Running Playlist #2

Ugh. A 2GB iPod Nano is very limiting. I am in no way complaining about my iPod, it is just hard to get a wide variety of music with so little memory!

"Bastard" - Ben Folds
"Campus" - Vampire Weekend
"Can't Get A Line" - Old 97s
"Catch My Disease" - Ben Lee
"Estoy Aqui" - Shakira
"Fast Cars and Freedom" - Rascal Flatts
"Here's To You" - Rascal Flatts
"I Won't Spend Another Night Alone" - The Ataris
"Murder (Or A Heart Attack) - Old 97's
"No Baby I" - Old 97's
"Tristeza Maleza" - Manu Chao

Run Until You Can't Think

I love Boston around Marathon season. For the month of April, everything in the city is about running or targeted at runners. My sophomore year, Adidas was running an advertising campaign called "Reasons I Run"...billboards, blimps!, bus ads, posters in the T...everything had a different reason why people run. Walking into the Pru to go shopping, I got an Adidas Boston Marathon shirt that I had to write the reason that I run... (to beat PRs?)


One reason displayed on the buses was "The pavement is my therapist"...a sentiment that resonates with me quite clearly. Running gives me time to clear my head, to step away from a situation, and try and gain some perspective on it. I can think of numerous times that something has been bothering me: fights with boyfriends, friends, parents, stress about school...I've gone for a run, and by the end of the run, the problem is so not the giant dilemma I thought it was.


I've had a pretty crap weekend/few days. No need for intimate details, just that anything that could go wrong has, and tonight I reached the peak of my frustration/anger. If only it wasn't dark out, I could have run for miles and miles and miles. I could have run "until my legs pumped battery acid" (thank you Maniac Magee!) if it was mid-day or not so scary to run alone at night.


Unfortunately, my only option was the treadmill. I began my workout at a conservative 6.5 mph and 2.5 incline as I jogged along to whatever was playing in my iPod (a better running mix....) I tried to flip through the magazines that were covering my time/distance, but I kept thinking about everything that was on my mind. Instead of trying to think about everything going on, I decided to just run until I stopped thinking.

I dropped the incline down to 0 and ran between 7.0 and 7.5 mph for the majority of my workout. I got into a great rhythm of pushing myself until I could think of nothing except running harder and faster. I wished I was outside, but for once, being on the treadmill was kind of nice. I had to keep up with the speed of the belt, and as soon as I started to let my mind wander I just upped the speed.

I finished my run at 8.0 mph, a speed that I had not previously sustained on a treadmill for longer than the sprint portion of an interval workout. I can't say I necessarily figured anything out, seeing as the whole purpose of my run was to run so hard I couldn't think, but I'm sure I've got lots of miles over the next week to ponder my life. Hooray for marathon training!

Team Run

Yay. I figured out how to post my mapped runs!

Distance: 7.6 mi
Time: 1:06
Pace: 8:41!


I ran this morning with the Tufts Marathon Team. I tend to sleep through team runs, as Wednesdays are one of the only days I can sleep past 8:30AM, and team training runs start at 7AM. I'm extremely glad I went this morning - running can be such an individual activity, and I love the group aspect of it.


We ran to the end of the Upper Mystic Lake and back, which is becoming a standard component of every run I do around Tufts. The run was mostly fine, except for when I slipped on some pesky black ice around 3 miles in and twisted my foot.


I tried to have a positive mental attitude throughout the run, because I have noticed that I've been really worried about the marathon during my training runs. I later discussed this with Pete, who ran the marathon last year. What stuck out in my mind from him telling me about it was that at about mile 16 he didn't want to run anymore and it was pretty miserable. (Later felt better and finished the marathon in kickass time!) He reminded me that that was just his experience, and that it won't necessarily be the same way for me.

I have had the idea in my head throughout my training that the marathon is going to kill me, so this morning I tried to remember all the things I love about running. This came back easily, and as soon as I stopped worrying about the marathon, I pictured myself running in the Parkway (high school training), on some of my favorite high school XC courses, and ultimately rocking out on April 20th as I run from Hopkinton to Boston.

This sport is so mental.

I (ironically?) iced after the run, and my foot feels totally fine now.

Mental Workout

friends @ 100 Days Champagne Celebration

Distance: 12.07 miles
Time: 1:49:09
Pace: 9:03

Friday marked 100 Days until I graduate from Tufts University. There was a classy champagne reception (held in the Dining Hall...yesss....) that President Bacow spoke at. We got bookmarks as a little gift. The event was very nice, and who can pass up a free glass of champagne? It mostly made me realize how soon I will be launched into the real world. And how even sooner than that horrifying prospect, something almost as scary - running the Marathon!

Saturday early afternoon, Jen and I set out on a long run. We searched mapmyrun.com for long runs in our area, and found an 8-miler that looked promising. It was basically the run that the team does on Wednesday mornings, but in loop form instead of out and back.

It was gorgeous out. Well, it was in the mid-40s, a welcome change from the previous weekend!! We along the Mystic Lakes, which is part of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. When I was in high school I hated "ghetto runs" (running in the city by my high school), and loved running in the rural area around my house or in the Lehigh Parkway. My freshman year at Tufts I had an incredibly hard time adjusting to running in the city, but now I (mostly) love it, or at least am used to it. Regardless, it is nice to get away from the monotony of city blocks and run along roads with wide shoulders that wind through a Wilderness reservation.

