I'm still trying to figure out if this could have been correct. Yesterday, we were at a hotel in Ohio, so I went for my run (which was meant to be a short run of about 6km) on a treadmill. I decided to run for half an hour, but was too into it to stop, so I kept on going. I'd been looking only at the time, not the distance, and I'd been doing a lot of sprints and intervals, playing around with how fast I could chug away on the little track, and for how long, basically pushing myself like I tend to do. At about 38 minutes, I checked my distance. I was really close to 6 miles, so I did a little more sprinting and got there, then cooled down for a minute or so, and clocked off the treadmill at just under 40 minutes, having run 6.2 miles.
Then I checked how far that was in kilometres. That's almost exactly 10km (9.977 to be precise.) Is that even possible?? Maybe it's easier to run on a treadmill than outside, because I've never clocked in at a pace like that outside: my race last spring got me across the finish line in just under 48 minutes. At first, I wondered whether maybe the treadmill was giving me the distance in kilometres, but that makes no sense either: I do know my own pace, and I was running much faster than that. Plus, we were in the States where no one measures in kilometres, ever. I spent all weekend translating distances for my cousins, who were interested in my training plans and the marathon and the triathlon, etc.
Anyway, after that run yesterday, I'm kinda interested in getting a used treadmill and sticking it my basement. I could do my speed/interval runs on it all winter, when it isn't safe to go sprinting around outside in the ice and snow. Outside in the winter is still great for long runs, or slower runs, and I love running outside all year long. But I could see the advantage of training on a treadmill. It reminded me of being on a spin bike. Not the same as a bicycle, but you're able to push yourself harder and in a more controlled way than when out on the road.
Wish I'd known how close I was to running a full 10km. I would have sprinted all the way to that finish line and clocked the time as my fastest ever. It felt like I was running fast. But it was hard to tell. Anyone have experience on treadmills? Are they just plain easier? Can you go faster?
:::
Training plan for the week (the week before the marathon!) ... I skipped the early swim this morning. I was way too tired. I could sleep all day if that were possible, actually. It was a draining weekend. I'm planning to spin tomorrow. Run Wednesday. And possibly swim Thursday. Yoga Friday. Short run on Friday evening or Saturday morning. Like, really short. The book recommends 3km. And then I'm going to run a really long way on Sunday morning.
I hope I'll make it.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Trail season is over
I ran at my daughter's soccer practice last night. I ran on my favourite trails, and I ran fast, because it was getting dark. But it didn't matter how fast I ran, it still got too dark, too quickly, and the trails were hazardous. I ran on the trails until I really couldn't see, and the sun was good and down, and then I had to run around the sports facility's roadway, which is a little over a kilometre loop, but even that got dark (it stayed lighter longer than the trails beneath the trees.) And soon I was running in pitch black darkness illuminated by the occasional orangeish streetlight. I couldn't run very quickly because it would have been dangerous, too easy to set a foot down wrong. I had to force myself to go around the loop three times, and probably ended up running no more than 12km, though I'd planned to run 16. It took all of my mental strength just to make it around three loops in the cold and the dark. It was just so dark.
It really felt like the end of something. The end of the season.
So I think that will be my last run at my favourite trails for the season. It's only going to get darker the next little while, and I know people stop running trails in the winter anyway. Too slippery.
The question is: where will I run, now? And when? Will I change my training and start swimming more and running less? Any suggestions?
It really felt like the end of something. The end of the season.
So I think that will be my last run at my favourite trails for the season. It's only going to get darker the next little while, and I know people stop running trails in the winter anyway. Too slippery.
The question is: where will I run, now? And when? Will I change my training and start swimming more and running less? Any suggestions?
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Day of doubt
Am I doubting whether I can complete this marathon? I am, a bit, just a bit, a wee bit. I'm also doubting my training plan as it comes down to the end here. I'm feeling SO TIRED this week. It's been a stressful week. Things have happened that no one can plan for, or around. On Monday, we had some issues on our home construction project that thankfully have since been solved. The sadder and bigger occurrence is that my grandpa (my mom's dad) passed away on Tuesday. He lived in Ohio, so our family will be travelling across the border for the funeral this weekend. That means two long drives in a short amount of time, and an emotionally gruelling weekend, which I find can be as draining as anything that's physically challenging.
Not that it matters, given the context, but I also won't be able to do my planned 16km run on Saturday. What I'm thinking of doing now is skipping tonight's planned run (SO TIRED!) and running instead tomorrow evening for 16km. I'm pretty sure that I can squeeze it in during my daughter's soccer practice, if I map out a route in advance. There is a treadmill at the hotel in Ohio, and I could get up early Sunday morning to run for half an hour or so. And then I'll check in with my body and mind when we're home on Monday, and decide how the week ahead should look, training-wise. Monday (Halloween) is also the fourth anniversary of my father-in-law's passing, and my maternal grandma died almost exactly a year ago, too. It's a dark time, and I need to take care and remember that even though it may seem that these emotional anniversaries are not outwardly affecting, they may actually be, quietly, taking and requiring some energy.
Any advice? Would you aim to do less and conserve strength, or do I risk slipping back and losing some of the endurance I've gained during training?
I still believe that I can do the marathon. At this point, though, I'm thinking less and less about ideal times, and more and more about simple completion, being brave, going ahead with the plan, and doing my best, whatever that turns out to be. Which is probably, let's face it, a healthy approach.
Not that it matters, given the context, but I also won't be able to do my planned 16km run on Saturday. What I'm thinking of doing now is skipping tonight's planned run (SO TIRED!) and running instead tomorrow evening for 16km. I'm pretty sure that I can squeeze it in during my daughter's soccer practice, if I map out a route in advance. There is a treadmill at the hotel in Ohio, and I could get up early Sunday morning to run for half an hour or so. And then I'll check in with my body and mind when we're home on Monday, and decide how the week ahead should look, training-wise. Monday (Halloween) is also the fourth anniversary of my father-in-law's passing, and my maternal grandma died almost exactly a year ago, too. It's a dark time, and I need to take care and remember that even though it may seem that these emotional anniversaries are not outwardly affecting, they may actually be, quietly, taking and requiring some energy.
