Eh. not particularly the best race I've ran but it was better than Southlake. The weather definitely played a huge part in my results. I hate the weather right now,it's been humid and hot for the last two days - it's going to rain but it hasn't yet. Ever since I popped something in my hip last fall I've had issues with my hip before it rains - it just aches and aches before it rains though it doesn't ache when it rains.
I started off well at a 4:20 pace give or take but around 3 or 4k I had to twice b/c BOTH of my shoes became untied. Lovely, eh? Around 5 or 6k I had to stop again b/c my hip was aching really badly - it was 6:00/k - ouch. I picked it up again at 7-8k for a 4:37. My 8-9 k was basically a 4:00 flat. The last k came in at 4:19 with a huge sprint in the end - I'm just so disappointed b/c if it were not for my hip I could have done a sub 45 easy.
Sporting Life 10k 2010: 46:52
Our trek home was fun though, we kind of lost some people who were supposed to go home with Mac & Civ but eh they know their way downtown, if needed they can take the subway to Finch and hop on a bus. It was starting to drizzle a tiny bit when we hopped onto the Dufferin bus and the whole bus was packed with runners. Civ was wearing an Iron Man hat and some guys asked if he did one - he was forced to admit he never did it, it was funny at the time. One of the conversations on the subway was totally inappropriate, manscaping, it was really awkward b/c I was the only girl in that conversation (4 guy teachers, my guy friend, and myself). Never want to repeat that conversation again, ever. Especially with these people.
!saw Pascal today, haven't seen her since last June, it was nice.
It feels really weird b/c the Sporting Life 10k that I did last year was my first road race and now, roughly a year later I've done so many more road races, the count up to today:
-4 x 10k (Sporting Life twice, Angus Glen 10k, Toronto Island Girl 10k)
-2 x half marathon (Toronto Waterfront Half, Southlake Half)
Personal bests:
10k - 45:59 @ the Island Girl 10k
Half marathon - 1:42:40 @ the Toronto Waterfront Half
5k - 21:00 - trail @ school
I know I can get under 45 and maybe into the 43-44 range, physically I am able to do it now as long as the race course is fast and the weather conditions are good. I've also done training runs where I hit 21k at around 1:22-26 so I know I need to aim for that for the next half (Toronto Waterfront half) b/c I know I can do it physically - mentally, I still need some work.
I have yet to do a 5k on road and I'm looking forward to that next week as long as it isn't too hot. I'm hoping to hit the sub 21 range which I think I can do b/c I've done the trail in 21:00 and there are hills on the trail.
Got to get back to studying
Notes:
***Some guy died during the Sporting Life today, he was 60 something and I guess he overexerted himself. One of the teachers with us is a fireman and he checked for the guy's vitals. RIP.
***we came in as the 2nd overall school - if it were not for the fact I had a bad race we would have came in 1st
***WILL IT RAIN ALREADY, MY HIP REALLY ACHES
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Cardinal Carter Track Invitational
Kind of pissed at my dad right now, during the ride home he was trying to hand me tips about my race. He only saw the last 300 - from after I was passed by 2 other girls. During the ride he asked why I didn't win my heat and when I told him my split times he told me I shouldnt' have looked at my watch and should have followed the girl in front of me I WAS THE LEAD GIRL FOR MOST OF THE RACE. He then went on to say I shouldn't have slowed down after the 1st lap (I know I shouldn't have slowed down but at the time it seemed right to slow down) - he doesn't understand I need to avoid the chances of getting burned out too early - I didn't want to make the same mistake everyone does, not to mention I'm a DISTANCE runner (real distance) so I accelerate as I run. He has never ran more than 400 from when he and I used to race with my brother when we were little, he doesn't follow running or anything related to running so I don't see how he can give me tips when he doesn't understand the concept at all. I hate how he thinks he's always right but he isn't. I think I would know more about running than him; since I race and all.
I hate the waiting game, I'm currently still waiting for the results of the 1500 to be posted - I left York less than 5 min after my race so I have no idea what I placed or what my time is.
