tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29710815668822694542024-02-08T06:54:59.030-05:00Swim, mama! Bike, mama! Run, mama!Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-54874953695232769552015-03-26T10:45:00.000-04:002015-03-27T11:11:59.876-04:00Am I still a runner?I haven't blogged here for a very long time. I've been blogging on a new web site, and it no longer links to this one, which feels obsolete, and yet, and yet. Somehow I came across these posts from last year, and found them quite moving. It was good to have a place to put down my thoughts about training and exercise. Exclusively. It was good to have a place devoted simply to my physical activities. It's not that they're separate from the rest of my life, but the details are often quite banal, or repetitive, and I don't tend to want to record them on my main blog.<br />
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I ran the Toad last fall, and two weeks before it, ran a half-marathon. I got a personal best in the half-marathon, although I can't remember what it was. Something in the vicinity of 1:48. I did not get anywhere near a personal best in the Toad, recording my slowest time ever. Again, I can't recall the exact time. It was under 2:25, but over 2:20. Considering that my best time, in 2011, was about 2:18, that's a bit disappointing, but hardly unexpected. I will likely never train at the level of that 2011 year, the year of the triathlon. I enjoyed the race, and that's what counts. It fell during a ridiculously busy time, when I was travelling a lot and teaching and doing readings and heavy publicity for Girl Runner, so the simple accomplishment of showing up and running the race felt wonderful.<br />
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My training dropped off while I was touring out West. I ran, but less consistently, and sometimes on a treadmill at hotels. I was fighting a pain in my right buttock that persisted but didn't exactly get worse. But then, in November, I started running with my 12-year-old daughter at an indoor track, and we sprinted, and during one of those morning sprints, I felt a new and much worse twinge. The pain in the buttock was accompanied by pain running down the back of my leg to my knee. I finally decided to see a physio. An x-ray ruled out any kind of fracture in the back. I didn't run again until January, and even then ran only sporadically and for short amounts of time. Instead, I did spinning at Personal Edge, swimming, walking, yoga. It was not fun. I'm not exactly out of it yet, either.<br />
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I'd been steadily improving, and seeing a chiro, doing an hour's worth of physio/strength exercises every day (seriously!), returning to running gradually on an indoor track and on my treadmill. I was running without pain--or without much pain. But then I got the flu. For two weeks, I did nothing but lay on the couch. I didn't run (of course), but I didn't even do my strength exercises, or see the chiro. Just this week I felt well enough to return to my regularly scheduled exercise routine. I ran with a friend on Tuesday morning. The pain was back. It was like I hadn't gone through those months of rehab! Well, there is a slight improvement--the pain seems to be relegated to the hamstring and not to the tendon at the top of the leg. I've run twice this week, both very slowly, agonizingly slowly, and with pain.<br />
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But I'm beginning to think that I may never run without pain again, and maybe I'll just have to accept it. That said, I'm back to doing my strength exercises and stretches every day. I will make an appointment to see the chiro next week again (he does needling that seems to help relieve the pain). But I'm going to keep running regardless of the pain. It clearly did not help to stop running, so I don't think rest is the cure. I may need to change how I think about myself as a runner. I may need to accept that I won't be able to run as fast or as far, depending on injury and pain. But maybe it will get better. I'll keep working at strengthening the lesser-used muscles. I may need to tweak my stride. I'm staying upbeat and optimistic about my future as a runner.<br />
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Also, I'm playing a bit of soccer again, just with my family, and not on a team … but it's so fun. It makes me want to sign up with my women's team again. Dare I do it? I need to decide by tomorrow. Ridiculous, I know. To consider playing when I'm so injured I can hardly run. But oh. A girl (okay, middle-aged woman) just wants to have fun.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-49377226329343613972014-05-09T12:02:00.004-04:002014-05-09T12:18:50.695-04:00I've been wanting to runI want to sign up for a marathon this fall -- likely the Hamilton marathon in early November. And I'd like to do the Run for Toad, which I had to miss last year due to the concussion. I've opened the sign-up forms for both races, but haven't had the courage to sign up yet.<br />
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I've been wanting to run.<br />
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Needing to run.<br />
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Running out past my thoughts, running long, running hard, challenging myself, getting up early. I couldn't get up early this morning (it would have been five early mornings in a row, in a week that also has held two evening readings, a drive to Hamilton, and another to Toronto). But I regret not running this morning.<br />
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I ache. I'm tired. But I want to run.<br />
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I think I run because it's the simplest hard thing I can give myself to do. It's the simplest challenge.<br />
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I also run because I can. I run while I can. I run knowing that my body has suffered injury and may again and I run because right now at this moment in time my body is healthy and strong. I run with gratitude. I run with deep thanks that can find no other expression.<br />
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I run with sadness and worry. I run with doubt.<br />
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I run it all out. And it goes, for that little while. It really does.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-26184683598109117052013-11-26T12:30:00.000-05:002013-11-26T12:30:32.885-05:00Run, run, as fast as you canI meant to write after a particularly happy run about a week ago. As I trained myself back to a regular running routine, I gained appreciation for interval running. I noticed that by running, say, for five minutes and walking for one, I could use the five minute interval to push really hard and run really fast, then recover for the walking interval.<br />
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So I decided to add interval training into my regular runs, once I got back to speed. Now I can't recall how long I've been running without needing to walk.<br />
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But I'm back to a comfortable 10 km distance, regularly, though I haven't gone much further than that.<br />
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Anyway, the happy run was a 10-km interval run on a relatively flat circuit course. I didn't walk, but did a light job to recover after a 200-metre pick-up followed by a 100-metre sprint. The course was 900 metres long, so that meant I spent about a third of the running time going faster than felt strictly comfortable. I finished my final kilometre in a full-out pick-up pushing it pace, and came in with my fastest time for a 10 km run in over a year: 48:51. That's about a minute slower than my fastest recorded race time, and I'm not getting any younger, so I was seriously pleased by the result. I had to fight to keep up the pace till the very end, and afterward, staggering around feeling light-headed as if I'd been in a real race, I wondered why the heck I enjoy doing these things to myself. But I do.<br />
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It gives me confidence. It helps me see myself differently, and reminds me of my mental toughness and strength, because that's really what powers a person through as the body begins to suffer. I'm inspired by a friend's daughter who has become an incredible runner and just competed at the Nationals in cross country in the United States. This amazingly talented young woman qualified for the Nationals in only her third race this season, due to recovery from surgery this past summer -- now that's courage and strength of mind.<br />
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I watch my own daughter work uncomplainingly, and with an almost detached interest, as she trains hard as a competitive swimmer, and I'm constantly amazed at what she's willing to put herself through to make gains in future races. She said that sometimes she realizes she's crying from effort, her goggles filling up with tears as she struggles to complete an underwater set of dolphin kicks, her lungs emptied of all air. She reported this matter-of-factly, but I'll admit it gave me great pause, as her mother -- should I allow her to suffer like this? Her coach tells me no one works harder in the pool. And in races I can see it myself -- how she loves it. How she loves the competition. She loves pushing herself to her limits. How to explain this kind of drive?<br />
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I can only admire it, and enjoy it where I find it in myself, too. I was trying to explain to a friend that being competitive doesn't necessarily mean wanting to defeat other people. It's actually a very personal thing. There will always be others who are faster and more talented. What I think matters, to the competitive soul, is to set high standards for oneself -- high, but within reach -- and then to meet or even surpass those standards. The goals are individual. We set them for ourselves, and we may be the only ones to appreciate or notice when they've been met. But the joy is there all the same. It's even a joy just to be trying.<br />
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I think the truly competitive people are the ones who don't worry about failing, and who don't give up when they don't meet their goals -- who see this only as reason to keep trying, or to re-evaluate and set new goals, but never, ever to give up. It's the process of striving that brings us joy. That's why meeting a goal can feel kind of empty. It's all the work that matters, that feeds us, and the goal is just the excuse, maybe, to explain to ourselves why we care, and what we're doing this for. When really we're doing this because it makes us feel alive.<br />
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Why else would I get up at 5AM and run for 10km in a chilly wind, on snowy streets, like I did this morning? I can't explain it otherwise. I didn't run fast, because my muscles never seemed to warm up, but I pushed hard up every hill, and returned home feeling <i>wonderful</i>. I'd done my best, again.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-64241793221288812102013-09-30T11:22:00.001-04:002013-09-30T11:22:29.538-04:00Fuzzy-headed SeptemberWow. Quite the difference, reading my last post from August, when I was training intensely, to now, when I'm in post-concussion-land, and haven't run any distance for nearly a month. It's been alternately frustrating and oddly not that hard at all, reverting to a lifestyle that requires much rest, and little activity. With September being so busy, I would have had to scale back my exercise level somewhat anyway, and might have felt guilty over that. Instead, I've scaled back my exercise level nearly to zero and haven't experienced any guilt.<br />
