Oops

Funny. I thought I was scheduled to run 10 miles on Sunday, since I'd run 9 the week before. Would have helped to look at my calendar, which indicated that I only needed to do 6-8 to stay on schedule. However, the kind of introspection that comes with running 10 miles by yourself leads you to think of things you'd somehow forgotten. Like ordering my 2-year-old a birth certificate. It's only been two years, but perhaps he might like to have it someday. Now no one can claim that training for a marathon compromises my maternal responsibilities. It seems that it has only improved them so far. (I have now ordered the birth record, by the way.)

Today's mileage: 5.25
Today's conditions: 30 degrees, partly cloudy
Today's quality: 3

Oy

This was not one of the better weeks at our house. After

• a stomach bug (Henry and me),
  
• conjunctivitis (Henry),
  
• a minor car accident (Brian),
  
• a lost drivers' license (me),
• the front door wide open for several hours overnight on the coldest night of the year (we won't identify the culprit),
  
• a broken furnace (on the weekend=time and a half to fix it, only to have it still unreliable),
• and a damaged front door that will require replacement (it's a long story),

I was not enthusiastic about running ten miles today, but I was glad that the DFMC weekly group run would be sort of close and I'd have company for my first double-digit day. Then...I woke up to find our steep driveway covered with snow, which would require shoveling, which would take more time than I had. That meant I had to miss their run (bummer) and pound out the ten by myself. After the week I'd had, though, another hour and a half of misery would be not too significant. I did it. I'm done. And here's hoping the house won't fall down, we will stay healthy, and our travels will be safe next week.

Today's mileage: 10
Today's conditions: 39 degrees, sunny, slushy
Today's quality: 3

Buggery Bug

Stomach bug made its way from Henry to us. No running today. Argh.

I Don't Know How She Does It

Feeling overwhelmed by my life lately, I had to pause and reflect in order to regain a grip on my sanity. If someone had asked my five years ago where I'd want my life in 2007, I would have said that I'd like to have a child, teach Women's Studies part-time at a good college, and be able to maintain a running practice and my needlework. Guess what happens when you get what you want? I have all of those things and all I can think is that somewhere I took a wrong turn and ended up on a treadmill without one of those red clips to pull in order to make it stop when you get tired.

Last night I returned home from my first day of class for the semester to find that my husband had picked up my toddler at daycare around noon because he'd thrown up. I had no idea because I am an adjunct professor without an office and had my cell phone off while I worked in the library. Henry had thrown up for the first (and second) time in his life, and his mother was inaccessible. His father, quite literally and quite fortunately, had been there to catch the spew.

I am reminded in this situation of two readings, the first being the novel I Don't Know How She Does It, a funny but very poignant and sad look at the lot of working mothers in contemporary culture. This situation of feeling inadequate in all areas of my life is not what was promised by the suggestion and insistence that I could and should have it all. I also thought of a recent essay by Jean Baker Miller, which she wrote shortly before she died last year. In it she discusses the life of the working mother and the very feeling that I currently have, that no one is getting my best--not my son, my students, my husband, or myself. Miller wrote:

When forced to choose between two options--being a full-time parent or a full-time worker--we run the risk of feeling like failures. This is because neither one of the options is good enough. This sense of failure causes despair--a profound lack of hope about the whole thing, as is happening today to some women who struggle with the demands of both work and motherhood. Thus, we are always blaming ourselves and feeling inadequate. . . . Society needs to help women, men, and families find new, multiple-choice alternatives today.

Today's mileage: 4
Today's conditions: 30 degrees, sunny
Today's quality: 4

So, So Cold

The only thing worse than having to run 9 miles in sub-freezing temperatures is to walk past your husband knitting by the fire on your way out the door. The stinker. He very kindly left his knitting for a few minutes, though, to put a water bottle in our mailbox for me to drink before it could freeze and be useless to me. He also made me a pot of coffee upon return so that I might have my favorite post-run treat--a hot milky coffee--which I'm not so ashamed to admit to anymore, since finding out that caffeine from coffee can reduce muscle and joint pain after a hard workout. Perhaps that's why I crave it so much after a long run.

This is my last weekend of single digit miles and I'm a bit daunted by what's to come...

Today's mileage: 9
Today's conditions: 22 degrees, sunny, breezy
Today's quality: 3

Thursday's Short Run

Just back from Georgia and realized I didn't blog my distance on Thursday.

Thursday's mileage: 2 (on treadmill)
Thursday's conditions: 35 degrees, rainy
Thursday's quality: 3

On Vacation, Part 2

Why today's run improved on Monday's:

1. cooler and drier (but not as cool as at home--6 degrees this morning? yikes!)
2. lunch after, not before
3. needle ladies donated $225 last night!

Why today's run is only a '3' in quality:

• had to stop to "trim" my toenail with my finger after it started to cut into an adjacent toe, leading to blood and discomfort. Note to self: cut your toenails!

Today's mileage: 6
Today's conditions: 45 degrees, cool, windy on the lakes
Today's quality: 3

On Vacation

At the Callaway School for Needlearts...

Three reasons why my run was lousy yesterday:

1. Fried chicken 10 minutes before going.
2. Hot and humid
3. I'd rather be stitching.

Yesterday's mileage: 4
Yesterday's conditions: 80 degrees, humid, sunny
Yesterday's quality: 1

Bought Me a Ticket For an Airplane

Tomorrow I leave for a short trip to Georgia, where I will spend some four precious days at the Callaway School for Needlearts. The annual trip with my mother will involve some concentrated learning in my favorite vocation/avocation, which I have little time to enjoy with all of the running, teaching, and fundraising I've been doing. I do plan to run three times while I'm there and despite the modest distances to be logged while I'm away, they will be hard to accomplish, I'm sure, because training away from home is always difficult for me (especially when I'd rather be stitching). I also hope to blog my distances on my running days, though I might just get in my mileage, the weather (think warm), and the quality (which should be good, given the gorgeous trails where we'll be). Hopefully my notecard sales to the stitching ladies will rake in some serious cash for the DFMC!