I am so mad at myself, this was not a good race. I ran a 5:23 1500 yesterday so I should have started with Heat 1 but I didn't b/c I wasn't sure if I could run that again and those girls looked so pro - they looked like they can run it under 5. I was boxed in for about 200m until I decided I couldn't race like that so I popped out onto lane 2 or 3 and made my way up - I did not plan it out well, I ended up moving up on the curve which is not good. My first lap was faster than I expected, I ran it in 1:21 so I made myself slow down even though my body could have continued at that pace. My 2nd lap was a 1:34 - a little slower than my target time. Last lap was a 1:29 which was pretty much dead on target but I gave up the lead on the last 300m of the race. I wasn't sure when to start sprinting and with about 300m to go 2 girls passed me, as they passed me I realized I should start sprinting but it was already a bit too late - my final sprint wasn't as powerful as I wanted and I hadn't reached my max. pt yet when I got to the finish line. I think my problem was I had such a huge lead in the beginning I had no idea where the other girls were coming in at.
I'm not sure what my time is but I think I might have beat some girls in heat 1 - I kind of wish I ran in heat 1 so I could be pushed to my max which I wasn't today. I really want to know my time but it's still not posted yet online. If I didn't beat any girls in the first heat I think I'm 18 out of approx 45 - I think there was around 3-4 heats of 15 girls so I guess that's not too bad but not the best I can do.
Sidenote, my friend, Jaime C, came in 7/34 for 100mH - so proud of him, damm you club kids
***taxi driver who drove us to the meet drove soo slow and took the longest route, not to mention he was late so I couldn't nap before my race
***on one of the washroom trips I made, as I entered, I heard someone say "there's an Asian here!" - it was mostly white & African Canadians today - I was 1/2 of the Asian girls who ran the 1500
I hate the waiting game, I'm currently still waiting for the results of the 1500 to be posted - I left York less than 5 min after my race so I have no idea what I placed or what my time is.
I am so mad at myself, this was not a good race. I ran a 5:23 1500 yesterday so I should have started with Heat 1 but I didn't b/c I wasn't sure if I could run that again and those girls looked so pro - they looked like they can run it under 5. I was boxed in for about 200m until I decided I couldn't race like that so I popped out onto lane 2 or 3 and made my way up - I did not plan it out well, I ended up moving up on the curve which is not good. My first lap was faster than I expected, I ran it in 1:21 so I made myself slow down even though my body could have continued at that pace. My 2nd lap was a 1:34 - a little slower than my target time. Last lap was a 1:29 which was pretty much dead on target but I gave up the lead on the last 300m of the race. I wasn't sure when to start sprinting and with about 300m to go 2 girls passed me, as they passed me I realized I should start sprinting but it was already a bit too late - my final sprint wasn't as powerful as I wanted and I hadn't reached my max. pt yet when I got to the finish line. I think my problem was I had such a huge lead in the beginning I had no idea where the other girls were coming in at.
I'm not sure what my time is but I think I might have beat some girls in heat 1 - I kind of wish I ran in heat 1 so I could be pushed to my max which I wasn't today. I really want to know my time but it's still not posted yet online. If I didn't beat any girls in the first heat I think I'm 18 out of approx 45 - I think there was around 3-4 heats of 15 girls so I guess that's not too bad but not the best I can do.
Sidenote, my friend, Jaime C, came in 7/34 for 100mH - so proud of him, damm you club kids
***taxi driver who drove us to the meet drove soo slow and took the longest route, not to mention he was late so I couldn't nap before my race
***on one of the washroom trips I made, as I entered, I heard someone say "there's an Asian here!" - it was mostly white & African Canadians today - I was 1/2 of the Asian girls who ran the 1500
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
No Worries, It's not my sweater
I was volunteering at my elementary school today and one of the kids there live on one of the streets I run on during my standard 11k - I often leave my shirts or excessive clothing on her tree when I overheat. *b/c of the virus I didn't run last week and when I did run I didn't do the standard run so I haven't seen her in a while.
She informed me that last week there were police cars and dogs in her neighourhood b/c some guys were some sort of fugitives and they had broken into 2 houses. She then continued onwards that the police found some clothing and her whole family thought of me instantly. It's nice to know that the entire family associates me as the girl who leaves her clothes on their tree. But no worries, the sweater the police found was not mine - I was at home sick, coughing and hugging a box of tissues.
The one day something interesting happens in my town I miss it.
