The Accidental Runner: August 2014

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Sunday Runday...

Things are getting real over here in marathon training land.

With the mileage picking up,

it's starting to feel like the race is

just around the corner.

Only 49 days to go!

And here, as always are some pretty pics from our weekend.
(Two weeks worth!)

Lately, Jax and I have been running on the banks of the Schuylkill

(scooo-kill for all you non Philly folks)

It's pretty lovely.

That monkey made it 20 miles without slowing down.

I think I'm going to hire him out as a trainer.

Oh, and don't worry,
he was running around the house an hour after we got back.
Thanks buddy!

Ally has been seriously tearing up the trails.

So speedy!

Ally and her friend Carolyn.

Having friends run with you makes such a difference!

Cel in Indy.

there really is something special about running along water.

I've noticed we all do it!

And Lora in Chicago/Columbus, IN.

I never get tired of seeing those beaches!

Cheers friends!

Where is running taking you this week?

-KB

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

In celebration of getting back to training this week, here is a post I wrote towards the end of July, just a couple weeks before my surgery. It's also my first post (ever). My name is Ashley, although most people call me Creigh. And now that I am recently married it has turned into an awkward mix of CreighSchwab (my old and new last names combined). Honestly, I am not a runner. I am a horseback rider, that was forced to grow up and get a job, that fell into running :) And I am meeting some pretty amazing people along the way! So here we go:

I still remember the first time that the thought of becoming a runner ever crossed my mind. I was standing in Lance's (my boyfriend at the time, now husband's) house looking out the window witnessing my first race. As I looked at the porta potties lined up along the street, I couldn't help but wonder; how far could they possibly be running that they would need to stop to go to the bathroom? After asking Lance several questions I realized that I was watching the Monumental Marathon. Upon further investigation of figuring out that a marathon was actually 26.2 miles, I realized yep they need bathrooms! It was something that day about knowing that those people were running for 26.2 miles that made me think I can run 1. Yes, you read that right. I laced up my shoes and that day began my running journey. I completed 1 mile.

As I trained today for my second marathon, I couldn't help but remember where this all started. It was overwhelming going up and down the hills on Lake Norris, Tennessee with Lance, who helped me learn to run when I couldn't run more than just a few miles. My mileage has increased, my gear has certainly improved, and I am now married to that same guy. However, through all the changes one thing has remained exactly the same. The reason I run.

Lance running at Lake Norris. He's fast...this is my typical viewpoint!

Also at Lake Norris...Caution Deer on Bike. (I'm easily amused!)

Yesterday, I jumped off a rock cliff into the lake with my husband and brother-in-law.
This is why I run.
Next week, I have one of the biggest client meetings of my work career to date.
This is why I run.
In two weeks, I have surgery.
This is why I run.

I run to prove to myself that I can.

For me running is less about the physical activity and more about the fact that each time I go out I am proving to myself that I can do something that I once thought I couldn't. It's at mile 8, or 14, or 18 that a positive thought crosses my mind that keeps me going. It carries with me in all that I do, not just running. It's a chance to clear my mind, strengthen my faith, and to keep on going.

Prove that you can,

Ash

Monday, August 18, 2014

When Running Really F*cking Sucks

Last weekend, everyone’s mileage levels got real serious.

I slogged through 19 miles. That sounds like a lot -- and it is -- but this distance is bearable. Reason being, you don’t wake up one morning out of the blue and just randomly decide to run 19 miles. You work up to it. While these runs really put the L in LSD*, if you’ve done everything you’re supposed to do, you survive just fine.

So I chugged my way through each mile, put one foot after the other, and finished all 19 tired but strong.

This post is not about those 19 miles sucking. They were actually pretty fine. What I’m finding funny today is that those 19 miles were a piece of cake to the pathetic 3.5 miles I just ran.

If you could even call whatever I just did running. Imagine something more like… what someone looks as they slosh through waist-high waves. But there were no waves. It was just me trying to run on the streets of Chicago, imagining that everyone was secretly pointing at me because your speedwalking great-grandma could have covered ground faster than me.

