I've been a bad runner, a bad blogger, and a great son

Since Thanksgiving, a number of maladies have kept me from keeping a proper running schedule. As I believe I've mentioned, I was working 30+ hours a week at work on top of school and life in general. My last day of work was Christmas eve, so I get those hours back, plus, until school starts up, the hours from class. On top of that, I managed to bruise the underside of my heel. Had some dead skin peeling off of it, a callous giving way, so I gave a pull at it, and the skin didn't come. Ouch. Thing was deep red for a few days, now it's more purple. Doesn't hurt much now, thankfully.

So I haven't really run much in the last month. Shame on me. I've kept up my core workouts, which is good, and work got me used to being on my feet for hours and hours on end. With the New Year will come true dedication -- running a 4 miler on New Year's day, YMCA membership will be back in use, and my newly acquired Under Armour (woo Christmas gifts) will be put to the test.

That said, Christmas went well. I was up until the wee hours of Christmas Eve/Christmas morning putting together the presentation of my Dad's gift.

First, I took a beat up, old, empty shoebox. Then I dug out my beat up old Sauconys. Then, I took the lovely banner that we received from Dana-Farber, folded it up, and put it in the bottom of the old shoebox. On top of the banner, I placed the card I wrote, which said something to the effect of the following:

Dad, over the last year, you've had a long, difficult journey. You've met it head on every step of the way.

Now it's my turn.

As a tribute to your victory over cancer, I will be running the 2010 Boston Marathon to raise money for cancer research, as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge.

Merry Christmas, and many more.
Love, Chris

On top of the card, I placed the busted old Sauconys. I closed the shoebox, taped the lid shut, wrapped it. Christmas morning, I told him he couldn't open my gift until we got to my aunt's house, where his entire side of the family would be for Christmas dinner.

After dinner, dessert, and everyone else had opened their presents, my mom got everyone's attention, and I gave my dad his gift. He opened it, took out the shoes, confusing everyone. Then he went for the plastic of the banner, but I yelled at him to open the card. He opened the card, and read it to himself. Everyone else watched closely. He passed the card to the right and let a few people read it before everyone asked my uncle John to read it aloud. He did, and upon finishing, I looked around the room and realized that everyone in the room was crying.

I made roughly 15 people cry tears of happiness on Christmas day. I think it's safe to say it was the best Christmas gift anyone in my family has ever given, and I am endlessly proud of that.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Equilibrium

I have found myself in a balancing act worthy of Cirque du Soleil. And I have no idea how to manage it from now until Christmas.

I am working, on average, about 32 hours a week. I have no problems with that by itself, I'm 21, I need the money. However, I also have roughly 16 hours of class a week. Plus time commuting to and from both places, and in between classes. That puts me at about 55-60 hours of work and travel. Two and a half out of seven days. Then there's sleep. Probably 48 hours of that in a week. And work for classes, which at this time of year is probably another 8-12 hours a week. That's five out of seven days of my week accounted for. You'll note that this is omitting "menial" tasks like eating, showering, using the bathroom, and breathing.

It's also omitting my social life. The one thing I want to be taking up my time. And to my credit, I have managed to keep myself from becoming a total hermit / workaholic. I've kept up with my friends pretty well, all things considered.

And I've met an amazing girl. I'll save you all the gushy details, but her name is Lauren, and I am smitten. The commuting required for our dates is a bit... obnoxious (Salem for me, Brigham Circle area for her), but I couldn't care less. Curiously, the DFMC is actually making it easier. Runners meetings at DFCI are close for her, and when I start getting out to some of the Crossroads runs, that'll be almost as easy, I think.

Anyways, here I stand, like a stork in quicksand, trying not to lose my footing. Thankfully, school is over on the 18th and work is probably done for me on the 22nd. But in the meantime, S.O.S.!

Catching up

Been busy lately. Thanksgiving was good. My mom knows that I'm running the Marathon, and has agreed to help me tell my dad and his side of the family on Christmas day. Working on mapping out who where donations will come from and how much we stand to raise. It's looking pretty solid. My fundraising is gonna start catching up with my training.

Training, on the other hand, has ground to a near halt. Blisters on my feet are weird, in that they are under the calloused skin. They won't break open on their own, but I'm not about to break them open, either. It's still uncomfortable to run on them, particularly up any sort of incline. I'm going to go by the Y tomorrow or Thursday to renew my membership and probably hop in the pool. I sorely miss the swim workouts I was doing in the spring and summer.