She informed me that last week there were police cars and dogs in her neighourhood b/c some guys were some sort of fugitives and they had broken into 2 houses. She then continued onwards that the police found some clothing and her whole family thought of me instantly. It's nice to know that the entire family associates me as the girl who leaves her clothes on their tree. But no worries, the sweater the police found was not mine - I was at home sick, coughing and hugging a box of tissues.
The one day something interesting happens in my town I miss it.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Finishing was Enough: Southlake Half Marathon
The Southlake Half did not go well - the fact I finished it and was not last is enough for me. I started the race off pretty well (considering the circumstances) and was on track at 5k for a 1:35 half but at either 5k or 6k (can't remember) the phlegm caught up to me and I nearly threw up my breakfast - dry heaved and threw up, the side effects of that virus - took around 10-20s which caused me to give up the distance I was leading by. I think I was still top woman until 6-7k but really, the race ended for me when I threw up. Around 15k I gave up, I actually walked about 1-2k of the race, physically I think I could have still ran a 1:40 but mentally I couldn't do it - my nose was clogging up and I was feeling just sick. I'm just happy I finished. I almost always run negative splits and I think this is the first time my 2nd half is longer than my 1st half. I have never ran a race this horrible in my life (even worst than the Angus Glen 10k where my hip was really messed up).
The course of this race was tough, I've done long runs where I hit 24k at 1:48 or less with the 21k mark around 1:22 so I'm just disappointed in my results, even with all the hills for this race I should have been able to beat 1:40. The number of hills during this race was disgusting, I felt like all I was doing was going up hill - running on Aurora Heights Dr was torture too b/c the road was so rough I felt like tripping every 2s. This race was just not good for me.
On the bright side my running buddy G came in 4th overall woman at a time of 1:41: -, so proud of her but at the same time I can't help but feel that could have been me. For a course like this 1:4- is an amazing time. I can't help but want to just forget this race and move on.
Post race I felt pretty good but about 30-45min after I was light headed and I felt like I was going to faint - I don't think it was b/c I was dehyrated or low on carbs b/c I had gateorade & post race pancakes. I don't know what is going on but it scares me - I battled the light headedness the whole day. When I finally got home from the race I couldn't even stand in the shower long enough to condition or wash my hair properly. Eating wat hard - made my mom bring up my lunch and ate it while covered in blankets but I was literally forcing food into my body - had no appetite. From there I slept for 4-5h which helped but I still dont' have much of an appetite.
Time: 1:52:28.3
Feeling: Sick, tired, disappointment
I think I'm going to take the rest of this month easy - no runs above 15-16K and then start hammering it for the Waterfront Half. I wasn't prepared at all for Southlake - b/w the slump, the fall, and that horrendous cold virus which I'm still not recovered from, I barely did any training. I'm taking June to late Sept not only as training for the Half but to start training for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Sept 2011 for my debut - I want my first full to qualify me for Boston (not that I can go since it will be during uni exams and I won't have the money to head out there). I'm aiming to get up to 30-35k this summer for a long run and adding in some more speed work - aiming to do "Around the Bay" next year which is older than Boston.
Spring Road Racing:
April 25 - Southlake Half
May 2 - Sporting Life 10k
May 9 - Markham Women's 5k
Spring Track:
April 29 - Cardinal Carter Track {5:10 -1500 - b/c they're not taking us day 2 I can't do steeple or 3000}
May 13 - BCSS Track {1:00 - 3000m}
May 17 - YRAA Day 1 {9:00 - Steeplechase}
May 18 - YRAA Day 2 {11:00 - 3000m}
***Must go start my ToK Essay - didn't do it early b/c I was studying for math exam or sleeping.
The course of this race was tough, I've done long runs where I hit 24k at 1:48 or less with the 21k mark around 1:22 so I'm just disappointed in my results, even with all the hills for this race I should have been able to beat 1:40. The number of hills during this race was disgusting, I felt like all I was doing was going up hill - running on Aurora Heights Dr was torture too b/c the road was so rough I felt like tripping every 2s. This race was just not good for me.
On the bright side my running buddy G came in 4th overall woman at a time of 1:41: -, so proud of her but at the same time I can't help but feel that could have been me. For a course like this 1:4- is an amazing time. I can't help but want to just forget this race and move on.
