Not meant to be

I had planned on going for another run this afternoon.  The last time I looked at the weather the prediction was for cold temps but clear skies and that's what I woke up to this morning.  However, about the time I was thinking I might get ready for a run I noticed that the wind had picked up a bit.  Then, when I really paid attention to what was going on outside, I realized that garbage cans and various patio furniture could be seen blowing down the street.  I checked the web and it said "feels like 29" with gusts up to 40 mph.  Ummm, yeah.  Not gonna run in that.  So I headed to the Y for a run on the treadmill.  Before I even got half a mile into it the building lost all power.  If you want a really good laugh watch a row of people running on treadmills when the power goes out.  We all just about hurled ourselves into/over the display panel when the belt came to a sudden stop.  I think fate was just plain against me today.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Another run

I went for another run today.  Nothing huge, again.  Just around the neighborhood.  This time I was plagued with iPod issues which was annoying but honestly I'm just happy to be out there again.  My knees are a little stiff today.  I know it will go away once I've got a regular running schedule again.  The weather is supposed to be fairly decent for the next few days so I'll keep at it.  I'm looking forward to feeling fit again - something that I haven't felt for awhile now.  It's amazing how quickly that feeling fades, even if the image in the mirror or the numbers on the scale don't change much.  Then again, sometimes they do change significantly and then the feeling is even worse.  All the more reason to get out there and run.

3 glorious miles

I went running yesterday for the first time since my race.  That was over a month ago.  It felt great!  My foot had been feeling better for awhile, actually, but I simply hadn't had the time to get out on the streets.  Plus it had been quite cold.  It's warmed up significantly now and I finally had some time for a quick run around the neighborhood.  My legs felt springy with energy from not having run in so long.  I contemplated doing the full 5 mile loop around the place but decided it was probably smarter to hold back a bit.  Plus I was out of practice and while my legs had plenty of energy my lungs were singing a different tune after a couple of miles.  Three miles was perfect.  My foot feels fine and I'll be back out there today or tomorrow.  Man, it's good to be back!

16 days and counting...

Two+ weeks of no running. I am not a happy camper. My foot might feel a little better. Maybe. Meanwhile, I'm starting to feel like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. It doesn't help that I haven't had time to hit the weights either. I've been getting on the stationary bike about 3 times a week but it's just not the same as running - both physical and mentally. I will be running again before Christmas. I don't care how my foot feels, what the weather is like, if my Christmas shopping is done or not. I need to run.

Not running and not happy

It's been 11 days since I last ran. I decided that I had ignored the doctor's advice long enough and, now that the race was over, I should rest my foot completely so this stress fracture can finally heal. That means no running whatsoever. I can now say this officially sucks. After taking 3 days off from any kind of exercise (I did run 26.2 miles, after all!) I went to the Y and got on the stationary bike. After about 5 mintues of pedaling I couldn't help looking over at the treadmills. I started thinking "Well, I could run for just a little bit. That would be OK." But I shook it off and kept my butt firmly planted on the bike. Since then the temptation to run has gotten even worse. To add insult to injury, my foot isn't really feeling much better. What's the deal with that??? I made a deal with myself that I would give it at least 2-3 weeks. I'm only 11 days in so I'm going to try to be patient, but after that I'm hitting the pavement whether my foot feels better or not. I need to run not only for my physical well being but for my mental well being, too. This not running stuff blows.

26.2 miles and still standing

What a day! I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:13:23. I'm very satisfied with that number. Even better, I can still walk! Although a couple of toenails may have to be sacraficed. A small price to pay. I'm stiff and sore in the hips and knees but other than that I feel pretty good.

It was cold. In fact, at the water stations that were in the shade they had the problem that ice was forming on the pavement. That made for some fun. And at the start it was too cold for the airhorn to work. But the Sun was out and the wind wasn't too bad. I never felt the urge to take off my gloves or hat so it wasn't that warm but it was OK.

I got to see my family at miles 6 and 13.1, which was such a boost. I never had to walk any part of the race (I walked through the drink stations but that was planned - I'm just not talented enough to run while drinking from a dixie cup without most of it going up my nose). The finish was amazing with so many people cheering for those last 0.2 miles. It was a really great race.

And now I'm off for a celebratory dinner and some ibuprofen.

Race day - 5am

Last night my 3-year-old daughter gave me some race day advice. She said "Tomorrow, Mommy, run very, very fast."

I'll do my best, sweatheart. I'll do my best.

T-9 hours and counting...

I'm about to head for bed. I was planning to already be in bed by now but, well, see my post from a couple of days ago. So I'm laying out everything for tomorrow - clothes, energy gel, race bib - and trying to make sure I don't forget anything really important (like toilet paper for the porta-potties!). I carbo loaded with a huge dinner of pasta and bread. I will hopefully get some decent sleep tonight.

The time has come for me to thank all of the people who have supported me and helped me get to this point. First and foremost is my family who put up with all of the time I had to spend out on the pavement - which often took up a large chunk of a Saturday morning or afternoon - instead of spending it with them. I'm grateful for the family and friends who have repeatedly told me that they know I can do this, even when I was doubting myself. I know many of them would be at the finish line to cheer for me if they could and that they will be with me in spirit tomorrow. That thought will keep me going when the going gets tough.

I'll be posting tomorrow once I get home. Now I'm off to bed.

Cold as ice

I'm looking at the forecast for Sunday. It still looks cold. The high is predicted to be 39 for the day. That might not sound bad but first you have to realize that the high will be at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, long after the race is over. Secondly, you have to look at the "feels like" temps on weather.com. Right now it predicts that at 6am (the race starts at 7) it will feel like 19 degrees. That's a little cold. At noon it will feel like a balmy 29 degrees. Yea? I guess I can at least count on being wide awake, even if I don't get much sleep between now and then. Not much chance of feeling sleepy when you're standing around in 19 degree weather.

I'm supposed to do a 20 minute run tomorrow in even colder weather. The "feels like" temps for the entire day tomorrow never get above 23. That's because they're predicting a wind. Lovely. I know, I should try to be positive about it. There's that old saying... what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Honestly, I think what doesn't kill you just leaves you horribly maimed and disfigured wishing you were dead, but then what do I know?

Life goes on

I will be the first to admit that I can be a little self-centered. When people ask what I've got planned for the weekend my first thought is "How can they not know that I'm running a marathon on Sunday?!?!" Ok, maybe they haven't kept up with the blog. But this thing - this running thing - has taken up a good fraction of my time and energy for the past 4 months and it all culminates in a race that's only 3 days away. So you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little bit preoccupied by it.

What I've come to realize is that the rest of the world doesn't really care that in a few short days I'll be attempting one of the greatest challenges of my life. Papers still need to be graded. Work emergencies still require my attention. Kids still call for Mommy in the middle of the night. Laundry still has to be done. The stress still piles up. Life goes on... and it doesn't cut me any slack just because I foolishly signed up to run 26.2 miles on Sunday.

I haven't felt very good about any of my runs this week. I feel tired. A lot. Now, it's true that I haven't been sleeping well so it might be expected that I'm not overly energetic, but these runs have been short ones. I should be able to do these runs without even breathing hard. And while I do run them at a good pace they seem far too difficult. I feel as though I have no energy. Unfortunately I think it's a result of being taxed on all fronts - mentally, physically and emotionally. While following my training program has prepared me physically and the tapering I've been doing should be allowing my legs to rest up for the big event, there's nothing in the program about how to taper the other aspects of life so that you're mentally and emotionlly rested as well. In fact, I believe the point I was making in the previous paragraph is that there is no way to taper life. I try to keep it to a controlled chaos and that's the best I can do.

