Today's goal: Easy run, 3 miles @10:46
Workout: 3 miles @9:37
Much better run today. The air was still and crisp with the faint smell of freshly mowed lawn. No mini river or annoying little dogs. Still trying to run without paying much attention to the 'ol Garmin. Feeling really strong today. Think I need new shoes though, feeling a little shin splinty. Opted to wade in pool instead of ice bath. 70 degree water was much nicer than 50!
Lately I've had more good runs than bad ones. I've got a new summer routine and I like it. Over the last few weeks my friends and I have been able to fit in a mid-week speedwork session. As much as I dread running around that oval track I can't wait to meet up with my crew. Okay let's get real, what I really look forward to is sitting enjoying a well deserved latte after the workout and visiting! But nonetheless it's great to see my buddies twice a week and my increasing strength is an added bonus.
Did you notice the new blog title? Last Saturday while trying to power through the last couple miles of my first 14+ mile run in I don't know how long (umm I'm thinking like forever but probably like the fall of '08) I had the thought that I should stop using Bart's title and come up with my own. I find on long runs I often tell myself "just get through one more mile". So I thought, violá I have a new title! I did a little Internet research and found that there is a book with the title Just One More Mile. Surprisingly enough it is not about running in the sense of the sport but about running towards a better life. It looks interesting, I may have to read it. So after a little deliberation (and trying to come up with something else til my brain hurt) I decided to use the title because everyday I'm truly trying to get through just one more mile.
You may have noticed that I also changed the look too. I like the clean simple lines. What do you think??
I've got two new events on my calendar. A 10K on June 25 and a half on July 16. I've also pretty much committed to a full marathon in September. I guess all that I have left to do is sign up to be fully committed. Oh and do a whole lotta training!
So there you have it, some random little bits!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Women's Fitness Festival 5K
Yesterday was one of those good days. My mojo was in synchronicity with the universe if you will.
I started the rainy day with a 5K race. I had a goal of 26:anything in my sights. It was a lofty goal and I had serious doubts the clock would read 26 when I crossed the finish mat. I’ve been training pretty regularly but I’ve been struggling with a bout of depression which has led to skipped workouts and less than ideal eating habits. The sunny, warm California weather of legend has been non-existant for the better part of 9 months making it hard for me to get myself out the door on many days.
As I prepared for the 8:00 a.m. event the rain steadily fell from the sky. I once again could not decide what to wear. This seems to be the theme of my spring training. It is more daunting to me than say a 13 mile run. So as I stood in front of my closet I pondered my choices; shorts and a tank, shorts and a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt? Capris or pants were out of the question so it really came down what to wear on top. I knew I didn’t want to be cold as I waited at the start and I detest running with anything tied around my waist so I opted for shorts and long sleeve shirt. Wrong choice! Within a couple blocks of this urban course I was too hot. I decided to not let being to warm ruin my run so I pushed my sleeves up as far as they would go, cranked up the Ipod and just ran.
I find that I often run with my eyes glued to my Garmin in order to pace myself. It’s not a good way to train and I have been working on running by feel as opposed to the time on my watch. As I waited for the start of the race I told myself to not look at my pace the entire first mile. I didn’t and as I approached the first mile marker my Garmin signaled my first split of the morning. 8:19! Yikes! That was not the plan. It was at this point I realized I was running waaaay to fast and was going to crash burn if I tried to keep this up. Like I said, I had my doubts about actually making this goal. I knew I needed to keep a constant 8:30 pace to achieve my goal so I spent mile 2 trying to settle into this pace. I couldn’t do it and grew ever more doubtful. I really need to work on a positive attitude while I’m out on the run!
One of the things my friend and mentor BC has taught me is to take the inside corners. This course had very few so I didn’t have to do too much jockeying to get down into the corners. However as we rounded the next to last corner another runner cut in front of me and stepped on my right foot as she passed. I thought for sure I was going eat pavement. Even worse this is my "fragile" foot! Now I realize that this was not a purposeful act on the part of the other runner but she did not even mutter a “sorry”as she moved out in front of me. How rude! Miraculously I was able to stay upright and kept on running. It sure is a lot more cut-throat at the 8:30 pace than it is back at the 10:00 minute pace! This will take some getting used to if I continue to race at this pace.