Post race I felt pretty good but about 30-45min after I was light headed and I felt like I was going to faint - I don't think it was b/c I was dehyrated or low on carbs b/c I had gateorade & post race pancakes. I don't know what is going on but it scares me - I battled the light headedness the whole day. When I finally got home from the race I couldn't even stand in the shower long enough to condition or wash my hair properly. Eating wat hard - made my mom bring up my lunch and ate it while covered in blankets but I was literally forcing food into my body - had no appetite. From there I slept for 4-5h which helped but I still dont' have much of an appetite.
Time: 1:52:28.3
Feeling: Sick, tired, disappointment
I think I'm going to take the rest of this month easy - no runs above 15-16K and then start hammering it for the Waterfront Half. I wasn't prepared at all for Southlake - b/w the slump, the fall, and that horrendous cold virus which I'm still not recovered from, I barely did any training. I'm taking June to late Sept not only as training for the Half but to start training for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Sept 2011 for my debut - I want my first full to qualify me for Boston (not that I can go since it will be during uni exams and I won't have the money to head out there). I'm aiming to get up to 30-35k this summer for a long run and adding in some more speed work - aiming to do "Around the Bay" next year which is older than Boston.
Spring Road Racing:
April 25 - Southlake Half
May 2 - Sporting Life 10k
May 9 - Markham Women's 5k
Spring Track:
April 29 - Cardinal Carter Track {5:10 -1500 - b/c they're not taking us day 2 I can't do steeple or 3000}
May 13 - BCSS Track {1:00 - 3000m}
May 17 - YRAA Day 1 {9:00 - Steeplechase}
May 18 - YRAA Day 2 {11:00 - 3000m}
***Must go start my ToK Essay - didn't do it early b/c I was studying for math exam or sleeping.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
There are some damn crazy hockey fans out there
http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/postedsports/archive/2010/04/23/police-say-man-killed-wife-over-dispute-about-penguins-triple-overtime-game.aspx
I still can't believe he killed b/c of the Ottawa vs. Pens thing - rooting for the Pens now that my babies, the Leafs, didn't make it. Rooting for SJS, Van, & Pit. I can't stand the Sens or the Habs - they can not win, especially the Habs. As much as I personally don't like Crosby - he's too much of a poster boy, not doing too much during the whole Olympics tournament and scoring the tournament winning goal is too story perfect for me, not to mention the number of fan girls he has is scary (I also find his huge butt kind of a turn off not to mention he's not hot at all) - I have to admit he's a great player. Scoring 51 goals isn't easy and it just shows the amount of skill he has - very happy Stamoks shared the award and Ovechkin didn't win - got to root for the Canadian boys! Enough with the hockey ramble - Caps losing to the Habs last night shocked me though.
I had my Italian oral today and I totally did not expect to do it today - I had wanted to do it this week but b/c I was sick and studied non-stop for bio (when I wasn't passed out) I didn't write anything for the oral during the week. I thought the final date of the oral for everyone would be next week so I showed up to class (late) with nothing written and with no knowledge on what I wanted my oral to be based on.
Decided to base it on the sports popular with Canadian-Italian teens and I actually wrote it within 45 min - around a 4 minute speech - with only a little help from the dictionary. I basically did the thought process in French and translated to Italian - I really wish I have a French-Italian dictionary. It didn't turn out too bad - the grammar and vocabulary wasn't as sophisticated as I wanted it and I didn't get to inject any idiomatic expressions but overall it was actually pretty decent in my mind. I actually had it memorized pretty well - well not dead on memorized since I don't do memorization - I just memorized the order of the points and I kind of summarized them in order - the vocabulary and grammar was simple enough that I could kind of make it up on the spot since I have issues with memorization. My teacher was very surprised I was able to get it done and how smoothly the speech part went - the questioning part, it didn't go so well. I understood the questions but I had some issues with replying - my speech in Italian isn't all that great not to mention I have a very heavy french accent.
Racing tomorrow and I'm not sure if I'm ready - my nose needs to be blown every once in a while still, and I'm still coughing a bit. Hopefully I will be 100% well by tomorrow. I just want to finish, that is my goal tomorrow - if it were not for the circumstances I would say finish at the top but that is not going to happen now. Mais comme les Francais disent, "c'est la vie". - also not sure if the 15k I did last night was wise, I usually take the day 2 days before a race off and do a 5k the next but I really had to make sure I could run over 10k so I did a 15k last night, got a 5k today.....
