Running buddy here, for real this time! Just wanted to let all the loyal magarunr readers know that yesterday I signed up for the Kentucky Derby Marathon! I’m actually a little excited at this point, but that will change in the near future (when I have to run 14, 15, 20, and 26.2 miles!! )
So…hopefully Megan and I can get through this together. I’m sure we’ll have fond memories when we look back on these 4 months of training.
~Running Buddy
Hi, everyone! Running Buddy here. I haven’t written in awhile, but I wanted to let everyone know that I’m still alive and still running. In fact, I’ve decided to join Megan on her marathon quest. I’m really looking forward to joining her on those 14, 16, 18, and even 20 mile runs!
Yay! What fun!
~Running Buddy
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Disclaimer: Not actually Running Buddy. Just Megan being a goofball and trying to trick RB into lots and lots of running.
Running Buddy is a little unhappy with me…she wrote a quick little post over two weeks ago, and I still haven’t approved it. I was actually thinking of doing a Swamp Rabbit Trail post myself, so I was planning to get out, take some pictures, and add a bit of my own text for an extra-long, multi-author super-post. Problem: I forget things that are outside my normal routine. Running with RB? Routine. Bringing the camera while I run with RB? Not routine. Randomly driving around Cleveland Park to get pictures of the trail? You guessed it: not routine.
So now, RB thinks I’m on some crazy power trip and am lording my supernatural APPROVAL abilities (brought to me by WordPress) over her. To disprove that little theory, here’s RB’s (slightly belated) post. More on our beloved squishy trail coming soon…and soon, mind you, is a relative term.
06/25/09 Update: See Part 2 of this series for more info/pictures of the downtown Greenville portions of the Swamp Rabbit trail. Happy Running!
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Yesterday on our usual Wednesday run, Megan and I explored the new Swamp Rabbit Trail extension. (It’s towards the dog park side of Cleveland Park, across the road near that vet clinic.) I’m happy to report that the trail builders did not scrimp…the trail is wide, smooth, and clean, the path has two sections: pavement and a softer “squishy trail” along the side, and the bridges across the water are impressive, wide, and stable. It adds almost another mile onto our possible running route, which is quite exciting.
It is fun to explore new places to run, and thanks to the new trail, Megan and I accidently ran 5.5 miles! That’s my longest run all summer. We originally intended to run 4, but I wanted to see where the trail ended up so we went a little farther. Somehow, when going someplace new, the miles don’t seem to take as long!
I’ve been in a serious running funk lately, but hopefully with the cooler weather and a new place to run, I’ll get back on track.
~Running Buddy
I’m back in town. I know that I have been missing from this blog for awhile, but I have a good excuse! I was in the Dominican Republic with my sister. And I’m happy to report that I did run while I was there….3x’s! I got up before there were crowds at the pool and on the beach. And I loved having a quiet bit of time in paradise. So here are my thoughts about running on vacation:
It takes a lot of dedication to get out the door and go for a run while on vacation (especially a vacation that involves sitting by the pool/beach with a book in one hand and a cold drink in the other). But…I’m glad I did because:
–Running Buddy
Note to readers: I (Running Buddy) am still here. Obviously, my summer slump is still in full force. I hope it will pass in the next month though…I’m looking forward to fall training (not! but I’m trying to stay positive and hope that it will get better once the weather cools down). So, what have I been up to lately??! Well since I’ve been having a lack of training I have been on a serious, full-fledged rampage. A READING RAMPAGE!!! It took me by surprise last week and has not loosened it’s grasp.
Explanation: Megan brought a book to work and was sneaking in chapters between writing/reading/other important work-related stuff. I was intrigued…what book could possibly draw her attention away from writing/editing training materials? That book, well, that series of books has changed my life. Now I know she doesn’t want to reveal this, but she is just as addicted as me, and she is the reason for my recent foray into the vampire romance novel. Yes, I’m talking about the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. And no, I never thought I would read this type of book, let alone like it. No, like is too weak of a word. I am completely obsessed! I LOVE them! I stayed up three nights straight and read over 1500 pages of the first three books just because I could not put them down. Who needs sleep when you have the most gorgeous vampire in the entire world falling in love with a regular girl just like me? Hey, it could happen!
Details:Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
The fourth and final installment of the Twilight Saga comes out this weekend…so that is what I’m looking forward to and focusing on. My running/training will just have to wait for me to find out if Edward and Bella ever get married and if Bella gives up her humanity to be with him for all eternity. Who could concentrate on training with questions like that to answer?!
Oh, and to relate this to running…since this is a running blog —-> vampires are impossibly fast and would win world records in any event!
~Running Buddy
In other news, it just so happens that one of my former teammates in college is going to the Olympics!!
Taylor Milne made the 1500 for Canada’s Olympic team. Very exciting stuff! That makes him the most successful HPU athlete ever!
Check out a story here…
Or here…
Or Watch a video of his race here.
Now if only that would help motivate me to train…
~ Running Buddy
Okay, I have a confession. Megan has been out of town for a week and I have failed miserably in my training. I have been slacking on my crunches, I have been slacking on my push ups, and worst of all…I have been slacking on my running! Since she’s been gone, I’ve run a grand total of 3 (yes THREE) miles. Pathetic. And the only reason I have any miles at all is because she graciously motivated me all the way from Kansas with a phone call. So thanks for that Megan, but GET BACK HERE SOON! Your running buddy needs you!!