At the two mile marker my Garmin showed an 8:46 mile. Not great but not bad either. If I could hold it together for one more mile I might actually make my goal. I walked through the water station took a couple quick sips of water and picked up the run again. The third mile was an act of self torture. The doubt swirled in cyclone-like fashion in my ears. “You didn’t train hard enough”, “You can’t do this”, "why do you set yourself up to fail?", etc… My eyes kept straying to the Garmin and I didn’t like the numbers I saw. Each time I saw a pace of 9:something I got panicky and picked up the pace. I bounced around like a pinball. Slow and fast, up and down. I passed the 3 mile marker and I was spent. So close to my goal and yet so far. A tenth of a mile to go seemed so long. I rounded the last corner and could see the clock. 26:40! If I ran hard I could make it! I ran harder than I have since I was a child and crossed the mat at 26:58!
As I made my way out of the finish corral a nauseous feeling crept up and became nearly uncontrollable. I thought for sure I had run to the point of sickness. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon many times but never have I pushed so hard that it’s happened to me. I had radar lock on a garbage can off to my left just in case I could not hold back this impending tidal wave of overexertion. As I made my way through the other finishers to said garbage can I felt a hand on my back. It was my husband. He was smiling and congratulatory. I had indeed made my goal! It was in that moment that the nausea subsided and the full magnitude of what I had accomplished sank in. I had just run my fastest 5K, ever. Whoa! What a feeling!
My official time is 26:49.5., a personal best by 17 seconds. Not too shabby for an old chick who has endured 2 surgeries and recoveries in the last 12 months!
I started the rainy day with a 5K race. I had a goal of 26:anything in my sights. It was a lofty goal and I had serious doubts the clock would read 26 when I crossed the finish mat. I’ve been training pretty regularly but I’ve been struggling with a bout of depression which has led to skipped workouts and less than ideal eating habits. The sunny, warm California weather of legend has been non-existant for the better part of 9 months making it hard for me to get myself out the door on many days.
As I prepared for the 8:00 a.m. event the rain steadily fell from the sky. I once again could not decide what to wear. This seems to be the theme of my spring training. It is more daunting to me than say a 13 mile run. So as I stood in front of my closet I pondered my choices; shorts and a tank, shorts and a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt? Capris or pants were out of the question so it really came down what to wear on top. I knew I didn’t want to be cold as I waited at the start and I detest running with anything tied around my waist so I opted for shorts and long sleeve shirt. Wrong choice! Within a couple blocks of this urban course I was too hot. I decided to not let being to warm ruin my run so I pushed my sleeves up as far as they would go, cranked up the Ipod and just ran.
I find that I often run with my eyes glued to my Garmin in order to pace myself. It’s not a good way to train and I have been working on running by feel as opposed to the time on my watch. As I waited for the start of the race I told myself to not look at my pace the entire first mile. I didn’t and as I approached the first mile marker my Garmin signaled my first split of the morning. 8:19! Yikes! That was not the plan. It was at this point I realized I was running waaaay to fast and was going to crash burn if I tried to keep this up. Like I said, I had my doubts about actually making this goal. I knew I needed to keep a constant 8:30 pace to achieve my goal so I spent mile 2 trying to settle into this pace. I couldn’t do it and grew ever more doubtful. I really need to work on a positive attitude while I’m out on the run!
One of the things my friend and mentor BC has taught me is to take the inside corners. This course had very few so I didn’t have to do too much jockeying to get down into the corners. However as we rounded the next to last corner another runner cut in front of me and stepped on my right foot as she passed. I thought for sure I was going eat pavement. Even worse this is my "fragile" foot! Now I realize that this was not a purposeful act on the part of the other runner but she did not even mutter a “sorry”as she moved out in front of me. How rude! Miraculously I was able to stay upright and kept on running. It sure is a lot more cut-throat at the 8:30 pace than it is back at the 10:00 minute pace! This will take some getting used to if I continue to race at this pace.