Any advice? Would you aim to do less and conserve strength, or do I risk slipping back and losing some of the endurance I've gained during training?
I still believe that I can do the marathon. At this point, though, I'm thinking less and less about ideal times, and more and more about simple completion, being brave, going ahead with the plan, and doing my best, whatever that turns out to be. Which is probably, let's face it, a healthy approach.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Day of fatigue
So ... I did run last night, in addition to the morning swim. I ran 7.4km because 6 just seemed so short (I should be thankful for my slow runs with my friend once a week because apparently, left to its own devices, my brain will not allow me to run short and slow; I always push as hard as I'm able, which means none of my long runs come in anywhere near the time suggested in the Running Room guide ... I run them at race pace. I'm not sure that's wise, or what the thinking/science behind the long slow run, but perhaps I should find that out and if it's important, force myself to run slower. And I can't run short and slow either.) Anyway, for my easy run last night, I ran hard, clocking in at just over 5 minutes/km (which is still pretty fast for me. I don't seem to be getting faster, not yet, who knows, maybe that's my edge.)
And then I got up this morning for spin class. My legs felt fatigued throughout class. But I tried! I showed up and tried, and that counts for something.
I'm glad to have no exercise scheduled until tomorrow morning. Phew. Now I just have to get through the rest of my day and the many things that are scheduled that have nothing to do with running faster, but many of which require a lot of mental energy and work, too. I can't leave it all on the floor in spin class because I have to take some home with me. My day is just beginning.
And then I got up this morning for spin class. My legs felt fatigued throughout class. But I tried! I showed up and tried, and that counts for something.
I'm glad to have no exercise scheduled until tomorrow morning. Phew. Now I just have to get through the rest of my day and the many things that are scheduled that have nothing to do with running faster, but many of which require a lot of mental energy and work, too. I can't leave it all on the floor in spin class because I have to take some home with me. My day is just beginning.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Day of figuring out my schedule for the next two weeks
So I've got less than two weeks to go. I need to figure out what running needs to be done, to leave me in peak race condition. Ha. Okay, in decent race condition. I'm not sure how to figure the swimming and spinning into the equation, but since neither are weight-bearing, I think I'll leave them out of consideration. It's the pounding that counts.
So ... looking at the Running Room marathon guide, for the "complete in 4 hours" training program, this week I should run 6 kilometres, then 10, then 10, then take a day off, then run 16 at race pace on the weekend, followed by another 6 the next day. (That seems like a heavier schedule than I'd anticipated, for tapering, but anyway...)
Next week, I should take a day off, then run 6 at race pace, followed by 10 at race pace, then two days off, then an easy 3 on the day before the marathon.
Hm. This isn't going to add up precisely because I did my long run on Saturday, not Sunday. I'm going to run a slow 8.5km on Wednesday morning. I have been running 12 on Thursday evenings, and 10 on Fridays, followed by a long run on the weekend, with the possibility of a slightly shorter run on Sunday evening.
Agh. Thinking out loud. Sorry. I could probably squeeze in a 6km run this evening, while one daughter is at dance class. Then I'll take tomorrow off (for running; there's spin in the morning.) Wed will be a slow run, which doesn't fit with the plan. Maybe I'll do 12 like usual on Thursday evening (a couple of extra km to make up for those lost on Wed), skip my Friday run (sigh! it would be at my favourite trails), and run 16 on Saturday, since I'm supposed to have a day off in between.
Okay, that could work. It doesn't have to add up perfectly, but I do want to do a bit less without falling off the training wagon too early. And I'm not an expert to say the least.
So ... looking at the Running Room marathon guide, for the "complete in 4 hours" training program, this week I should run 6 kilometres, then 10, then 10, then take a day off, then run 16 at race pace on the weekend, followed by another 6 the next day. (That seems like a heavier schedule than I'd anticipated, for tapering, but anyway...)
Next week, I should take a day off, then run 6 at race pace, followed by 10 at race pace, then two days off, then an easy 3 on the day before the marathon.
Hm. This isn't going to add up precisely because I did my long run on Saturday, not Sunday. I'm going to run a slow 8.5km on Wednesday morning. I have been running 12 on Thursday evenings, and 10 on Fridays, followed by a long run on the weekend, with the possibility of a slightly shorter run on Sunday evening.
Agh. Thinking out loud. Sorry. I could probably squeeze in a 6km run this evening, while one daughter is at dance class. Then I'll take tomorrow off (for running; there's spin in the morning.) Wed will be a slow run, which doesn't fit with the plan. Maybe I'll do 12 like usual on Thursday evening (a couple of extra km to make up for those lost on Wed), skip my Friday run (sigh! it would be at my favourite trails), and run 16 on Saturday, since I'm supposed to have a day off in between.
Okay, that could work. It doesn't have to add up perfectly, but I do want to do a bit less without falling off the training wagon too early. And I'm not an expert to say the least.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Day of long run
Wow. Tired. That was not an easy long run. I figured out that in just under 48 hours, I've run about 48km, or longer than that marathon is going to be. And today it felt like I was running the second half of the marathon, not merely out for a 25.7km jaunt. Actually, that was about 3km longer than I meant to run, or thought I'd run. Sheesh. I felt it in my bones.
I covered the distance in 2 hours and 20 minutes, but I'm too wiped to figure out what that means per km. Wait, I think it's about 5:30/km, come to think of it, because that's on par with my Toad run.
I've been wondering whether I should rejig my time plan for the marathon. I think 4:10 is a more realistic number to aim for, and won't leave me disappointed at the finish line. I may not have I've trained sufficiently to expect a better time than that, simply because I haven't done enough really long runs over the past several months. That's due to not realizing I was training for a marathon until about a month ago, and there's only so much time you can make up in marathon training. Luckily, I had been training for the Toad, so it's not like I was starting from scratch. But still. I know I haven't put the miles on like the serious runners have. Besides, for a first outing, I think it's always best not to run for time, but for completion and for the experience. That's made all of my other races this season very happy indeed. And as long as I complete the race, I'll get to check the experience off my life list. I always hoped I'd run a marathon. And now I'll understand what that means.
