The Windy White Mtn. Milers Half Marathon

The night before, I just wanted to get to sleep at a regular time. I thought it would disturb me to get in some kind of "zone" or whatever. So I kept it casual.

We went out to the bar and I got hit on by this wookie that I think is super hot, seriously he is fine (I see him all around). SO that felt really good but I knew I couldn't drink too much so we left and tried to get some dancing in, but the bouncers carried 3 loud obnoxious drunk ladies out of the bar and literally threw them through the door! So I was outta there, I did not want to get stepped on by these girls who were pretty large and pretty hammered. So we headed home, ate some hummus and crashed. It was 10:30 pm. I woke up to the alarm at 5:45, got on my running duds and jumped in the Toyota munching almonds and drinking coffee.

The ride up was pleasant. Once the sun came up, the colors of the deciduous trees were gorgeous. Perhaps up north did not get as much rain as us the previous day because in southern NH we barely had leaves left.

It was gusty when we arrived. I accidentally grabbed the wrong headphones, one earbud was a little rattly in my ear. I had Cypress Hill "I Ain't goin out like that" on repeat. It reminded me to keep it tempo and easy for the first third of the race (my dad and I devised a plan the day before so I organized the race in thirds).

I was pretty happy and not nervous. I was looking at the other runners. They were looking at me, probably because the dreads were poking out and bouncing around and it might be funny for some, who knows.

The leaves were blowing hard out of this tree in front of the hotel. I told Curtis that it was likely that by the time I finished the race there may not be one leaf left in that tree. They were coming off and flying off, they were not hitting the ground in that special way that only leaves can.

The lining up was pretty casual. I wasn't exactly sure where the actual start was but I noticed people in running clothes facing a general direction. So I got my photo snapped while I was lined up. Funny those two men looking at me. I think they are digging those candy skull bracelets I'm wearing on my right wrist. I mean for $ .99 you can get pure maltodextrin pills on an attractive trendy accessory. I was proud of myself for this. And a cute girl next to me loved them and as long as she thought I was dope, then all was right.

So I was munching on the pills and the same cute girl, who was standing with her especially cute boyfriend (who sadly wasn't running), asked me if I was wearing headphones. And since I was, and while this seemed obvious because of the white buds in my ears and the miles of cable across my chest and the simply fabulous pink ipod affixed to my upper arm THAT didn't really require a response except that perhaps for once I was feeling super polite and stoked that she dug my bracelets so I said that indeed, "Yes." I was wearing headphones.

And so the man who was in charge of getting this thing going started to say that he was just going to say "Ready, set, go!" and that at which point we are to start running up the street. And the same girl says to me, "Do you know if we're allowed to wear headphones because I'm going to wear them too and I just didn't know if you knew for sure...." so I glance over at her now feeling about 30% less polite than I did about 13 seconds earlier and and her boyfriend says to her, "You know, that's okay, just wear your headphones." So I take another bite of my malto pills and hear "Ready, set, go!"

And just like in the Lore of Running, I take three normal steps, next I take a regular running stride followed by one that is steady and easy and another and then I find myself immediately at an 8:10 pace and passing all kinds of people. I was on the outside of this pack that seemed to be about 15 folks wide. Then it narrowed down to 2 or three quickly and we were off. I breathed deeply through my nose, passed over the river and was quickly at the mile one marker with a time of 8:12. Right on target.

Next marker I found myself at was mile 5. HOLY SHIT! The first third of the race and then some was over and I needed to do what dad and I talked about, he wanted me to hit a 7:30 till mile 9. ummm...sorry dad.

I ran with a guy for a couple of miles. This was distracting. I got passed by men. Several times I got passed by guys who were wearing aftershave. NOT COOL! I am serious, do you really think you need to douse yourself with this crap because you may meet the girl of your dreams and you don't want to smell like you've been at the gym for 2 hours? I won't tell you that these guys didn't look good running in front of me, that's not the point, I actually gagged on their horribly over-manufactured poor excuse for pheromones which triggered only one single natural response in me and that was the desire to hurl directly on their Asics.