At the two mile marker my Garmin showed an 8:46 mile. Not great but not bad either. If I could hold it together for one more mile I might actually make my goal. I walked through the water station took a couple quick sips of water and picked up the run again. The third mile was an act of self torture. The doubt swirled in cyclone-like fashion in my ears. “You didn’t train hard enough”, “You can’t do this”, "why do you set yourself up to fail?", etc… My eyes kept straying to the Garmin and I didn’t like the numbers I saw. Each time I saw a pace of 9:something I got panicky and picked up the pace. I bounced around like a pinball. Slow and fast, up and down. I passed the 3 mile marker and I was spent. So close to my goal and yet so far. A tenth of a mile to go seemed so long. I rounded the last corner and could see the clock. 26:40! If I ran hard I could make it! I ran harder than I have since I was a child and crossed the mat at 26:58!
As I made my way out of the finish corral a nauseous feeling crept up and became nearly uncontrollable. I thought for sure I had run to the point of sickness. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon many times but never have I pushed so hard that it’s happened to me. I had radar lock on a garbage can off to my left just in case I could not hold back this impending tidal wave of overexertion. As I made my way through the other finishers to said garbage can I felt a hand on my back. It was my husband. He was smiling and congratulatory. I had indeed made my goal! It was in that moment that the nausea subsided and the full magnitude of what I had accomplished sank in. I had just run my fastest 5K, ever. Whoa! What a feeling!
My official time is 26:49.5., a personal best by 17 seconds. Not too shabby for an old chick who has endured 2 surgeries and recoveries in the last 12 months!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
It’s been a while
Today’s goal: 6 mile, speed work
Today’s workout: 4.97 miles, 11:30/mile
Weather: Clear and warm, 60° F
Hey there internet friends. Yes, I know I’ve been absent for some time now but life has been in the way. You know marriage, kids, and the dreaded W word (work). Things have been less than positive of late and I just haven’t been able to sit down and write. I have been running though and had a successful race last Saturday (recap to come in the next few days).
This week I was asked to come into work an hour and a half earlier than usual and stay an hour later in the afternoon because we are short a body in the office. This adds up to nearly a full work day when I am used to only a half work day. It has thrown my schedule into a bit of tizzy and I’m trying to adapt. I keep telling myself it’s only for a couple of weeks but I’m having a hard time with the new morning routine. In order to get my run in and a shower before Hubs and kids I need to be out the door by 4:30 AM. This is unfathomably early to be outside alone in the dark especially since I am the fraidy cat extraordinaire.
Today I am all sorts of proud of myself. When the alarm went off at 4:15 I really wanted to turn it off and snuggle back into the blankets but I didn’t. I got up and got dressed in the dark and headed out the door. Okay, I did pace around a little trying to screw up the courage because it’s been years since I’ve run alone in the wee hours of the morning. After a minute or two I decided I would take my 5-year-old lab mix, Jack, with me. There’s safety in numbers right?? Plus check out this face, what’s not to love?
Well, Jack and I have a bit of negative run history and that has made me not love to run with him. We have tried in the past and it always ended up with him choking on his collar, me angry and eventually his feet tangled in mine with both of us hitting the pavement. The last such adventure was the Wednesday before a Sunday 1/2 marathon. I took the brunt of the fall and ended up with skinned hands and knees. That was the last straw for me. But about a year ago a woman told me about this crazy little contraption called a Gentle Leader. I was skeptical but decided to give it a try. You see at 85 pounds of muscle this dog had been dragging my old butt around whenever we tried to walk or run. This thing is amazing! It fits over his nose and he no longer tugs or chokes. Oh how I wish I had one of these when he was a puppy!
Anyway, we headed out and we had a few little disagreements about who was in charge of pace and where we were going for the first half mile but then a little miracle happened. Jack fell into my pace right alongside of me. No more tug of war, no more hopping around with impatience, just a nice 11 minute pace. I didn’t have a route in mind when we left so I decided we should take our Sunday morning walk route minus the scary dark creek. Jack was happy with this, he knew the route and we went along like this is a normal everyday kind of thing.
