I did not run on Monday, nor did I enter the gym. My half-marathon training schedule told me to stretch/strengthen, so stretch I did. For thirty minutes. While sitting in bed at 6am. While watching TV. Hey - the schedule was not specific and I have to take liberties in it where I see a window of opportunity. Interpretation does not exist when the schedule tells me to run 6 miles, but "stretch/strengthen", well, there is a world of opportunity.
On Tuesday, I was to run 3.5 miles. Now - I knew this would be painful, so I took some Motrin a half our prior to take-off. I made a grave error, however, in terms of timing. I had a lunch appointment that went a little later than expected. It began at 12:30 and I headed towards the gym at almost 2pm. By the time I arrived, changed, and was out the door, it was 2:10. The problem: I had a 3pm appointment.
Now, as I considered the time-crunch all of 5 minutes in my car on the way to gym, I figured I would still run 35 minutes to complete my 3.5 miles and have ample time to rinse in the shower and arrive at my 3pm. It really does only take an hour or me to be in and out of the gym. ONLY ONE SLIGHT OVERSIGHT: I HAD A BRAIN LAPSE AND DID NOT FACTOR IN DRIVE TIME. What? Did I think I was just going to go straight from the locker room into the front door of my client's business.
It would have been helpful if this had occurred to me sooner than the half-way mark in my run, as I could have just turned around and came home. Sadly, it did not dawn on me until I was exacty 17 minutes into the run and I looked at my watch. It was practically 2:30 and I still had to run back 1.75 miles and get myself ready for a meeting, which was ten minutes away (5 minutes to downtown, but an extra 5 to park in the parking garage and then walk down the block).
Yikes. I was sort of in a pickle. Only one option, really - to run just as fast as I can. So - with a little inspiration from Tiffany, I picked up the pace and didn't look back. I couldn't believe how fast I was moving. A little fear of being late (I loathe being even a minute late for a business meeting) and I had thrown caution to the wind. Risk of injury? Who cares. I had to get moving.
And so I made it. Sure - walking down those two flights of stairs to get out of the parking garage proved a little difficult with rubbery sticks as legs. The pain came later as the Ibuprofen wore off, but by then, I was able to slap a bag of ice on the sore spots and be done with it.
While my oversight was incredibly stupid, and I'm certain a future instance probably won't have the same positive outcome, at least I know that I am capable of really going after it when I need. Like if someone were chasing me. :)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
No Rain, No Gain
OK - So chastise if you will that this post has taken so long for me to do. I started it on Monday, but found other things to do each evening since... Sorry about that. This Post is in regard to my 4 mile run on Saturday and my 6 mile run this past Sunday, Feb 24. Most of it was written Monday evening......
As the weekend approached, I was a little nervous about these long runs. My plan was to do 4 miles on Saturday, and then 6 miles on Sunday. Because of the shin splints earlier on in the week, I was slightly apprehensive to head out to the running trail on Saturday.
I decided to take my normal 4 mile loop because it was familiar enough to me - I knew exactly where I was at all times and most importantly - how far away I was from home and how long it would take for me to get there. As I headed out the door, all was good. I stopped and stretched after about 15 minutes and continued along my route. I had a little teensy bit of discomfort, but compared to earlier in the week, it was nothing. I finished the run in about 40 minutes and stretched. So far, so good. Tomorrow would be the real test, I thought - the 6 mile run I planned for Sunday.
Now, Sunday was different than any run I had attempted prior to this. One reason for this was that I partook in a little, shall we say, antioxidant loading (in the form of red wine) the night before. I did not partake TOOOO much, but enough to make a mental note to reconsider the amount the next time I plan a longer run. This potential oversight, however, was NOTHING next to the real challenge of the Sunday stroll - THE RAIN.
Now - I have admitted in the past that I was nervous about running in the rain. I guess I have this image in my head of my shoes rubbing in a way such that my feet get blisters. I don't know. Sounds likely to me, so it is something I fear. All of the outside running I have done during the past couple of weeks, however, led me to reason that running 6 miles on a treadmill was unthinkable and should not even be attempted.
I left the safe, warm house into a slight drizzle. It only took a few moments to forget all of fears about the rain, however, because it felt nice to have a light peppering of water on my face. It was only slightly drizzling, so no harm yet.
Throughout the run I experienced varying degrees of precipitation and do you know what? It wasn't so bad. It helped that Greg's insight into running in the rain was this: For anything UNDER 2 hours, you should be fine without extra precaution for your feet. Over 2 hours, well, different story. So I guess I'll start praying now that it doesn't rain on marathon of half-marathon day! But it gave me the "green light" I needed to get out there with relative confidence that my feet would not be blistery stumps in an hour.
I was also pleasantly surprised to not have shin splint problems. My legs felt pretty good until the very end, at which point I began to yearn for my couch and some ice packs. Once I had completed most of the run, I headed back onto the bark-mulch trail to return to the turn-off to my street and my calves began to ache. Very weird, but such a small component of the run it's hardly worth mentioning.
Back to the run: I started as I always do - down the street to the bark trail, hit the bike path, run down high street to 13th and head towards campus. I wasn't quite sure at this point if I'd really go for 6 miles - I remained leery of shin splints and/or other varieties of pain. Eventually I reasoned that should said pain return, I'd just walk home or take a cab. No shame in that, really.
So headed through campus, I did. I decided that instead of turning around the way I came, I would go South on Agate St. once I arrived at the very edge of campus. This was my familiar route during law school days, which conjured up some images from the days gone by.
My first walk down memory lane happened as I ran past the Law School where Greg (and our money) went for three years. And then historic Hayward Field - the site of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials - where the legendary Bill Bowerman coached Steve Prefontaine into world record-breaking feats, and who would then go on to start Nike. Had the gate been opened, I would have ran a lap.
In the next block I ran past McMenamins, where my friend Patty and I would have a cocktail and wait for our significant others to join us for dinner after a long day of studying. Many an evening of Greg's 1st year of law school was spent in that local eatery. Ah yes memory lane.
Turning off Memory Lane onto 24th, I found myself in a good mood. I was doing quite well during this run and was very excited about it. It was more than half way completed and all was still good.
It wasn't until the very end when my legs began to ache. I was almost home, though, so I just kept moving. I did have just a teeny glimmer of "this can't be healthy for me" in my mind as I ran up the hill towards my house. I also grappled with the realization that 6 miles is really only "child's play" in the grand scheme of training for a marathon.
On Monday at work, Tia and I exchanged running weekend notes and she ran 13 miles (at once) over the weekend. I cannot even fathom that. I suppose I could not have imagined running 6 miles 8 weeks ago, though, and look at me now!
As the weekend approached, I was a little nervous about these long runs. My plan was to do 4 miles on Saturday, and then 6 miles on Sunday. Because of the shin splints earlier on in the week, I was slightly apprehensive to head out to the running trail on Saturday.
I decided to take my normal 4 mile loop because it was familiar enough to me - I knew exactly where I was at all times and most importantly - how far away I was from home and how long it would take for me to get there. As I headed out the door, all was good. I stopped and stretched after about 15 minutes and continued along my route. I had a little teensy bit of discomfort, but compared to earlier in the week, it was nothing. I finished the run in about 40 minutes and stretched. So far, so good. Tomorrow would be the real test, I thought - the 6 mile run I planned for Sunday.
Now, Sunday was different than any run I had attempted prior to this. One reason for this was that I partook in a little, shall we say, antioxidant loading (in the form of red wine) the night before. I did not partake TOOOO much, but enough to make a mental note to reconsider the amount the next time I plan a longer run. This potential oversight, however, was NOTHING next to the real challenge of the Sunday stroll - THE RAIN.
Now - I have admitted in the past that I was nervous about running in the rain. I guess I have this image in my head of my shoes rubbing in a way such that my feet get blisters. I don't know. Sounds likely to me, so it is something I fear. All of the outside running I have done during the past couple of weeks, however, led me to reason that running 6 miles on a treadmill was unthinkable and should not even be attempted.
I left the safe, warm house into a slight drizzle. It only took a few moments to forget all of fears about the rain, however, because it felt nice to have a light peppering of water on my face. It was only slightly drizzling, so no harm yet.
Throughout the run I experienced varying degrees of precipitation and do you know what? It wasn't so bad. It helped that Greg's insight into running in the rain was this: For anything UNDER 2 hours, you should be fine without extra precaution for your feet. Over 2 hours, well, different story. So I guess I'll start praying now that it doesn't rain on marathon of half-marathon day! But it gave me the "green light" I needed to get out there with relative confidence that my feet would not be blistery stumps in an hour.
I was also pleasantly surprised to not have shin splint problems. My legs felt pretty good until the very end, at which point I began to yearn for my couch and some ice packs. Once I had completed most of the run, I headed back onto the bark-mulch trail to return to the turn-off to my street and my calves began to ache. Very weird, but such a small component of the run it's hardly worth mentioning.
Back to the run: I started as I always do - down the street to the bark trail, hit the bike path, run down high street to 13th and head towards campus. I wasn't quite sure at this point if I'd really go for 6 miles - I remained leery of shin splints and/or other varieties of pain. Eventually I reasoned that should said pain return, I'd just walk home or take a cab. No shame in that, really.
So headed through campus, I did. I decided that instead of turning around the way I came, I would go South on Agate St. once I arrived at the very edge of campus. This was my familiar route during law school days, which conjured up some images from the days gone by.
My first walk down memory lane happened as I ran past the Law School where Greg (and our money) went for three years. And then historic Hayward Field - the site of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials - where the legendary Bill Bowerman coached Steve Prefontaine into world record-breaking feats, and who would then go on to start Nike. Had the gate been opened, I would have ran a lap.
In the next block I ran past McMenamins, where my friend Patty and I would have a cocktail and wait for our significant others to join us for dinner after a long day of studying. Many an evening of Greg's 1st year of law school was spent in that local eatery. Ah yes memory lane.
Turning off Memory Lane onto 24th, I found myself in a good mood. I was doing quite well during this run and was very excited about it. It was more than half way completed and all was still good.
It wasn't until the very end when my legs began to ache. I was almost home, though, so I just kept moving. I did have just a teeny glimmer of "this can't be healthy for me" in my mind as I ran up the hill towards my house. I also grappled with the realization that 6 miles is really only "child's play" in the grand scheme of training for a marathon.
On Monday at work, Tia and I exchanged running weekend notes and she ran 13 miles (at once) over the weekend. I cannot even fathom that. I suppose I could not have imagined running 6 miles 8 weeks ago, though, and look at me now!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
A compromise
Wednesday, February 20
Wednesday's run was a lot of fun. Tia and I decided to meet in the middle with our running schedules: Her training schedule (she's running a full marathon on May 4, whereas I'm doing the half) told her to run 3 miles, while mine told me to run 2. We compromised and did 2.5.
It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside and there was also a beautiful group of men who were training in a group alongside us on the bark-mulch trails. I am exaggerating when I say beautiful, but easy on the eyes nonetheless. I wouldn't have hardly noticed them if they hadn't kept lapping us. I think they passed us about 4 times on a two mile loop. It was pretty funny.
I was in a bit of pain. Those darned shin splints again. Poor Tia. Not only was she running a 1/2 mile less than she was supposed to run, she had to keep stopping and waiting for me to stretch and massage my leg! After Wednesday's run, I decided to take off Thursday completely. No running, no cross training. Just rest.
