Days Until Burlington: 94
Under 100 days to go! This morning I dragged myself out of bed to run hills. Surprisingly, I effing hate hills. A deep-seeded hatred. So, obviously, I picked the most notorious hill in all of Boston: Summit Ave. With a climb of about 240 ft, I turned the corner of Beacon, and it kind of looked like this:
(In comparison, the infamous "Heartbreak Hill" on the Boston Marathon route is only a climb of 88 ft. It just happens at the worst possible time, ever.)
My marathon training guide recommended I "spring" up the hill, meaning I focus on high knees, and landing on the balls of my feet rather than trying to drive into the hill with my legs (which ultimately kills your calves and can lead to plantar fasciitis). My pace was about 10:40's when I got to Summit...and then dropped to 12:44s as I "sprung" up it. But as a sprinter in high school...this form is how you run...everything. So I took tiny steps and drove my knees, and looked back a couple times to show myself how far I went.
There is nothing that makes you feel like a total beast (in a good way) at 7 AM than conquering Summit Ave. I promise you that.
This was also my 2nd run in my NEW SNEAKERS! I went to Marathon Sports on Sunday to get refit, since the edition of my shoes have been retired (but I've found that sometimes, a redesign happens between numbers, and then life sucks).
I tried a pair of Asics, but on the test jog, my knees immediately started to hurt. I tried a pair of Sauconys, and I felt the hollow space where the arch support was missing. Then, I was brought a pair of Nikes. I recoiled.
Back in 2008, when I knew nothing about running, I wandered into Niketown. I told them that I was training for the Boston Marathon, and needed sneakers. So, without looking at my feet, without asking if I had any nagging injuries, without any considerations at all, the girl pointed to a shoe, and told me it was what I needed. Without knowing that feet swell when distance running (compounded by the fact that Nike runs small), I got a size 10, instead of an 11.
I lost 4 toenails after Boston '09. I had knee pain (probably from my weak hip, which wasn't supported in these shoes) and I've been trying to prehab/rehab ever since. I decided that Nike, the godfather of running sneakers, had gotten too big, too focused on all the other sports, and I would never, ever buy a pair of Nike running sneakers.
Turns out, my anger was misdirected. It's not the sneakers that killed me. It was the misinformation. The Nikes that were brought out on Sunday are like running on clouds. Check out these puppies:
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| Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 15 |
This week is also my longest mileage week since 2010. Week 2 closed down with 17 miles, which I combined with a lot of strength training, so they were a tough 17. This week is 20 miles, with my long run at 9 miles. The weather for Saturday looks like there's another awesomely windy day ahead. Just need to keep cranking!
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