Comments for Races Like a Girl

Comment on And now for my next disaster… by Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:44:48 +0000

Raw, heartrending, real post. Thank you for spilling it out there. Life can be rougher when you want something from it. What are we to do? Run like we live, I guess. Run down some devils and demons.

Comment on And now for my next disaster… by Jaymee

Jaymee — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:18:25 +0000

Of the many disappointments for me leading up to and including the Trials race, not getting to meet you was a pretty big one for me. My heart sunk when I saw your tweet about your Dad. I knew what you were going to be feeling, and my heart broke for you.

I’m honored to be a book end to your Trials experience. I assure you that, despite all of the challenges I faced, I would not change any of it. How boring would my life be if all I did was have perfect marathon training cycles followed by spectacularly perfect races? Life’s richness comes from experience, both good and bad.

As Ewen says, We have no choice but to keep striving and setting goals. Just as the last bad experience starts to fade in our memories
we, without even thinking about it, start to dream again and sally fucking forth.

Comment on And now for my next disaster… by Ewen

Ewen — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:59:46 +0000

That’s the phone call we dread. The CBS tribute you posted on FB was moving — he had a great career. Didn’t realise he was in Vietnam.

We’ve got to keep striving and setting goals. There’s no other option. As a famous marathoner once said: “you’ve got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.”

Comment on And now for my next disaster… by abqandrea

abqandrea — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:19:14 +0000

What a great and heart-wrenching post. I mean that in all the gentlest ways, because you are one of those wonderful people OUT THERE in the world that one day I’ll have the chance to meet and tell you how much the internets do not suck because they let us feel connected like this.

Comment on And now for my next disaster… by Flo

Flo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:10:54 +0000

I’ve lowered my expectations to be smaller and more immediate. Not that bigger things can’t happen, but taking it in smaller bites is the only logical way for me to think any more. After the newbie stuff wears off, improvement is no longer linear, so best to go for one goal, then the next, then the next. As long as you enjoy the journey, it doesn’t matter where you end up.

Again, so sorry about your father. Life sucks sometimes in big, scary ways. Take care.

Comment on And now for my next disaster… by angryrunner

angryrunner — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:42:17 +0000

And just when you thought you’d lowered your expectations as much as you possibly could — “I’ll just race the 5K and watch the Trials…” — you end up having to lower them even more.

And this is why I never expect anything anymore, particularly running wise. It means never being disappointed. Of course, it means a lot of other things too, occasionally good, but often not. But I suspect you know that…

I’m sorry about your father. I saw the news come up on FB and the timing didn’t escape me, but I’m never good at coming up with the right thing to say in these situations. As evidenced by this comment…

Comment on 2011: a look back by Phil

Phil — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:00:18 +0000

i wasn’t aware you had articles published in periodicals. But i’ve just read your Running Times cross-training piece. Personally, when winter gets bad over here on the East Coast, i head for a treadmill at the local gym…perhaps a recumbant bike from time to time. Don’t really have much interest in the other stuff mentioned, not even ellipitcals. But nice article and i’m sure it must be a real pump to have stuff accepted by a running site read probably the world over.

Anyway, hope your 2012 goes smoothly. Looking forward to your report from Houston

Comment on Race Report: 1st Day 5K by Ewen

Ewen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:16:50 +0000

Your race reports are always good stories. Funny about the flapping American flags — we’d never see that down here as there isn’t an Australian flag in front of every house .) Good one about beating the lady built like a brick shithouse too. Glad the early peak at the watch helped out. Yes, shame about the hilly, turny course and the wind. Looks like a close to 20 result in Houston bearing all those things in mind.

Enjoyed your look back at 2011 too. Here’s to 2012! I think it’ll be a good year.

Comment on Training: Dec 18 – 24 by Ewen

Ewen — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:15:58 +0000

They are. I know a bloke similar to Henry — I think 71. Collapsed at the end of a hilly race last year and had a stent put in. Said he gave up racing marathons at 55 when he could no longer break 3 hours!

Sounds like a good winter speedwork venue. In the original session, 2 miles (3ish k) at 5k pace would be damn hard! The 5 mins standing rests is odd. A middle-distance coach I know sometimes uses short standing rests (rather than jogging or walking around) as it lets the HR come down while also letting the lactic acid ‘pool’ in the muscles. I’d have thought that type of recovery useful for a miler near race season but not so much for a 5k runner.

Comment on Training: Dec 11 – 17 by Ewen

Ewen — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:24:17 +0000

Ah. I like Collis. He’s pretty laid back on Twitter. Likes a good coffee (which is bloody hard to get in the States).

There was also the Aussie 1k track cyclist a few years back, favourite for the gold, foot wasn’t strapped tight enough to the pedal. Slipped off at the gun and he went half a metre.

Merry Christmas! Watching the boxing day test at the moment. You’ll be interested to know that Australia is batting v India and is 2 for 67.