Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Four Weeks to Race

Since the Frostbite Prediction Run was canceled and won't be rescheduled, my race season opener will now be next month's Shamrock 15-K. I ran this race for the first time last year and really enjoyed the challenge. However, I now have about four weeks to get my doughy ass into racing shape by March 7.

As I look out my office window, all I see is the White Death and a speeding salt truck's futile attempts to tame this cold bitch who has tied my running shoes together with a Gordian knot. My mileage didn't reach double digits in the last two weeks combined. If I'm going to race in a month, then my running will need a severe ramp-up.

I have been in similar predicaments before when I suddenly realized I had only six weeks to train for the 2008 Cleveland Half Marathon. This time I don't need speedwork. I need hills, lots and lots of hills.

The Shamrock 15-K course descends into the Cuyahoga River valley and then back up with a steep, two-mile climb. There are very few flat areas. My leg strength is lacking.

Here's how we'll do it:

We're gonna run, run, run, run, run
Take a drag or two
Run, run, run, run, run
Gypsy death and you
Tell you what you do
(I'm sorry Lou.)

I may also try some actual cross training to deal with this weather. Perhaps a jump rope is in my future.

11 comments:

C said...

+1 for the use of Gordian knot. Hell, +5 for that whole damn sentence.

Junk Miler said...

Hopscotch is good too.

Especially with hops. And scotch.

X-Country2 said...

Good luck with the White Death!

The Enthusiast said...

You will so rock this race. I say some ice skating to get those legs going! :0)

M2Marathon said...

I think I will pretend that they cancelled my race last Sunday due to weather, too. That makes me feel less-lazy. Now, I just need to ignore all those annoying emails from the running group and people's times and all the medals our group won. LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU...

Jess said...

Pretend you're considering purchasing a treadmill. Go to stores to "test" them out. Go to different stores. Get your runs in.

Or...my decptive thing that I have done in the past: Sign up for a 7 day trial membership at a gym. Don't pay anything, just say you want to test out their gym for a week because you're considering membership. Endure their spiel. Get to use the treadmills, etc for 7 days. Rotate gyms.

It sounds awful, but I seriously got about a months' worth of gym "membership" this way by going to Ballys, 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, and Gold's.

Aileen said...

Good luck...if the race is a good one, there will be whiskey at the finish. Or there should be.

Barefoot Johnny O said...

Um, maybe you shouldn't mention that the window you are looking out of is from your office. . . As a former employee, I know that they ("The Man") frown upon anything other than productive work. Just a thought.

And, by the way, Jess is a genius!!

Sun Runner said...

It took me an hour of shoveling before I was able to get my car up my driveway, and then only after three aborted attempts at rocketing up the dreaded incline. But I made it, and celebrated with a martini.

If we got six inches of snow here, how much did you get?

Julie said...

Running with a puppy sounds like fun:) I love Speedo Steve:) But he is kind of perfect...so I could see why you would get annoyed!! Seriously, he is the nicest guy and is as funny in person as you would think he is from his blog:) Cheers to cross-training!!

Al's CL Reviews said...

I did the free week memberships when it was 100 degrees here. Then I actually joined one.