Let me say something about the course real quick so you can follow what happens next. It's shaped like a Dum-Dum. You know those meager yet oddly complexly flavored lolli's that have a stick that seems not to scale with the thing, well that is a simplified visual for the course.

You go down the stick, you go around the small dum-dum and you come back up the stick, pretty simple.

Well, just as I got to the dum-dum, I saw the lead guy coming out of the dum-dum and heading back home down the stick to the finish. Then there was this handsome kid about twenty seconds behind him, that's the second place runner! I thought to myself, and I got all giddy and hollered, Pour it on! Pour it on! and he ended up winning, btw. :)

So around the loop I went and there was a sign that said half-way mark. Holy crap. I seriously could have crawled into someone's car right then and there. There was something super mental for me about hitting that loop, and having been informed of the fact that I was going to have to forge my way back up that SAME exact route for almost 7 more miles(?)!

About the time I completed that thought, I had also completed the turn and now heading in a Northerly direction, the windy Northerly direction (no seriously, I mean it) BOOM! There was the wind!!! You know, that wind that I saw at the start but thought no more about? The wind was to my back for the first half and I didn't even register it. It flew by and I could tell because mile one was perfect and up to mile five was effortless and now this... It immediately felt like I was pushing Levi in a jogger.

I stayed intent on focusing on my stride and on my posture but I knew that the mental shit was already in full swing because of that person's mini van and the cushioned captain's chair and climate control and the overall comfortable ride/performance it promised and probably guaranteed, even if it were just a Ford.

Mile 9, the one I had big plans for? the one that dad said, if you have anything left, this is the time to use it up. Right now. It's mile 9. So my mind went somewhere else. I imagined faces of people who I thought maybe would inspire me or would be proud or would smile spontaneously or maybe would nod in that like knowingly kind of way. And then I thought of that wookie and how sexy he is. And then I thought about hell and how maybe I would like to sometime slice off my quads and seer them in the firey pits till the juices run clear.

And then, when I saw that dude run by me on the tar with the bare feet, I turned around and me and this guy I just passed laughed together and then I said to the barefoot dude "You, my dear, are an animal". And so we all laughed for a second while the barefooted dude whizzed by like a a hungry gazelle in his prime, yeah, hahaha. Byeeeeee. Now where was I?

Oh yeah, hell.

Okay so I realized that I had a half eaten GU in my right hand since like mile 7 and that I had been tugging it like it was a single ounce of a fine scotch. My mouth was sticky and the malto pills were melting against my skin so I thought it was cool that I was absorbing some calories through my skin and that made me laugh.

And then there he is! oh my god! Where you been! There is that woman's husband again. I've seen him about every mile, since the thing began, dutifully cheering her on like a faithful friend offering sips of this and that and a variety of clif bloks, whatever she needed, especially a brief applause and some words of super genuine encouragement.

Except for the treats, I began to rely on him. I started to look for him and would pull an ear bud out so I could re-up on his good vibes. He was handsome, too. She didn't beat me even though she looked so evenly paced and so dialed in. I ran directly on her right heel from 9 through mile 11.5 and then I never saw her again.

Then I wanted my inhaler. This happened to me last fall too with the seasonal change, not sure what it is about that. But then that didn't end up being too serious. The quads though...there I was back to my visualization.

Why are half marathons 13.1 miles? Why does this seem longer than other longer runs I've done? Is this really 13 miles? Is there someone I can talk to about the methods they use for determining distance? Where's the manager? Do you know who's in charge here?

Okay, Soulfly. I am struggling here.

Another male runner passes he says something and it seemed nice but I can't hear very well but but I detect a pleasant tone and for a moment I imagine he was supportive. I'm over the bridge around the corner. Okay, Trey, OMG I have Phish tickets! I turn and see people. I see an arm go up and I hear "Here comes # 315 from Lee, NH Sarah Eaton, this is Sarah Eaton 38 years old from Lee, nh .....WAIT, TELL ME THAT DUDE DID NOT JUST ANNOUNCE MY AGE?????