So rest I did. On Friday, I spent about 45 minutes weight lifting. I did Chest, Tri-ceps, Back, Bi-ceps, and Abs - along with loads of stretching.
It felt good to push myself in the weight room. I can feel myself getting stronger and I was actually able to increase the amount of weight in each of the exercises I performed. I left the gym on Friday feeling pretty good.
The weekend had me a little nervous - I had to run 4 miles on Saturday, and then 6 on Sunday. Sure - I had done it already the weekend prior, but that was before the excruciating shin splints. I received some wise advice from my neighbor/client/friend/fellow eugene half-marathon trainee: Take some ibuprofen and keep it coming. Apparently the swelling from those shin splints can really do you in. Not only are your muscles and tendons swollen and achy, but they are causing pressure on your nerves and bones and you must keep the swelling down to avoid injury. I did not know this. So, from Thursday morning (when she and I had this conversation) I made it my mission to take 2 ibuprofen every 4 hours. It seemed to help as I entered the weekend. The pain was gone at least while I was walking. Saturday, I would know for sure when I took my first run since Wednesday.
Wednesday's run was a lot of fun. Tia and I decided to meet in the middle with our running schedules: Her training schedule (she's running a full marathon on May 4, whereas I'm doing the half) told her to run 3 miles, while mine told me to run 2. We compromised and did 2.5.
It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside and there was also a beautiful group of men who were training in a group alongside us on the bark-mulch trails. I am exaggerating when I say beautiful, but easy on the eyes nonetheless. I wouldn't have hardly noticed them if they hadn't kept lapping us. I think they passed us about 4 times on a two mile loop. It was pretty funny.
I was in a bit of pain. Those darned shin splints again. Poor Tia. Not only was she running a 1/2 mile less than she was supposed to run, she had to keep stopping and waiting for me to stretch and massage my leg! After Wednesday's run, I decided to take off Thursday completely. No running, no cross training. Just rest.
So rest I did. On Friday, I spent about 45 minutes weight lifting. I did Chest, Tri-ceps, Back, Bi-ceps, and Abs - along with loads of stretching.
It felt good to push myself in the weight room. I can feel myself getting stronger and I was actually able to increase the amount of weight in each of the exercises I performed. I left the gym on Friday feeling pretty good.
The weekend had me a little nervous - I had to run 4 miles on Saturday, and then 6 on Sunday. Sure - I had done it already the weekend prior, but that was before the excruciating shin splints. I received some wise advice from my neighbor/client/friend/fellow eugene half-marathon trainee: Take some ibuprofen and keep it coming. Apparently the swelling from those shin splints can really do you in. Not only are your muscles and tendons swollen and achy, but they are causing pressure on your nerves and bones and you must keep the swelling down to avoid injury. I did not know this. So, from Thursday morning (when she and I had this conversation) I made it my mission to take 2 ibuprofen every 4 hours. It seemed to help as I entered the weekend. The pain was gone at least while I was walking. Saturday, I would know for sure when I took my first run since Wednesday.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Discoveries
I've had a full running week! Let me get you up to date.
Tuesday, February 19
This run would prove to be full of discoveries about me, this quest of mine, as well as a figure of speech - I'll get to all of these revelations as they occur throughout the run.
It was a typical rainy 45 degree day in Eugene, so I decided to run indoors. My schedule told me to do 3.5 miles, so I figured it would be a breeze because I had run 6 miles two days prior. I felt good, I was optimistic, and I was ready to run. My first discovery happened earlier in the day I had added up my total mileage since January 2nd and it was 79 miles! I was as dumbfounded as I was proud and motivated by this. I could hardly believe it. The 7 weeks prior to January 2nd, I had ran exactly zero miles.
There were subtle differences for this Tuesday run than there had been in the past two weeks. I was not only indoors, I was running in the evening and normally I run either in the morning or during lunchtime. So there was that small detail. Also, normally when I got to the gym, there are few people present. Tuesday, however, was a full house (though I did score a good treadmill - just in front of a TV with cnn headline news).
I was excited for the opportunity to see what sort of pace I've actually been running. In the past, I had averaged my distances on a 10 minute mile. If I needed to run 4 miles, I ran for 40 minutes and so on. With the treadmill, I could easily start my comfortable pace and see where it falls.
As I started running, I felt great. I quickly settled into a groove and searched for that pace. Discovery #2: Would you believe that I had been running 8.5 minute miles??? I would occasionally slip into a 9 minute pace for a break, but really felt most comfortable with the 8.5. This COULD mean my total mileage is off a little, but the first month of running for me probably made up for any ground I've gained, so I'll stick with my estimate for now.
I stopped after ten minutes to stretch and was off to the races again.
As soon as I had settled into my gait, I hit the first metaphorical "bump in the road". At my gym, there are two rows of cardio equipment, as well as two rows on TVs. A guy in the second row, who had been watching the TV directly behind mine apparently decided the programming on the TV in front of him was no longer desirable, so he changed the channel. Now, someone should have told him that when he changes his channel, any TV within the path of the remote will change also. Now - why does this matter? Because my TV didn't change EVERY time he hit the remote, just every so often. After a while, the channels stopped turning and my TV was set on the discovery channel which was apparently doing a program on lumber, building materials, I don't know. Something that required them to show loads of footage of sawing logs (seriously - that's all that was on the screen for about 5 minutes). At this time, I discovered (#3) the reason behind the term "sawing logs" when used to describe someone who is in a deep sleep: It is THE most boring thing ever and I was practically ready to fall asleep while running.
I decided that such a small change of plans wasn't a deal breaker and that I would adapt and overcome. Afterall - I still had my iPod and I would just do what I normally do while running outside - I would look straight ahead. RIGHT. Only one teensy problem: To look straight ahead was to stare at my face in the mirror (which 15 minutes into a run is not a pretty site, nor is it a distracting site). I was faced with a difficult decision: Should I stay on the treadmill and try to stay awake during the sawing of the logs, or should I get down, grab that damn remote, and find myself some Larry King on CNN?
Having had enough of the sawing logs, I chose the latter of my options. Hopped off the treadmill and asked the friendly gym attendant to turn my TV on to CNN. He kindly did so and I was able to resume some semblance of normalcy, albeit only for a moment. You see, apparently after I break my cadence, I am in shin-splint hell. Three minutes after getting back onto the treadmill, I could not shake those shinsplints. The remainder of my run was spent on and off the treadmill, trying to stretch out my legs to ease the pain. I finally practically walked my last mile, got off the machine, and sauntered into a quiet room to stretch.
I was a little disappointed with my performance in the last half of the run, but it really wasn't enough to get me down. I had, afterall, run 82.5 miles in this quest and I had run 6 miles two days prior. Life was still good.
I should have stopped while I was ahead. I couldn't, however, leave well enough alone. I stepped on the scale when I entered the locker room. Now, I really didn't expect to lose any weight because I never do. I swear I have been the same weight for the past 7 years except for about 10 months over the pregnancy. Sure, I shape-shift occasionally, but never do I ever lose any weight. I was just curious, you know? I mean true, I never lose weight, but I also have never ran 82.5 miles in 7 weeks before either. So, in this frame of mind, I step on the scale. My jaw was literally agape as I kept sliding the little metal thing UP the scale, thus making my final discovery of the evening. I am not kidding. I weight MORE now. Not just that pound of water, either. I have gained 3 pounds!
Some of you may be saying: Oh sure, but it's all muscle. This COULD be, and I have told friends who have experienced something similar that they gain muscle when they start working out and probably won't drop any pounds right away. This, however hardly works when I'm on the receiving end AND when it's CARDIO I've been doing. That's supposed to make you skinny, people! Not gain 3 pounds in 7 weeks!
At any rate, the 3 lbs is not that big of a deal. I'm have deduced that while I have indeed been eating like a pig, I do have a lot of muscle to gain in my legs (non-runner legs - they ain't pretty) and perhaps I really did gain at least 2 pounds of muscle (though that seems unlikely just from a sheer science perspective) but what do I know? I shall keep running regardless of this unexpected consequence of running!
Tuesday, February 19
This run would prove to be full of discoveries about me, this quest of mine, as well as a figure of speech - I'll get to all of these revelations as they occur throughout the run.
It was a typical rainy 45 degree day in Eugene, so I decided to run indoors. My schedule told me to do 3.5 miles, so I figured it would be a breeze because I had run 6 miles two days prior. I felt good, I was optimistic, and I was ready to run. My first discovery happened earlier in the day I had added up my total mileage since January 2nd and it was 79 miles! I was as dumbfounded as I was proud and motivated by this. I could hardly believe it. The 7 weeks prior to January 2nd, I had ran exactly zero miles.
There were subtle differences for this Tuesday run than there had been in the past two weeks. I was not only indoors, I was running in the evening and normally I run either in the morning or during lunchtime. So there was that small detail. Also, normally when I got to the gym, there are few people present. Tuesday, however, was a full house (though I did score a good treadmill - just in front of a TV with cnn headline news).
I was excited for the opportunity to see what sort of pace I've actually been running. In the past, I had averaged my distances on a 10 minute mile. If I needed to run 4 miles, I ran for 40 minutes and so on. With the treadmill, I could easily start my comfortable pace and see where it falls.
As I started running, I felt great. I quickly settled into a groove and searched for that pace. Discovery #2: Would you believe that I had been running 8.5 minute miles??? I would occasionally slip into a 9 minute pace for a break, but really felt most comfortable with the 8.5. This COULD mean my total mileage is off a little, but the first month of running for me probably made up for any ground I've gained, so I'll stick with my estimate for now.
I stopped after ten minutes to stretch and was off to the races again.
As soon as I had settled into my gait, I hit the first metaphorical "bump in the road". At my gym, there are two rows of cardio equipment, as well as two rows on TVs. A guy in the second row, who had been watching the TV directly behind mine apparently decided the programming on the TV in front of him was no longer desirable, so he changed the channel. Now, someone should have told him that when he changes his channel, any TV within the path of the remote will change also. Now - why does this matter? Because my TV didn't change EVERY time he hit the remote, just every so often. After a while, the channels stopped turning and my TV was set on the discovery channel which was apparently doing a program on lumber, building materials, I don't know. Something that required them to show loads of footage of sawing logs (seriously - that's all that was on the screen for about 5 minutes). At this time, I discovered (#3) the reason behind the term "sawing logs" when used to describe someone who is in a deep sleep: It is THE most boring thing ever and I was practically ready to fall asleep while running.
I decided that such a small change of plans wasn't a deal breaker and that I would adapt and overcome. Afterall - I still had my iPod and I would just do what I normally do while running outside - I would look straight ahead. RIGHT. Only one teensy problem: To look straight ahead was to stare at my face in the mirror (which 15 minutes into a run is not a pretty site, nor is it a distracting site). I was faced with a difficult decision: Should I stay on the treadmill and try to stay awake during the sawing of the logs, or should I get down, grab that damn remote, and find myself some Larry King on CNN?
Having had enough of the sawing logs, I chose the latter of my options. Hopped off the treadmill and asked the friendly gym attendant to turn my TV on to CNN. He kindly did so and I was able to resume some semblance of normalcy, albeit only for a moment. You see, apparently after I break my cadence, I am in shin-splint hell. Three minutes after getting back onto the treadmill, I could not shake those shinsplints. The remainder of my run was spent on and off the treadmill, trying to stretch out my legs to ease the pain. I finally practically walked my last mile, got off the machine, and sauntered into a quiet room to stretch.
