totallyjeneric » running

Pajama Run

jen — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:09:05 +0000

We woke at 3:30, left at 4:15, arrived at 5:00, started running at 5:30. IN THE MORNING. It was beautiful, but I will never do it again. Ever. Consider this my last race in the foreseeable future! Eight point four miles! Well technically I only jogged six point five and walked the rest, but that’s details, right? Sadly, this is the only evidence I have… by the time I got to the finish line (fourth from last), they had already started the awards ceremony, so the photographer was elsewhere and didn’t get any pictures of us finishing. You’ll have to take my word that the blurry figure in the green nightie is me. Why no one else in the photo is dressed for a pajama run is beyond me… I may run slowly but at least I have spirit!

Broad Street Run

jen — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:09:20 +0000

Sooo…. this company thinks that by blurring the picture, they’ll prevent people like me from doing screen captures and instead pay $50 for a digital file. Nope, I don’t think so! Blog readers, you’ll just have to take my word that the two blurry figures below are me and Eric, haha… CROSSING THE FINISH LINE… of the Broad Street Run. TEN MILES BABY!!! Yes, I am slow (and Eric sweet for staying at my pace), but proud that we jogged the entire distance without stopping. Overall it was a great experience… 23,000+ runners, insane lines at the port-a-potties, drizzling rain and runners in garbage bags, lots of energy, people cheering on the sidelines throughout the streets of Philadelphia. About 3 miles in, my feet started hurting. At 5 miles, we began charting new territory (the most I had run prior to the race was 5 miles… I do not recommend making such a huge jump overnight!). At 6, I started zoning out and no longer paid attention to the sites… just kept looking for the next mile marker. At 7, the neckline of my shirt started chafing against my skin… now I understand the rub-vaseline-everywhere concept. At 8 miles, I was exhausted and not sure I could make it. At 9, I thought running nine and walking one weren’t bad, but Eric just kept going and wouldn’t let me stop… and finally, FINALLY, two hours and ten minutes of running later, the finish line was FINALLY in sight. We pushed hard til the end! We were soaked, cold, and my legs felt like they were about to fall off, but we did it… I still can’t believe it. Gatorade and soggy pretzels never tasted so good!As you can imagine, we were SO SORE the next day… it was funny to watch Eric go up & down the stairs! By Wednesday, we were pretty much back to normal and everything felt fine except for my right foot. A week later, the pain still comes and goes… doctor says it’s probably inflammation of the tendon and to apply ice every few hours, so today I’ve been carrying around a bag of frozen corn at work. Haha. It’s annoying, but I’m glad it wasn’t more serious!

Anyway, looking forward to our next race in July: the Pajama Loop! Between now and then, four weddings to attend!!

Revolutionary Run

jen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:12:07 +0000

This past Sunday, we participated in a 5-mile race around Valley Forge Park. It was fun! The course was very hilly and challenging… apparently Olympic runners train there… but slow and steady, we made it! Compared to the race last month, I was more mentally prepared and appropriately dressed this time around. It was also great that the runners were lined up by pace at the start line, so we were surrounded by others of similar capability. Though strangers, we were united by a common goal that morning and encouraged each other toward the finish line. Pretty awesome. There were also some funny moments, like one guy saying ”what was I thinking!?!” only half a mile into the race. I don’t know why I look happy in some of the following pictures. The truth is I was dead tired but kept telling myself DON’T STOP!

As we approached the finish line, Eric shouted at me “you wanna hold hands!?” I was so very exhausted at that point, that I had no energy to think and shouted back “NO!” Haha, how terrible!! Apparently I am very mean when I run. Sorry, dear, I love you!

Our chip time was 1:03:16. What a satisfying feeling to finish.

Bouncing Back

jen — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:52:59 +0000

To give a more complete picture of how my “training” has been… the last two days have been TOUGH. Felt like I went from a personal best to an all-time low… Eric probably thinks I’m being dramatic… but honestly, I was SO discouraged! On Tuesday, I underestimated how cold it was and had to stop less than a mile later because I felt like an ice cube. Yesterday, Wednesday, I plodded along for a mile or so, then… for no good reason… just gave up. Didn’t push myself… just stopped. Became very frustrated and called a good friend with hopes that she’d confirm my rut was hormone-related… maybe?… but No, it’s all mental she said… and suck it up, Jen! Thanks, Lynne. =P For the record, she said many nice things too and I felt much better. Thanks, Lynne. =D So today, I tried some of her tactics like focusing on my form (breathing, stride, posture) in order to distract myself from feeling tired… setting shorter goals (versus my tendency to calculate total and remaining distance)… oh, and she also likes to count fingers and confuse herself with numbers (apparently another distraction technique), but that didn’t work so well for me. I tried!

Well, today I did 5 miles in 1:01:42. Had to walk a couple minutes and got a blister on my third toe… but no complaints…. progress is progress! And I was able to recover from my 2-day rut. Next step is to add hills and pray the weather stays warm. Yikes.

DLF > DNF >> DNS

jen — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:08:25 +0000

Sorry, this blog is temporarily turning into my running journal. Ran 4.2 miles today, slow (and I mean slow) and steady, but without stopping. Sometimes I feel like I’m in over my head, and that there’s no way I’ll be able to run the hilly 5-miles in less than 2 weeks. I can hardly make it on flat ground, plus my feet are throbbing afterwards! I imagine this is what a pregnant woman’s feet must look like!! But today, I also came across something encouraging online, which made me realize that even if I finish LAST, it’s OK. Guess I was a bit afraid of the embarrassment of being at the very end of the pack, with people twice or thrice my age flying by me. But I’m trying to remind myself of the progress I’ve already made. I know I’m in better shape than I was four months ago–when the most I could do was 1 mile–and Lord willing, I’ll be in better shape four months from now. The most I can do is try my best. If there’s anyone out there who feels like they’re attempting the impossible, I’m right there with you… just start small and don’t give up!!