Mapping the Last 10.2 for Sunday

The Internet is kind of vague when it comes to the exact streets that the Boston Marathon course follows. So, I e-mailed the DFMC coach, Jack Fultz, for directions, and he should know how to get to the end--he won the race, so he had no one to follow.

Here's my plan:

Start at Washington and Grove Streets in Newton, my stopping point on April 16.

Follow Washington to the firehouse. Turn right onto Comm Ave, which I follow past Boston College.

Then, according to Jack, I will "Continue east on Comm. Ave to Chestnut Hill Ave.

Turn right onto Chestnut Hill Ave and run to the bottom of the hill.

Turn left onto Beacon Street (east bound lane)

Run east on Beacon Street all the way into Kenmore Square.

Bear right through Kenmore back onto Comm. Ave and stay on Comm. over Mass Ave. (marathon now runs under Mass Ave but except for marathon day, that is for car traffic only.)

One block past Mass Ave, turn right onto Hereford Street. Go to top of hill (end of Hereford) and turn left on Boylston.

Final 600 meters are on Boylston St. - you'll see the finish line as you run over it!!!!

Then stop in Copley Plaza and check out the BAA - Boston Marathon monument in the sidewalk just off Boylston Street." I'll thank Jack via his name, which is one of the many inscribed in the pavement.

It looks like I'll be running alone, since many of my friends will be wisely enjoying the long weekend out of town while I schlep through Boston. If you're in town on Sunday morning, meet me at the finish line around 10 a.m. I'll be the tired one in tears.

Today's mileage: 4
Conditions: treadmill
Quality: 4
Shoes: Asics 2120
Knee pain: low

Save Zhang

I ran this evening after an atypical two days off. I usually don't go more than a day between runs but I treated my knee to an extra day of rest yesterday and had the best run in a long time this evening.

As I ran, I was thinking of how the rest probably did my energy, motivation, and muscles a big favor, and I thought about Zhang Huimin. Zhang runs 40 miles every day in a campaign to traverse 2000 miles across China as a prelude to the Beijing Olympics. She wakes up at 2:30 a.m. to start and subsists on beef jerky and other portable meals as she goes. Zhang is not an ultramarathoner who has spent decades running. She is eight years old, trained by her father, who is crossing China with her--on an electric bike.

I listened to a story about her on NPR, but she has drawn attention all over the world for the controversial journey. When I listened to her speak on the radio, I was taken back to my doctoral work in girls' voice and embodiment. I listened to her describe her vocation with discipline, commitment, and zeal, but what I heard most was the voice of a child. She sings children's songs to herself as she runs, sounding very much like an eight-year-old who should be on a playground, not the road.

I am a strong advocate of running as a means to girls' empowerment. In this case, I hope that she can find the power to insist on being a child, not an elite runner before she hits puberty--if she experiences puberty at all.

Today's mileage: 4
conditions: 77 degrees, sunny, dry
quality: 5
shoes: Mizuno

Wish I Looked Like This When Running

My almost three-year-old on the "Moonwalk" at the local 4H Fair this weekend.

The Westford Mother

The hill in my town that stretches a mile from the railroad tracks/farm stand to Town Hall is now known by me as The Westford Mother. Today I ran up this hill after three miles (followed by another 5 miles) and paid for it the rest of the way, forced to take two walk breaks and a break to stretch. I'd run it before but today it was a killer with the humidity and my testy knee. I checked out its elevation on www.mapmyrun.com and discovered that my route today went from 174 feet above sea level to an elevation of 469 feet. I felt every one of 'em. Brutal. Check it out here.

Mileage: 9
Conditions: 72 degrees, humid, partly sunny
Quality: 2
Knee pain: low-moderate

That Darn Knee

Family is in town, so little time for frivolous blogging. Nonetheless, I made a quick trip to the gym for 35 minutes on the Arc Trainer because my knee has been wonky the last couple days. Hope it's okay for nine miles outside tomorrow.

My New Fall Wardrobe

It's been unseasonably cool in the northeast, making it all the more miserable to have to run on the treadmill for the sake of my knee. Chilly outside, and I'm stuck in a stuffy gym with Regis and Kelly on the TV. Paging through a Harper's Bazaar that I used to cover up the arduously slow increase in my mileage on the treadmill display, I learned that a key element of my fall wardrobe will be a sequined tank top. It will coordinate well with the Ugg slippers and fleece Horny Toad sweatpants I wear every single day, I suspect.

Today's mileage: 4
Conditions: Treadmill (Regis and Kelly)
Quality: 3 (Regis and Kelly)
Shoes: Asics 2120
Knee pain: low

Five Pairs and Counting

Don't tell my husband, but I currently own five pairs of running shoes.

