tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44520683403042301202024-03-18T21:03:04.810-07:00The Secret Life of Runningthe honest [mis]adventures of a lifelong endeavor.Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-60253092703557421742015-06-25T18:16:00.002-07:002015-06-25T22:21:57.322-07:00The Boston Marathon 2015: Race RecapTwo months ago I put a giant checkmark over a running career goal to finish the Boston Marathon. It was a long time coming; with years of fitness gaining, making mistakes, learning hard lessons, and bouncing down trails, up hills, and through new adventures with running friends. When I set out to qualify for Boston, I could feel it in my bones. I didn't know if I would succeed, and that was the most satisfying, stomach churning part about it.<br />
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Boston is special for many reasons, but for me, this year, this race, was the cherry on top of the sundae. There are a million reasons to run and keep running, but as someone who loves to compete and train at the edge of my ability, Boston made tangible the feeling that I'd made myself into a real competitive marathon racer. Running is a super power, a gift, a curse, an addiction. Boston is Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one. I didn't have the race or trip of my dreams, but I learned much more than I'd bargained for and loved every piece of the experience. It's true what they say: There's only one Boston.<br />
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Let's start from the beginning. For Christmas this past year, I surprised my parents with plane tickets to Boston to watch me race. The three of us planned and schemed for the trip and all the while, my sister had some tricks of her own in the works. So, with bags packed on the Saturday morning before Marathon Monday, we were greeted at the airport by an unlikely visitor holding a rather large sign:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mNw3GGSHNyLTHY6yaRz3K998-MAM3yW5TjQzFTBkPzxBx-_kM3Dt-90XFio34ch9iXleS8XVBJ9ziTv9bbBc48VmHqBQtRnYb3uVybvjuxyJIYLIZsRGe8q11nXaJhLbsSvwMRyz26g/s1600/IMG_5555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mNw3GGSHNyLTHY6yaRz3K998-MAM3yW5TjQzFTBkPzxBx-_kM3Dt-90XFio34ch9iXleS8XVBJ9ziTv9bbBc48VmHqBQtRnYb3uVybvjuxyJIYLIZsRGe8q11nXaJhLbsSvwMRyz26g/s320/IMG_5555.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'll always be by your side no matter how far, <br />
and I know you'll always be by mine. <br />
Will you be my maid of honor?"</td></tr>
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Which, naturally, was a super thoughtful way for my sister to wish me well and ask me to be her MAID OF HONOR (yes yes yes) before this big, nerve-racking, race. So we hugged and I said I'd love to stand by her side on her wedding day and I thought that was the whole show. This sneaky lady turned and grabbed her bag – "Oh, I'm coming too."<br />
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I lost it. The feels.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I'll keep her :)</td></tr>
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And with our newest addition in toe, the four of us headed to our gate. I was jittery for the entirety of the flight.<br />
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Race expo insanity, hectic Boston Marathon road blocks and traffic, lots of eating, and a shake out run later, we were at a Red Sox game on Sunday afternoon and I was trying to ignore the nagging reports that rain might be overtaking the race the next morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Sox!</td></tr>
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Sunday Night: Sitting in my hotel room alone, setting out my clothes, calling my bf for the final pep-talk, crawling into a big comfy bed, and trying to thoughtfully absorb all of the love and passion and stress and happiness that had landed me in this very cozy, very on-the-brink-of-it-all spot. I love reliving the contentment of that moment.<br />
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MARATHON MONDAY:<br />
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For the most part, marathons go by much faster than you might think. It's 3 and a half-ish hours of your life and, comparatively, that's not a terribly long time. Boston, however, was a lifetime.<br />
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I started my morning dressed in a giant trash bag hastily pulled over my faded Goodwill sweatshirt and throw-away sweats (over my race attire). Security is so tight at the "athlete's village" (code for holding area for 26,000 runners with a massive amount of police and military personnel and lots of porta-potties) that we were each patted down multiple times before entering the field we were asked to wait in before the race – fully armed snipers and bomb-sniffing dogs were visible from every vantage point under the make-shift tents. The weather was dreary, but the rain was sporadic and light for most of the early morning.<br />
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My wave went off around 10am and enjoyed about a quarter mile of dry conditions before the sky opened up. At first there were battle cries from the people around me: "Bring on the rain!", "Give 'em, hell, y'all!". I loved those first few moments of getting soaked – camaraderie instantly bonded everyone on that Hopkinton street.<br />
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But soon the wind picked up on the slick streets (all painted lines on the road were to be stepped on at runner's own risk). At times it was over 20mph gusts throwing freezing rain into our faces. I figured I had two choices in my attire for the day: either I wear layers and carry heavy, wet clothes for 26.2 miles, or I go light, don't carry extra weight from damp layers, and count on the running to keep me warm. I definitely chose wrong.<br />
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Shorts, an ultra-lightweight tank top, and tall compression socks was my outfit of choice and it was COLD. Really, really cold. I couldn't recall at what point I lost feeling in my arms, hands, and torso; but I do remember realizing around mile 17 that I was not fairing well.<br />
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For the first time in my marathoning career, I thought about giving up. I thought of a million reasons why I had earned that finish line. Why it needed to keep moving and how hard I had worked to get myself to this place. But I also thought about what a space blanket would feel like and some wool socks and piping hot tea and dry clothes. I'm not super proud to admit it, but I was suffering and my hazy brain was pretty single-track about its needs.<br />
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Somehow I didn't dash into a medical tent or walk in desperation. I put my head down and trudged up Heartbreak Hill with an inch of water cascading down over my shoes. It wasn't inspiring, but I was moving, and at the time that was the best I could do.<br />
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By the time the last 5k of the race came within reach, the rain had lightened up. I haven't had brain-fog like that ever before; it was a mix of caloric depletion, exhaustion, and pre-hypothermia. All I know is that I had to book it. Like, really booked it. I ran my fastest continuous 5k. Ever. These were sub-7 miles and I couldn't feel a thing – my whole body was numb.<br />
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Crossing the finish line was every bit as satisfying as I could have hoped. Boston is so much bigger than any one person and you can feel it in every fiber of your being when you cross that line. Officially a 3:29 finish – 4 minutes slower than my personal best.<br />
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Uncontrollable shaking, an inability to make decisions, and severe loss of appetite and energy quickly followed, but were things I felt I earned in a crazy-runner sort of way. I was pulled into a medical tent for "hypothermic symptoms" shortly after finishing the race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-VocId_FRVGMQzcA3259rucDLYHVB6cpigvS0e_7zuk4ALClb4YjUVo5FbSMSouRyjECJVeR4SxIvnS5l7ZXoBJdYe99PTreWmVRj2JAMwUAI5fIaT3S1mBmcFfWL8V-5BoFGg6KskU/s1600/boston1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-VocId_FRVGMQzcA3259rucDLYHVB6cpigvS0e_7zuk4ALClb4YjUVo5FbSMSouRyjECJVeR4SxIvnS5l7ZXoBJdYe99PTreWmVRj2JAMwUAI5fIaT3S1mBmcFfWL8V-5BoFGg6KskU/s320/boston1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Popsicle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCRFCM-r8YA4N5gJ1gQyBZ5S0-hoslho4ZnY8RKCFRQZPaaUHafCPYU01ztQYTJkDqYGv2Bcf3u5AnfhuOLaP239yReU9VIT8lcWyYY5CMKzPPwfbMTjz95Ccqo3HfTO2vYgYTBchfL0/s1600/IMG_5636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCRFCM-r8YA4N5gJ1gQyBZ5S0-hoslho4ZnY8RKCFRQZPaaUHafCPYU01ztQYTJkDqYGv2Bcf3u5AnfhuOLaP239yReU9VIT8lcWyYY5CMKzPPwfbMTjz95Ccqo3HfTO2vYgYTBchfL0/s320/IMG_5636.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jolly popsicle</td></tr>
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A wicked-hot shower and many layers of compression and spandex and wool later, I was feeling human again. I walked away from the race with some hard-learned, valuable lessons, including how the body burns 1.5x as many calories (at least) when you're very cold and therefore, you'll need a lot more calories during the race to keep you out of the brain-fog world. Or how it's a bad idea to give your parents your bag of dry clothes and your cell phone because they might just get lost (!!) trying to find you after the race. Or how soaking wet clothes on soaking wet skin for many hours sometimes results in gnarly chafe burns along every edge where seams met skin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqjNVfT-7b-4imllUVryjdXrVKdlPluToH7cwqIZqBkM-39xDx0stJV8njnwoBreqbF1snx4oNGPs6oQXfZIYJI6LhomPUgcMcMi5t_3sS02_5-yFeHtCwndW6712jLuwQXBJjWKG2RA/s1600/IMG_5631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqjNVfT-7b-4imllUVryjdXrVKdlPluToH7cwqIZqBkM-39xDx0stJV8njnwoBreqbF1snx4oNGPs6oQXfZIYJI6LhomPUgcMcMi5t_3sS02_5-yFeHtCwndW6712jLuwQXBJjWKG2RA/s320/IMG_5631.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Love :)</td></tr>
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Lessons learned aside, there are many parts of this journey – training, preparing, traveling, trouble-shooting – that I could not have done on my own. My parents have always been such ardent supporters of mine and my siblings' endeavors; I'm so grateful for their presence, patience, and humor at this race and in my life. My sister, with her quirks and silly mannerisms, is one of my personal heroes. It meant and means the world to me that she put aside time and spent weeks planning to make this experience special for me. I hope to be that selfless someday! And, of course, training for a marathon would not be possible without the support, love, care, kindness, humbling, camaraderie, and empathy of those I have trained with, learned from, and grown as an athlete alongside. Some lovely familiar faces braved the brutal weather and long wait to cheer me on during the race – JB even drove down from Ithaca! I am extremely fortunate to call all of these people my real and adopted family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64zl6W4ntAX9JOiHsgAjp0W_WBZ494XEsgr3gMZ8B0s7FdofuFTIh2LmyErs084YB9vxKy6vIgAUwcoJrua1VRswavn6tdrcX-8UtnRU8xZ7a9UodNz5hWkX5LVoMhFgi0s1LTmi06Uo/s1600/IMG_5638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64zl6W4ntAX9JOiHsgAjp0W_WBZ494XEsgr3gMZ8B0s7FdofuFTIh2LmyErs084YB9vxKy6vIgAUwcoJrua1VRswavn6tdrcX-8UtnRU8xZ7a9UodNz5hWkX5LVoMhFgi0s1LTmi06Uo/s320/IMG_5638.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely Gamma Phi ladies!</td></tr>
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Right Now:<br />
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Two months of retrospect under my belt, I'm 6 weeks into rehab on a hamstring injury I incurred during a race 2 weeks after Boston. I'm feeling strong, finishing my PT work this week, and looking forward to continuing to train! Sunday marks the 13 week mark until the Berlin Marathon!<br />
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-- --<br />
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"It was that time when everything seems hopeless, when to go on seems futile, and when a small act of kindness, another step, a sip of water, can make you realize that nothing is futile, that going on – especially when going on seems so foolish – is the most meaningful thing in the world."<br />
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~Scott Jurek, <i>Eat and Run</i><br />
<br />Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-50079579876088534942015-04-02T13:21:00.000-07:002015-04-02T15:35:22.396-07:00Boston On The HorizonHi friends!<br />
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I've been exceptionally bad at updating my blog this training cycle, mostly because I've been having so much fun and pushing my comfort levels so hard – it's difficult to take a step back and really look at the life and the body and the fitness I've been building.<br />
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I wanted to share some of the lessons I've learned and my general plan to put a little more structure into this magical abyss I often just call "training". To start, I've included a loose recap of the weekly running schedule:<br />
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<b>Mondays:</b><br />
5 miles easy run<br />
I try to keep these honest, but often times Mondays become hammer days and I sit pretty at 7:20 pace rather than the 8:25s I had envisioned<br />
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<b>Tuesdays:</b><br />
Intervals! Hills or Track<br />
These have varied a lot more this training cycle than in my Mountains 2 Beach training where I alternated weeks of either hill repeats or Yasso 800 repeats on the track. This time around I was lucky enough to get to hop into interval training with some speedy ladies who run for the Impala's racing team. We've done 2000m repeats, full track ladders, 800m repeats, and 1000m + 200m intervals, among others. I have to say, it is magnitudes more fun to have super motivated running buddies and a workout that has variety. Lesson learned!<br />
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<b>Wednesdays:</b><br />
5 or 8 mile run easy (builds and varies between weeks and depending on speed workout)<br />
These are just some honest miles. Think maintenance, think semi-recovery.<br />
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<b>Thursdays:</b><br />
5 or 8 mile run easy<br />
Think "last run of the week days! Let's catch a little speed on some tired legs!"<br />
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<b>Fridays:</b><br />
"Rest"<br />
This means I go to the gym and do an arms, back, and abs workout with stretching and a light stationary bike warm up. If I have some time, a yoga class is great to add in too. No running today unless I'm making up miles from the week.<br />
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<b>Saturdays:</b><br />
Long Run (ranging from 8 to 24 miles)<br />
These should ideally be controlled longer miles. I'm pretty terrible at keeping my speed in check on these long runs, but they are meant to help build a sustainable pace and push the fatigue threshold. Late stages of training will have back to back weekend days of long miles to help with running form on tired legs.<br />
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<b>Sundays:</b><br />
6 to 12 miles, usually<br />
This is usually a recovery and fun run. For the first few weeks of training (weeks 1-6 of a 13 week training program) it's sort of a "build your own adventure" run. Any miles are good miles – find a new route, map out something uncharted, hit the trails. Sunday is a Run Happy day!<br />
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Now to answer some of the obvious questions that folks have asked me over the past few weeks:<br />
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1. Of course I get sick during training cycles, I travel for work, I feel injured, I have tired days or busy days or 'off' days – rest is a hard thing to justify given the goals I'd like to reach, but it is often times unavoidable and sometimes a welcome reprieve. Working more than full-time, having friends and family (who, admittedly, I tend to neglect a little bit during later-stage training), and maintaining buffer zones for decompressing all have a certain amount of demand, too. Competitive marathon training is not something that affords for a balanced lifestyle and it's about time someone tells the world that that's okay. I can be unbalanced for a little while and still learn and grow and have a boat-load of fun along the way.<br />
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2. Running is an individual, introspective sport that is uniquely and deeply social if you put in just a little effort. I have been extremely fortunate to find running mates who want to push further and faster each day with big, runner-high grins on their faces. I am spoiled with great weather, stellar training partners, and a support system that acts as a sound board when sore knees and bruised egos start to get the best of me. Let the fear of running with other people be overshadowed by the joy of camaraderie and shared passion.<br />
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3. Let them talk. Let the random dad at the family party tell his story about a 1978 track meet. Let the retired coach give you advice. Let your doctor underestimate both your pain-threshold and your recovery strength. Let the layman tell you about the Runner's World article they read about stretching. Let them talk and listen closely to the care they're giving and the support they're showing in their own way. It helps, I promise.<br />
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4. Life is short; eat the cake. I like spinach as much as the next health-aware athlete, but if we're being honest here, I believe in the power of cookies. I was a vegan for over a month during my training cycle and for the most part have kept away from dairy and eggs since then, but every so often there is nothing that will fix my problems like a donut and some compression tights. Give your body what it wants sometimes, not just what it needs.<br />