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It reminds me that I should never be guilty, no matter my exercise level. I should only be happy to be able to move freely, when I can, and go easy on myself, when I can't.<br />
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I suffered a concussion while playing soccer. Ball to the face, from a shot taken at close range. There was no avoiding it, and that worries me. I may never play soccer again. I need this brain to do my work, and as much as I love the sport, I'm not sure I can risk being injured like this again.<br />
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I took it easy for about three weeks, then went for a long run (after trying out some shorter runs, and swims, without inducing new symptoms). The long run proved to be too much, and my symptoms came back, only worse than before. I couldn't believe it! I had a headache, nausea, and vision issues for ten days, and spent a lot of time lying on the couch doing absolutely nothing, which prompted me to see a doctor, who has me seeing a physio and a massage therapist. The symptoms have since eased greatly and I've essentially returned to my regular pace work-wise (I'm a writer, and it put me in a state of panic to imagine not being able to function at my previous level, cognitively; I didn't even care about returning to normal physical activity, because I realized my priority was cognitive function).<br />
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I've since been cleared by the doctor to walk briskly for an hour (which I started doing last week, without inducing symptoms), and by the physio to begin a return-to-running plan that I started this morning: I walked for 9 minutes, ran for 1. Oh, that running felt fabulous. But I need to monitor my body's response carefully over the next 24 hours. If I'm fine, then I can try 8 minutes of walking, 1 minute of running, and so on, until I'm at a 1:1 ratio, at which point I can begin extending my running time, broken up by a minute of walking.<br />
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Here's an observation: It's bloody hard to set the alarm and get up early to WALK. Hats off to everyone who has the will power to do it on a regular basis. I will never ever judge anyone I see walking, rather than running, again. I'll admit to having indulged in a slight feeling of superiority in the past, whenever I'd pass someone walking, or walk/running. Pride goeth before a fall, but more importantly, coming down off a pedestal is an excellent way to gain appreciation for invisible effort. It might look like it takes greater effort to run for an hour than to walk for an hour, but experience tells me that, in fact, the opposite is true. The greater effort is in continuing without a rush of endorphins to carry me along.<br />
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This morning, I got up early and walked in the dark. It started to rain. I was alone with my thoughts. I walked briskly for about 53 minutes (and ran for 5 of those, and a blissful 5 minutes those were), and actually went 7.2km, which surprised me. It was further than I'd expected to go.<br />
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The other thing I am trying to do, as suggested by the massage therapist, is to be conscious of my posture, especially since I spend so much of my day sitting at my desk.<br />
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Exciting, huh.<br />
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But I feel really positive, actually. The obstacles are part of the whole experience. Virtually all athletes suffer injury and set-back. In times of injury, I learn to respect my body's limitations, and work to heal. In times of health, I can be all the more joyful and appreciative of what my body is able to do.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-87424942479406125722013-08-09T09:32:00.001-04:002013-08-09T09:32:39.113-04:00Summer of intense effortI've been exercising as if I were training for something, but I'm not, particularly, though I did sign up for this year's Run for the Toad, which has got me back to weekend long runs. Thankfully, there's been time every weekend for a long run -- for the past five weekends. My first long run was a painful and painfully slow 15km, and I'm now up to 21.6km (why didn't I just run a few extra steps and round that off? because the trail ended there, that's why!).<br />
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My most recent run was on a beautiful trail made out of an old rail line through Eastern Ontario. We were on holiday, or I'd run there all the time. Wish we had such a fabulous trail nearby. I ran the half-marathon distance in 1:57 minutes, which is slower than I'd expect to run it in a race, but pretty fast for a gentle training run. As per my style, I started slow slow slow, and by the end was knocking off 5-minute-flat kilometre splits. I don't know why my body works that way, but I just get into a groove and start rolling.<br />
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I've been having painful cramping after my long runs, however. Not that this discourages me, but it does make recovery more difficult and stretches out the time needed to commit to a long run every weekend. I'm hoping it will pass as my body becomes more accustomed to the distance. I would like to be running 20km every weekend -- or longer, of course. It only took five weeks to go from it being really really hard to run 15km to truly pleasant to run over 20km.<br />
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Also boosting my fitness in the past two weeks has been a daily swim. I swam 10km last week, and will only get to about 8km this week. I'm swimming during my older kids' daily swim lesson, which goes for an hour, and they only have four lessons this week. I've gotten a bit faster over the past two weeks, but not remarkably faster. It took me the full hour to swim 2000m on day one, and I now can do it in about 50 minutes, but that's still slooooowwww. I think I'll always be a slow swimmer. But I definitely have endurance -- I could just keep going and going. And I can swim in really cold water! It's been cold both weeks, with the temp in the pool hovering around 68 degrees F and the air temp around 18-19 degrees C. No sun. Rain a few days. Cloud cover. Fun! By the end of the hour I'm shivering uncontrollably and my teeth are chattering -- in the pool, while swimming!<br />
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A couple of days I was one of only two lane swimmers in the whole pool -- and the one day the other guy was in a wet suit. I was thinking that only someone training hard for something would put themselves through the experience -- and me! I don't know why, but I actually weirdly enjoy it. It gives me a mental break from everything else going on in my life. It makes me feel heroic, which is silly, since it's a completely self-induced heroisim that could potentially look like idiocy to an outside viewer, but there it is.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago I ran 40km and played two soccer games AND went to a boot camp within a five-day span. This is what my summer has been like. I've been working out -- hard. I'm not sure why, but it feels necessary. I suspect it's keeping me sane. It's been a crazy summer, with curve balls thrown at us, and the need to stay mentally calm and focused in order to get really hard work done ... I don't know what I'd do without the running/swimming/soccer/weight training. I think I would have collapsed by now. Instead, I feel like I feel in the pool: heroic and strong!<br />
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(As a side note, I hope I haven't jinxed myself by writing about this -- as soon as I note my training pace, it seems something pops up to prevent me from doing my daily workout ...)Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-49502018737814890142013-07-22T10:47:00.003-04:002013-07-22T10:47:46.735-04:00Training with friendsI just have to write a brief post today, noting that my friend Nath is leaving for a year. We've been getting up early together for the past two-and-a-half years, at least once a week, and often twice. We started with lane swims, when she was a much faster swimmer than I was. It was encouraging to go with a friend, even when we were in different lanes. Then it was a spin class, introduced to me by another friend, Tricia, who is also, coincidentally, leaving this coming week for a year. We all cycled together two years ago when I was training for the triathlon. Then Nath and I added in a spin and kettlebells class, both of us learning how to swing the bells as novices, though I think we've graduated to experts by now, a year and a half later. (We got Tricia to join us for a session, and I'm always trying to recruit friends to try it out.) We've lately been trying out an early morning boot camp, too.<br />
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Anyway, today was the first Monday in a long long long time that I didn't wake up and meet Nath. Thankfully, I was meeting another friend, Rachel, who I recruited awhile back, so I wasn't lonely. But I still missed Nath.<br />
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I know she and Tricia are both off on amazing adventures with their families, and I'm glad for them to get the opportunity to see and do and experience new and wonderful things. But I'll miss them both. A lot.<br />
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When I started the triathlon project, coming up on three years ago now, it really didn't cross my mind that training would be anything but solo, a private venture undertaken on my own. But I quickly learned otherwise. Tricia was the first person I told about my triathlon idea, and she was completely supportive -- plus she had practical experience, and suggestions about training options, including this tough spin class she introduced me to.<br />
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I was thinking about this on my long run on Saturday (which I do still run alone) -- how if I were to write a little book of advice on how to get fit and active as a non-athletically-inclined adult, which is exactly what I was (believe it or not) three years ago, one of the critical pieces of success would be: do it with friends. Get others involved in your goals. Set goals together. Set routines together. Meet each other early. Text the night before to remind each other to set alarms, and encourage each other to go to bed, and greet each other with quiet or chat, as the mood strikes, early in the morning. You get to overshare about aching muscles the day afterward, too, with someone who really understands.<br />