I was a little disappointed with my performance in the last half of the run, but it really wasn't enough to get me down. I had, afterall, run 82.5 miles in this quest and I had run 6 miles two days prior. Life was still good.
I should have stopped while I was ahead. I couldn't, however, leave well enough alone. I stepped on the scale when I entered the locker room. Now, I really didn't expect to lose any weight because I never do. I swear I have been the same weight for the past 7 years except for about 10 months over the pregnancy. Sure, I shape-shift occasionally, but never do I ever lose any weight. I was just curious, you know? I mean true, I never lose weight, but I also have never ran 82.5 miles in 7 weeks before either. So, in this frame of mind, I step on the scale. My jaw was literally agape as I kept sliding the little metal thing UP the scale, thus making my final discovery of the evening. I am not kidding. I weight MORE now. Not just that pound of water, either. I have gained 3 pounds!
Some of you may be saying: Oh sure, but it's all muscle. This COULD be, and I have told friends who have experienced something similar that they gain muscle when they start working out and probably won't drop any pounds right away. This, however hardly works when I'm on the receiving end AND when it's CARDIO I've been doing. That's supposed to make you skinny, people! Not gain 3 pounds in 7 weeks!
At any rate, the 3 lbs is not that big of a deal. I'm have deduced that while I have indeed been eating like a pig, I do have a lot of muscle to gain in my legs (non-runner legs - they ain't pretty) and perhaps I really did gain at least 2 pounds of muscle (though that seems unlikely just from a sheer science perspective) but what do I know? I shall keep running regardless of this unexpected consequence of running!
Monday, February 18, 2008
For the Longest Time
Sunday, February 17 marked my first longer run. I tried to think back as to whether or not I've ever actually ran for 60 minutes before in my life and I could not think of a single time. However, I woke Sunday morning set on being out there for an hour - even if I spent the last 30 minutes crawling home.
I was nervous as I started this run. I had hydrated well, but I didn't really eat much beforehand. Most of the day was spent foraging and eating scraps from Emelyn's small meals. I did, however, prepare sizable breakfast burritos for all of us early in the morning, but having eaten one hours ago, I wasn't counting on any energy from it.
The Weather was much like the day before - sunny and 45 degrees. I decided to wear that pair of spandex pants I tried to don from my first day of running (January 2nd) hoping to cut out any chance of a sagging pair of pants (as was the case the day before). This choice proved to be a good one - they felt good on (readers should note that I did not look in the mirror before leaving the house, but I did ask my husband how they looked - like he had an option as to what to say) and certainly weren't at risk of becoming too loose.
The last words Greg said to me before I left the house were "be sure to stop to stretch!" and so with this in mind, I headed onto the trail and into the sea of outdoors enthusiasts. I left the house in a slow trot toward the running trail. It's only about 3 blocks away, which didn't give me very much time to take it easy. Each time I get onto the trail, the pressure is on to start moving - quickly - so I relish those few minutes before I join the ranks of Eugene's diverse running and walking citizenry.
I figured I'd stop after ten minutes to stretch - as I typically take a walking break at that point anyway, but can you believe I felt pretty good jogging along so I kept going?? Shocking.
I ran for 15 minutes before stopping. I'd arrived at 13th and high streets and there was a handy little bus stop, complete with bench, so I sat, stretched, and was off again. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I did hit a slump around 20 minutes. I was faced with a decision - to REALLY go for 60 minutes, or to take my usual 4 mile, 40 minute trek. I decided to push myself because if it got rough, I could really just walk/cry/crawl/yougetthepicture home.
Therefore - I thought the best thing for me to do is to modify my route to dampen any anxiousness that may come from not being too sure how far from home I was. Instead of turning South (back towards the running trails and home) I stayed on 13th and ran all the way though campus to the edge of campus, where 13th hits Agate St. Stretched for a moment - and then ran back the way I came. I did this so I could gauge a 30 minute mark for turning around. Would you believe I actually began to increase my pace as I ran back through campus and was ahead of schedule?? Mystified, I began to reflect how far I've come - not only during this run, but for the past 7 weeks.
As I made it back to my original detour mark and turned South onto Patterson, I started to think about what was really motivating me. It wasn't exactly the music in my iPod this time (though I did skip through to my favorites as per usual) but rather I was motivated by a lot of different forces. Among them are:
Being a good example for Emelyn.
Being the person my husband already believes me to be.
Imagining the feeling of crossing the finish line with 4 of my closest friends.
Finally challenging myself with something that doesn't naturally come easily for me.
Free license to eat as much Cake as I want until November 2008.
As you can imagine, I became slightly wistful with these things in mind (especially that last one) and I began to shift my focus to being thankful that I was able to train for this event. Among those items to be thankful for:
A husband who cheers me on and who helps coordinate schedules so I have time to train.
A daughter to run for.
Health to complete the task.
Friends to share in the experience.
Living in a runner-friendly city.
Living in a country where women are allowed to compete in athletic events.
All of my friends/family who will be present at the Marine Corps Marathon to cheer.
All of you who follow the blog and keep me motivated.
The five bakeries within walking distance of my house.
As you may have gathered, I was feeling very grateful for this whole experience. Before I knew it, all of this positive thinking had me at the 5o minute mark and finishing my last mile! I was back on the trail by this point and was rounding out the last stretch. I could see all the way down the tree lined trail to the turn-off to my street. As I closed in on it - what to my wondering eyes did appear? A teeny-tiny bouncing puffy pink coat and a toothy grin - It was Emelyn Pearl! She and Greg decided to walk to the trail to meet me as I finished the run! What a great surprise!! And what a wonderful way to complete a run. I had just been thinking about how wonderful they both are, and how thankful I am for both of them in my life - and THERE THEY WERE.
I was so happy as I stopped to greet them. And (I realized after a moment) so tired, thirsty, and hot!. They continued on to the trail and I ran home, grabbed a bunch of water, a gatorade/protein combo drink of Greg's making, and Sebastian. He and I headed back to the trail to see Greg and Emelyn and complete the walk together.
I felt great the next day. My muscles are a little tight, but not sore. Today, my half-marathon training schedule told me to stretch/strengthen, so that's what I did. A light strengthening workout along with loads of stretching.
Tomorrow, I am supposed to run 3.5 miles, and then 2 miles or cross training on Wednesday. Sounds pretty easy, really! I have discovered that I like following a schedule. Knowing what I'm going to do ahead of time works with my psyche.
This run gave me a huge boost. If I can run 6, I can certainly run 12 by 8 more weeks of training, which of course means 13.1 is within reach. I am much less nervous about my goal of a half-marathon on May 4. The only aspect at this point that makes me nervous is the ever-present threat of rain during a Eugene Race!
I was nervous as I started this run. I had hydrated well, but I didn't really eat much beforehand. Most of the day was spent foraging and eating scraps from Emelyn's small meals. I did, however, prepare sizable breakfast burritos for all of us early in the morning, but having eaten one hours ago, I wasn't counting on any energy from it.
The Weather was much like the day before - sunny and 45 degrees. I decided to wear that pair of spandex pants I tried to don from my first day of running (January 2nd) hoping to cut out any chance of a sagging pair of pants (as was the case the day before). This choice proved to be a good one - they felt good on (readers should note that I did not look in the mirror before leaving the house, but I did ask my husband how they looked - like he had an option as to what to say) and certainly weren't at risk of becoming too loose.
The last words Greg said to me before I left the house were "be sure to stop to stretch!" and so with this in mind, I headed onto the trail and into the sea of outdoors enthusiasts. I left the house in a slow trot toward the running trail. It's only about 3 blocks away, which didn't give me very much time to take it easy. Each time I get onto the trail, the pressure is on to start moving - quickly - so I relish those few minutes before I join the ranks of Eugene's diverse running and walking citizenry.
I figured I'd stop after ten minutes to stretch - as I typically take a walking break at that point anyway, but can you believe I felt pretty good jogging along so I kept going?? Shocking.
I ran for 15 minutes before stopping. I'd arrived at 13th and high streets and there was a handy little bus stop, complete with bench, so I sat, stretched, and was off again. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I did hit a slump around 20 minutes. I was faced with a decision - to REALLY go for 60 minutes, or to take my usual 4 mile, 40 minute trek. I decided to push myself because if it got rough, I could really just walk/cry/crawl/yougetthepicture home.
Therefore - I thought the best thing for me to do is to modify my route to dampen any anxiousness that may come from not being too sure how far from home I was. Instead of turning South (back towards the running trails and home) I stayed on 13th and ran all the way though campus to the edge of campus, where 13th hits Agate St. Stretched for a moment - and then ran back the way I came. I did this so I could gauge a 30 minute mark for turning around. Would you believe I actually began to increase my pace as I ran back through campus and was ahead of schedule?? Mystified, I began to reflect how far I've come - not only during this run, but for the past 7 weeks.
As I made it back to my original detour mark and turned South onto Patterson, I started to think about what was really motivating me. It wasn't exactly the music in my iPod this time (though I did skip through to my favorites as per usual) but rather I was motivated by a lot of different forces. Among them are:
Being a good example for Emelyn.
Being the person my husband already believes me to be.
Imagining the feeling of crossing the finish line with 4 of my closest friends.
Finally challenging myself with something that doesn't naturally come easily for me.
Free license to eat as much Cake as I want until November 2008.
As you can imagine, I became slightly wistful with these things in mind (especially that last one) and I began to shift my focus to being thankful that I was able to train for this event. Among those items to be thankful for:
A husband who cheers me on and who helps coordinate schedules so I have time to train.
A daughter to run for.
Health to complete the task.
Friends to share in the experience.
Living in a runner-friendly city.
Living in a country where women are allowed to compete in athletic events.
All of my friends/family who will be present at the Marine Corps Marathon to cheer.
All of you who follow the blog and keep me motivated.
The five bakeries within walking distance of my house.
As you may have gathered, I was feeling very grateful for this whole experience. Before I knew it, all of this positive thinking had me at the 5o minute mark and finishing my last mile! I was back on the trail by this point and was rounding out the last stretch. I could see all the way down the tree lined trail to the turn-off to my street. As I closed in on it - what to my wondering eyes did appear? A teeny-tiny bouncing puffy pink coat and a toothy grin - It was Emelyn Pearl! She and Greg decided to walk to the trail to meet me as I finished the run! What a great surprise!! And what a wonderful way to complete a run. I had just been thinking about how wonderful they both are, and how thankful I am for both of them in my life - and THERE THEY WERE.
I was so happy as I stopped to greet them. And (I realized after a moment) so tired, thirsty, and hot!. They continued on to the trail and I ran home, grabbed a bunch of water, a gatorade/protein combo drink of Greg's making, and Sebastian. He and I headed back to the trail to see Greg and Emelyn and complete the walk together.
I felt great the next day. My muscles are a little tight, but not sore. Today, my half-marathon training schedule told me to stretch/strengthen, so that's what I did. A light strengthening workout along with loads of stretching.
Tomorrow, I am supposed to run 3.5 miles, and then 2 miles or cross training on Wednesday. Sounds pretty easy, really! I have discovered that I like following a schedule. Knowing what I'm going to do ahead of time works with my psyche.
