Monday, December 07, 2009

I Guess I Should Write Something Now About Running*

*Or, (title courtesy the lovely Coach Michele Buckley):
"How to Pass Out Naked in Your Office"

Next up, our intrepid heroine tackles the Blue-Gray Half Marathon, Sunday, Dec. 13, 7:30 a.m., departing from the now defunct (the blog not the person) Finally Running Susan's and David's lovely house.

OK, maybe it's technically true I have run a few half-marathons before. Technically.

I think Sunday will be my 7th half. And the question that remains is: WHY?? WHY DO I TORMENT MYSELF LIKE THIS?

Sigh.

My last long run was Saturday, 11 miles. I started out at 7:30 in the cold and rain, having left my rain jacket home. I realized the minute I got in the car that a) it was raining, and b) my rain jacket was upstairs. How is it possible to be lazy when you're about to run 11 miles? I have no idea, but I was too lazy to stop the car and go back upstairs to get my rain jacket, so I ran the first 5.5 miles in the increasingly heavy rain. I was C-O-L-D, but cold usually works for me and this was no exception. I made some decent time, but more important, I was able to stay in the lovely zone two of my heart rate training without a lot of walking.

After the turnaround, it got cold. Maybe high 30s. I was wet and cold and heading into the wind.

And then all of a sudden, someone shook the snow globe and I was running in a winter wonderland.

And just like that, I didn't hate running anymore.

If only I knew which switch to flip so that I could control this process!

I finished my run in 2:10 (the previous week I did 10 miles in 2:07), staggered into my office and tried to change my wet clothes. My fingers were completely numb. They absolutely would not cooperate. Somehow I managed to struggle out of my running bra and wet turtleneck, and then sat in front of my space heater AT MY DESK shivering when all of a sudden the room started spinning..and yep, down I went.

Imagine coming in early Saturday to catch up on a spot of work only to be greeted by that scene??

Have mercy.

In light of The Troubles, my goal for Sunday is to finish (bar too high?? ya think??) I don't think a PR is realistic this go-round, but that's ok. Frankly, I will be thrilled if I cross the finish line anywhere close to 2:30.



(A huge thank you to all of you for your support. You guys are too much.)

11 comments:

21stCenturyMom said...

As long as you have fun who cares how long it takes? Things slow down in the cold, right?

LBTEPA said...

OMG that sounds SCARY ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE OK? must stop shouting....
Nothing bad will happen if you don't run, and heck, a few years ago did you ever imagine being the kind of person who said, meh, another half marathon (+ >20km run!!!), I won't get a PB but whatever?
BTW if you get 2.30.29 you'll have beaten my PB. Gauntlet: down!

gmgizmo9 said...

Have fun on Sunday! I'll be there...but I'm doing the 5K. And yes, who cares how long it takes - as long as you have fun! I hope to see you there. :)

Vic said...

Have fun and be careful! No passing out at the race!

Lindsey said...

I giggled at the thought of you passed out naked in your office, BUT after that, I was filled with concern. Are you sure everything is ok? Miss you!

Thomas said...

Oh my God, I hope you're ok, Jeanne. I have passed out once or twice in the past which was related to blood pressure, but that stopped once I took up running.

Take care of yourself, but most of all enjoy the half!

Lesser is More said...

Hope the recovery process is in full effect! Any thoughts on what may have caused you to pass out? Maybe it was just elation from a nice enjoyable run in the snow?

Good luck!

Petraruns said...

Jeanne now you have me worried. How long were you out for? Do you know what caused it?

I think you need to have a Snuggie in the office so you can strip off wet clothes and then quickly cover up - just in case this happens again. Which I really hope it won't. Actually thinking about it now Snuggies are open at the back like hospital jackets aren't they? No use then. Scrap that suggestion.

So we're back to why did this happen? Had you eaten before and during your run? Because I feel light-headed when I head out on an empty stomach.

Have a fabulous time on Sunday - for some reason I thought this was in February. I'm an idiot. Have a wonderful time and don't worry about your time. Just get her done and then lie in the bath with a glass of wine. Making sure you don't pass out first..

peter said...

Good luck on Sunday! I've always wanted to run that race, but since three miles Monday just about killed me (I hadn't run since the ATM, about 15 pounds ago), I guess I'm not ready for 13. You're going to do a sub 2:30 for sure with the way you're running!

Karlaj said...

I'm vacillating between amused and concerned. Mostly the former. Sounds like you might need to fuel more (salt/water/sugar), but food's my answer to most anything.

G'luck out there. I'll be thinking warm thoughts for you.

Maryland Girl aka Michelle said...

Good Luck on Sunday! Just finally getting around to catching up on the blogs. I can't believe you ran last Saturday. I should have been out there .