It’s been a while since I’ve joined Marcia for Runfessions. This month, I have plenty to share. You could say I have nothing BUT runfessions going through my mind. Let’s get started.
In my last post, I shared that our weather has gone berserk. After reaching 90 degrees on Monday (WHAT) we have swung way, way, waaaay down.
Susanne asked if were happy about the cold, or “awkwardly dreading” it. I thought that was a funny way to put it, because yes, this is awkward- after complaining about the heat so much, I now have to runfess that this is a little TOO cold for me. Lows in the 40s are rare for us, and four nights in a row down to the 30s are unheard of.
Let’s move on to a more serious topic. I think I’ve mentioned (oh, a couple times) that I have a big race coming up. On March 21st, which is my actual birthday, I’m running 60 miles to celebrate turning 60. My runfession is that, although I signed up for this race last spring and it’s been a big goal of mine all year, I feel very behind in my training.
I could go on and on with excuses- my cat died, the holidays threw me off, my calf started hurting… but none of that matters. The fact is, I’m running 60 miles in seven weeks and my longest long run to date has been 23 miles. Originally I thought of running a 50k at the end of January (this weekend) but I couldn’t work it out logistically.
It is what it is- I have several more long runs coming up and I just have to make it happen.
One last confession is that my diabolical plan is working… muahahahahaha.
My husband was opposed to getting the kitten at first, but I assured him we were just “fostering.” Now he’s saying things like “I’ve never seen anything so cute!!” and “I just hope I don’t fall in love with her” (oh, you will… heh heh). Meanwhile, Foxy and Kitty (tentative name is Evie) are BFFs.
The last holdout is Muffin… but I think she’ll come around.
Are you training for anything big?
Could you possibly resist a little cutie like Evie???
29 Responses
I have lots of faith in you and your perseverance to make your big race happen! Your weather looks link of inviting….good luck with the kitten deception plan! I have a feeling you will make that happen!
Thank you Deborah… ha ha, “kitten deception plan.” It is working!
Jenny, THAT PICTURE OF FOXY WITH EVIE is perhaps the sweetest thing I have seen in my life.
And now that you’ve named her, she clearly has to stay!!!!!
I KNOW! How could we send her away now? Foxy would be heartbroken.
Oh Evie is adorable! I’m sure she’ll win your husband over.
Good luck with the rest of your training – I have no doubt that you’ll make it happen!
Thank you Michelle! I appreciate the vote of confidence.
Oh, Evie, you melt the hardest of hearts! That picture of the two cats snuggling- perfect.
Good luck with your training!
Thank you! I’ll need all the luck I can get. And yes- Foxy and Evie are SO cute together.
Awhhh, if I didn’t have off the-charts cat allergies, I’d be a sucker for Evie’s charm. I have faith you will get the training done in due time. Even if you’re not able to swing some of the long-long runs as race day approaches, you have a solid base & tins of grit and determination. You’ve got this!
Thank you Kim!!! I really appreciate it. And… a cat allergy, how tragic! My daughter’s best friend is allergic and it’s so hard for her to stay away from our cats.
Oh my gosh! The picture of Foxy and Evie cuddling is EVERYTHING!! I really hope the boyfriend’s family decides not to adopt the cat so you can! Do we know it’s gender yet? I am behind on blogs with my work travel this week…
You’ve had a lot of obstacles to prevent you from being able to train as well as you’d like for this race. I hope you have a stretch of normalcy/no pain in the weeks to come!
We are finally getting out of this horrible sub-zero crud. The boys have not had recess in like 2 weeks. Their poor teachers must be losing their minds! But it will be in the 30s next week which will feel SO WARM. But obviously my sense of warm is so skewed. That is a crazy change to go from 90 to lows in the 30s!!
Your “warm” is our “freezing, ” ha. But I get it. You have had crazy cold temps.
The boyfriend’s family is leaning away from taking the kitten (his dad said no). So… we’ll see. We’re doing a “gender reveal” tonight! I took her/him to the vet yesterday and I’m the only one right now who knows the sex for sure. The rest of the family will be finding out soon.
You definitely need to keep Evie! She and Foxy are just too precious together!
I think you’ll be just fine for your big race. Anecdotally, I did a 50K about 6 weeks before my 100K last year. I think it helped me, but I also ended up DNFing at mile 52 so you never know. But I think if you’ve done multiple 20+ milers, and maybe if you’re able to do a back to back long run once or twice, you’ll be ready! Really for distances over 50K I think there’s just more logistics to think of that can make it more daunting, like fueling and lighting for nighttime miles and possible shoe changes.
