5 Inspiring Things

Last week was, again, a tough one. My legs weren't quite as healed up as I'd thought, and fast kilometer repeats on Wednesday led to me barely being able to walk on Thursday morning. Three days off, lots of stretching, ice and Epsom salt baths, an active release treatment ... and now I'm back to feeling pretty decent. But it's been frustrating, and I am in need of some positivity. So, rather than complain today, I give you five things that are inspiring me to keep on trucking this week:

1) Need I Explain?

Don't worry, there's more here.

2) Unexpected generosity from random strangers.

I spent my Sunday at SAIL, a giant outdoors store, fundraising with the Team in Training folks. We stood at the cash registers, helped bag purchases, and asked for donations for the cause. I was nervous about this - I don't particularly like bugging random people, especially to ask for money - but it was actually a lot of fun. And I was blown away by the number of people who gave. Many didn't seem to think twice about throwing a five-dollar bill in the box and wishing me luck with the marathon. Also blown away by the number of people who explained that they had been touched by blood cancers in some way. My legs were aching by the end of the day ... but it left me feeling heartened and motivated to continue fundraising.

3) This chick.

She makes me happy. And she runs like a badass. I hope to channel her next time I'm stiff and jittery before a race...

4) And this chick.

Lanni Marchant is a friend from law school who is one of the most talented runners I've ever met. She should be representing Canada at the Olympics in a couple weeks, but Athletic Canada's archaic rules have kept her home. So she's planning to show them what a mistake they made by running super-fast in Toronto on October 14th (read about it here). I have a strong feeling she'll do it. And it just happens to be the same day as my marathon ... so I will be channeling her (running WAY faster than me) that morning.

5) AND, of course, this chick.

Rachel is recovering from her bone marrow transplant - so send lots of good vibes and prayers her way. If I ever need any running-related inspiration, she is certainly a good bet ... check out this post from her blog, for instance.

Week 5 Recap:

M: off day - Kundalini yoga class
TU: 10k + CXWorx core class
W: 10k (4k hard ... stopped due to pain)
TH: BodyPump
F: off - easy bike
SA: off - easy elliptical and core
SU: 21k

Week total: approx. 41k

too far ... then not far enough

As the title of my blog suggests, I have a tendency to complain about the work involved in training. When my coach announces the day's workout, I will think to myself: "that's too hard, I don't want to, nobody in their right mind would do this, why am I here again?" Then I'll make it through the intervals, and desperately want to go lie on the couch and eat my weight in food, but there are still strides and core work to be done. So I complain some more. The long run is a particularly easy target for my reproach ... too hot, too tiring, too much, too far.

But never do I complain more than when I can't run. After my 24k trek the other day, things started going awry with my left leg. At Wednesday's workout, my left adductor was so aggravated that I was getting a sharp pain with every step. I was told to relax and take a couple days off.

A couple days off?! Suddenly, I am full-on yearning for a good run. There is nothing in the world I want to do more than lace up my shoes and exhaust myself with a tough workout. My legs literally twitch, they want to move so badly.  I take ice baths, go for a massage, stretch, foam roll ... all in hopes of getting back out there. At night I dream of running. The thought of an injury derailing my training fills me with anxiety. I whine to boyfriend. I don't pray, but I consider taking up religion so I can do so (it's only been 36 hours at this point).

And then, Hallelujah, the leg starts to feel better.

But wait, that means going out today. When I'm tired and it's hot and I have other things I could be doing. My brain is there before I am even conscience of it: too hard, too hot, too far, I don't want to.

There's a lesson here, of course. But let's be honest, running is always going to be hard, so I'm never going to stop complaining about it. The truth is that I kind of enjoy my complaining (probably much more than those around me). It is satisfying to know that, even though it was hard and I didn't feel like doing it, I did. It implies that I can keep making it through, even though there will ALWAYS be a reason to give up. Just like the other love of my life, running can drive me completely crazy ... but life is so much better when it's around.


Week 4 Recap:

M: off day - yoga class
TU: 12k
W: 14k (5 x 1k hard)
TH: 30min elliptical, BodyPump
F: off
SA: 10k treadmill
SU: 18k

Week total: approx. 54k

so hot right now

The decision to do an October marathon was strategic: fall is my favourite time to run, and the hardest training will be in early September just as that season is kicking in. It also means avoiding long treks in the dead of winter. However, the one downfall of this whole strategy is that it involves training through summer. And summer means heat (insightful, I know!).

