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

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 …

What Shakespeare has to say about Twitter, training & racing

I love Twitter. Some, like my husband, might even say I have a Twitter “problem.”  I don’t think it’s a problem, really. I just don’t want to spend a day without being able to check my Twitter feed – even if it’s only a quick skim. I look forward to reading the ideas, the information and the experiences shared by my fellow tweeps. How is it that I get so much from a seemingly disjointed collection of 140-character musings? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Lord Polonius (in a rather funny and ironic twist in the dialogue) says to the King and Queen, …

PHUNT 50k Race Report

I woke up this morning, put my feet on the floor, and struggled to stand up. Ah, yes, I did run that 50k yesterday. Now I remember. My quads are almost useless, as I have to use my arms to pull myself up and help myself down. My right leg wants to know exactly what I did yesterday because the ITB is tight, my shin is on fire, and my cranky tendon is, well, cranky again. But, I crossed the finish line in yesterday’s PHUNT 50k in a just a breath under 6 hours (5:59:32 to be precise). Was it …

From 2009 into 2010: Places, races & goals

In terms of my athletic goals and experiences, 2009 has been an excellent year. (It’s been a great year for other reasons as well, just not necessarily central to this blog :)). I have met some of the coolest runners and triathletes,  some of which I have been fortunate to develop relationships with, others who passed through my life for a day, as I did through theirs. So many smiles, so many words of encouragement. Peace, love and light to all of you in 2010! I’ve enjoyed interacting with all of you here on my blog, on twitter, at races …

5 days to my first ultra: The PHUNT 50k

In five days, I will run my first ultra marathon. I’m feeling a little apprehensive about it because I’ve been on a self-directed mission of nutrition sabotage since my birthday. Cookies. Rich meals with lots of fat and bad carbs. Wine. Lots of wine. Sadly, I’ve been feeling it lately in my runs and workouts. I’m hoping that I can reverse course over the next 5 days and get myself back on nutrition track. (So far this morning, I’ve been successful. I’ve thrown out the leftover Christmas cookies, and ate a hearty bowl of oatmeal.) Other than my nutrition derailing …

This week in training – 12/21-12/27

I often require my students to write a paper of reflection regarding their achievements throughout the semester. I explain to them that such reflection helps them identify their week points, while also boosting confidence regarding goals that they achieve. It occurs to me that such reflection might be quite useful to my training as I begin working toward my 2010 racing goals. Nutrition Christmas week might not be the best time to reflect upon one’s commitment to healthy eating.  Let’s just say this commitment was tested severely over the past few days. This past week was particularly destructive to the …

Hill Training in Flat Jersey

Southern New Jersey is not known for its mountainous (or even hilly) landscape. Nope. The beach is probably Southern NJ’s better-known calling card. In fact, the beach, the ocean and the bay are what has kept John and I so tied to this area, despite some of its flaws. Lake Placid Ironman – Run Course Elevation Profile While I love the ocean, it has one obvious flaw for hill training: it’s at sea level. Without the benefit of a mountain range nearby, the flat location leaves us with an obvious dilemma for hill training. The trouble is, my husband and …

My (Morning) Process

Morning is my favorite time to workout – just not first thing out of bed in the morning. Ideally, I like to wake up about an hour before I want to workout. So, if I want to start at 6 a.m., I will get up at 5 a.m., maybe 5:15 a.m. Why? Because I need to go through what I call “my process.” My husband John thinks I’m nuts. Last week as I was going through “my process,” he commented, “I don’t get it. How can you just sit there, relaxed, and not go?” I laughed and replied, “I need …

I’ve got a cranky tendon

My foot started with a dull ache on Thursday afternoon (Thanksgiving) as I was preparing food to bring to my brother’s house. It felt “tight,” so I tried some stretches. But, the pain lingered. And lingered. And then did some more lingering. It was lingering and lounging on the top of my foot, as indicated in this picture. (Notice, also, the use of dark nail polish to hide the black toenails underneath.) If you read my blog regularly, then you already know I have a deep-seated paranoia about *stress fractures*. (Shhhh, say the word in your quiet voice…) So, I …

The Streets of Philadelphia

My husband John, my sister-in-law Tracy, and I ran the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday, along with 7,465 other marathon finishers. The Philly was Tracy’s first marathon ever. For John and I, this was the first race we’ve ever done with more than 1,000 entrants. Including the half marathon and the 8k, there were about 15,000 runners in yesterday’s events. The last race I ran had about 600 runners. The collective energy of that many runners along with the thousands of spectators was invigorating, contributing mightily to a successful race day for all three of us. Philadelphia is a special place for …