me and my wonky leg.

i'm sure that's a verifiable medical term... right?

well, i'm happy to report that i'm still hanging in there, leg trouble and all. you see, i happen to have this dang thing called a hemangioma in my left calf muscle (see entrancing blood vessel photo on left) and it's just messing with the rest of my leg like you wouldn't believe. BUT, r.i.c.e. seems to be doing wonders and i've got another visit with the sports med ortho at the end of next month.

in the meantime, my sagacious coach bridget cut my miles back to 22 last week for some recovery and i clipped along at record pace. this week, the mileage will ramp up again and we'll see what happens.

at least i've got my daughter over here (the infamous "h." in team b.e.l.c.h.) to cheer me on!

..........

this posting is trite, etc. and the connection to starbucks and its cinematic horizons is unavoidable but what the hell? the wonders of life have been unfolding for me in unimaginable tsunami-like waves these past weeks and this is the only place i can figure to start:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

i heart long runs.

yes, i most certainly do. long runs for me are the payoff of a week of 3, 4, and 6 milers. and so, i was a little concerned this week when tightness in a muscle in my lower leg (apparently called the "extensor digitorum longus") ricocheted into a sore ankle, hip flexor, etc. on my short, easy run on saturday. i iced, advilled, rested, compressed, and remolded the buy-at-home orthotics, and hit the road sunday for a 9-miler. i told drew i would take it in two loops so that i was never more than 2.25 miles away from home and was absolutely prepared to pull the plug on the run at any point.

lo and behold, i got out there and felt good - the miscellaneous pains were back to the dullest of tightness and largely disappeared after the first mile or so. i actually racked up negative splits throughout the run and am happy to report that i am walking just fine this morning.

it's the damnedest thing - the longer i'm out there, the happier i am. my stride opens up, my head clears, and i actually get faster. has my obsessive personality finally found a healthy outlet? only, i suppose, if those long runs are the reward of a shorter, slower week. you guys can help keep me honest on that front.

in less dramatic - more dramatic? - news, i ran 29.0 miles in week 20 of my training and 27.5 this week (week 19). things are looking good!

ode to pre. (ode to me.) OR why my heart rate is so damn high.

when mary asked him how he'd beat the better runners there,
pre just stopped, he grabbed her, and he locked her in a stare.
"'cause i can take more pain than any other runner can."
mary smiled politely and prayed silently for her man.

well it turns out that pre's story may or may not have been true,
i found out later on: pre had the best max vo2!
but as for me, my lungs are just those of your average girl,
my heart pumps hard, i strain to breathe, and later want to hurl.

but i think there's something to pre's notion of his knack for pain,
i too came up within the coaching school: no pain, no gain.
i've never failed to push myself much harder than i should,
and run the fastest in every race and practice that i could.

but here's the problem with that school of thought, or so i think:
i've burnt myself out for 20-plus years, trying to prove that i don't stink!
so now i'm embracing those easy runs: their freedom from the strain,
and learning as i trudge along to not be so damn vain.

let the fun begin!

i am delighted to announce that *real* marathon training began yesterday. "day off" didn't seem exciting enough to report so here i am checking in after day one of actual running.

my run went well but the two-fold lesson of the day is: my heart is either in terrible shape or i have the highest maxHR in recorded history. i tried to go out at 70-80% of my maxHR (i based this on a rough calculation, NOT my actual maxHR - maybe that's the problem) and simply could not do it without walking - that, and the incessant beeping of my heart rate monitor wasn't helping matters. i finally just made a desperate attempt to run v e r y s l o w l y and keep it at that but my HR was still "supposedly" too high. hmmm.... this will take some sorting out. the thing is, even as my HR creeps past 150, 160, and even 170, i still feel pretty good and can talk, breathe, not sweat, etc. am i a freak of nature? perhaps!

anyway, the point is: i'm off and running! :)

announcing: team B.E.L.C.H.

here you go guys - "team B.E.L.C.H." and we RULED!!! team B.E.L.C.H. is B(ridget), E(rin), C(arrie), and (H)annah (and the "L" in there is for Lisa who watched, cheered, and took photos). we ran in the Wondergirl 5K this morning and hannah and erin ROCKED IT! they ran such a smart race. mile one at 12m, mile two at 11m, and mile three at 10m. not bad for two 11 year olds - or anybody for that matter! what a great day.

huge thank yous to hannah, erin, and bridget for running with me, drew-baby for serving as our coach, chauffeur, and mentor, mums, lisa, and ivan for cheering us on, and daddio for joining us in the post-race celebration.

team B.E.L.C.H. rocked the wondergirl - this isn't the last you've heard of us!!!!