I still can't believe he killed b/c of the Ottawa vs. Pens thing - rooting for the Pens now that my babies, the Leafs, didn't make it. Rooting for SJS, Van, & Pit. I can't stand the Sens or the Habs - they can not win, especially the Habs. As much as I personally don't like Crosby - he's too much of a poster boy, not doing too much during the whole Olympics tournament and scoring the tournament winning goal is too story perfect for me, not to mention the number of fan girls he has is scary (I also find his huge butt kind of a turn off not to mention he's not hot at all) - I have to admit he's a great player. Scoring 51 goals isn't easy and it just shows the amount of skill he has - very happy Stamoks shared the award and Ovechkin didn't win - got to root for the Canadian boys! Enough with the hockey ramble - Caps losing to the Habs last night shocked me though.
I had my Italian oral today and I totally did not expect to do it today - I had wanted to do it this week but b/c I was sick and studied non-stop for bio (when I wasn't passed out) I didn't write anything for the oral during the week. I thought the final date of the oral for everyone would be next week so I showed up to class (late) with nothing written and with no knowledge on what I wanted my oral to be based on.
Decided to base it on the sports popular with Canadian-Italian teens and I actually wrote it within 45 min - around a 4 minute speech - with only a little help from the dictionary. I basically did the thought process in French and translated to Italian - I really wish I have a French-Italian dictionary. It didn't turn out too bad - the grammar and vocabulary wasn't as sophisticated as I wanted it and I didn't get to inject any idiomatic expressions but overall it was actually pretty decent in my mind. I actually had it memorized pretty well - well not dead on memorized since I don't do memorization - I just memorized the order of the points and I kind of summarized them in order - the vocabulary and grammar was simple enough that I could kind of make it up on the spot since I have issues with memorization. My teacher was very surprised I was able to get it done and how smoothly the speech part went - the questioning part, it didn't go so well. I understood the questions but I had some issues with replying - my speech in Italian isn't all that great not to mention I have a very heavy french accent.
Racing tomorrow and I'm not sure if I'm ready - my nose needs to be blown every once in a while still, and I'm still coughing a bit. Hopefully I will be 100% well by tomorrow. I just want to finish, that is my goal tomorrow - if it were not for the circumstances I would say finish at the top but that is not going to happen now. Mais comme les Francais disent, "c'est la vie". - also not sure if the 15k I did last night was wise, I usually take the day 2 days before a race off and do a 5k the next but I really had to make sure I could run over 10k so I did a 15k last night, got a 5k today.....
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
To the Finish Line
To the Finish Line
“I'm running
To the finish line, finish line, finish line
I'm running
To the finish line, finish line...”
Lynn Olsen squinted into the distance, as if she was looking for her finish line, mouthing the words to Brooke Hogan’s “Finish Line” in between her quick steps. She pictured the colossal red inflated structure she knew would be waiting for her at the end of her 21.3k journey – an expedition her body would never forget. With every stride made, her arms had contracted and relaxed as they propelled her forward and granted her momentum, likewise, her leg muscles did the same as she placed each foot before the other. Each nanometre made toward the bronze metal disks hung on red ribbons was an effort, with each kilometre she passed, her body became more fatigued with her leg muscles protesting from the effort.
The first 15k of the race had been a breeze, she had enjoyed every step of it – her legs had carried her swiftly past 5 water stations and 3 aid stations, landing lightly on slightly on her forefoot with each step. She smiled as she recalled the time that had been displayed on her watch as she had gracefully bounded beyond the 15k marker. The digits that had surfaced on her watch 5k ago were etched boldly in her mind, digits that male runners would scorn, digits that elite female athletes would scorn, but digits that made her smile.
She needed to recall the memory of those digits now, she glanced down at her knee before quickly looking away. The skin on her knee was still pretty raw and just starting to scab – she had opted not to use a bandage today as it limited her ability to manoeuvre her knee not to mention it changed her strides. The unaided eye would only be able to take in the rawness of her knee but that was only the start of her knee problems. Her right knee, the dominant knee, was quite swollen partially due to her fall two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago while on her daily run she had tripped over a rather large piece of cardboard which had once been a cardboard box, a metre long and a foot high which someone had littered. Going at a 4 minute per kilometre pace she had tripped over the damn piece of recyclable before flying a few metres and landing with full impact on her knee. The fall had scrapped away all the skin on her right knee as well as left this very important joint very swollen for a week and rendering her to take a complete week off of training.