Anyway, that's the word from me. Happy December everyone!

Race Day Recap

The Wild Turkey Run this morning didn't quite go as well as I'd hoped. After starting out at about 9:00-8:30-8:00 pace for the first three miles, I ran into a bit of a snafu. Some distance into the fourth mile, my left foot started to get numb. Pins and needles-y. Got worse until I had to stop at about 3.5 to mess with my shoe some, in the hopes that it would help. It got worse. As a result, the last two miles of the race were laborious and very uncomfortable. What would've been about a 43 ended up being a 49. Tch. Gotta figure out what caused the tingling foot.

Anyway, on with the training and the fundraising. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Prepping for the Wild Turkey

Pretty good run today. Got home from class, got suited up, and went out. Took a long slow descent for the first mile and a half, then a series of four sizable hills, each harder than the last. Stepped in some dog shit on a grassy corner turning up the last hill though, so now my shoes are sitting on the deck waiting for me to give them a proper cleaning, which I didn't have time to do because I had to be at work shortly after my run. Probably'll clean them tomorrow between class and work. Maybe go for a run if there's time. Wednesday will apparently be a cross-training day, since it looks like there's gonna be some pickup Ultimate. Race is Thursday morning. 5 miles in cold and potential rain, woo.

Back on the right track

At least I think I am.

At 2am, I donned my spandex, my new gloves, and a hat, and went out. I took parts of the last two runs and tied them together to make a 3 mile course that was primarily downhill, including "Heartache Hill", this time as a descent instead of an incline. It felt pretty good, for the most part. My stride was good, my pace (~7:40) was good. The compression shirt I bought on Thursday didn't fit nearly as well as I thought it would. A little short/tight in the wrong places. Gotta return it and get something better. I feel a little invigorated though, which is good, considering the 5 mile turkey trot on Thursday morning. But more about that later this week.

Wavering Commitment

I find myself... shrouded in doubt.

I sorta know why. It's not that I doubt my capabilities as a runner (at least not generally). It's not that I have some mental roadblock, or some physical ailment.

My last two runs have gone worse than I expected. Not a ton worse, but enough so that it was a little discouraging. On top of that, the fact that I have to work every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from now until Christmas means that I really won't be able to run more than one of those three days a week, because I spend almost all of my 8 hour shifts on my feet. That, in turn, means that I will need to run three times out of the other four days of the week. That means that no matter what I do, I'll have work one day and running the next day or the day before. I feel like that will either make my runs less effective or my work less efficient.

Once Christmas is here, I'll be fine, I'm almost sure, but I have to maintain until then, and that's what I'm concerned about. I suppose I'll have to renew my YMCA membership, that will probably help matters some. And breaking the news to the immediate family at Thanksgiving dinner will be a shot in the arm (yes, you're reading that right, I haven't told anyone in my family with the sole exception of my brother, so he can cover my alibis for me).

But damn, do I wish I could just figure out a way around this.

Rockin' the suburbs

About an two hours ago, after a long day which included classes (but no Bio lab -- canceled!), Left 4 Dead 2, and then a rousing Celtics game at the Garden, it hit me.

"Oh shit. I need to run."

So I donned my Under Armour, then layered warm things over it, and began what I believe was my first sub-freezing run since I left UMass after Spring 08. I was pretty well dressed for it, though I will need to buy some warm, but lightweight, gloves for the winter ahead.

I wasn't sure where, exactly, I was gonna run, but I knew I wanted it to be shorter and a little

more challenging, so I made a variation, on the fly, to a 2 mile speed course that I like to run on summer nights and went with that. The resulting route is to the right. It starts, as all runs from my house have and will, with a downhill, this time a long, slow decline (from point A/F to the middle of the first curve), then a small-mediumish hill (middle of curve to B). Point B to point C is a nice, level straightaway. Point C to Point D, however, is the biggest part of the variation. This stretch is a steep incline, perhaps the steepest in the immediate area. Due to this fact, I have nicknamed it "Heartache Hill", as a less severe homage to Heartbreak Hill. Heartache Hill's downside goes from D almost to E, and from there, it's a slow, steady climb back home.

I did this 2.3 mile course in about 20 minutes, which, considering the new element in the hill and the bitter cold, I'm relatively pleased with. 8:41 pacing is fine by me, at least this time. The post title, for those of you who are curious about these sorts of things, comes of course from the Ben Folds song of the same name, which came on during the home stretch of my run, and gave me a nice boost of energy, as well as the fact that almost all of my runs take place in a borderline Agrestic suburban neighborhood.