Finally, thanks to my mother-in-law for coming to our home to take care of my son (and my husband!) while I'm getting a spoiled few days away.

Today's mileage: 8
Today's conditions: 48 degrees, drizzly
Today's quality: 4

On Distance and Difficulty

It's amazing how a 6-mile run can far surpass a 2-mile run in quality. Yesterday, I ran strong, hard, and about as far as I'm going these days, and it felt great. Today I put in a short run in similar weather conditions, but my legs felt heavy and my left glute was straining. Tomorrow's day off will be appreciated, especially before I go 8 miles on Saturday.

Today's mileage: 2
Today's conditions: 31 degrees, sunny
Today's quality: 3

You Know You're a Marathon Mama When...

...your two-year-old knows spitting is okay in two situations:

• when you're brushing your teeth, and
  
• when you're running.
  

Today's mileage: 6
Today's conditions: 35 degrees, windy, sunny
Today's quality: 4

The Fashion Police Go for a Run

As with any trendy activity, runners have an overabundance of drool-worthy products and clothing to long for. Personally, I'd like some cw-x running tights, since their ad promises they'll stabilize my muscles and enable a longer and more comfortable run. Plus, they look snazzy. Like many runners, though, I don't buy most of the high-tech clothes I see in Runner's World or the Athleta catalog. Tell me, then, why people who have a seemingly endless cash flow go for a run in the most inane clothing.

Take Madonna, for instance, cutting an interesting, if not pratical, image as she jogs in an argyle sweater and trucker hat. Granted, she's wearing track pants, but I'd venture to say they aren't made from a wicking fabric and are better suited for covering up on the way to the basketball court.

Or the lovely but confused-in-romance-and-exercise Kate Hudson, who hit the Australian streets for a jog in a less than supportive top and running shoes that seem more appropriate for either a 500m race or a quick jaunt to Starbucks. And it doesn't look like she's applied sunscreen in a while, which we all know is a must for any runner on a continent under a hole in the ozone.

Today's mileage: 4
Today's conditions: 41 degrees, sunny, windy
Today's quality: 3

They've Come to Accept Me

Today's a day off in my training, which is good because it's pouring and I had to go to the doctor for treatment for my second infection with Lyme Disease in 8 months. On the positive side, however, the Boston Athletic Association has come to terms with my entry for the marathon and has officially accepted me for the race this year. It's funny how my entry feels less like a triumphant acceptance into a competitive college and more like the BAA has reached the final stage in its grieving process and accepted me as one of this year's runners. Nevermind that, I'm in! See here for proof.

99 Days to Go and $4,000 at my Back

After my lousy run the other morning, it took a lot to get me interested in running 7 miles today. Fortunately, I had a lot of external impetus. I'm a list-maker, so I thought I'd itemize my motivations this morning:

1. I've reached the $4,000 milestone with a very kind contribution by the Haertsch family in honor of Leo and Delores Haertsch. Even with the wind in my face, that's a lot of money at my back.
2. Yesterday marked 100 days to Marathon Monday. That's a sobering thought and good incentive to increase my mileage.
3. One of my most generous supporters, Nan Barber, has resolved to swim 26.2 miles by April 16. Not only is her monetary help a big motivator for me, but her decision to show support through her own favorite activity--swimming--increases my own commitment.
4. It's 63 degrees outside. In January.

Today's mileage: 7
Today's conditions: 63 degrees, wet, breezy, cloudy
Today's quality: 4

6 Miles @ 6 am: A Stream of Consciousness While Nearly Unconscious

My bed so warm
Outside dark, so dark
I cannot see my feet.
Quiet in these woods
Start running, eyes closed
Never run again so early, I swear
Too quiet, except for the lions, tigers, and bears roaring through my nerves.
Instead of fierce creatures
I see a chicken cross the road
(the obvious question and answer apply)
A chicken?
Then,
I think I stepped on a dead squirrel.
But I can't really tell
Because I can't see my feet yet,
Despite the full moon
Still high in the sky.
Just after the chicken,
A stitch in my side adds more discomfort
And I can only think:
coffee, juice, and scones, coffe, juice, and scones
Over and over.
On my way home
A rooster crows.
It crows on my way home.
A slow run today, a hard slog on heavy feet.
Not good, but done.

Today's mileage: 6
Today's conditions: 35 degrees, dark, a bit foggy
Today's quality: 2

Getting My Run In

When I ran the Richmond Marathon, I didn't know what a luxury my training plan was. I was a grad student, without children, training over the summer. I could set my schedule so that I ran at the same time every day, in the morning before the sun got too hot. I only ran later than 10 am on a few occasions, like when I did a 9 miler after dark during a heat wave.

Now, with work and a two-year-old, I train when the opportunity presents itself. I still prefer to run in the morning, but sometimes I'm forced to run after lunch when my toddler is napping and my husband is working from the house. Other days, when he works at the office, I can't get out for a run until 4, after he gets home. On those days, it takes all of my will power to get out there, especially if it's cold and getting dark already (as it is in New England this time of year). Still, I remind myself I have the luxury of health and fitness and legs that can get me as far as I need to go. Training for Dana-Farber and raising money to fight cancer helps get me out there in the fading light and encroaching cold. It is this privilege and the luxury of my good health that help me stick to it.

Today's mileage: 4
Today's conditions: 42 degrees, overcast, dusk
Today's quality: 4