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5. It's cheesy, but it's real: Be grateful every day. I don't always believe in the statement "any pizza is good pizza," but I do believe that "any run is a good run". Yes, even the ones I've thrown up on. Even the ones that I've lost toenails on. Even the ones that ended in tears. I have been much more mindful this training cycle to be thankful for the abilities I have and the amount of time and effort I'm able to give to improve. Sometimes running and I are not on the best terms, but if I could grant anything to a beginner runner, it would be the poise and self-awareness to be unboundedly grateful. Dare to give thanks to that body of yours.<br />
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Stepping down from the soap-box of lessons learned, I'm feeling all the feels that tapering for a big race brings – anxiety, excitement, thankfulness, nerves – it's a mixed bag and I'm grateful to have a tremendously supportive team of friends, family, coworkers, and running comrades to share the highs and lows with.<br />
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Here are some pictures of my more recent adventures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-y0tTN8Gqa3KAj_Rag7yuf_DwjLgaPHN1ckD0irFY7TnnpCP2czKntFfGzAJ265SYrG0BXXQ2esn9PkGZ3CoGWSWWLsxkFNA_yw1Grw3vJq4c6O0h6Yhy04aDbxAKQi2c6ci9j-iyA-U/s1600/IMG_5302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-y0tTN8Gqa3KAj_Rag7yuf_DwjLgaPHN1ckD0irFY7TnnpCP2czKntFfGzAJ265SYrG0BXXQ2esn9PkGZ3CoGWSWWLsxkFNA_yw1Grw3vJq4c6O0h6Yhy04aDbxAKQi2c6ci9j-iyA-U/s1600/IMG_5302.JPG" height="320" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work trips mean new running discoveries</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Td1bbLtkS0bmZKDpCzLunUPTe7SCbsZx7lNTq1jSIN4MLCeuAR7CZKNHeIQ8Uj_7xeMxlUfrqE8GIe_Sq-SwtYP8OJ_TzuuUbNhl2DHxyTvbW9v9GsY9we2wnCTGHvB6iQy97EbpEtM/s1600/IMG_5277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Td1bbLtkS0bmZKDpCzLunUPTe7SCbsZx7lNTq1jSIN4MLCeuAR7CZKNHeIQ8Uj_7xeMxlUfrqE8GIe_Sq-SwtYP8OJ_TzuuUbNhl2DHxyTvbW9v9GsY9we2wnCTGHvB6iQy97EbpEtM/s1600/IMG_5277.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiffy new Zensah ankle socks – so comfortable!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluuG_LhGj6D8CgDMBU-Ki-cZKWJDcvpjKnZebZZxFON6AM_8P-tu07tp1EPYtoIaZfyvGD02NcuzeB5uDTm8ckcWhfPSImBXFs-qbK-GJQHWo-lG1t85YSd0CJrus7trMF0IRZYJ9I3U/s1600/IMG_5352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluuG_LhGj6D8CgDMBU-Ki-cZKWJDcvpjKnZebZZxFON6AM_8P-tu07tp1EPYtoIaZfyvGD02NcuzeB5uDTm8ckcWhfPSImBXFs-qbK-GJQHWo-lG1t85YSd0CJrus7trMF0IRZYJ9I3U/s1600/IMG_5352.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-it notes of the year's adventures</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQUN5PJkTWntOoOXcTViN3ZuikEYuZrnMuRf2nN8v1UKWC3y6X14ZKGfhh9a5vUlYhrYNAEw7lCV55AZbhEUE-vi0a7l7qJul_46wsTlCzeHsCB9uEMOchbcRmuyqPJ13fAjqoimiAOU/s1600/IMG_5404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQUN5PJkTWntOoOXcTViN3ZuikEYuZrnMuRf2nN8v1UKWC3y6X14ZKGfhh9a5vUlYhrYNAEw7lCV55AZbhEUE-vi0a7l7qJul_46wsTlCzeHsCB9uEMOchbcRmuyqPJ13fAjqoimiAOU/s1600/IMG_5404.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ac2_cXVlDHrCRNgmtK2harUshdmVRdqAoaAYxD_ivVmr3XihBmu6kCkRO7wdJX63uWwa49QLotoDtmCwYy6ts3GEYQtjzAf8NeJDNwTUTViT7WNcHZdFk_T3Lrxzae9YPOLykyOhzSs/s1600/IMG_5427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ac2_cXVlDHrCRNgmtK2harUshdmVRdqAoaAYxD_ivVmr3XihBmu6kCkRO7wdJX63uWwa49QLotoDtmCwYy6ts3GEYQtjzAf8NeJDNwTUTViT7WNcHZdFk_T3Lrxzae9YPOLykyOhzSs/s1600/IMG_5427.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post 24-mile training run – ready for TAPER!</td></tr>
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Happy trails :)<br />
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Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-43924122867953899742015-02-27T16:25:00.002-08:002015-02-27T16:34:27.204-08:002015 - Coming In Hot!Holy smokes, February is almost over! These past two months have flown by with training, trips, and transitions. I'm going to do a quick overview of my Q1 thus far and move into a bit of the nitty gritty details of the here and now.<br />
<br />
<b>JANUARY</b><br />
<br />
To kick off my initial training for the Boston Marathon and tear away the cobwebs of reduced training from the end of 2014, I self-imposed a 30-day running challenge where I would log at least 2 miles every day of the month. It's amazing what you can learn about your body in just four weeks -- even in the midst of training for my 4th marathon. The aches and pains that traditionally have rest days to dissolve became mindful focus spots in working toward a more edgy pain threshold.<br />
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I ended up logging over 150 miles for the month, building a solid morning workout routine, and exploring further corners of San Francisco and the Bay Area. I started using a <a href="http://vegasport.com/product/performance-protein/" target="_blank">Vega</a> sport recovery protein powder (vegan, easy to mask taste, and reasonably priced), which I highly recommend, gradually added speed work back into the weekly grind, and pushed the weekend warrior mentality with more adventure-running into neighborhoods and verticals I had never thought to explore.<br />
<br />
With these changes came a redistribution of social "balance"; I work 10+ hours a day during the work-week, workout in the morning, workout in the evening, sleep, eat, and long run + yoga on weekends. It's not the most extroverted lifestyle, but it's the current adventure of a 20-something with zero dependents and a tech-company work-life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEite_ZN6CbVNjTg5kDPH8twB4qJcWc9PV7yKF-M2AlwsV-8RoVCuWMVv1p68Jarg90mD_LjETl4PsBbuL_w23Q0Q-dIMgdHCxXlh8CSCmkyu-k99ryFRtJvmxLrmGJAmibJxJePGw9MTDU/s1600/IMG_4893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEite_ZN6CbVNjTg5kDPH8twB4qJcWc9PV7yKF-M2AlwsV-8RoVCuWMVv1p68Jarg90mD_LjETl4PsBbuL_w23Q0Q-dIMgdHCxXlh8CSCmkyu-k99ryFRtJvmxLrmGJAmibJxJePGw9MTDU/s1600/IMG_4893.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daily runs fueled by Nuun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh2qO2y9vpMcH_cUM42pXwxDjinYBh2pQ6M6Mlt8ysNz7y0EJ_nmPFmTQ-mPy8R14Go_A_LrRMPG4ANIYHjOvvqH9VLGAu3uROOuBy__UiWcltBL3tgN-gjt3nHcw-c0w3nKkcN9S44g/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh2qO2y9vpMcH_cUM42pXwxDjinYBh2pQ6M6Mlt8ysNz7y0EJ_nmPFmTQ-mPy8R14Go_A_LrRMPG4ANIYHjOvvqH9VLGAu3uROOuBy__UiWcltBL3tgN-gjt3nHcw-c0w3nKkcN9S44g/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hawk Hill 13-miler over the GGB into the Marin Headlands</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<b>FEBRUARY</b><br />
<br />
This month has brought both depth and breadth to my marathon training cycle. Track workouts, hill repeats, and higher mileage weeks are starting to settle in (and fly by).<br />
<br />
For the month of February I decided to try my hand at full-blown veganism. As a vegetarian of 7 years, the transition didn't feel very steep at first, but after digging deeper I came to find that many products (breads, baked goods, snacks) I have at work and buy at the store are not truly vegan. A fun fact: many beers are vegan, but most wine is not. The mindfulness of vegan eating has helped me realize a lot about my habits. Cutting out things like cheese, yogurt, and eggs has made me feel much less bogged down and I have noticed a real increase in my energy. That being said, I think I will still consider myself a vegetarian moving forward -- it comes down to giving the body what it needs but also enjoying food and feeding the soul. I don't see myself going back to many dairy or egg products, but there are days where if the cookie looks good enough, you bet I'm going to eat it.<br />
<br />
Other highlights in February include hiking, adventuring, and training in Yosemite for 3 of the 4 weekends this month. The mountains have always been a wonderful place to find solace and introspect, but more recently they have also presented a new set of obstacles and opportunity for growth that training on pavement simply can't compare to. I'm lucky to have a stellar friend living in the valley who is a passionate alpinist and highly competent limit-pusher.<br />
<br />
A recent knee injury (damaged/swollen cartilage) has had me doing alternative cardio and strength training this week, but I'm eager to get back out there and kick off March in a strategic and strong way.<br />
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Last weekend I ran one of the most comfortable and joyful 16 milers of my running career -- complete with trails, massive hills, and new routes -- so I am hopeful that the minor setbacks this week won't impact my overall Boston goals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRHLUxpbexE_RAysvUXtqQJKpGld6hDvoQNjSC6drK7Nh4qAPhqeDArgSAKweSfQmVj9bkhpj7ZYPbmgoeqFJj6U7AwwCoL2OqIP57Whp8UeOjEpDQYF3oH-ERIczvVk0uZCS1Rh5LOU/s1600/IMG_4953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRHLUxpbexE_RAysvUXtqQJKpGld6hDvoQNjSC6drK7Nh4qAPhqeDArgSAKweSfQmVj9bkhpj7ZYPbmgoeqFJj6U7AwwCoL2OqIP57Whp8UeOjEpDQYF3oH-ERIczvVk0uZCS1Rh5LOU/s1600/IMG_4953.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yosemite Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1mv0llA0UhiWqzfaStlwfTiDHO0iniNoD69Bn1VcvRj7dH3RDR9AcPakyIIrDV5T7gLn6yQQ_UD5ETy6G3hbDJ9rlCAWhFABu2j7Tl1wFUOQ_WvDgrQx3e3lmhUagZZ-D0thScBwUqk/s1600/IMG_5111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1mv0llA0UhiWqzfaStlwfTiDHO0iniNoD69Bn1VcvRj7dH3RDR9AcPakyIIrDV5T7gLn6yQQ_UD5ETy6G3hbDJ9rlCAWhFABu2j7Tl1wFUOQ_WvDgrQx3e3lmhUagZZ-D0thScBwUqk/s1600/IMG_5111.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Porch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGzceujVKjS3WFkGJwW64EshLjznknLBMYtCpwZ_r_oFhdmzoPy49XrpjVGmyDxWkbMmL8LSWh_c-skRQGEJQcERzFZUHw5B3Zv2p0UHLmruAxxu3ythUCPXvPuhVdxVv71zBUsMIy0M/s1600/IMG_5143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGzceujVKjS3WFkGJwW64EshLjznknLBMYtCpwZ_r_oFhdmzoPy49XrpjVGmyDxWkbMmL8LSWh_c-skRQGEJQcERzFZUHw5B3Zv2p0UHLmruAxxu3ythUCPXvPuhVdxVv71zBUsMIy0M/s1600/IMG_5143.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit to the amazing Trev Lee</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGIdmAK5vGOYXTVlO7HuE6_MCXmcidjfL6yLN_KfjKmcGjfu6AhTzXOfHGhq0kWWqv2nOupucx_Jnu0uAV5t-65EJIFFadGQzXaIOhyORvMPLO2ABC4icFKNXxCR7nKJ_yAv64svp3aU/s1600/IMG_5169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGIdmAK5vGOYXTVlO7HuE6_MCXmcidjfL6yLN_KfjKmcGjfu6AhTzXOfHGhq0kWWqv2nOupucx_Jnu0uAV5t-65EJIFFadGQzXaIOhyORvMPLO2ABC4icFKNXxCR7nKJ_yAv64svp3aU/s1600/IMG_5169.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy 7:50 pace 16-miler</td></tr>
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Thanks for reading! Much love. xo.<br />
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<br />Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-34672843016634006602014-12-31T17:54:00.002-08:002014-12-31T18:01:19.825-08:002014 - A Year In Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>I fear you will not know what is ahead, sweet darlings<br />
that this next day will bring with it a morning so crisp<br />
a year you will never call your own<br />
a year you'll never touch<br />
<br />
I fear that the songs we shared, the intertwinings,<br />
will fade with the music, softly, a dream<br />
a year without you<br />
a year without so many pieces of me<br />
<br />
I fear you've given me new eyes, old heart<br />
the venomous Courage, the conniving Hope <br />
a year with freshly pressed beginnings<br />
a year with heavy hands to carry; missing yours<br />
<br />
Feeling everything so deeply<br />
Feeling nothing at all.<br />
-12.31.14<br />
<br />
<br />
It feels every bit justified to end 2014 somberly. I have been humbled this year by so many incredible new challenges. I sunk into running and hit some staggering, crazy-ass goals. I started working at a company that I am honored and thrilled to grow at every day. I was able to travel and am thankful to have gone on dozens of adventures in my very favorite novels. My best friends lived 5 minutes away, then 1,700 and 5,800 miles away. I said far, far too many goodbyes.<br />
<br />
This post is weighted with thoughts of those I lost in 2014. Phil, Grandma Inez, Auntie Nani, Loren, Michelle, Bruce, Elna, Molly; I miss you all with an ache I never imagined a person could feel. I sometimes still find myself stepping outside in the chill of the night to look around at the world -- to feel cold, to feel small, to feel at all. I won't say I've struggled the most, though. My heart is heavy for those you have each left behind. My family in the form of college confidantes and sisters by the crescent moon, blood relations, adopted mentors, and the loves I get to call my friends. We each grieve in our own ways as we scramble to stand without your soft support.<br />
<br />
And in those moments of brazen, sharp lows, I've found some very valuable things. Here is a list of a few things I am thankful for, as 2014 comes to a close:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li> Mom. What would the world be without Mom? I'm so grateful for her patience and great, big, strong, wild heart. </li>
<li>Running. Cathartic, contemplative, rhythmic, familiar, tough, rewarding, beautiful. I would not be me at all if I did not run. The miles in 2014 brought my first BQ, my toughest training yet, and some of the most fulfilling joys of the year.</li>
<li>Camille, Addison, Ryan, & Rousseau. Through the candid laughter and rueful tears, a person is only as strong as the best friends they take with them. My best friends carried me through many parts of 2014, and at times taught me to walk alone, too. These people are strength. </li>
<li>Kathy. This woman has been my adopted mother since my pre-teens. This year, I am thankful for her grace, candor, beauty, and intense love. I hope someday to love anything as much as she loves and loved our Molly. When I grow up, I want to be half the woman she is every day.</li>
<li>Books. Some of my greatest curers of rough days were authors I've never met, but hold very dear. I've folded into novels in moments of need and I could not be more thankful for their comfort.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Tomorrow I will be posting about the road ahead, my crazy-exciting dreams for 2015, and all of the intense adventures to come -- weddings, races, new horizons, and travels.</div>
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But for tonight, I bid farewell to the year that held so many last breaths. You will be missed, 2014, for you were their final keeper. With love. </div>
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<br />
<br />Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-65391469617457355172014-11-27T07:12:00.004-08:002014-12-03T18:08:12.547-08:00The BHM & Cool Runnings<b>The Berkeley Half Marathon RR</b><br />
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On November 9th I ran The Berkeley Half Marathon after some
off and on illness and it was a total blast! My time was not exceptionally
special (1:44:30), but I did have an amazing time seeing old running friends,
jamming through my old digs in Berkeley (some of my very favorite runs of
all-time), and hitting the pavement for a half-marathon distance. I hadn’t run
a half marathon race since junior year of college, so I was thrilled that
afterward I could still function properly (not the case with marathons).<br />
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The course this year gave a whirlwind tour of the city –
through the university, up into the hills of North Berkeley, and rolling down
to the marina to loop back up into the downtown area. Having been better
acquainting myself with the hills in SF, and with plenty of Berkeley hills
history under my belt, this route was exactly what the doctor ordered. The only
portion of the course that gave me trouble was the last 5k – all up hill and
high sun exposure. Even on a November morning, it was much hotter than I would
have preferred. All in all, I left with a big smile on my face and some extra
bling from running The SF Marathon in addition to The Berkeley Half.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The California Runner
A La Winter<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of October I was off and away in St. Louis,
Missouri, visiting one of my best friends for Halloween. Let me be the first to
alert you: the mid-west has SEASONS. That’s right folks, people here have 2
wardrobes because there is actual cold and hot in these places. The leaves
change colors. Temperatures venture outside the 50-70 degrees range. One must
look at the weather report to gauge what to wear and prepare for. It’s
beautiful and lovely and foreign. IT IS MADNESS. And by madness, I mean, of
course, entirely novel for me – the ignorant California native. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While visiting Add (she’s a 3L at WashU), I had some time to
adventure-run while she was in class/test taking. At a balmy 36-degrees, I was
vastly under-dressed and under-prepared for the numb-faced chill of that 8
miler. How are there athletes in these places? How do they train? What do they
do in the snow? I pondered these things as I layered on sweaters and scarves
later that day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuksS4ppLWkJPNAko1iFk7-siwFxshDUenwtxpOMFGOPVE2xJ9-ITNFpvcy686Ladvwqo-VV1zuwCpEDmqbaMEVn2Z6Ql31pAwFoNZD7NajPB6UoIR2-vOT1n9yfzO_r-U_gBXXojo2rw/s1600/st+louis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuksS4ppLWkJPNAko1iFk7-siwFxshDUenwtxpOMFGOPVE2xJ9-ITNFpvcy686Ladvwqo-VV1zuwCpEDmqbaMEVn2Z6Ql31pAwFoNZD7NajPB6UoIR2-vOT1n9yfzO_r-U_gBXXojo2rw/s1600/st+louis.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Louis ft. SEASONS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fast forward to this week, the end of November. And today:
Thanksgiving Day! I’m sitting in a cozy café near the East end of Berlin. In
the 2 years that have passed since I was last in Germany, one very important
change has occurred: I train year-round now. Meaning, of course, that winter
running was inevitable on this trip. On Tuesday I set out on an adventure run
in 34-degree fog. The wonderful and frightening thing about running in cold
temperatures in a very-nearly-completely flat city is that you can just keep going.