And like that, I was done.

Number 122 overall. Finished 4th out of 20 in my division.

Sarah Eaton ran 13.1 miles PACE 8.23 SOTD Around the World (Daft Punk)-->Push on

Till The Day (Trey Anastasio)

I am planning on running a 5k this saturday in Exeter. We shall see.

13.1

My race is in exactly 48 hours or Sunday morning, October 25, 2009, up in North Conway, New Hampshire.

I chose this race for several reasons. First, I chose it because it's pretty close to where I live and it's going to be a pretty busy day for us, the race, then Tony Hawk in Rye and Jackie's (Jon's) 40th in Manchester that night. Second, I chose it because the fall colors are peaking in New England now throughout the weekend and it should be quite scenic. The third reason is because my father has run this half many consecutive years and it's nice to follow in his footsteps; he is not, however, running this year. And my final reason for running this race is because the shirt given is a long sleeve performance tee, which I'm thrilled to add to my winter running collection of kind, lightweight, breathable, sweat wicking threads.

I'm already being pretty snotty about what races I will run based on the shirt provided... cotton tees are totally lame, I mean who would ever dream of running in cotton anyway?

The race is at 9 am in the morning in front of the Eastern Slope Inn. It's named the White Mountain Milers Half Marathon and Relay. I'm running it solo. I've been getting ready for this race since I've been back from Oregon. I've thankfully been able to add mileage to my workouts, this is my indulgence!

Let us not forget the injured hamstring. This was kinda a stress injury...pushing too hard, working the same muscle without proper stretching, not warming up adequately, the stride opening too much and yanking that spot inside my knee over and over, until boom! it's just got pissed at me (that's what the sport med. guy said). In the last 3 weeks, I've also felt other stresses and aches in my neck and upper back, in my groin, and my right achilles, bottoms of both feet and even my gut.

I've been getting lots of advice from my friend Toni who just ran a NH marathon and qualified for Boston 2010 two weeks ago! She and I ran 4 or so miles together last weekend while on my 16 mile run and we talked a lot about what this marathon running is all about. I understand intellectually that marathon is at basic, not cumulative mileage, but actually exponential mileage. She agreed with me there, and as an accountant and business school instructor at a low residency program in Seattle, she has a pretty good understanding of the terms and how they relate to running distances, especially with a qualifying speed in mind. Toni has this achievement under her belt and now it's going to be my turn. We have also been working on the efficiency of my stride/gait and this will help tons in the long run.

Right now everything feels pretty loose except the neck. I am going to have to keep the icy hot and ibu gel on it and see if I can work this kink out (trying to avoid ice because of the disaster I made of my knee with the frostbite). But as far as motoring down the road, my kicks are in place and everything is ready.

I feel pretty confident that I can come in well under my 10k time from Oregon which fluctuated but seemed to hit around the 8:20 mark. The fluctuation was due to leg distances, lack of sleep, improper nutrition, leg difficulty (which seem to increase as the race went along for me) and my overall performance was just at a different pace; and these fluctuations will not be an issue here. Elijah is right now two feet away from me watching me type this and crunching SUPER LOUDLY on an apple, holy crap it's annoying OMG. (he just read that and is laughing hard now and spraying me with apple spray from his crazy mouth eeeeeew).

I have sort of a tactical plan I'm working on for this race. The key component is not coming out too fast. Unlike in 5k's and 10k's where there really isn't a ton of time to execute plan. For this longer race, I have to think about the start specifically. I've been doing lots of longer runs lately and I feel pretty confident that I will not tire. HOWEVER, I need to temper the first 4-6 miles and keep it at an easy pace, maybe 8:15- 8:20 so when the people in front of me start to feel the burn at mile 9, I can plow right over them and get me some roadkill lined up for the final 10 kilometers of the thing, like a 7:45 (?).