Not sure it's wise to run tomorrow at my favourite trails, as planned. I'm going to play this by ear. I don't want to overdo it. It's time to start tapering down a wee bit this week, and even more next week. I'm going to follow the Running Room's marathon guide for the 4hr completion.
I covered the distance in 2 hours and 20 minutes, but I'm too wiped to figure out what that means per km. Wait, I think it's about 5:30/km, come to think of it, because that's on par with my Toad run.
I've been wondering whether I should rejig my time plan for the marathon. I think 4:10 is a more realistic number to aim for, and won't leave me disappointed at the finish line. I may not have I've trained sufficiently to expect a better time than that, simply because I haven't done enough really long runs over the past several months. That's due to not realizing I was training for a marathon until about a month ago, and there's only so much time you can make up in marathon training. Luckily, I had been training for the Toad, so it's not like I was starting from scratch. But still. I know I haven't put the miles on like the serious runners have. Besides, for a first outing, I think it's always best not to run for time, but for completion and for the experience. That's made all of my other races this season very happy indeed. And as long as I complete the race, I'll get to check the experience off my life list. I always hoped I'd run a marathon. And now I'll understand what that means.
Not sure it's wise to run tomorrow at my favourite trails, as planned. I'm going to play this by ear. I don't want to overdo it. It's time to start tapering down a wee bit this week, and even more next week. I'm going to follow the Running Room's marathon guide for the 4hr completion.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Day before yoga
I'm nervous about yoga tomorrow morning, given my body's unhappy reaction last Friday morning (and no warning, I wasn't feeling off before I went or anything). Anyway ... just noting that I enjoyed a nice 12km run this evening, over the supper hour. I ran, then came home and ate. I missed supper with the family, but spent time with each of them at bedtime (which takes forever at our house ... and I really appreciated that time tonight, which was nice for a change.) I didn't run super-fast, but still came in just over 60min for the run, with a few long stops for lights and traffic. It was a busy time of day to be running across campus. Felt good the whole way, easy breathing.
But I'm stiff in my shoulders. And that makes me nervous about tomorrow. Hope it goes well, and hope I get nicely stretched out. Also planning a run tomorrow eve, and Saturday afternoon. Planning to put a lot of miles on these legs this week ...
But I'm stiff in my shoulders. And that makes me nervous about tomorrow. Hope it goes well, and hope I get nicely stretched out. Also planning a run tomorrow eve, and Saturday afternoon. Planning to put a lot of miles on these legs this week ...
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Back to the spin
Yup, I really like spinning. It's a good sweat. And you work as hard as you want to. Though I did wonder whether I was working perhaps a tad too hard when I gained the sensation of being cheered by a buzzing crowd while nearing a finish line during the very last hard interval (a minute in length.) Was I imagining a crowd or was this the buzzing of my brain right before I passed out? I wondered. (Vivid imagination, I think.) I like to spin with my eyes closed. And I now have this past summer's races and early morning rides to fill my mind as I work my legs. That's a big difference from before. I had never ridden a road bike when I last took the spin class.
One thing that annoyed me (about myself, that is) is that when the instructor came up and asked about how my "season" had gone, I completely minimized it and said, oh I'd only done one triathlon ... which is true, but I could have said how awesome it was to do a triathlon for the first time, or how much I've enjoyed running, or something mildly less self-effacing. That's my instinct. And I wish I could change it without feeling like I'm bragging.
Anyway .... I ran for 23 minutes yesterday, less than planned, but let's just say there was a bathroom emergency (or whatever the level is right below emergency) so I cut it short. Note to self: do not eat a giant meal in a short amount of time immediately before going for a run. Just don't do it. You can eat afterward.
And I think I've decided not to run during the kids' swim lessons today. I'm going to let my body rest briefly from the spin class, and besides I'm running early tomorrow morning. In my running plan this week, also: a run on Thursday evening, another on Friday evening, and a Saturday afternoon long run (the only time I can squeeze it in). I'd like to finish off the week running at my favourite trails during my daughter's soccer practice on Sunday. And then I'll start tapering ... a bit.
I need to think about what I'll do when the marathon is over. How I'll choose to focus my energies. Whether all of this exercise is becoming disruptive or replacing other things in my life. What my future goals are. Where all of this fits in ...
One thing that annoyed me (about myself, that is) is that when the instructor came up and asked about how my "season" had gone, I completely minimized it and said, oh I'd only done one triathlon ... which is true, but I could have said how awesome it was to do a triathlon for the first time, or how much I've enjoyed running, or something mildly less self-effacing. That's my instinct. And I wish I could change it without feeling like I'm bragging.
Anyway .... I ran for 23 minutes yesterday, less than planned, but let's just say there was a bathroom emergency (or whatever the level is right below emergency) so I cut it short. Note to self: do not eat a giant meal in a short amount of time immediately before going for a run. Just don't do it. You can eat afterward.
And I think I've decided not to run during the kids' swim lessons today. I'm going to let my body rest briefly from the spin class, and besides I'm running early tomorrow morning. In my running plan this week, also: a run on Thursday evening, another on Friday evening, and a Saturday afternoon long run (the only time I can squeeze it in). I'd like to finish off the week running at my favourite trails during my daughter's soccer practice on Sunday. And then I'll start tapering ... a bit.
I need to think about what I'll do when the marathon is over. How I'll choose to focus my energies. Whether all of this exercise is becoming disruptive or replacing other things in my life. What my future goals are. Where all of this fits in ...
Monday, October 17, 2011
Day of on with it
Have to replace that last post, which was so down and out. Because Friday turned out pretty awesome, with a great evening run. It was blustery cold and wet, but I ran joyfully for 50 minutes, not pushing it, and not trying to best myself or anyone else, just running. I found some strange trails and figured out places where I could run during my daughter's soccer practice when it gets dark (which is almost now) and snowy (soon to come, and I plan to run outdoors no matter the weather).
No official exercise on Saturday, but I moved a bunch of furniture and cleaned the house, and had eight kids overnight. So that felt like plenty.
