Running group-less

I got some exciting news last weekend: my defunct sand volleyball league is un-defuncting! This makes me a happy, happy, happy girl! The only issue: the league is now on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Why is this an issue, you ask (or maybe you don't really care so I asked it for you)? 

Thursday is running group night. Sigh. 

After some debate, I decided to say, "See ya, running group!"

I know, I know. I love my running group. It helped me to run two half marathons. It was something I looked forward to every week (three times per week). 

I owe this medal to you, running group!

The love is till there, but I'm not training for any long distances races now. I have a few 5Ks on the horizon (and maybe a 5-miler or 10K thrown in), but nothing over the 10K distance. I can train on my own for the shorter distances. So, that's what I'm going to do. 

I'll rejoin the group in August when I start training for my second (I feel so cool saying that, and yes, I'm somewhat pathetic) Women's Half Marathon. Until then, I'm going to be saying "in your face" as I spike volleyballs at my opponents. OK, not really. But, something like that. 

And, I'll still be running three times per week. Just by myself. No group support. No peer pressure. Eek! I'm getting nervous already.

I'm in charge, nerves

With four days until my first half marathon, I’m extremely nervous (and occasionally excited). My current stomach knotters:

• The weather: it’s hot and humid. I don’t run well when it’s hot or humid. Excellent.
• An illness: I’m afraid I’ll get sick before the race. Every sniffle, every cough, every ache or pain is cause for concern. Am I getting sick? I CAN’T get sick.
• Tripping: as in, tripping and falling or tripping and spraining an ankle, knee, leg, something. I'm clumsy. This is entirely possible.

Looking at these concerns, I'm realizing the ridiculousness of them. I can't control any of them. So, I'm going to focus instead on things I can control.

• Hydration: Our coach told us about the importance of hydrating two to three days in advance of the race. I can do this. I like water. I drink a lot of it anyway. Easy enough.
• Diet: I've read many, many articles (and listened to my coach talk) about race day (and night before) nutrition. Basically, eat things you're used to eating. Don't try anything new. Carbohydrates are an ideal form of energy. Same thing for the morning of the race. I can do this. I'm in charge of what goes in my stomach.
• Sleep: That's it. Sleep. Get good rest the night before, but more importantly, two nights before the race. I rock at sleeping! I need to sleep well Friday night? No problem! I'm always exhausted from the work week, and I have no problem whatsoever getting in some serious sleeping hours.

I am in control of this race. I trained. I know I can do this. I will hydrate, eat smart and sleep well. Bring it!

Day 42 (Nov. 14)

Since I spent this past weekend in Kansas, I didn't do my long run on Sunday with the training group. Instead, I spent time with my family and recovered from tailgating and a four-OT Kansas State football game (yes, FOUR). K-State won, but man. My nerves were shot.


Woo-hoo! Victory after four OTs!



Losers! I'd post a picture of the winning team, but I sat by the visiting team's ramp.



My sweet purple shoes that I am certain contributed to a Wildcat victory.

So, after recovering from the madness, I decided to run tonight with my best running buddy, Caroline. Since I hated my 11-mile run, my main goal tonight for our 6-7-mile run (we did 6.5 miles) was to enjoy it. I was hoping it would go well since it is the last long (taper) run before the race. And, it did! I wouldn't say it was the best run ever, but it definitely wasn't the worst either. I mostly enjoyed it, and I felt good throughout.

The only real issue was my breathing. Not an I'm-exerting-myself-too-much-and-I-can't-breathe feeling, but more of a the-air-is-thick-or-the-neck-of-my-shirt-is-choking-me feeling. It was really humid, so that probably played into it. Also, it was low tide, and the smelliness of the bay could have played into it, too. I've got some leftover allergy issues from Kansas, so that may have been an issue as well. But, my fear is: it's nerves. Yeah, I know I said I was ready to rock this half marathon, and I am, but I've started panicking. Among my many, many fears:

• What if I can't breathe during the race?
• What if I sprain my ankle, leg, knee, toe, some other body part I'm not thinking of?
• What if I get sick before the race?
• What if it's too hot (I'm obsessively checking the forecast, and it looks kind of warm)?
• What if I'm not hydrated?
• What if I'm not fueled properly?
• What if I completely bomb the race after almost four months of training? (This is my biggest fear.)

So, now I'm freaking out as opposed to being excited. I'm so happy I joined my training group because I'd be nowhere near prepared if it wasn't for the group and my coaches, but ... it adds another level of pressure. I feel like people expect a lot out of me. "This girl's been training for months. She better not suck." Ack! I'm nervous. And worried. And anxious.

Day 1

Yesterday was the first training day with my group. I was nervous (as usual) because I always assume that I will be the worst runner. Turns out (as usual), I wasn’t.

After introducing ourselves, we set out with our coach and an assistant coach. It rained all day, but stopped for us to run (but stayed overcast, thank goodness). The plan: run 40 minutes. As we started off, a group took off … fast. I was not in this group. I kept my slow, but steady pace (and didn’t let it bother me that I was the last in line of 15 women — we were short about 15 because of the weather). Not too long into the run, girls in the fast group started stopping to walk. I kept running (slowly) by them. I didn’t wear my Garmin watch, which I love-love-love, because I was afraid it would get ruined in the rain (it ended up not raining). So, I really have no idea how far I ran or at what pace (besides slow).

And, I’m not even really sure how many minutes I ran. I didn’t make it the full 40 minutes. I walked for maybe 5 minutes after running about 30 minutes, and then ran the final 5 minutes (I think). I’d like to have made it the full 40 minutes, but I just didn’t. And, I’m OK with that … I guess. I’m trying to tell myself that anyway. I’m actually kind of disappointed.

So, we meet again on Thursday with the same plan: run 40 minutes. I’m nervous (as usual), but this time about the sun and heat. I’m a night runner, so dealing with the blazing Florida sun at 6:30 p.m. is really unappealing to me. I think I need to bring a water bottle with me, but this makes me nervous (surprise). I’m worried carrying something will affect my running abilities (however pathetic they may be). But, I guess that’s better than death by heat. I thought about a water belt, but two girls in the group that wore them last night said they were really irritating and kept bouncing up and down.

My goal on Thursday: run the full 40 minutes. I’m worried that I won’t be able to do it if it is sunny and hot, but that’s the goal. I’ll try to give myself a break if it is hot, but I’m really hard on myself.