I’d like to say that I’ve been up to something completely fabulous since my last Martini Friday — fighting pirates in the Caribbean, maybe, or discovering foolproof cures for foot fungus — but I’d be lying. Mostly I’ve been working, sleeping, parenting, and/or running. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I did make a coaching change. And, yes, I did alert the running media, whose silence on the matter I will try to not take personally.
While there was absolutely nothing wrong with my previous coach Sara, I don’t know that we were ever the best fit philosophically. She is based in the fitness pressure cooker that is New York City, where the drive to be faster, stronger, better is multiplied tenfold because every day is a competition between you and 8 million other people. I am just not that driven, even when I was young and in a similar place.
When I met Coach Christine in Little Rock, I knew I’d found a Sole Sister. Yes, sure, she runs 101 miles just to see if she can — but she also doesn’t push anyone else to do it, too. Christine has met me in the slow, only vaguely competitive, busy life with kids place where I am. And that has made a world of difference.
My next race will be the Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon in Portland, Maine, which I got drafted into by another mother runner who is going to be the pacer for the 2:30 group. In all honesty, it wasn’t hard sell. I have friends in the area who we try to visit every year and am a big fan of Maine itself. I greatly prefer beaches that pummel you with their craggy cold-ness rather than their soft sand and gentle surf. I am also increasingly convinced that I might have been a Viking in a past life.
For me, 2:30 will be a stretch, even though the course is relatively flat and I’ll have a buddy to run with. But a running buddy is no gaurantee that I’ll be able to keep up. Two weekends ago I hooked up with Laura, a great friend who also happens to be a massage therapist/acupuncturist/badass mother runner. Usually, if Laura wants to run with someone, it has to be her very tall, very fast husband, who runs ahead of her, then lopes back for a few more steps, then runs ahead again.
Yeah. I’d want to throttle him, too. Laura’s pretty chill about it, though. She’s pretty chill in general, which is really what you want from someone in her profession. We both thought it would be fun to run together, even though my very, very fastest mile time isn’t that far off from her very, very slowest.
That morning, after a quick discussion about routes and times, we took off. The first mile was good, if a wee bit zippier than my usual pace. We slowed down a bit, because Laura is, again, pretty chill and was happy to just be running with a friend who was sticking around to talk.
At the three mile turn, the sun came out and my personal wheels came off. The sun is my nemesis, which might lend further evidence for my Viking theory.
If I were forced to write one sentence to describe my running career so far, it would be this: I make an excellent anchor. And by “anchor,” I don’t mean “someone who you put last in the relay because they are reliably speedy.” No, I’m referring to that big, heavy thing that keeps boats from floating away.
As Kelly learned when I ran the first half of the Philly Marathon with her, I am exactly who you want when you are worried about going out too fast. And as Laura learned on Saturday, when the sun comes out, even my fastest-yet-still-not-fast-really pace deserts me. We walked a good deal of miles 4 and 5, with brief running breaks so that we had a hope of getting back in enough time for her to get her son to a soccer game. By the last half mile, Laura agreed to leave this mother runner behind so that she wouldn’t be quite so late.
And I’m pretty chill about that. But I’m still learning how to be chill about not being a faster runner in general, one who can keep up with most other mother runners with minimal effort. It’s a journey.
In the better news department, I had my first long run of this training cycle last weekend. Because of a scheduling snafu, I had to squeeze it in before work last Friday, which I could do because I didn’t have to be in the office until noon, which was the upside.
The downside is that I could go in late because it was Alumni Weekend and, since I work in my college’s Alumni office, I would be on campus off and on (mostly on) for the next 48 hours. Which is not ideal when you’ve run for 9+ miles and then spend the next 8 hours on your feet.
Still, we do what we must — and we make sure we wear our Pro Compression socks.
As long runs go, it was a good one. The weather was perfect — 50 degrees and cloudy. I had plenty of podcasts saved up and plenty of time to get it done. I nearly forgot that Coach Christine wanted me to work in a five-minute strong finish but remembered before I turned off Herr Garmin.
I’m trying to not think too much about this weekend’s long run, which will contain two miles at my race pace of 11:22. My fingers are crossed that the great ball of sky fire keeps itself hidden that morning.
If I were writing a comic book about running, the sun would be my bad guy. Who would your nemesis be?
Wind. That damned wind.
Oops – forgot — go and rack this weekend’s long run!
Ice would be my nemesis.
And, Adrienne, I think we may be sole sisters by the way you describe your running. I, too, struggle with feeling inferior to other runners and am currently working towards a 2:30 half marathon finish. If you ever find yourself back in the Philly area and looking for some running company, drop me a line. I know a shady trail… even on the sunniest of days:)
Have you read this yet? I saw it thanks to a friend who posted it to FB
http://rulesforrunning.com/2014/10/28/thank-you-from-the-front-of-the-pack-to-the-back/
As for a nemesis, I think mine would be First Two Mile Man. He makes all miles feel like the first few trudging ones where I debate whether or not I’ll actually go through with the plan.
Congrats on your new coach! I hope it is a cloudy day for your long run.
Yay for the return of Martini Fridays!
Good luck training. After the winter we had, I hope to see a lot of your nemesis :)
My nemesis is freezing rain/icy roads.
