Running Into Joy

So you want to run a 10K but you've been sick and/or injured off and on for most of the year... Earlier this year, my boyfriend and I signed up for Pittsburgh's Great Race 10K, one of the largest standalone 10Ks in the nation. It would be my 3rd 10K and Andy's first race. I was excited to take on this distance again, and hopeful that 2020 would become my Half Marathon year. Admittedly, I was previous nervous to race with Andy, since he is faster than me and has more endurance, and I have a history of getting in fights with men who refuse to leave me behind when I'm struggling in a race. And then, 2019 hit me like a ton of bricks. First, shoulder and back injuries and issues. Then, some knee stuff. And finally, the onset of a mysterious and chronic condition known as occipital neuralgia. Do I sound like a broken record? Well, I feel like one. Needless to say, this put one hell of a damper on my training plans. I tested a few short runs to see if they brought on any ...

I write to you from the couch, where my butt will be most of the day because, surprise surprise, I've got an injury! To say I'm frustrated would be an extreme understatement. Over the past couple days, my left knee has grown increasingly sensitive and unstable feeling, to the point where I'm now taking a full day of rest in hopes that it will feel better in the morning. Don't worry, I've got an appointment in with a doctor in case things don't improve. It's just that, with the recent experience I had in the medical system, I am not optimistic that doing so will really do much good with this kind of issue. The hours and dollars I wasted only to be repeatedly told different things about how to fix a problem that still hadn't been identified are fresh in my mind, and so I'm hoping this knee will handle itself. I am not good at being still. I love long walks, filling my weekend with the outdoors. I love running and yoga and being the able-bodied pe...

A week of training for my fall 10K is already in the books! I've already started Week 2 off strong with my scheduled 25 minute run early this Monday morning, so I'm feeling pretty good. Week 1 saw the first real, hot, muggy days of a Pittsburgh summer come in strong. Consequently, my non-air-conditioned post run life has been sweaty.  I got in a total of 5.5 miles between my two runs, and did some Runner's Yoga with Adriene on the off days to keep myself stretched out. Saturday's long run was planned for 2 miles, but I pushed on for a 5K because it's Fandom Running Club Racery Season! (more on that later). On average, my pace was around 11:29/mile. This may seem slow to some, but to me, it's right on target for my goal 10K pace of 11:30/mile. This is a conservative goal, looking at what I had hoped would be my Half Marathon pace in the Race that Wasn't earlier this year. In theory, I should be able to manage a bit faster for a shorter race--but I want...

Here we go again--I'm officially training for my next race! July 1st was supposed to be Day 1 of my training cycle for my first 10K of the year, The Great Race 10K. However, my past two weeks looked like this: Go on vacation, hike Mt. Marcy, drive 10 hours home, work three days, spend the next weekend in a cabin with 14 other humans, drive home to immediately meet up with my Dungeons and Dragons group for several hours of gameplay. I can count the hours I've had to myself over the past two weeks on one hand, which in introvert terms means I am running on E, big time. Plus, when you're on vacation or in the woods with friends or hanging out with your DnD buddies, the 9pm bedtime tends to go out the window. Needless to say, when my 5am alarm went off on Monday morning, I had zero left to give. I chose sleep instead of my first training run. And man, did I beat myself up about it for the next two days. Day one, how could I be failing at this already ?! The guilt is, ...