After training at around the 5-6 mile mark for the past few weeks (excluding
the Berkeley Half), 10 miles passed without a care on the Berlin streets. And
fast too! I was hitting an easy 7:45 – 7:50 pace throughout and feeling great.
It’s funny how out of shape the hills of San Francisco can make you feel. As it
turns out, being too numb to register fatigue is an effective way to get in a
solid run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The same logic was less useful this morning, however, as the
27-degree morning mist really took a toll on my tolerance for distance. I made
it 3 miles and called it quits – Under Armor, a ¼ zip, fleece headband, ¾
length spandex, and compression socks were not even close to enough coverage. It
felt really good to get out and get moving though. And, if you can even believe
it, I actually like running in the cold – it’s so refreshing. It is also an
amazing way to see a city from the different perspective and appreciate the
heat a body can create and control. Bodies are pretty freaking cool. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMvbfBQ3GeuUFHncQ9AluGqttuVJdxSF1clVHlzuOrc3hYkAdjIV1NrLZLmzb5QDkTcfnqRV3wZwAsZX4F661b2c-lg_Nf2cwi0OjEwaoGVaU7Gqk6pbrtI0YilHhinFFDruktwkTAe8/s1600/berlin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMvbfBQ3GeuUFHncQ9AluGqttuVJdxSF1clVHlzuOrc3hYkAdjIV1NrLZLmzb5QDkTcfnqRV3wZwAsZX4F661b2c-lg_Nf2cwi0OjEwaoGVaU7Gqk6pbrtI0YilHhinFFDruktwkTAe8/s1600/berlin.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen in Berlin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Spending Thanksgiving 5,600 miles from home is 100% worth-it
to sit next to Camille and inhale that sweet, icy Berlin air. A best friend’s
hugs, gluhwein, Berlin food, and testing my body’s temperature thresholds are
all things to be very Thankful for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much Love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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J.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-79492600671497592282014-10-23T21:39:00.000-07:002014-10-23T23:06:48.358-07:00The Curious Incident of the Runner in TransitionTL;DR<br />
This will read more like a stream-of-consciousness essay than a running update. But if you've been curious, the cathartic writing is here to explain:<br />
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-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --<br />
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One foot in front of the other.<br />
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Yes, it came to that. </div>
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20 miles of running in The San Francisco Marathon 2014 and it came down to my shoes and the pavement. I knew I would be losing toenails. I could feel the fatigue on a cellular level. But as the stubborn runner knows all-too-well, I folded in, like the last 30 minutes of work on a Friday evening -- automatic and anticipatory.<br />
<br />
"The Wall" for me in this race, however, was a different beast. I had met my big dreams goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon back in May, and by the time this July 27th race came around, I was distracted. I had just started a new job. I was thinking about Molly's hospice care, my new-found "always busy" lifestyle, one best friend moving back to St. Louis, and one best friend moving to Germany in September. I was thinking about Nani's funeral and how damn lucky I was that I could still put one foot in front of the other, 21 miles into an endlessly hilly, rigorous, beautiful race. The San Francisco Marathon and it's temptress appeal as both untamable and stunning.<br />
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The zig-zagging of the final stretches took us through the Mission District, where the sun beat down as a friendly reminder that things can always get more spicy. We pushed on. Blisters numbly forming over the majority of my toes, I finished the race feeling at once completely raw and numb.<br />
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Later that afternoon, after tears and a hot shower and a long train ride, I found myself at a celebration. There was catered food and sweltering East Bay heat and we gathered in dresses and sandals into a familiar home. I hope so dearly that most people never experience the positively jarring moment when you realize a celebration of life for a 17 year old with cancer is also a time for her to say goodbye, in whatever way she'd like, to most people in her life. To describe the day as emotional is a grave understatement.<br />
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I must also add here that, retrospectively, despite my best efforts to bring myself to reality and face some very real, harsh facts; I never imagined she wouldn't pull through. Perhaps my 20-something angst or naïvety has something to do with that, but truly, Molly will always be the hero of an untold story. One so intricate, delicate, and tragic that words are simply inadequate for any reasonable telling. This masterpiece -- her life -- is something that had to be gazed upon and mulled over -- felt in the very fibers of your senses.<br />
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Monday morning came in blazing the next day with all of it's post-marathon aches. The marathon hangover, as I like to think of it, is a combination of emotional, physical, and mental fatigue paired with the self-satisfaction that "hell yeah, you just ran a freaking marathon!". This particular post-race Monday also came with a sense of quiet though. And so I sat.<br />
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Three days passed and I started picking up my running shoes again in preparation for The Santa Rosa Marathon, which was to run in a few short weeks. I never started that race. I didn't even consider it an option.<br />
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Michelle and her parents passed away on a Thursday. Unceremonious. Unfair. Unreal. I got the call, wordlessly packed up my backpack at work, and went home to my apartment. I didn't know what to do, so I ran fast and hard, openly wept while barreling, half-aware, through the streets of SF. It wasn't until I had used up an entire box of tissues that I realized I might be in over my head. It was August 7th.<br />
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I would be lying if I said I had wrapped my mind around Michelle's death.<br />
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We expect to bury our grandparents. We expect, begrudgingly, that we will bury our parents. We do not expect -- and angrily decline to accept at all -- that we should bury our college friends, our comrades, our confidantes. That the brightest stars among us should burn out before they go from red dwarfs to a supernova is wholly incomprehensible. <br />
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The following Tuesday was my birthday, August 12th. Marathon training looked a bit more like casual running after work with little determination. I took a walk with my boss that morning letting her know that Molly's timeline was unknown, but grim. Even then I didn't believe the words.<br />
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At my birthday dinner that evening -- the pit of my stomach in knots -- it was just me and my best friend, intentionally low-key, intentionally just the two of us. We were winding down the evening when the call came in from my mom. My mouth tasted like pennies.<br />
<br />
It bears repeating that I refuse to take Molly's passing as truth. And, again, this may well be a byproduct of my age, but I think it's more than that. Molly's dad, Tom, passed away 4 years ago quite unexpectedly. During a breezy summer day in a different life, Tom, Molly, and I went to see George Strait and Little Big Town in concert. We were a happy little family; me feeling as though I was witnessing a how-to guide on what father-daughter love could tangibly look like. Tom went for the authentic cowboy boots and traditional Stetson western hat; belt buckle and Levi's in toe. Molly and I just tried to add a little twang to our normal outfits, not wanting to look overly invested, as 13 and 18 year olds often do. Tom was beaming. He may have been the most intelligent man I've ever known, but that night he was a ranch-hand Westerner. It was a night that is suspended in time. A few weeks ago, driving home from Molly's wake, the night before her funeral, I heard on the radio that George had played his very last live concert. It was the final performance in The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, indeed.<br />
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The thing about memories, as they stand up against time, is that they are so often shared -- keeping you honest about what happened and rewriting canonical details in the retellings. It's so jarring to be the only keeper of this memory now. To know that the image of those perfect faces -- glittering red and blue as the lights flashed from the stage -- are both living only in memories, has a profoundly disquieting affect.<br />
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For weeks I came home from work and stared at my wall; my running shoes sat patiently. I ate my feelings, I cried my feelings, I wrote letters and tore them up. I became a different person than I was before and I am blessed to have loved anything as deeply and honestly as I love the people who shaped me into the person I am today.<br />
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I've picked them up again, those dusty shoes, coming back to their solace as I have at every other milestone and crossroads in my life. I have a lot of work to do and so much love in my heart for those who have helped me along the way -- both in life and in death -- as I chase dreams and create a life that is meaningful each day.<br />
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One foot in front of the other.<br />
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“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.” - Louise Erdrich</div>
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xo.<br />
J</div>
Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-91630636875829328322014-05-26T17:36:00.000-07:002014-06-02T13:46:00.078-07:00The Big BQ: Mountains 2 Beach Marathon Race Recap<div class="MsoNormal">
This post has been in the works since sophomore year of high
school; it has taken me a year and a half to gain base fitness, 11 months to
plan, and 14 weeks to train. All this amounted to one very nervous me standing
on a start line at 6 AM yesterday morning. This was the Mountains 2 Beach
Marathon, but the battle had been fought on the long runs and sore muscles and
trial-and-errors and self-doubt and self-reliance of the past 3+ months. The
only thing left to do yesterday, I tried to convince myself, was hold on for the ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My spectacular family had driven all the way down to Ventura
(an hour south of Santa Barbara) with me for this race. My sneaky sister had
previously told me she couldn’t make it to this mini-milestone, but, of course,
was waiting for me when I walked out of my apartment on Saturday morning to
begin our adventure. What a lovely, unexpected surprise! With my parents, my
best friend, and my sister all in toe, we made our way down the coast. All the
while their high spirits were both hugely comforting and mildly stressful, as I
knew I’d share either a great triumph or a relatively crushing disappointment
with them in the next 36 hours. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After a six-hour car ride, 2 huge meals, and a whole lot of
‘together’ time, I was at last crawling into a lumpy hotel bed hoping for some
restful z’s before my 4 AM wake up. And, naturally, none were to be had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So after maybe 3 hours of sleep, my gracious
mom and I were climbing into the car and heading to the start line. This
wonderful lady drove me 35 minutes into the mountains on windy backroads so I
could avoid the 3 AM wake up required to catch my allotted shuttle time. How
great is my mom? Really though, that’s love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now the start was pretty smooth, especially because the race
was relatively small. I started in the fastest heat (a triumph on its own) and
before I could even really get a handle on what was going on, we were counting
down to the start gun. Off we flew! I found myself feeling like I was flying
and it felt great! When I took a glimpse at my watch at mile 1, I realized I
was indeed flying – about 30 seconds faster than goal-pace – in fact. My primary
concern for this course was that I would hit the first 16 miles too fast, since
they were almost entirely downhill, and burn myself out for the last 10. And
try as I might to regulate my speed, I couldn’t seem to drop back to an easy
7:40(ish) pace as I had planned. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After seeing my mom cheering me on up the only actual hill
at mile 5, I resolved to feel comfortable and worry about time later. By mile 8
I was all over the chart. Some 7:15 miles, some 7:40s, a super-quick bathroom
stop, and taking an extra second or two to give high-fives to some pint-sized
Ojai kiddos who had come with their mini-lawn chairs to cheer us on (there is
<i>always</i> time for a run-love high-five). After the first 9 miles, we were released
onto a meandering bike trail that would take us 12 miles down to Ventura. I was
a loose cannon. Pocketing time where I could, taking tangents, letting my legs
do their thing, and ticking off mile after mile with the mantra “the time will
pass anyway” wandering through my mind. By the time I reached mile 20, with 6.2
miles to go, my quads were spent and after checking my watch, I had a little
under an hour to get to the finish line and still qualify for Boston (I usually
run 8 miles in an hour). So instead of pushing the limits and testing my pain/endurance
threshold, I backed off. That’s right; on the threshold of qualifying for my
dream race, I pumped the brakes and coasted with a 10K to go. Rationalizing this with a "don't fall, break, or pull anything and ruin your shot" attitude. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Grinding out those last few miles dropped me down to an
average 8:25 pace, which was pretty disappointing based on what I had trained
for, but I had banked so much time earlier in the race, that it cushioned the
slowing. My biggest day-to-day champion and insanely supportive best friend, Camille,
was waiting for me at mile 23. Cow bell in hand and what I thought was a
tie-dye shirt beacon, all she shouted was “CATCH THE UNICORN” and that was
enough! It was the longest 5K ever getting to that finish line because there
was a fire in my heart, but a fatigue in the rest of me that formed a rather
staggering juxtaposition. I didn’t feel a thing the last ~quarter mile as I
barreled (it felt like barreling, but was really 7:30 pace) down the flat
beachside harbor trail across the finish line in 3 hours and 25 minutes
(officially 3:25:51).<o:p></o:p></div>
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All the feelings came up at once. The deed was done! My
sister came running down the beach and as she turned the corner to meet me
staggering down the chute, I noticed a giant unicorn on her shirt. And my mom
trailing behind her had one too! My dad, naturally, was clad in a bright purple
tie-dye unicorn t-shirt to match. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? My sister wrapped me in
a massive hug with a “you caught the unicorn!” and it all came together. These
are my people. I welled with watery eyes and a heart swollen with happiness.