So with 3 days left to go I'm feeling very weary. Not exactly the state I had hoped to be in at this point. Friends reassure me that I'll be fine, I can do this, I'll finish the race. I hope they're right. While I believe that, since I've done the training, I'm physically prepared I also know that my mental state plays a big role, too. Who knows... maybe this is all just pre-race jitters. Maybe I just need a good night's sleep. Maybe by Sunday morning I'll be champing at the bit to get out there. I sure hope so.

Important Final Confirmation

That was the subject of the e-mail I got today from the organizers of the marathon. I've got a bib number (7227, in case you were wondering), an estimated finish time, and a T-shirt size. It doesn't get much more official than that. This was all very reassuring because when I went to check my registration this weekend I had a small heart attack when the search came back saying that it had no record of me. After a couple more attempts I realized the problem was that I had put my first name in the "last name" slot and vice versa. You know, they don't give out those PhD's to just anyone.

I had a short 30-minute run around campus today. It feels weird to be running so little. I feel restless. It was a good run, though, with 8:40 splits. The temperature was chilly at 40 degrees. Meanwhile, the weather forecast for the race is growing worse by the day. The expected high is now 38 degrees. Crap. And this is coming off of an overnight low of 26. Obviously this might change between now and Sunday but I think the bottom line is that it's going to be cold. It could be worse. It could snow.

Things I Have Learned (Part VI)

1. Worms are slippery.
2. Sometimes a 6-mile run can seem long even when you've proven that you can do 20 miles.
3. It's amazing how a little thunder and lightning can improve my split time.
4. iPod + rain = not so good.

Another rest day?

Today is a rest day. Or should I say, another rest day. It feels weird to have so many off days. And the days I am running or cross training I'm doing much less. I'm in the tapering part of the training and it just feels odd. Sometimes I panic and think "What am I doing?! I have to run 26.2 miles next Sunday!! I should be out there running every day!!!" But the experts know what they're talking about. I did this tapering for the half-marathon last year and it worked just fine. I trust in the program. It's just hard to fight the urge to run farther or more often. I feel restless. Today I rest. My "long" run on Saturday is 6 miles. That will take me less than an hour to do. After that my next long run will be the race - all 26.2 miles of it.

Two weeks and counting

Ok, I'm getting nervous. I'm not too proud to admit it. In two weeks I'll be running 26.2 miles. Or at least trying to. When I think about it, really think about it, I know I can do it. I know I can finish. But then I realize it's more than that. I don't just want to finish... I want to finish well. I think I said this exact thing last year before the half (and if I weren't so lazy I'd look back at those posts and verify that). Half of the course I've done before, since the half marathon is simply the first half of the full course. There is supposedly a not-so-nice hill on the second half of the course somewhere. I think this is what scares me most of all. I'm not familiar with that part of the city so I have no idea what this hill is like. I'd feel more comfortable knowing the lay of the land, knowing how much energy I should be reserving for that hill. I suppose this is one of those parallels with life... you don't always know what's coming up so you just have to do the best you can when you get there. And I will, of course. But I'm still nervous.

The big 2-0

Well, I did it. I ran 20 miles today. How did it go? Let's just say, it wasn't easy. In fact, in the last two miles I wanted to stop and walk so many times I lost count. But I never did. I was checking my pedometer every 20 seconds to see how much further I had to go, disappointed each time that the number was still so large, but I kept on going. Sort of like a half dead, hallucinating energier bunny. Now that's a nice image.

I'm a bit sore from the run but surprisingly not as sore as I was when I did 18 miles a couple of weeks ago. Still, it's a bit sad when you have to actually use your hands to help lift your leg up on to the couch. Nothing a little ibuprofen and rest won't fix. I'd kill for a hot tub right now.

Now the tapering starts. Next Saturday my long run is only 10 miles. The week after that it's down to 6. A week later it's race day. I still don't see how I'm going to make the jump from 20 miles to 26.2 miles but I guess I'll just jump off that bridge when I get to it. Based on today's run I think it's safe to say that, if I manage to cross the finish line, I'm not going to be one of those people smiling and waving their arms and jumping around. I'll just be trying to remain upright.

4 weeks to go

I can't believe there are only 4 weeks left until the race. I'm not ready. This coming Saturday I will do my longest long run... 20 miles. I know I can do it. I just did 18 last week. But it still seems so unreal. I think I've convinced myself that I'll finish the race. The only question that remains is what kind of time I'll be able to make.

My foot is almost completely healed. It only gives me a little discomfort every now and then during a run but really nothing worth mentioning. I'll consider myself very lucky since I basically ignored my doctor's advice and managed to get away with it. With my injury out of the way the only thing to worry about for race day is weather. It's only recently started getting cold. It hasn't been bad at all, really. Yesterday I had to run in a bit of rain but it was pretty warm outside so it wasn't a big deal. The average temperature on race day is 45 degrees at the start of the race. I remember thinking that sounded so cold last year. Now that I've run through a winter here 45 degrees seems just fine.

I've got plenty of things to keep my mind occupied during these next 4 weeks. This is good because otherwise I might start obsessing about the race.

high and short, low and long

This past week I was running at 7000+ feet. Gratefully all of my runs were short ones (6-ish miles and under). The altitude kicked my butt. Then I came back home and ran 18 miles at near-sea level. For some reason that didn't seem any easier. In fact, it kicked my butt moreso. I think I prefer the short runs at high altitude, quite honestly.

I have 5 weeks left until the race. I have one more long run... 20 miles. I know I can do it but it would be nice if it didn't make me feel like I was going to die. A month ago I wasn't sure I would make it this far. I wish I could say I was more confident about finishing the race. There's a bit of a gap from 20 miles to 26.2. Of course, I'll still be out there on November 23rd lining up with all of the other crazy people.

Where's a hot tub when you need it?

I ran 16 miles yesterday. The last two were hard, very hard, but I finished. And my foot isn't feeling any worse than it usually does, so that's good. I'm stiff and sore today. Hell, I was stiff and sore yesterday right after I finished the run. A soak in a hot tub would be bliss but unfortunately I don't have access to one. I suppose a regular tub would do but it will have to wait. Life is too hectic at the moment to allow for a long hot soak.

I'm grateful to have a rest day today. I always get a rest day after my long runs but it means more now that the mileage is getting up there. I have 6 more "long" runs before the race. The mileage goes 8-18-8-20-10-6. When I think about how hard it was to add two miles on to the long run yesterday I get very nervous about having to add 6 additional miles on to my longest run in order to finish the race! If going from 14 to 16 was hard how am I supposed to go from 20 to 26?! I know they say adrenaline carries you part of the way but what I want to know is who is going to carry me home when I collapse?

Uncharted territory

This past weekend I ran 14 miles. That's more than I have ever run before. A few weeks previous I had run 12 miles and it wasn't easy. I knew that as I got closer to the 13.1-mile mark there would most likely be a mental block that I would bump up against. The longest distance I had ever run was a half-marathon (13.1 miles) and just knowing that made the longer runs seem even more daunting. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I was out running my 14-miler that it didn't seem all that difficult. I certainly wouldn't say it was easy but it seemed easier than the 12 miles I did a few weeks back. Now I'm filled with a bit more confidence about the rest of this training which is a nice feeling to have with 8 1/2 weeks left to go.

