Saturday, April 2, 2011

2 Feet and a Heartbeat



Well, it is finally here! Tomorrow is the first leg of my "2 Feet and a Heartbeat" Run-a-thon! I must say that since my last post things have definitely turned around! You all have been so generous and I have once again been reminded that I have some truly amazing friends and people in my life. One thing that I will definitely take from this whole experience is that it is OK to ask for help.
I am so grateful to have had Alan Brookes take interest in my fundraiser and help me get the word out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UNPh12_SOY&feature=related ) and am even more grateful to all of you who stepped up and helped a girl out! I was fortunate enough to be interviewed about 2 Feet by Canadian Running Magazine (http://runningmagazine.ca/2011/04/sections/news/around-the-bay-runner-up-raising-funds-for-law-school/), and was again totally surprised for my lil' run-a-thon to be receiving so much attention.
I am really excited to see if I can make this fundraiser take off and benefit other athletes like myself - grad-student-athletes or just those who are good, but do not quite qualify for funding assistance.
I will be posting pics and video (hopefully) from the event tomorrow - so be sure to check back here or go to http://www.lannimarchant.wordpress.com/ to see my fundraiser updates!

Now onto my recent training/racing updates -

As some of you know, last week I competed in the Around the Bay 30k! Now lemme tell you, this race is amazing - a bit of a beast at times - but such a great event. I was so lucky to carpool from Michigan up to Hamilton with Dave, MB, and Mark - three runners I met this fall while doing some workouts with their group in Farmington (coached by former ATB winner Paul Aufdemberge) - who definitely made the trip entertaining and were full of little tips about how to get through the longer races. Huge props to Stefania for letting us all tag along with her for her dinner reservations the night before the race - amazing food!
Let's see, what did I learn while running 30k? That starting the race with a tight calf is going to make running up the hills in final kms of the race quite interesting - like trying to run without putting one's left foot on the ground interesting - and that I need to find a gu/gel to take that does not kill my insides. All in all, I really did enjoy running the race - I like the challenge of learning how to race the long stuff! Huge props to Dayna Pidhoresky - the women's winner - she went for it from the gun and is definitely making her mark on female running in Canada!!
This week after the race, I wish I could say I have enjoyed it - but man, I don't know if it was because my calf was so tight or what, but on Sunday and Monday night my left shin was purple and I could press my finger in it and have an indentation that lasted for a few minutes - thank god for ice cups, tennis balls, and compression socks =P My calf is still a little tight, but by Wednesday I could find my shin bone again - Yeah Me!
Needless to say, I took this week very easy and was able to run the Martian 10k today in Dearborn, Michigan. I will say that there was no "pep" in my step at all - but I ran consistent and felt like I could have kept my pace going for longer. After the 10k, my calves were pretty tight, but I went for a 40 min rollerblade this afternoon and that seems to have helped knock out the junk! Yes - my first official rollerblade of the year!! It was a little chilly - but geeze it felt great!
While in Dearborn I was able to knock off another burger joint from my list - despite what Relish.com says, I question how this burger ended up ranked in the top 25 in the USA - it was ok, but it will not be ranked in MY top 25!
Speaking of burgers and rollerblading, I have decided two things after the ATB 30k
#1 - I need to refocus my training and cross-training - I need some "pep" and the rollerblading today has made me well aware that my bum and hips are not nearly as strong as they were a few months ago
#2 - I am going to keep a food diary for a few weeks - no, not for weight or "diet" purposes - As I mentioned a few months ago, I cannot seem to get my insides to cooperate on my runs and I think writing down what and when I eat might help me figure out what is going on - u'd think that by this point of the semester I would have learned what to pack in my lunch - but something seems to come up every day and I never end up following any sort of schedule

My goals are:
- to get my muscles back in balance (BONUS - a cute bum in jeans!)
- figure out how many hours I need between meals and hard or easy training sessions!

Ok, I think that's all I had for ya today - please keep checking for updates about 2 Feet! If you are around Okemos or Bath Michigan, please come out and cheer!

2 comments:

  1. I just thought I'd chime on your stomach problem while running. I had the same issue the past few weeks until I realized the issue was directly related to how quickly I ate my food. Are you a fast eater? If so, try slowing down. It's made all the difference in the world and I haven't had to alter my diet.

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  2. Thanks Andre! I hadn't given any thought to my eating speed - but think you might be on to something. Chowing down between classes and on-the-go all the time can't be helping my tummy turmoil!

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