This run gave me a huge boost. If I can run 6, I can certainly run 12 by 8 more weeks of training, which of course means 13.1 is within reach. I am much less nervous about my goal of a half-marathon on May 4. The only aspect at this point that makes me nervous is the ever-present threat of rain during a Eugene Race!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I Didn't Start The Running.....
After a weekend full of running, I have come to many realizations about this quest.
First and most importantly was Saturday's epiphany.
I only had 40 minutes from start to finish in order to cram a decent sized run into Saturday morning. After Thursday's Sweetheart Run (felt awesome) and Friday's weight training (loved it), I won't lie: I was optimistic about Saturday morning's run. At first, however, it wasn't exactly the stellar experience I had envisioned.
First off - I previously claimed that I was getting better at dressing for outdoor runs. Well, as it turned out, I still had quite a bit of learning to do on this subject. I not only overdressed and found my fleece around my waist in no-time, I had made the grave error of wearing sweatpants. Now - you may be thinking that's not so bad and that I'm just being whiny. Well, these weren't just any sweatpants. They are more fashion statement than workout wear. I bought them at a trendy boutique here in town. They sit low on the waist and have rolled-up, intentionally shabby hem that serves no other purpose than to look cool. Oh - and they FLARE at the bottom. Seriously. You may be thinking "What was she thinking?" Well, I was thinking that I had actually worn them before for a run, though circumstances were different: It was freezing outside and I was mostly on pavement.
So - factor in warm temps (45 and sunny) and a moist bark-mulch running trail, and you have a mess for a myriad of reasons. I won't bore you will all of them, but I will disclose the key problem: As I continued on the trail, my pants became increasingly damp and flecked with small pieces of bark-mulch, causing them to be heavy. Add weight to the bottom of your trousers, which are supported by a loose, low waist, and well, you're losing your drawers after only ten minutes. You understood correctly: I was tugging on my pants the entire time, just to keep them up to displace any risk of plumbers crack. You perhaps once thought runners immune to such a phenomenon. Me, too. However, I can now testify that it can indeed happen while running. The second problem with these trousers (yes, it gets worse) was that they were extremely warm on a sunny Eugene morning, which contributed to a hotter than necessary experience, causing me to fear (irrationally fear - I mean, it was only a 40 minute run) dehydration.
So - now that I have painted the back drop for you - Me, running whilst placing one hand on my trousers to keep them from revealing aforementioned "plumber's crack", fleece around my waist and obvious dampness around my feet (creeping up my legs) I can get to the meat and potatoes of why this run mattered: The Epiphany.
I had all but chalked this run up to a horrible experience and set my sights on tomorrow's long run when something amazing happened. I had been running for about a half hour when Billy Joel's "We didn't start the Fire" began. I have in the past alluded to the fact that certain selections by Mr. Joel seem to give me the fuel I need to pick up my pace, or at the very least - just keep running. So - while the song began, I literally picked up the pace, so much so that I actually felt great the faster I ran. I fell into a great running groove and ran for the next ten minutes the length that had taken me 15 minutes just prior. I didn't really start running until I had been out there for thirty minutes!
What did this teach me? Well - it's simple: Even while I feel terrible, as long as I'm not injured as well as sufficiently fed and watered, I need to stay the course because my groove will come. I have been told by others that the first two miles are the most difficult. For me - it's apparently the first 20 - 30 minutes. I had only 40 minutes for this run which (I can't hardly believe it) disappointed me. Once I started to take-off, I didn't want to stop. This gave me the confidence for the first of many long runs this year - a 60 minute run. This deserves it's own post, however, so I'm writing another soon to describe my first 6 mile adventure!
First and most importantly was Saturday's epiphany.
I only had 40 minutes from start to finish in order to cram a decent sized run into Saturday morning. After Thursday's Sweetheart Run (felt awesome) and Friday's weight training (loved it), I won't lie: I was optimistic about Saturday morning's run. At first, however, it wasn't exactly the stellar experience I had envisioned.
First off - I previously claimed that I was getting better at dressing for outdoor runs. Well, as it turned out, I still had quite a bit of learning to do on this subject. I not only overdressed and found my fleece around my waist in no-time, I had made the grave error of wearing sweatpants. Now - you may be thinking that's not so bad and that I'm just being whiny. Well, these weren't just any sweatpants. They are more fashion statement than workout wear. I bought them at a trendy boutique here in town. They sit low on the waist and have rolled-up, intentionally shabby hem that serves no other purpose than to look cool. Oh - and they FLARE at the bottom. Seriously. You may be thinking "What was she thinking?" Well, I was thinking that I had actually worn them before for a run, though circumstances were different: It was freezing outside and I was mostly on pavement.
So - factor in warm temps (45 and sunny) and a moist bark-mulch running trail, and you have a mess for a myriad of reasons. I won't bore you will all of them, but I will disclose the key problem: As I continued on the trail, my pants became increasingly damp and flecked with small pieces of bark-mulch, causing them to be heavy. Add weight to the bottom of your trousers, which are supported by a loose, low waist, and well, you're losing your drawers after only ten minutes. You understood correctly: I was tugging on my pants the entire time, just to keep them up to displace any risk of plumbers crack. You perhaps once thought runners immune to such a phenomenon. Me, too. However, I can now testify that it can indeed happen while running. The second problem with these trousers (yes, it gets worse) was that they were extremely warm on a sunny Eugene morning, which contributed to a hotter than necessary experience, causing me to fear (irrationally fear - I mean, it was only a 40 minute run) dehydration.
So - now that I have painted the back drop for you - Me, running whilst placing one hand on my trousers to keep them from revealing aforementioned "plumber's crack", fleece around my waist and obvious dampness around my feet (creeping up my legs) I can get to the meat and potatoes of why this run mattered: The Epiphany.
I had all but chalked this run up to a horrible experience and set my sights on tomorrow's long run when something amazing happened. I had been running for about a half hour when Billy Joel's "We didn't start the Fire" began. I have in the past alluded to the fact that certain selections by Mr. Joel seem to give me the fuel I need to pick up my pace, or at the very least - just keep running. So - while the song began, I literally picked up the pace, so much so that I actually felt great the faster I ran. I fell into a great running groove and ran for the next ten minutes the length that had taken me 15 minutes just prior. I didn't really start running until I had been out there for thirty minutes!
What did this teach me? Well - it's simple: Even while I feel terrible, as long as I'm not injured as well as sufficiently fed and watered, I need to stay the course because my groove will come. I have been told by others that the first two miles are the most difficult. For me - it's apparently the first 20 - 30 minutes. I had only 40 minutes for this run which (I can't hardly believe it) disappointed me. Once I started to take-off, I didn't want to stop. This gave me the confidence for the first of many long runs this year - a 60 minute run. This deserves it's own post, however, so I'm writing another soon to describe my first 6 mile adventure!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Sweetheart Run
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Let me just start my recognizing my Valentine, Greg. He has never ever doubted that I could do keep up this running quest, even when I had convinced myself I was living in a fantasy world. Today I had the best Valentine's gift I've ever had - a run with my two Valentine's - Greg and Emelyn. I guess it wasn't so much of a gift as it was an idea we had earlier in the day, which then turned into a gift. I'd emailed Greg to see if he could pick up Emelyn after work so I could go for a run. He wasn't sure his trial would be over in time, so I suggested we run together with Emelyn when we all arrived at home.
Greg diligently patched the tire that blew over the weekend on our jogging stroller as I picked up Emelyn. We had a light snack (she a full meal) and we were off. It was about 6:15 or so by the time we left the house. It was dark, but clear. The temperature was about 40 degrees. Just about perfect, really. We took my usual 4 mile route.
Can I just tell you - I felt great. I had a little shin splint after about ten minutes, but it cleared away after a while. I seemed to be keeping a decent pace and for the first time EVER while running with Greg, he didn't look like he was physically going to be hurt by running as slowly as I was. Perhaps this was because he was pushing a stroller. But none the less, I felt pretty good next to him. Now, if it was just the two of us, it could have been a different story. But why focus on that? We had a great run together. As a family. What fun!
I think we were gone for about 45 minutes. We stopped a little along the way for Emelyn tending. Things like getting her milk if it fell, or getting a pack of Raisins for her. Not nearly as many times as when it was just she and I.
I had to laugh as I saw lots of couples in cars as we passed - no doubt going out to dinner. Not us, though. We were going for a run.
I am still shocked that I'm actually sticking to the running. I (kind of) even like it now. When we returned tonight, I felt like I could have just kept going. I was no where near exhausted, nor did my legs feel like noodles (which has been known to happen).
I have made a decision on my first race: I will run the Eugene Half Marathon. It's on May 4, which gives me about 11 weeks. I have found a 12 week training schedule for a half marathon, so I'll start in week two as of right now. I am excited to do this! I can't believe I'm about to say this, but as I looked over the schedule, it actually looked pretty EASY for the first half of it, so it should be a little lighter than what I'm doing right now. This will help me to not over train (also can't believe it would even be a possibility) and stay focused on following a schedule.
The sheer fact that I have been running at all for the past 8 weeks is amazing in itself. I will literally shock myself if I run this half marathon in May. I certainly wouldn't have guess I was capable of it even a month ago, but now, somehow, I have a calm confidence about it. Some of this no doubt stems from my being extremely naive about these things, but it also originates from the fact that I am getting better and I can see myself being well prepared for a half-marathon if I continue the metaphorical (as well as physical) road I'm on.
Let me just start my recognizing my Valentine, Greg. He has never ever doubted that I could do keep up this running quest, even when I had convinced myself I was living in a fantasy world. Today I had the best Valentine's gift I've ever had - a run with my two Valentine's - Greg and Emelyn. I guess it wasn't so much of a gift as it was an idea we had earlier in the day, which then turned into a gift. I'd emailed Greg to see if he could pick up Emelyn after work so I could go for a run. He wasn't sure his trial would be over in time, so I suggested we run together with Emelyn when we all arrived at home.
Greg diligently patched the tire that blew over the weekend on our jogging stroller as I picked up Emelyn. We had a light snack (she a full meal) and we were off. It was about 6:15 or so by the time we left the house. It was dark, but clear. The temperature was about 40 degrees. Just about perfect, really. We took my usual 4 mile route.
Can I just tell you - I felt great. I had a little shin splint after about ten minutes, but it cleared away after a while. I seemed to be keeping a decent pace and for the first time EVER while running with Greg, he didn't look like he was physically going to be hurt by running as slowly as I was. Perhaps this was because he was pushing a stroller. But none the less, I felt pretty good next to him. Now, if it was just the two of us, it could have been a different story. But why focus on that? We had a great run together. As a family. What fun!
I think we were gone for about 45 minutes. We stopped a little along the way for Emelyn tending. Things like getting her milk if it fell, or getting a pack of Raisins for her. Not nearly as many times as when it was just she and I.
I had to laugh as I saw lots of couples in cars as we passed - no doubt going out to dinner. Not us, though. We were going for a run.
I am still shocked that I'm actually sticking to the running. I (kind of) even like it now. When we returned tonight, I felt like I could have just kept going. I was no where near exhausted, nor did my legs feel like noodles (which has been known to happen).
I have made a decision on my first race: I will run the Eugene Half Marathon. It's on May 4, which gives me about 11 weeks. I have found a 12 week training schedule for a half marathon, so I'll start in week two as of right now. I am excited to do this! I can't believe I'm about to say this, but as I looked over the schedule, it actually looked pretty EASY for the first half of it, so it should be a little lighter than what I'm doing right now. This will help me to not over train (also can't believe it would even be a possibility) and stay focused on following a schedule.