Yesterday afternoon, I got to run on my favourite trails, which were covered in leaves and wet, but still a ton of fun. I love getting to use my daughter's soccer time for my own runs. It seems to make sense in terms of the time it would be taking to drive back and forth and saves us that extra trip. I ran for 70 minutes yesterday, and ran faster than on Friday. It was pure fun, pure fun.
Today, I was back in the pool after a small hiatus last week, and made it 2500m. I wasn't feeling too peppy by the end, but had enough gas to make it that far. A pleasure and a good way to start the new week. I'm looking forward to spin class tomorrow morning. Yikes! Back on the bike ...
And I realized yesterday that I have an extra week to train for the marathon (I'm terrible at math, have I mentioned that?) Which makes me very happy. A little less than three weeks to go, now, and I feel comfortable adding some more miles this week with that extra time in mind.
No official exercise on Saturday, but I moved a bunch of furniture and cleaned the house, and had eight kids overnight. So that felt like plenty.
Yesterday afternoon, I got to run on my favourite trails, which were covered in leaves and wet, but still a ton of fun. I love getting to use my daughter's soccer time for my own runs. It seems to make sense in terms of the time it would be taking to drive back and forth and saves us that extra trip. I ran for 70 minutes yesterday, and ran faster than on Friday. It was pure fun, pure fun.
Today, I was back in the pool after a small hiatus last week, and made it 2500m. I wasn't feeling too peppy by the end, but had enough gas to make it that far. A pleasure and a good way to start the new week. I'm looking forward to spin class tomorrow morning. Yikes! Back on the bike ...
And I realized yesterday that I have an extra week to train for the marathon (I'm terrible at math, have I mentioned that?) Which makes me very happy. A little less than three weeks to go, now, and I feel comfortable adding some more miles this week with that extra time in mind.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Day of discouragement
That sounds too dire. But I am discouraged. I felt great after the long run, good enough to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's family and then drive four hours home, arriving and getting everything unpacked by midnight. I spent the next day on my feet in the kitchen, still feeling fine, if a bit tired. But by Tuesday I wasn't feeling fabulous. I could not get up to swim, as planned, but slept instead. I ran twice on Tuesday, just two short runs, squeezing them both in at odd moments: while the kids were at swim lessons, and on my favourite trails after dropping my soccer girl off at a practice. Short, fast runs, no more than 4km each, about 8km total. I also biked around town on errands, and pulled the stoller, too.
Then I woke up early on Wednesday to run with my friend. That's 8.5km, but we go slow. I felt weary. I'd planned to go to yoga over the supper hour, but when supper was finally on the table all I wanted to do was join my family to eat it and to talk. This yoga over the supper hour no longer seems to work. And I finally realized why. Because supper is my favourite time of the whole day! I work hard to prepare a thoughtful healthy and delicious meal, and then my family sits down and (mostly) enjoys it together, and we talk, and we have time to sit and relax and just be together. So no wonder I don't feel like missing out on that time of connection.
Having realized that, I will no longer feel guilty about not doing yoga over the supper hour (and I was feeling guilty, and lazy). No more! I went to yoga class this morning instead, early. That's doable, especially if I'm swimming on Thursday mornings instead. Which I did not do again this week. Because I was too tired and also extremely achy. Muscle aches like I haven't had for a very long time. I just felt sloth-like yesterday. I did no exercise whatsoever. I did make an insanely tasty fall meal, and ran errands all afternoon. But that didn't feel like accomplishment ... and by bedtime I was again just so tired.
But I got up and went to yoga this morning. My shoulders must have been crazy tight. As soon as we started doing poses where our arms were over our heads, I got extremely woozy, black spots in front of my eyes, deeply uncomfortable feeling in my body, and nauseous too. I actually had to lie down periodically between poses, and then finally gave up and laid down for the rest of the standing portion of the series. That's never happened before. Weirdly, another woman in the class had the same experience, and she's a regular too (actually, she's a teacher there). That made me feel slightly less wimpy, but only slightly. I was able to do the poses for the floor series, though some nausea persisted. Finally, at the very end, I did a modified rabbit pose on my own. That's meant to loosen the shoulders and muscles along the spine. I was pouring with sweat, and feeling pain all along my spine (good pain, if you know what I mean).
Throughout, I kept wondering what was going wrong. Was I have a heart attack (women experience nausea during heart attacks, right?). Was this a sign of terminal illness (yes, I'm a hypochondriac.) After the final rabbit pose, and loosening those muscles somewhat, I remembered that in the photos Kevin had taken of me on the long run, my neck was pretty tight in some of them. Maybe I did that run with a lot of shoulder/neck tension--running with my shoulders, you might say. And then the car ride home, and then some admin work that had me at the desk on Tues and Wed for many hours in a row. And voila: muscles in agony.
I am planning a short run this evening, and praying that I feel good during it. I need to get one more long run in on Sunday in preparation for the marathon. Or .... maybe I don't. Some people start tapering three weeks before their race. This would be a two-week taper. And I'm still not sure how much I'll taper. I'd like to get back into the pool, for the lungs. I'm going to play it by ear and try listening to my body more closely. Obviously it's telling me something. Unfortunately, the thing about being a runner is, you have to over-ride your body's messages in order to go faster and longer. You have to say, you can do it, when your body is saying, let's stop now, why don't we.
I'm questioning whether I've over-reached by aiming for this marathon. I'm thinking that I will scale back my time expectations, and simply aim for completion. After all, then I'll be able to say I've done a marathon, and that is something I've never done before. It would be a worthy accomplishment regardless of time.
Then I woke up early on Wednesday to run with my friend. That's 8.5km, but we go slow. I felt weary. I'd planned to go to yoga over the supper hour, but when supper was finally on the table all I wanted to do was join my family to eat it and to talk. This yoga over the supper hour no longer seems to work. And I finally realized why. Because supper is my favourite time of the whole day! I work hard to prepare a thoughtful healthy and delicious meal, and then my family sits down and (mostly) enjoys it together, and we talk, and we have time to sit and relax and just be together. So no wonder I don't feel like missing out on that time of connection.