Anyway, off to bed. Long day tomorrow.

Unproductive!

Last two days have been totally wasted, outside of a core workout I did to atone for not being able to run.

Sunday night, not long after my last blog post, I stepped on something. Something sharp. I don't really know what it was. Could've been glass or a tack. Something smallish. Sliced the bottom of my foot open a little bit, bled some. With the Thanksgiving race coming up, I figured it was best to lay off it for a couple days, though I hated doing it.

Not sure I'll get a good run in tomorrow either. Class, lab, and tickets to the Celtics game. Might be able to squeeze one in between twoish and sixish, depending on homework.

Hm.

Augh, heartburn

Worked a seven hour shift today. Watched the Patriots blow the game. Realized I hadn't run either of the two previous days. Realized I had a paper to write.

From there, I realized that anything is better than writing a paper. Especially a history paper. So I decided, even though I felt a little "meh", to go out for a run. I threw on Under Armour, my iPod, and a hat, and for the first time since hurting my ankle, I went without my brace.

I headed out, and ad-libbed a route, because I wasn't sure how I would feel as things progressed.

I got going pretty well, going downhill for the first mile and change. The next three quarters of a mile were slightly uphill, but not noticeably so. It was during this relatively flat stage that I got a

nice blast of heartburn. Wasn't good at all, and I decided to shorten the run by a little bit. The last three quarters of the run were at a considerable incline, including a very challenging home stretch. All told, it came out to about 2.7 miles in 23 minutes, for a pace of 8:31.

I can do better.

Okay, this just got 1000% more real

This came in the mail today:

Say it with me, Keanu.

I mean really, holy shit. This is happening. I'm really going to be running the Boston Marathon in 5 months and 4 days. That's sobering, and a little terrifying, and exciting, and a thousand other things.

Anyway. This morning, I had a "first-timers" meeting at DFCI. Got to know some of my fellow runners, in a group activity (we called our group "The Virgins" because none of us have ever run a marathon before). That was pretty fun. Got some sage advice from the staff, also cool. Mingled a little, chatted with various folks. All in all, a good time.

Then I went to work, where I got stuck doing carriage duty in the parking lot, in this horrible weather. Five miserable hours lugging 74 pound carts around in groups of five to ten. Got home, did a core workout, showered, then cut the bottom of my foot on either a staple or a small nail. I don't know which. Arg.

At least tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so I should be able to get a run in. Probably tomorrow night, after the Pats kick the Colts' ass. That is, of course, assuming that my shift at work is relatively calm.

Well fuck.

My exercise ball has a slow leak. Like it was poked with the smallest pin you can think of. I think it might actually have been done by a stray high E string, since it shares floor space with my guitars.

In running news, I wasn't entirely sure I was gonna get out for a run today. I woke up this morning and my ankle was feeling a little tender, presumably from the 2-3 hours of Ultimate yesterday. I kept off it for most of the day, save for going to and from classes, and just a bit ago, I decided to go for a late night run. At 1am, in 45 degree weather.

About 3.15 miles. Left my house at about 110am, got back at 133am. Dailymile tells me that I paced at about 7'37", which feels about right. No walking, no stopping to wait for a crossing light, no run ins with familiar faces. Just me and the streets. It was good. Very good.

I've never run this particular route before, but I really enjoyed it. It starts out with a quick descent, then flattens off into a couple small bunnies, then a long, very gradual downhill (the southeastern straightaway on the map), then a sharp incline, a straightaway, then two more bunnies, then another sharp incline home. Really solid. I think I'm gonna call it "The Straights".

I truly love running at night, even in relatively harsh conditions. Tonight was chilly, though my Under Armour helped quite a bit, and there was a headwind on two of the three long streets, but I still kicked a solid amount of ass.

Can the Marathon be at like... 10pm instead of 10am?

Pleeease?

Veterans' Day has been pretty sweet.

Today's work out was part cross-training, part legitimate running, and impossible to quantify.

Played pick-up Ultimate from about noon to about 2, then about 3 to about 430. All together, I was probably on the field for about 2h 45m. For those unfamiliar with Ultimate, its running requires a mix of endurance and power/agility. That, along with the fact that it takes place on a grassy field makes it a great alternative to pounding the pavement. Unfortunately, it's a sport that goes with the seasons, and cold weather/snowfall is enough to put it on the shelf until the spring.

Tomorrow I'm looking at another half hour run, I think. The weekend is tricky, due to work on Friday and Sunday at the very least, as well as the First Timers meeting Saturday morning. I guess I'll have to play that by ear.

