Super Tuesday

You may have assumed, upon reading the title of Today's post, that "Super Tuesday" is in reference to the heated primaries across the US as I write this, but you would be incorrect. Instead, it refers to my surprise victory on the treadmill earlier this afternoon.

I have had a rough couple of weeks and I even had those fleeting moments where I feared injury so early on and wondered how I could continue with training. I actually even began doubting my ability to complete this task. Well - today, dearest readers, it seems as though I have broken through to the other side of my sluggish training.

It all started this morning as I was preparing for my day. I made my usual morning smoothie - 8 oz skim milk, handful of frozen berries, scoop of whey protein, scoop of ground flax seed, and a half a banana. Washed down a couple of multi-vitatmins as well as a probiotic and ALMOST exited the kitchen. For whatever reason, I decided to make a half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - just in case I needed a heartier mid-morning snack.

At about 9:45 am, I consumed said sandwich. At 11:30, I met a client for lunch. She is no stranger to marathons, so it was nice to be able to talk about the joys and pitfalls of my training, as she is also training for a race - the Eugene Half Marathon. I carefully chose my lunch from a menu full of pre-run no-no's. I had two small pieces of bread, cup of minestrone soup, cajun shimp salad with avovado and mixed greens, and an iced-t as well as several glasses of water. About an hour later, I found myself in the locker room at the gym.

You are probably now thinking that I owe my "super" run to the careful consideration of my diet Today, but I am not yet certain. You see, as I began to unpack my gym bag, I realized that I had forgotten my running socks. You may recall, if you are a regular reader, that once upon a time, such an incident was cause for packing up and going home. However, I decided to tough it out. I wore (I still cannot believe I did this) my black dress socks. I convinced myself that if I just rolled them down around my ankles, they could possibly be mistaken for black running socks. After checking myself out in the mirror, I realized that pass for athletic socks, they did not! Not even close. However, I also noticed something unexpected: my heel seemed to glide comfortably and ever so slightly in my running shoes. Could this be??? Could my debut as a super-geek in black socks possibly HELP me run in my new shoes? In case you are wondering - Yes - my legs looked even whiter and even pastier with black socks on. I chose to rise above it though, and get those white legs out there in front of that wall of mirrors and get on with myself.

I hit the treadmill and I am being completely serious when I tell you that I hadn't the slightest bit of pain as I began to run. What's more: I finally had the lung capacity to keep my 6.5 mile pace. I had a great 9 minutes of straight running, 2 minutes of walking, 8 minutes of run, 2 min walking, and then finished it off with 8 minutes of running. A nice long stretch at the end topped off what was just about my most perfect run yet. 30 minutes, 3 miles.

So was it the socks? Was it that PB&J between breakfast and lunch? Was it my lunch itself? I'm thinking it must have been the combination of all of those things. However, what will remain a mystery to me is if those socks deserve the acclaim I am more than prepared to give them. Needless to say, I will be searching for white, thin, nylon socks to wear for my next few runs. I believe it no doubt helped with those new shoes.

I should also give credit where it's due in terms of iPod selections. I tell you what: I can't lose if Billy Joel or Tim McGraw are belting out tunes into my ears. My final selection, however, was Martina's Independance Day, which carried me through my last half mile with no problems. I am actually LOOKING FORWARD to my next run, which will be on Thursday. Tomorrow I'm doing some cross training in the form of weight training.

SO - Perhaps I will pay better attention to my pre-run provisions, as well as those that follow each run. Most of you have heard my "you are what you eat" spiel at least 1000 times, but it was clearer to me Today than it ever has been.

I have neglected to write about my book reading: A Tale of Two Cities. I will admit that at first, it was more difficult for me to open that book and read even a few pages than it was to force myself to go for a run. However, now that I am about 100 pages into it, it's going quickly AND I'm SORT of (SORT OF - I don't want to damage my street cred of having an aversion to the classics) enjoying it.

I am wondering which character I most portray in my running:
Am I most like Sydney Carton - the wreckless boozer who, while brilliant, has no regard for his own life? (probably not - I'm extremely cautious). Perhaps Jarvis Lorry - All business, no fun. Just out to accomplish his task and move onto the next. And then dear Charles Darney - the strapping, beloved fellow who remains aloof to most goings on around him, but looks good while doing it (certainly that's not me - especially not after those black socks!).

At this point - I must say my marathon training most resembles the life and times of My Lorry. He's all work and no play. While I am enjoying the accomplishments of my training thus far, I do approach each training day as though it were a mission. Perhaps some day I will become more like Lucie Mannette and find the beauty in it. But for now - I'm relishing in the novelty of checking off the box as a training day is complete and recording the results into my calendar.

At any rate - should some of you like to get your Dickens on with me - it's not that bad. It does take about 50 pages to become accustomed to his writing style and familiarize yourself with the England-France state of affairs in the 1780's. Small steps indeed. I'm glad I'm pushing myself to read these books. All in all - this training and reading is becoming more and more rewarding each day.