This is what being alive is all about!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvtnVQE9set9-86MoUU7DN5TE0yfTDJi0p9vJO2-sIFtXp0kMK3XRyHePjVsCOXg30XeZm_4TDynhOBx4FTUAyFRbQ4EGR0DJ0vKt1YbOgmxx7_Y6KR2AQl7hxyNpelpvj7mM7MPFm2E/s1600/m2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvtnVQE9set9-86MoUU7DN5TE0yfTDJi0p9vJO2-sIFtXp0kMK3XRyHePjVsCOXg30XeZm_4TDynhOBx4FTUAyFRbQ4EGR0DJ0vKt1YbOgmxx7_Y6KR2AQl7hxyNpelpvj7mM7MPFm2E/s1600/m2b.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">glorious unicorn shirts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfS5Ivxhyphenhypheng1Tvq8LX1ZX3jqc2QFqYk8-kMRDpBc0gPxJ97u9EqKoOUJB-3nyUifPK_8dwHpkasrq0HbwI-1xEGbFTY2dtez-QQPRZxmEUMDu9hN6Pzch83yJUBc7mN6YNGzHvNfMBYkLw/s1600/m2b6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfS5Ivxhyphenhypheng1Tvq8LX1ZX3jqc2QFqYk8-kMRDpBc0gPxJ97u9EqKoOUJB-3nyUifPK_8dwHpkasrq0HbwI-1xEGbFTY2dtez-QQPRZxmEUMDu9hN6Pzch83yJUBc7mN6YNGzHvNfMBYkLw/s1600/m2b6.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all the happy, all the feels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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And now that I am showered, somewhat rested, punishingly
sore, and able to function at a reasonable level, it turns out I came in 3<sup>rd</sup>
place for my age group and 277<sup>th</sup> out of ~1700 total marathon racers
for the day. Not too shabby for my second marathon. I have a lot of experience
to gain and some really stellar role models to learn from (<a href="http://www.runningruminations.com/" target="_blank">Erin</a>, <a href="http://www.marathonliving.com/" target="_blank">Chris</a>, <a href="http://laughresearchwriterun.com/" target="_blank">Meg</a>,
and <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/community/ambassadors/" target="_blank">The San Francisco Marathon Ambassador</a> team, I’m looking at you!), but I am
also sincerely satisfied with the race and the results overall! <o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The fire is lit, the stage is set: Boston 2015, I’m coming
for you!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_U1uGG1d2zGbkH7tbcb4aI3vlq2VyOxAubMvCk_4ARaJJhchrbEWfA_PynIZxGHNL3euYeGroJQko3NLFgnuiIt3T0XHcMEBA2X0_KQQBw2YNA3udU_1U5kYb1Lp-1IEAkPx33pSDxw/s1600/M2B.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_U1uGG1d2zGbkH7tbcb4aI3vlq2VyOxAubMvCk_4ARaJJhchrbEWfA_PynIZxGHNL3euYeGroJQko3NLFgnuiIt3T0XHcMEBA2X0_KQQBw2YNA3udU_1U5kYb1Lp-1IEAkPx33pSDxw/s1600/M2B.PNG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-80103781072026377042014-05-16T16:54:00.002-07:002014-05-16T16:54:55.188-07:009 Days to Go!Would you look at that? I'm 9 days out from my first attempt at chasing the unicorn and I am flooded with joy and prickly fear and gratefulness. For those of you who aren't toeing the line of insanity about qualifying for the Boston Marathon, 'chasing the unicorn' is Runspeak for 'trying to qualify for Boston'; this is because, naturally, the symbol of the Boston Marathon race is a unicorn:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLgOFlcAI4bJmNlTQJ8ztvw-ryXIS2ZJuScNbFxurNEcntx4vTdM_yVSnd1o5TlSnNV4-h3rnoEOYlKV6L2qi1hiL7LsknZA42MNED6tvlp-n3Ipb2qVzd2zBHYRDnryv3b8szoQIIhE/s1600/Boston-Marathon-logo-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLgOFlcAI4bJmNlTQJ8ztvw-ryXIS2ZJuScNbFxurNEcntx4vTdM_yVSnd1o5TlSnNV4-h3rnoEOYlKV6L2qi1hiL7LsknZA42MNED6tvlp-n3Ipb2qVzd2zBHYRDnryv3b8szoQIIhE/s1600/Boston-Marathon-logo-2015.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
So what does it take to qualify for the most prestigious marathon in the world? Well for my age group, I have to finish the race in under 3 hours and 35 minutes, which calculates out to 8:12 minute/mile pace maximum. My crazy-ass goal for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon is a 7:43 pace, but my real-person goal is to cross that finish line in under 3:35. There you have it. Inked in Internet-land for all to see, for better or worse.<br />
<br />
But as I mentioned in my <a href="http://thesecretlifeofrunning.blogspot.com/2014/05/week-4-race-to-taper.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I run because it's love and it's life and it's every embodiment of earning and sowing and getting out of something so much more than you put into it. I've had a lot of time during these long runs and speed workouts to contemplate why I prioritize running over movies and nights out and drinking with friends and eating large quantities of chocolate cake in my yoga pants on my bed (though much cake has still been consumed, for good measure).<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
The answer came to me on a 5 mile run in the heat the other day, while I struggled to understand why now, less than 2 weeks until race day, my foot was acting up in a very stress-fracturesque way. I prioritize running because it means I'm prioritizing myself. I'm putting my passion, my health, and my thoughts in front of very nearly everything else in my life because sometimes being selfish is okay. Yep, I said it.<br />
<br />
Because sometimes at age 22, you can't quite hold onto anything for very long as things iterate and change and wind and squiggle in a world that is thumping like sprinting heartbeats and everywhere you look there are more pressures and sizzling conflicts and opaque relationships and expectations and heartbreaking, beautiful, growing, learning, unreal things. Because sometimes the pounding and aching of well-worn feet tell me more about how far I've come and reveal the secrets of where I'm from and where I'm going better than any career coach or mentor or online personality test ever could. I prioritize running because even if I don't qualify for Boston, or finish the race, or get out of bed that morning, there will always be another race.<br />
<br />
I prioritize running because this is what being alive looks like to me: <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0h97-Bj6k7hPBg817rqmWmo4UoERT6PN1lO5bEyD3xwo2Fo-VhM8j-YhYDkbM_Etrh7BWQWC7qzBmhrcksxklUbABU0Keb31x8WcYsYG8FksKrmT0JWsRo1ewziL3EKpMcmWpnRG9o8/s1600/pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0h97-Bj6k7hPBg817rqmWmo4UoERT6PN1lO5bEyD3xwo2Fo-VhM8j-YhYDkbM_Etrh7BWQWC7qzBmhrcksxklUbABU0Keb31x8WcYsYG8FksKrmT0JWsRo1ewziL3EKpMcmWpnRG9o8/s1600/pano.jpg" height="121" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stinson Beach, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Okay, enough of the sappy stuff. That's been a burning topic weighing on my heart lately and I thought I'd rest it here for awhile.<br />
<br />
The nitty-gritty highlights from the past 2 weeks include my last 2 long speed workouts - 8x800 m on the track and 8xhill repeats - which went really well! Special thanks to the rogue running supporter from the Cal Triathlon team who cheered me on during my 8x800 intervals despite not knowing me at all and doing shorter intervals of his own. Runners are super cool people, trust me on that one. It certainly made solo intervals much easier to get through!<br />
<br />
The taper depression is really in full swing at the moment - bringing my mileage down to 35 - 40 miles is certainly freeing up some time and preparation work, but ultimately is making me do the "can I even run 26.2 miles anymore?" self-questioning. I know it's natural and I know this is not unique to me, but it's real! <br />
<br />
Here's my run-spo of the day:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5EOGh9LsScX7ekI5AUPzXJjbBmn048gM8gbVD5bwMqh13njGulEBxTjzgeKoO44sqqZY0wDxXUjxNigyR2Ha-QAr9Je7_y9deScf7b1v4jyl9TJYJbjTpzBNouE6w_bvIWwWjgdd1mk/s1600/heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5EOGh9LsScX7ekI5AUPzXJjbBmn048gM8gbVD5bwMqh13njGulEBxTjzgeKoO44sqqZY0wDxXUjxNigyR2Ha-QAr9Je7_y9deScf7b1v4jyl9TJYJbjTpzBNouE6w_bvIWwWjgdd1mk/s1600/heart.jpg" height="400" width="318" /></a></div>
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Take heart, my friends.Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-50171837345114090802014-05-02T10:53:00.000-07:002014-05-02T13:57:39.700-07:00Week 4: Race To Taper< ONE MONTH OUT. It's time to get down to business as I have 23 more days until the <a href="http://www.mountains2beachmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Mountains 2 Beach Marathon 2014</a>! I am a hop, skip, and a jump away from the notorious distance runner mantra "the hay is in the barn," meaning, of course, that the work you've put in up until this point is what will be carrying you through the race - not the work you put in on the day of the race itself. Let's dive into a recap of what I've been up to from the second half of last week and this week:<br />
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The end of last week stumbled by with Berkeley Lululemon Run Club, Hot Yoga, a 3 mile jaunt, an unintentional Saturday rest day (sometimes real-life is a struggle) and then my first 20+ run of this training cycle.<br />
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<b>Sunday 4/27</b><br />
21 miles<br />
7:43 pace<br />
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<b>Monday 4/28</b><br />
3 miles<br />
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<b>Tuesday 4/29</b><br />
Fever (!!) ..stuck in bed<br />
and this ended up being my evening:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNCt5MMw_u6CbC6W3WnEchsP8h9VMHbOx3Xk0NVxOaq3j_qi0i2kGo3DkldbYk2av6a_Nd_8L2qi27SEP10skvwnCHptks-o5kBS5fc8dfYhy_8Qz-GPrIRyjTWHo6xuq8jGhX_cH0kA/s1600/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNCt5MMw_u6CbC6W3WnEchsP8h9VMHbOx3Xk0NVxOaq3j_qi0i2kGo3DkldbYk2av6a_Nd_8L2qi27SEP10skvwnCHptks-o5kBS5fc8dfYhy_8Qz-GPrIRyjTWHo6xuq8jGhX_cH0kA/s1600/blog3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trader Joe's Salad & Born To Run</td></tr>
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<b>Wednesday 4/30</b><br />
6+ miles tempo<br />
Berkeley Run Club<br />
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<b>Thursday 5/1</b><br />
(make-up from Tuesday)<br />
7 x hill + 2.5 miles there and back<br />
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<b>Friday 5/2</b><br />
5 miles<br />
<br />
My long run last weekend was most notable because I was actively trying to regulate my pace as consistently as possible. This was a test-run of what I can hold in my gas tank. Finishing 21 miles in 2 hours and 38 minutes means that even if I drop down to 8:10 minute mile pace for the last 5+ miles, I would still qualify for Boston in under 3:30. You would think I would be STOKED on this realization, but if I'm being honest, as I've vowed to be on this blog, I'm not counting my chickens just yet.<br />
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A marathon race is a funny thing because<i> anything</i> can happen. I've seen pulled muscles, over-exhaustion, bonking out, loss of controlled bodily function, tears, vomit, and even heard about a femur snapping in 3 places at mile 12 of a casual half marathon - and the alum from my sorority who I was talking to was only 25 years old when that happened! Basically, a race is crazy little universe all of its own and when you're a marathon race newbie like me, you've got to go into it with nothing but the hay you've put in your barn and the resolve to have the best freaking time you can.<br />
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Despite the pain of running my first marathon last year, I can honest-to-goodness say that I had an INCREDIBLE time racing <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/" target="_blank">The San Francisco Marathon</a> 2013. My only goal heading into that race was to finish under 4 hours, and coming in over 15 minutes ahead of that was merely the cherry on top of miles and miles of grueling, hilly, totally rad scenery.<br />
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For the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon, I'm (1) leaving it all on the course and (2) aiming to finish with a big fat smile on my face. End of story. Those are the only goals.<br />
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Other highlights this week include getting our SF Marathon Ambassador GEAR! Check out that short sleeve shirt post-21 miler and the long sleeve I donned at the Giants game on Sunday afternoon last weekend!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSix85p6SJoV-RRq6_IkFuk48b6ucxazZD235Hv0zHwIdEROvWP4bQt3YsqlCDyA4cKyfJV9s8DCGo8AqWuBZ1I0sBBQ6eInEtnG1hxpzEgoCcAcWfLqDN2jwYpu3V1dRo8wdLYWfysE/s1600/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSix85p6SJoV-RRq6_IkFuk48b6ucxazZD235Hv0zHwIdEROvWP4bQt3YsqlCDyA4cKyfJV9s8DCGo8AqWuBZ1I0sBBQ6eInEtnG1hxpzEgoCcAcWfLqDN2jwYpu3V1dRo8wdLYWfysE/s1600/blog1.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesin' in The SF Marathon gear post-21 miles </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqejywddaB5vFvV1_3VScF6ZoWE7lPmqb0FbU1kaoj0jiRxh2Mo63S7iqHN-Qrsxl9gNpFd9pTzwoqugZnLeE56AqcwcdiJjNS-_7oepTwx8tg1ngFnv6_Twrx95ZV6N6VQa3iJ0BMcQw/s1600/blog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqejywddaB5vFvV1_3VScF6ZoWE7lPmqb0FbU1kaoj0jiRxh2Mo63S7iqHN-Qrsxl9gNpFd9pTzwoqugZnLeE56AqcwcdiJjNS-_7oepTwx8tg1ngFnv6_Twrx95ZV6N6VQa3iJ0BMcQw/s1600/blog2.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dear ol' dad and me after the Giants game in SF - more TSFM gear in toe</td></tr>
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And last but not least, for those of you who made it this far in reading my gobbledygook of a training post, I give to you the progress photos I promised a few weeks ago. In marathon-land, weeks are counted down - not up (at least in my marathon-land) - so that is how the photos should be interpreted. The difference isn't immense, but there is something to be said for getting a bit more lean over time. With the knowledge that each strike of your foot on the ground generates as much as 12x (!!) your body weight in force, you've better believe that every little change counts.<br />
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And as exposed, both literally and figuratively, as I feel posting this for the world to see, it is at the same time very liberating. I've put my heart into this - less than a month away from my first competitive marathon race - and I couldn't be more grateful for the body I call home. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 10 weeks out to 5 weeks out</td></tr>
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With leafy greens and hay-bail dreams,<br />
JordanJordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-60534499164451470342014-04-24T11:00:00.000-07:002014-04-24T11:02:47.180-07:00Week 5: & 6, 7, et al. In the hub-bub of marathon training, working full time, studying for the GRE, and trying to maintain a social life that allows me to still have friends, I've been a real slacker on writing any of it down. I am technically down to week 5 right now, but would like to recap the last week and half of training:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pI8pstO3XUPCLHX_i7AityKxkm4cjoQAZ40a9556nn9JrucRrmrqhiVbtAXw947g-fcmYv2-uNJGzZPp0TGOV0S1UOFKhFPE_dJUF8vQC-LpLlAAKFlTvSi8jaHEIyrD6CZDF2cznMM/s1600/18+miler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pI8pstO3XUPCLHX_i7AityKxkm4cjoQAZ40a9556nn9JrucRrmrqhiVbtAXw947g-fcmYv2-uNJGzZPp0TGOV0S1UOFKhFPE_dJUF8vQC-LpLlAAKFlTvSi8jaHEIyrD6CZDF2cznMM/s1600/18+miler.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7:26 pace 18 miler on 4/12: Laps Around Lake Merit, Oakland</td></tr>
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<b>Saturday 4/12</b></div>