Having realized that, I will no longer feel guilty about not doing yoga over the supper hour (and I was feeling guilty, and lazy). No more! I went to yoga class this morning instead, early. That's doable, especially if I'm swimming on Thursday mornings instead. Which I did not do again this week. Because I was too tired and also extremely achy. Muscle aches like I haven't had for a very long time. I just felt sloth-like yesterday. I did no exercise whatsoever. I did make an insanely tasty fall meal, and ran errands all afternoon. But that didn't feel like accomplishment ... and by bedtime I was again just so tired.
But I got up and went to yoga this morning. My shoulders must have been crazy tight. As soon as we started doing poses where our arms were over our heads, I got extremely woozy, black spots in front of my eyes, deeply uncomfortable feeling in my body, and nauseous too. I actually had to lie down periodically between poses, and then finally gave up and laid down for the rest of the standing portion of the series. That's never happened before. Weirdly, another woman in the class had the same experience, and she's a regular too (actually, she's a teacher there). That made me feel slightly less wimpy, but only slightly. I was able to do the poses for the floor series, though some nausea persisted. Finally, at the very end, I did a modified rabbit pose on my own. That's meant to loosen the shoulders and muscles along the spine. I was pouring with sweat, and feeling pain all along my spine (good pain, if you know what I mean).
Throughout, I kept wondering what was going wrong. Was I have a heart attack (women experience nausea during heart attacks, right?). Was this a sign of terminal illness (yes, I'm a hypochondriac.) After the final rabbit pose, and loosening those muscles somewhat, I remembered that in the photos Kevin had taken of me on the long run, my neck was pretty tight in some of them. Maybe I did that run with a lot of shoulder/neck tension--running with my shoulders, you might say. And then the car ride home, and then some admin work that had me at the desk on Tues and Wed for many hours in a row. And voila: muscles in agony.
I am planning a short run this evening, and praying that I feel good during it. I need to get one more long run in on Sunday in preparation for the marathon. Or .... maybe I don't. Some people start tapering three weeks before their race. This would be a two-week taper. And I'm still not sure how much I'll taper. I'd like to get back into the pool, for the lungs. I'm going to play it by ear and try listening to my body more closely. Obviously it's telling me something. Unfortunately, the thing about being a runner is, you have to over-ride your body's messages in order to go faster and longer. You have to say, you can do it, when your body is saying, let's stop now, why don't we.
I'm questioning whether I've over-reached by aiming for this marathon. I'm thinking that I will scale back my time expectations, and simply aim for completion. After all, then I'll be able to say I've done a marathon, and that is something I've never done before. It would be a worthy accomplishment regardless of time.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Big long run
Yesterday, I got up and ran. We were at my husband's mom's farm, and my sister-in-law helped find a nice out and back route to take me 32km. Except it ended up being 34km. I did it! My husband came along with me, since it was out on isolated (but stunningly beautiful) roads. Lakes and trees and rivers and rolling hills. Those hills got less charming during the last couple of kilometres. I was also disturbed by my time, thinking I was only running 32, and feeling it had been a slower than expected pace. But it turns out my pace was good. I averaged 5:45/km, and ran the distance in 3 hours, 15 minutes. That's the longest I've ever done sustained exercise. Even the triathlon was only 2 hours, 53 minutes.
Everyone who's run a marathon tells me how brutal the last 10km are. I now have a sense of that. I kept asking myself: can I make it another 10 kilometres? And toward the end, self started answering, yes, but I don't want to! It was starting to get painful. I mean that literally. My pelvis hurt. My feet hurt. My toes still hurt (I don't think running is good for the toes). I'm a bit achy this morning, but not bad.
And I had the energy to drive us home late last night.
With that time, and assuming I could hold the pace for another 8km, I could just sneak in under four hours, which is my long-standing goal. I hope I won't be disappointed with myself if I'm slower than that ... but I'm pleased with my effort yesterday. Glad I got out, and glad I got to run in such beautiful weather through such amazing scenery.
Everyone who's run a marathon tells me how brutal the last 10km are. I now have a sense of that. I kept asking myself: can I make it another 10 kilometres? And toward the end, self started answering, yes, but I don't want to! It was starting to get painful. I mean that literally. My pelvis hurt. My feet hurt. My toes still hurt (I don't think running is good for the toes). I'm a bit achy this morning, but not bad.
And I had the energy to drive us home late last night.
With that time, and assuming I could hold the pace for another 8km, I could just sneak in under four hours, which is my long-standing goal. I hope I won't be disappointed with myself if I'm slower than that ... but I'm pleased with my effort yesterday. Glad I got out, and glad I got to run in such beautiful weather through such amazing scenery.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Run run run run run
Wow! I ran 13.1 km tonight in 63 minutes (and that includes about two minutes or so when I stopped to talk to someone I knew on the path). I knew I was going fast. That's pretty cool.
I've been running as much as possible this week, trying to get some mileage in before the marathon. I ran 4.1 on Tuesday while the kids were swimming, 8.5 on Wednesday with a friend, and 12.4 yesterday as soon as all the kids were off to school (I was too tired to get up early to run by myself--especially because it was sooooooo dark). And then today's run. I'm planning my 32km run on Sunday so may not run tomorrow. I also woke up early this morning, without an alarm or anything, so I got up and made it to the early yoga class. I needed to stretch and was so glad to fit it in. With my husband working so many evenings this week, plus being at a birth one night, plus soccer stuff, I just couldn't find time.
I've been running as much as possible this week, trying to get some mileage in before the marathon. I ran 4.1 on Tuesday while the kids were swimming, 8.5 on Wednesday with a friend, and 12.4 yesterday as soon as all the kids were off to school (I was too tired to get up early to run by myself--especially because it was sooooooo dark). And then today's run. I'm planning my 32km run on Sunday so may not run tomorrow. I also woke up early this morning, without an alarm or anything, so I got up and made it to the early yoga class. I needed to stretch and was so glad to fit it in. With my husband working so many evenings this week, plus being at a birth one night, plus soccer stuff, I just couldn't find time.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Day of fantasizing about more running
All I can think about is running: when I can get to do it again, how I can run more trails, maybe join a club and really push myself ... fantasy land, but who knows, it was a childhood dream and maybe it's not too late even now.