Aside: I need a few good suggestions for oblique workouts. If any of you reading this have any good ideas, please, let me know!

And we're off

After a slight setback at the Girl Talk concert in which someone accidentally stomped on my recovering ankle, I had to go light last week. Well, that incident and three long days of work over the weekend. Regardless, I only got in one good run.

Today though, I got in a nice one. 3.2 miles, if Google Maps is to be believed. Did it + cool down in about 32 minutes, which means my pace was probably in the 8'25" range. Not too shabby, especially considering that I ran (almost literally) into one of my old high school teachers, who was walking home. We had a brief chat, which was cool.

Anyway, this Indian Summer we're having is a good way to get me back into the rhythm of running regularly, so thank you Mother Nature for the gift.

Now... when to find time to run the rest of the week.

November? When did this happen?

Halloween and its trappings have come and gone from Salem, and November has arrived. That means it's time to get training.

I have been working on my core for the past few weeks, four or five times a each week. It's worked pretty well, though I need to figure out some better exercises for my obliques. Suggestions are welcome.

Now that the cars are out of town, though, I have to start my first stage of training. I have to get a comfortable base level of fitness back, and I have to create the habit of running 3-4 times a week and cross training 3-4 times a week. I will probably straighten out my Y membership so I can use the pool and the elliptical machines and what have you on cross training days. And so I can use the treadmill on the short run days when it's too cold, even though I generally hate treadmills. But I digress. I'm going to a show at the House of Blues tonight (Girl Talk, woo), so tomorrow is officially going to be "Day One".

A brief update!

Got my packet from DFMC in the mail today. Don't know if either of my parents saw what it was. I'm guessing no. I'm hoping no. I want to surprise them properly.

I think the Facebook group is a little broken. It says a vast majority of people I know haven't responded to their invitations to join the group, but I think they just didn't get the invite due to me sending them to all 350+ of my friends at once. Those of you reading this should do me a solid and invite any mutual friends we have to the group. Or join it yourself, if you haven't already!

Meeting at Dana-Farber on Wednesday. Ought to be interesting, meeting the rest of the teammates and staff and what have you.

November 3rd, the training starts in earnest. I see Dr. Bradley on the 2nd, see Girl Talk that night, and the next morning, it's off to the proverbial races.

Sick, sick, sick

The last 3 and a half, 4 days haven't been too great. I've been dealing with a pretty obnoxious stomach bug that came on Tuesday night and is just now starting to subside. Hopefully this will be the only and/or the most serious sickness I have to deal with between now and April. I'm hoping that I will be feeling up to "strenuous physical activity" by Sunday. Monday at the latest, because I have one of my last few physical therapy sessions. Then I should be good to go.

I might have to restart my Y membership for November and December...

Status Report: 10/11

Funds Raised: $55
Facebook Group: 80 members (I think Facebook has to stagger the invites. Probably shouldn't have sent 350 at once.)

Slowly improving my diet; getting in more fruits, veggies, protein, dairy. This is almost as big a deal for me as the running, I'm a notoriously bad eater.

Still rehabbing the ankle injury from the end of July. Physical therapy folks say I'm doing excellently and will only need another two weeksish. Running will be light and infrequent until then. Might try playing Ultimate for the first time in 2+ months on Tuesday. We'll see about that. The primary things I have to work on until I can run regularly are strengthening my ankle, strengthening my core, and improving my flexibility. The ankle I have been doing regularly, obviously, and I have just finished clearing floorspace in my room for stretching, crunches, push-ups, and a large exercise ball. I need to get some weights, I think... Anyway, the core stuff and the flexibility will be first up in just about a half an hour.

Not a very exciting update, I know

Well, it's both official and public

I have officially taken my spot on the 2010 Dana Farber Marathon Challenge team. In about 27 weeks, I will be at the starting line for the Boston Marathon, in the name of cancer research. And now I'm alerting the internet.

If you are reading this and would like to donate to the cause, go here:

http://www.rundfmc.org/2010/chrisc

Even the smallest donation will mean a lot, so please, contribute.

That said, this blog's purpose is to keep whoever wants to read it up to date on my training and general preparation for the big race. Having this space to publicly share what I'm doing and how will hopefully keep my motivation and energy high.

Cheers, and happy Columbus Day weekend (or Thanksgiving for the Canadians out there)!

Magic 8 Ball, what is this blog for?

"Better not tell you now"