miles to go before i sleep

A few steps from the start and finish line. Saw a t-shirt with the last four lines of this poem at the expo today, and I think it's pretty appropriate...

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

More post-race!

Wings of Reason

I spied wings of reason, herself taking flight

And upon yonder precipice saw her alight

And glare back at me one last look of dismay

As if she were the last one she thought I’d betray

Phish - "Rift"

Reason completely went out the door last week. Why else would I wake up on Saturday morning to run 22 miles in the rain, when there was a perfectly reasonable alternative to run the following morning in beautiful 65 degree sun? Apparently, Sunday’s run was amazing (see Abby and Bess for recaps.) But I had it in my head to press on in the rain, figuring that as bad as the run itself would be, I’d be prepared for a worst-case scenario if come race day, there was a monsoon.

Two years ago, for my 3^rd attempt at a marathon, I had a fantastic training season. Had great pacing times, went without injury, and was expecting a 4 hour finish time. Then, the night before the race, I totally psyched myself out, couldn’t sleep (this wasn’t helped by my husband being out til 2am and me wondering where he was, or by getting phone calls at 1am and 3am, but I digress…) and ended up only getting 45 minutes of shut eye before the race. I suppose I may have been able to power through the malaise of running sans sleep, had it not been for the atrocious weather- 40 degrees, wind, and rain. Needless to say, I had to stop at mile 18. Probably my biggest fear for New Jersey is that some variation of this will happen again.

But at least now I can cross running in inclement weather off the list of barriers to a PR in Jersey. (As for the pre-race anxiety… well, that’s another blog posting!) Because Saturday, I ran my BEST LONG RUN EVER in that miserable weather. Ran 22 miles at a very respectable 3:05, and given that we were jumping puddles and weighed down by extra water in the shoes, I’m totally happy with our time. I think it translates to about a 8:30 pace, which is still a little faster for a training run than I’d like, but good enough. For those of you from Philly, the actually course was an out and back - started at Northwestern Ave (near Chestnut Hill College where Valley Green begins) then went down Valley Green, down Lincoln Drive, up Kelly Drive to the Art Museum, and then turn around and run back. Was a great course because you’re not on any road / segment for more than 7 miles, so psychologically it’s a fast moving, easy to swallow course.

When I finished, I felt like I could have easily put in a few more miles, as well as stepped up the pace. I threw on a sweatshirt, pounded some Gatorade, and ate some chocolate cupcakes (best post-long run snack EVER- instant carbs/sugar!) Then I went home and made buckwheat pancakes (not as good as Trolley Car, but excellent all the same. Incidentally, since Saturday, I’ve been an eating MACHINE, with my appetite returning to normal at some point on Wednesday.)

After Saturday’s run, I had had enough of running in the rain, so the last five days I’ve been back on the treadmill for the first consecutive stretch since February, and I’m reminded of why I love running so much in the first place.

If only all treadmill running could be as fun as this.

Being outside when you exercise is so much rejuvenating than being inside on a machine. So much more connection going on when you’re outside. When I’m at the gym, all I can think about are if the people on the EFX’s behind me and I hope that they’re all not checking out my butt as I run.

So runners, what are your thoughts about running in bad weather? When it is time to throw in the towel and hit the treadmill? When do you press on and run outside?

Fearless

(For blog title relevance, go here)

Sometimes I think runners are the ultimate masochists. This Saturday was surely a testament to that. On Saturday morning, several of us headed out for a "down week" run- only 11 miles, in a schedule that's been consisting of 16 + milers for some time now. (In telling my friend Lauren, who I would be later visiting that day, that we were running "only 11", I was met with the usual "only 11?!?!" response. But I digress...)

The run was at Valley Forge National Park, a local 5.5 mile loop course with historic scenery, lots of people-watching, and lots of local wildlife. The most notable thing about the Valley Forge loop, however, is its rolling, nay, climbing hills. For 5.5 miles, it's climb steep hills, try not to fall down the declines, and repeat. Of course, there are some brief interludes of flat terrain, but just as you get into a comfortable rhythm, the incline changes again.


