Best 5K ever

Maria has been faithful to her plan of running one 5K each month in 2009. Last Wednesday we were among the... 12?... people who ran a 5K at Sports & Fitness Edge in Essex.

A 5K is 3.1 miles. This is not a long distance. This is a short distance. But this was meant to be my speed workout for the week, and I was actually getting nervous as the afternoon wore on. Could I keep a fast pace for three straight miles? What if I started too fast and petered out to a humiliating walk of shame to the finish line? What if, after months of training, Maria beats me having run only once a month for the last sixth months? I worried. I ate a garlic twice-baked potato. I regretted it. I drove over to the race after work.

The day had been sweltering, up until a massive rainstorm broke open an hour before the start. This turned out to be perfect timing: the skies were overcast, the temperature was cool, but no rain was falling.

The race was two loops with no mileage markers. As we broke from the starting line, I flubbed starting my watch. Dang! Maria kept time for us, and as we finished what I think was Mile 1 I asked for a time check. 8:15. Craaaaap! That's way too fast. We got to the half way mark in around 14 minutes. I got a little ahead of Maria around Mile 2 and then - blast her! - she caught me and PASSED me going UP a hill. I hate hills. We ran together for a ways, and then Jessica's yelling, ahem, encouragement, got me going and I was off toward the finish line. I think I even increased my pace, rather than just holding steady.

Final time: 27:50! Maria's time: 28:36!

I was really psyched for both us. That was a hard, successful run. Thank you to Chiara for coming out in the blah weather to cheer us on. Thank you to the race organizers for the sweet goodie bag. Thank you to Jessica for threatening to make me do a track workout if I didn't give this race my all.

Best mile time: 8:45!

Dear City of Burlington,

The bike path was awesome tonight -- a little warm, but not raining (for a few hours) and great views of the lake as always. Thanks for repaving the section between Leddy Park and North Beach, that was long overdue. Now, not to be picky, but could you put the mileage markers back, pretty please?

Sincerely,
Patti Daniels

I tried my first ever tempo run this evening: jogged 2 miles, ran a 10:00-minute mile; jogged 2 miles, then ran a mile in 8:45!!! I was amazed. Jogged the last mile back to the car. (For the sake of personal bests, I do believe my fastest mile ever was 8:30 at the Emerald Junior High School track during eight grade P.E., 1989.)

Probably not the recommended treatment for a blister

I wasn't sure I would write about this, but after hearing this story, a friend said, "Please tell me you're going to put that on the blog!" And frankly, it's by far the most interesting thing that's happened in training this season, so here goes:

For the last three weeks I've been developing blisters on the ball of my left foot. They hadn't been too bad but the previous week I had a deep blister and it tore open, leaving a good amount of exposed skin. Then came Saturday's long run: hot as blazes and really sunny. (The one day all summer we have decent weather and it ruins my long run. Nice.) Maybe it was the hot pavement, maybe not, but around mile 5-6 I could feel a blister forming in the exact same spot of the recent one. By mile 8, the midway point, each step off of that foot was really uncomfortable. I took a break to fill my Camelbak with ice at the Grand Isle ferry dock and examined the situation.

Sitting on the wooden steps of the information booth, I took off my sock and saw that a puffy blister had formed under the delicate new skin where the previous blister had popped. I pressed on it, but it was too deep and tender to pop it with my fingernails. I sipped my water, I looked around, I assessed my options. Among my possessions that I considered for MacGuyver-like duty were:

- driver's license, which I carry in case the run destroys me and I have to be lugged home by helpful strangers, but the hard plastic edge was not sharp enough to do the job;

- a few dollar bills, but not up to the challenge of causing a paper cut;

- Camelbak's zippered pouch -- seemed too unwieldy and painful to try to get blister caught in zipper;

- fence post! this I seriously considered. Maybe I could pry loose a splinter that was clean enough to jab into my foot;

- splinter idea led to small sharp pebble idea -- seemed cleaner but harder to execute;

Sitting there, cataloging these options, I suddenly understood the easiest, most sterile solution to the problem. I sneaked a look to my left, where cars were waiting to drive onto the ferry. After the last car passed, I crossed my left foot over my right knee, stared down at the blister and went in for kill: I chewed it open with my front teeth, in one strong, precise chomp.