I love hot weather, but my body and its Anglo-saxon features tend to betray me when the temperatures rise. I am so pale that I border on translucence, so I burn easily and never really tan (though I put in a valiant effort every year). Once, on a family trip to California, I had some sort of allergic reaction to the sun that led to me breaking out in itchy hives. Like a vampire. 

A completely inaccurate representation of what it's like to run in the heat.

Normally, with running, my brain gives out before my body. I will feel like I can't go on, and then I'll meet friends and pick up my pace to run alongside them, or Backstreet's Back will shuffle onto my IPod and I'm flying again (works every time). But heat seems to be the one thing that causes my body to give out before my brain. I'll be raring to go, and then be confused by the fact that I'm suddenly dizzy, my eyes aren't fully open, I'm faint, and every step is a challenge. And I'll push through because my brain tells me the pace is slow and I haven't been out for long, so I'm fine. And then, as happened Friday, later on that day I'll feel headachy and dizzy and exhausted.

Anyway, all this to say that this week's training was a bit rough, and I was feeling discouraged. But there was an "extreme weather warning in effect" for several days this week. So maybe my slowing down, cutting distance, and turning a tempo run into an easier stroll was the best thing for my body. And, in any case, today is my birthday, so I'm allowed an excuse for my less-than-spectacular training week, oui?

Speaking of my birthday, huge thanks to the friends who donated to my fundraising campaign in honour of my entry to the world 28 years ago ... means so very much to me!! Still a long way to go, but the goal is in reach. Here is the link again just in case anyone else would like it... (today is my birthday, so I'm allowed a shameless plug, oui?)

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1429184&langPref=en-CA

Week 3 Recap:

M: cross-train day - bike 45min
TU: 10k, weights
W: 14k (3k hard)
TH: 8k treadmill + core class
F: 7k
SA: cross-train day - BodyAttack, weights
SU: 24k

Week total: approx. 63k

Karma takes the form of a utility belt.

I admit to having been a bit of a running snob. My cross-country-running friends and I have been known to roll our eyes at those packs of runners weighed down by heart rate monitors, GPS watches, visors, bum-flap reflector jackets, and utility belts full of gels and mini bottles of Gatorade. After all, the simplicity of running is a large part of its appeal: all you really need is a good pair of shoes and maybe a good sports bra. The utility-belt wearers, we'd say, were over-complicating things. It's a run, not a trek across the Sahara.

But this was old, non-marathoning Jackie. Marathon Jackie has been thrown off her high horse by, well, the need for a utility belt. 22k was on my schedule yesterday morning, and it was hot. I knew I needed fluids to make it through, but my route passed by only one water fountain. Carrying a whole bottle of Gatorade would be cumbersome. And the utility belt even has a little pocket for gels...

So, this morning, I put on the GPS watch my coach had lent me, clipped my IPod onto my Spandex shorts, and sheepishly filled my little water bottles with Gatorade. I velcroed the belt around my waist, my boyfriend watching on with confusion. "So you're one of THOSE runners now?" he said. Then, seeing that I was uncomfortable with my attire, added "You sort of look like Batman'.

"But, like, a really uncool version of Batman."

And so I set out, my boyfriend yelling after me to watch out for the Joker.

I took a route that is normally less populated in the hopes of staying incognito. But it was Canada Day, so of course the entire population of our country was out in downtown Ottawa. So I swallowed my pride and darted through the crowds. I have to say, it was helpful to be able to check the watch and know my exact pace and exactly how far I had gone. And being able to stop to refuel whenever I needed to was a nice change.

I maintain that running free of all the gadgetry is a good thing: it keeps you in touch with your surroundings and with how your body is actually feeling. If I ever get to the stage where I'm stopping and starting a GPS watch for 100m sprints, or wearing a utility belt for a 5k race, please stop me. But I will say this: that thing was invented for a reason.

Week 2 Recap:

M: 18k
TU: cross-train day - 45 elliptical, weight circuit
W: 16k (6k at tempo pace)
TH: 10k
F: am Hatha yoga; pm track workout - 4 x (8x100m) (approx. 10k total)
SA: cross-train day - easy bike ride, Power yoga
SU: 22k

Week total: approx. 76k