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I don't think it matters what your goals are, really, not at all. My goals have changed over the years that I've become a fitter and more active person. I know I like living in a strong body, and that's part of it, but definitely not the whole story. The process itself is the reason to do it. That glow of achievement after difficult exertion. Look at us! We did it! That's what's I've shared with the friends I train with.<br />
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So ... I'll think of you especially on Mondays, Nath, til you're back. I'll keep the kettlebells warm for you.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-51983532887459401262013-04-24T12:16:00.002-04:002013-04-24T12:16:30.775-04:00OverdoneI am a mess of aches this morning. Good grief!<br />
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This follows a dreamy running week last week, no pain, holding fast times without feeling the effort, and running 42 kilometres over six days. But then I played soccer on Sunday, about an hour after my last effortless run. I got up Monday to swing kettlebells, and played more soccer on Monday night. When I ran again on Tuesday evening, yesterday, it was a totally different run than Sunday's bliss, even though I was going a similar distance. My right ankle felt swollen, and the pain shot up my leg with every stride. I made it 6.85 painful kilometres -- usually I would top up my distance upon return to even it out, but I didn't even care. I was in too much pain. I even stopped to stretch along the way to see if that would help. It was agony to hold a 5:10 pace, which I managed, but barely. Ordinarily that wouldn't be terribly disappointing. But honestly, last week every run was around a 4:40 pace that felt next thing to effortless. I thought I'd turned a corner, speedwise and effortwise.<br />
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I'm wondering whether that fast week of running was due to NOT playing soccer the previous weekend. So it could be that soccer is wrecking my running.<br />
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But I'm not going to stop playing soccer.<br />
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I got up this morning and dragged myself on my usual run with my friend, 8.8km, slow. So within 14 hours, I ran about 15.5km, none of them pleasant. Clearly I need to take it easy for a day or two. I have another run scheduled for tomorrow evening (I run when I have the opportunity, not necessarily spaced for optimum training purposes), but I'll see how I'm feeling.<br />
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I find it funny how quickly I can go from feeling strong and quick and in excellent shape, to feeling quite the opposite, achy, old, limping, slow.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-65768332478642920432013-04-15T14:25:00.003-04:002013-04-15T14:25:50.290-04:00Check inTime for my monthly check-in! If I'm even checking in that often anymore. In the absence of race goals, my training feels less purposeful. But I continue to prioritize time for exercise, mostly because it feels good and keeps me healthy, mentally as well as physically.<br />
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I haven't been doing any long runs. That's hard, and I miss doing it. My weekends are packed full with children's activities, mostly, and there simply isn't time. So I run when I can. For example, I squeezed in a twenty-one minute run on Sunday morning during my son's swim lesson. It was literally the only time available in the entire day, so I grabbed it. Thank heavens for the sunshine, or I might not have made the effort. I basically just ran around the nearby park as fast as I could. I kept to a 4:45 pace, more or less, and made it 4.5km. I wanted to keep going! But had to stop, and was actually one minute late to pick up my son. Will likely do that again, assuming there's no other time available.<br />
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I did the same thing last Tuesday evening, grabbing available time, and running during my daughter's soccer practice. It was absolutely pissing rain, cold and miserable, and I did not feel like going, but I put on my gear, packed dry clothes, and went. It turned out to be a nice run. I didn't push myself very hard, basically just enjoyed the mildly heroic feeling of being out for a run in hellish conditions. I went 8.5km in about 45 minutes. Not breaking any records, but I'm trying to remind myself it's not always about pushing to the limit. Sometimes it's just about showing up. I'd also just done a spin and weights class the day before, AND played an hour of soccer with a men's team the previous evening, which was a challenge of another sort. I was feeling pretty achy and tired.<br />
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Playing soccer with my husband's team ... the only woman ... it felt strange. I felt like I needed to prove myself worthy of being on the field, and I was very hard on myself for not getting the ball in the net, although I did have several opportunities to score thanks to good positioning. And I ran hard the whole game. But I'm not going again tonight. Partly, I just feel tired. Partly, I'll admit it's a lack of confidence. I wasn't sure the men wanted me there (although why would it matter whether they did? -- my husband manages the team and invited me to come out, and there are other guys coming out for the scrimmage that won't be on the team).<br />
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I just wasn't at ease with the dynamics.<br />
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This has been a tough week for my confidence, honestly, and it's probably more about my own headspace than about any of the messages I imagined I was receiving on the field. It's a challenge to be the odd-woman out, in any situation. It's a challenge to try new things. To be, potentially, exposed as not being all that good at something. I'm not the best soccer player. I'm fast and tough and can steal the ball, but I can't carry the ball up the field, and my shot is pretty weak. I need work. My husband points out that I need to play more to get better, and should come out with that in mind, rather than worrying about how good I am right now.<br />
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He's right.<br />
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My excuse tonight is that I'm exhausted, and don't sleep well after late-night exercise. I need rest. I need recovery. I need to restore my confidence ... but how? ... and then I'll get back on the field with the guys. Maybe next week.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-68866611489445368922013-03-02T16:46:00.001-05:002013-03-04T14:31:48.547-05:00Running on Friday nightsI've been running on Friday nights all fall and winter. I've only missed once in all that time, and that was due to illness, not weather. I run while my two older kids are at soccer. It requires a lot of planning, because we only have one vehicle, and I think that's one of the reasons I've been so committed. The route is intensely boring. I run beside a busy road on a paved path. It's been dark almost since my first run last fall. The path is lit by streetlights, but not well. I wear a headlamp.<br />
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Every Friday I think, well the weather can't possibly get worse than this! And every Friday, it seems, it manages to trump the last time. I've run in blowing icy wind, through drifts of freshly falling snow, and in chilly rain. But yesterday's run really was the worst: I ran in the dark on ice. There were all varieties of ice available for my running pleasure: black ice, crunchy ice, long flat slicks of ice, bumpy rivers running downhill that had turned to ice. There was even a patch of not-entirely-frozen ice that I splashed right through. I made it 10.5km in exactly an hour. Slow, but I was pleased not to have injured myself, which right away became the overwhelming goal of that particular run.<br />
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I wonder what will be in store for me next Friday ...<br />
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*<br />
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In other news, I am not getting a great deal of running in. My husband is busy many weekends, and I'm alone with the kids, which does not make it possible to run long distances. In fact, my family's schedule just keeps getting busier, and I find there are few opportunities to get out on my own. Early mornings. Occasionally on the weekends. Friday nights.<br />
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I am having to cut out one of my spin classes due to cost. I'm sad about it, but have to be realistic. My plan is to get up and go to the track on that morning instead, so I can get a speed run in. I was going to cut both classes, but after spending a day feeling about as depressed as I can remember feeling in recent memory, decided to find a way to keep the one -- early morning exercise is cheaper than therapy, I figure.<br />
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So much is up in the air right now.<br />
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I asked myself last night, why do I run? Why do I keep doing this? I'm not training for a race. But I feel compelled to get out and go, no matter the ice, no matter the wind, no matter the dark. I know the answer: it makes me feel so much better. If I'm feeling good, it makes me feel great. If I'm feeling low, it brings me right back up again. It clears my head. I feel content, powerful, strong, capable, happy.<br />
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That's why I run.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-43827377359107292332013-01-22T10:26:00.002-05:002013-01-22T10:31:49.522-05:00One small thought<br />
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I need to guard against my all-or-nothing personality. The past two weekends we've been too busy, as a family, for me to squeeze in a long run (though I did manage to lengthen my Friday night run to 14km on the first of those weekends). This past weekend, I only could have done a long run if I'd gone after dark on Saturday night. Didn't want to. Didn't choose to.</div>
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But it occurred to me just this morning -- hey, even if I don't have time for a long run on the weekend, I could probably manage a short one. And a short run would be better than no run at all.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Sounds obvious. Probably is obvious. Did not occur to me until a few minutes ago. So that will be my goal going forward: don't not do something just because it's smaller/easier/less ambitious than the thing you'd originally planned.<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
My schedule has changed due to a class being moved from Thursdays to Mondays. So here is what my week in exercise could look like, now.<br />
<br />
Monday: spin & kettlebells (alarm set 5:15)<br />
Tuesday: spin (alarm set 5:15)<br />
Wednesday: 8.5km run with friend (alarm set 5:45)<br />
Thursday: run or yoga (alarm set 5:45) -- leaning toward yoga<br />
Friday: night run at kids' soccer practice (10-12km)<br />
Saturday: run (short, long, doesn't matter!)<br />
Sunday: soccer<br />
<br />