The sheer fact that I have been running at all for the past 8 weeks is amazing in itself. I will literally shock myself if I run this half marathon in May. I certainly wouldn't have guess I was capable of it even a month ago, but now, somehow, I have a calm confidence about it. Some of this no doubt stems from my being extremely naive about these things, but it also originates from the fact that I am getting better and I can see myself being well prepared for a half-marathon if I continue the metaphorical (as well as physical) road I'm on.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Runner and the Bagel
Today is Tuesday. I have had the pleasure of running outside for my past three runs and let me tell you - it is fantastic. This jubilation is not meant to gloat to our friends back east who are experiencing record low temps, but rather to just make it known that I can see a HUGE difference in my running while I'm not on the treadmill. For the past four days, Eugene has experienced AWESOME weather. 50-55 degrees and mostly sunny. It has literally been perfect running weather.
On Sunday, I ran outside. It almost didn't happen, however. For some reason, I was exhausted Sunday afternoon. I actually slept for small bits of time over the period of about an hour and a half. Greg and Emelyn went to the park and I decided that instead of falling back to sleep, I'd better just get up and run. This was about 5pm. Let me rewind my day a little, however, and enlighten you all on what I believe to be Eugene's Miracle Food. This is my newest power-food discovery.
Emelyn and I had spent the morning in the bookstore. She had an assignment from her school to bring in a book about Birds, so we were choosing among a few favorites. Greg had to go into the courthouse to work in the morning and it was taking longer than he expected. We thought it would be fun to pick up lunch and bring it to him. SO - this was about noon. We decided upon Bagel Sphere, Eugene's BEST place for bagels. In fact, it's Eugene's only New York Style bagel that's locally made. AND - best of all - located within walking distance of the courthouse so I did not have to do too much in the car out of the car in the car, etc.
I order one Veggie Melt Bagel each for Greg and I, and a Strawberry Bagel with Very Berry cream cheese for Emelyn (yum). Let me get detailed about this veggie melt because I have discovered that it is indeed the perfect food for runners. You can choose from any type of bagel. I chose Wheat. What happens next is crucial, so pay attention: They cut the bagel in half - it is served open faced. To each half, they add the following: one layer of veg cream cheese, tomato slices, banana pepper rings, and thin slices of red onion. All of this is topped with a slice of white cheese (must be provalone). This delectable goodie then goes through this big conveyor belt toaster thing and comes out the other side PERFECTLY toasted and melty.
Can I just tell you that while it seems like a lot of food (because it is), it is a pefect combination of all of the right things. Serving it open faced must do something to the ideal balance and caloric intake. Here's why: I scarfed this bagel at 12:30 and did not eat a single thing before my run at 5:05 and let me tell you - I had plenty of energy and felt great. Sure I drank my requisite water as I should, but I am one of those people who needs to eat every couple of hours or I become scary. Greg refers to the phenomenon as "Low Blood Sugar Lizzie" and goes to great lengths to avoid this alter ego of mine. He once brought enough food on a chartered flight to Costa Rica (just in case I became extremely odd) and ended up feeding everyone on the plane as well as me. "Low Blood Sugar Lizzie" is not a good time.
Not only did this Bagel Sphere masterpiece Veggie Melt keep LBSL at bay, it gave me the energy I needed to have a great run.
As far as the run itself is concerned, the Sun was shining and I was alone - no Emelyn. I only had about thirty minutes, so I opted for a shorter route than I had the day before, but only slightly so. I chose to wear my capri running pants, a sports bra, and a long-sleeved lycra/cotton shirt. I think it was about 50 degrees and that was a perfect amount of clothing for me. I felt pretty comfortable in it. I am getting better at dressing for the great outdoors. All in all, I think I must have ran about 3.5 miles. I was moving pretty quickly, though and before I knew it, I was at the half way point and was on my way back home.
I owe the success of this run to that Veggie Melt. It certainly wasn't the nap I took before the run. It certainly wasn't the drinks and restaurant food I had the night before. It certainly wasn't the non-existent breakfast I had that morning either. It was indeed the BAGEL -- The Runner's most perfect food.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Today is Tuesday. Monday was a rest day for me. I was lucky enough to be met with Sunshine and almost 60 degrees at lunchtime, so I was able to run outside again today. I made a bold move, however. Because of the warm temp, I decided to don a pair of spandex shorts. Not just any spandex shorts either. The kind that one wears before bearing children (as those are all I have and I am not yet ready to spend more money on this endeavor). I thought I might as well give them a shot at a time when I'm not standing in front of a wall of mirrors and others aren't biking or climbing stairs right behind me. Plus, I figured if nothing else kept me moving today, I could rely on the fear of being seen by someone I know in those things.
I was careful not to look in the mirror. I did notice that they were tighter around the waste than I recall (haha) but they felt OK everywhere else. In fact - they were downright comfortable. I clipped my iPod to my waste band and was off and running. I quickly trotted to the bark mulch trail and headed on my usual route towards campus. It actually went pretty quickly for the first ten minutes. I didn't even think to look at my watch, until I thought about it... and then I couldn't stop looking at it. I then decided to shake this watch watching obsession and took a small walking break. It was nice to slow down and look around to see who else is out there with me.
I noticed a pack of four older men running together, looking really fit and ready for anything (I saw them on my way back - and they me - and they were looking ready to stop running - as I'm certain I was as well). I observed high school and junior high kids hanging outside their schools on their lunch breaks. There were walkers, runners, skaters, bicyclists all around me and it was actually really neat. Today had that "first day of spring" feel, even though it's of course early February.
So anyway - As I ran, I felt good. I did have a little soreness in my right shin and stopped periodically to stretch it and massage it, but otherwise, I did over 4 miles in 40 minutes. When I arrived back home I did a quick stretch, quick rinse, ate a burger left over from dinner last night (yes - it's been so nice we grilled outside last night - sorry again east coasters and midwesterners!) and was on my way. I was feeling pretty good.
I am a little concerned about the shin splint. It's my first since this training began - so that's not too bad. But I wonder why now? It's sort of odd but it could be for many reasons so I'll try not to obsess over it too much. There are many more things to obsess over - like when will the day come when I wear those shorts inside? It's not likely that I ever will!
On Sunday, I ran outside. It almost didn't happen, however. For some reason, I was exhausted Sunday afternoon. I actually slept for small bits of time over the period of about an hour and a half. Greg and Emelyn went to the park and I decided that instead of falling back to sleep, I'd better just get up and run. This was about 5pm. Let me rewind my day a little, however, and enlighten you all on what I believe to be Eugene's Miracle Food. This is my newest power-food discovery.
Emelyn and I had spent the morning in the bookstore. She had an assignment from her school to bring in a book about Birds, so we were choosing among a few favorites. Greg had to go into the courthouse to work in the morning and it was taking longer than he expected. We thought it would be fun to pick up lunch and bring it to him. SO - this was about noon. We decided upon Bagel Sphere, Eugene's BEST place for bagels. In fact, it's Eugene's only New York Style bagel that's locally made. AND - best of all - located within walking distance of the courthouse so I did not have to do too much in the car out of the car in the car, etc.
I order one Veggie Melt Bagel each for Greg and I, and a Strawberry Bagel with Very Berry cream cheese for Emelyn (yum). Let me get detailed about this veggie melt because I have discovered that it is indeed the perfect food for runners. You can choose from any type of bagel. I chose Wheat. What happens next is crucial, so pay attention: They cut the bagel in half - it is served open faced. To each half, they add the following: one layer of veg cream cheese, tomato slices, banana pepper rings, and thin slices of red onion. All of this is topped with a slice of white cheese (must be provalone). This delectable goodie then goes through this big conveyor belt toaster thing and comes out the other side PERFECTLY toasted and melty.
Can I just tell you that while it seems like a lot of food (because it is), it is a pefect combination of all of the right things. Serving it open faced must do something to the ideal balance and caloric intake. Here's why: I scarfed this bagel at 12:30 and did not eat a single thing before my run at 5:05 and let me tell you - I had plenty of energy and felt great. Sure I drank my requisite water as I should, but I am one of those people who needs to eat every couple of hours or I become scary. Greg refers to the phenomenon as "Low Blood Sugar Lizzie" and goes to great lengths to avoid this alter ego of mine. He once brought enough food on a chartered flight to Costa Rica (just in case I became extremely odd) and ended up feeding everyone on the plane as well as me. "Low Blood Sugar Lizzie" is not a good time.
Not only did this Bagel Sphere masterpiece Veggie Melt keep LBSL at bay, it gave me the energy I needed to have a great run.
As far as the run itself is concerned, the Sun was shining and I was alone - no Emelyn. I only had about thirty minutes, so I opted for a shorter route than I had the day before, but only slightly so. I chose to wear my capri running pants, a sports bra, and a long-sleeved lycra/cotton shirt. I think it was about 50 degrees and that was a perfect amount of clothing for me. I felt pretty comfortable in it. I am getting better at dressing for the great outdoors. All in all, I think I must have ran about 3.5 miles. I was moving pretty quickly, though and before I knew it, I was at the half way point and was on my way back home.
I owe the success of this run to that Veggie Melt. It certainly wasn't the nap I took before the run. It certainly wasn't the drinks and restaurant food I had the night before. It certainly wasn't the non-existent breakfast I had that morning either. It was indeed the BAGEL -- The Runner's most perfect food.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Today is Tuesday. Monday was a rest day for me. I was lucky enough to be met with Sunshine and almost 60 degrees at lunchtime, so I was able to run outside again today. I made a bold move, however. Because of the warm temp, I decided to don a pair of spandex shorts. Not just any spandex shorts either. The kind that one wears before bearing children (as those are all I have and I am not yet ready to spend more money on this endeavor). I thought I might as well give them a shot at a time when I'm not standing in front of a wall of mirrors and others aren't biking or climbing stairs right behind me. Plus, I figured if nothing else kept me moving today, I could rely on the fear of being seen by someone I know in those things.
I was careful not to look in the mirror. I did notice that they were tighter around the waste than I recall (haha) but they felt OK everywhere else. In fact - they were downright comfortable. I clipped my iPod to my waste band and was off and running. I quickly trotted to the bark mulch trail and headed on my usual route towards campus. It actually went pretty quickly for the first ten minutes. I didn't even think to look at my watch, until I thought about it... and then I couldn't stop looking at it. I then decided to shake this watch watching obsession and took a small walking break. It was nice to slow down and look around to see who else is out there with me.
I noticed a pack of four older men running together, looking really fit and ready for anything (I saw them on my way back - and they me - and they were looking ready to stop running - as I'm certain I was as well). I observed high school and junior high kids hanging outside their schools on their lunch breaks. There were walkers, runners, skaters, bicyclists all around me and it was actually really neat. Today had that "first day of spring" feel, even though it's of course early February.
So anyway - As I ran, I felt good. I did have a little soreness in my right shin and stopped periodically to stretch it and massage it, but otherwise, I did over 4 miles in 40 minutes. When I arrived back home I did a quick stretch, quick rinse, ate a burger left over from dinner last night (yes - it's been so nice we grilled outside last night - sorry again east coasters and midwesterners!) and was on my way. I was feeling pretty good.