1. My new long-run Mizuno Alchemy 6s
2. My short-run/treadmill Asics 2120s
3. My recently demoted Adidas Supernova Controls, which I only use for cross-training
4. My old Asics 2110s, which I wear to knock around town
5. My first marathon shoes, the old school Adidas Brevard, which they don't make anymore and which I keep around for purely sentimental reasons

I know there must be people who have more than five pairs of running shoes in their closets. Make me feel better by identifying yourselves!

Today's mileage: 4
Conditions: Treadmill (Headline News)
Quality: 4
Shoes: Adidas 2120 (see above)
Knee pain: low

Campaign to Rename the Half-Marathon

There was a great segment on NPR's Only a Game this morning that chronicled the reporter's training for a half-marathon, a considerable and challenging distance to run by most people's standards. She articulated what a lot of us have experienced when preparing for a half, which amounts to a not-too-shabby 13.1 miles--the lack of respect given to a race that is described in terms of being half of a more prestigious distance. A half-marathon is not walk in the park, unless, of course, it's being held in a park and you're walking it. Anyway, finishing a half-marathon certainly calls for an ice pack, some Motrin, and whatever high-calorie treat you prefer.

It's time to give some much deserved props to the half, and the first step is to rename it as it's own challenge. When you run a half-marathon, people always ask when you're going to go for a full marathon, and it's high time that the half be regarded for the tough road it is. Today, I started brainstorming new names for the half-marathon, but I didn't come up with any decent candidates, mostly because I was fried and in my last mile of a nine-mile long run. I'm open to suggestions, but in the meantime, let's give a shout-out to the half, which is a whole lot of work and a whole lot of reward.

Today's mileage: 9
Conditions: 70 degrees, sunny, dry, windy
Quality: 3 (not enough shade on the route, ran it alone)
Shoes: Mizuno
Knee pain: low

I Run Like a Girl

Once an epithet tossed around by punk school boys and macho gym teachers (yeah, you, Mr. Gonzales), running like a girl is now a mark of pride, much to the thanks of Jennifer Wright-Tubbs, founder of www.irunlikeagirl.com. Her ironic embrace of running like a girl through her website promotes women's and girls' running as a source of empowerment, equity, and gender confidence, as opposed to the competition, discrimination, and bias that usually come with that phrase. As her About Us page puts it: "iRUNLIKEAGIRL Celebrates Ageless Spirit in girls & women of all Sizes, all Ages, and all Sports Levels." You can email Jennifer's organization (irunbecause@irunlikeagirl.com) to explain why you run like a girl--they're compiling girls' and women's accounts of why they run for some unnamed future project. Or, join her advocacy of women's running by wearing your support on a t-shirt or other product, sold through her website. Read her associate's account of Boston's stormy marathon this year, too.



Mileage: 4
Conditions: treadmill (Tyra again)
Quality: 4
Shoes: Asics 2120
Knee pain: low

Don't Eat a Peanut Butter Sandwich Before Running

Enough said.

Mileage: 4
Conditions: Treadmill (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Quality: 2 (see title of post)
Shoes: Asics 2120
Knee pain: low

New Shoes

Just had to say again that I love my new running shoes: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 6. Lightweight, lots of arch support, and no breaking in. They've helped my overpronating on the right side, too.

I videotaped myself on the treadmill to analyze my gait. Here I am running in my old Asics; note the overpronation on my right foot (not incidentally, also the leg with my IT Band problems):




Mileage: 4
Conditions: Treadmill (Two Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes)
Quality: 3
Knee pain: low
Shoes: Asics 2120 (still my treadmill shoes)

My Unfinished Business

I've set the date to finish the marathon: Sunday, September 2, 8:30 am. The last 10.2

Saturday's long run:
Mileage: 8
Conditions: 70 degrees, dry, sunny
Quality: 4
Shoes: Mizuno Alchemy

Thursday's Short Run

Mileage: 4
Conditions: Treadmill
Quality: 3 (Oprah on TV)
Shoes: Asics 2120
Knee pain: low

The Good Old Days

No puppies--just a nice run through the Carlisle Barracks for the Carlisle Summerfair 5k race, where I set a PR.

Today's mileage: 4
Conditions: Treadmill (Oprah today)
Quality: 2
Shoes: Asics
Knee pain: low

The Lesser of Three Evils

What would you choose?

1. Keep a puppy from peeing in the house, nipping your son, and eating the fringe on your rugs.

2. Play cars with that son for the millionth time while trying to get him to brush his teeth and change out of his jammies.

3. Run 7 miles after a week of sleeping 3-4 hours per night, on average.

Today's mileage: 7
Conditions: 65 degrees, dry, sunny
Quality: 3
Knee pain: low
Shoes: Mizunos

Running Me Ragged

Today's mileage: 4
Conditions: treadmill
Quality: 3 (CNN on the gym TV = B-o-r-i-n-g)
Shoes: Mizuno Wave Alchemy (NEW SHOES!!!!--love 'em)
Knee: almost pain free