Saturday Running Workout

Endomondo Running Workout: was out running 10.00 miles in 1h:25m:39s using Endomondo.

The temperature lingering around freezing, I had an "okay" 10-miler today.  I am still recovering from my two week hiatus.  Between running on the treadmill and outside this week, I racked up about 36 miles.

When I was in college, 40 miles per week was a cinch.  I could also complete my long runs so much faster without really feeling fatigued...

I'd heard that women typically peak in their early 30s.  Aside from my neurological disability, there's really no reason I should be slowing down the way I am.  It's disappointing, but I still believe I can complete this marathon.

Monday I am scheduled to go to my dermatologist.  My heel is finally "healing" up to the point where it doesn't hurt when I run.  Regarding the other moles on my feet, I am just going to have to express my feelings about a biopsy.  Simply put, I will need tell him that I have spent hundreds of dollars and hours between proper footwear, bracing, and training and that I would prefer to not have anything removed from my foot until after May 26th.

Perhaps I am being irresponsible.  I am a runner though.  Runners, generally speaking, are not rational or responsible people when anything gets in the way of training or reaching a goal.  In Chicken Soup for the Soul for Runners, I read a story by a woman who needed to have a hysterectomy.  She was 8 weeks away from her marathon.  Words like "carcinoma" and the reality of her health condition were not even registering with her.  She refused her hysterectomy... 8 weeks later, she ran her marathon.  The next day, she had her surgery.  That year she reached 3 milestones in her life: She turned forty, got cancer, and completed a marathon.

I don't think I have cancer, but I am certain all of this can wait until after my marathon.

President's Day Run

Endomondo Running Workout: was out running 4.34 miles in 35m:47s using Endomondo.

Normally, today would be an slow cross training day, but I felt I needed to get my legs used to running on pavement again.  It was COLD today!  Fortunately it wasn't snowing, no wind and my knee held up.  I do need to keep slow runs slow.  It's so tough, because I'm so used to approaching my workouts as if I'm training for a 5k.  It's odd for a 7:30 min/mile to feel difficult to me... but my goal for May is 9:00 min/mile or less.

Anyway - I started out too fast, despite the old days of 6:30 min/mile 5k times.  I'm learning, and burning out in the process, but I still have time.  Wish me luck!

Running and Birthdays

Today, I woke up at 7:00 am, searched for running clothes, stretched, and hit the roads in below freezing conditions.  It was the first time I had run in conditions like this in years.  It was 13 degrees Fahrenheit, snowing, and slightly windy.  By 9:00, other runners were out in our neighborhood.  It took me a very long time to complete my 10 mile run, but I did it.  As I stumbled back into our house, my speech we so slurred that Nate was barely able to understand me.  It's humbling moments like these that remind me how precious life is, and that I will always need to work harder than others at simple things I used to take for granted... and speech is sometimes one of those things.  

The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation is working on putting my profile page together for the Dystance4Dystonia team.  It will be finalized on Tuesday.  Either way, I have made a commitment, and I need to stick to it.  The training has been terribly painful and time consuming, but I need to follow through.  This is by no means finished (if you're reading prior to 2/20/13) but here's a link to my incomplete profile:  Nicole Oliver is Running for Dystonia 

My little sister turned 22 today.  It just doesn't seem possible.  I remember my 22nd birthday.  I was in a very different place in life when I was her age.  It was not a place I was proud to be in or where I was happy with myself, but life goes on.  God pulls us through life's toughest challenges as long as we keep the faith.  I'm far from perfect, and maybe I needed a terrible wake-up call during those few years in college in order to help me to become a more compassionate, loving person.  I often think of the sacrament of reconciliation during this time of year, but I had a terrible experience once that drove me away.  A priest told me he didn't think I understood how serious my sins were.  Amen and onward.

I am extremely proud of my sister.  She's finishing up her Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at SUNY Geneseo and currently student teaching.  She was initially terrified that teaching would not be for her, which is why she simply minored in adolescent education.  One can do so much with Mathematics in combination with a strong master's degree, but she just didn't know until recently what she wanted.  She just went through a terrible break-up, and something she realized very quickly was that teaching these 7th and 8th graders each day makes her so happy, that nothing else matters.  She loves working with these kids. They are generally rural "simpletons" and not where they should be academically for their age.  She finds mentoring these young kids exceptionally rewarding.  

We (my siblings and I) were fortunate enough to have an incredible public education through the Williamsville Central School District.  All of us did well, but my sister did the best, graduating in the top ten of her class.  I now realize how fortunate we were that my dad moved our family out of a failing school district so we'd receive a decent education as kids.  I know it was a financial struggle to afford to move into Williamsville on a single household income, but my dad's a pretty smart guy.  It's an investment that is finally paying off.  He's mellowed out over the past few years... it's really nice...

Speaking of birthdays, I decided to buy my husband an early gift for his almost 33 years on Earth.  I asked his permission first, as I figured it would be a practical investment.  He has been talking about furthering his education since we met, so I bought him a new laptop figuring he could use it for classes.  I thought he might be upset at the idea but he was more overwhelmed with gratitude.  My dad set it up completely and made system recovery disks for him yesterday.  Today, he spent the entire day playing computer games while watching hockey.  LOL.  Baby steps...

You know, it's sick.  I can't believe I am going to be 30 soon... :-( But that's another blog entry...

Ash Wednesday and Winter Blues

Today marks the beginning of Lent.  A time for reflection and transformation inside.  I haven't given anything up for Lent, but there's a lot I need to do to change for the better.  Lent isn't about giving something up or doing something differently for 40 days and then getting back into your old routine.  It's about taking 40 days to do something that will ultimately make you a better person.

I'm a hard-headed, stubborn person.  I'm exceptional judgemental, critical and a complete control freak.  I have been asking myself lately - how would I feel if I had to deal with someone like me?  I can only imagine how aggravating it would be.  Even if I don't outwardly say anything when I disagree with someone, my body language speaks for itself. 

I need to change the way I think and feel.  I need to change the way I act.  Simply put - I need to treat others the way I would like to be treated.  If I feel I have been treated badly, I also need to just let it go instead of letting all the anger build up in me. *Breathes*  There are so may ways to do this, but I need to learn to recognize the situations when I'm in them.

I'm a control freak.  This weather has been depressing between the snow, the cold and my marathon training setback(s).  The surgery.  My knee.  The shoe problem.  Backing out of coaching to marathon train instead.  It's kind of depressing.  I wish I had become a teacher.  I really enjoy working with adolescent kids.  I never knew I would be good at it... but it becomes so much with working full time.  Oh the fun things I'd do if I were a stay-at-home wife. 

I went to the Brooks Running website to order a pair of the Launch before they were sold out.  My size was gone!  I frantically searched the Internet and found a store in Grand Rapids, MI that had my size in stock.  I quickly ordered them. I am eager for them to arrive.  My old pair has a lot of miles on them and I'll need to start rotating them.  I tried to go back to the Adrenaline but they are just NOT the right shoes for me.  Between last Saturday and Sunday I ran 17 miles in them and the pain was unreal.  By Tuesday, I could not run in them.  So, agaist my doctor's advice, I am using the Launch for my training and the race.

I was absolutely beat tonight.  Nate forced me to bike.  I was operating on fumes but I did it.  Thursday and Friday will be running days.  It's supposed to snow again.  I'm so tired of the snow.  I love outdoor runs.  But for now I will working on changing in other ways...