That would get me three runs, some spinning, some weights, a yoga class, and a soccer game! If I were really ambitious, I could get up early on Friday too and go swimming -- or swim on Thursday, yoga on Friday. Maybe ambitious is not quite the right word. If I were less tired, I could do those things. I'm usually pretty tired by Friday and excited for that extra hour of sleep. Even four mornings a week is pushing it. Let's see how this week goes.</div>
Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-9441586167850034452013-01-02T13:36:00.003-05:002013-01-22T10:21:24.072-05:00Working toward 30km race in MarchTraining plan for January through March, 2013.<br />
<br />
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6<br />
4 regular runs plus one long(ish) run, Sat. aft, 80 mins; other: soccer game<br />
<br />
Jan. 7 - 13<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. aft, 90 mins; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer game<br />
<br />
Jan. 14 - 20<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. aft, 1 hr and 40 min; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer game<br />
<br />
Jan. 21 - 27<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. aft/Sun AM, 1hr and 50 mins.; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer game<br />
<br />
Jan. 28 - Feb. 3<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. aft, 2 hrs; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer game<br />
<br />
Feb. 4 - Feb. 10<br />
3 regular runs; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer game (Kevin away)<br />
<br />
Feb. 11 - Feb. 17<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. or Sun aft. 2 hrs and 10 mins; other: spin, kettlebells (no soccer)<br />
<br />
Feb. 18 - Feb. 24<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. aft. 2 hrs and 20 mins; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer<br />
<br />
Feb. 25 - March 3<br />
3 regular runs; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer (Kevin away)<br />
<br />
March 4 - March 10<br />
3 regular runs, one long run, Sat. aft, 2 hrs; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer<br />
<br />
March 11 - 17<br />
4 regular runs; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer<br />
<br />
March 18 - 24<br />
3 regular runs; other: spin, kettlebells, soccer + 30km race on Sunday (hopefully!)<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
Note: have not signed up for the race, yet. I signed up for this same race last winter, then injured myself, and could not train. I would like to get one or two longer runs under my belt before making a final decision. I haven't been doing long runs since mid-October, when my hip was a bit tweaky, and I don't want push myself harder than I should, or risk injury again, especially when I'm finding the up-to-12-km length quite manageable. So this is a hopeful training schedule! I will report back.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-17498707667714790812012-12-31T12:23:00.000-05:002012-12-31T12:23:06.637-05:00On the last day of 2012 ...Okay, I clearly rarely publish on this side blog, seeing as I last posted back in October. I have not been working toward any race goals since completing the Run for the Toad late in September. I've been lucky to get three runs every week, although I also play soccer once a week, spin once a week, and do a spin and weights class once a week, which adds up to a fair amount of regular exercise, although doesn't exactly point me in a specific goal-related direction.<br />
<br />
That's been okay. I just set my routine and show up, basically, and it's certainly enough exercise to keep me fit and happy.<br />
<br />
This holiday has given me fewer opportunities to get out and exercise. The classes shut down, and friends are away or busy, so last week I managed to run twice, and play soccer once. I felt incredibly sluggish on this morning's run ... and it had been three days since I'd last done anything. It reminded me of the importance of simply showing up.<br />
<br />
It's really easy not to do things. It's so easy! And this is a holiday, and there's a sense, on holidays, of relaxing one's standards, resting, indulging, taking it easy. I'm not so sure that taking it easy sits well with me. I'm not so sure that I don't, in fact, find it more stressful to take it easy than the alternative of a regular, quite strict routine.<br />
<br />
Have I lost the ability to have fun?<br />
<br />
Or maybe my definition has changed.<br />
<br />
I worry that I'm in danger of becoming a joyless puritan. And yet, I don't really enjoy the effects of a night spent drinking. I much prefer the effects of an early morning run. Those two things don't go together at all. (At least, I can't seem to put the two together!)<br />
<br />
Anyway, rambling post here. I need my triathlon blog for the rambling posts. I enjoyed this morning's run. I kept it short -- only 7km -- and slow -- I'd forgotten how much the cold and the snow turns my pace to molasses. And yet I got out. I decided last night that I would run this morning, and I got up and ran. It's that simple, that basic. While running I thought about all kinds of subjects. I plotted future running goals: maintaining a Monday morning run (which I did sporadically this fall), and adding in a long run on Saturday afternoons (I haven't done long runs since Thanksgiving weekend, when I decided not to train for the Hamilton marathon). I thought about signing up for the Race Around the Bay at the end of March -- 30km, a nice long distance, but not quite as gruelling as a marathon. I plotted out my training plan: increasing not just distance, but time, each week between now and March. I thought about how it would be lovely to have a goal to work toward that is dependent only on my own fitness and determination (and health, of course!) ... because it could be that this proves to be a tough year, and I may face rejection and failure, there is no telling, as I apply for a couple of different exciting new directions, including midwifery school, The Amazing Race, and various writing grants.<br />
<br />
Will I succeed, and be accepted into any of the above? I can only do my best, and hope. But acceptance is reliant on a variety of factors not under my control. Training for a race would put (almost) all of the factors under my control and give me something concrete to work toward, assuming my body could hold up to the increased training. I think I will plan for that, and sign up for the race.<br />
<br />
Much feels up in the air about this coming year -- but that's how it always is, isn't it! As my husband says, Things aren't going to work out as you've planned ...<br />
<br />
But so often I'm grateful that things haven't worked out as I've planned, because there is so much I can't imagine or foresee, and life is much richer than my own imagination can invent. All of that said, I remain a believer in <i>doing</i>. In not being passive. In setting goals, going deep, doing the work, taking risks, pushing myself on all fronts -- emotionally, physically, spiritually, professionally, personally, communally.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-64331686364273950632012-10-17T10:08:00.001-04:002013-01-02T13:38:23.901-05:00A small thrillI've been on a high since my run yesterday evening. I wasn't sure how far I'd go, but figured on somewhere between 8 and 10km. My daughter has swim training a few evenings a week now, and it's out near some of my favourite trails, which makes running a pleasure. I set off feeling very light of heart and fleet of feet, for reasons unknown. At the 1km mark, I noticed that I'd run just under 5 minutes/km, which is fast for my opening kilometre -- I tend to start slow and speed up as I warm up.<br />
<br />
I passed a group of university students training for cross country. I didn't want any of them to catch up to me, so I really hoofed it through the woods. Next thing I knew, I'd run the second kilometre in 4:33. This is unheard of for me. I never break the 4:40 mark. The third kilometre was a touch slower, in the 4:40s, but the fourth kilometre was back to 4:37, and I thought, oh my goodness, I'm on track for my fastest 5km run ever. I absolutely hoofed it for the next kilometre: 4:22. I've never seen that time before. I didn't even know that I could run that fast, honestly. Overall, I'd done 5km in 23:18, my fastest ever recorded.<br />
<br />
But I was out in the woods, still far from the end point. I took a minute to walk and get my heart rate calmed down. I began jogging again, figuring hey, I'll just run this out, however long it takes me to get back, no need to speed. But then I saw that kilometre six was at 5:36, which is really not that slow, considering I'd walked for a full minute. I realized that my "slow" pace was actually pretty fast, it just felt slow compared to the blistering 4:20 time. So I thought, hey, let's go for a fast 10km and see what happens.<br />
<br />
I must add that I was pushing extremely hard throughout this run. I was breathing rapidly, and it was not easy.<br />
<br />
I kept the next three kilometres well under 5 minutes, but I was really going to have to push it to get in under 48 minutes, which was my goal -- as that's my fastest 10km time ever (and that was recorded in a race). There was a huge hill at the start of the last kilometre, but I was running past the university kids, whose workout was apparently already over. I pushed it up the hill and just kept pushing it. In fact, I was downright sprinting at the end, and I made it!!! 10km in 47:56. I realize that's not blistering for real runners, but it's blistering for me.<br />
<br />
I came home completely thrilled.<br />
<br />
And got up this morning and ran another 9km with my friend -- we go so slowly that we covered that 9km in 55 minutes. But we talk. There would be no talking at the other pace.<br />
<br />
I don't know why I love finding speed. I don't know why I get such a rush from pushing myself in ways that can only be described objectively as "hard" or "unpleasant" or "painful." I'm getting the sense that running faster is not just about getting fitter physically, but about being willing to push one's body well beyond comfort levels, to keep pushing even though everything is saying "stop!" It's a mental strength as much as a physical one. I love the days when I'm mentally strong enough to push myself like that.<br />
<br />
And I'm not doing the marathon, or the half. I have a big reading the day before, and those drain me, mentally. And I haven't put on the necessary mileage. But I'm going to keep enjoying these speed runs nevertheless, and hope to sign up for some longer races this winter.<br />
<br />
Running. It really feeds something in me.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-45060282163434733992012-10-07T17:25:00.000-04:002012-10-07T17:29:43.997-04:00Run for the Toad, thoughts on the race one week laterWell, I finished 188th out of 750 finishers (men and women), and 54th out of 421 women finishers. My time was two minutes slower than last year, a very respectable 2:20:54. The numbers would suggest that I did very well, all things considered. So why, I asked my husband, did I feel after the race like I'd had a less-than-stellar run? Why was I disappointed in my efforts?<br />
<br />
I think, sometimes, that my expectations will always be too high, and it's just part of my personality. It's inborn. Luckily, these high expectations never seem to prevent me from trying, even when I know I'm likely to fail. But I also can feel very disparaging of my own efforts when I fall short of these expectations. What I don't understand is why the disparagement isn't discouraging. Because it really isn't. Maybe it's even motivating in some strange way.<br />