~Running Buddy
Don’t worry! I’m still here! Megan’s feeling under the weather this week so I thought I should pick up the slack and write about running! I’m still puttering around at 10-20 miles a week (okay, much closer to 10 than 20—but I’m hoping to pick up my mileage a bit next month). I thought today I would write an ode to my other running buddy!
On those days when Megan and I don’t run together I have a backup partner who is really good at keeping me motivated—my dog! His name is Jack and he’s a year and a half old Shepherd/Retriever mix. Jack is a great running buddy because he’s always willing to run and he’s always so enthusistic about it. As soon as the running shoes come out he starts barking and howling with excitement, I tell him to sit so I can put on his leash and he can’t even keep still for more than half a second—his tail is wagging like crazy and he keeps jumping up and sitting down anxious to go. By the time I finally manage to get his leash over his head he pulls me to the door and off we go!
I think the best thing about having a dog as a running buddy (besides the obvious guilt factor I feel if I DON’T take him for a run) is the fact that he doesn’t care what I look like or how fast we go. He never tells me to speed up or fix my form, he doesn’t judge me if we only run 1 mile instead of 2. (Sidenote: Megan would like me to add that she doesn’t judge me or critique my form, which is true, but she DOES have a tendency to adjust the pace.) In fact, he’s perfectly content with any distance that we run and any speed that we go. He knows the route and he jogs along next to me, pausing occasionally to sniff something interesting or wait for me to catch up. It did take awhile to train him to run my pace, but now he knows my speed and he adjusts to stay within a leash length of me.
My favorite part is when it’s hot outside and I’m exhausted and sweaty, I look over at him and his tongue is hanging out and he looks up at me and we have a mutual understanding—let’s run home now! I like to encourage him and tell him…good job! Keep it up! We’re almost there! Encouraging him has a way of encouraging me too! Together we’ll always make it home.
~Running Buddy
So last Wednesday was my third track workout with the Greenville Track Club. You may remember that at the first workout, I felt great! I was energized, excited, and enthusiastic about running. The second track workout went well too, not as great as the first, but still bearable. The third workout was brutal. It was 97 degrees outside and we did a 400, 1200, 1000, 800, 600. This run made me question why I even tried to start running again. I just wanted to give up. Between the 1200 and 1000 my mind and legs weren’t communicating properly, somehow I’d lost all my gears and was just running on empty. I wanted to go faster and I pushed myself, yet somehow my times got slower…just a frustrating part of running math. Sometimes more effort does not equal faster times. I told myself to just finish the workout—everyone was hot, tired, sweaty, smelly, and gross, just like me! I wasn’t alone.
We get to the 800 and I think..just two more things…two more things…only an 800 and 600…the worst is behind you. After the 800…just one more rep…just a lap and a half and you’re done! Think how wonderful that hose of cold water will feel on your head! (Side note: the back of the neck and the wrists are the most amazing places for cold water after a run…feels like heaven)
Something amazing happened with the last rep….I found another gear. I actually ran my last one faster than any of the previous…it didn’t feel great, but I did it. My body responded when I thought I was long past the point of running fast or even running at all. That’s what keeps me running, even when my mind thinks I can’t do it anymore and my legs feel like they’re going to give out—they don’t! They respond to my desperate plea to finish the workout and they keep me running and keep me going back for more!
~ Running Buddy
So after a 3 year hiatus from track, Megan insisted that I join her at the GTC track practice yesterday. The last time I ran on a track was April 2005—my senior year of college at the conference track meet (I ran the 10,000 and the 5,000). Needless to say, I was a little burned out and decided to take a break from track and from running.
Megan and I have been running consistently since January, but I avoided the track. After all this time a bit of a negative mind block appeared every time I thought about track. I didn’t think I would ever want to run a track workout again, let alone voluntarily run a track workout with no race to prepare for and no scholarship on the line.
The workout was a 400, 800, 1000, 1000, 1200, 1200. By the time I got to the 1000, I was back…somehow my legs remembered the thrill of speed and the exhilaration of competition. I would think in my head only 2 laps to go…, 1 lap to go…, 200 to go…finished! The laps just melted away and before I knew it, the workout was finished. It felt AMAZING! My legs actually craved the speed…don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy and it did feel pretty uncomfortable, but the pain felt great! My legs actually missed the track, they missed me challenging them everyday, they missed the squishy feel of the track, the familiar turns, the white lines, the waterfall starting line, the thrill that permeates through my body in the seconds before the coach yells “GO!” I think I made a significant breakthrough yesterday—all thanks to Megan! I think I can start to call myself a runner again instead of a retired collegiate runner. I may even go to that Sunrise Run with Megan just to test out my new legs!
The workout was great, and it’s good to be back!
Next week I think I’ll have to drag Megan to track practice, and maybe I can get a little of my optimism to rub off on her!
~Running Buddy (AKA sunshine to Megan’s cloud)
Note from Megan: Instead of continuing to steal Running Buddy’s ideas for posts, I’ve added her as an author. She’ll be posting from time to time and (hopefully) filling in any gaps between posts on my part. She’s a great, great friend and an awesome writer, too.
Hello, loyal MeganRunning readers! I am a guest writer (known to you as Running Buddy). I thought I should introduce myself and give my first blog post ever (thanks to a little gentle encouragement from M & J). On a side note, I will say (without pressure from anyone) that I’m a very loyal reader of this blog, so I’m thrilled to be a featured guest! J
A brief history:
You may notice a few similarities between Megan and myself….we’re scarily similar but I promise I’m a real person and not a figment of Megan’s imagination!
More to come!
~ RUNNING BUDDY
Megan
melissacee