Tag: marathon

Running Music: The beat of my own lyrics

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My running music playlist is an embarrassment to “real” music. It’s full of candy pop, hip hop, booty bop, and electronic rock. I don’t always run with music, but when I do, my primary goal for a running song is the beat. I need the boom-boom-boom-boom to work with the cadence of my footfalls, so this frequently leads me to “that” section of iTunes in search of the boom-ba-doom-ba-boom-ba-doom-boom bass. I’m particularly partial to any song that has the word “remix” in the title. While I select songs based a fast beat, after listening to them over and over, the lyrics do …

Fight the Voices in your Head

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I pulled into the packed gym parking lot. It was January 2.  New Years Resolutions, I thought to myself. As I walked into the gym, and prepared myself for my swim, I looked at the newcomers and smiled, hoping to be encouraging. I know that many of these people will not be here in a month or so, and that saddens me. I know that each of these well-intentioned people will reach a point where the going gets tough – maybe the time commitment becomes overwhelming, maybe it becomes just too easy to hit snooze instead of getting up to …

Is your performance anxiety slowing you down?

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As I stood on the beach, awaiting the start of Ironman Mont Tremblant, I was filled with nervous anxiety–more than I had ever felt before. I was about to race – truly race – this Ironman. While I put forth a good effort in my previous two ironmans, I cannot say honestly that I worked to the upper limit of my edge. I cannot say honestly that I raced them. I was filled with fear that I wouldn’t be able to hit my targets, that I would find out that I’m really not the athlete I want to be – that I thought I was. …

Sometimes it sucks

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Last Thursday, I fought through a 90 minute ride, with the final 10 minutes feeling like 100 minutes. I could feel the energy slipping away from my legs. I was so drained, I skipped my 15 minute transition run. Friday’s a new day, right? Wrong. I slogged through 3200 yards of swimming. On good days, I can swim 3200 yards to warm up for the rest of my workout. On this day, those same 3200 yards sent me to the couch for a 2-hour nap. And, then it was Saturday morning. Time for another long ride. Three hours. Sigh. I’m …

How can we fit it all in?

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If you are going to train for an endurance event, you need time. No shocker there, right? Preparation for distance events, such as marathons and triathlons, can require anywhere from 10 to 25 hours a week. With family, friends, work, household chores and so on, it is challenging to find that “extra” time for focused training. Even more daunting still are the hidden time costs that come from doing extra laundry, preparing food, traveling to races or group training sessions, ensuring proper recovery, and of course, blogging and logging training milestones. While I wrote about time management last year, an …

The Aftermath

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“This hurt worse than the Ironman,” I said to Carole as she and I waited in line for a free massage just moments after finishing the Boston Marathon. Ironman veterans had said the same to me before I finished my first Ironman: A marathon hurts worse than an Ironman. “You’ve got to be kidding,” Carole replied incredulously, much the same way I did when someone first said the same to me. “How could that be true?” I don’t know how it could be true, but it is.  Ironman Lake Placid did not hurt as much–during or after–as running the Boston …

Blessings in Boston

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A little over three years ago, I committed to running my first marathon. I’ve beening running since I was 13 (I’m 37 now), and the marathon seemed the logical progression of my love of the sport. My first understanding of Boston was that it was a marathon runner’s promised land, the mecca, the big daddy, the superbowl of marathons. (Insert your favorite corny cliched metaphor here.) But, in early 2008, I hadn’t even completed my first marathon, and the thought of running the Boston Marathon with its daunting qualifying times seemed a tremendous longshot. Then, I finished my first marathon …

The best day of the week, even if it hurts

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Sunday is my long run day. It’s the crown jewel of the training regimen. The piece de resistance, the bees knees, the cat’s meow, the best part of waking up, the main event. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really enjoy the long run – even when it hurts. While I mess around with this triathlon gig, running is my thing. It brings me joy, peace, and just the right amount of pain. I feel most alive when I go on these long, almost-always solo jaunts, during which time I experience the gamut of human emotion …

Lessons from the Boston Marathon: Adjusting to the growing popularity of running

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 Registration for the Boston Marathon is almost as difficult as qualifying for it.   Last year, I dragged my feet in registering for Boston, and missed out when the race closed in early October. Having learned my lesson, I was on the computer, ready to register at 8:58 a.m. on Monday, October 18.    And, I’m glad I did. The race closed just 8 hours after it opened, leaving many who had qualified without an entry slot in the race.  Ouch. I’m feeling their pain. I remember very well my disappointment of last year .  But, what can we learn from this? For one, it looks …

“Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – or how I came to love my heart rate

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Yes, it’s Shakespeare again. This time, the Prince of Denmark himself – Hamlet – offers wise words to keep my experiences (in training and life) in perspective. This quote reminds me that our thinking plays an integral role in how we perceive our abilities, our training, and our potential. Think negative thoughts, increase the likelihood of negative outcomes. Think positive thoughts, increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. Sounds easy enough. So, why am I so mean to myself? I know better: I’ve read plenty of articles that talk about the power of positive thinking. I know that our brains are …