<br />
Maybe that's how my psyche works: expect great things, work hard, fail to meet expectations, work harder.<br />
<br />
I ran a fair bit this week. I did a very fast 5km run on an indoor track after buying new shoes. (One of the unfortunate things about the Toad was that my shoes started blistering my feet about halfway through; the last half of the race I could just feel those blisters getting bigger and bigger -- and they really hurt, which didn't help my morale.) Anyway, on Tuesday I tested the new shoes on the track, to make sure they fit well, in case I wanted to return them. I was on a high after getting terrific news that day (that my book was a finalist for a major Canadian literary award), and I kept up a blistering pace, despite the hockey kids playing on the track.<br />
<br />
I also ran Wednesday morning with a friend (9km).<br />
<br />
The "spittlebell" class on Thursday morning felt easy ... my usual weight felt light, but I didn't want to tell the instructor lest he hand me something heavier. Maybe it was just lightness of heart.<br />
<br />
Today, Sunday, I went for a long run, still in hopes of being fit enough to run the Hamilton marathon in a few weeks, although I'll admit my hopes are diminishing. I want to run fast, and I can tell that the pace I'd like to hold is currently out of reach. I don't think the distance, persay, is out of reach, but I'd have to hold to a slower pace, and I kind of don't want to. I'm considering signing up for the half-marathon instead, and trying to tear through that distance. (But I'd still like to do the marathon, honestly. Wish I had an extra month to train.)<br />
<br />
I ran 18km, keeping pretty close to a 5:15/km pace, sometimes a bit less, and on one or two kilometres toward the end, a bit more. I ran 18km in 1:33. (Just checked, and that's a 5:16 pace.) I don't think I could sustain that over another 20-odd kilometres, frankly -- at least I couldn't have today -- and I'd have to average even slightly faster to break last year's time. Why do I want to break last year's time so badly?? Well. I'm not sure. I think it relates back to that expectations thing.<br />
<br />
I won't sign up for the marathon unless I can get in a good long long run, something over 30km. For tapering purposes, I'd need to get that in next weekend. It's not impossible, but it seems unlikely. My husband is working all day Saturday, and my eldest daughter has a swim meet to which I have to travel, taking the other three kids along. AND I think I may even have a soccer game that Sunday. Good grief. I'm in Vancouver the following weekend.<br />
<br />
Hm.<br />
<br />
But I did a good job at the Toad! A week past the event's running, I can now feel genuinely proud at my effort and my results. It wasn't such a bad race after all.<br />
<br />
I'm thinking of signing up yearly, as a seasonal almost ritual event, no matter what's happening in my life. I really like that race.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-79795162972732740482012-09-24T07:45:00.001-04:002012-09-24T07:45:16.836-04:00Training for the ToadSo I've kept up my training plan for the Toad. I ran 15km last weekend, and then ran 12.5km on Saturday, and 10km on Sunday, all at race pace. Actually, probably faster than race pace, because honestly I'm not sure I could hold that pace for 25km on trails, and that's not really my plan.<br />
<br />
But here's an awesome thing: I can now hold the 5:00/km for 12km. I used to struggle to hold it for 5km. In fact, that seems to be the pace my feet now want to run, and when I'm feeling even peppier, I'll pick it up for about 4:40/km. I was able to run 12km in 59:56 on Saturday, which pleased me to no end. It was a hilly course and I fought a huge headwind for the last half of the run, but I kept my pace consistent throughout -- really pleased with that run. The only thing I can add is that it's hard work to run that hard for an hour. That's all.<br />
<br />
But I think it's good for me. It reminds me/teaches me that I can do things that are hard, that I can keep going.<br />
<br />
I'm running with a shorter more upright stride, like my physio showed me, and it's true, I can really go faster running that way. But it's also harder, uses different muscles: stomach, glutes, inner thighs. That's the core right there.<br />
<br />
If I'm to be honest, I'll admit I've been having some twinges of pain in my hip these last few runs. So I've added my physio exercises back in. I hope it won't get worse. I love running long distances but maybe my body doesn't? I hope these exercises keep the pain to twinge level. At least I know, having had all those tests done last winter, that it's not a stress fracture or anything too serious.<br />
<br />
Managed my second run of the weekend in 50:21 for 10km. Not bad. Consistent, again. In fact, for three straight kilometres, I ran exactly 5:00/km. Taking just 20 seconds off of each kilometre takes a huge effort. My new goal (assuming the hip holds) is to make 4:40 my standard pace, and 4:30 my speedier pace. I could start by just holding 4:40 over 5km, and then work my way up -- after all, it's worked for the 5:00 pace.<br />
<br />
Why do I like going fast? I wonder, but I'll never know.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-43535202510190680002012-09-09T21:45:00.001-04:002013-04-15T14:28:44.096-04:00A good noteI'm ending this week on a good note: a great long run!<br />
<br />
I wanted to run 2 hours to try to see if I felt prepared for the Toad, which is in just under four weeks from now. As I got going and settled in to the run, I continued to feel really good, and I decided to aim for a half-marathon distance at minimum. The kilometres really started ticking away by the time I'd gotten into the teens. I'd set my watch to give me my split for every kilometre, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The longer I went, the faster I got--and not just a tiny bit faster, a whole lot faster. I'd planned to aim for a 5:30/km pace, since it was a fairly long run. I stuck to that for about the first 10km, which I did in 54 minutes, but gradually my pace began to speed up, until I realized I'd run the 16th kilometre in 4:42. In fact, I ran each of the last 5.5 kilometres of that half-marathon distance at a 4:45 pace. I couldn't believe it. I have a hard time holding that pace when I run JUST five kilometres on my speed runs.<br />
<br />
In the end, I ran 23km in exactly 2 hours! And I finished my half-marathon distance in 1:52:20, which is almost three minutes faster than I ran my real half-marathon a year and a half ago.<br />
<br />
I'm feeling much more confident about tackling the Toad right about now.<br />
<br />
And I'm getting to experience again what I remember experiencing in my long runs and races last year -- that I would get faster the further I went, not slower. I mean, I was just ticking along. I think my legs were just about numb, to tell the truth. My breath was extremely even. I was just laying down the pace without even thinking about it.<br />
<br />
My training plan is to do a couple of shorter speed runs this week (by shorter, I mean 10km, and hopefully at least once at my favourite place to run trails -- because I need the hill work).<br />
<br />
Then I will do a shortish long run this coming weekend, between 15-18km.<br />
<br />
Then two 12km runs back to back on the following weekend. And then rest up a bit!<br />
<br />
Because then it's race weekend.<br />
<br />
I will keep aiming to run five times a week, not necessarily for super-long distances. So far, I've been holding steady at four runs a week, which isn't fabulous, but hey. Seems to be working okay.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-87149011127028035372012-09-04T14:53:00.001-04:002012-09-04T15:27:42.665-04:00One step and then anotherToday has been an excruciating day, and my sense is that I probably won't choose to write about it on my main blog. But I still want to write about it, and acknowledge what's happening, and this blog actually seems like the perfect place to reflect on it.<br />
<br />
Today, the longlist for a Canadian literary prize was announced -- the most important literary prize Canada offers for fiction -- and my new book was not on it. I knew it would be a long-shot, but my publisher and agent were both very hopeful. I'm crushed to have disappointed them--and myself. Getting onto the list would boost sales, garner attention, basically help sell books, which is what I'm supposed to do, as a writer (often people forget that part of the equation, but it's pretty critical to me continuing to be able to write, and more to the point, to publish.)<br />
<br />
My initial emotion upon hearing the news was shame, which makes no logical sense. A jury of three people chose a handful of books from an eligible pool of 227. It would have been a stroke of great fortune to be among that handful, and not being there, while disappointing, is hardly shameful.<br />
<br />
I don't know why that was what I felt. But I did.<br />
<br />
A few hours on, I'm doing better. I bounce.<br />
<br />
Here's how this experience relates to the training I've been doing recently. I've been doing some hard runs, trying to give a quick-ish bump to my fitness level so I can race the 25 km trail run I'm signed up to run in a few weeks. In the past five days, I've done two 10km runs, trying to run right at my edge, and last night I went 13km, still pushing to my edge. At 10km, my edge is just under 5 min/km -- at least, I can hold on for about 9 km before slowing slightly. At 13km, my edge is just over 5 min/km. I was pleased to have completed 13.1km yesterday in a time of 1 hour, seven minutes. That's two minutes off a five flat pace. Pretty fast for me. And I could hold it, and if I'd thought to bring water along, I could have gone further.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing: every step of those runs is hard work. Every single step. There isn't a step that feels easy. I'm pushing myself the whole way. I have remind myself repeatedly to maintain the intesity of effort.<br />
<br />
I find I can't even do it another way (unless I'm running with someone else).<br />
<br />
My life as a writer is very similar. I push myself. I set goals that may actually be slightly beyond my reach, but I believe in my own ability to get there. When I don't, it's painful. But I can't stop myself from continuing to try, despite setbacks.<br />
<br />
Every step of the way is hard. It never gets easier, because as I get stronger, I don't glide; instead, I push a little harder, expect a little more. It seems to be in my character. Failure hurts, but it isn't a real obstacle. The only obstacle is my response to failure. So I took some to feel sad this morning, and I know the sadness is going to grab me now and again in the days and weeks to come. But I'm going to keep on keeping on. One step at a time.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-25304415545014382222012-08-29T12:16:00.001-04:002012-08-29T12:16:30.572-04:00The best-laid plansWell, I didn't run every other day last week. We were at a water-access-only cottage for most of the week and I would have had to boat out to run on a country road, which seemed not terribly appealing, especially with lovely hot weather and a lake to swim in instead.<br />
<br />