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18 miles tempo</div>
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7:26 pace</div>
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<b>Sunday 4/13</b></div>
<div>
7 miles easy</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Monday 4/14</b></div>
<div>
5 mile easy</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Tuesday 4/15</b></div>
<div>
6 x hill repeats</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<b>Wednesday 4/16</b></div>
<div>
6 miles</div>
<div>
Run Club</div>
<div>
Gym</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Thursday 4/17</b></div>
<div>
4 miles tempo</div>
<div>
(at lunch during work)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Friday 4/18</b></div>
<div>
Rest </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Saturday 4/19</b></div>
<div>
11.5 miles tempo<br />
<br />
<b>Sunday 4/20</b><br />
11 miles<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUFR9BnaqtNPSyzc9xq6lA0CAyOEh_T0NuMO_LZV0z9ubD9Dap7w151ziC8uis5H6mrxEaacbIEA-aFk920Bl3PY4YKpdynCSExzEqdYDQxVlazMXCB211eSyMgd6-63ygdDevMWFBqc/s1600/boston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUFR9BnaqtNPSyzc9xq6lA0CAyOEh_T0NuMO_LZV0z9ubD9Dap7w151ziC8uis5H6mrxEaacbIEA-aFk920Bl3PY4YKpdynCSExzEqdYDQxVlazMXCB211eSyMgd6-63ygdDevMWFBqc/s1600/boston.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run on Monday morning in support of Boston 2014!</td></tr>
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<b>Monday 4/21</b><br />
Marathon Monday!<br />
4 miles with The San Francisco Marathon<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday 4/22</b><br />
1.5 mile warm up<br />
7 x 800 m intervals<br />
Gym</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That puts me somewhere around 55 miles for the last week, which is really great, though I consistently wish I wasn't so pressed for time during weeknights. It's easy to get up at 6 AM on a Saturday or Sunday and run for 2 hours without interfering with any plans, but I have yet to master getting up at 4 AM on a weekday to run in the dark and then go to work all day and remain functional.<br />
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My good friends, although mildly concerned that I have some sort of running addiction, have been extremely supportive. It is all a balancing act, of course. I may feel like I'm coming off the hinges some days -- primarily because I would rather run until I'm painfully exhausted than meet up with a group of friends for dinner on a weeknight -- but I think chasing a passion is a damn good reason to feel crazy.<br />
<br />
And speaking of crazy-ass dreams and big fat goals, this is a public service announcement that my $10 off ambassador code for <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/" target="_blank">The San Francisco Marathon</a> is expiring on April 27th. Be sure to use Discount Code: <b>DSC10TSFM2014A38</b> for $10 off the full marathon, either one of the half marathons, or the 5k race! My first full ever was The SF Marathon and I am so excited to come back guns blazing on July 27th to share this incredible experience with my fellow racers. Join me!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVB6EykAFwgbjXikhKWKXVz6xYcfN8DRGsMEUHluVypFGvuOQ3dy06d1wBDb0TxsNUSY2FoFlJuczC5huQwV16xFJyZsvX6BjTBBfD-Aa8YNlVuUqwvt-5svSPGVKs8jn5qVP3Vihl0_A/s1600/tsfm2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVB6EykAFwgbjXikhKWKXVz6xYcfN8DRGsMEUHluVypFGvuOQ3dy06d1wBDb0TxsNUSY2FoFlJuczC5huQwV16xFJyZsvX6BjTBBfD-Aa8YNlVuUqwvt-5svSPGVKs8jn5qVP3Vihl0_A/s1600/tsfm2014.jpg" height="400" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh the places TSFM will take you!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRPwe-riYh4p_LKgbK3ZHNw_kZWVfUHyqdeRBCuxNTSWo-55auG9gimdAIj034CGrBdjXl9TK2HR8MQbjXszUpqX43g224kvLjcigy3ZHyqKn9neKkD0G9YTqtH2stoS-XO4Xvvk_XH4/s1600/marathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRPwe-riYh4p_LKgbK3ZHNw_kZWVfUHyqdeRBCuxNTSWo-55auG9gimdAIj034CGrBdjXl9TK2HR8MQbjXszUpqX43g224kvLjcigy3ZHyqKn9neKkD0G9YTqtH2stoS-XO4Xvvk_XH4/s1600/marathon.jpg" height="400" width="397" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggK1pF6X2A5hC8Fn0x1ov1yxv_zNN0CTVjX0lp6K78kp3JP-ihRQodrlfcLxlbt8SYKcMO0hKPlmWyBWJE2wlEV6lmQFuA66kYZ_7MCb_Gz_24gk_mDX8ewMUGhQQ9hyLHlPO5H94mDLM/s1600/boston+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggK1pF6X2A5hC8Fn0x1ov1yxv_zNN0CTVjX0lp6K78kp3JP-ihRQodrlfcLxlbt8SYKcMO0hKPlmWyBWJE2wlEV6lmQFuA66kYZ_7MCb_Gz_24gk_mDX8ewMUGhQQ9hyLHlPO5H94mDLM/s1600/boston+2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got Boston on my mind this week...chase the unicorn!</td></tr>
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This weekend I take on my first 20 miler of my training cycle. I'll be working to hit marathon pace throughout and prove to myself that I'm ready for Mountains 2 Beach Marathon in May!<br />
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Happy Trails!</div>
Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-48253972913157291562014-04-15T23:28:00.000-07:002014-04-17T13:38:31.625-07:00Week 8: Ragnar SoCal Race RecapCan we talk about how time isn't obeying any kind of normal metric and is instead flying past in complete disarray? ...okay, that's a bit dramatic; but really, time is on the move and training days are zooming along. So without further ado, I would like to share my 2014 Ragnar SoCal race recap:<br />
<br />
<br />
What is <a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/southerncalifornia" target="_blank">Ragnar SoCal</a>? I'm glad you asked! Our race covered 195 miles, beginning in Huntington Beach and ending at the convention center in downtown San Diego. My lovely team included 11 other crazy runners, with each of us taking on 3 legs of the 36 leg race. The race is basically structured like a batting order: once you run your leg, everyone else on the team has to run one of theirs before you start over. Essentially, we ran in order 1 - 12 three times in a row.<br />
<br />
I was runner #3 (and therefore runner #15 and #27) for our team, afterNUUN run. As a proud member of Van 1, I joined the likes of <a href="http://www.runkeith.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Keith</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/kpez019" target="_blank">Kristina</a>, <a href="http://www.marathonliving.com/" target="_blank">Chris</a>, <a href="http://runwithwes.com/" target="_blank">Wes</a>, and <a href="http://www.runningruminations.com/" target="_blank">Erin</a> -- some of the most badass runners around -- for a 26+ hour adventure in a mini-van. The second half of our team, cozily jammed into Van 2, was comprised of <a href="http://www.runinsyn.com/" target="_blank">Alisyn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/UltraMilesMatt" target="_blank">Matt</a>, <a href="http://laughresearchwriterun.com/" target="_blank">Meg</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/tucsonstrider" target="_blank">Bruce</a>, <a href="http://longrunhappiness.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Miriam</a>, and <a href="http://www.justkeeprunningblog.com/" target="_blank">Paulette</a> -- each of which are even more impressive, hilarious, and fit than even their Strava accounts and blogs allude to.<br />
<br />
There is enough adventure packed into this nearly 200 mile, 2 hours of sleep, half marathon or more running per person extravaganza to fill a novel, so I'm going to spare you the gory details and go into a photo montage with minimal commentary instead:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNadielOb_YJHQHZxqAxLxG5LTPW7iqj7Av_0tdx1160RRqlK6gr0E5MQUBiNEFqRHW4uFOQOmv_u3QMfM4x4Os21k3cMC7AbvyrvFZ4rAGbnp2OebQyKHRw_jK5wF0SOENrTbC_RDZCs/s1600/ragnar14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNadielOb_YJHQHZxqAxLxG5LTPW7iqj7Av_0tdx1160RRqlK6gr0E5MQUBiNEFqRHW4uFOQOmv_u3QMfM4x4Os21k3cMC7AbvyrvFZ4rAGbnp2OebQyKHRw_jK5wF0SOENrTbC_RDZCs/s1600/ragnar14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van 1 LOVE! The gang showing off our Ragnar race tees, Zensah calf sleeves, and Nuun bottles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe2LSziGCqaYgLx3YabM-uePKMj-32CsbG23b9z1U_Oz-dHDvxa4fJcJeMlNCmSbHazpf5SNeAdXq_Xa6pvU4aNG46OIaEfC1-ax0LgTv9axqXlgVeH3jVpya0OvxfP4Hg8RE6RFZflI/s1600/ragnar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe2LSziGCqaYgLx3YabM-uePKMj-32CsbG23b9z1U_Oz-dHDvxa4fJcJeMlNCmSbHazpf5SNeAdXq_Xa6pvU4aNG46OIaEfC1-ax0LgTv9axqXlgVeH3jVpya0OvxfP4Hg8RE6RFZflI/s1600/ragnar13.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more for good measure to get a shot with our SF Marathon swag</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off I go on Leg #3 of the relay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leg 3, apparently serious business</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying Picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Px6CQrffvAUPLIGIFG7GnVJPoAD2wI2pFcy-7ZmgkyYpKCtv6sLGTG6-_Y8Hn9hholG6EjOl1RqqU5LRvPj824iaepVbTFVrb0PMjf_WSlvNpqB9oW5bfN2Ayj5eu4Z1nt5j_BurGpQ/s1600/Ragnar3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Px6CQrffvAUPLIGIFG7GnVJPoAD2wI2pFcy-7ZmgkyYpKCtv6sLGTG6-_Y8Hn9hholG6EjOl1RqqU5LRvPj824iaepVbTFVrb0PMjf_WSlvNpqB9oW5bfN2Ayj5eu4Z1nt5j_BurGpQ/s1600/Ragnar3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handoff to Wes at the end of Leg 3</td></tr>
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<b>My Legs:</b></div>
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<b>Leg #3</b> -- Approximately 6.8 miles at 7:28 pace. This was the nitty gritty part of the race for me. Since we were on the late end of the start time slots, I only saw a handful of other runners during this leg. It was a concrete-jungle kind of hot, and my times were so much slower than they would have otherwise been because I hit 7 or 8 stop lights during my trek. [Since Ragnar is a huge race, none of the roads are blocked off. Runners are on sidewalks, shoulders, and bike lanes like any training run. The only problem there is that I couldn't stop my Garmin at the lights because we were still on the clock! Crampin' my race speed style, Ragnar]. I ended my leg with 4 "kills".</div>
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Ragnar Lingo: kills = people you pass during your leg</div>
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<b>Leg #15</b> -- Approximately 3.5 miles at 6:54 pace. This was such a fun run! My leg started just before 1:30 AM in the misty cold of the marina and led us down onto a paved bike path through the marshy wetlands. No street lamps. No emergency lights. Just my headlamp, reflective vest, and a blinking LED light on the back of my vest to light my way as I huffed and puffed on the narrow, dark path. This also meant that my fellow racers were only visible by their LED backlights, so in the delirium of essentially a 1:30 AM 5K race, I became fixated on chasing down the only lights I could find. It was exhilarating! I ended at Exchange 15 with 10 kills.</div>
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<b>Leg #27</b> -- Approximately 3.5 miles at 6:56 pace. Beginning right around 8:15 AM, I was starting to feel the fatigue of being in "race mode" for so many hours, but was thrilled that we were swiftly approaching the San Diego area. I had a STELLAR coastal run with a net downhill route and was able to make some serious leeway on tracking down kills. I ended this leg with 36 kills (and finished out my portion of the race having zero people pass me!). </div>
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<b>PERSONAL RECAP:</b></div>
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Total Distance: ~13.8 miles</div>
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Average Pace: ~ 7:16 min/mile</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">TOTAL KILLS: 50</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyoBIu4J42rKqf-aAJ3m-9cv-ZlcCoNrHhfcbGG0OGoK1QCIHHWzUeJzSe0sSDMyhDLSY9tq83xOPuawWWFtVDVEBvqlT2HDSl1Ui9ve1LfAUHIRLMvAWXEY30Vgd6CjOf6arJ7yeV1s/s1600/ragnar10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyoBIu4J42rKqf-aAJ3m-9cv-ZlcCoNrHhfcbGG0OGoK1QCIHHWzUeJzSe0sSDMyhDLSY9tq83xOPuawWWFtVDVEBvqlT2HDSl1Ui9ve1LfAUHIRLMvAWXEY30Vgd6CjOf6arJ7yeV1s/s1600/ragnar10.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for Wes at Angles Stadium (Exchange 4)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplXUWSGeouaTLYTf_Rj_Ej2xro2ZwugzdOADQ7b2Uc51b1ZpP4__SS7JyYJYGzsynwiDPt4oPdLuxSDGXmACPupUBsVMezai_gbL2LtXvO3Q_JR50A-H5_FKrqrYAKWQnz8_dncoERt4/s1600/ragnar8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplXUWSGeouaTLYTf_Rj_Ej2xro2ZwugzdOADQ7b2Uc51b1ZpP4__SS7JyYJYGzsynwiDPt4oPdLuxSDGXmACPupUBsVMezai_gbL2LtXvO3Q_JR50A-H5_FKrqrYAKWQnz8_dncoERt4/s1600/ragnar8.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ninja times tagging vans with The SF Marathon magnets </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfyloBXqALLeiT6J2ReISKyyTLQ9ARkJi0kLft1nAc3gPVc1zyxLE_6DJIeJqqQpbFTSiOGc5uJ1TNJcquVoh1G3nizbPONCySTx8Y2QOzLshDSg3TQ_mPXQSPRbQGrr7JuQ-ZIfPKmU/s1600/ragnar7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfyloBXqALLeiT6J2ReISKyyTLQ9ARkJi0kLft1nAc3gPVc1zyxLE_6DJIeJqqQpbFTSiOGc5uJ1TNJcquVoh1G3nizbPONCySTx8Y2QOzLshDSg3TQ_mPXQSPRbQGrr7JuQ-ZIfPKmU/s1600/ragnar7.jpg" height="398" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrying our fearless leader, Chris (I ran with him like that, too)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfarShdi9tZd9SK2pp8HLH30TAZC8qm-wbHphUaeYc1hO_GMBleBSsASgX8wHCbri25D6te1rLRmyI-9ZtWveP67D54W2sjrtqWdKE1-Ep5P3L3RAPDBZCYBdYx57GAVQ_fazWzrlAzuA/s1600/ragnar9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfarShdi9tZd9SK2pp8HLH30TAZC8qm-wbHphUaeYc1hO_GMBleBSsASgX8wHCbri25D6te1rLRmyI-9ZtWveP67D54W2sjrtqWdKE1-Ep5P3L3RAPDBZCYBdYx57GAVQ_fazWzrlAzuA/s1600/ragnar9.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van 1 LOVE (again, still, always) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhlXHr_2Rg2sweF9XHBe76Ki-bz4DLIFkpLoVTGeYE2Be-vRU_VPE4ygVD8XvfI_QPoCHIIHKNFHdQRtYROloJLS7hMzv-Wb8NTu3F5T8ynN48RX43_z2EGxl4GyKF1D0SC8Ac7IgE7o/s1600/Ragnar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhlXHr_2Rg2sweF9XHBe76Ki-bz4DLIFkpLoVTGeYE2Be-vRU_VPE4ygVD8XvfI_QPoCHIIHKNFHdQRtYROloJLS7hMzv-Wb8NTu3F5T8ynN48RX43_z2EGxl4GyKF1D0SC8Ac7IgE7o/s1600/Ragnar2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers to The SF Marathon for bringing us together!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea03VWN_mpa6f6wnrJoDovB_u74exMEHqzaqkDVNltE_7LSDvYCr9veX4PLQNrrcQDcEsRmfaNzAst6WkR1e7QrqCjfp7B1yAd0p7s3AuNUkPpBOuoshqFFbiLP3Z_NCYXS-SbA4LH-Q/s1600/Ragnar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea03VWN_mpa6f6wnrJoDovB_u74exMEHqzaqkDVNltE_7LSDvYCr9veX4PLQNrrcQDcEsRmfaNzAst6WkR1e7QrqCjfp7B1yAd0p7s3AuNUkPpBOuoshqFFbiLP3Z_NCYXS-SbA4LH-Q/s1600/Ragnar1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The greatest finish line photo of all time :)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.webscorer.com/racedetails?raceid=20677&did=25012&cid=134472" target="_blank">TEAM RESULTS</a>:<br />
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Not only did I get to spend an absolutely incredible weekend getting to know some stunningly inspiring humans, but we also kicked some major tail in the final shakeout.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Regular Mixed Open: 8th Place out of 510 teams</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Overall (all divisions): 24th Place out of 720 teams</span></b><br />
