Bricks and Bones (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bricks_and_bones) wrote2030-04-23 02:46 pm
bricks_and_bones) wrote2030-04-23 02:46 pm
Entry tags:
The Opener
Welcome to my journal on running!
Here I am with Tom, one of my running buddies:
While I am a relatively slow runner, I am very persistent and I run because it brings me relaxation and all those great endorphins and whatnot. If I participate in a race, it is to have a running goal and to finish. (Aaaand maybe to try to get ahead of that other slow person before crossing the finish line. I am SOMEWHAT competitive.)
I also rarely if ever run on the roads. Why? For one, it is not good for your joints. For another, you can get hit by cars. I first and foremost run on trails and I have come to know and love so many natural places on the North Shore. The woods bring me peace and relaxation and adventure.
I have participated in a number of distance races over the years; the highlight of the road races I have done was the Chicago Marathon in 2003. The Chicago Marathon is 26.2 miles; I only say this because so often I am asked, "Is that as long a race as the Boston Marathon?" Yes. Any marathon, no matter where it is run, is always 26.2 miles. Any HALF marathon is 13.1 miles, and an ultra-marathon must be 50k/31 miles or longer. (Common ultra distances are 50k, 50 miles, and 100 miles, though there are definitely variants.) There were a few triathlons and half marathons as well. I even ran half of the Stone Cat one year, and it was then that I decided that, eventually, I wanted to do the whole race.
Since starting this blog I have officially finished the 2012 Stone Cat Marathon! In addition, I came in first place in my age group (30-39) in the 2012 North Shore Trail Series sponsored by New England Running Company! (The secret to my success? I SHOWED UP FOR ALL THE RACES AND FINISHED THEM.)
I have completed four ultramarathons in 2013: the Fatass 50K in January, the Traprock 50K in April, the Brookvale Ultra trail marathon (50K) in August, and the Stone Cat 50 Miler in November. I ran the Nipmuck 26.4 marathon in October to train for Stone Cat.
All this running takes its toll. My plantar fasciitis is about 70% better through therapy and use of special insoles and running shoes. The worst problem I have now is tendonitis. It runs through the tendons on the tops of my feet and where my ankles join my foot and leg. Some mornings it is tough to walk. For this reason, even though the weather has been PERFECT for running, I have to stay indoors on the cross-trainer machine. :(
Working out indoors has been really tough for me, mentally, but I suppose I brought it on myself. Recovering from running injuries can wreak havoc on a mind that is used to releasing stress through running. It is now December 2013 and I am in the process of mentally retraining myself and being at peace with things I cannot change.
Here I am with Tom, one of my running buddies:
While I am a relatively slow runner, I am very persistent and I run because it brings me relaxation and all those great endorphins and whatnot. If I participate in a race, it is to have a running goal and to finish. (Aaaand maybe to try to get ahead of that other slow person before crossing the finish line. I am SOMEWHAT competitive.)
I also rarely if ever run on the roads. Why? For one, it is not good for your joints. For another, you can get hit by cars. I first and foremost run on trails and I have come to know and love so many natural places on the North Shore. The woods bring me peace and relaxation and adventure.
I have participated in a number of distance races over the years; the highlight of the road races I have done was the Chicago Marathon in 2003. The Chicago Marathon is 26.2 miles; I only say this because so often I am asked, "Is that as long a race as the Boston Marathon?" Yes. Any marathon, no matter where it is run, is always 26.2 miles. Any HALF marathon is 13.1 miles, and an ultra-marathon must be 50k/31 miles or longer. (Common ultra distances are 50k, 50 miles, and 100 miles, though there are definitely variants.) There were a few triathlons and half marathons as well. I even ran half of the Stone Cat one year, and it was then that I decided that, eventually, I wanted to do the whole race.
Since starting this blog I have officially finished the 2012 Stone Cat Marathon! In addition, I came in first place in my age group (30-39) in the 2012 North Shore Trail Series sponsored by New England Running Company! (The secret to my success? I SHOWED UP FOR ALL THE RACES AND FINISHED THEM.)
I have completed four ultramarathons in 2013: the Fatass 50K in January, the Traprock 50K in April, the Brookvale Ultra trail marathon (50K) in August, and the Stone Cat 50 Miler in November. I ran the Nipmuck 26.4 marathon in October to train for Stone Cat.
All this running takes its toll. My plantar fasciitis is about 70% better through therapy and use of special insoles and running shoes. The worst problem I have now is tendonitis. It runs through the tendons on the tops of my feet and where my ankles join my foot and leg. Some mornings it is tough to walk. For this reason, even though the weather has been PERFECT for running, I have to stay indoors on the cross-trainer machine. :(
Working out indoors has been really tough for me, mentally, but I suppose I brought it on myself. Recovering from running injuries can wreak havoc on a mind that is used to releasing stress through running. It is now December 2013 and I am in the process of mentally retraining myself and being at peace with things I cannot change.