After my 16km run awhile back, I played half a game of soccer the next day without ill effect (half because I got the time wrong and showed up late; oops). I ran fast and hard, however, for 45 minutes without feeling fatigued at all.<br />
<br />
The next day I did a 90-minute hot yoga class. It was almost too easy, though. Nice, but easy. I did discover that my hips are ridiculously tight. Ugh.<br />
<br />
I also got a few runs in, but not the five I'd planned: 9km slow; 7km in 35:35; 7km in 35:25. And a spin/weight class that really kicked my ass (we had a substitute teacher ...).<br />
<br />
Then I spent a day canning, and the next day at a soccer tournament and packing and driving, so I got no runs or exercise in whatsoever. When we got to the hotel, I'd planned to run on the treadmill -- and the gym was already closed. I was pretty grumpy and irritable. Sitting does not suit me!<br />
<br />
But on the first two full days of our holiday, I actually had back-to-back excellent runs in two different but very beautiful locations. On Monday morning, I ran off the stress of the long car ride by going 10km in 48:40. That's less than a minute off my fastest (okay, only) race time, so I was really pleased; especially pleased because I'd started with my fastest 5km time, speeding through it in 23:29. I couldn't quite maintain the pace, but I hadn't actually planned on running 10km, just got going and decided to keep going. In fact, I even stopped to walk after 9km, which had brought me back to the hotel, then thought, what the heck, I might as well see how fast I crank out a full 10, so I set out again.<br />
<br />
The next day I ran 7km in 34:26, on a killer hilly course. I was pleased to be keeping it under 5min/km, which is my "fast."<br />
<br />
And then I didn't run again until this morning! Circumstances.<br />
<br />
But I did swim. I swam twice a day for about half an hour each swim. Two days in a row I also did a long distance swim that took me longer than half an hour. The second and last long distance swim actually turned out to be kind of scary. Luckily I had my husband along in a kayak (because there are motorboats and skiidoos on this lake too, and a tiny bobbing swimmer's cap isn't terribly visible). My arms must have been more tired than I'd realized from the previous days long distance swim, and the water was really cold. I started gasping when I put my head under -- but I was already way out in the middle of the lake by that point. Luckily, I could hold onto the back of the kayak -- my husband pulled me part of the way home until I was ready to try swimming again. The water is very deep and I found it kind of spooky looking down on all that dark nothingness. (That might have been making me gasp, actually, as much as the cold.) My imagination is way too over-active! I think it was my mental state more than my physical state that affected that swim, and which I couldn't seem to overcome.<br />
<br />
Anyway, my advice is: never ever ever swim alone! I didn't do any of my swims alone, even the ones closer to shore, and I kept a close eye on my husband on his swims too.<br />
<br />
But I'd do it again -- attempt the long distance lake swim. The first day I had some similar panicked moments looking down into the dark depths, but I was able to overcome my panic, and once I got over it, I felt like I could have kept swimming forever. My limbs were kind of frozen from the cold, but the rhythm felt very serene, as if it could be sustained for a very long time. I liked it. But I'm not making crazy August plans to swim across Lake Ontario next summer or anything ...<br />
<br />
One other running note: I've noticed that my left knee aches after a slow run, but it doesn't hurt at all after a fast one. Curious, huh. The slow runs almost feel harder on my body.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-50952607090781011662012-08-13T10:41:00.002-04:002012-08-13T10:41:31.490-04:00Summer bluesAugust. Never my happiest month. I think I keep expecting something of myself come September: some new and exciting direction, some elaborate plan, some back-to-school nerves. But of course, I'm an adult, pretty much set in my routines and schedules, and August just means, well, the end of summer.<br />
<br />
Two years ago in August I had the brilliant idea that I wanted to complete a triathlon. Amazingly, I achieved the goal in less than a year, despite having to learn how to swim. Two summers later, I love swimming.<br />
<br />
July was all about swimming. I'm hoping to continue swimming at least a few times this week, in the outdoor pool, and lots next week, in a lake (which is a very different experience). Because it doesn't involve the same pounding that running does, I can do it every day. I'm not so sure about running every day.<br />
<br />
But I discovered something, reading about those Olympic marathoners and 5,000/10,000 metre specialists: they run not just every day, but three times a day. Yipes. I'll bet that would make me faster ... or injure me in the process. And I can't possibly devote that kind of time to the pursuit of speed, not at this late date in my athletic life. I'm not exactly in my prime anymore.<br />
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This past week, my goal was to run every other day. I started last Saturday with the 35 minute treadmill run. Monday I ran 10km in a respectable 52 minutes (respectable, but not especially fast for me.) Then I ran Tuesday (oops), 5km, brutal. I'd just eaten supper, and thought I was going to throw up. Not pretty. Not fast either. Got up the next morning, Wednesday, and ran 9km with my friend (we always go slowly, for which I was truly grateful). A few hours later, I swam 1600m at the pool, and felt terrific, not at all tired and achy, which surprised me. Bouyancy, I guess. Then I subbed in my spin/kettlebell class on Thursday, ran out of time to squeeze in a run on Friday, and instead got up early on Saturday and ran 16km. I didn't even let myself think about it in advance, just got up, put on running clothes, ate banana, took a drink along, and went out. I told my husband I'd be going 10-12km, because that was all I could bear to think of running myself.<br />
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And then I got going. And then 16km seemed pretty manageable. In fact, I was quite sure I could have run a half-marathon distance without harming myself. That said, the pounding on my joints feels greater, lately, than I remember it feeling last summer when I was training for distance, and I wonder: is it age? Is it just that I've forgotten how the pounding feels? Is it having been injured? I wonder whether I read my body's signals differently post-injury. A bit of fear added in, somehow.<br />
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In any case, I was thrilled to have gone 16km. And I played my soccer game yesterday without ill effect. I didn't fatigued or worn out in the least.<br />
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Soccer has changed my training, a bit. I've been hesitant to do long runs the day before a soccer game (which is a long run in and of itself -- 90 minutes of interval training, essentially, tons of sprints, and movement up and down the field). But on Saturday I decided just to train for today, not worry about tomorrow. I need to maintain that mentality and get out for more long runs. I think if I can get a couple around 20km, and continue running at least five times a week, I'll be able to complete the Run for the Toad at the end of September. The only issue will be me giving myself permission to complete it in a slower time than last year's. There is no way I can duplicate the kind of training I'd done going into last year's race, mainly because I lost out on the winter training due to the hip injury, and I can't pretend it's there to back me up. I also haven't raced all season.<br />
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But if I can accept running the Toad at least 15 minutes slower this year, I should be physically able to complete it. Here's hoping I can show up mentally. And enjoy it for what it is.<br />
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Today's plan: a short run after supper. Or a hot yoga class to stretch out. I'm missing that too, in my training. It might be more beneficial than a run, today, frankly.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-84541087922373031072012-08-07T15:02:00.003-04:002012-08-07T15:02:50.742-04:00Ego boost and ego bustI had a never-before-experienced moment on Saturday evening. We were staying in a hotel for my daughter's soccer tournament. We'd spent the entire day waiting, pacing, watching, sitting beside soccer fields, ie. zero exercise. It was brutally hot anyway. I'd brought my running gear but decided to wait til the evening and run on a treadmill at the hotel.<br />
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I was the only person in the exercise room. I have no idea how far or fast I ran because it seemed to be in miles. All I know is that it felt fabulous to run off all that angst and anxiety and restlessness, and that I kept pushing the button to go faster. At the end I ran a few intervals, fast, then slow, then fast, then slow. I was pouring with sweat when I stepped off the machine.<br />
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I walked to the elevator with another woman and her two children, who were coming from the pool. She said, "You look like you've come from a sauna."<br />
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"Nope. Just went for a fast run," I told her. I was feeling a little self-conscious, as I always do when I'm pouring sweat in my exercise clothes. (This situation happens to me often at soccer practice, and I always take care to stand a small distance away from other parents, because, frankly, what I need is a shower.)<br />
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On the elevator, she said, "Do you run a lot then?"<br />
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"Yes," I said. "I swim too." I almost added "and I swing weights around once a week, and sometimes do spin class," but I didn't want to sound like an exercise maniac.<br />
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"That must be how you got this fabulous body," she said. "You have a fabulous body!"<br />
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The women's heptathlon went on Saturday. Now those women--they have fabulous bodies. I would trade bodies with them. Who wouldn't want Jessica Zelinka's abs? But I must say that it was quite an ego boost. Out of the blue, being complimented on my body, which is not a fashion model body by any means -- it's strong and muscular. That was quite the ego boost.<br />
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In the ego busting section, despite having worked my body into what looks like its athletic prime, I can't seem to run any faster. Why??? I'm working so hard! Sometimes I think my body is a bit of a fake-out for anyone looking on. I look faster and stronger than I actually am. Here's the thing. I didn't start this project to look fabulous. I started it to become an athlete. That's still my goal.<br />
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After the success of the swimming experiment, I've decided to start laying on some miles. I plan to run every other day for the next couple of weeks, in hopes that it boosts my fitness in that regard. Otherwise, I can write off the chance to run that 25km trail run in less than eight weeks ...<br />