Two weeks later it was no longer the size of a grapefruit but it was still quite swollen, at the 18k mark she almost fell when she slipped on someone’s wet paper cup – she hated it when runners threw their cups into the middle of the road – as she had braced herself to avoid falling she was forced to stride in such a way most of her body weight was impacted on her right leg. That split second with the strange twisted stride had placed unwanted and unnecessary pressure on her right knee, making it start to swell up again.
She tried not to cry as she felt a twinge of pain as her right foot hit the ground, this race had started off as a miracle but the ending was just as bad as she had feared. Not only did she have to take a full week off training before of the swollen knee from the fall but the week before she had gotten a horrendous cold. The cold had forced her to take a full five days off and refused her the last long run before a race. Her training for this half marathon had just not gone well, between the slump in March because of her workload at school, the fall, and her cold, she had not done a single 80k week. She shook her head, during the summer she had done 80k weeks with ease, easily topping 300k a month. But that was the past and she couldn’t help it now – though she did make a mental reminder in her head to pick a different race next year; a race further into the spring road racing season.
“Let’s go girl! Only 500m left! You can do it”
“Final stretch! Pick! It! Up! Come on girl!”
“Only 500m left! Let’s go!”
Lynn blinked fast, was she dreaming? Did the woman in the gray jacket holding a baby just say there was only 500m left? She glanced at the sign before her, never mind 500m left, there was only 400m left. She took a deep breath and picked up her pace. She imagined she was running a 400m repeat for track practice. She imagined her slump in March was Kara Goucher, the fall was Teyba Erkesso, and her cold was Megan Brown – she imagined she was racing the Boston Marathon with them as her opponents. Picking up her legs more and pumping her arms even more she saw the colossal red inflated structure was only a few metres in front of her. Drawing in a sharp breath she imagined elbowing the other three who were matching her stride by stride, out of the way. She made one final surge and left them the dust, not just any dust, her dust.
Lynn Olsen grasped for air as she looked up at the digits staring down at her, 1:29:26. Never had she thought she would be able to run such a time at the age of 16. When she first started running a year ago she never even thought she could run a half marathon much less in such a short time. She had envisioned such a time in her dreams but to see the digits looking down at her in reality was shocking. She had almost given up when she had her slump, and when she fell, and when she caught that horrendous cold but she hadn’t. She smiled as she realized she had a new personal record but anyone who knew Lynn Madison Olson knew that smile was also because she overcame the inner demons and pushed – she was unstoppable no matter how difficult the obstacles were.
“I'm running
To the finish line, finish line, finish line
I'm running
To the finish line, finish line...”
Smiling as a volunteer placed a finisher’s medal around her neck, Lynn Olsen mouthed the words to “Finish Line” before she looked at the sun and whispered to herself, “I made it to the finish line.”
“I'm running
To the finish line, finish line, finish line
I'm running
To the finish line, finish line...”
Lynn Olsen squinted into the distance, as if she was looking for her finish line, mouthing the words to Brooke Hogan’s “Finish Line” in between her quick steps. She pictured the colossal red inflated structure she knew would be waiting for her at the end of her 21.3k journey – an expedition her body would never forget. With every stride made, her arms had contracted and relaxed as they propelled her forward and granted her momentum, likewise, her leg muscles did the same as she placed each foot before the other. Each nanometre made toward the bronze metal disks hung on red ribbons was an effort, with each kilometre she passed, her body became more fatigued with her leg muscles protesting from the effort.
The first 15k of the race had been a breeze, she had enjoyed every step of it – her legs had carried her swiftly past 5 water stations and 3 aid stations, landing lightly on slightly on her forefoot with each step. She smiled as she recalled the time that had been displayed on her watch as she had gracefully bounded beyond the 15k marker. The digits that had surfaced on her watch 5k ago were etched boldly in her mind, digits that male runners would scorn, digits that elite female athletes would scorn, but digits that made her smile.