Or it could be possible I might suck. But I'm going to try not to. This race is part of a mission I'm on to complete the races in sequential order all the way up to something really long. So I had a 5k in Aug. in Portsmouth, then three 10k's in Oregon, now the half in Conway and then the Marathon in VA Beach in March. What's left after that? Maybe running a 50k race, who knows. I am just thoroughly enjoying my fresh air self and loving the many benefits of a healthy, fit body.

And I can't wait to see Sue LeBlanc Sydnor up there, it's been exactly many years!

Love to everyone,

Sarah

Running That Loop

I saw you again yesterday running that loop. We pass each other twice because we are heading in opposite directions, but I think I'm faster than you, except I had to pee at mile 8 and that took several minutes because of my hydration pack. I'm faster after I pee. If we talk sometime, I'd tell you that drinking coffee may not be the best just before a long run because it's a diuretic and makes you pee. I like your gloves. In the marathon, if I have to pee, I will not stop and head for a squat, I will go on myself. I like that you smile at me. Hey, so today I am aware of all my muscles from the groin down, the quads feel tough. I think you're cute, actually. And you move well.

For once I really love something because it's quiet and singular, what interests me the most about running is being alone and being powered by my own spirit. Maybe it's just because people can be cute.

Running these miles means more to me now than it did while in the process of changing. That girl is gone now. From here on out it is about fine tuning my brain to deal with longer and longer harder runs. There is a program for my head that I'm working on. Knocking down miles and processing kilometers in my head. 5k, 8k, 10, 12k, [30k, 40k+] are just stages that I will watch pass by and those moments will pass me by (hopefully quickly) and I will watch my pace and listen to my head and hunt down anyone I see in front of me.

Do you run that same loop every Wednesday? I usually have a different Wednesday loop, with a total uphill time of just over thirty minutes. Yeah, I know, me too.

It's A Show Day

The Disco Biscuits tonight at the Hampton Beach Casino, NH

I love show days. I wake up and the first thing I think about is heading out for a beer and then off to the venue. Today is no exception! I'm ready... it isn't Phish, but it's a show. For Phish, I'd make an entire day of it ?(or string a bunch together so it goes on for a couple of weeks:). Shows are spiritual! Inspired by the music, each and everyone of us. Live music is easy and complicated at the same time. What kind of art is music? A vibration, of course that's what sound is. But if you think about a painting, the strokes and colors that compose the work are done at the artists discretion but with no real impression on the one who stands before it. The work just is...like in Heidegger. That open lighted place that exists for the work to impress itself upon the viewer without the artists direction, he becomes incidental to the work and it stands alone. Live music? It's similar. Think about the instruments as the medium and the work? The collective sounds, the composition. And the audience? We experience the work of art. And we bring to it ourselves, our experiences and feelings; we each bring our own personal compositions to the music, making the entire happening of this art beautiful and important. The musicians become incidental to this happening and the music stands alone. I wish everyday were a show day!

Today's run: I ran point to point for an hour. Felt real good! Ran past a light where about 50 dudes in leather and on motorcycles watched me go by and collectively missed the light. lol.

I feel no pain at the bone where the hamstring attaches and was strained. The pain I feel now is on the skin. It turns out I gave myself frost bite by freezing my skin to the ice I was using to alleviate the hammy strain. My skin has partly melted off and partly bubbled up (due to the reaction the ibuprophen gel had to the extreme temp of the ice) and it is red and raw. It is very painful and I am eating ibuprohen like a champ and applying neosporin to the area. Fun times!

But my run was really great.

I felt really strong and quick. My breathing was easy. I was not stressed. Employed my arms big time today. My runs look more and more like tempo's. This is exciting for me! I have been on a quest for the tempo run, to be consistent on the run without fluctuations in pace.

Time to take Levi to the library and pick up the Lore of Running, it just arrived through inter library loan. I hope you have a beautiful day

SOTD Some how Some way -- Jay Z

Important to talk about this morning is a sad story I heard last night from a good friend of mine. His old boss broke his neck surfing at the NJ Shore and some surfers found him at the oceans edge. No words can really describe how this event makes me feel. There are many times when I need perspective on things but never hoping it's comes as hurtful as what happened to this man. It's uncertain what will happen to him but I'm sorry it did.