Perhaps even more surprising than my better-than-expected 14 mile run is that fact that it went so well despite the fact that I'm still dealing with a stress fracture. It would appear that my foot has healed somewhat even though I haven't rested it one bit since the diagnosis. I believe this is due to my slightly altered gait/footstrike which keeps some of the impact off the sensitive part of my foot. So far this adjustment hasn't lead to any negative effects elsewhere (knees, hips, etc.). However, I think that the foot has healed as much as it can without rest at this point so my prediction is that the small amount of residual discomfort (I'm not sure it would qualify as pain) is going to be with me for the rest of my training. That's OK. It's tolerable. My goal now is to keep it from getting worse as I continue to add mileage. My long run this weekend is only 8 miles. The weekend after that is 16. Keep your fingers crossed.

The good, the bad and the ugly

The Good:
Over the past week or so I have managed to alter my foot strike and gait just slightly in order to minimize the pain in my foot. I was worried this might just transfer the pain elsewhere (to my knee or hip) but, so far, all is well. My foot still hurts but it is much less than before and certainly not enough to quit running.

The Bad:
This past Wednesday my training called for a tempo run. This requires me to run harder than normal for short intervals. As soon as I started the first speed interval my foot hurt. A lot. Being the smart person that I am, I ignored the voice in my head that said "You should probably stop" and I pushed through the rest of the run. My foot was very sore for the next day. Lucky for me, the next day was a rest day and after that I had a day of cross training before I had to run again, so there was time to recover. However, it seemed clear that tempo runs aren't going to be happening while my foot is still hurting. This is unfortunate because these runs are what help you increase your endurance.

The Ugly:
Wednesday was also the day I went to see the sports medicine doc. He took X-rays and ordered an MRI. On Friday we got the results. The verdict? I have a stress fracture in the second metatarsal bone of my left foot. For lack of a better word, this sucks. The doctor was sympathetic to my situation and told me it was up to me as to how much I run on it but he would advise lots of cross training and no running until it heals (i.e. stops hurting). There's no way to know exactly how long that would be but probably many weeks. As dedicated as I am, there's no way I'm good enough to do only cross training for the next 10 weeks and then go and run 26.2 miles. So, given that my foot isn't hurting that much now that I've learned how to run on it, I'm going to continue with my training as is, probably ditching the tempo runs, and just see how it goes. I ran 6 miles yesterday with no problem. If, as I continue to increase my mileage, the pain gets worse then I'll reasses the situation at that time. I've just come too far (and I'm too damn stubborn) to throw in the towel at this point.

Running or swimming?

I got up at 6am today to do my long run. The predicted rain hadn't arrived yet but it was 75 degrees and 99% humidity. The air was so soupy that it was more like swimming than running. My foot appears to be getting better. It was sore for the first few miles, and there were a few stabs of pain here and there, but after that it actually felt pretty good. Of course, when I'm running 12 miles towards the end of the run other parts of my body start to hurt so then I tend to not notice my foot anymore. I've determined that I really need to take water with me from now on. Today there was so much moisture in the air that I probably could have just run with my mouth open but anything longer than 10 miles requires refueling. The best part of the run was the fact that the rain came about 30 minutes after I finished my run.

Opposite world

My foot is still hurting. However, my last two runs have been better than any since this whole thing started. I ran yesterday morning and was pleasantly surprised to find that my foot didn't hurt as much as it had been. Then I ran this afternoon and the pain was even less than yesterday. What's my secret? To do the exact opposite of what common sense would say to do. I haven't taken any more days off to rest my foot. I stopped icing it. I stopped taking Ibuprofen. Maybe I should also take up smoking? Well, maybe not but I have no idea why my stubborn, and possibly stupid, approach to dealing with my injury is working. I do, however, know enough to not mess with it if it appears to be working. I'll attempt my long run on Saturday (12 miles) and see how it goes. Let's hope I'm still living in opposite world then.

Ice and ibuprofen

I managed to run 10 miles yesterday. My foot hurt but it wasn't bad enough to quit. I spent the first couple miles wincing and altering my foot strike trying to minimize the pain. After that I settled in and just ignored it. I ran slower than usual - not on purpose but as a result of the discomfort. At the time I thought if that's as bad as it gets then there's no reason to call off the training. I can work through this much pain for the next 10 weeks. However, this morning my foot is very sore. I'll be icing it as much as possible, downing ibuprofen every 4 hours, and we'll see how it feels tomorrow (when I'm supposed to run again). My appointment with the sports medicine guy is still 10 days away. I'm trying to stay optomistic but it isn't easy.

Biding my time

I'm not a patient person. If you know this about me you'll understand that waiting for my foot to get better is a very difficult thing for me. I went for my run on Monday and instantly knew that my foot wasn't better and that I probably shouldn't be running on it. Of course, I finished my run. I went home and iced the heck out of my foot and continued to do so as much as possible the next day between teaching classes. Tuesday evening I got on the stationary bike for my cross training and was pleasantly surprised that my foot didn't hurt once during the workout. I decided that I should take yesterday off, even though I was scheduled for a run. My foot had been feeling pretty good all day but I didn't want to press my luck. I decided to go for a walk with the kids. As soon as I put on my sneakers (which I hadn't worn since Monday) and started walking the pain returned. Needless to say, I was quite depressed.

I have an appointment with a sports medicine doc but it's not until the 10th. If I stick to my training schedule I will rest today, cross train tomorrow and then have a long run on Saturday. I'm going to forge ahead, gently, and see how it goes. While my foot is still sore it does seem to be getting better. I haven't given up my hope of running this race but I know the more time I have to take off the worse my chances are.

Pain? What pain?

Sometime late last week I developed a pain in the top of my left foot. It was around the time I did my run in Baltimore. For that run I had to tie the key to my car onto my shoe and, since I was a little paranoid about losing my key, I tied my shoe extra tight. When the pain first showed up it felt like bruise and I assumed I had simply bruised it by tying my shoe too tight. Over the next day or so it seemed to get better. Then, during a subsequent run, the pain came back a bit. I assumed I had gotten too enthsiastic with the shoe tying thing again but then I did some poking around on the internet. It appears that I may have a metatarsal stress fracture. This is not a good thing. It's not horrible in that it doesn't require surgery or anything along those lines, however it would mean taking many weeks off from running and that would be the end of my training. So, what to do? For now I'm going to keep running but I'm going to take it easy and I'm definitely going to be tying my shoes loosely for awhile. We'll see how that goes. I don't have a long or hard run until Saturday when I'm scheduled to run 10 miles. I'm hoping that my foot will be feeling much better by then. If the pain persists then I'll make an appointment to see a podiatrist and get an expert opinion. Perhaps I'm in denial about this but I'm still hopeful that this is just a bruise. I'd much rather be an idiot that doesn't know how to tie her shoes than be an injured runner.

Tempo

Yesterday I got to do my first "tempo" workout. These are runs where you intersperse your run with short, high intensity segments. For example, yesterday the workout called for me to run 10 minutes at my usual pace. I then had to run for 5 minutes at 80% of my maximum pace (defined as where you can still talk but only in short, choppy sentences) followed by 1 minute of brisk walking. I did this three times in a row and then finished with 10 minutes at my usual pace. It was fun if only because it was different. Although, I have to say that "brisk walking" feels weird when you're used to running. As of this morning, I could definitely tell I had shaken things up with my body (which is part of the point). There's a reason why you get a day of rest after one of these workouts! But I look forward to the next tempo workout.

