And it all sorta begins here...
Captain of my HS Cross Country Team, 1981
1. Best run ever: Colorado Marathon, 2011. It wasn't my fastest, but I did qualify for Boston. It was the first marathon I ran where I felt I did just about everything right, everything clicked, and it felt almost (almost!) easy all the way to the end. Now all I want is more of that! That was some good stuff.
2. Three words that describe my running: Disciplined, thoughtful, life affirming
3. My go-to running outfit is: Saucony P.E. running shorts and a Road Runner Sports Jog Bra - maybe a shirt if it's colder that 45 degrees ;) I like it cold when I'm running!
4. Quirky habit while running: I tend to have certain routes I really enjoy and keep going back to, through the seasons and over years. I have a relationship and a history with my favorite routes and they help tie my running identity together as the years fly by. When I return to my childhood home (where my mother still lives) I run the same routes I ran in high school. Much has changed, but I'm still essentially that young girl running to discover herself.
5. Morning, midday, evening: Morning - Always. It's the only way to get it done (for me) with a family and work. I've gotten up at 2 a.m. many times if that's what's necessary. Morning runs are also my favorite way to start the day.
6. I won’t run outside when it’s: I pretty much always run outside. I never run inside and I've only run on a treadmill once, in Maine in 1989, for a VO2Max test. I'm entirely too spastic for the treadmill. I've run through Maine Nor'easters, -15 degree deep freezes, 90+ mph wind storms (I've been blown off the road many times!) and 105 degree Colorado bakers.
7. Worst injury—and how I got over it: Calf tendinosis, 2008. Nothing worked and the conclusion was that my knee was shot to heck. The diagnosis was dire. The MRI showed a grisly picture of flaking and tearing and delamination and just general destruction. Well, that didn't make sense to me, since my knee never actually hurt, and so I went on a 10 month long journey to find answers. My answer and salvation came in the form of many small needles redirecting my confused body! (http://www.chronicrunner.com/2011/10/confessions-of-born-again-racer.html)
I have this done to various body parts very regularly.
Now I have a little addition problem with needles!
8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: Boston, 2012. 90 degrees of baking hot love! Walking in the high sun to the starting corrals felt like a walk to the guillotine! I remember running up heartbreak Hill - everyone - and I mean everyone - around me was walking. Now I wasn't moving very fast but I was still running - and I ran the whole dang thing!
Looking like something the dog dragged in.
Badass feet!
9. Next race is: Fox Valley Marathon, St. Charles, Ill., this Sunday (Sept. 16th), then NYC in November :)
10. Potential running goal for 2013: Dunno yet. This has been a big year - Boston, New York, qualifying for and becoming a Marathon Maniac. I'm going to reassess things after NY, though I'm already registered for the Colorado Marathon, 2013. There's lots of things to chew over - lots of directions to go...
Wow, good luck this weekend! I hope you get cool weather to go with the sea level air. I do think you'll get back to Boston--and it will be more fun next time.
ReplyDeleteNeedles do help, don't they? Weird but somehow true!
And I always run in the same places back home, too.
Well, the weather is not looking good right now :/ Grrrrrr. I'll just have to make the best of it!
DeleteThose feet! Oy ... Visiting from the AMR girls ... congrats on the qualifying!
ReplyDeletelove the pic from you in high school. It's very cool that you've kept it going all these years. Hope you have just as many or more running years in the future!
ReplyDeleteBA feet indeed!!!
ReplyDelete