I Thought of him while I ran this morning. I felt perfectly (fucking) pain free (and it was amazing) for the first 80% of the run and then had an aching in the hammy for the remainder. This was a reminder that the area there is still in some distress, however I feel out of the woods, overall.

My pace was 8:10 covering 5.5 miles. I would like to keep going but a girlfriend of mine (who is a PA for orthopedics and sports medicine) made me swear to stop if I felt discomfort. So for the last twenty percent, I slowed it up and shortened the strides. Uphill bothers it more, flat is pain free. I am ready to be 100%.

Everything will be okay.

After telling me about his boss, my friend said he was going to give extra kisses to his daughter that night...another lesson to me. Appreciating the time with my two sons as it all goes by so quickly (I can see that it's true). Loving Elijah and Levi in the best way I know how is the best use of my love.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

Today was my first run in a few days. Actually, out of seven days, I've run only twice.

I went with 6 miles as I felt really great after the first half mile. The hamstring

injury (a small tear behind the knee that the doc says is pissed...) feels better but

not 100%. I went at a 8:36 pace today, shooting for easy feelin medium length strides (in my new pink 769's which are so lovely, btw). My breathing was normal and easy. Ran the whole thing with my suck shut, so that's new and good for everyone.

I didn't suspect I would be all healed up even though that is what I want. I think this may take

another week to completely heal, but I think I can and should run through this stage of the healing process.

Keeping the easy pace may be the key component and hopefully working up to 8 or 9 mile distance in 5 or so days (with permission), I'd asked to do 15, ahem, but I know better :)

I started to cry around the 4 mile mark. It might have partly due to the song that was

playing and that thinking/problem solving that goes with the territory.

No matter, the important thing is how running

welcomed me back this morning and for that I am grateful.

An all new work ethic starts today.

(thank you for reading)

And I hope you enjoy that deer I saw today on the side of the road. Eyes were open and it looked like it was breathing, but I know better. I've seen enough dead bodies to know that the single freaky commonality between them is they all look like they're still breathing.

You're a Clever Boy

I usually plan a long run for Saturdays on my quiet Friday evening. I kinda play the run out in my head and go to bed with a plan. I love the plan.

Not tomorrow! Nope, tomorrow is the fourth consecutive day I get to lounge around the house sipping coffee, the bottomless cup.

I took up drinking coffee since the running has stopped. Normally keep away from the stuff. I asked my husband, who drinks espresso, which is just too strong for me, to rifle through the attic and retrieve our grinder and coffee maker. I've since gone to the market TWICE to get coffee beans. Now, I'm compulsive about it! That's a lot of coffee. It'd be nice to have running back since it has occurred to me that healthy compulsions are the best kind to have and because running on this level where training is involved requires an immaculate diet (where percentages in the various food groups are meticulously planned), (those large quantities of) coffee just might not be the best choice.

Sometimes I'll even post my intended workout for Saturday on facebook. That post would include my projected mileage for the run maybe I'd make brief mention of a certain road or loop I might be travelling on and of course I would say a bit about how I would be feeling about the run.

So today is tomorrow and I'm on the couch with bottomless cup #3. I am looking forward to tomorrow's run. Making plans and getting ready to make a change in every way.

I can't believe the endless moments I've spent thinking about my current situation. And while 76 weeks of event free running has been a blessing and a few days to a week off is small price to pay, working toward being smarter is going to be key. The performance I expect from myself in the marathon changes everything.

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to you. Hematite and I are on a quest for an event free run.

My First Car

As far as my being a runner is concerned, I’m not the same person. My running technique and style has been developed over the last 5-6 months and not by any magical potion or casting of spells. Through hard work and determination, I've gotten thinner and faster and better.

The training programs developed by L have unlocked an athlete and unleashed an animal. Without his vision, I'd still be bobbing down the road to nowhere. Without my family's support, I'd still be the old tired me, unhappy me.