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The Regular Mixed Open division was comprised of all co-ed teams (a co-ed team is designated by the 12-person squad having at least 6 women) -- we had 7 on our team.<br />
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The Overall Division took the all-male, all-female, regular mixed open, ultra, and veteran teams together to get final overall results.<br />
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<b>SPONSORS:</b><br />
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And of course the weekend would not have been possible at all if not for our super supportive and enthusiastic sponsors!<br />
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I loved racing in my bright pink and neon yellow Skechers Performance GoRun3s! What a fun and comfortable pair of shoes. They were ultra-light, and encouraged the mid-foot stride that I prefer: <a href="http://skechersperformance.com/">http://skechersperformance.com/</a> #GoLikeNeverBefore<br />
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Our Gametiime shirts were a great way to promote this utilitarian, and user friendly interface site. It's function is to find you the next great race in your desired area, but Gametiime provides so much more; you can set your calendar, connect with friends, and get updates about upcoming races you're registered for. Check them out at: <a href="http://gametiime.com/">http://gametiime.com/</a> #Gametiime<br />
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As an official foot-abuser, I am always looking for a comfy, but breathable pair of running socks. After running one race in a pair of FitSoks, I'm a convert! These are plushy, form fitting, and they don't slip, fall, or rub while you're in hot pursuit of those kills. Find your fit at: <a href="http://www.fitsok.com/">http://www.fitsok.com/</a> #FitSok<br />
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We owe so much to The SF Marathon! Our team of running conisseaurs would never have assembled if not for The SF Marathon Ambassador team. I'm so grateful to represent the most beautiful road marathon on the West Coast (and pretty much on the whole planet). For $10 off your registration for the full marathon, half marathon, or 5k race, use Ragnar code: DSC10RAGNAR2014. <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/">http://www.thesfmarathon.com/</a> #TSFM2014<br />
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With compression apparel being all the rage with runners these days, you can count on Zensah to have a fit and style that you really love. These were so helpful during the off-times of the race to allow our calves to recharge. Visit them at: <a href="http://www.zensah.com/">http://www.zensah.com</a>/ #Zensah<br />
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And last but absolutely not least, for optimal hydration, no matter the activity, Nuun has got you covered. I was a bit reluctuant to dive into electrolyte replacements, but Nuun changed my mind entirely. What a stellar product! Get yours at: <a href="http://www.nuun.com/">http://www.nuun.com/</a> #NuunLove<br />
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<br />Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-41529651822814529732014-04-02T15:34:00.001-07:002014-04-16T09:39:46.067-07:00The San Francisco Marathon Post: 7 Wonderful & Little-Known Benefits of RunningI'm proud to share with you all my post from The San Francisco Marathon blog page! See the official posting: <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/2014/04/02/7-wonderful-and-little-known-benefits-of-running/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX0moGZh2CLwNo_QMtQ-rhg0L17gGMdk1dOoGqHeKzTR_vtkqQv6__2eb33VOKqtbjbeAZdka8Wmt4LF7ai1A08R3uQXcDPrNL-LxDnOIQuUFa3XIa-461W0V1tNxmeROv79ukQnuRY8/s1600/TSFM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX0moGZh2CLwNo_QMtQ-rhg0L17gGMdk1dOoGqHeKzTR_vtkqQv6__2eb33VOKqtbjbeAZdka8Wmt4LF7ai1A08R3uQXcDPrNL-LxDnOIQuUFa3XIa-461W0V1tNxmeROv79ukQnuRY8/s1600/TSFM.jpg" height="182" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic borrowed from <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/2014/04/02/7-wonderful-and-little-known-benefits-of-running/" target="_blank">The SF Marathon Blog</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7 Wonderful and Little-Known Benefits of Running</b></span><br />
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So you’ve made it to The SF Marathon blog page — a hearty congratulations to you! You must already know that running is a wonderful, magical, superhuman barrel of fun, right? You plan your weekends around going to bed early and racing the sunrise to the highest points within 20 miles of your house, right? At a moments notice, you can name your exact personal best time in every distance from a 5k to a 50-miler, right? Okay, okay, maybe you’ve only been running one time ever. Maybe your brother / sister / significant other / best friend / boss / mother-in-law is a runner and you’re pining to know the secrets of their emphatical joy. Well, you’re in luck; whether you’re an elite runner or a curious novice, this post is for you. I give to you: 7 Wonderful & Little-Known Benefits of Running.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPufkNTv1uXTnyOWcjhb3jFI56D46o9I1kV515owJOSm1QPwGOw0DojHngmp5cHBrvrhsneIG3v81sgiJsGVGcgiKZMLNuuy_Yvt5VErywUsqwAbscgwoyjqEMc3-AWdDjNKA6_AX5_No/s1600/TSFM2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPufkNTv1uXTnyOWcjhb3jFI56D46o9I1kV515owJOSm1QPwGOw0DojHngmp5cHBrvrhsneIG3v81sgiJsGVGcgiKZMLNuuy_Yvt5VErywUsqwAbscgwoyjqEMc3-AWdDjNKA6_AX5_No/s1600/TSFM2.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
<b>1. Running Improves Joint Cartilage — For ALL Ages</b><br />
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Wait, isn’t running bad for “older” people? HA! The wives’ tale that running damages the knee / ankle / hip joints is about as accurate as saying that a woman’s body can’t handle running a marathon. And just as <a href="http://kathrineswitzer.com/about-kathrine/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/">Katherine Switzer </a>showed us in the 1967 Boston Marathon, sometimes conventional “knowledge” is far from true. According to a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23377837">2013 study</a> of osteoarthritis and hip replacement risk, “long-distance running does not increase the risk of osteoarthritis of the knees and hips for healthy people,” and “might even have a protective effect against joint degeneration.” Whoa! The New York Times also covered this phenomenal phenomenon <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/ask-well-is-jogging-bad-for-older-people/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-share&_r=0">here</a>.<br />
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<b> 2. Leaner Bodies Like To Workout</b><br />
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You’re telling me that working out makes me want to work out? Mentally, by and large, yes. In a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24366575">study</a> published in The International Journal of Obesity, a direct correlation was found between positive and negative neurological responses in lean bodies versus obese bodies. Monitored by MRI machines, groups of designated lean and obese participants were shown a mix of photos and asked to visualize performing in the activities shown, such as sitting on a couch or pleasantly running. The brain scans revealed that emotionally, the obese participants expected to dislike physical activity much more than they anticipated disliking sitting. Leaner subject’s brain activity was the opposite, with the putamen – or pleasure center of the brain – lighting up when they watched others work out and envisaged doing the same themselves (<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/how-body-size-shapes-our-view-of-exercise/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-share&_r=0">NYT 1/8/14</a>). So, the more you work out, the leaner you get; and the leaner you get, the more your brain associates working out with pleasure. In other words: a body in motion tends to stay in motion, if you catch my drift.<br />
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<b> 3. Runners Improve Their Spouse’s Heart Health</b><br />
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That’s right, long term relationships with runners create many reasons to make your heart throb — and can even boost your heart health, according to a <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/what-running-can-do-for-the-heart/?smid=fb-share">study published in the BMJ</a> by Dr. Beth Taylor of the University of Hartford. The study explores the connection between heart health and running, as well as the links between runners and non-runners spousal heart health. Dr. Taylor explains that “perhaps the more surprising takeaway of the study […] is that marathon training’s cardiac benefits may be transferable.” She reveals that the spouses of runners were very healthy. “More so than many people, they walked and moved around frequently, and had generally robust cardiac risk profiles. Dr. Taylor’s conclusion: if you want improved heart health but can’t be a runner, marry one.” You heard her, folks, your running significant-other is a keeper!<br />
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<b> 4. Fit Mamas-To-Be Make Smarter Babies</b><br />
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And by smarter, I mean, of course, increasing the activity and robustness of their baby’s perirhinal cortex — the memory and sensory center of the brain. And although <a href="http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/ViewAbstract.aspx?sKey=3900c899-e62f-4672-959e-08ab0b5898c9&cKey=b210b8cf-44d2-410b-b324-3cb964a9e178&mKey=8d2a5bec-4825-4cd6-9439-b42bb151d1cf">early studies</a> will need to be elaborated on more fully to understand how gestational exercise can remodel an unborn child’s brain, it is clear that “[i]f a woman can be physically active during her pregnancy, she may give her unborn child an advantage in terms of brain development” (<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/mothers-exercise-may-boost-babys-brain/?smid=tw-share">NYT 11/20/13</a>). And all this coming out of only 20 minutes of exercise per day, generally brisk walking or running, at a level 6 exertion level on a scale of 10. So marathon runner babies are basically geniuses, right?<br />
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<b> 5. High Impact Exercise Is Good for Your Bones</b><br />
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No, that can’t be right. High impact exercise can’t increase bone density…or can it? Another wives’ tale de-bunk! <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8060014">Wolff’s Law</a> and a slew of <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/why-high-impact-exercise-is-good-for-your-bones/?smid=fb-share">high impact exercise studies</a> have shown that individuals who perform activities generating 4.2 G’s or more of force on a regular basis have notably sturdier hipbones. So young people and healthy not-so-young people should pound the ground, on occasion. Run sprints. Jump up and back down from a 15” box. Get fancy with your hopping, like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoueTJ_RPuQ">this</a>. Train for a marathon. Whatever the method, your future self will thank you for applying more force than simply a Zumba class or step aerobics class, which only generate around 2 G’s throughout the duration of the course. High impact = denser bones, and that’s something to jump for joy about.<br />
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<b> 6. A Jog A Day Keeps Metabolism At Bay</b><br />
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It is common knowledge that daily exercise is recommended for a healthy lifestyle, but just how good is it, really? Short-term overeating and inactivity result in a “surplus” of energy — think post-Thanksgiving dinner or a week of vacation with zero exercise kind of lethargy — but how bad could that be for you? <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24167223">Researchers at the University of Bath</a> in England rounded up a group of healthy young men, reduced the group’s daily step count to ~4,000, increased their caloric intake by 50% for the non-running half of the group and 75% for the half of the group asked to run for 45 minutes on a treadmill each day for a week, and waited. According to the <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/the-power-of-a-daily-bout-of-exercise/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-share&_r=0">New York Times recap</a> of the study, the results were striking. “After only a week, the young men who had not exercised displayed a significant and unhealthy decline in their blood sugar control, and, equally worrying, their biopsied fat cells seemed to have developed a malicious streak. Those cells[…]were now overexpressing various genes that may contribute to unhealthy metabolic changes and underexpressing other genes potentially important for a well-functioning metabolism.” Conversely, “[...] volunteers who had exercised once a day, despite comparable energy surpluses, were not similarly afflicted. Their blood sugar control remained robust, and their fat cells exhibited far fewer of the potentially undesirable alterations in gene expression than among the sedentary men.” I’m not advocating exorbitant caloric surpluses, but if a jog a day has ever seemed like it wouldn’t matter because of your eating for the day, you might want to think again. Pre-Thanksgiving dinner jog, anyone?<br />
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<b> 7. Seeing The Benefit: Running For Healthier Eyes</b><br />
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I bet you didn’t see this one coming did you? (See what I did there?). Okay, aside from being able to read that corny joke as you age, running appears to do much more than tone your calves and increase your urges to wear spandex-based clothing. In a new <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/exercising-for-eye-health/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0">study</a> from <a href="http://www.eyecenter.emory.edu/press_releases/pr_research_40.htm">Emory University</a>, running has been shown to significantly increase the protective power of retinal neuron production. This is big news, of course, with millions of aging Americans battling eyesight loss each year. As it turns out, running is a more cost effective, safer, and smarter way to protect and preserve eye health. Holy unintended benefits, that’s neat!<br />
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And there you have it! I do hope you learned a thing or two about all the nearly-too-good-to-be-true features of running. Whether you conspicuously obsess over the next big century-run or jog around the block after work a few times a week, there are prolific and surprising benefits to keeping your body active. I’ll see you on the trails, right? Your bones, babies, eyes, spouse, metabolism, and mind will thank you.</div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-j0QyI8PrQEA%2FUzyRZlhtvTI%2FAAAAAAAAAeI%2F00CG8VYLFQU%2Fs1600%2FTSFM2.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPufkNTv1uXTnyOWcjhb3jFI56D46o9I1kV515owJOSm1QPwGOw0DojHngmp5cHBrvrhsneIG3v81sgiJsGVGcgiKZMLNuuy_Yvt5VErywUsqwAbscgwoyjqEMc3-AWdDjNKA6_AX5_No/s1600/TSFM2.jpg" -->Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-77050364908892283692014-03-31T12:02:00.001-07:002014-04-16T09:39:32.802-07:00Week 9: No Pain, No GainWeek 9 of training is very nearly a blur. Remember last week when I said I was looking forward to dialing into training and parsing back on post-work things? Well I may have had a bit of a lofty goal. Let's jump into last week's training recap:<br />