The best thing about running before the world wakes? No cars to contend with and fresh clean air. No waiting at traffic lights and no pedestrian traffic (aka sweet old ladies with little yappy dogs) just wide open streets.
The only downside is one of us will have to learn to ignore the suburban wildlife (squirrels, ducks, geese, skunks and kitty cats). But you can only ask so much of a dog who was born to be a hunter. While he has never hurt any of the wildlife we have come across he does love a good chase! His favorites are to swim after the ducks in the creek and play follow the leader with egrets in the marshy fields. Those graceful white birds hover above him just out of reach in a mocking sort of fashion. Luckily he loses interest quickly and is right back at my side!
I feel like I have obtained some sort of new freedom. I can have my cake and eat it too if you will. No longer do I have to fear the starry pre-dawn sky. I can lace up and head out the door with this new run buddy.
Ah bliss!
Today’s workout: 4.97 miles, 11:30/mile
Weather: Clear and warm, 60° F
Hey there internet friends. Yes, I know I’ve been absent for some time now but life has been in the way. You know marriage, kids, and the dreaded W word (work). Things have been less than positive of late and I just haven’t been able to sit down and write. I have been running though and had a successful race last Saturday (recap to come in the next few days).
This week I was asked to come into work an hour and a half earlier than usual and stay an hour later in the afternoon because we are short a body in the office. This adds up to nearly a full work day when I am used to only a half work day. It has thrown my schedule into a bit of tizzy and I’m trying to adapt. I keep telling myself it’s only for a couple of weeks but I’m having a hard time with the new morning routine. In order to get my run in and a shower before Hubs and kids I need to be out the door by 4:30 AM. This is unfathomably early to be outside alone in the dark especially since I am the fraidy cat extraordinaire.
Today I am all sorts of proud of myself. When the alarm went off at 4:15 I really wanted to turn it off and snuggle back into the blankets but I didn’t. I got up and got dressed in the dark and headed out the door. Okay, I did pace around a little trying to screw up the courage because it’s been years since I’ve run alone in the wee hours of the morning. After a minute or two I decided I would take my 5-year-old lab mix, Jack, with me. There’s safety in numbers right?? Plus check out this face, what’s not to love?
Well, Jack and I have a bit of negative run history and that has made me not love to run with him. We have tried in the past and it always ended up with him choking on his collar, me angry and eventually his feet tangled in mine with both of us hitting the pavement. The last such adventure was the Wednesday before a Sunday 1/2 marathon. I took the brunt of the fall and ended up with skinned hands and knees. That was the last straw for me. But about a year ago a woman told me about this crazy little contraption called a Gentle Leader. I was skeptical but decided to give it a try. You see at 85 pounds of muscle this dog had been dragging my old butt around whenever we tried to walk or run. This thing is amazing! It fits over his nose and he no longer tugs or chokes. Oh how I wish I had one of these when he was a puppy!
Anyway, we headed out and we had a few little disagreements about who was in charge of pace and where we were going for the first half mile but then a little miracle happened. Jack fell into my pace right alongside of me. No more tug of war, no more hopping around with impatience, just a nice 11 minute pace. I didn’t have a route in mind when we left so I decided we should take our Sunday morning walk route minus the scary dark creek. Jack was happy with this, he knew the route and we went along like this is a normal everyday kind of thing.
The best thing about running before the world wakes? No cars to contend with and fresh clean air. No waiting at traffic lights and no pedestrian traffic (aka sweet old ladies with little yappy dogs) just wide open streets.
The only downside is one of us will have to learn to ignore the suburban wildlife (squirrels, ducks, geese, skunks and kitty cats). But you can only ask so much of a dog who was born to be a hunter. While he has never hurt any of the wildlife we have come across he does love a good chase! His favorites are to swim after the ducks in the creek and play follow the leader with egrets in the marshy fields. Those graceful white birds hover above him just out of reach in a mocking sort of fashion. Luckily he loses interest quickly and is right back at my side!
I feel like I have obtained some sort of new freedom. I can have my cake and eat it too if you will. No longer do I have to fear the starry pre-dawn sky. I can lace up and head out the door with this new run buddy.
Ah bliss!
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