I know I can’t beat myself up about this. My body is tired. I’ve been training hard. Even though I took a day off post 19-miler, my body is still recovering from those 3+ hours of pounding on pavement. And this is what preparing for a marathon is all about. Having the discipline to run when it hurts because training your muscles to get their ass in gear even when they’re mad at you is what you need to do during that marathon.

But still. Regardless of the reasoning behind why, today running really f*cking sucked. And that just f*cking sucks. Because running is supposed to be something I mildly enjoy. Unfortunately, on some days, that’s not the case. Some days it just really f*cking sucks.

I mentioned in my last blog post about new shoes that I knew there would be runs like this -- the kind when I question why I am even running in the first place. Yet that’s all kind of part of the deal. You never know when these bad runs are going to hit you. Sometimes you feel fine leading up to your run and for some reason (or no reason) you take two steps and know the next few miles will without a doubt be awful. But you trod through them anyway because

1. That’s what you’re supposed to do and

2. What if a neighbor was watching and saw you take two steps then turn around and walk back into your apartment? That would be embarrassing and silly.

So run/shuffle/plow on I did. And was I happy I did? Eh. Not really. I was happy at the end I didn’t have to do it anymore. And hey, since today was so f*cking sucky, that means my next run will be better, right? Let’s hope!

*LSD = runner speak for long slow distance.

— Betsy

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Sunday Runday

Running a little behind this week....

...har har har....

(sorry, I've still got some puns leftover from my teaching days)

But look at all of the pretty places we ran this week!

Ally ready to take off!

And congrats to the Speed Queen on her fastest 1/2!

Seriously, my legs hurt just looking at that time.

I was in Chicago this past weekend for a wedding

and took full advantage of being in proximity of my favorite ladies.

Lora and I ran around the lake

and then spent an exorbitant

amount of time floating in the waves.

It was pretty amazing.

Lora also hit the trails in Michigan.

And then Cel also came to visit Chicago,

so Betsy, Celina and I took off back to the lake

for a bit more the next day.

It was so great to catch up with all of my favs!

Now I just need some serious motivation

to run alone this weekend....

Ladies, anyone up for a road trip to Hilly Philly?

:-)

Cheers to running and the friendships that are strengthened from it.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

New Kicks

New running shoes signify lots of things. For some, it’s the start of a new workout plan or a recommitment to finally get in shape, once at for all. The shoes are something fancy and new to provide a little extra jolt of motivation.

But for a marathon runner, new shoes means the point of no return. With just about two months to go, mileage is steadily climbing week-to-week. The first 20-mile training run is just around the corner. For these seriously steep mileage weeks, I need to be ready with fresh (but not too fresh, because no new blisters are needed, thank you very much) kicks. Ever cognizant of the very real possibility of injury, I always replace my running shoes at this point in marathon training -- right before the “real” training begins.

This morning, right before I take one last swig of water and head out the door for my mid-week run, I’ll slip into my spotless new running shoes. They’ll feel light and bouncy, and I’ll have a little extra kick in my step.

But I’ll break them in fast. They’ll get dirty seemingly overnight.

These shoes will carry me across many, many miles over the next two months, then over the finish line at the Chicago Marathon on October 12.

For me, these new running shoes represent two months of high highs and low lows. I know I have many amazing runs ahead of me during which I couldn’t be happier doing what I’m doing because I love running and how alive it makes me feel.

I also know I have many awful runs ahead of me during which I will question why the heck I decided to do this stupid thing (yet again, this is marathon #5 for me), because actually, now that I think of it, I hate running and it’s boring and I just want to eat pizza.

Regardless of how today’s run, tomorrow’s run, or any of the others over the next couple of months make me feel, I will do them. Because that’s what marathon training is all about: Having the discipline to put in the work day after day because you know every mile is mental and physical preparation those 26.2 miles on race day.

New running shoes, you have no idea what’s in store for you. But I promise you -- despite the love/hate relationship we may develop with each other over the next 67 days -- in the end, it’s gonna be great. After that, I probably won’t see you for months, so let’s try our best to enjoy this time together.

— Betsy