I am a little concerned about the shin splint. It's my first since this training began - so that's not too bad. But I wonder why now? It's sort of odd but it could be for many reasons so I'll try not to obsess over it too much. There are many more things to obsess over - like when will the day come when I wear those shorts inside? It's not likely that I ever will!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Mommy on the Run
Saturday's run was an adventure in itself. I decided to run outside with Emelyn in the jogging stroller. I suppose I was naive in that I had this idyllic version in my head of how it would unfold. Here's the image I had in my head:
ME: Happily running along, iPod plugged in, feeling very comfortable with the temperature outside (it was 50 and sunny). I'd establish a cadence and rhythm immediately and life would be GOOD.
Emelyn: Extremely happy as she munched on her bunny crackers, sipped her apple juice, and playing with her dolly. She'd have all of her comforts of home safely inside her stroller and within reach, including the very important blankie (or as she calls it "Blankie Too").
Also in my perfect vision of my first run with Emelyn, we would eventually arrived at the Amazon public park, where she could swing and run around for as long as she wanted, until the signs of nap time became more pervasive and we would go home.
WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSPIRED, however, resembled nothing of the sort.
After packing about 50 "necessities" inside the stroller for the journey, we were off and running. It's amazing how many items are required to take a little person more than 50 feet away from the house. Of course I've known this for two years, but never did it seem so excessive as it did while I was loading up a stroller that I intended to push for several miles. I eventually decided that all of the little items wouldn't really amount to much more when Emelyn herself, weighing in at 28 pounds, was factored into the equation.
Anyway - back to running.
The first two blocks or so went easily enough. I intentionally had my iPod volume very low so I could listen for her, should she need me, and also so I could be extremely vigilant for cars. As we moved along the street, I begin to hear faint mutterings from the stroller. I turned off my iPod to listen more closely and discovered that I could only hear her clearly if I stood in front of her. I suppose her soft voice facing away from me, in the great outdoors with other noises around makes for a very quiet Emelyn, indeed. I then had to stop the stroller completely and walk around to the front of it.
I literally expected that something catastrophic (well, to a 2 year old) had happened inside the stroller, like her entire cup of crackers had tipped, or her juice was gone already. What I found, though, would be a continuing pattern throughout the run.
As I walked around to the front of the stroller, I could clearly hear what she was saying: "Mommy, my cracker. Mommy, my cracker." I lifted the screen on the front of the stroller to see what was the matter and discovered that one cracker had fallen out of her cup and was out of her reach. Hardly an emergency, but nonetheless, I picked up the cracker, placed it in her cup, and we were on our way. Throughout the run, I found myself stopping to place a fallen dolly closer to her, fix "blankie too", who had been somehow wedged beneath her and couldn't be pulled out without my assistance, pick up the occasional errant cracker, refill juice, etc etc.
While having Emelyn along necessitated frequent stops (every few minutes probably) I eventually realilzed that I didn't need that walking recovery period as I had been doing (run 8, walk 2, etc). So I suppose there's a silver lining.
Peppered in with the cracker and juice emergencies, I was also being reminded about "the swings, mommy. The Park, Mommy". Which honestly, was a little bit of a distance away and it became more difficult as time marched on to keep her content to just sit and wait patiently. "We're almost there, sweetie" just wasn't working anymore and I was running (ha. pun intended) out of time. Just when things were going along just fine and I'd had a stroke of genius - we were trying to spot birds in the trees, Emelyn says "What's that noise, mommy? What's that noise - It's by my ear, mommy". I looked around hopelessly, as there were about 1000 noises at the time, and discovered that one of the tires on the stroller was completely flat and it was making a loud shooshing sound. This tire was right beside her head, as our jogging stroller is actually a Burley Bike trailer, but you can buy the converter kit to add a front wheel and a handle-bar to it to make it into a jogger. So it's essentially a box with two big wheels on either side, and a wheel in front. It's very light, very fast, and apparently very loud when one of those big tires blows.
At about this time, we had arrived at the University of Oregon apartment community where Emelyn's daycare is. We were running (loudly) through the parking lot when we see two friends from our Co-op (Her daycare is a co-op, so you can volunteer and your hours are credited towards tuition. It's a freaking brilliant concept). They just happened to be outside loading up their mini van (not sure why, but it's not important). I ask if the knew of any place nearby where we can pump a tire. As it turned out, they had a teeny air compressor that is powered by the cigarette lighter thingy in their van. Ten seconds later, we had full tire. Two seconds later, it was completely flat again. I must have ran over some glass. I do recall a glassy patch near a fraternity house while we were running near the University of Oregon. I probably didn't steer far enough away from it.
Emelyn again reminded me about the swings, so I pointed our bird sighting contraption towards the park, which was a distance away, but within sight. As we ran through the parking lot and back onto the street, I looked down at Emelyn and her head was ever so slightly tilted and resting on the side of the stoller, just above that loud flat tire. She had fallen asleep! I could not believe it! Not only was she sleeping, but it was that infant heavy sleep. Probably provoked by the shooshing tire.
So, we ran home and I picked her up and put her into her crib. All of that exercise had exhausted Emelyn. I was somewhere in between tired and energized, but mostly tired.
All in all, it was a good run. I ran for about 50 minutes, but probably only went 4 miles. I'm not sure, though, with all of the stopping and starting back up again it's tough to say. I enjoyed bringing along Emelyn, though will be more prepared next time and perhaps go to the park first.
ME: Happily running along, iPod plugged in, feeling very comfortable with the temperature outside (it was 50 and sunny). I'd establish a cadence and rhythm immediately and life would be GOOD.
Emelyn: Extremely happy as she munched on her bunny crackers, sipped her apple juice, and playing with her dolly. She'd have all of her comforts of home safely inside her stroller and within reach, including the very important blankie (or as she calls it "Blankie Too").
Also in my perfect vision of my first run with Emelyn, we would eventually arrived at the Amazon public park, where she could swing and run around for as long as she wanted, until the signs of nap time became more pervasive and we would go home.
WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSPIRED, however, resembled nothing of the sort.
After packing about 50 "necessities" inside the stroller for the journey, we were off and running. It's amazing how many items are required to take a little person more than 50 feet away from the house. Of course I've known this for two years, but never did it seem so excessive as it did while I was loading up a stroller that I intended to push for several miles. I eventually decided that all of the little items wouldn't really amount to much more when Emelyn herself, weighing in at 28 pounds, was factored into the equation.
Anyway - back to running.
The first two blocks or so went easily enough. I intentionally had my iPod volume very low so I could listen for her, should she need me, and also so I could be extremely vigilant for cars. As we moved along the street, I begin to hear faint mutterings from the stroller. I turned off my iPod to listen more closely and discovered that I could only hear her clearly if I stood in front of her. I suppose her soft voice facing away from me, in the great outdoors with other noises around makes for a very quiet Emelyn, indeed. I then had to stop the stroller completely and walk around to the front of it.
I literally expected that something catastrophic (well, to a 2 year old) had happened inside the stroller, like her entire cup of crackers had tipped, or her juice was gone already. What I found, though, would be a continuing pattern throughout the run.
As I walked around to the front of the stroller, I could clearly hear what she was saying: "Mommy, my cracker. Mommy, my cracker." I lifted the screen on the front of the stroller to see what was the matter and discovered that one cracker had fallen out of her cup and was out of her reach. Hardly an emergency, but nonetheless, I picked up the cracker, placed it in her cup, and we were on our way. Throughout the run, I found myself stopping to place a fallen dolly closer to her, fix "blankie too", who had been somehow wedged beneath her and couldn't be pulled out without my assistance, pick up the occasional errant cracker, refill juice, etc etc.
While having Emelyn along necessitated frequent stops (every few minutes probably) I eventually realilzed that I didn't need that walking recovery period as I had been doing (run 8, walk 2, etc). So I suppose there's a silver lining.
Peppered in with the cracker and juice emergencies, I was also being reminded about "the swings, mommy. The Park, Mommy". Which honestly, was a little bit of a distance away and it became more difficult as time marched on to keep her content to just sit and wait patiently. "We're almost there, sweetie" just wasn't working anymore and I was running (ha. pun intended) out of time. Just when things were going along just fine and I'd had a stroke of genius - we were trying to spot birds in the trees, Emelyn says "What's that noise, mommy? What's that noise - It's by my ear, mommy". I looked around hopelessly, as there were about 1000 noises at the time, and discovered that one of the tires on the stroller was completely flat and it was making a loud shooshing sound. This tire was right beside her head, as our jogging stroller is actually a Burley Bike trailer, but you can buy the converter kit to add a front wheel and a handle-bar to it to make it into a jogger. So it's essentially a box with two big wheels on either side, and a wheel in front. It's very light, very fast, and apparently very loud when one of those big tires blows.
At about this time, we had arrived at the University of Oregon apartment community where Emelyn's daycare is. We were running (loudly) through the parking lot when we see two friends from our Co-op (Her daycare is a co-op, so you can volunteer and your hours are credited towards tuition. It's a freaking brilliant concept). They just happened to be outside loading up their mini van (not sure why, but it's not important). I ask if the knew of any place nearby where we can pump a tire. As it turned out, they had a teeny air compressor that is powered by the cigarette lighter thingy in their van. Ten seconds later, we had full tire. Two seconds later, it was completely flat again. I must have ran over some glass. I do recall a glassy patch near a fraternity house while we were running near the University of Oregon. I probably didn't steer far enough away from it.
Emelyn again reminded me about the swings, so I pointed our bird sighting contraption towards the park, which was a distance away, but within sight. As we ran through the parking lot and back onto the street, I looked down at Emelyn and her head was ever so slightly tilted and resting on the side of the stoller, just above that loud flat tire. She had fallen asleep! I could not believe it! Not only was she sleeping, but it was that infant heavy sleep. Probably provoked by the shooshing tire.
So, we ran home and I picked her up and put her into her crib. All of that exercise had exhausted Emelyn. I was somewhere in between tired and energized, but mostly tired.
All in all, it was a good run. I ran for about 50 minutes, but probably only went 4 miles. I'm not sure, though, with all of the stopping and starting back up again it's tough to say. I enjoyed bringing along Emelyn, though will be more prepared next time and perhaps go to the park first.
Ready to Run
The Black Socks Epiphany was all I needed to realize that I can indeed accomplish my mission of running a marathon. Or I guess Running - Period. After Tuesday's victory, I gained the confidence I needed to pound the pavement/treadmill without worry of lingering injury.
As I previously stated, Wednesday was a day off and Thursday would be my next run. As I entered the gym on Thursday, I'll be honest: I felt GREAT! I once again, however, need to owe this energetic excited instance to cake. You see, earlier that morning, my good friend Colby brought to work with him the most perfect little round Chocolate-Peanut Butter two-layer round cake. My first thought was "How COULD you do this..." but mid sentence, as I caught a whiff of that delicious Sweet Life (bakery from whence it came) masterpiece, my criticism shifted to "... and not bring plates and forks?"
So, by 8:45 am, I had consumed my typical morning smoothie and a very rich piece of cake. About a half hour before I left for the my workout, I ate half of a PB&J (lesson learned from Tuesday) and thus felt excellent as I entered the gym.
