Rosh Hashana

Today's run was no fun. I don't know how you afternoon/after work runners do it. The weather was perfect for running. THIS MORNING. This morning, however, I went to synagogue and I stayed there until 1:30pm at which time I joined the relatives for lunch.

I don't know if it was the afternoon heat -- 84 degrees -- or the matzo ball soup, or the kugel, or the challah and honey, or the honey cake, but I had an upset stomach right from the start.

I had the Garmin set to follow a 10 mile course, but unbeknown to me, I missed a mile almost right from the start. I turned it off at a traffic light and didn't realize it until 45 minutes later! That was when I entertained thoughts of calling for backup. I'd had enough.

After I turned the timer back on, it said I'd only gone 3 miles, but aha! it told me I only had 4.25 miles to go! I can do that, I thought. I've already gone 5.75 (or so I thought). So I slugged it out, walking more and more toward the end.

I really have no idea what my time was. I'm guessing it was 9ish miles in over 90 minutes. I do know that my virtual partner smoked me. Damn computer! What does it care about outside influences?

Oh, I had my orthotics recovered, and the new cushier cover is rubbing on my foot. Now I have blisters where I've never had them before.

Can't wait for tomorrow!

One Day at a Time

Ok, let's try this again. It's a new week. The achilles is holding up and I'm not going to miss any runs this week.

4 Miles. Tempo. Weather was disgusting. Humid, hot, gross.
10:19
9:33
9:44
10:11

Despite the weather, it looks like I held up pretty well. A little sluggish, perhaps, but I hung in there.

My new strategy for the "new" Garmin is to turn it off. My old strategy was to just leave it in the charger when I wasn't using it. I wish I could figure how how to make my virtual partner slow down. It would be nice to have someone to run with occasionally, LOL.

My strength workout didn't go as planned because my trainer was a no show. Last minute personal problems. Sigh... I guess I could have done it on my own, but I'm feeling like a slug today.

Muscle Release Technique Massage

First, FYI on the Garmin, when I connected to my computer, since it's a different unit, I had to associate it with a different user. So all my old runs for the year are logged under the old me and from tomorrow forward, my activities will be logged under the new me.

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Muscle Release Technique Massage

This morning I had a Muscle Release Massage. It's the second time I've had this type of massage. The first time was two days after running the Cleveland Marathon and I had no residual muscle soreness from the marathon after the massage. I was able to walk up and down stairs and get back to my running routine very quickly.

Having become a believer the first time, I scheduled another one. I've been feeling a little bit creaky after the heavy summer of running and weight training, and now the miles are starting to build as I get into the meat of the NYC Marathon training program.

As usual, the therapist, Kevin, started by asking me if I have any trouble spots. I told him about my achilles. He showed me where the tendons connect between the calf and somewhere else, blah, blah, blah technical muscle stuff let's just get started.

I layed down on the table face up and Kevin strapped me on with a couple of seat belts. This is so when he stretches my legs, my hips stay square and I don't try to compensate by using other muscle groups. First he stretched my hamstrings by lifting up my leg to a 90 degree angle to my body and massaging the muscle as he did this. He did about ten leg lifts, each time pushing my leg further back and I told him if there was any pain on a 1-10 scale. As he stretched the muscle, I breathed as I would while lifting weights. He stretched and massaged my quads, hip flexors, ITB, inner and outer thigh, calves, I don't even know the names of all the muscles he worked. All the while I'm breathing and telling him 1-10 if there is pain (there wasn't). The whole lower body part of the massage is like this. I lied face down for hips, buttocks, feet, more hip flexors. Upper body was a typical sports massage.

I highly recommend this type of massage for all kinds of athletes. I just lucked into finding out about it, because I already went to Kevin for my massages before he got the Muscle Release certification. I imagine it would take some calling around to find someone certified in the technique, unless you're in Colorado which is where the originator of the method, Michael Young, holds his workshops.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit the pavement again and see how the achilles holds up.

Ugh

3 miles. No watch/no time. I started out thinking I would do my Tuesday Tempo, but I have to admit, there was some walking involved today. It's 75 degrees and disgusting out there. I was in need of water before the 2nd mile even though I never carry water for a 3 mile run. Next time, I'll set out a bottle at the halfway point.

I feel like I'm losing some motivation. I'm hoping it's just because the weather has been a drag. My Garmin is on the fritz, hopefully not dead. The clip on my ipod broke so now I have to carry it or buy a new clip. And a weird thing happened on Sunday's run.

I stashed a Nalgene bottle with ice water under a large evergreen tree. On the bottle was a note I attached that said: "Natalie Wolf is running 14 miles this morning." When I reached my bottle after 7 miles, I stopped, filled my small bottles, and stashed it again. After my run, I went back to get it and the bottle was gone. The tree it was under was very old and large and it was in somebodys front yard, but by the street. I knocked on the owner's door but no one was home.
I'm thinking, I can't believe someone actually took my bottle -- with a note on it -- and it was pouring down rain!

Yesterday when I drove by the house, I stopped again. I knocked several times on the front door. I knew someone was home. No answer though. Then I went to the side door and knocked. A woman with a baby answered. I explained that I had left a bottle under the tree and she said, "Does it say Natalie Wolf?" "Yes, it says 'Natalie Wolf is running 14 Miles." So, she turns around and takes my bottle off a table behind her. It is still filled with water and it still has my note on it.

So, I'm asking myself, why did she take the bottle inside the house???

I guess it will remain a mystery. But I'm glad to have my bottle back.