Dedication

Yesterday I was in Baltimore all day for a conference. Given that it's a ~2.5 hour drive from my house and the conference didn't end until 6pm, I knew that if I was going to get my run in it would have to be done in Baltimore. Of course 6pm is a horrible time to be getting onto the freeway anyway so I took my running gear and planned to run around the APL (Applied Physics Lab) grounds after the conference. Well, when the last session was over the heavens opened up and it rained, thundered and lightninged for awhile. I decided the campus wasn't the best place to run anyway so, armed with a map of the area, I took off in search for a nice park or neighborhood to run in and hoped it would stop raining soon. Lucky for me about the time I happened upon a park with enough area to run the storm moved on. Changing clothes in the car proved challenging. Women have this ability, which fascinates most men, of being able to remove articles of clothing from underneath other articles of clothing, a la Jennifer Beals in Flashdance (OK, I just dated myself). Well, let me tell you... when you're trying to put on something instead of taking it off and that something is a sports bra instead of a little lacy thing and you are working under a fitted blouse instead of a over-sized sweatshirt it doesn't work so well. However, with some creative use of clothing I managed to change without flashing anyone. Damn impressive, if you ask me, especially considering this was in a little Toyota Prius. I was then off for a 45-minute run in a fairly deserted park. For those of you who worry (Mom), I had my cell phone in my sweaty little hand the entire time. And now I know that my cell phone is moderately sweat-proof. Finishing my run without incident (running into two deer was about as exciting as it got), I got in the car and started the long drive home. I guess I can now say I'm dedicated.

A beautiful day for running

Despite a forecast that indicated scattered thunderstorms, it was a perfect afternoon for a run. The temperature was a lovely 73 degrees, low humidity, a few clouds to keep the direct sun off my shoulders, and a nice breeze. I did my usual campus loop and managed to go at a slightly faster pace than normal... 9:07 splits instead of 9:20. But mostly it just felt great. And that's what it's all about.

8 miles... 1/3 of the way there

I did an 8 mile run today. It was OK. Challenging but not impossible. However, knowing that I'll have to run over 3 times that distance to finish the race is a bit daunting. I keep telling myself that it's OK if I don't breeze through these long runs. I mean, that's what the training is all about, right? You build up to the distance so each time you go a little further, push yourself a little harder, so you can't expect it to be easy. Right? Right?! Someone please tell me I'm not just rationalizing here.

I think I need to focus on eating better. I'm certainly getting enough calories. That's not a problem. But I think I need to be getting more protein and more iron. Despite my love for a good steak, I tend to gravitate toward the carbs. I've been feeling particularly sluggish lately and, while my ever increasing mileage is certainly contributing to that, I think my diet has a lot to do with it.

Where does the time go?

As the summer is coming to a close I'm find the time going faster and faster. At least in some respects.

My runs have been going well. After all of my talk of looking forward to having an extra rest day last week, by the time Saturday came around I was dying to get out there. It felt like forever since I had run, even though it had only been two days.

Monday's weather was perfect for running and I was really looking forward to hitting the pavement. Unfortunately, a combination of a little too much alcohol and not enough sleep (due to a very enjoyable evening with good friends) left me in a less-than-ideal state for running. So while the weather was definitely nice, I had a somewhat sluggish run around campus. Of course, today the weather is far from nice (very humid) but I'll be out there anyway.

A day of rest

Tomorrow is the first weekday that I will have had off since I started my training 3 1/2 weeks ago. I'm looking forward to it. When I was training for the half marathon I always had two rest days each week. With the marathon training schedule it's only one rest day most weeks with an extra rest day thrown in every 3 weeks or so. You really start to miss that extra day off. Or at least I do! My weekly mileage is around 22 miles now. My longest run has been 7 miles. It sounds impressive but realize that neither of those numbers is as much as I will have to run during the actual race. 16 1/2 more weeks to go.

An early morning

I had to run first thing this morning. My day got a bit messed up and it was either run as soon as I got up or wait until very late at night. I opted for early morning, despite the fact that I hate running first thing after waking up. I'm just not a morning person. I felt so slow as I ran around the neighborhood. I think my legs finally woke up around mile 4. Ah well, at least I got my run in.

Things I have learned (Part V)

1. Don't run on garbage day on a hot, humid morning before the garbage truck comes around.
2. It's possible to lose a significant number of pounds through sweat.
3. A cold shower can feel great.

The heat is on

I just finished a 40-minute run around campus. It's 90 degrees and 50% humidity. ICK! I'm trying not to drip sweat on the keyboard as I type this. It was a decent run, despite the heat. Things are supposed to cool down later this week. That would be nice. I did my long run on Saturday without much ado, even though I was forced to take some days off earlier in the week. Hopefully I'm back on track now.

Running again

I managed to go for a run today. So far my lip doesn't seem to be swelling as a result. Let's hope it stays that way as I have an important meeting tomorrow and I'd rather not look like Mick Jager. It definitely felt good to be running after 4 days off.

Here's a picture of me running on the beach in Oregon. I'm that little reddish speck in the middle of the picture. Kinda cool. Running on the beach was definitely a nice change of pace even if it was freakin' cold.

Whoope-dee-freakin'-doo

When I woke up this morning and my lip was still just as fat as yesterday (possibly even a little worse!) I started wondering if I shouldn't put more stock in the dentist's warning about holding off on the exercise. When the swelling finally started to go down this afternoon I chickened out of going for a run as I had originally planned. However, I decided that an easy ride on the stationary bike would be OK. I went slow and for only 30 minutes. It was one of the most boring workouts (if I can even call it that) of my life. But at least I did something. I'll see how my lip looks tomorrow and might go for a run in the afternoon. I hate all of this inactivity. Especially when I'm supposed to be training, damn it!

Have I mentioned that I hate the dentist?

This not running thing has got me totally bummed out. Add to that the fact that I can't eat any of the foods I really like and you've got one depressed person. Why is it that you always crave foods when you know you can't have them? I've been dying to have chips since lunch yesterday. I'm reduced to soup, yogurt, cottage cheese, jello and the like. Of course, last night I had ice cream so that wasn't so bad. Still, this sucks. Stupid dentist. I'm thinking about going for a run tomorrow. My upper lip is currently the size of a bus. It would be hard to imagine it getting worse so I don't think a run is going to hurt any. We'll see.

Stupid dentist

I went to the dentist this morning. Technically, I went to the periodontist. I had some minor work done on my gums... Disgusting? Yes, but really no big deal. As I'm sitting there with a big block of ice on my mouth the guy hands me my "post op" instructions and right at the top it says "Wait several days before undertaking any strenuous exercise." Excuse me??? Several days??? You've got to be kidding. This "surgery" involved a few slices and stitches in my mouth, forcryingoutloud. How could exercising affect that? The guy goes over the instructions with me and says "You're a fitness person, aren't you". Um, yeah, just a bit. So he explains that he doesn't want me doing any cardio for the next 5 days. !!! He goes on about increased heart rate, blood flow and swelling, blah, blah, blah, but all I heard was that I can't do ANY cardio - no running, no cycling, no nothing - for 5 days! He said it was OK for me to walk. Thanks, dude. What the hell? If I knew this would be the case I would have had this stupid procedure done before my training started. This just sucks.

