ralph McGill at my house. Its a pretty cool route. A few hills, not too many, and a great tour of Atlanta. We did it in about an hour and a half, I think. Could have been closer to 45. Either way, I know I can run faster, but it was just a nice run.

Mid-term terrors

I've been torn between believing that running will help me deal with my stress and synthesize material better and fearing that time running is only time away from studying. Today, however, the synthesis hypothesis won out. At least a little bit...

I ran 4 miles around the hood here in the Old 4th Ward (such characters to be seen) and then was on the eliptical machine for what amounted to 6 miles. Good times... The elliptical "running" was with FS, whose company is irreplacable and overly delightful. Really... Good times... :-)