<br />Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-52235523636059914442012-07-31T09:07:00.001-04:002012-07-31T09:07:30.295-04:00Swim yourself fitJust a quick note about swimming -- again!<br />
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The kids are done their swim lessons, but my husband and I have enjoyed swimming so much that we're keeping it going this week. Yesterday was our anniversary, so we met for a swim, and then went for lunch. We can't do that every day, but the swim portion took us about an hour, so we figure we can squeeze that in quite often. I plan to meet him again today for another swim.<br />
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Yesterday I tried out a new arm position on my pull. I've been watching the Olympic swimmers and noticed that they use a much deep pull than I've been using. So I tried going a bit deeper, with my elbows bent, yesterday, and it felt like I was getting a more powerful pull. I was definitely going faster too. I ploughed through my usual 1600m (which is all I've had time to do during the kids' swim lessons) almost too fast, and wished I'd gone to 2000m. That's my plan for today, assuming the arms hold out. It is more tiring, and uses the back muscles slightly differently.<br />
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I think as a method of bumping up my fitness, regardless of how fast I'm able to go, swimming every week day for the past three weeks has been fantastic. At soccer on Sunday, I was able to run and run and run. I didn't feel winded, and I still had sprints left in me even at the end of the game.<br />
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I haven't done a long run since that 18.5km a couple of weekends ago when I was seriously dehydrated and felt awful by the end. Instead I've been doing much shorter speed runs. On Thursday, I ended with a number of sprints up a hill. Fun. Seriously. I think that kind of training helps with my soccer fitness, and vice versa -- the soccer games themselves help with my ability to sprint and recover. If I could just find time to add in the long runs ...<br />
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Well, it's never perfect. But I've also been doing my strength and stretching stuff more regularly. Need to after soccer -- want to, in fact. Otherwise I'm stiff as a board. I got a new foam roller that I'm using to roll out my glutes and IT band. I make the most awful noises while rolling on there, plus I look totally awkward. Ah, fitness ....Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-27504103810495687562012-07-25T15:19:00.001-04:002012-07-25T15:19:13.768-04:00Every day swimmingSummer is flying. It's so bittersweet that we're nearing the end of the kids' two week swim session. I've never swum so much in my entire life! Last week, I swam for all four days that my kids were lessons, and I'm keeping the same pace this week, though it's a shorter swim than the very first week that I swam five days straight. So I've been averaging 1600m/swim, and it goes by very quickly. Yesterday I tried out a different kick, which admittedly took more energy, but earned me an extra 200m in the same amount of time.<br />
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Today, however, I was outpaced by a very large, much older woman who was barely putting her head in the water. To be fair, she was going pretty fast. I comforted myself by thinking that perhaps she was a champion swimmer once upon a time. Also, I ran 9km this morning.<br />
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My soccer game on Sunday was a disappointment. I wasn't beat up at all, but I had the sense it was in part because I hadn't pushed nearly as hard. I could feel the fear in my body's responses and reaction time. I knew I wasn't running quite as hard as I could have, and was therefore missing contact with the ball as often as not. Lame. The second half was better as I forced myself to get back into the game and not act out of fear. Might as well not play if I'm playing scared.<br />
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I also ran a bit more last week, though not a ton, it must be said. I'm not entirely sure I'll be prepared for the Toad (25km trail run) at the end of September. I'm really not layering on the miles like I should be. On the other hand, I'm loving the swimming, and I don't have time for everything. Maybe the cross-training is helping, at least a bit?<br />
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Last week I ran 9km (slow, with my friend) on Wednesday, and also swam that day. I did the spittlebell class (spin + weights) on Thursday, swam, and also ran that evening, 6.5km with sprints to warm up (and a 14-minute-flat pace for the first 3km, ending 5km in 24:19)--not bad. I ran Saturday afternoon in some serious heat, but my GPS watch wasn't working and we were at a park, so I couldn't track the run. I just ran a half hour, and tried to push the pace past my comfort level. I ran non-stop in the soccer game on Sunday evening--lots of sprints in that style of running. My lungs felt better right from the start, too, so I think a couple of runs during the week really make a difference, even if they aren't serious distance runs. I also practiced soccer with the kids, lots of sprints, on Monday night.<br />
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And that, plus the 4 x 1600m swims, was my week.<br />
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This week is shaping up to be pretty similar, with an extra swim on Monday (the kids didn't start their swim lessons until Tuesday of last week, so I skipped that swim).<br />
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My husband and I have enjoyed swimming so much that we're hoping to continue, at least a couple of times a week, while the pool is open and summer remains with us! It's too beautiful to waste. It's like seasonal eating. Seasonal exercise. Enjoy it while you've got it.<br />
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Plus my arms have never looked better. Not that that's why I exercise, mind you, but, damn, it's true.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-59857801052207296402012-07-16T10:34:00.003-04:002012-07-16T10:34:57.851-04:00SwimminglyIt sure was fun to swim every day last week. I ended up swimming five days in a row, averaging 2200m each session. The pleasure of swimming in the outdoor pool on these crazy hot, dry days cannot be improved upon. It even inspired me to buy a bikini after I discovered my bathing suit was literally disintegrating and leaving black tarry marks all over my back. I could feel my cardio-vascular improvements over the week.<br />
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But I only ran once last week, believe it or not. I did a speed run on Thursday evening in insane heat, on a hilly trail. I was laying down a just-under 5 min/km pace, even with the hills, for the first 4 km, but then I kind of tanked. I was surprised I made it 5, actually, though the end time was reasonable, just over 25 minutes. Thursday was my super-hero day. I started with the spin/weight class, swam 2300m, then finished with the run. But I totally forgot to stretch! I was stiff the next day.<br />
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That said, I remembered to stretch virtually every other day last week, and feel better for it.<br />
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At yesterday's soccer game, I thought I'd feel all fit and fresh, but the weird thing is that I felt pretty winded, pretty fast. It was only by the second half that I started to feel better, and even then, it was relative. I think I'd just gotten used to feeling winded and realized I could keep playing winded and not hit a wall. Instead, I got slammed by the opposing team, not once but twice. I'm bruised and battered today, and wondering whether it's worth it to risk being concussed ... as a speedy forward, I'm a moving a target, and I've found that the less skilled a defender, the more likely she is to push, slide-tackle, or otherwise maim the incoming player. These are usually big women, too. My happiest moment in yesterday's game was when two defenders attempted to make a Carrie sandwich of me, on one of my runs to the net, but I slipped through and they ran into each other instead. No, I wasn't sorry in the least.<br />
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On the soccer front, this past week I practiced running with the ball -- it's all about touch. At AppleApple's Monday night soccer practice, I take the other kids, and we practice on a field nearby too. So on Monday, we basically ran up and down the field, taking shots on the net. I also got the kids to throw balls at me so I could practice receiving and turning them with my body. I still need a lot of work on that skill, but Kevin said I was positioning myself better on the field already, with my body facing to turn rather than facing my own net head-on. And I had a breakaway where I controlled the ball perfectly while running up the field, and was able to take a decent shot (which was saved). It wasn't the greatest shot, but it was not bad, and I was most proud of having keep control of the ball and maintained speed on that run.<br />
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Here is what I need to work on, likely by visualizing it: running before the ball is kicked. We have a great player on our team, head and shoulders above the rest of us. She plays midfield, and she's able to control the flow of the game, but she needs someone to pass to in order to create goal-scoring changes. I'm striving to be that someone. My problem is that I hesitate. She'll say: Carrie, go! as she prepares to kick the ball. But instead I wait to where the ball will go and then run after it. This is frustrating for her, and doesn't do a ton of good. Kevin explained why. My job is to make space. So by running into space, I'm giving her somewhere to kick the ball to -- not the other way round. In other words, I need to create the play, not wait to see what's going to happen. Plus, if I'm moving, my defender will have to move too, and it will throw her off. That's my goal for next game -- run into space without hesitation.<br />
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Can't really practice that tonight, so instead I'll practice running with the ball, shooting/passing into the net, and receiving and turning the ball.<br />
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Which reminds me -- I guess I did run on Monday night, if sprinting back and forth down a soccer field counts. I think it does, even though I have no idea how far or how fast I was running ...<br />
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Not sure what my training plan is for this week. A couple more runs needed, methinks, in addition to the swims. Physio exercises to be continued. And swims to be enjoyed!Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-90185786179886277642012-07-09T13:54:00.001-04:002012-07-09T13:54:19.563-04:00That fit/not fit feelingI've been reflecting on how I don't feel fit at the moment. And how that's really fairly insane, given what my body is capable of doing. But the more I've accomplished, the higher my standards become. Sometimes, on my runs these days, I have to remind myself of all the reasons I'm not hitting my mental targets for speed and (sometimes, less frequently) distance. I'll remind myself that I continue to nurse injuries, that it's insanely hot and humid, that I did a hard work-out the day before -- whatever the "excuse" may be. Because it's not really an excuse, it's the situation. I keep trying to remind myself how excellent it is to get out and exercise <i>no matter what</i>. No matter that I can't hit my top pace every day, and every run. No matter that some days I'm more sluggish than others.<br />