Hills and sand

I'm in Portland, OR visiting family. This means running in whatever environment is available. For this trip that has meant hills and sand. My folks live at the top of a hill in the suburbs of Portland. All roads from their house lead down. This, of course, means that eventually you have to come back up. All of my running courses in PA are relatively flat so this has been a bit of a challenge for me. We also spent a couple of days at the Oregon coast which meant running in the sand. Granted it was the wet, packed sand (with some dodging of waves) but still... it's a little different than running on pavement. It's good to change things up now and then but all the same I'm looking forward to running my usual flat loops around the WCU campus next week.

Sluggish

My run wasn't very good today. I felt very slow. My pedometer showed that I wasn't any slower or faster than usual, but for some reason it took a lot more effort than usual to keep putting one foot in front of the other. As I dragged myself around campus I wondered what could be to blame for the sluggish feeling. I came up with two culprits. First, I had a very large lunch today (at a wonderful Mexican restaurant, by the way). I'm not used to eating so much in the middle of the day and a couple of hours later when I hit the pavement I was still quite stuffed. Second, I hadn't had any caffeine before my run. Now I'm not a coffee drinker in the least and I'm not really addicted to caffeine but I like my soda so I usually have one with lunch. However, today I had a non-caffeinated drink with lunch and the lack of this insidious chemical could have been partly to blame for my less-than-energetic state. Whatever the cause, my run was marginal at best. Hopefully tomorrow's will be better.

Feeling good

Yesterday I ran 5.5 miles around campus. It was raining a bit which meant it wasn't too hot. It was a good run. In fact, I sort of wished it was raining a little more by the end of the run. I was glad to see that I could still run over 5 miles in one shot without feeling completely wiped. Next week I start my training program and my first "long" run is 5 miles. I hadn't run over 4 in a long time. I think I should be good to start up. Of course, the long runs quickly get longer until I'm up to 10 miles by the end of August. We'll see how I'm holding up by then. But for now I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Thinking about getting serious

I took an unexpected break from running this past weekend. I spent a fun few days with friends in D.C. and, while I took my running shoes with me, the large amount of walking we did around our nation's capital combined with the lure of relaxing with food and spirits pretty much quenched all desire to go for a run (especially in the heat and humidity). So yesterday was my first run in 5 days. It felt good. There's something to be said about taking a short break. But now I'm back in the saddle with only 2 weeks left to goof around before starting to train for real. I'm not looking forward to the long runs in either heat and humidity or at very early hours of the morning but I'm afraid that's how it's going to be until late September, most likely. Oh well, it won't kill me.

More please!

This ramping up stuff is difficult. Especially when the weather isn't the best or you have to run at a time of day you're not used to (and don't particularly like). I've been trying to get myself to run longer distances and more often. I've managed to up the frequency without too much ado. However, getting myself to add an extra mile on has been difficult. When I get close to the point where I usually stop and I've already sweated off a couple of pounds due to the humidity I can easily talk myself out of continuing on. But it's gotta happen eventually and I'd rather increase my distance a little bit here and there now than wait until I start training and then I have to do it all at once. So I guess I'm just going to have to stop whining about it and (to quote Nike) just do it. While that makes for a great motto, it's easier said than done.

Ready for training (I think)

I'm a bit torn. I think it's been a good thing to decrease my mileage, take it a little easy, and let my body rest a bit this past month. That said, I just haven't been myself lately and I think at least part of that is due to feeling like I'm not doing my best with my runs (see my thoughts on comfort from a few weeks ago). I feel sluggish, I don't have as much energy as I'm used to, and I'm just not happy with my performance. While that seems counter-intuitive, any avid exerciser will tell you that in order to have energy you have to expend energy. There are 3.5 weeks until I officially start training for the marathon. I think I'm going to ease my mileage back up to 15 miles or so a week over the next few weeks. Hopefully that will help me feel better plus it will put me in a good position to start training. November will be here before I know it!

At least it's not still dark

I was up at 5:30am today to run. At least it's summer which means it's actually light out at that time of the morning. The Sun wasn't quite up (at least not above the houses) but it was light. And there's something to be said for being done with my run so early in the day. However, I typically like going for my run so I'm not particularly anxious to get it over with or anything like that. I'd much rather be awake and enjoy my run. But the weather simply doesn't allow for that at the moment. According to weather.com, at 4pm (my usual running time) it will feel like 104. No thank you. The heat wave is supposed to pass soon so hopefully I won't be setting my alarm clock for my next run. Of course, come July and August it will probably be unavoidable.

Sleep running

I set my alarm for 6am so that I could get my run in before it got completely disgusting outside. I hate running first thing in the morning. I'm not a morning person in general. But sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. So I threw back a glass of OJ and hit the pavement. It was cool and foggy and I decided to just take it slow. I think I finally woke up somewhere around mile 3 or so. I don't think my legs woke up until closer to mile 4. I guess I'd better get used to it.

Humidity!

I ran today in the heat and humidity. It's certainly going to get much worse before it gets better but it was still pretty disgusting out there. When I started feeling sick to my stomach about half way through the run I realized that I really need to drink more water, especially in this weather. I'm horrible about staying hydrated but I think the threat of heat exhaustion might motivate me to be better about it. There is a heat advisory for the weekend with heat indexes predicted to reach 100. Looks like I'll be getting up pretty early for my runs. Man, I hate running early in the morning.

Listen to the pros

With the weather being so beautiful I ignored my usual running routine, which is based on a training program designed by professionals. Instead, I ran three days in a row and then my knee started hurting. You see, there's a reason the pros tell you to do cross training some days and take rest days. And there's a reason that I don't write running books. It's because I'm an idiot. Luckily I don't appear to have done any lasting damage. I cross trained for a day and then did another run and, while the knee is a little stiff, it seems to be OK. I'm sure there are people who can run every day of the week but from now on I'm going to stick with what the pros recommend. Besides, the humidity is creeping up now which doesn't inspire me to break the rules.

Running - cures what ails you

The weather has been gorgeous lately. I did 5 miles on Saturday in the warm sunshine. Did another 3.5 miles yesterday in almost hot weather. I'm not complaining! I'd much rather be running in the heat than the cold (perhaps a reflection of the fact that I first took up running in Arizona?). I've been keeping my mileage on the low side lately in an effort to give my body a break. However, now I'm feeling sluggish. Normally today would be a cross training day but I brought my running gear to the office with me and I may do a few miles around campus. Not only do I feel the need to burn some excess calories but my head is particularly cluttered as of late and I think a run might help both situations. Of course, today the weather has taken a turn and it is raining. Still warm, but raining - which means humid. Oh well, I'm waterproof.

Comfort

I accidentally left my running shoes in my office yesterday so when I went for my run around the neighborhood this morning I had to use an old pair that I had retired awhile back. You know that saying "as comfortable as an old pair of shoes"? I was surprised at how comfortable these shoes were. After all, I had tossed them in favor of new shoes, right? So as I was having a great run I was thinking "Why did I get rid of these things? They're so comfortable!" The answer, of course, is that they have a lot of mileage on them and, despite the fact that they felt comfortable for a quick 3 mile run, the cushioning is pretty much gone and if I had continued to run in them my feet would have paid the price.

