Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Thoughts While Running 18 Miles Today



"14 is far enough. I'll train harder next week."

"Half-marathons are more my speed."

"What's the point in this?"

"I'll just aim for a modest pr at Eugene. No need to pick-up the pace."

"Why not extend every walk break another minute or so?"

"If I throw myself over this embankment, I'll probably get hurt and have a good excuse for quitting."

"Not every marathon has to be a pr. I can pr at Pasadena this fall."

"Screw prs. What do I have to prove?"

"My feet are hot."

6 comments:

ilovesteaks said...

I had very similar thoughts while running the Surf City Half Marathon. I darn near pulled a DNF because I was so cold and wet! Good luck with the training. GO TEAM!

k said...

Huh.

I have similar thoughts sitting in my home office chair with my feet up on their stool.

JP Mac said...

Steaks,

I heard the wind was a killer at Surf City.

What's your next race?

John

JP Mac said...

K,

I'll bet you do.

But I feel you have the perseverance to keep going.

BTW, when did you put an embankment in your home?

John

ilovesteaks said...

Yeah I can tolerate cold, rain, and wind separately but not when all 3 hit at the same time. =) Next race for me will be the LA Marathon. I'm going to look for Cousin Sal this year:
Cousin Sal at 2007 LA Marathon, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZrRoTcme0o
Cousin Sal at 2006 LA Marathon, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_PPTRpYnIw

k said...

Oh, that's easy!

I actually have not one but two Embankments. They were officially Installed to participate in the Foot Elevation Program (FEP).

One such embankment is my bed. I now sleep with a large *wedge* pillow under my head, to keep my head raised as I sleep, CPAP in place. This helps ensure my lungs stay clear: that good old-fashioned doctor trick keeps the little lung hairs - the cilia -moving, sweeping the lungs clean as we sit upright. Once we lay down, the cilia punch out from work for the night and go take a nap.

Under the small of my back is a miniature pillow. It's hard to get good pillowcases for it. As I'm now a Princess (and the Pea) knockoff, I must have very smooth sheets. The slightest wrinkle under me can cause my skin to slip off, prompting another bout with MRSA. I'm not entirely attached to myself so well any more.

Last but not least? Five large bed pillows, bungied together, with two large square pillows stacked on top of that platform. My feet go way up on top, to stay elevated throughout the night.

This interesting assembly may soon be replaced by an official hospital bed which can be raised and lowered, head and feet. It all depends on my Medicare HMO's Approval Whim du Jour.

I look at it - and I can see an embankment! Yes, seriously. It's certainly enough of an embankment to throw myself overboard, should I be seized by a sudden passion for defenestration-type activity.

And, uh, experience being that best teacher with the highest price? I've sort of accidentally done that very thing more than once. It truly did get me out of training for any marathon that might be lurking about.

The other assembly is in my home office. Rocking back in my happy comfy black leather executive office armchair, I put my feet up on a tall kitchen stool that has a back on it. The back is great to keep the 3-5 foot pillows in place. Those are velveteen.

I do not tend to go overboard from this one nearly as much, I find.

In the bed arrangement, I sleep, motionless, throughout the night. I make a *U* shape there.

In the office, I may find myself accidentally asleep several times a day, for several hours each time. However, my shape there more resembles a Nike swoop.

I do not know if there's any causal correlation between the curly shape and the overboard incidents.

I bet that was more than you ever needed to know about the state of k's Indoor Embankments.

And you're right. I am excellent at persevering in training in my assemblages. I do not feel this is bragging, cause it ain't braggin' if you done it.

So there.

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