I felt like I had settled into my pace around 2 miles in, but after an uphill about 3.33 miles in I had to take my inhaler, which bothered me. I have two inhalers that I use twice a day, but I like it better when I can make it through my runs without them. After that brief break we ran through a residential area. The houses were gorgeous - all unique and colorful mini-mansions on the Upper Mystic Lake...tres beautiful.

We turned onto Route 3A, which was probably the worst part of the run. Cars whizzed by us, and we had to run single file which hinders conversation. We ate some Sharkies at a stoplight and pushed on. I felt really good the rest of the way - strong. I had no idea where the mile markers were, so I wasn't too sure about our pace. After an hour of running we doubled back up the lakes where we had already run. I was feeling slow at this point, and about ready to turn back.

We got back to our street at 90 minutes of running, and I decided that I felt like crap, but I would feel the same if I kept running, so I might as well keep on running. I'd like to call this part of my run the mental workout. During the Boston Marathon there are going to be times that I don't feel like running anymore. I anticipate some serious questioning about why I continue to put one foot in front of the other. I will probably feel crappy while I think this. Soo...I decided to push throiugh it.

I ran for an extra 20 minutes around campus, which wasn't so bad at all, except for the hills. Tufts is on a hill. It is barely noticeable unless you are trying to run up it.

I mapped my run, and was pretty excited about my distance/pace time. Wooo.

Running Playlist #1

Caveat: This includes some particularly bad music (cough Cascada cough). I recognize this fact. It's mindless or has a good beat or some other underlying motivator for me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

"We're All in This Together" - Ben Lee

"Song for the Dumped"* - Ben Folds Five (probably one of my all-time favorite songs to run to)

"She Don't Want Nobody Near" - Counting Crows

"Run" - Ben Kweller

"Put Your Records On" - Corinne Bailey Rae

"Penny on the Train Track" - Ben Kweller

"Our Song" - Taylor Swift

"Mrs. Potter's Lullabye" - Counting Crows (another favorite. at 7:46 I can run almost a mile with this one song)

"Me Enamora" - Juanes

"Love Shack" - B-52s

"Let's Get Retarded" - Black Eyed Peas

"Las Cosas Que Cambie y Deje Por Ti" - Los Bunkers

"La La" - Ashlee SImpson

"La Camisa Negra" - Juanes

"I Need A Miracle" - Cascada

"Hang Me Up To Dry" - Cold War Kids

"Gotas de Agua Dulce" - Juanes

"Get up" - Ciara f/Chamillionaire

"Fearless" - Taylor Swift

"Everytime We Touch" - Cascada

"Dressed to Digress" - Boy Crisis (Wesleyan Univ. band - friends of my sister?)

"C'Est la Vie" - B*Witched

"Back Here" - BBMak

"Ahora Que No Estas" - Los Bunkers

1.5 hours

Boston = Worst City to Train for a Marathon

You know that you are in a terrible place to train for a marathon when you check Weather.com, smile, and think to yourself "High of 19 today, that's great!" I have a hard time getting myself out the door on days like that, but if I have any intentions on surviving the marathon I've got to get my butt out the door.


The weekends are great for long runs. During the week I am so busy with 5 classes, my internship downtown 16 hours a week, on-campus job, activities, social life?, (the list goes on) to devote multiple hours to running before it gets dark outside. I used to have no qualms about running in the evening, but with the myriad safety alerts that Tufts Police dept. has been issuing, it is not a risk I am willing to take. I have figured out the times of the day that I can go to the gym and spend 90 minutes on the cardio machines without causing others to wait. (Training for a marathon or not, I feel bad about exceeding the 30 minute limit when the gym is crowded.)


Sunday I left around 10:30 hoping to run about 10 miles. I checked out a map of the Charles River, and decided to run to Harvard, along the river toward Newton, then back to Cambridge. I took the long way to Mass Ave., and about 14 minutes in began to have serious regrets about going on this run. The sidewalks were mostly clear, but there were buildups of ice and snow at each intersection. When I reached Harvard Square, I was still feeling apathetic about this run, and my T pass burned in my pocket.


I hung a right down the path along Memorial Drive, disappointed by the fact that it was a choppy mess of ice and snow. For some reason I had thought that this would be shoveled, but it made sense why it was not. I ran apprehensively on this precarious surface, eager to cross the bridge by Mount Auburn Hospital. Instead of sticking to the path along the river, I ran along the sidewalk that hugs the road. This surface was mostly fine, but there were spots that I wish I had ice skates for. You know those sneakers that turn into rollerskates? People trying to run in Boston in the winter need an ice skate version.


I settled into my pace around 25 minutes in, which was a welcome feeling. Around 45 minutes I ate some Sharkies (review coming soon!), and felt a surge of energy! (Placebo effect? Miracle energy packed fish gummies?) I had my iPod on with a new running mix. I sometimes get frustrated by running with my iPod when I have to keep switching the songs. (Playlist to follow in upcoming post.)


I thought that I knew where I was until I passed a huge sign for Boston University. In my mind, BU is really far away in the city. Like, unknown territory. When I get lost when I am running I get really scared that I will never make it home. I tried to stay calm, but finally had to check with someone to make sure I was going the right way. I had been. When I finally made it to the Museum of Science I felt surprisingly good. I probably could have kept going, except I was planning on taking the bus home from Lechmere, and didn't really know how else I would get back. I ran to the Lechmere station, and stretched while I waited for the bus.


All in all it was a successful Sunday long run! (I am writing this too long after the run to remember any silly things I thought about during it!)


Distance: 10.07 miles
Time: 1:30:07
Pace: 8:57