For those of you not from Philadelphia, or who didn't set foot outside on Saturday, I will paint a picture for you: imagine running the rigorous course I just described with 20-mile an hour winds in your face. And not warm winds, though the sun was shining. Howling, cold weather, hands-frozen-and-chapped/why-did-I-wear-shorts winds. Fun stuff, right? What promised to be an easy "down" week turned into a suck-the-life-out-of-you ordeal, starting off with a 1.5 mile stretch uphill with wind blowing in our faces. By the time we finished, we'd decided that 22 miles next weekend doesn't sound so bad, as long as the wind stays calm! We all knew that the wind was supposed to be tough, and Sunday's forecast was near perfect, but did we stay in and wait out the weather like sane individuals? Of course not! Runners/masochists, that's us.

The icing on the cake was when I got home and looked down at my shoes. I got yet another pair of Mizuno's a couple weeks ago, and broke them in during our 18 miler, so they're about three weeks old. However, their official induction into true running shoes came on Saturday, when I removed them at home and discovered my toes were cut up and bleeding (still need to find a good nail clipper)... thus, the shoes were bloodied, and a strange sense of accomplishment came over me. Sick, right? But I guarantee if you're a runner, you're smiling in that perverse way that we all share, and agreeing with my sentiments.

This week's question: What are your proudest battle scars (running or other)?

Mine are a tie between the bloodied toes and the neck/shoulder burns we'd get in cheerleading from doing shoulder stands.

Run Like an Antelope...

After several months of monitoring friends’ blogs, perusing stranger’s postings, and reluctant avoidance, I’m crossing the precipice into the world of blogging. I’ve never been much of a diary keeper, and my only online posting experience dates to my first semester in business school when we were required to maintain a blog for our Management Information Systems class (blogs were all the new rage then. Our weekly posting included ruminations on the week’s lessons or anything new in the information technology world. Hopefully this will be a little more exciting than my thoughts on Moore’s Law, Window's Vista, or IT project phasing.) I hope that this blog will be more interactive than didactic, and a way to keep in touch with those I don't get to speak to as often as I'd like, as well as a forum for connecting with new virtual running buddies as my friends have done in their respective journals.

A few introductory notes for those of you who I haven’t spoken to in a while, or those who are on my site by way of a friend’s blog. My name is Ali, I’m a 27 year old runner who is currently training for the New Jersey Marathon (May 3^rd.) I’m a consultant by day (so stay tuned for plenty of fun running-whilst traveling stories.) And, if you didn’t understand by the title of this blog, a die-hard Phish fan (or phan, if you really want to get technical.)

So about that name…

Run Like an Antelope refers to the Phish song, Run Like an Antelope an 11 + minute winding instrumental that builds to the point of eruption over an 8 minute period, breaks down for a minute, and then builds up into a raging frenzy again towards the end of the song. Kind of like some races I’ve run. After some brief nonsensicals that are typical of Phish lyrics, the only lyrics in the entire song are:

“Set the gear shift for the high gear of your soul

You’ve got to run like an antelope, out of control”

This refrain has carried me during many a long run, and for some reason seems to always hit the spot. Might be the building melody, might be the fact that it’s just great to listen to in general, might be that it combines two of my favorite things (Phish! Running!) but it always gets me excited. (Check it out yourself, and note the awesome acrobatics circa the 5-minute mark.)

Yep, this is on my car.

I'm also proud to say that the power of the antelope has influenced at least one person I know, my friend Abby who was probably the primary driver in getting me to start this blog. A couple years ago, we were running our first race together, the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. It was a particularly humid day, and a couple miles before the finish we were both pretty gased. We were past the point of conversation and trugging along in silence when I turned to Abby and began to sang "You've got to run like an antelope, out of control!" Abby, who had never heard or even heard of the song, probably though I was sufficiently crazy, but it carried us enough to make it to the finish line.

Hence, the name of this blog, which will be dedicated to running and music, among other musings depending on the day’s/week’s happenings.

So in the spirit of the interactive nature of this blog, I'm starting off with a question: What are your favorite songs that have the word "Run" in them? Mine are (in no particular order):

Run Like and Antelope (Phish)

Runaway Jim (Phish)

Running on Empty (Jackson Browne)

Run (Snow Patrol)

Run Like Hell (Pink Floyd)

Running Down a Dream (Tom Petty)