Month: April 2013

I’m officially at that point in marathon training when I look at my plan and think, “Oh, my long run is only 13 miles!”

Only. It’s all relative.

And if you’re going to run 13, you might as well add an extra 0.1 and make a half-marathon out of it.

Nothing remarkable to report, other than that I felt comfortable running faster for longer, which is always good!

I also noticed a few things related to the Boston tragedy: flags at half-mast, cars giving me the right of way at crosswalks more promptly than usual, a friendly driver honking and waving near Green Lake.

I don’t particularly deserve any of that, since it’s not like I was in Boston last Monday, and I wasn’t decked out in blue and yellow or anything. It just shows that there’s a general goodwill toward runners right now, even all the way across the country.

Now, I’m super-excited that Aaron and I have a vacation coming up this week! It’s been really gray and rainy in Seattle lately, but where we’re going…

…there’s sunshine and ZERO PERCENT chance of rain! It doesn’t even matter that it’ll be partly cloudy for a few days; the NO RAIN part trumps that.

It’ll be an active vacation full of running (for me), cycling (for Aaron), hiking, and hot-tubbing (for both of us), and we’re staying in-state, so we’re not breaking the bank. After all, we have a wedding to save for!

Nothing like a two-day work week, then a road trip to sunshine. But first, Aaron and I are doing our very first spin class tomorrow morning, and then belatedly celebrating Aaron’s birthday with his parents (they were on vacation). Fun fun!

I think most runners know the difference between when they legitimately need a rest day and when they’re just not feeling a run.

In the first situation, you’re like, “Man, I’m super tired and my legs sure could use a rest.”

In the second situation, you’re like, “But it’s soooooooo rainy and soooooooo windy and I really don’t wanna gooooooooo-uh.” You know, when you insert extra syllables into monosyllabic words? I was going for the world record of extra syllables with my whining tonight.

My trick to convince myself to run is to turn on my Garmin and set it out on the porch to pick up a signal. Once the Garmin is on, there’s no turning back! Works every time.

I wound up doing 11 hill repeats in the crappy weather, which really wasn’t that bad once I was out there (of course):

This was my fourth training session on this hill, and I could tell a huge difference in my endurance from the last few weeks. That tells me two things:

1. The hill training is working!
2. It’s time to find a steeper hill.

My company’s CEO (who is a Boston Marathon qualifier/finisher, by the way) is huge on our corporate values, and one of them is this: 99% done is half done.

I thought about this a lot during tonight’s hill repeats. It means that you shouldn’t get complacent when you’re close to finishing or achieving something; rather, you should look for even more ways to improve and go the extra mile. Just because I’m close to conquering this hill doesn’t mean I’m done with my hill training for Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll. On to the next hill!

Now, let’s talk about Nuun.

Nuun is a delicious electrolyte tablet that I mix with water to keep me hydrated through all of my long runs and races. And I like to take my post-run recovery Nuun in a pint glass, on the rocks, with a bendy straw, please.

Nuun is also a fun, awesome company that’s based right here in Seattle, and that puts together a team full of running bloggers to run the 199-mile Hood to Coast relay in Oregon each year.

I can’t believe my super-dorky video application did the trick, but I’m so excited to have been selected for the Nuun team this year along with 19 other crazy runner ladies!

I really, really tried not to get my hopes up for this opportunity because I knew the competition would be stiff (nearly 100 applicants!), and I sort of convinced myself I wouldn’t be chosen just so I could get a head-start on absorbing the disappointment I would feel. I miiiiight still be scarred from the many plays and sports teams I tried out for but never made back in my school days!

Anyway, I refreshed the Nuun blog over and over again on Wednesday morning until the announcement popped up, and I had to read it five times just to make sure my name was actually on the list and I wasn’t just imagining it.

And then my boss, with whom I share an office, had to endure this:

Shhhhh, it’s fine, she loves my dancing.

I’m super-pumped for the relay, but I’ll try not to be annoying by talking about it incessantly for the next four months. Instead, I’ll be annoying by talking about marathon training incessantly! Get excited.

Just so you can get an idea of why I’m so pumped, check out this video Nuun put together of their 2011 Hood to Coast adventure:

Nuun | Hood to Coast from eric becker on Vimeo.

Sweat. Sunshine. Night running. Camaraderie. Tears. Joy. Dancing. MY GOD, THE DANCING!!!

Thank you to all of you who supported my video entry and didn’t make fun of me too much. We’re going to Hood to Coast, baby!

(Well, first to Hood, then to the coast. You know what I mean.)

My marathon training schedule had me resting my legs and lifting weights tonight, but the weather was too beautiful not to get out and run.

Plus — shocker — Aaron joined me! He has two weekends off before his next bike race, so he didn’t have to worry about keeping his legs fresh for once.

Good thing, since we beat the hell out of ‘em.

Nothing like busting out seven miles when you haven’t run in months. Those rock-hard cyclist quads and calves are full of black magic, I tell you.

He’s naturally a fast runner, and obviously in ridiculously good shape, so he pushed me to run a bit faster than I normally would have. But you know what? I think I wound up pushing him a bit, too.

He stopped to go to the bathroom at one point, then sprinted like halfway around Green Lake to catch up with me. I think he was… a little winded. I kept up the pace, though. Heh!

I love running. I love Aaron. I love sharing my love of running with Aaron.

Good things. : )

Oh yeah, and I officially upgraded my Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon registration to the full marathon. Seemed like a good day to do it.

Countdown to June 22.

Marathon training goes on. Four miles tonight.

It was sunny and clear all day. It felt all wrong that the weather was so bright when the news I followed today was so dark.

Mile one, clouds rolled in and it started to sprinkle.

Mile two, the sprinkle turned into a pour, and then into hail. It felt good.

Mile three, the rain and hail cleared. I saw a woman wearing an I ❤ BOSTON shirt. I caught her eye and nodded as we ran by each other. She gave me a sad smile.

Mile four, I rounded a corner of the Green Lake path and saw the start of a rainbow in the distance.

For Boston.

Put one foot in front of the other. Keep moving forward.

iwillrunforfood:

Someone that I follow on Twitter said:

“As a runner, I feel like someone just attacked my friends. As I person, I am just horrified.”

After Columbine, I was terrified to go to school. After the Oregon mall shooting this past December, I was terrified to shop for Christmas gifts. After Sandy Hook, I became terrified for my future children.

And now, some evil people want to make me and others terrified of one of life’s most satisfying achievements — finishing a marathon.

I am horrified by what happened in Boston, and I am devastated for the victims and their families, but I refuse to be afraid.

Whoever is behind these bombs: BIG MISTAKE. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MESS WITH RUNNERS.