FAYZANATION

As if raising money for thousands of individuals suffering through and often beating leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma wasn’t enough, I now feel like I have a very personal stake in raising money and competing in this event.  I feel like my purpose has been entirely redefined, and I welcome this opportunity.

Above is a photo of one of the most important people to me, with her mother and father at the Grand Canyon.  Her father, Arun, was diagnosed with lymphoma, and, after a long struggle, he lost the battle on June 7, 2007.  I remember the way I felt when my friend told me the news of his condition, and I remember listening to her description of his declining health and his fight against the disease.  I felt helpless, because I love her so much, and I know how much she adored her father.  I’d met him on her birthday before, and his joviality and good humor really made an impression on me.  His passing affected me, deeply and vividly.

A decent 20-minute+ run yesterday, a decent 30-minute run today.  I’m not saying I’m overly thrilled with my performance (which means I had some breathing pains and stopped to walk for a few measured paces), but overall, I have to realize that this is only my second week training.  I’m not running the marathon tomorrow, and I’m pushing ahead.

Someone asked me the other day, “Do you really think you’re going to do this?  You’re really going to run all 26.2 miles?”
Actually, yes.  That’s the goal, isn’t it?

This is going to happen; there’s no doubt in my mind.  Unless I don’t meet my fundraising goal, that is.

I am really beginning to love running again.  And I love our Monday two-mile group runs and stamina training.  But I think I am beginning to realize, however, that I do not like night runs.  I feel much more sluggish at night, to the degree where it feels like I’m pulling myself forward.  Not pushing, but actually pulling.  It’s an odd feeling.  Not one I am comfortable with, especially after how well the four mile run went on Saturday.

Needless to say, last night was a bad run for me.  I had to stop to walk a few times, stop for water a few times, and my heart was hurting.  I didn’t feel like I could catch a full breath at all.  I’m not sure if my sports bra was too tight or if it was just the events of the day.  At any rate, I know there’ll be bad runs, and you just have to power through them.  So that’s exactly what I did.

I love that we ended the evening with a Swedish mile.  I really like my teammates; they’re quality people.  I feel completely comfortable and unembarrassed around them, even though I’m one of the slowest in the pack.  It’s a lucky thing, this dynamic.  It keeps me pulling forward.

Hooray, my first Saturday group run! I woke up at 6:15 a.m., headed out by 6:40 a.m., and we were off and running by about 7:15 a.m. We ran four miles today at Memorial Park, and gawddammit, I feel fantastic! I didn’t struggle with fatigue or pain during the run at all, although my tummy did feel sloshy. I went #2 beforehand to avoid that (sorry, but this is running for you!), but apparently that wasn’t good enough. It subsided after awhile, but at the tail end of the run, I felt that feeling again. Not sure what it was caused by. I talked to my coach about it a little bit, and he says it’s usually caused by overhydration, but I didn’t drink a lot of water before the run this time. Oh well. It’ll work itself out.

I ran for the first time in my Team in Training mesh jersey today, and whoa! What a difference it made in terms of my body temperature! I felt like my body was able to breathe, which was really different from how I’d felt during my run on Thursday.

I went to Finish Strong after practice to score some new running shoes and some running apparel. My ankle didn’t hurt during the run, but it was really tender afterward, and I felt the all-too-familiar strain on my knees kicking in as well. Apparently I underpronate, which good shoes will address. Which also explains the aches.

I figure, the more time, energy, and money I invest into this project, the more I will stick with it. Not that I’m feeling like dropping out or anything. But when the runs get longer and more difficult, I know my motivation is going to be put to the test. And I’m preparing myself for it now.

What I am worried about is my fundraising. I realize I still have to work on my physical, paper letters (which I will send to, um, my doctor and my dentist?), but I sent a whole bunch of e-mail last week, and I’m a bit disappointed with the turnout. I know people love me, and I know they support me. But perhaps it was too long? Perhaps they know they have until June to donate? No sense of urgency? No belief in the cause?

I don’t know. Only $5,100 to go! Yikes.

I ran yesterday morning, before all the madness of the day began. I was shooting for 30 minutes, but I ended up with about 25. I felt pretty good afterwards, although my left ankle began to throb a bit. Mileage-wise, I’m not sure how far I ran. I need to get a device that keeps track of those things for me.

Fast forward to right now. I would go running (even briefly), but my ankle hurts. I probably shouldn’t have worn heels for the entire evening last night, but as the party hostess, a dress calls for heels! But I am concerned about our four-mile run tomorrow, because I’m not going to hobble/run for four miles. My ankles have never been a problem before, but I think I’m going to Luke’s Locker tonight to get shoes that address this burgeoning issue.

On a related note, one of my coaches sent this to our training team today. I think it’s fantastic advice.

Run like a Kenyan

Last spring, I had the pleasure of running with Daniel Cheruiyot, a Kenyan runner who races for John Bingham Racing. We were in Tucson preparing for the Arizona Distance Classic and he asked me to go for a run with him. At first I chuckled, thinking yea, right, I am going for a run with a Kenyan runner. No way…

Then he explained to me that he was running SLOW. I chuckled again and thought, yea, slow for a Kenyan runner is still too fast for me. He assured me it would be okay and we headed out the door.

While on the run I asked him what his typical slow pace was and he replied 8:00 minute miles. I was shocked! He runs sub 5 minute per mile pace in races and his slow pace was 3 minutes slower. Wow! He also added that most American runners, especially new runners, train too hard and too fast. I’ve always known the benefits of truly training easy on easy days, but this was a true testament that it works.

So, on your next “easy” run, truly take it easy. Make sure you can have a conversation and aren’t gasping for air. If you are using a heart rate monitor, hang around 65-70% of your max or at a pace that is very comfortable. Because running easy allows you to run hard.

I’m looking forward to our run tomorrow. I hope the ankle lets up on me.

Yesterday! Yesterday was my first day of group practice! I know, two weeks in, and yesterday was merely my first? Yes, yes. The first week I was in San Francisco for work training, and I simultaneously had the flu. And then a cough. And just when I thought I was in the clear, I got food poisoning! Oh, what a lucky few weeks it’s been for my health.

But all that is in the past now! I’m running with the team, finally! We did some endurance and stamina exercises at Memorial Park yesterday evening, and I hooked up with some of my fellow Anchorage marathoners – Corina, Maria, and Sima. Nice to know we’ll be together for the ride until June. Anyway, in total, I think we ran 2-3 miles, which is good. I didn’t feel like dying, which is a great start, although I did take a few walking paces. What can I say? I won’t pretend I’m not out of shape. All in all, I felt great, before, during, and after, and I made sure to eat a starchy meal beforehand and drink a lot of water. I actually felt it sloshing around in my stomach during the run (which is the only thing that brought me any sort of discomfort), but my coach said that my body will learn how to use all the water I’m putting into it, so I shouldn’t be concerned in the least.

And today, I still feel good. I’m a little sore in the bum and strangely tender in the ankles. This weekend – or perhaps Friday, actually – I’m going to secure my running shoes because for some reason, I think ankle support has become an issue. And I want to nip that in the bud before it creates further problems.

This week is going to be nuts in terms of work, with my first Elite event coming up and all, so I hope I can shuffle things around and make sure to get in at least three running sessions before group training on Saturday. Four miles! It’s going to hurt, I’m sure. Mind over matter; I can do it.