She needed to recall the memory of those digits now, she glanced down at her knee before quickly looking away. The skin on her knee was still pretty raw and just starting to scab – she had opted not to use a bandage today as it limited her ability to manoeuvre her knee not to mention it changed her strides. The unaided eye would only be able to take in the rawness of her knee but that was only the start of her knee problems. Her right knee, the dominant knee, was quite swollen partially due to her fall two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago while on her daily run she had tripped over a rather large piece of cardboard which had once been a cardboard box, a metre long and a foot high which someone had littered. Going at a 4 minute per kilometre pace she had tripped over the damn piece of recyclable before flying a few metres and landing with full impact on her knee. The fall had scrapped away all the skin on her right knee as well as left this very important joint very swollen for a week and rendering her to take a complete week off of training.
Two weeks later it was no longer the size of a grapefruit but it was still quite swollen, at the 18k mark she almost fell when she slipped on someone’s wet paper cup – she hated it when runners threw their cups into the middle of the road – as she had braced herself to avoid falling she was forced to stride in such a way most of her body weight was impacted on her right leg. That split second with the strange twisted stride had placed unwanted and unnecessary pressure on her right knee, making it start to swell up again.
She tried not to cry as she felt a twinge of pain as her right foot hit the ground, this race had started off as a miracle but the ending was just as bad as she had feared. Not only did she have to take a full week off training before of the swollen knee from the fall but the week before she had gotten a horrendous cold. The cold had forced her to take a full five days off and refused her the last long run before a race. Her training for this half marathon had just not gone well, between the slump in March because of her workload at school, the fall, and her cold, she had not done a single 80k week. She shook her head, during the summer she had done 80k weeks with ease, easily topping 300k a month. But that was the past and she couldn’t help it now – though she did make a mental reminder in her head to pick a different race next year; a race further into the spring road racing season.
“Let’s go girl! Only 500m left! You can do it”
“Final stretch! Pick! It! Up! Come on girl!”
“Only 500m left! Let’s go!”
Lynn blinked fast, was she dreaming? Did the woman in the gray jacket holding a baby just say there was only 500m left? She glanced at the sign before her, never mind 500m left, there was only 400m left. She took a deep breath and picked up her pace. She imagined she was running a 400m repeat for track practice. She imagined her slump in March was Kara Goucher, the fall was Teyba Erkesso, and her cold was Megan Brown – she imagined she was racing the Boston Marathon with them as her opponents. Picking up her legs more and pumping her arms even more she saw the colossal red inflated structure was only a few metres in front of her. Drawing in a sharp breath she imagined elbowing the other three who were matching her stride by stride, out of the way. She made one final surge and left them the dust, not just any dust, her dust.
Lynn Olsen grasped for air as she looked up at the digits staring down at her, 1:29:26. Never had she thought she would be able to run such a time at the age of 16. When she first started running a year ago she never even thought she could run a half marathon much less in such a short time. She had envisioned such a time in her dreams but to see the digits looking down at her in reality was shocking. She had almost given up when she had her slump, and when she fell, and when she caught that horrendous cold but she hadn’t. She smiled as she realized she had a new personal record but anyone who knew Lynn Madison Olson knew that smile was also because she overcame the inner demons and pushed – she was unstoppable no matter how difficult the obstacles were.
“I'm running
To the finish line, finish line, finish line
I'm running
To the finish line, finish line...”
Smiling as a volunteer placed a finisher’s medal around her neck, Lynn Olsen mouthed the words to “Finish Line” before she looked at the sun and whispered to herself, “I made it to the finish line.”
Spring for Green!
Took the day off school today b/c I had breathing issues last night due to my stuffy nose - thought it would be better to take the time for a speedy recovery to become speedy - corny I know. This sick day was pretty sweet I have to say. I made my parents take me to the local Running Room so I could grab up some 5mm spikes since my current ones for XC are 6mm - for track it's a max of 5mm (6.99 not including tax! so expensive). Onwards I trekked to the mall which was 1 min away where I grabbed a "feel better soon" present for mysel: 2 bottles of OPI (10$ a bottle but they had a buy one get one 50% promotion going on). I really wanted another bottle. During an attempt to study for bio I painted my toes since it's a pre race ritual for me to paint my toes the week of a race - such a pretty green colour though I am a failure at painting my toes - I was completely over the lines and just sloppy. - as I read this paragraph I can't help but think my brain really isn't working b/c the writing style is of a 2 year old.
http://joeythegenie.xanga.com/725741466/spring-for-green/ (original post)
***was able to managed a 5k yesterday
will do standard 11k today
15k tomorrow
11k Thurs
Rest Fri
5k Sat
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