Great update! Happy training :) I have to say I’m the opposite of Kathy. I trained during a rough German winter for my spring marathon, it was hard to say the least. However, I ran a couple mornings ago and it was 85 degrees with 90 percent humidity……”welcome back to training for a fall marathon in Midwest America.” Thus, I discovered my true nemesis is HEAT.HEAT.HEAT. Slows me down like nothing else. I plan to rise very early tomorrow in hopes of beating some of the heat during this weeks long run.
Mine are co conspirators; heat and humidity. My runs tank in the summer and spend oodles of time on the bike instead. And in the pool of course!
I mainly wanted to say that you should give yourself stickers for your off days. They’re an important part of your training!
And my nemesis is high dew points.
I’m with you, Adrienne. It’s the sun. It’s been in the 70˚’s lately and suddenly I’m sweating bullets and cursing the ball of fire in the sky. I’m a cold weather girl through and through!
I know this post isn’t about Little Rock but that’s what caught my attention when I read this. I’m new to this site! Do you live there? I’m from Cabot, AR (currently live in Columbus, OH) and get overly excited when I see/meet/read about others from the area.
My nemesis is the frickin’ humidity! It can just take me out. I’ve learned that dumping water over my head at water stations, helps me in my battle against this evil.
Hills.
Oh you need to come run with me in SF. Our summers are foggy and 50 degrees, at least in my little microclimate. We have beaches too! And my nemesis is the “I can’t” voice in my head that comes up while running telling me I can’t run that far, or that fast or some days even run at all. Somedays I have to put music on while running just to tune it out.
So much to comment on.
1. LOVE Coach Christine. I mean, as much as an Internet stalker can. Her TLAM plan got me successfully through training for my first marathon. I love keeping up with her and her family on Instagram. Her piece of writing on her 100+mile run was very poignant. I’m enjoying getting to know her in the AMR Find Your Strong Marathon Challenge! (So, as you can see, I’m jealous…) :)
I, too, am a slow runner. My hubby’s nickname is Gazelle or Roadrunner, as he’s a 3:07 Boston Marathon qualifying badass. But I feel like a badass in my own right b/c I started running after our 3rd kid, having never regularly exercised in my life, and after being known to quite-often say that I would only run if something were chasing me. I have completed 16 half marathons, one marathon, and countless shorter races. I don’t run on trails, over obstacles, through paint/foam/color, and I usually don’t run WITH people. I’ve heard it said that there are dog runners and cat runners. I am most definitely a cat runner. I like to set my own pace (i.e., slow and steady), take walk/picture breaks when *I* want to, and get lost in my music.
Oh, and my nemesis is that blasted sun. The only time I like the sun is when it’s 35 degrees. Then I welcome it. But I just can’t stand it in the summer. The heat/humidity/sun in the south is horrid, and the fact that I’m signed up for a marathon on Nov 1 means that most of my training runs will be in such horrid conditions. BLAH.
Just realized I forgot to number 2 and 3.
Please forgive me.
My nemesis is the Gut Wrencher! If my intestines aren’t happy, the rest of me doesn’t have a chance.
LOVE that you are coming to Maine! My home state and where I live. I wish I could swing this race although I’ve never ran more than a 5k because I’d love to meet you!! Hope you enjoy the state :)
Hills! Picture a purple mountain with a grimacing face on the side, laughing maniacally (they aren’t really mountains, but they are mean to me, lol).
The sun itself is not bad, it’s the “evil” duo of sun and humidity that tends to wreck my runs!
The Evil Headwind. Always 10x stronger than Tailwind.
My bad guys would be heat, humidity, and hills!! I guess that is a triple H and I didn’t realize it before writing it:)
My fuel-belt…I know that I need to have one for safety purposes as a Type 1 diabetic to carry my phone and emergency sugar-source, but it always seems to attack my torso. I cannot find one that stays put: arrgghh…
Humidity!
There is a 5K, Miranda. Just putting it out there….
And to circle back — I don’t live in Little Rock but was there for the AMR Retreat in April. I’m also definitely a cat runner who prefers almost any other weather than sunny and humid. Keep your nemisises coming!
HUMIDITY! Uggghhhhhhhh
Humidity. Every run this week has felt like I’m slogging through peanut butter. I can’t even look at my splits; it’s too embarrassing. And Hi from a fellow Viking. ;)
My Swiss-German blood coupled with my skim-milk skin absolutely despise the sun and heat. I feel like the wicked witch in Wizard of Oz: “I’m melting! I’m melting!”
Please don’t call yourself slow! Your mentioned pace is a minute per km faster than my current average pace and I thought I was getting faster :( I don’t mind having everyone pass me just don’t like having my slowness confirmed ;)
You ROCK for not letting the long days on your feet be an excuse to skip the long run! And my nemesis would have to be humidity, though I’m whiny about hills and the headwind (which totally is always stronger than the tailwind).
Love this post. I think I have learned something new with this post, I think I am a “cat runner”. Did not know such a “title’ existed. My nemesis, definitely my own negative self-talk. I am not a “real” runner because my average happy pace is 11:30-12:00.
The heat and humidity can go to hell; they are my nemeses.
Also, I’m completely with you on the beach thing. In fact, my perfect beach scenario involves cool breezes – perhaps even of the more gusty, pummeling variety – where it’s much too cool to wear anything resembling swimwear. Sweatshirt, wool sweater, but shorts are still reasonable. I’ll take a Maine beach over one in Florida any day of the week.
looks like a great race to do you are amazing …enjoying my am coffee and your wonderful writing!