I may never be at the very front of the pack, but I do feel there's room for improvement and growth and more speed, and I'd love to keep working at, mostly because it's so much fun to do. The whole time in the pool this morning, I had to remind myself that swimming is worthwhile too, because what I really wanted to be doing was RUNNING! But I read an interesting little tidbit in a running magazine last night that said one surefire way to improve your lung capacity is to cross-train by swimming. Apparently, swimming has a hypoxic effect (lack of oxygen) that strengthens respitory muscles, increases lung capacity and efficiency and basically makes it easier for the oyxgen to get delivered when running. Since I'd been feeling that my breathing is where I reach my threshold first (more so than muscle fatigue), it sounds like swimming is just the thing to keep on doing.
Which I reminded myself in the pool this morning.
Then I went online and looked up some crazy stuff online, like this race which is run locally: http://www.endurrun.com/register.html
Why does that sound fun to me??? Why?? But it does.
Won't get a run in tonight, as hoped, because my husband has to go to a soccer coaching clinic so I'm on my own with the kids.
Oh yes, made it 2500m in the pool this morning. Felt pretty good, though not amazing. Not that achy from run ...
I may never be at the very front of the pack, but I do feel there's room for improvement and growth and more speed, and I'd love to keep working at, mostly because it's so much fun to do. The whole time in the pool this morning, I had to remind myself that swimming is worthwhile too, because what I really wanted to be doing was RUNNING! But I read an interesting little tidbit in a running magazine last night that said one surefire way to improve your lung capacity is to cross-train by swimming. Apparently, swimming has a hypoxic effect (lack of oxygen) that strengthens respitory muscles, increases lung capacity and efficiency and basically makes it easier for the oyxgen to get delivered when running. Since I'd been feeling that my breathing is where I reach my threshold first (more so than muscle fatigue), it sounds like swimming is just the thing to keep on doing.
Which I reminded myself in the pool this morning.
Then I went online and looked up some crazy stuff online, like this race which is run locally: http://www.endurrun.com/register.html
Why does that sound fun to me??? Why?? But it does.
Won't get a run in tonight, as hoped, because my husband has to go to a soccer coaching clinic so I'm on my own with the kids.
Oh yes, made it 2500m in the pool this morning. Felt pretty good, though not amazing. Not that achy from run ...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Day of Toad: Results!!
Update, after checking chiptime results.
My gun time was 2:19:24, but my chip time was actually 2:18:05!!!!, with an average pace of 5:32/km (I'd hoped to attempt 5:40, so that makes me super-happy!). That made me the 32nd woman across the line (though weirdly, my time was faster than two women who crossed the line in front of me, but they counted them first; I guess they go by gun time rather than chip time; let's just say I had the 30th fastest time among the 480 women in the race). Anyway, they have me listed as 141st of all 840 finishers (men and women and all ages included). Again, I'm behind some people with slower chip times--including the guy in blue who beat me to the line; his chip time was actually slower than mine!). In fact, I must not have started as close to the front as I thought, because when I look at these chip times, mine is better than six of the people who crossed the line in front of me. Which would put me as 135th overall instead and 12th in my age group (they've got me as 13th of 117 women in the category 30-39). Okay, need to start closer to the front next time, obviously! And wow! I'm pretty chuffed! And totally looking forward to next year (except I'm tempted to train for the 50km next year ....)
My gun time was 2:19:24, but my chip time was actually 2:18:05!!!!, with an average pace of 5:32/km (I'd hoped to attempt 5:40, so that makes me super-happy!). That made me the 32nd woman across the line (though weirdly, my time was faster than two women who crossed the line in front of me, but they counted them first; I guess they go by gun time rather than chip time; let's just say I had the 30th fastest time among the 480 women in the race). Anyway, they have me listed as 141st of all 840 finishers (men and women and all ages included). Again, I'm behind some people with slower chip times--including the guy in blue who beat me to the line; his chip time was actually slower than mine!). In fact, I must not have started as close to the front as I thought, because when I look at these chip times, mine is better than six of the people who crossed the line in front of me. Which would put me as 135th overall instead and 12th in my age group (they've got me as 13th of 117 women in the category 30-39). Okay, need to start closer to the front next time, obviously! And wow! I'm pretty chuffed! And totally looking forward to next year (except I'm tempted to train for the 50km next year ....)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Day of the Toad
Running a race is kind of like giving birth (though much easier, it must be stressed). It's a very intense experience the details of which quickly fade from memory, so I'd like to get the happy moments of this race recorded right now, while it's still fresh (which is what I always did after my births, too).
Today I did the Run for the Toad, a 25km trail race that is extremely well organized, and well-attended. And you kind of figure that anyone who signs up to run 25km (or 50km, which some racers were completing on the same course today) is pretty serious about running. I wondered how my ad hoc training and fitness would hold up.
I got up at 6:20 and was off before 7, and on site before 8. It was so cold! After getting my race kit and tinkering with my clothing choices, I stayed in the car reading my book until quite close to race time. I realized, too late, that because I'd gotten up and eaten breakfast so early, my stomach was already growling again by the time the race was about to start. But I couldn't eat anything at that point. Too far to make it to the truck for that half of a banana I'd meant to eat, and I wasn't sure my tummy would like food forced upon it with mere minutes to go anyway. I ran into someone I knew, distantly, at the starting line, which was nice and nicely distracting. And as soon as we got running, I warmed up. I'd been shivering uncontrollably.
The first couple of kilometres were slow due to bottlenecking on the trail, but I did start fairly close to the front. Not close enough to avoid the bottlenecking and having to walk, though, for brief portions. There was also one point, several kilometres on, where the trail went down to single file and I got stuck behind some slow runners. I tried not to get frustrated. I was also pretty thirsty, and I had decided not to carry water, but to stop at the stations, so the first four-ish kilometres or so were not my happiest.