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<b>SUNDAY 3/23</b><br />
Rest<br />
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<b>MONDAY 3/24</b><br />
7 m easy<br />
Gym<br />
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<b>TUESDAY 3/25</b><br />
Hot Yoga<br />
Gym<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY 3/26</b><br />
4 m easy before work<br />
Gym<br />
6 m pace Run Club<br />
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<b>THURSDAY 3/27</b><br />
5 x 800 Yassos<br />
+ warm up/cool down<br />
Gym<br />
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<b>FRIDAY 3/28</b><br />
8 m tempo<br />
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<b>SATURDAY 3/29</b><br />
Rest<br />
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<b>SUNDAY 3/30</b><br />
16 m tempo<br />
7:30 pace<br />
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So I'm playing a bit of double jeopardy here, since my mileage was only around 33 miles for week 9, I am putting my 16 miler from yesterday on here (not counting toward the total for the week) just to showboat a little and indicate that I'm not as lazy as the numbers from Sunday to Saturday might lead you to believe. It's a pride thing, of course.<br />
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The past week I've had some kind of minor strain in the muscle covering the outside of my shin that basically feels like a knot you might get in your shoulder, but instead it has taken residence on the awkward front part of my leg. It all broke down after my 800 m intervals on the track; I couldn't even run home afterward. It was a walk-hobble while taking those deep "what have you done?" breaths on the way back to my apartment. BUT my intervals went really well! My splits were relatively consistent at 2:59, 2:55, 2:55, 2:57, 2:55, and despite thinking I might burst into tears during the last one due to severe shin pain, it was one of those "no pain, no gain" masochistic running moments and I ended up hitting the times I set out to push toward. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7:30 pace 16 miler on 3/30/14</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb54xMMEIgRaMclRr-LVhVnZh9dWmbcDkunOZPIj5GRqSyeuqwYkYerurU8JZyoxbedwZnjQiDwF7jaMzJsIfjPFvZvB513FSk2wjayx8fi8GdTFPkAl50MvA3S_FCKzXGMggGeQ0E01k/s1600/16.1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb54xMMEIgRaMclRr-LVhVnZh9dWmbcDkunOZPIj5GRqSyeuqwYkYerurU8JZyoxbedwZnjQiDwF7jaMzJsIfjPFvZvB513FSk2wjayx8fi8GdTFPkAl50MvA3S_FCKzXGMggGeQ0E01k/s1600/16.1.PNG" height="492" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strava Recap - check out those new PRs</td></tr>
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Since this upcoming weekend is <a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/southerncalifornia" target="_blank">RAGNAR SOCAL 2014</a>, I'm going to recap my 16 mile run from yesterday during this post, even though it is a week 8 training run. My <a href="http://www.strava.com/athletes/4124129" target="_blank">Strava profile</a> summary outlines the basic route and my top achievements from the run. My basic idea starting out was to go out hard for the first 6 miles, see how I was feeling, and adjust from there. What actually happened is that I went out, my outer shin muscle throbbed and ached for the first few miles (but you can see I was on a steady downward slope for those), and by then I realized that my pacing was on par for a great finish time. The headwinds on the Bay Bridge were fierce, so miles 9 and 10 were a struggle (and for some reason people always want to secretly race the small blonde girl cruising along...little do they know I'm already 10 miles into my run and stubbornly hate being passed). <br />
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I had been at a celebration of life for most of Saturday and there was some pent up need to feel strained, starkly alive, and in some way limitless on Sunday morning. I'm grateful that my inclination is to run until it's difficult to stand. To be so raw that nothing else seeps into my mind but inhale and exhale, one foot then the other. Maybe that's a bit primitive, but it certainly grants me peace of mind.<br />
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I am pleasantly sore today; reveling in pushing my limits and running sub 7:50 pace long runs for 2 weeks in a row. It's been a long time since 7:30 was a comfortable pace, and I've never gone this far pushing the envelope like that. I'm looking forward to the possibilities that lie ahead, and to putting my compression socks back on as soon as I can. <br />
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I'll be heading down to Huntington Beach later this week for the epic, wonderful, exhausting, and adventurous Ragnar Relay Race! Expect a full recap when I return! And while you're waiting for that, check out our AMAZING sponsors:<br />
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For a stellar pair of shoes: <a href="http://skechersperformance.com/">http://skechersperformance.com/</a> #GoLikeNeverBefore<br />
To find your next race: <a href="http://gametiime.com/">http://gametiime.com/</a> #Gametiime<br />
For socks that work as hard as you do: <a href="http://www.fitsok.com/">http://www.fitsok.com/</a> #FitSok<br />
To sign up for the most beautiful marathon around: <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/">http://www.thesfmarathon.com/</a> #TSFM2014<br />
For compression apparel you can count on: <a href="http://www.zensah.com/">http://www.zensah.com</a>/ #Zensah<br />
And for optimal hydration, no matter the activity: <a href="http://www.nuun.com/">http://www.nuun.com/</a> #NuunLove<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmQ9Up63Vz63Pm7GELv6d8eNn99Ugneeee_9oatVhRspd8dRRpwrIpACZ-NrY63l__I_V8qWcPJgL-ciU5V6qKzIB6czImZzeY7mwDFg4tGngOm9yazQkSpiaCmlOGN_AbNjmG3cglvI/s1600/afterNUUNrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmQ9Up63Vz63Pm7GELv6d8eNn99Ugneeee_9oatVhRspd8dRRpwrIpACZ-NrY63l__I_V8qWcPJgL-ciU5V6qKzIB6czImZzeY7mwDFg4tGngOm9yazQkSpiaCmlOGN_AbNjmG3cglvI/s1600/afterNUUNrun.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our official Ragnar handles and hashtags </td></tr>
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Until next time, may the wind be ever at your back and the road rise to meet you.<br />
<br />Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-58024182809628753802014-03-24T11:20:00.002-07:002014-04-16T09:25:34.929-07:00Week 10: Too Much of a Good ThingI'm a little late with my weekly post, but that is simply because there are so many things going on. It's a wonderful problem to have, of course, but I am looking forward to dialing back on the weeknight engagements and focusing a bit more time and energy toward training. My weekly training update is as follows:<br />
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<b>SUNDAY 3/16</b><br />
12.5 miles easy<br />
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<b>MONDAY 3/17</b><br />
5 miles tempo<br />
Gym lifting<br />
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<b>TUESDAY 3/18</b><br />
Rest<br />
(went to a talk w/ the VP of Product of Strava, CEO of Wello, and VP Ux of FitBit)<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY 3/19</b><br />
5 miles easy w/ Addison<br />
Gym<br />
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<b>THURSDAY 3/20</b><br />
4 x hill intervals<br />
Gym<br />
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<b>FRIDAY 3/21</b><br />
4 mile hike w/ Camille<br />
Gym<br />
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<b>SATURDAY 3/22</b><br />
15.5 miles tempo<br />
PR'ed my 15 miler at 7:46 pace<br />
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So this tops me off at around 47 miles, excluding the 4 or 5 miles I run on the treadmill during lunchtime per week. Unfortunately for my training program, I fell asleep yesterday instead of doing another long run on Sunday, so I'll have to make up those miles throughout the course of this week. I have to say it is rather discouraging to take your one running rest day for the week on Sunday. But overall, I'm feeling great; my ankle is slowly healing from a gnarly fall down a gravel hill in February, hip flexors are going strong, and my new shoes are wearing in well. Couldn't ask for much more!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monday Run: Berkeley Fire Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SF Meetup with VP Product at Strava, CEO of Wello, and VP Ux at FitBit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lKd5C_5cQw9RECLRSNein78xGcDoGED54Z_42b0sifC2Z47AiXhNPHoqny9pHyHE-8oMG0mxO40sjAyPvLDGTHyxwKgXqFx1rWHNeV-iOra_bx1jxQy8vNbmVePATvQ5iCiFBfiff3Y/s1600/photo3+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lKd5C_5cQw9RECLRSNein78xGcDoGED54Z_42b0sifC2Z47AiXhNPHoqny9pHyHE-8oMG0mxO40sjAyPvLDGTHyxwKgXqFx1rWHNeV-iOra_bx1jxQy8vNbmVePATvQ5iCiFBfiff3Y/s1600/photo3+%25281%2529.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This week's inspiration: Bruder's "Got Gumption?" Speech</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYM-ZWRfJD734rClzzlIs7UOaljgji2iZoSA2eGtXRzUZJgM6mMZEgSs8WbSyrdvN2uasZGAE-ny4PL4yXGVb2s8N6wEUbCOlXsaL5CNY3L3QA1EcuWll7iDO-wfmXZG-RwQwKmEw_QE/s1600/photo2+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYM-ZWRfJD734rClzzlIs7UOaljgji2iZoSA2eGtXRzUZJgM6mMZEgSs8WbSyrdvN2uasZGAE-ny4PL4yXGVb2s8N6wEUbCOlXsaL5CNY3L3QA1EcuWll7iDO-wfmXZG-RwQwKmEw_QE/s1600/photo2+%25281%2529.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday evening hike: Berkeley Fire Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtBhCxG5s2WuXZgkwHyn9Q9XOCChOkocBQGdUFllATA9bIGPMxJoHx8OdHxE7EgFlY2SMV_t-M3UN3XeXp7pHj79AE5xlmNjcRdtY4TjcQO9iPZ_OQdiU5UoE7moUe7lN1EIYB0qv36o/s1600/photo1+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtBhCxG5s2WuXZgkwHyn9Q9XOCChOkocBQGdUFllATA9bIGPMxJoHx8OdHxE7EgFlY2SMV_t-M3UN3XeXp7pHj79AE5xlmNjcRdtY4TjcQO9iPZ_OQdiU5UoE7moUe7lN1EIYB0qv36o/s1600/photo1+%25285%2529.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday Morning Run: Berkeley Marina, Emeryville, Bay Bridge, Oakland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
So there you have it. Despite being pretty busy this past week, I was happy to get in some decent miles. My 15-miler went really well (I surprised myself with that one), but it's one of those things where you finish your run, exhausted, and realize the actual marathon will be over 10 more miles. Just have to keep on keeping on! </div>
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<br /></div>
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In other news, I'm happy to announce that I have started taking incredibly goofy and somewhat pretentious "progress" pictures to accumulate at the end of each training cycle for my marathons this year. They are a little overly cocky, really hilarious, and totally and completely embarrassing. So naturally, I'm stoked to reveal them in the coming weeks. </div>
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Fingers crossed for continued health and lovely weather!</div>
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Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-68240457233611081882014-03-14T13:32:00.004-07:002014-04-16T09:39:06.699-07:00Week 11: One Month In, 10 Weeks Away<div>
Another week has flown by in my running adventure; chock-full of heavy hearts, new perspectives, and training challenges and successes. How has it only been seven days since my last post? Well, let's get started with a training recap:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>SUNDAY 3/9</b></div>
<div>
13 miles at 8:09 pace</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>MONDAY 3/10</b></div>
<div>
3 m easy</div>
<div>
Gym lifting</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>TUESDAY 3/11</b></div>
<div>
Unintentional rest day</div>
<div>
Gym lifting</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>WEDNESDAY 3/12</b></div>
<div>
6 m tempo</div>
<div>
Run Club</div>
<div>
Gym lifting</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>THURSDAY 3/13</b></div>
<div>
4 x 800 (Yasso 800s) + 2.5 miles</div>
<div>
Track Workout</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>FRIDAY 3/14</b> - Pi Day!</div>
<div>
9 mile tempo</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>SATURDAY 3/15</b></div>
<div>
4 m easy</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, if all goes according to plan, I'll be hitting just below 40 miles this week, which is right on target 10 weeks out from the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon. My hip flexor / upper quad is dying a little bit after a weird stutter-step at Run Club on Wednesday, so I might skip my run and go to yoga instead tonight (<i>correction: I decided to run 9 miles at 7:30 pace because the weather was so nice. AND, my hip flexor / upper quad felt way better after</i>). Bodies are complicated things (<i>correction: no pain, no gain</i>).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrohAwmktU5Lqa5lOsmKcsIbbaxntfBiVCaXOyZfZurrVh7hR0xufV8XOHYvBujlSI1cVJXUAYRObqTRe1HJM5g4piwgXh2YE3oozGWmx0d88OuIItNpIcs6qk9qy7DyKZZTLVImcoyY/s1600/Blog+Photo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrohAwmktU5Lqa5lOsmKcsIbbaxntfBiVCaXOyZfZurrVh7hR0xufV8XOHYvBujlSI1cVJXUAYRObqTRe1HJM5g4piwgXh2YE3oozGWmx0d88OuIItNpIcs6qk9qy7DyKZZTLVImcoyY/s1600/Blog+Photo+2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday 3/9: 13 miles up Grizzly Peak + around Lake Temescal</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Check out those sweet shoes! Neon pink is not usually my jive, but the kind folks at <a href="http://skechersperformance.com/" target="_blank">Skechers Performance</a> really know how to make a pair of shoes (and I secretly like the glaring attention of the color!). These ultra light-weight pretties have provided a really smooth ride thus far. I've probably logged roughly 40 miles on them and I would definitely purchase a pair after these. I can't wait to race <a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/southerncalifornia" target="_blank">Ragnar SoCal</a> 2014 in them on April 4-5th! Our crazy team, afterNUUN run, has 12 of us taking on the 198 mile race from Huntington Beach to San Diego. I'll be running the 5th, 17th, and 29th legs of the race. So wildly stoked!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXMSV9Pr7rde07zRX0kbv3k16ah07td44OmoPa1gJHTuNoyh324xUkCY0uEojrMzxpfYrVke9x2wa9I4zsTUIlq1xCYsfv1Xp_1NHGY0Yh7HmPowUnccy7R94TRIEFFr5_IHpBLZ2WX0/s1600/afterNUUNrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXMSV9Pr7rde07zRX0kbv3k16ah07td44OmoPa1gJHTuNoyh324xUkCY0uEojrMzxpfYrVke9x2wa9I4zsTUIlq1xCYsfv1Xp_1NHGY0Yh7HmPowUnccy7R94TRIEFFr5_IHpBLZ2WX0/s1600/afterNUUNrun.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all those sponsors! We're so grateful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In addition to breaking in the <a href="http://skechersperformance.com/running/womens#/content/gorun-3-womens" target="_blank">GOrun3</a>'s, I finally added a new pair of light-weight minimalist shoes to my existing rotation: enter the <a href="http://www.newbalance.com/New-Balance-1400/WR1400,default,pd.html?dwvar_WR1400_color=Blue_with_Coral_and_Green&start=8&cgid=201000&prefn1=itemType&prefv1=Lightweight" target="_blank">New Balance rc1400</a>'s. I took a risk on these, since I ordered them without trying them on, but after one run I'm excited for what's ahead. I'll likely be adding another pair to the mini-arsenal too. It's time to start increasing the rotation to aid in reducing injury. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHtB-tjMxmYiqhZJAJOijGQNebs9PLpgP0ffxniidyACkWEzgFPFEIlexB5Z8pGqWi-x6yvcatQrokHjvp6Ms8Kz0vQ8rfCT97mQEVmC1a0sPj5AiV6ejR5ECGieVrPmmUpn3rlZKatc/s1600/Blog+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHtB-tjMxmYiqhZJAJOijGQNebs9PLpgP0ffxniidyACkWEzgFPFEIlexB5Z8pGqWi-x6yvcatQrokHjvp6Ms8Kz0vQ8rfCT97mQEVmC1a0sPj5AiV6ejR5ECGieVrPmmUpn3rlZKatc/s1600/Blog+Photo.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Balance rc1400's & an awkward post-track selfie</td></tr>