So, I hardly even recognize myself. I look forward to waking up in the morning. I swing my legs off the side of the bed and I look at the lean muscular shape of them and I look at my thin fingers and I feel happiness.

I think about putting on the running gear in between marrying milk and cereal, spreading jam on toast and preparing the lunch box. The shoe selection requires special attention and my internal discussion on the matter comes and goes between laying out school clothes and satisfying the toddler with enough clothing choices that will hopefully inspire him to move on to the next part of our morning routine. I braid the hair and brush the boys’ so they look anything but unkempt. My braid must be snug and uniform or strays will start bouncing around, I can see them in my shadow on the pavement waving and only getting worse about when I’m really chugging along (mile 4), and becoming a nuisance.

Because school just started, considering a base layer is not crucial, that will come later in the month of October. I’ll warm up sufficiently after suffering through the first mile. I always suffer through the first mile, and I did not invent that nor did I convince myself that it’s true, it just is.

There are phases to my runs, my body, pace and cadence morph throughout the workout. It depends on the length, but I can tell when I need to pay attention to my posture or stride. I've straightened up, literally. I run tall and with a smile. My arms are relaxed and loose at my side with hands loose and in front. I shake my arms out by my side every 2 or so miles just to feel fully loose and dialed in to my body. Feeling spontaneous during a run is something I've learned to force myself to do and in doing it, I've built confidence . Sometimes I leap over cracks in the pavement or I look left into the woods, which brings my braids and dreads over my right shoulder and they knock me in my clavicle and my face, so I don't prefer that. I also look at my shoes. The rhythmic pounding, the shoes passing each other over and over, light and easy, not heavy or stressed, just easy and pushing me, almost like a glide rather than a bounce. But sometimes I bounce too.

This is part of my being spontaneous. Occasionally I will rock my head back and forth with my stride when I'm feeling strong and in third gear. Third gear...okay so this goes back to my first car that I got on my sweet sixteenth birthday. My dad bought me a black 1983 VW rabbit GTI (complete with a ski rack, dad you rule) with blaupunkt speakers and a phatty pioneer tape deck. My running in third is punchy and light. Like that VW and those kids from Hampton I used to drag in Rye, and once I pushed her into third (with super high rpm's in 2nd), she was tight and quick and we were off! To touch the pedal in third, she'd respond immediately. So that's what running in third is to me. It's quick, light and responsive.

I have come to think of myself as having a motor (AC/DC) and being a machine...my lengthy runs put me in third and right into auto mode I go. I'm not even really cognisant of what's happening, my body does all the work for me, I'm just along for the ride. Weird the runner's high. Must. Have. It. Soon.

I'm going to write something soon about how much it costs to lose a shit load of weight.

My Mom is My Dealer

I'm just going nuts inside; I feel sorry for those of you who know it personally, maybe next time you won't ask? I wouldn't like that, but I'm hoping there won't be a next time. There is nothing like being told you can't do something, or worse, knowing that if you do something that you want you could do more damage than if you left well enough alone.

This applies to many things in life, not just, I dunno, knee injuries and your favorite frickin' thing to do with yourself.

I went and saw mom yesterday. She got a new refrigerator because the one she had leaked at random times. I think leaky fridge's happen in 3's, like death and rude interactions between strangers.

Anyway, I asked to bum some ibuprophen off her and she generously dumped half the bottle in a zip lock bag. I was stunned! I mean, obviously it reminded me of yesteryear and a certain laughable lettuce (quoting a certain Gailey).

But, seriously, it didn't take long before I realized that even mom knows the best way to move drugs from one place to another.

Enough with small wooden boxes and recycled Wispride cold cheese pack processed port cheese product containers (which are actually quite useful for organizing screens and papers and seeds and other potent potables, I mean, or so I've heard.)! It's the zip lock bag.

Thanks mom, for everything, for real. And thank you for the bag of motrin. I've never felt so weird doing something so legal in my life.