This simple thought process on running shoes lead me to a more profound conclusion on comfort. Just because something is comfortable doesn't mean that it's what's best for you. In running and in life you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone from time to time. If I hadn't pushed myself in my training there's no way I would have broken the 9-minute-mile barrier in the Broad Street Run a few weeks ago. The same goes for life. You're never going to discover new things (about the world or yourself) if you don't push yourself. Now, that's not to say that being comfortable is bad. Certainly I would tell anyone who is taking up running that it shouldn't hurt all of the time! But if you're comfortable all of the time then you're not exploring your full potential. And I think the same goes for life. Comfortable is good sometimes but not always.

Well, that's my musing for the day (after a particularly good run). Maybe I should stop drinking so early in the morning.

Things I have learned (Part IV)

1. If neither the spirit nor the flesh is willing then it just ain't gonna happen.
2. Sometimes the threat of rain is worse than actual rain.
3. It's very difficult to have a good run when you have to go to the bathroom.

Race for the Cure - Philly style

I spent my Mother's Day morning running in the Race for the Cure with two of my neighbors and about 45,000 other people in downtown Philadelphia. What a great day! It was a nice, easy 3.1 mile stroll for me but that's fine. One of my neighbors has been working hard to get into shape and doing this run was a milestone for her, so I told her I'd stick with her the whole way and that's what we did. We ran a 12 minute mile - a personal record for her! Yea! And then we just relaxed and enjoyed the free food and music and sunny weather afterwards. I just love this race. We've already decided that we need to get a bigger group of people for next year. And then maybe instead of taking it easy I'll step it up and see just how fast I can go. ;)

Back on the streets

After some days of rest and easy cross training, I was back running again today. Nothing hard - just 30 minutes around campus. It felt good. I don't think I had fully appreciated how much I was in need of a run. The end-of-semester stress coupled with other work and real life has been taking a toll lately. And while a run can't fix everything, a good one can certainly improve things (or at least your outlook on things).

I have a confession to make. I'm not one of those people who get the famous "runner's high" (that's not the confession). Running is hard for me. I do it because I get satisfaction at doing well at something that is difficult, not because I feel all warm and fuzzy at mile 8. However, I have to admit that during this last race I had moments that were high-like and (this is for all the girls out there) it came from passing younger, taller, reasonably fit men on the course. I know, I know... that's very shallow of me but what I can I say? For a woman who is going to be, well, let's just say "not young" very soon and who was never athletically inclined, this is a huge ego boost. :)

Post race buzz

I had intended to post more before the race but the time sort of got away from me. I'm now at home enjoying my post race buzz. I managed 8:45 splits which makes me quite the happy girl. I knew I could do 9:30, I was hoping for 9:00 and I busted my butt and got 8:45. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. I'm sore and I know it's going to be worse tomorrow, but that's what you get when you push yourself. The race was fun - a TON of people (over 20,000 runners), cool music along the way (an awesome blues band at mile 6), and wonderful weather. Really an all-around great race. Now where's that beer?

Tucson

I'm in Tucson working with some colleagues. This means running in absolutely gorgeous weather. Of course, lately it's been pretty nice in Philly but for some reason running in Tucson is always better. Maybe it's the lack of humidity. Maybe it's the scenery (the Catalina Mountains are quite beautiful). Maybe I just miss the place. I don't know but I thoroughly enjoyed my run this morning. The five miles felt good - no aches or pains. I'll get to do one more run here before I head back to Philly. One week until the race.

Lowering the mileage

I'm now to the tapering part of my training. I ran 8 miles on Saturday and felt fairly good about it. No major aches or pains. The weather has been gorgeous as of late. Warm (almost too warm!) and sunny. The rain has moved in a bit now but at least it's still warm. I don't miss wearing my tights and fleece. There are two weeks until the race. I think I'll be fine. We'll see how the decrease in mileage sits with me this time around. Last time I got anxious about it, however this time I'm feeling much more tired. I hope we get nice weather for the race.

Good weather, bad run

The weather was perfect for my long run yesterday. Unfortunately the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. What was supposed to be a 10 mile run ended up being a very slow ~9 mile run. At that point I was just exhausted and didn't have the energy to push on. I can come up with all kinds of excuses for it but they would just be cop outs. It really doesn't matter why anyway. The bottom line is that I didn't meet my goal and I'm annoyed to no end by it. I just hope this isn't an indication of how the race will go in 3 weeks.

Warm weather!

The high yesterday was 74. When I ran on Monday it was 47. What a change! It was absolutely glorious to be running in such warm weather! Of course, a 27 degree change in temperature is a bit of a shock to the system. I would prefer a gradual increase but I'm not going to complain. I was out in shorts and a T-shirt and even then I was a bit warm. The forecast for the rest of the week is still warm but with intermittent rain. That's OK. I'm just happy that it's finally warming up. Tomorrow is my longest run before the race... 10 miles. It's supposed to be 71 but with scattered thunder storms and showers. I'll be out there, rain or shine.

A pleasant surprise

A wise person once said that without the bad days you wouldn't have the really good days. Today was an amazingly good day, especially considering how bad things have been recently. I was dreading my run today. I had a horrible night's sleep last night, the weather was gray and cold, and I was expecting more aches and pains when I hit the road. I was about a quarter mile into the run when I realized I felt fine. No tightness, no hesitant steps, no wincing. It was awesome! I was running for time today, not distance, and as I neared the spot where I usually finish up I got another surprise... I still had 10 minutes on the clock! So not only was I feeling great but I was running fast as well. Of course, when you're running for time and you go faster that means you just have to run farther. Not exactly a reward. The end result was a 6.7 mile run with 8:56 splits. Like I said, an amazingly good day.

Having doubts

My runs have not been great lately. I can chalk up the difficulty with the long runs to the increase in mileage but even my "short" runs (typically 5-6 miles) aren't going as well as I'd like them to. My legs just feel tight much of the time. Yesterday my knees were actually sore, which is never a good thing. This makes me worry. Now, they were fine as of this morning so that gives me a little confidence that I'll shake this all off but there is still a little nagging doubt in the back of my mind. My long run on Saturday will be 10 miles. After that I start to taper. I'm sure I'll make it to the race but these recent problems have me wondering if a full marathon is really within my reach.

Feeling old

Today's run was brutal. I was feeling sore from my long run on Saturday. Even after a day of rest I felt like I could use another. But I've got to stick to the training program so I hit the pavement this afternoon. The first 100 yards was just plain awful. I felt like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz... every joint and muscle in my legs felt stiff. For someone who will be turning 26 (in some units) in a couple of months, this was an unpleasant experience. I forged ahead knowing that some of the kinks would work themselves out when my muscles warmed up after the first mile. Well, there was some improvement but not a lot and I never really felt loose at any time during the run. Of course, there's more to it than that little number on my driver's license. To quote Indiana Jones, "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage." I've been increasing my mileage and it's starting to hit me. I won't be running again until Thursday so hopefully that will give me some time to heal. In the meantime, in lieu of an oil can, I'm going to go soak in a hot tub.

