Shelter Island to the Docks - 12 miles RT

Each marathon has its unique challenges and experiences. The last one - my Boston qualifier - was largely uneventful; mild hip pain at the onset of training, but clean, smooth, speedy workouts right to race day.
Nike Women's preparation presents several unique challenges I have had yet to encounter. Inescapable heat, unfamiliar surroundings, self-mastery of course selection, and achy feet. I'm not used to my feet being so achy! The muscles within them are as tight and contracted as my glutes and quads have been. I feel it mostly in the morning or when I get up in the middle of the night.

Staying hydrated has also been a challenge; running in the heat, misplacing water bottles, and finding my sense of thirst to be weaker than I recall it to have been. Or perhaps I have gotten used to being thirsty?

It's time for another massage. I am beginning to feel like Beef Jerky!

Time: 3:17pm
Distance: 12 miles at avg. 9:19 pace
Route:Shelter Island to the harbor (where Carnival docks)
Completed In: 1:52:54
Shoes: New GT 2130's
Fuel: Clif Bloks
Mood: A bad case of the "Iduh-wanna's" -- feeling sluggish and tired. Mood perked up by the view of the water, peppy tunes, and the feeling of new shoes...
Weather:Sunny and clear, 77 or so degrees
Of note: Pelicans and Herons and blisters, oh my! And the tree that looked to be a relative of that spiky-trunked fellow in Costa Rica.

My hilly 16 miler on Thursday produced a whopper of a blister that popped in the middle of Boot Camp Friday. It re-formed again on this run by mile 7; I did my best not to alter my gait too much in compensation.

Note to Self: Bring moleskin out of the first aid kit and into the fanny pack.

Regardless of blistering, there is a joy in new shoes that comes not from the unsullied and unscuffed nature of fresh-smelling, out-of-the-box footwear but from that cushiony, pillow-puffed bounce of each footfall. This appreciation is a gift to seasoned runners who have given up on maintaining new-looking shoes for love of mileage. Or perhaps this is an attribute of anyone who has been subjected to one of Tony's muddy trail runs...

I was grateful for the 4 degree difference in temperature right on the water. The Shelter Island waterfront run was a good choice for the mid-afternoon heat. Right away I was met with the view at right, which lifted my heart and gave me appreciation for living so close to the water (something that I do not recognize in cooler weather). It was an idyllic summer day and the island was crowded with families, barbecuers, and late-season tourists.

I settled into my prescribed pace and took stock of how I was physically doing. The pain in my right peroneus was pretty notable last Tuesday, absent on my rest day and appearing only for the first 3 miles on Thursday's long run. Today it was still sporadically present, but a faint whisper that I would describe as disconcerting more than painful. From a mind-body-spirit medicine standpoint, pain in the legs is a physical manifestation of a spiritual hesitancy to move forward. This viewpoint was raised to me not only by a roommate, but my business coach as well. I wonder what blisters are supposed to mean...
Louise Hay is the general reference regarding such matters; I'll have to look into that for amusement's sake if nothing else.

I'm finding it difficult to stay slow; the last half of the course was consistently too fast - especially the last 4 miles. It is truly a mind-over-matter game to keep the pace consistent and slower than you naturally want to run. I'll admit to being heavily undisciplined in such matters; my ego gets the best of me time and time again via impatience and an addiction to quick split times. If I'm running faster and I feel good, why should I slow down? *pout, pout*

I've seen the wisdom in conservative training and the perils of letting the inner four-year old act as Coach. I tell myself I will listen...next workout.
In my defense, I do space out on long runs and forget to check split times, although never for more than 3 miles at a stretch so I have ample opportunity to self-correct on my longer jaunts. Tomorrow! I shall begin again tomorrow!

I did not restock my pack with fuel, thus leaving myself with only 1/2 package of Bloks for the 12 miles. It did not help that I noted actual hunger 4 miles out. I was able to refuel immediately upon returning to my car with the fresh stash of Lara bars and some dried fruit. It's been slow to get all systems in place so I can streamline fitness, personal, and professional life.
REI is having a garage sale on the 20th! I'm excited about that. A good treat for my 30th birthday. (You know you're a ...?.... when your birthday treat is a shoebox full of gels, bloks, and electrolyte supplements.)

I officially turn 30 on Thursday. I have decided to honor this momentous occasion by extending the celebration over 30 days. This means museum visits, theater, drum circles, and lots of fresh flowers. I don't plan on doing something daily, but do plan to increase my extracurricular activities as well as spend some focused time creating art and journaling about the next year. The energetic shift of fall has always lent itself to new beginnings and greater focus for the duration of the calendar year. having a birthday right in the middle of that lends itself well to reflection of the past year and settling into new habits to reach goals for the upcoming year. Beyond moving to San Diego, I haven't given much time and attention to what I want for 2009. Now that I am settling in, it's an opportune moment to address such things.