Once on the treadmill, I was zooming! Running at a great 6.9 pace, reading the news while listening to my iPod and life was GOOD! As I looked in the mirror, I saw a friend of mine who I had exchanged an email with earlier that morning and motioned for him to come over and discuss said email. Now, he is not a peer, per se. He's a very distinguished gentleman who I happen to know because of a non-profit board (Birth To Three / Parenting Now) on which I sit with him (among others). He's a retired Judge and now holds the admirable position of "community volunteer". In addition to his dedication to Birth To Three, he is also the Eugene area Slow Food's chapter President, which was what began our conversation. (I will not get on the topic of Slow Food, but should you be interested, google it and see for yourself what it's about. The moment I begin the discussion of the food we eat in this country, my post will become a novel and no one wants that).
Our conversation while on the treadmill was about many things from Slow Food to Greg's job at the courthouse and his job prospects, to Emelyn, back to Slow Food, and so on. As I was running, I couldn't help but notice his tendency to back away with a fearful look in his eye each time I REALLY had to reach deeply inside my lungs for words to come out. I wondered "were errant pieces of saliva flying towards him?" I finally hit my nine minute walk break and was able to slow down to talk like a normal person who wouldn't run a higher than average risk of spitting on someone mid-conversation. As I began to run again, our dialog ended after a few minutes and do you know what? My run was half way over! What a quick way to complete a workout!!! I was able to distract myself completely distract myself from myself and all of the obsessions / diversions I face while running and just actually RUN. Whoa. What a concept.
I completed my time at the gym with a shoulder workout and some stretching. I felt like I had actually made progress - two great runs in a row. I also deduced that perhaps there really IS some merit to my Cake theory, which of course made me leave the gym smiling.
As I previously stated, Wednesday was a day off and Thursday would be my next run. As I entered the gym on Thursday, I'll be honest: I felt GREAT! I once again, however, need to owe this energetic excited instance to cake. You see, earlier that morning, my good friend Colby brought to work with him the most perfect little round Chocolate-Peanut Butter two-layer round cake. My first thought was "How COULD you do this..." but mid sentence, as I caught a whiff of that delicious Sweet Life (bakery from whence it came) masterpiece, my criticism shifted to "... and not bring plates and forks?"
So, by 8:45 am, I had consumed my typical morning smoothie and a very rich piece of cake. About a half hour before I left for the my workout, I ate half of a PB&J (lesson learned from Tuesday) and thus felt excellent as I entered the gym.
Once on the treadmill, I was zooming! Running at a great 6.9 pace, reading the news while listening to my iPod and life was GOOD! As I looked in the mirror, I saw a friend of mine who I had exchanged an email with earlier that morning and motioned for him to come over and discuss said email. Now, he is not a peer, per se. He's a very distinguished gentleman who I happen to know because of a non-profit board (Birth To Three / Parenting Now) on which I sit with him (among others). He's a retired Judge and now holds the admirable position of "community volunteer". In addition to his dedication to Birth To Three, he is also the Eugene area Slow Food's chapter President, which was what began our conversation. (I will not get on the topic of Slow Food, but should you be interested, google it and see for yourself what it's about. The moment I begin the discussion of the food we eat in this country, my post will become a novel and no one wants that).
Our conversation while on the treadmill was about many things from Slow Food to Greg's job at the courthouse and his job prospects, to Emelyn, back to Slow Food, and so on. As I was running, I couldn't help but notice his tendency to back away with a fearful look in his eye each time I REALLY had to reach deeply inside my lungs for words to come out. I wondered "were errant pieces of saliva flying towards him?" I finally hit my nine minute walk break and was able to slow down to talk like a normal person who wouldn't run a higher than average risk of spitting on someone mid-conversation. As I began to run again, our dialog ended after a few minutes and do you know what? My run was half way over! What a quick way to complete a workout!!! I was able to distract myself completely distract myself from myself and all of the obsessions / diversions I face while running and just actually RUN. Whoa. What a concept.
I completed my time at the gym with a shoulder workout and some stretching. I felt like I had actually made progress - two great runs in a row. I also deduced that perhaps there really IS some merit to my Cake theory, which of course made me leave the gym smiling.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday
You may have assumed, upon reading the title of Today's post, that "Super Tuesday" is in reference to the heated primaries across the US as I write this, but you would be incorrect. Instead, it refers to my surprise victory on the treadmill earlier this afternoon.
I have had a rough couple of weeks and I even had those fleeting moments where I feared injury so early on and wondered how I could continue with training. I actually even began doubting my ability to complete this task. Well - today, dearest readers, it seems as though I have broken through to the other side of my sluggish training.
It all started this morning as I was preparing for my day. I made my usual morning smoothie - 8 oz skim milk, handful of frozen berries, scoop of whey protein, scoop of ground flax seed, and a half a banana. Washed down a couple of multi-vitatmins as well as a probiotic and ALMOST exited the kitchen. For whatever reason, I decided to make a half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - just in case I needed a heartier mid-morning snack.
At about 9:45 am, I consumed said sandwich. At 11:30, I met a client for lunch. She is no stranger to marathons, so it was nice to be able to talk about the joys and pitfalls of my training, as she is also training for a race - the Eugene Half Marathon. I carefully chose my lunch from a menu full of pre-run no-no's. I had two small pieces of bread, cup of minestrone soup, cajun shimp salad with avovado and mixed greens, and an iced-t as well as several glasses of water. About an hour later, I found myself in the locker room at the gym.
You are probably now thinking that I owe my "super" run to the careful consideration of my diet Today, but I am not yet certain. You see, as I began to unpack my gym bag, I realized that I had forgotten my running socks. You may recall, if you are a regular reader, that once upon a time, such an incident was cause for packing up and going home. However, I decided to tough it out. I wore (I still cannot believe I did this) my black dress socks. I convinced myself that if I just rolled them down around my ankles, they could possibly be mistaken for black running socks. After checking myself out in the mirror, I realized that pass for athletic socks, they did not! Not even close. However, I also noticed something unexpected: my heel seemed to glide comfortably and ever so slightly in my running shoes. Could this be??? Could my debut as a super-geek in black socks possibly HELP me run in my new shoes? In case you are wondering - Yes - my legs looked even whiter and even pastier with black socks on. I chose to rise above it though, and get those white legs out there in front of that wall of mirrors and get on with myself.
I hit the treadmill and I am being completely serious when I tell you that I hadn't the slightest bit of pain as I began to run. What's more: I finally had the lung capacity to keep my 6.5 mile pace. I had a great 9 minutes of straight running, 2 minutes of walking, 8 minutes of run, 2 min walking, and then finished it off with 8 minutes of running. A nice long stretch at the end topped off what was just about my most perfect run yet. 30 minutes, 3 miles.
So was it the socks? Was it that PB&J between breakfast and lunch? Was it my lunch itself? I'm thinking it must have been the combination of all of those things. However, what will remain a mystery to me is if those socks deserve the acclaim I am more than prepared to give them. Needless to say, I will be searching for white, thin, nylon socks to wear for my next few runs. I believe it no doubt helped with those new shoes.
I should also give credit where it's due in terms of iPod selections. I tell you what: I can't lose if Billy Joel or Tim McGraw are belting out tunes into my ears. My final selection, however, was Martina's Independance Day, which carried me through my last half mile with no problems. I am actually LOOKING FORWARD to my next run, which will be on Thursday. Tomorrow I'm doing some cross training in the form of weight training.
SO - Perhaps I will pay better attention to my pre-run provisions, as well as those that follow each run. Most of you have heard my "you are what you eat" spiel at least 1000 times, but it was clearer to me Today than it ever has been.
I have neglected to write about my book reading: A Tale of Two Cities. I will admit that at first, it was more difficult for me to open that book and read even a few pages than it was to force myself to go for a run. However, now that I am about 100 pages into it, it's going quickly AND I'm SORT of (SORT OF - I don't want to damage my street cred of having an aversion to the classics) enjoying it.
I am wondering which character I most portray in my running:
Am I most like Sydney Carton - the wreckless boozer who, while brilliant, has no regard for his own life? (probably not - I'm extremely cautious). Perhaps Jarvis Lorry - All business, no fun. Just out to accomplish his task and move onto the next. And then dear Charles Darney - the strapping, beloved fellow who remains aloof to most goings on around him, but looks good while doing it (certainly that's not me - especially not after those black socks!).
At this point - I must say my marathon training most resembles the life and times of My Lorry. He's all work and no play. While I am enjoying the accomplishments of my training thus far, I do approach each training day as though it were a mission. Perhaps some day I will become more like Lucie Mannette and find the beauty in it. But for now - I'm relishing in the novelty of checking off the box as a training day is complete and recording the results into my calendar.
At any rate - should some of you like to get your Dickens on with me - it's not that bad. It does take about 50 pages to become accustomed to his writing style and familiarize yourself with the England-France state of affairs in the 1780's. Small steps indeed. I'm glad I'm pushing myself to read these books. All in all - this training and reading is becoming more and more rewarding each day.
I have had a rough couple of weeks and I even had those fleeting moments where I feared injury so early on and wondered how I could continue with training. I actually even began doubting my ability to complete this task. Well - today, dearest readers, it seems as though I have broken through to the other side of my sluggish training.
It all started this morning as I was preparing for my day. I made my usual morning smoothie - 8 oz skim milk, handful of frozen berries, scoop of whey protein, scoop of ground flax seed, and a half a banana. Washed down a couple of multi-vitatmins as well as a probiotic and ALMOST exited the kitchen. For whatever reason, I decided to make a half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - just in case I needed a heartier mid-morning snack.
At about 9:45 am, I consumed said sandwich. At 11:30, I met a client for lunch. She is no stranger to marathons, so it was nice to be able to talk about the joys and pitfalls of my training, as she is also training for a race - the Eugene Half Marathon. I carefully chose my lunch from a menu full of pre-run no-no's. I had two small pieces of bread, cup of minestrone soup, cajun shimp salad with avovado and mixed greens, and an iced-t as well as several glasses of water. About an hour later, I found myself in the locker room at the gym.
You are probably now thinking that I owe my "super" run to the careful consideration of my diet Today, but I am not yet certain. You see, as I began to unpack my gym bag, I realized that I had forgotten my running socks. You may recall, if you are a regular reader, that once upon a time, such an incident was cause for packing up and going home. However, I decided to tough it out. I wore (I still cannot believe I did this) my black dress socks. I convinced myself that if I just rolled them down around my ankles, they could possibly be mistaken for black running socks. After checking myself out in the mirror, I realized that pass for athletic socks, they did not! Not even close. However, I also noticed something unexpected: my heel seemed to glide comfortably and ever so slightly in my running shoes. Could this be??? Could my debut as a super-geek in black socks possibly HELP me run in my new shoes? In case you are wondering - Yes - my legs looked even whiter and even pastier with black socks on. I chose to rise above it though, and get those white legs out there in front of that wall of mirrors and get on with myself.
I hit the treadmill and I am being completely serious when I tell you that I hadn't the slightest bit of pain as I began to run. What's more: I finally had the lung capacity to keep my 6.5 mile pace. I had a great 9 minutes of straight running, 2 minutes of walking, 8 minutes of run, 2 min walking, and then finished it off with 8 minutes of running. A nice long stretch at the end topped off what was just about my most perfect run yet. 30 minutes, 3 miles.