The real training kicks in

My long run yesterday was 8 miles and it was hard. This surprised me and made me wonder if I'm up for this race in 5 weeks. But then I thought back to when I was training for the half and I think it was about this same mark that the long runs started getting difficult. I had the same thoughts then but despite my worries I finished the half and even managed to do better than I had hoped. So I'm trying to ignore that little voice of doubt in my head and press on. Today I am a bit sore from yesterday's run. It's a rest day for me and tomorrow I'll be running again. Why is it, then, that I feel like I could really use another day off?

A new PR

It's amazing how much better a run can feel when you don't have a cruel wind in your face for half of it. Today was still cold but without the arctic wind it was a good day for a run. Feeling rather light on my feet, I pushed myself and managed a new PR of 8:35 (for 5.8 miles). I knew I was running faster than usual when I passed a couple of young guys. That definitely doesn't happen often! I'm wishing that I could run again tomorrow - it's supposed to be sunny and 52 - but tomorrow is cross training and I have a full day on campus. Oh well. Eventually the warmer weather has to come to stay, right?

Hawaii v.s. Pennsylvania? Hawaii wins

Long time, no post. I spent last week in Hawaii on a family vacation. I was so looking forward to running there, in WARM weather! However, I had forgotten about the humidity. While walking around on the beach in the afternoon is pleasant enough, running in the mid-day heat and humidity is something else. Especially when you're coming from Philly weather. My first run, which was about 5.5 miles, was OK until I hit the halfway point. Then I started to feel not so good. Unfortunately I didn't have my cell phone with me, didn't know anyone else's cell phone number by heart, and had no idea what the address was of the house that we were staying at. So I had no choice but to press on and hope that I didn't collapse on the side of the road. I made it back to the house alright but I proceeded to immediately jump in the pool, clothes and all. After that I took better precautions to drink more water and run earlier in the day when it was cooler.

Even given the rough start to my running adventures in Hawaii, it still beats running in the PA cold, hands down. The weather here is improving... slowly. On Monday I was able to trade in my long-sleeved fleece for a T-shirt but today the fleece was back again. And today it was windy! I run a roughly rectangular route around campus and I swear that a third of that route had me running straight into the wind today while absolutely none of it had the wind at my back. How is that even possible? And a few of the gusts actually knocked me off course! Of course, if you know anything about how tall I am this is not so impressive. Anyway, I'm missing the Hawaii weather.

My race is now 6 weeks away. My long run is up to 7 miles. I'd really like to break a 9-minute mile pace for this race. On my good days I do that on my short runs (5 miles and under) but I don't know if I can keep it up for 10 miles. Time will tell, I guess. It helps that the course is flat to slightly downhill. As long as I come in under 9:30 I'll be happy.

Hills

I tried out another new route today. My training program has finally caught up to me and I had to do a 6 mile run today. The first time I've run more than 5 miles since the half back in Nov. I mapped out a route using the pedometer feature on Google Maps (pretty cool, if you haven't tried it). The one thing I neglected to look at was the elevation profile of the route. There were 5 pretty good sized hills. My usual routes aren't entirely flat but they don't have hills like these. It was a good workout and I'm sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow. The other issue was that my pedometer is acting up again and I ended up running 6.8 miles instead of the planned 6. Oh well.

Tomorrow I take off for Hawaii. I can't wait to run in the warm sunshine! Next Saturday I'll be running 7 miles along the Kona coast. It's going to be hard to come back to the Philly weather after that.

An 'aha' moment

Well, I think I've figured out why the treadmill bothers my hip. I believe that I over-extend my stride when I'm on the treadmill, for some reason. I was running at the Y a couple of nights ago and my hip started bothering me pretty much right away. After a couple of miles, though, it felt a little better and shortly after that I realized that I had unknowingly shortened my stride. I focused on keeping my stride short for the rest of the workout and the hip pain didn't come back. Now, one data point does not a theory make so I'll have to see how this plays out in future runs but I'm hopeful that I have a solution. Of course, if the weather would just improve then I wouldn't have to run on the damn treadmill anymore and that would be an even better solution.

Same thing, different (busy) day

Things have been busy hence the lack of posts recently. I've been keeping up with the running schedule and have managed to avoid the treadmill. However, that's going to change today. My usual afternoon run time has been overtaken by appointments and while I briefly considered running in the morning the fact that the temperature outside was in the single digits (factoring in wind chill) quickly led me to change my thinking on that. So I'll be at the Y tonight on the treadmill. Winter eventually has to come to an end, right? I can at least revel in the thought that in a little over a week I'll be running in Hawaii!

Good weather, good run, good luck

I knew it was going to be warm today but I expected to be running in the rain. Instead, when it was time to grab my running shoes the sun was actually shining! Hallelujah! In fact, it was so warm that I was wishing I had my shorts instead of tights but at least I was running in short sleeves. Halfway through the run the clouds moved in and I was glad to have the tights, but still awesome weather. And I was running fast. Surely a result of the improved weather but I'd like to think my attitude adjustment of the other day was working as well. As I finished up the rain started. Talk about timing! All in all a beautiful run. 4+ miles at a pace of 8:50 isn't bad either.

A swift kick in the attitude

I've been in a bit of a funk regarding my running lately. I'm tired of running in the cold but I'm also not happy about running on the treadmills. My pace isn't improving and I just don't seem to have much energy these days. And my hip has been bothering me more and more lately. So after whining about all of this the other day I decided I needed to put on my big girl panties and just deal with it. Self-motivation is a quality that is hard to come by for most people, and I'm not much different than the average person in that regard. However, being disgusted with yourself for having such a lousy attitude can often help you dig a little deeper. So I grabbed hold of my boot straps this afternoon and hit the pavement. It was a good run. No PR's - just a good 'ol 9 minute mile - but it felt a lot better than my recent runs. Plus my hip didn't bother me at all (supporting my suspicion that the recent pain has to do with running on the treadmills). Now I just have to make sure the attitude adjustment sticks.

Still winter

The high today was 27 and with the wind chill it didn't get much above 20. Combine those temps with the fact that I overbooked myself for the afternoon and that meant running on the treadmill at the Y tonight. Someone recently tried to persuade me as to the benefits of the old treadmills versus the new ones. I have to say I agree. While the new ones have some cool extras, they often have way too many buttons with mostly useless functions (Does anyone really care how many joules they're burning???) and sometimes getting the information you're really interested in to appear on the display can be tricky. The older treadmills may have less bling but they do what you want them to do with little effort on your part. Plus I just like the feel of the older ones better. New technology is not always an improvement. Anyway, I was stuck on a newer treadmill tonight so I tried to make the best of it by doing more speed work and some inclines. I'm sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow.

Speed

After being told by several people that I need to do some speed work, I finally pushed myself to do just do it (to borrow Nike's slogan). I went to the track to run so that I could re-calibrate my pedometer and seeing as how the track has nicely marked intervals it just seemed the natural place for speed work. After a few warm up laps I settled into a routine... a fast 100-meters and then the rest of the lap at my usual pace. I managed to keep that up for 4 miles. I'm not usually a big fan of speed work because I tend to want to just stop after the fast part. However, I want to improve my time so I may end up visiting the track every couple of weeks. After walking a cool down lap I decided to see just how fast I could go - an all-out sprint. I managed a 20 second 100-meter dash. A far cry from the Olymic medal winners (10 seconds!) and not even good enough to compete in a high school track event, but that's OK. It was really, really fun!