But it always takes me awhile to get my stride anyway. The course was hilly, to say the least. If you weren't going up, you were going down again. There were very few flat stretches and those were extremely brief. Luckily, I discovered something about myself on the course: I'm killer fast down those hills. I guess I always have been, but never knew going fast downhill wasn't something most runners do (and I didn't see anyone else going that fast--maybe it's a rookie error and dangerous, I don't know, but I really speed down the hills). I put that gravity to use, let me tell you, because going up hills are not my strength. I'm not one who stops to walk uphill, mind you, but keeping pace remains a challenge. So every downhill, I let my legs roll, and there was a kind of upswing into the next uphill, much like there is when riding a bike. Except on the bike, I'm the opposite: fast up the hills, not quite so fast down.
I passed a lot of people going downhill. The trick was to be sure I was staying in control and focused and not tripping, and also calling out to warn people if I was passing them in tight areas. The first 6-8 kilometres were probably my most challenging. I didn't feel great. I asked myself, what is it? Is it the breathing? Nope, breathing was very controlled and calm. Were my muscles tired? They didn't feel bad. I think I was just getting used to trail running and all those hills. I was forgetting the recovery that happens--many mini-recoveries--throughout a long race. Plus, the first half of the course was tougher than the second, in my opinion (with the exception of the crazy steep climb in the last kilometre of the loop, which I had to walk because my legs couldn't figure out how to run it).
By 8 kilometres, I felt comfortable. I started to enjoy the ride. I figured I'd feel good up until at least 17km, and I was hoping to feel good until 20. Gutting out 5km at the end is to be expected, and doesn't seem like a long distance to me anymore. I did the first loop in 1 hour, 11 minutes. Slightly slower than I'd hoped (I figured I could run the course in 2 hours, 20 minutes, so that was off by a minute). But factoring in the slow first couple of kilometres, I figured I could speed up on the second round. So that's what I tried to do.
I was so grateful for those 12km training runs, because I KNEW I could do it. At one point early in the second loop, I passed this very annoying loud guy who kept shouting obnoxious stuff at the people around him (he was running with a girl, and I think was trying to keep her going, to entertain her). When I passed them (on a downhilll, of course), the girl said, "I have to keep reminding myself that this is fun." "Yeah," said the guy, "especially when you get ..." and here's where I'm not sure that I heard him right, because I think he said "when you get chicked." And then he yelled obnoxiously to the people in front of him, whom I was also passing, to "catch her, don't let her get away" (me, I'm assuming). Is getting chicked getting passed by a girl? Or maybe I totally heard that wrong. In any case, that gave me something to think about as I ran, and also motivation on the big endless hills ahead to get as far away from that loud guy as possible.
People got really friendly toward the end. (Though another guy also called out to other runners to catch me on another downhill, which was kind of weird, and they responded, "No way!" Maybe my running etiquette is bad? Maybe I'm not supposed to pass people going downhill? I was trying to be polite and to call out if needed, and I never felt like I was out-of-control-fast.) Anyway, people were generally really friendly on that second loop. We were quite spread out by that point, so I wasn't passing people as often (and I should add that I was occasionally passed, too), but most I did pass were quick to say, "Good running," or "Good work," or something encouraging. That was awesome. With about four kilometres to go, I was passed by two men who were chatting away--they'd recognized each other from another race, and the one even remembered the other's name. I stayed right behind them to the water station, and we all stopped to grab one last drink, and the one guy said to the other, "Hey, I've never seen you stop before. You're human after all!" And the other guy replied, "Have you seen her [ie. me!] on the downhills! I've gotta try to keep up!"
Well, that sure gave me a boost for those last few kilometres. I did indeed stay ahead of them because the next stretch was downhill. But on that last brutal hill, the man who'd given me that sweet sweet compliment passed me. (The other man was still back there somewhere). He obviously had a good kick for the last stretch, so I set my mind to trying to catch him. Focusing on him helped me catch a couple of people I'd actually thought were too far ahead for me to catch, so even though I never caught up to the man in blue, I sure kept running fast. I crossed the finish line in 2:19:22, or something like that (need to go check my chip time to be exact), which was a minute faster than my mental estimate (those mental estimates are getting more accurate, as I get to know my capabilities better). And sure enough, I did run that second loop faster than the first--a good three minutes faster. See--second half always faster than first. Don't know why.
I caught up with the guy in blue and said, "You caught me!" and he said, "Great race!" or something like that. It was a nice exchange.
The good news is that the length really didn't feel that hard. I'm not saying it felt easy, but it didn't kill me or wipe me out. I was even able to eat lunch pretty much immediately afterward. I didn't feel sick or crampy, and though I was pretty chilled, being all wet from the sweat and the air being so cold, I got warmed up in a bath when I got home. I'll sleep well tonight, that's for sure.
But wow! It was so fun! I loved being able to do it, and I love that I know my body well enough now that I knew during those last few kilometres exactly what I was capable of managing, even though my breath was speeding up. I can run like this for another ten kilometres, easy, I kept telling myself. And I think it's true. That still leaves me with seven extra kilometres to complete the marathon, but on the other hand, there won't be so many killer hills on the marathon course. Those hills definitely required a tweaking of the pacing, with some moments of quick recovery built in at the top of hills.
Aaaaanndddd I think that's a thorough-enough capturing of the experience. Thanks to the strangers who raced with me and gave me such encouragement. You never know how much you're helping when you say something so seemingly small and kind ... but you're helping a lot. (I need to remember that, too!)
Today I did the Run for the Toad, a 25km trail race that is extremely well organized, and well-attended. And you kind of figure that anyone who signs up to run 25km (or 50km, which some racers were completing on the same course today) is pretty serious about running. I wondered how my ad hoc training and fitness would hold up.
I got up at 6:20 and was off before 7, and on site before 8. It was so cold! After getting my race kit and tinkering with my clothing choices, I stayed in the car reading my book until quite close to race time. I realized, too late, that because I'd gotten up and eaten breakfast so early, my stomach was already growling again by the time the race was about to start. But I couldn't eat anything at that point. Too far to make it to the truck for that half of a banana I'd meant to eat, and I wasn't sure my tummy would like food forced upon it with mere minutes to go anyway. I ran into someone I knew, distantly, at the starting line, which was nice and nicely distracting. And as soon as we got running, I warmed up. I'd been shivering uncontrollably.
