Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Running update: Month of 11s

Last Saturday marked the first of my 11 mile runs and while you might think I'd be stressed about the mileage, I was more concerned about the after-mileage effects that have historically occurred as a result of my 11 mile runs.

Even though I didn't have any big plans for the day, I didn't want to be strapped to the loo like in recent years.

Thankfully, Excedrin-gut wasn't an issue as I didn't wake up with a migraine, and so, I went on my way running 11 miles with my Camelbak and Luna Moons as planned, trotting past the Too-Far-To-Drive-To Lunardi's market right on schedule.

Except people were still sorta staring at me. Like I was a freak. Like, Hey, Mable, should we call a cab for that poor girl because why else would someone be outside in shorts IN THE RAIN early on a Saturday morning?

Yes. Thank you, Nature, for blessing my first 11 mile run with a 2 hour deluge which had me soaked to the skin by mile 5.

Yay.

And then, thanks again, Nature, for sharing that special weather with me this morning as I went out for my 3 mile tempo run so that my neighbors could just reaffirm their belief that they live next to a certifiable maniac.

That's the only reasonable explanation as to why a woman of questionable fitness would be running around town at 7am in shorts and a tank top during a complete downpour.

I often think that if I actually looked the way I imagine myself to look (yes, I'm delusional, this is true) rather than the way I actually look, people would think I was, like, a hardcore athlete instead of a crazy person out trying to get in shape on a whim.

I think this goes back to my whole self-conscious runner image problem.

Anyway, despite the fact that I still don't look like this chick, despite years of running (can you believe it's been years now? Crazy.), I like to think that running in the rain gives me some points on the board for those days when I have to bow out of my runs due to extreme heat. Like I feel less guilty for not running on those days because, well, I ran in the rain damn it and that is dedication right there.

Pay no mind to the fact that running in extreme heat is my excellent and proven way of getting heatstroke and should, in itself, be a deterrent. Not important! You know me to be ridiculous!

And speaking of ridiculous, I have actually hatched a plan for running hills in preparation for the hilly Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon and this plan is called...dun dun dun...

The Dish.

If you live in the Bay Area, you've likely heard of The Dish. And, if you've heard of The Dish, you've likely heard someone bitching about The Dish. Perhaps something to the tune of, "I walked The Dish on Saturday and GEEZUZ am I still sore."

And that is because The Dish sucks. To walk. Because it's hilly and steep in places.

Now, I will say, that if you follow that link I plopped in up there, you'll see Yelp reviews from psychos that love The Dish and like to talk about what a great workout it is and that is because people in the Bay Area are crazies. Fitness crazies.

I don't think it hurts that The Dish is in the Stanford Foothills and I think we all know that Stanford=Crazy. (Sorry, Cal fan, here.)

Regardless, the legitimacy of The Dish's hills are renowned and so, I will be doing my hill training on them. It is possible that there will be tears. And there will definitely be swearing. Likely, I will be passed by someone wearing American flag shorts because that is my life.

A life of shame and slow running and being humiliated during most runs by a man in his 70s passing me with his flag shorts just whipping in the wind.

To make things all the more perfect, I'll just assume that it'll either be 90 degrees out or raining the rain of a thousand winters.

Yay for the Month of 11s.

7 comments:

  1. Um "Stanford=Crazy???" Finny! Just for that I'll go right out and put extra hills on the Dish trail just for you.

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  2. Okay, I wasn't passed by anyone in flag shorts at my Saturday night 5K, but I was passed by a BAREFOOT runner. Actually, there were two. The other one was way in the front, I think.

    You crack me up. I gave up an outdoor run yesterday because of the rain. I should have gone out because election day is next Tuesday, but I wussed out. Good for you for sticking to it and going your 11 !!

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  3. Yeah, every morning I wake up planning to go WALK around the block, which is 1 1/2 miles. So far, I have done it once. Your running of 11 miles at once is making me insecure. I hope you get to feel some smugness about that.

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  4. I thought you'd be amused to know that when I went by the entrance to the Dish trail this evening I saw someone wearing a full American flag jogging suit. Plus a pink visor. With yellow shoes. I don't think this woman would pass you, though. She had a walker.

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  5. If someday you get a pair of american flag running shorts in your mailbox, do not be surprised...
    Up here, if you didn't run in the rain, you'd never get to run! So I don't think you're crazy at all.

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  6. Okay, you are officially my new favorite blog-read! I am the wife of the neighborhood crazy runner. My husband goes out rain or shine and runs to Tilden Park from our house, up one of the steepest hills in the area, for 20+ miles every Sunday. For fun. This is on top of his regular mileage during the week. I, on the other hand, would be hard pressed to run around the block, unless being chased by someone scary, ax-weilding crazy person! So, who cares what the couch potato neighbors think? You rock!

    Oh, and now I'm totally scared of the Mendocino dress, and am sad, because I had visions of living in a few of them all summer. :)
    josilva3(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

[2013 update: You can't comment as an anonymous person anymore. Too many douchebags were leaving bullshit SPAM comments and my inbox was getting flooded, but if you're here to comment in a real way like a real person, go to it.]

Look at you commenting, that's fun.

So, here's the thing with commenting, unless you have an email address associated with your own profile, your comment will still post, but I won't have an email address with which to reply to you personally.

Sucks, right?

Anyway, to remedy this, I usually come back to my posts and post replies in the comment field with you.

But, if you ever want to email me directly to talk about pumpkins or shoes or what it's like to spend a good part of your day Swiffering - shoot me an email to finnyknitsATgmailDOTcom.

Cheers.