Pedometer or no pedometer

Not only did my pedometer need to be recalibrated but the other day the data area (where it stores all of the info about my runs) got full. In the process of attempting to clear the data I managed to completely reset the damn thing - including the time, date, connection to the foot pod, etc. Serves me right for not checking the manual first. So I spent a good 20 minutes trying to set the whole thing back up (that was with referring to the instructions). Apparently even with a PhD in astronomy I'm not smart enough to operate this thing.

The good news is that, despite not having a working pedometer, I had a very good run yesterday. About time! I managed an 8.8 minute mile for just under 6 miles. I've been really out of the groove for awhile now and I really needed that run. I plan to try to recalibrate the pedometer today so that it will be working for my run on Saturday. It's supposed to be in the 40's for the next couple of days. As long as it doesn't rain it should be good for running.

How not to do it

The other day I did my usual loop around campus only to discover, upon returning to my office, that I had managed to lose the key to my office somewhere along the route. Talk about feeling like an idiot. So then I proceeded to walk the entire route again - this time in heels - in a futile attempt to find the key. Of course it was unsuccessful. Luckily for me, someone else found the key and turned it in. On the plus side, I think I've discovered a new cross training routine... speed walking 2 miles in heels. I was sore for the next three days.

I have officially started training for the Broad Street Run. However, given that I've been keeping my weekly mileage at 15 or above, I'm actually already running more miles than the first weeks of the training program call for. So I can just keep doing what I'm doing for another month. I'm already getting anxious about starting to train for the Philly Marathon and that's still many months away. I think I'm just looking for a change in routine. Maybe there's something to that speed walking in heels thing.

Stupid pedometer

I put a new battery in my pedometer and took off around campus. Problem is that, with switching shoes, the pedometer appears to be off somewhat. I think it's sensitive to where, exactly, you place it on the shoe. You see, you tell it your stride and then with every foot strike on the pavement it tallies up your mileage. But if it misses a strike every now and then because it doesn't get jostled enough or whatever then your total is off. And this messes up the pace it calculates. So while I clearly ran over 3 miles in just under 30 minutes the pedometer came up with an 11-minute mile. I don't think so. So now I've got to monkey around with the damn thing until it starts reading more accurately. I seem to recall having to do this many years ago when I first got it. I went to the track and ran laps, fiddling with the settings every so many laps, until I had it calibrated. Apparently I'm going to have to head to the track on campus to get it working correctly again. Who knew that buying new shoes would end up wrecking such havoc.

Back in the saddle

I ran outside yesterday. It was cold but no wind and the sun was out. My pedometer battery died as soon as I headed out so I couldn't tell what my exact pace was but I could feel that I was slow. I decided not to worry about it and just focus on the fact that I was running outside for the first time in weeks. It felt like it had been a lot longer than that. Plus I was breaking in some new shoes (finally!). It was good to be out and, with a combination of good music and a lot on my mind, the time flew by. I'll be out again tomorrow, around campus this time. It's supposed to hit a high of 45 but it will only be 35 or so with the wind chill. Still, anything above freezing is good at this point.

Itchin' to race

I find myself checking the website for the Broad Street Run every couple of days. Registration for the race (held on May 4th this year) won't open until mid-February. So why do I keep going back to the site? Mostly because I want to be signed up for something. I want a goal. Something I can look forward to. I'm distracting myself fairly well with speed work on the treadmill (which I ran on again yesterday) but that's only going to last so long. I'm hoping to get outside for my run tomorrow. I haven't run outside in weeks. It's going to be cold (high 20's to low 30's) but as long as it's not snowing I'll be out there. Running on the road clears my head much better than on the treadmill and I think I'm in need of some of that.

Not all treadmills are created equal

I had to do another treadmill run the other day. I've come to realize that not all treadmills are created equal. The ones at the Y are fairly new while the last two I've used were much older. The older ones have a better feel to them (with the exception of the buttons that only work if you really press on them). I think it has to do with the fact that the older treadmills have lost a lot of their cushioning and hence they feel more like the road. Regardless, I ran indoors this past Saturday and took the opportunity to really push myself. I managed to do a couple of miles in the 8-minute range and even sprinted up to a 7-minute pace and then back down. It was a good run, for a treadmill. I won't be able to get outside until at least Thursday. And, of course, the forecast is for 20's by then.

First day of school

I ran on the treadmill last night. It was the first day of the semester yesterday and I had to teach and then go to four different meetings. There was no way to get in a run before leaving the office. Plus it was raining/snowing when I did finally leave. So the treadmill it was. The run wasn't great. Two years ago I fell down the stairs at my house (call me Grace) and my right hip has never been the same. For whatever reason, it was bothering me during the entirety of my run last night. I'm hoping this is not a symptom of a larger problem. I think I'll be looking into those new shoes soon.

Another great run

I can't believe that it's January 12th. The weather has just been spectacular lately. Perfect for running. I did 6 miles today on my newest course, which I really like. It's a one-way route, as opposed to out-and-back, so there's no option for cutting it short when I'm tired. Unless I just want to walk the rest of the way home. Yeah, right. But today I wasn't tired. On the contrary, the run was pretty easy. Which, of course, means I need to kick it up a notch.

Winter?

Another very nice day for a run. Colder than the past couple but really nothing to complain about. Relatively sunny, in the 40's and no precipitation. Did another 5 miles this morning. I need to force myself to do a longer run now and then. I keep saying that I'm going to but then I wimp out. Maybe this weekend, if the weather holds. I've also decided that I need some new running shoes. The ones I have now are several years old and even though there was a big lull in the amount of running I did over those years, I've easily logged several hundred miles on these puppies just in the past 4 months. Time to go shoe shopping.

What a difference a day makes

What a fabulous run! I could rationalize and say that taking yesterday off was exactly what I needed but I think it had more to do with the fact that I got a good night's sleep and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! I was running in a T-shirt, for crying out loud! I ran a 8:59 mile. Technically not a PR but this was 5+ miles at that pace - a longer distance that my other PR's. So I'm pretty happy about it. Now I'm jonesing for spring to really get here.

Sigh

For the first time in probably 5 months I am choosing not to run today. The weather is beautiful but I just don't have it in me. I've had two nights in a row of lousy sleep and I'm just not feeling very chipper. However, I will cross train tonight and will run tomorrow, swapping my schedule for these two days, so as to still get in my normal weekly mileage. That should be acceptable. I would really worry if I skipped a run all together. I guess we all have off days.

Really cold

Call me a chicken but I ran inside yesterday. According to weather.com it was 25 degrees but with the wind chill it felt like 15. While I might consider running in 20-something weather, there's no way in hell I'd run when it's in the teens. So it was the treadmill for me. I've decided that I should use my time on the treadmill to increase my pace (since there aren't any hills and it's actually an easier workout). I got up to an 8:40 mile yesterday (for 1 mile) and that was my limit. Not bad for a first try. Now I'm starting to get ideas about my next race.

Happy New Year!

The weather has been quite kind recently. I was able to run outside again yesterday. Had to wear my jacket this time but still. Had a decent run. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that I need to vary my distances a bit more. I think my body is getting too used to the 5 mile-ish runs. I think I need to push myself every couple of weeks with a longer run. However, the forecast says that this "nice" weather is about to disappear. The high for Thursday, my next scheduled "run" day, is 25. Yikes! I don't know if I'm up for running in those temps. So I might have to do a quick 5 on the treadmill and wait for a warmer day for a long run. You know what's really funny? To look back at my posts from November when I thought 47 degrees was cold.