The first couple of kilometres were slow due to bottlenecking on the trail, but I did start fairly close to the front. Not close enough to avoid the bottlenecking and having to walk, though, for brief portions. There was also one point, several kilometres on, where the trail went down to single file and I got stuck behind some slow runners. I tried not to get frustrated. I was also pretty thirsty, and I had decided not to carry water, but to stop at the stations, so the first four-ish kilometres or so were not my happiest.
But it always takes me awhile to get my stride anyway. The course was hilly, to say the least. If you weren't going up, you were going down again. There were very few flat stretches and those were extremely brief. Luckily, I discovered something about myself on the course: I'm killer fast down those hills. I guess I always have been, but never knew going fast downhill wasn't something most runners do (and I didn't see anyone else going that fast--maybe it's a rookie error and dangerous, I don't know, but I really speed down the hills). I put that gravity to use, let me tell you, because going up hills are not my strength. I'm not one who stops to walk uphill, mind you, but keeping pace remains a challenge. So every downhill, I let my legs roll, and there was a kind of upswing into the next uphill, much like there is when riding a bike. Except on the bike, I'm the opposite: fast up the hills, not quite so fast down.
I passed a lot of people going downhill. The trick was to be sure I was staying in control and focused and not tripping, and also calling out to warn people if I was passing them in tight areas. The first 6-8 kilometres were probably my most challenging. I didn't feel great. I asked myself, what is it? Is it the breathing? Nope, breathing was very controlled and calm. Were my muscles tired? They didn't feel bad. I think I was just getting used to trail running and all those hills. I was forgetting the recovery that happens--many mini-recoveries--throughout a long race. Plus, the first half of the course was tougher than the second, in my opinion (with the exception of the crazy steep climb in the last kilometre of the loop, which I had to walk because my legs couldn't figure out how to run it).
By 8 kilometres, I felt comfortable. I started to enjoy the ride. I figured I'd feel good up until at least 17km, and I was hoping to feel good until 20. Gutting out 5km at the end is to be expected, and doesn't seem like a long distance to me anymore. I did the first loop in 1 hour, 11 minutes. Slightly slower than I'd hoped (I figured I could run the course in 2 hours, 20 minutes, so that was off by a minute). But factoring in the slow first couple of kilometres, I figured I could speed up on the second round. So that's what I tried to do.
I was so grateful for those 12km training runs, because I KNEW I could do it. At one point early in the second loop, I passed this very annoying loud guy who kept shouting obnoxious stuff at the people around him (he was running with a girl, and I think was trying to keep her going, to entertain her). When I passed them (on a downhilll, of course), the girl said, "I have to keep reminding myself that this is fun." "Yeah," said the guy, "especially when you get ..." and here's where I'm not sure that I heard him right, because I think he said "when you get chicked." And then he yelled obnoxiously to the people in front of him, whom I was also passing, to "catch her, don't let her get away" (me, I'm assuming). Is getting chicked getting passed by a girl? Or maybe I totally heard that wrong. In any case, that gave me something to think about as I ran, and also motivation on the big endless hills ahead to get as far away from that loud guy as possible.
People got really friendly toward the end. (Though another guy also called out to other runners to catch me on another downhill, which was kind of weird, and they responded, "No way!" Maybe my running etiquette is bad? Maybe I'm not supposed to pass people going downhill? I was trying to be polite and to call out if needed, and I never felt like I was out-of-control-fast.) Anyway, people were generally really friendly on that second loop. We were quite spread out by that point, so I wasn't passing people as often (and I should add that I was occasionally passed, too), but most I did pass were quick to say, "Good running," or "Good work," or something encouraging. That was awesome. With about four kilometres to go, I was passed by two men who were chatting away--they'd recognized each other from another race, and the one even remembered the other's name. I stayed right behind them to the water station, and we all stopped to grab one last drink, and the one guy said to the other, "Hey, I've never seen you stop before. You're human after all!" And the other guy replied, "Have you seen her [ie. me!] on the downhills! I've gotta try to keep up!"
Well, that sure gave me a boost for those last few kilometres. I did indeed stay ahead of them because the next stretch was downhill. But on that last brutal hill, the man who'd given me that sweet sweet compliment passed me. (The other man was still back there somewhere). He obviously had a good kick for the last stretch, so I set my mind to trying to catch him. Focusing on him helped me catch a couple of people I'd actually thought were too far ahead for me to catch, so even though I never caught up to the man in blue, I sure kept running fast. I crossed the finish line in 2:19:22, or something like that (need to go check my chip time to be exact), which was a minute faster than my mental estimate (those mental estimates are getting more accurate, as I get to know my capabilities better). And sure enough, I did run that second loop faster than the first--a good three minutes faster. See--second half always faster than first. Don't know why.
I caught up with the guy in blue and said, "You caught me!" and he said, "Great race!" or something like that. It was a nice exchange.
The good news is that the length really didn't feel that hard. I'm not saying it felt easy, but it didn't kill me or wipe me out. I was even able to eat lunch pretty much immediately afterward. I didn't feel sick or crampy, and though I was pretty chilled, being all wet from the sweat and the air being so cold, I got warmed up in a bath when I got home. I'll sleep well tonight, that's for sure.
But wow! It was so fun! I loved being able to do it, and I love that I know my body well enough now that I knew during those last few kilometres exactly what I was capable of managing, even though my breath was speeding up. I can run like this for another ten kilometres, easy, I kept telling myself. And I think it's true. That still leaves me with seven extra kilometres to complete the marathon, but on the other hand, there won't be so many killer hills on the marathon course. Those hills definitely required a tweaking of the pacing, with some moments of quick recovery built in at the top of hills.
Aaaaanndddd I think that's a thorough-enough capturing of the experience. Thanks to the strangers who raced with me and gave me such encouragement. You never know how much you're helping when you say something so seemingly small and kind ... but you're helping a lot. (I need to remember that, too!)
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