Hamstrung

Okay, I was disappointed with my Bridge run 51:47 chip time/51:55 gun time, about a minute slower than last year. My goal was to win my age group for the 3rd time in a row but it didn't happen. I was 4th. Well, really 3rd because Number 1 was a woman who has never been in a race before, i.e., whoever ran with her name/bib number wasn't a sixty-ish woman. I was mostly disappointed, however, because I was in terrific shape until I injured my hamstring at the Gift of Life 5K three weeks before the Bridge run. I did some more damage to it while in Maui at a medical meeting, running hills with a much younger friend. The uphill segment of the Bridge run tore it up some more. But the old Broad still beat the young'uns. (Of course, I had a head start from a better starting corral., a perk of high end past performance.)

So now I sit on ice bags a lot and try to stay in shape with deep water pool running. I haven't run more than 2-3 miles a week in the past month. I am seriously worried about how I will get in shape for a half marathon in less than 3 months. I've injured this same hamstring three times before and it always takes me 3 months to get back to just normal running. But, L, you better take advantage of this setback and get some mileage goin'. Mama never gives up, y'know!

Spring Update

Well, we're finally getting warmer weather up here in Capital City, which bodes well for my training. The longer days, too, mean I can get runs in outside after work.

Mom and I recently ran the Cooper River Bridge run in early April in Charleston. Mom, despite a sore hamstring, of course beat me. I beat my time from last year, however. And, more importantly, my friend Rob. He may have been tired from running a marathon the week before but really, that's no excuse : P I ran a 52:31. Last year I did 54:00, so I'm happy.

So let the Spring training begin. Ten weeks out from the 1/2 marathon, I'm going to start a program Ryan Hall put out on Runner's World. Until then, I'm just gonna run as much mileage as possible very slowly.

YES!

VALIDATION:

"Ultimately, the best runners are the ones who are willing to work very hard but who have a little bit of a lazy streak in them."

BENJI DURDEN, Coach

That was the quote of the day today from Runner's World.com. 'Nuff said.