So was it the socks? Was it that PB&J between breakfast and lunch? Was it my lunch itself? I'm thinking it must have been the combination of all of those things. However, what will remain a mystery to me is if those socks deserve the acclaim I am more than prepared to give them. Needless to say, I will be searching for white, thin, nylon socks to wear for my next few runs. I believe it no doubt helped with those new shoes.
I should also give credit where it's due in terms of iPod selections. I tell you what: I can't lose if Billy Joel or Tim McGraw are belting out tunes into my ears. My final selection, however, was Martina's Independance Day, which carried me through my last half mile with no problems. I am actually LOOKING FORWARD to my next run, which will be on Thursday. Tomorrow I'm doing some cross training in the form of weight training.
SO - Perhaps I will pay better attention to my pre-run provisions, as well as those that follow each run. Most of you have heard my "you are what you eat" spiel at least 1000 times, but it was clearer to me Today than it ever has been.
I have neglected to write about my book reading: A Tale of Two Cities. I will admit that at first, it was more difficult for me to open that book and read even a few pages than it was to force myself to go for a run. However, now that I am about 100 pages into it, it's going quickly AND I'm SORT of (SORT OF - I don't want to damage my street cred of having an aversion to the classics) enjoying it.
I am wondering which character I most portray in my running:
Am I most like Sydney Carton - the wreckless boozer who, while brilliant, has no regard for his own life? (probably not - I'm extremely cautious). Perhaps Jarvis Lorry - All business, no fun. Just out to accomplish his task and move onto the next. And then dear Charles Darney - the strapping, beloved fellow who remains aloof to most goings on around him, but looks good while doing it (certainly that's not me - especially not after those black socks!).
At this point - I must say my marathon training most resembles the life and times of My Lorry. He's all work and no play. While I am enjoying the accomplishments of my training thus far, I do approach each training day as though it were a mission. Perhaps some day I will become more like Lucie Mannette and find the beauty in it. But for now - I'm relishing in the novelty of checking off the box as a training day is complete and recording the results into my calendar.
At any rate - should some of you like to get your Dickens on with me - it's not that bad. It does take about 50 pages to become accustomed to his writing style and familiarize yourself with the England-France state of affairs in the 1780's. Small steps indeed. I'm glad I'm pushing myself to read these books. All in all - this training and reading is becoming more and more rewarding each day.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Long Time Gone
Well Hello! You all may have thought me to have given up, and quite frankly, I'm sort of wondering myself why I haven't.
Last you heard from me, I had a new pair of shoes and a new blister and was bracing myself for (OK - looking forward to) a light training week, especially in light of that new blister.
Monday, I took off. No use aggravating my blister and my foot. Tuesday, I did some cross-training - 30 minutes of cycling - and a weight workout (abs and back/biceps).
Tuesday evening, I donated blood. I wrestled with this appointment because I knew it was going to keep me from two days of training. The friendly people at the local blood bank will ask you to please limit physical activity for 24 hours, but I find that I am weak and pasty-yellow (not even up to pasty-white) for an entire day and that I must have 48 hours. In the end, I surmised that by giving blood, I was giving the gift of life, and the pesky marathon training could just wait for two days.
That meant Wednesday and Thursday were rest days, which was fine me with.
Wednesday evening was a defining moment for me. Greg and I were invited to a local bar called Sam Bonds Garage to see my former guitar teacher perform live. I was shocked to see his email invitation because I had assumed (naturally) that he had disowned me after I was no doubt his worst student, and I never called him back after I requested a leave from lessons while our kitchen and bath were being remodeled (hey - he came to my house for the lessons, so it's not like I was unjustified...). So, there Greg and I sat amid a sea of multi-generational hippies and hipsters at Sam Bonds Garage. The scene made me feel like I was back in college. I was trying to decide if I should order a cheap beer (probably Pabst) or a mixed beverage. Greg says to me "This environment makes me wanna go for a run". WHAT???? I say back to him while picking up my jaw from the slimy, grainy, wooden floor. He explained that such a crunchy college scene beckons him back to the days when he was a cross country star at school. OK - he didn't use the "star" label, he's much too modest, but essentially, like me, the scene reminded him of college, which brought up images of running for him. The most pervasive item from my college years: Cheap Beer. It was then that I realized again that I am no runner, nor will I probably ever be. Greg has been a runner since Junior High. It's now hardwired in his brain. It feels good for him to go out on a run. He has fond memories and a certain nostalgia surrounding periods in his life that included a lot of running. I'm not a runner, even in the tiniest bit. I harbor no warm-fuzzies towards any run I've ever taken. Nor do I ever think to myself "now would be an excellent time to go for a run. In fact - I'd rather go on a long run than sit here and ponder drinking a cheap beer."
So - Friday rolled around and I should have gotten back to the gym. Not surprisingly, I found many excuses not to do so, the main one being (sorry Tia - I'm blaming me, not you) was that my good friend Tia was promoted within our department from Assistant to Account Exec, and we just had to celebrate by going out to lunch. I probably SHOULD have at least done a minimal workout to check out the blister's healing progress and work in those shoes a little more, but no. I went out to lunch instead. I figured "what's one more day?".
Saturday, then, marks my first day back at the gym after some deliberate resting time. Greg was taking Emelyn to a birthday party right across the street at the gymnastics studio, and I decided to forgo the party, as I'd already taken her to a gymnastics class earlier that morning. Had I remembered one small detail: THERE WOULD BE CAKE AT THE PARTY, I probably wouldn't have decided to skip it and do something as healthy as run, but we can't all keep on top of small details all of the time, now can we?
So, as I headed into the gym, I met a little difficulty because almost all of the treadmills were full, except for one, which was only open for 15 more minutes. I jumped on it and signed up for another that would become available at the top of the hour. I decided this would be OK. It's not like I don't stop to stretch after ten minutes or so anyway.
I started my run and I'll be honest. It didn't go all that well. By the time I settled into a groove and a running stride, it was time to switch treadmills. I quickly discovered the new treadmill has a bit of a pacing problem. Once you set your pace, it will slow down and speed up throughout your run. This pacing distraction would have driven me insane, were it not for the constant yearning in my brain for the cake that was just across the street, which was what actually drove me crazy. Throughout my run I kept thinking "I could be eating cake. I could just get dressed, walk across the street, and have a piece of cake right now." I kept searching for the little angel/devil figures on my shoulders as I looked into the mirror, but they remained hidden.
In the end, I logged about 35 minutes on the treadmill. A large portion of it was walking and/or wogging, but I managed to do about 2.5 miles. When I actually ran, I ran a decent 6.5 mile per hour pace, but I couldn't really keep it up. Not exactly a stellar performance, but there is a silver lining. My heel felt OK. The aches and pains I felt a week ago while running were virtually non-existent today. I suppose I'm glad I took off several days of training for recovery, but while I know I did the right thing, I can't help thinking I've taken a step backwards.
I hope to pick up my pace tomorrow and have a better all-around run. Once my legs get used to running again, perhaps they won't feel as heavy.
Last you heard from me, I had a new pair of shoes and a new blister and was bracing myself for (OK - looking forward to) a light training week, especially in light of that new blister.
Monday, I took off. No use aggravating my blister and my foot. Tuesday, I did some cross-training - 30 minutes of cycling - and a weight workout (abs and back/biceps).
Tuesday evening, I donated blood. I wrestled with this appointment because I knew it was going to keep me from two days of training. The friendly people at the local blood bank will ask you to please limit physical activity for 24 hours, but I find that I am weak and pasty-yellow (not even up to pasty-white) for an entire day and that I must have 48 hours. In the end, I surmised that by giving blood, I was giving the gift of life, and the pesky marathon training could just wait for two days.
That meant Wednesday and Thursday were rest days, which was fine me with.
Wednesday evening was a defining moment for me. Greg and I were invited to a local bar called Sam Bonds Garage to see my former guitar teacher perform live. I was shocked to see his email invitation because I had assumed (naturally) that he had disowned me after I was no doubt his worst student, and I never called him back after I requested a leave from lessons while our kitchen and bath were being remodeled (hey - he came to my house for the lessons, so it's not like I was unjustified...). So, there Greg and I sat amid a sea of multi-generational hippies and hipsters at Sam Bonds Garage. The scene made me feel like I was back in college. I was trying to decide if I should order a cheap beer (probably Pabst) or a mixed beverage. Greg says to me "This environment makes me wanna go for a run". WHAT???? I say back to him while picking up my jaw from the slimy, grainy, wooden floor. He explained that such a crunchy college scene beckons him back to the days when he was a cross country star at school. OK - he didn't use the "star" label, he's much too modest, but essentially, like me, the scene reminded him of college, which brought up images of running for him. The most pervasive item from my college years: Cheap Beer. It was then that I realized again that I am no runner, nor will I probably ever be. Greg has been a runner since Junior High. It's now hardwired in his brain. It feels good for him to go out on a run. He has fond memories and a certain nostalgia surrounding periods in his life that included a lot of running. I'm not a runner, even in the tiniest bit. I harbor no warm-fuzzies towards any run I've ever taken. Nor do I ever think to myself "now would be an excellent time to go for a run. In fact - I'd rather go on a long run than sit here and ponder drinking a cheap beer."
So - Friday rolled around and I should have gotten back to the gym. Not surprisingly, I found many excuses not to do so, the main one being (sorry Tia - I'm blaming me, not you) was that my good friend Tia was promoted within our department from Assistant to Account Exec, and we just had to celebrate by going out to lunch. I probably SHOULD have at least done a minimal workout to check out the blister's healing progress and work in those shoes a little more, but no. I went out to lunch instead. I figured "what's one more day?".
Saturday, then, marks my first day back at the gym after some deliberate resting time. Greg was taking Emelyn to a birthday party right across the street at the gymnastics studio, and I decided to forgo the party, as I'd already taken her to a gymnastics class earlier that morning. Had I remembered one small detail: THERE WOULD BE CAKE AT THE PARTY, I probably wouldn't have decided to skip it and do something as healthy as run, but we can't all keep on top of small details all of the time, now can we?
So, as I headed into the gym, I met a little difficulty because almost all of the treadmills were full, except for one, which was only open for 15 more minutes. I jumped on it and signed up for another that would become available at the top of the hour. I decided this would be OK. It's not like I don't stop to stretch after ten minutes or so anyway.
I started my run and I'll be honest. It didn't go all that well. By the time I settled into a groove and a running stride, it was time to switch treadmills. I quickly discovered the new treadmill has a bit of a pacing problem. Once you set your pace, it will slow down and speed up throughout your run. This pacing distraction would have driven me insane, were it not for the constant yearning in my brain for the cake that was just across the street, which was what actually drove me crazy. Throughout my run I kept thinking "I could be eating cake. I could just get dressed, walk across the street, and have a piece of cake right now." I kept searching for the little angel/devil figures on my shoulders as I looked into the mirror, but they remained hidden.
In the end, I logged about 35 minutes on the treadmill. A large portion of it was walking and/or wogging, but I managed to do about 2.5 miles. When I actually ran, I ran a decent 6.5 mile per hour pace, but I couldn't really keep it up. Not exactly a stellar performance, but there is a silver lining. My heel felt OK. The aches and pains I felt a week ago while running were virtually non-existent today. I suppose I'm glad I took off several days of training for recovery, but while I know I did the right thing, I can't help thinking I've taken a step backwards.
I hope to pick up my pace tomorrow and have a better all-around run. Once my legs get used to running again, perhaps they won't feel as heavy.
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