I am so utterly discouraged. I signed up for a marathon/half-marathon program offered by my local running club. I was really looking forward to this. But now I'm wondering what I got myself into. I'm trying to recover from a knee injury and I've been fighting a cold this week after traveling.
The program kicked off on a hot day and with a dew point of 50%. I thought they'd probably have water because it was offered during other club programs, but they expected everyone to bring their own and of course I forgot to bring water. Then they had everyone run 4 miles--without any stretching. Perhaps they figured that everyone stretched beforehand or this was somehow unnecessary. It was the absolute worst 4 miles I have ever run in my life. I finished dead last.
I felt like my son. He's training for the football team and absolutely hates running because it's boring and he think's he'll loose weight (haha). The first time he did sprints he threw up. The second time, he laid down at the end. He said it was the hardest thing he ever did and he felt like he was in the military. I wanted to lay down during this run or just quit.
At the conclusion of the session, they handed me a half-marathon program that included a lot more miles and a lot longer runs sooner in the program than I was thinking of doing. After my knee injury, I've revised my goals downward and I'm planning to follow the "Run Half Marathon" program in John Bingham's book "Marathoning for Mortals." This program starts out conservatively and ramps up slowly. I pray that I don't re-injure my knee after that run.
I thought this was a program for beginners, but it turns out that everyone has been running for several years and many participants have run several marathons and are looking to improve their time. Prior to signing up, I even e-mailed and asked if this was appropriate, and was encouraged to register for the program. Now I'm wondering why they don't have a program specifically geared to first timers.
I feel so utterly discouraged and demoralized. Now, I am thinking about quitting.
Pittsburgh Triathlon
This experience comes on the heels of a really nice run. I traveled to Pittsburgh for a conference and the hotel had a a route developed by Runner's World. I was naturally hesitant to run early in the morning on an unfamiliar route in an urban area, but a co-worker did it and thought it was safe.
On the last day of the conference I headed out at 6 a.m. and ran along the banks of the Allegheny River. As I was running along, I saw two people with wetsuits get out of the river. I thought they were triathletes enjoying an Sunday morning open water swim. I was right! And that wasn't all. Soon, I came upon the transition area of the Pittsburgh Triathlon. I stopped to ask the volunteer questions, and we chatted about the temperature of the water as he patiently answered my newbie questions. It was the highlight of my day. I recently stumbled upon Meagan Timney's blog, "I Tri Therefore I Am," and if I didn't know better, I'd think it was a sign.
After all that, I ran back to the hotel quickly, and best of all, my knee was fine and I felt like I was back in the running.
The program kicked off on a hot day and with a dew point of 50%. I thought they'd probably have water because it was offered during other club programs, but they expected everyone to bring their own and of course I forgot to bring water. Then they had everyone run 4 miles--without any stretching. Perhaps they figured that everyone stretched beforehand or this was somehow unnecessary. It was the absolute worst 4 miles I have ever run in my life. I finished dead last.
I felt like my son. He's training for the football team and absolutely hates running because it's boring and he think's he'll loose weight (haha). The first time he did sprints he threw up. The second time, he laid down at the end. He said it was the hardest thing he ever did and he felt like he was in the military. I wanted to lay down during this run or just quit.
At the conclusion of the session, they handed me a half-marathon program that included a lot more miles and a lot longer runs sooner in the program than I was thinking of doing. After my knee injury, I've revised my goals downward and I'm planning to follow the "Run Half Marathon" program in John Bingham's book "Marathoning for Mortals." This program starts out conservatively and ramps up slowly. I pray that I don't re-injure my knee after that run.
I thought this was a program for beginners, but it turns out that everyone has been running for several years and many participants have run several marathons and are looking to improve their time. Prior to signing up, I even e-mailed and asked if this was appropriate, and was encouraged to register for the program. Now I'm wondering why they don't have a program specifically geared to first timers.
I feel so utterly discouraged and demoralized. Now, I am thinking about quitting.
Pittsburgh Triathlon
This experience comes on the heels of a really nice run. I traveled to Pittsburgh for a conference and the hotel had a a route developed by Runner's World. I was naturally hesitant to run early in the morning on an unfamiliar route in an urban area, but a co-worker did it and thought it was safe.
On the last day of the conference I headed out at 6 a.m. and ran along the banks of the Allegheny River. As I was running along, I saw two people with wetsuits get out of the river. I thought they were triathletes enjoying an Sunday morning open water swim. I was right! And that wasn't all. Soon, I came upon the transition area of the Pittsburgh Triathlon. I stopped to ask the volunteer questions, and we chatted about the temperature of the water as he patiently answered my newbie questions. It was the highlight of my day. I recently stumbled upon Meagan Timney's blog, "I Tri Therefore I Am," and if I didn't know better, I'd think it was a sign.
After all that, I ran back to the hotel quickly, and best of all, my knee was fine and I felt like I was back in the running.
1 comment:
In regards to the Pittsburg Triathlon you stumbled upon. It was a sign, don't ignore it. It's hard to see these things for what they really are until we start to pay attention.
Sharon
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