Training madness has set in. With a few stops and starts I've managed to log nearly 40 miles on foot and bike so far for the month of April. My biggest concern is pushing too hard and injury. I remember all too well the excruciating pain a nasty dance with plantar fasciitis gave me over the winter. We are not attending that prom again.
One of my favorite places to train in my area is Valley Forge National Park. Long before the King of Prussia mall and Valley Forge Casino lured visitors with deep pockets to our area, VF sheltered George Washington and his troops during a long, brutal winter campaign. It has been preserved and offers beautiful scenery, great hiking and running trails, and wonderful history.
Unfortunately in the spring and summer, it's also loaded with tourists who don't have a clue about trail etiquette.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm truly the last of the trail snobs who will go postal if you don't yell out, "on your left", at just the right pitch. But paths that are only 4-5 feet wide and being used by everyone from a family of five to a runner at a 5 minute mile pace to grandma on her Hover round are a recipe for disaster. Thus begins my running journey last Saturday...
I was running with my training partner around the 5.6 mile loop of the park.
Disclaimer-my "running" is more like a brisk walk for most, aka not breaking any speed limits.
VF offers a few flat miles, and some very steep climbs. About halfway through the loop is what I affectionately call, the wall. A steep climb that will leave you feeling about as good as a dirty, beat up sock that's been driven over on the Schuykill about 1000 times. It's that enjoyable, for real.
My partner and I are making the turn to run up the wall, when we encounter a group of about a dozen bike riders all milling about trying to figure out where they are riding next. Some were off to the side, but most were blocking the path by standing on their bikes. Trying to be polite and move around them, and hopefully get them to move, I offer a few polite, excuse me's. They all look at me like I'm speaking in tongue and continue their squatting.
Hoping squatter gate was in my past I continued my climb and eventual descent from the wall, only to have little Bobby squatter and his Schwinn bike run into the back of my leg as he was riding down the path. Two more sweet little squatters then followed him, with a parent of some sort behind them, all rudely pushing us to the side.
At this point I'm tired, hot and now sporty a lovely bruise, so I call out, please watch where you are going. A few yards further, mama squatter rides past us and says just loudly enough, damn slow runners.
No she diin't!!!
My running partner is in much better shape than I and took off flying after her. He blew past her, turned and while saluting her with the appropriate finger exclaimed, who's the slow runner now?
Word to the wise, the next time you get the urge to throw shade on that slow runner, be mindful of who she is running with. He just might have a nasty hip check :)
On to the next mile...
On the playlist this week- 300 Violin Orchestra-Jorge Quintero
Saturday, April 25, 2015
In the beginning
Not all of us hockey moms are quite the same. Sure we all love our little skaters-even if they are 6''4- but many of us have other aspirations that don't include ice. Mine just happen to include the madness that makes up endurance sports, Duathlons to be precise.
A few years ago I hit middle age and wanted to push myself. Already an avid runner and cyclist at a C range (average), I read an article about the Malibu sprint Triathlon event and the participants (celebrities) involved. I learned that sprint levels weren't as intense as those Ironman events that I had enjoyed watching on TV, but wouldn't be caught dead (literally) competing in.
And in the end, if JLo could handle Malibu, I could surely take on a lake in PA right?
Thus the seed was planted, the madness set in and I signed up for my first, and last, Triathlon. I finished and did okay, but came to the realization that swimming, for me, involves lying by the pool with a quick dip to cool off. Fighting other swimmers limbs, seaweed and fatigue was not in my agenda. If I had any intentions of attempting this madness again, it would have to be a Duathlon which involves running and biking.
Oh lucky me, they have those!
A dozen races and a few trips to the podium later, I thought I had scratched this itch. Work, life and injuries kept me sidelined for the last few years. In 2014 I started taking spin classes 2-3 x per week. They kicked my ass, but literally saved my life. And after battling a number of foot injuries, I'm finally ready to hit the pavement again.
My little skater, who I coached all through peewee midget and juniors, is now ready to be my coach, and we have our sights set on defending a gold medal I won nearly 5 years ago at a race in Delaware.
I have miles to work in on foot and bike, work to schedule around, age and fatigue to battle...
Did I mention it's playoff hockey season as well? Minor detail.
I'm determined to not only finish, but to bring back some shiny hardware for my efforts. So many of my friends seem so willing to kick back and let life lull them into a slumber at this stage. I watched my mother do that, and it took her from us at 68. Not. Happening.
The journey begins now.
A few years ago I hit middle age and wanted to push myself. Already an avid runner and cyclist at a C range (average), I read an article about the Malibu sprint Triathlon event and the participants (celebrities) involved. I learned that sprint levels weren't as intense as those Ironman events that I had enjoyed watching on TV, but wouldn't be caught dead (literally) competing in.
And in the end, if JLo could handle Malibu, I could surely take on a lake in PA right?
Thus the seed was planted, the madness set in and I signed up for my first, and last, Triathlon. I finished and did okay, but came to the realization that swimming, for me, involves lying by the pool with a quick dip to cool off. Fighting other swimmers limbs, seaweed and fatigue was not in my agenda. If I had any intentions of attempting this madness again, it would have to be a Duathlon which involves running and biking.
Oh lucky me, they have those!
A dozen races and a few trips to the podium later, I thought I had scratched this itch. Work, life and injuries kept me sidelined for the last few years. In 2014 I started taking spin classes 2-3 x per week. They kicked my ass, but literally saved my life. And after battling a number of foot injuries, I'm finally ready to hit the pavement again.
My little skater, who I coached all through peewee midget and juniors, is now ready to be my coach, and we have our sights set on defending a gold medal I won nearly 5 years ago at a race in Delaware.
I have miles to work in on foot and bike, work to schedule around, age and fatigue to battle...
Did I mention it's playoff hockey season as well? Minor detail.
I'm determined to not only finish, but to bring back some shiny hardware for my efforts. So many of my friends seem so willing to kick back and let life lull them into a slumber at this stage. I watched my mother do that, and it took her from us at 68. Not. Happening.
The journey begins now.
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