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Just to clarify, my mirror isn't up high enough on the wall for me to take anything but these mildly ridiculous partial-squat photos. They're embarrassing, but they are progress. My 4 x 800m workout with full rest in between was a fun throw-back to high school speed workouts, albeit sort of odd with other people at the track and me doing intervals alone. My splits were really consistent, which was the main goal, but running 3:03 800s is still a little silly. My fast-twitch muscles are basically non-existent, but I'm thrilled to get out there, set goals, and bounce around the track every 2 weeks for some 'speed' work. The basic plan is to alternate between hills intervals and track intervals each week. The likelihood of post-interval selfie photos is high and I'm going to apologize right now for those.<br />
<br />
My unexpected rest day on Tuesday was quite the adventure. And by 'adventure,' I mean 'terrible 2-hour delays on Bart followed by people being irrationally inappropriate and scary and me panicking about it.' I'm so thankful to have such supportive and caring friends to pick up my pieces. It doesn't happen often, but even a fiercely independent human, engrossed in an individualist sport like endurance running, needs to have pillars from which to build. And after this rough week, filled with several sets of funeral arrangements and more heavy-hearted news, I am grateful, appreciative, and full of love for those I'm lucky enough to lean on.<br />
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Week 10, bring it on.Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-74323984209597382732014-03-07T16:29:00.005-08:002014-04-16T09:38:45.193-07:00Week 12: Run Your Race<div>
If you ask a runner what could be more important than a long-run Sunday, they will likely come up with a very short list. </div>
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<br /></div>
I'm on my full rest day of the week and enjoying the subtle joy of not being pulling toward my running shoes for one whole day. That is to say, I am trying to convince myself that my body needs to rest and recover in order to be best prepared for my weekend runs. And yes, I did eat a cookie today. Rebel without a cause.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
I have two objectives for this post: </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>To recap my training, now 12 weeks away from my first marathon of the season, <a href="http://www.mountains2beachmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Mountains 2 Beach Marathon</a>. </li>
<li>To explain a very important running and life lesson: things don't always go according to plans.</li>
</ol>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div>
Let's start with the former. I am using a modified 14 week training plan based loosely off of <a href="http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51230/Marathon-Boston-Bound-Training-Program" target="_blank">Hal Higdon's Boston Bound Planning Program</a>, primarily because the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon has a similar topography and elevation change, and I am trying to qualify for Boston at this race. With a fairly solid base fitness, I decided the typical 18 week marathon plan was a bit too intense as I was already logging between 20 and 30 miles per week. And that is how my 14 week training plan was born. Below is a recap of what I've been up to this week:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>SUNDAY (3/2)</b></div>
<div>
Rest</div>
<div>
(to be explained)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>MONDAY (3/3)</b></div>
<div>
4 miles tempo</div>
<div>
Gym lifting</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>TUESDAY (3/4)</b></div>
<div>
2 miles + 3x 400m hill + 1x 400m downhill</div>
<div>
Gym lifting</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>WEDNESDAY (3/5)</b></div>
<div>
4.5 miles tempo</div>
<div>
Gym lifting</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>THURSDAY (3/6)</b></div>
<div>
7 miles tempo</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>FRIDAY (3/7)</b></div>
<div>
Rest</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>SATURDAY (3/8)</b></div>
<div>
7 miles pace</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's right, folks, I'm logging a meager 25.5 miles this week. Missing my Sunday long-run really took a toll on hitting the ~40 mile mark, but you know what? Sometimes life gives you things that are more important than that half-marathon+ Sunday mornings. Thankfully, these are few and far between. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That also explains the 3 tempo runs and speed work -- if I'm not going to go far, I'm at least going to put a little extra 'umph' into my workouts. Perhaps the best part about this week is that DAYLIGHT SAVINGS IS ON SUNDAY! So no more running with a headlamp Every. Single. Day. If you can't tell, I'm totally psyched. There are only so many times you can ask a girl to run the same well-lit routes before she's nearly gone insane. Another notable addition this week was my first attempt at using a meal replacement powder in my usual post-run smoothie. It's called The Ultimate Meal and was recommended to me by a CPT friend of mine. You can check out his blog, <a href="http://jamisonfit.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCLG4ycV0DJOMJXcXg6k_fUSrYriV18AKun0F8MUti_B2OuknMZVgnDkTVgQkmS_HvFfGYg4Ea4korDJNJC8ijadi7oGMZd0d5yPl_2YVVzczTtFPs9k2gigTv-jtPDDRfnKwSGptQg0/s1600/TSFM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCLG4ycV0DJOMJXcXg6k_fUSrYriV18AKun0F8MUti_B2OuknMZVgnDkTVgQkmS_HvFfGYg4Ea4korDJNJC8ijadi7oGMZd0d5yPl_2YVVzczTtFPs9k2gigTv-jtPDDRfnKwSGptQg0/s1600/TSFM.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ultimate Meal - maiden voyage</td></tr>
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<div>
Anyway, there I am, holding a protein shake that looks suspiciously like blended motor oil, split-pea soup, and sand. The jury is out as to whether its long term effects will be worth the cost of getting it out to me, but it's a new leaf for me in the realm of meal replacements and muscle building. I'll be sure to update on what my end verdict is. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
-- -- --</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Moving right along to the take-away from this post, however: things don't always go according to plan. This past Friday, February 28th, my grandma passed away at the incredible age of 94 years old; just over a month away from her 95th birthday (and only hours after my first post to this blog). It's a strange thing. My family has had the misfortune of weathering many passings, most untimely, and perhaps the most resounding sentiment is that it doesn't ever get easier; it just gets different. I have to say, as my last remaining grandparent, this one was especially tender with sorrow. No grandma at my wedding. No great-grandchildren (from my sister). It is a profoundly exposed realization. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And this brings me to why Sunday long-run day really consisted of me waking up, knowing I needed to spend time with my family, and ditching my running shoes with no remorse. Feeling the embrace of Mom's arms will always take precedence over the feeling of a runner's high; and for that, I am grateful.</div>
<br />
In the long run, in the scope of life, in the eyes of someone low-key obsessed with this sport -- it is a fundamental lesson that sometimes; on the trail, during the race, or in the course of life; things don't always shake out how you might want them to. You run your race, and that's all you can hope for.Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452068340304230120.post-45604088847531952172014-02-28T00:02:00.001-08:002014-04-16T09:38:20.187-07:00The Honest Secret: An Introduction I can't promise this will be a unique read. I can't promise you will learn much about how to improve your pronation or drop your mile splits. And I can certainly not promise that I am in any way an expert about what I've decided to write about; although, by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Gladwell" target="_blank">Malcolm Gladwell</a>'s standards, perhaps I qualify for that 10,000 hour minimum. But what I can promise, or at least wholeheartedly aim for, is that this blog and these posts will be <b>honest.</b><br />
<br />
It is about time that my secret life of running -- the good, the bad, and most definitely the uncouth -- be put somewhere for safe keeping. That is what I've set out to do and to the extent possible, will continue to write about here. And so, without further ado, this is my humble story:<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I started racing when I was 8 years old. My dad, an athletic enthusiast, former collegiate athlete, and seeker of life passions, thrust me into the world of running with a stark-white pair of tennis shoes and an emphatic anticipation for what I might be able to accomplish. He was there -- mile marker after mile marker -- with that voice dads' have that, even when spoken in a commotion of cheering bystanders, can be heard as if uttered in a silent room.<br />
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I did well for my age group and by conventional standards; pressing low 20-minute 5k times by age 10. But by age 12, running had become more difficult for my adolescent body and mind to properly adjust to. After a race in the pouring rain that ended with a spectacular and grotesque display of projectile vomiting, in conjunction with the unadulterated cries from a certain disgruntled father who had watched his small protégé destroy what would have been a ground-breaking personal record time; 200 meters from the finish, no less; I called it quits. <br />
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The years of soccer games and body image realizations ensued. Junior high -- its glorious discoveries of braces and trainer bras -- reared its gnarled, introspective head and, most notably, unveiled a time of "busy." My mother's trusty silver mini-van in toe, we were off to games and rehearsals and recitals and family trips and libraries and tournaments and newer and bigger things every day. These, for my beloved rendezvous with running, were the lost years.<br />
<br />
And although I hated him for forcing it, my darling father informed me that my first day of high school was also my first day of cross country practice. I thought I was dying. 2 miles to the train trestle and everything was on fire. It sounds dramatic, I know, but having strutted around my "endurance" as a soccer mid-fielder had not prepared me for any of this. And so, four seasons of cross country and four seasons of track & field wandered by like someone you think you've recognized on the sidewalk, but is gone before you have a chance to ask, or look again to make sure.<br />
<br />
I graduated with the badge, emblazoned upon my courage-seeking heart; poised on the brink of leaving the familiar realm of a small town; which simply said "come with a clear head and a full heart." My high school coach, a near-religious amount of worship surrounding his solemn ether, had, of course, borrowed the line from Friday Night Lights; to me, however, it was an original and indoctrinating phrase. In many ways, it still is. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87lHepUGnib-O5nWA4faRjVW7Tvclee_xpWJWCLWajuHdrtA1hMgNC83xpywQTZvJt1mqu_do2p8SMSxKiaT-zhRuyLD9tsl0kPAzS5F_gVmlO9Ouch9Vzh2POBbq85WSiZ4FhiLvND4/s1600/fire+cracker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87lHepUGnib-O5nWA4faRjVW7Tvclee_xpWJWCLWajuHdrtA1hMgNC83xpywQTZvJt1mqu_do2p8SMSxKiaT-zhRuyLD9tsl0kPAzS5F_gVmlO9Ouch9Vzh2POBbq85WSiZ4FhiLvND4/s1600/fire+cracker.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3ML8c1R7Dzc8S1aRpubACSMb7Hfu8ZuNU-Kwu-bbfqPaxxDOVmeAYYDxmpiemjZY-YMep0L0ARpo0kwo2lJW0WezW5KV4hzPeqoD68QMegk7MzdVN3riLMiFruAnplPJNghqSTj4m_w/s1600/Varsity+Jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3ML8c1R7Dzc8S1aRpubACSMb7Hfu8ZuNU-Kwu-bbfqPaxxDOVmeAYYDxmpiemjZY-YMep0L0ARpo0kwo2lJW0WezW5KV4hzPeqoD68QMegk7MzdVN3riLMiFruAnplPJNghqSTj4m_w/s1600/Varsity+Jacket.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High School throw-backs, circa 2008</td></tr>
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Naturally, the blurred, hurried, and altogether reforming college years followed afterward. UC Berkeley's rigor, if not complete piñata-like berating, brought running to me as an outlet for sanity. A handful of half-marathons and some wayward planning landed me with a degree in hand 3 years later and a half-baked plan on how to forage a lasting impression on the world. Following graduation, 5 months in <a href="http://berlinbliss.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Berlin</a> with little opportunity to run and a very long trip home landed me with my parents, away from my friends and confidantes, and on the search for bigger, brighter, more grandiose trials to endure. A marathon runner was born.<br />
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I signed up for <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/" target="_blank">The San Francisco Marathon</a> with the initial goal to occupy my newly acquired amounts of time with something familiar, yet challenging, and, in my signature style, a bit insane. Or so I thought at the time. Months of gaining base fitness and then full throttle training ignited something I haven't been able to sequester. I resolved to train completely alone -- succeeding in avoiding even a single run with another person -- and I was bent on finishing in under four hours. Lo! 3:44 marked my first marathon finish time. This is not exceptional. This is not earth-shattering. But it is, absolutely and without a doubt, where our story begins.<br />
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The honest secret is this: humble beginnings do not dictate humble ends.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHHk2jhhz7CppnU8C-yVTnt9RgQm3GF5L_2bzoRe7yXHnFMn9X3wEpWVSn1w6a4QFBlGhbfuHy1dMIajzpUBjwBT3zUjshUOuxR9_sSkpb-qU_dVfB71WWUamQlZmjGJVNrzKA_H4DRg/s1600/mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHHk2jhhz7CppnU8C-yVTnt9RgQm3GF5L_2bzoRe7yXHnFMn9X3wEpWVSn1w6a4QFBlGhbfuHy1dMIajzpUBjwBT3zUjshUOuxR9_sSkpb-qU_dVfB71WWUamQlZmjGJVNrzKA_H4DRg/s1600/mom.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The SF Marathon 2013</td></tr>
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<br />Jordan Wighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904733070685702002noreply@blogger.com0