I wasn't surprised that I had the reached the nadir of personal integrity that allowed me to do this: it was hot, I was desperate. I was surprised, kind of impressed actually, by how much water gushed out of my foot.

The people I've told have generally had two reactions to this story: 1) that is vile and disgusting. 2) How the heck are you flexible enough to put your foot in your mouth (literally)?

Sedentary day, yet totally exhausting

7:30 a.m.: arrive at work

(spend entire sunny day inside, in meetings and in windowless production studios)

6:15 p.m.: leave work, get dinner

7:00 p.m.: meeting

9:00 p.m.: meeting ends, leading to more beneficial post-meeting discussion (oh, the irony)

10:oo p.m.: leave meeting. gym closes. no strength workout today.

"That means you're doing it right!"

Track workout this morning: Jess displayed her sadist streak by instructing me to run 800s - two laps around the track, 1/2 mile. Six of them.

The first 800, I felt like my legs were in concrete, that I was slowly slogging through molasses. But when I checked my watch at 200 meters, I was under a minute, and I finished the 800 in 3:54 - my fastest 800 yet. What gives? My brain and my legs are totally disconnected.

I got a little slower with each 800 after that, creeping up to 4:11. (This is what happens when you think to yourself, in a sleep deprived state having risen at 5:20 a.m., 'Oh yeah! All six 800s under 4 min today!')

I took a long rest before the last one, during which Jess gave me advice: it should hurt, it should be uncomfortable. "Sometimes I get tunnel vision when I run really fast." Yes, friends, vertigo IS a sign of success at the track. "Jess, I'm so I tired..." "You should be! It's a track workout! What do you expect?!"

Summoning all my reserves, I focused on form and commanded the oatmeal I ate in the car on the way to the track to settled down, and pushed through the last 800 in 4:01!!!

Afterward Beth and Jess had celebratory comments on the workout. Yes, sometimes running makes your stomach turn, you may drool a bit, and you might limp for the rest of the day. Basically, it's like being in nursing home, running is. But running fast makes you a faster runner, that's the whole point here.

Postscript:

Rhet is out front running 100-meter sprints now. He thinks he can extend his pace to run a 1:20 marathon. Also, he had a churro and hot dog for lunch. He says he has it on good authority that this is good training fuel....

Three long runs

A lapsed blogger, I've been. Here's a recap of the last three weeks of long runs:

Stowe, Vt, Moscow loop- 10.5 miles

Annual Mad River rugby tournament can't be missed, so we made a plan to arrive at the field in Stowe as early as possible and I immediately took off for run. Did you know that Stowe is hilly? My legs were toast after this run. Watching rugby for the rest of the day was fun, but I had to take a nap around 3 p.m.

Grand Isle, Vt, Ferry loop road - 12 miles

The week preceding this run stank - workouts went badly, or didn't go at all. (Note I didn't write about it.) I got some inspiration from Andy Roddick's against-all-odds Wimbledon performance and decided to forget about the week and focus on the long run. I mentally broke up the run into 2 mile segments and focused only on the next 2 miles in front of me. It went really well! This run resurrected the week for me, and has propelled me into a streak of strong workouts ever since.

Grand Isle, Vt, Route 2/East Shore Road - 14 miles

And that streak flagged a bit on this run, on Sunday. A synopsis:

Miles -- Little voice in my head

0-2 You're always tired at the beginning, shake it off

2-4 Now you're into it, this isn't hard

4-6 Should I pick up that fallen garbage can? Nah, keep going.

6-8 Shade feels nice, pretty view of the lake from here.

8-10 Great pace! Cue the theme song to "Rocky"! You are an underdog running hero! Bit breezy though.

10-11 This wind is RIDICULOUS. There are white caps on the water, hold onto your hat (literally).

11-12 Oh god help me. This wind is the running equivalent of those infinity pools. Am I running place, here?

12-12.5 I could hitchhike! Look, she's leaving the farmer's market - she'd give me a ride.

12.5-13 Alright, get it together. Only 1.5 miles to go, just make it happen.

13-13.85 Screw it - walking is exercise, too.

13.85-14 Jog it on home. Just in time to escape the rain.