Okay, that makes me feel better. Yes, I was thinking of at least one back-to-back. And you’re totally right- getting all the logistics right- fueling, hydration, etc. is a big part of it. Maybe I still have time to get a 50k in- but it won’t be an actual race, it will just be a training run.
Evie!!! She’s bonded with Foxy and getting cuddle time with your husband, so I’d say it’s about 24 hours away from becoming official.
I don’t think that it is possible to be “on top” of training for a distance that long. Right now you are mostly uninjured and your long run is over 20 miles, so I think that puts you way ahead of the curve. I’m pretty sure that no one ever showed up to the start line of a 60 mile race and said “I got this”. They only say that at the finish line.
You’re allowed to not want the temperature to be 30 or 90 – SAME!!! Well, right now I do want the temperature to be 30 but only as starting point to get warmer.
All it would really take would be for Muffin to come out of the garage and tolerate Evie’s presence, and then it would be a done deal. I think it will happen.
Thanks for the words of wisdom! That’s a good point- being UNINJURED is actually more important than the length of my long runs. Must keep it that way!
If all you’re aiming for is finishing the 60k, I have no doubt you’ll be able to do it… you’re such a disciplined runner and have been for a long time that I don’t have a doubt that you can finish. I do understand, though, that you wish your training had been a little more focused (but sometimes life happens).
Honestly, at this point, baby kitten Evie will not be able to leave your house, is my prediction.
Yes, great point. There’s a big difference in trying to FINISH a distance, and trying to win the race (hahahaha…. as if.) Finishing will take a lot of mental strength, but I can do that.
Baby ktty will not be going anywhere… at least I’m pretty sure. Foxy won’t let her go.
I could not get a kitten… so hard to resist.
I’m barely running at all. 18 this am… how can I? If I do it’s won’t be long or I’ll freeze to death.
So a half in a few weeks… how???? Help!
Eek! I would say treadmill but I know that’s not your thing. I’ll say the same thing people have been saying in my comments- you’ve been running a long time, your body knows how to do this. You’ll be able to finish a half.
My son has pointed out that we’re not allowed to foster any more kittens- otherwise we’ll end up with 100 cats. He’s probably right.
OMG that picture of Foxy and Evie is everything that is right in the world. Has Muffin warmed up to Foxy yet? Maybe Foxy and Evie can be friends, and Muffin can just be her Muffin self and prefer people. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Someone once told me that calicos like people, but dislike other cats (Muffin is a calico). I would say that’s accurate! Having said that- she did warm up to Foxy quite a bit, but it’s more like she got to the point where she could happily ignore him. So maybe Foxy and Evie can be BFFs and Muffin can just snuggle with the humans- that would be fine!
Oh, interesting! We had a calico when I was growing up who loved the Siamese in our house. Was she an aberration? Is it slander? Who knows?
Could Evie be any cuter?????? Your husband is already in love, but he’s just trying to play it cool.
I’m training for a month of living out of a suitcase. Does that count?
Do what you can do with your training. 60 miles is a huge goal, but I think it’s going to be ok. Just take it one day at a time and listen to your body. <3
And enjoy the cold! It won't be here forever!
Evie is sooo cute and I love how nice Fox is with her! For someone who loves cats, I think it’s hard to resist this little one.
I have NY marathon in November so this year’s focus will be to get there injury free.
Aw, the kitties are so cute together. And I bet your husband is smitten already!
Try not to stress about where you are (or aren’t) in your training plan. You were smart to back off when your calf acted up. Just keep ramping up as you can, but don’t try to make up for anything.
I’m not even a cat person but the kitten pics got me in the feels! The cuddles! Sending you good thoughts on the rest of your build to your birthday race. Listening to your body is so important, especially with all the life you’ve been through lately.
Oh goodness she is soooo cute! I’m glad your plan is working! My goal is just to recovery from this hip surgery. I’m hoping to graduate from the walker tomorrow. What is up with the crazy cold everywhere? Atlanta was down in single digits. Yikes!
I am dyingggggg at the photos of Foxy and Evie together. THEY ARE IN LOVE DON’T TEAR THEM APART. I feel like your husband is slowly being worn down, and I love to see it!