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The important thing remains that I'm continuing to exercise -- and continuing to enjoy it.<br />
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Part of the enjoyment, of course, comes from seeing progress, so it's hard when I'm working hard and not seeing that progress. I wonder whether I've peaked as an athlete? Maybe. Maybe it doesn't matter.<br />
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I'm enjoying the new challenge that soccer provides. I finally let my husband (who is a talented soccer player and coach) come out and watch a game yesterday. I really wanted him to, actually. I sense that I have some raw talent, but there are holes in my skills and tactical understanding of the game that I just knew he could help me with. (If I could accept the advice!) It's hard to accept advice -- or hard not to hear only the criticism, so it helped to hear everything I was already doing right mixed into the advice too. I'm speedy, I challenge for the ball and win it often, I'm aggressive, and I work hard. But I'm not running the angles, and I need to practice certain skills -- directing the ball with my body when receiving it; turning with the ball; and running with the ball. I also need to shoot more frequently when coming in on the net -- my tendency is to pass it instead, because I don't want to be seen as a ball hog. Duh. They have me up front as a striker because they want me to shoot the ball and score! I needed that reminder yesterday.<br />
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I'm also interested in the tactical elements of the game, and hope to work with teammates on a few ideas. For example, my husband tells me that forwards shouldn't be tied to one side of the field, but should be constantly looking for ways to make space for each other, even if that means running to the opposite side of the field, either to follow the play, or to make space. It confuses the defenders. It opens up the game.<br />
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So what I'm learning, about seven games in, is getting more sophisticated.<br />
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I'm trying to maintain my weekend long run, but it's a challenge with the soccer game falling on Sunday afternoons. So I've been trying to run on Saturdays. This Saturday I worked up to 18.5km, but it was a very humid and hot afternoon, and even though I went out with lots of hydration on board, I kept experiencing worrisome symptoms throughout the run -- chills, mostly. My pace was dreadful. I was never better than 5:30/km, and was often as slow as 5:45, even 5:50 for my last 3km split. I've rarely felt so drained at the end of a run, just trying to keep my feet turning over. It was disappointing to say the least. I also felt my hip the next day, which reminds me that I haven't done physio exercises for ages.<br />
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Add that to the mix, daily is my plan. I did both yoga stretches and physio exercises yesterday. Stretching post-soccer is key to my injury-free soccer plan. My IT band was bothering me two weeks ago. All it took was some yoga (at home) and everything kind of snapped back into place. But my quad muscle is still bothering me, and slowing me on the runs.<br />
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I'm also excited to add swimming back into the mix on a more regular basis for the next three weeks. I'll get to swim four times this week, accompanying my daughter to her hour-long swim lessons. Today I changed after we got there, and it was feedback day (argh!) so my swim was cut a bit short, but I put in 1800m. I LOVE swimming outdoors in the 50m pool. Nothing compares. LOVE IT. I'll get four swims this week, and then half hour swims for the following two weeks while the little kids are in their swim lessons. I just know it's going to bump up my fitness level. And it's easy on the legs. Would love to swim daily all summer long. Was fantasizing about going with husband over lunch hour, wondering how much time that would take out of our work days and whether we could fit it in this summer.<br />
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I'm training toward the 25 km Toad, and also hoping to run the Hamilton marathon this fall. But I don't feel as strong as I did last summer -- I haven't had the same race schedule, and I haven't done a single outdoor bike ride yet this summer. I think the cross-training last year contributed to my speed and endurance, and really, I've mainly been running. It's easy, and I can fit it in around my kids' crazy soccer schedules. I've been too tired to do many early mornings.<br />
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Anyway, back to the fit/not fit question. I was thinking about how insane it is to think of myself as "not that fit." Which is what I'll admit I'm feeling as I hack along at 5:45/km. But I'm 37 years old, and I'm able to run 18.5km on Saturday, play 90 minutes of hard-running soccer 24 hours later, and then swim 1800m less than 24 hours after that. I think most people would consider that relatively fit, right??<br />
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So I'm going to try to, too. Rather than measuring it all in speeds and splits, I'm going to be happy with continuing to be able to exercise regularly, at whatever level my body is able to manage.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081566882269454.post-22566102715907470492012-06-04T10:38:00.001-04:002012-06-04T10:38:22.425-04:00Learning how to kickThis past week was very much up and down for me, emotionally. By Friday, I felt spent and I did absolutely no exercise on Friday or on Saturday, not even my physio stuff. I was disappointed in myself, but I was also just too tired to move.<br />
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I was so glad for the swim on Monday morning. It loosened up my aching leg muscles after the soccer game on Sunday. Turns out I've been kicking the ball wrong. I knew it! I knew it was something in the mechanics. It took a soccer practice yesterday afternoon, and then an impromptu back yard practice with my husband last night after the kids were in bed to crack the code. Honestly, I was swinging so hard and the ball was going nowhere and it was hurting like crazy. Was it where I was planting my foot? Was it the angle of my upper body? Was it where my foot was striking the ball?<br />
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The odd thing was that my pass was very accurate and stronger than my kick. Turns out I was passing with my leg at the correct angle, but I was kicking the ball dead on. What helped was not my husband watching what I was doing, but me watching my husband kick the ball properly. I finally said, I can't kick it the way you kick it because you're coming at it from an angle and I just can't do that. Visually, I couldn't understand how to approach the ball except to come at it dead on. That's what made sense to my head. As soon as we realized that was what I was doing, everything changed. I watched my husband kick the ball, and saw how he planted his foot, and his hip acted as a hinge to bring his other leg back on an angle so that he could swing through the ball with full force.<br />
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When I was kicking it dead on, I had no force at all, because the hip doesn't hinge that way. There is no way to pull the leg back to give a good swing, so all the power was coming from my much-weakened and inflamed little thigh muscle. Ouch!<br />
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As soon as it made sense to my brain, my body was able to do it. It was like a switch flipping. Suddenly, I could strike the ball with force every time. Zero pain. It didn't even feel hard. I'm relieved. I hope this make me an asset to my team, so I can combine my speed with some actual useful soccer skills. Speed only gets me so far.<br />
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The week did have a good soccer flavour, though we didn't play a game yesterday (practice instead). On Tuesday evening, I practiced soccer with my daughter for a good forty-five minutes. We had to be at the field very very early due to only having one car and also having three kids playing soccer. As other girls trickled in, they joined our impromptu practice, and it was so fun. We kept adding defenders and forwards and basically doing one drill over and over -- passing the ball around before trying to score (my daughter was practicing her goalkeeping skills). When the real practice started, I headed out for a 5.5km run in the woods.<br />
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Got up early the next morning for a run with my friend: 8.8km.<br />
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And then "spittlebell" class on Thursday morning. More spinning than weights, which was a bit disappointing. I love the weights. I meant to run that evening, but instead I stayed home with our youngest and did dishes, laundry, and read books with him. One daughter was on a sleepover so she wasn't at her soccer game, which freed me up. It will probably be the only occasion this summer that it happens, so I took advantage of it, and took a break.<br />
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But the break stretched out. Friday I didn't get up early to do anything. And it rained and got cold by Saturday. Plus my husband was working. I just had no motivation.<br />
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Thankfully, I woke up Sunday morning, early and refreshed, and went for a long run. To get myself out the door, I decided just to run 10km. But as I was running and feeling good, I decided to run my 12km route instead. And then I was feeling so fit that I added some extra loops in at the park on the way home, and went 14.7km. Should have gone around the block just to add in that extra 300m so I could say it was an even 15km.<br />
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I had a bit of a break, and then soccer practice. I felt good, and feel fine today too. I did not run fast, and in fact it was a really slow pace. I never got going much faster than 5:30/km. But I think that's okay. The long runs are supposed to be slow. I can't run everything like I'm in a race -- though that is my instinct. While out running, I decided to get back on the bike again too. I also decided to organize a summer running club for my kids and their friends this summer. And I wondered -- why is it so hard, some days, to move at all? To take that first step? To force myself to go?<br />
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I never regret it. I always enjoy it.<br />
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So with that in mind, I started this week with another swim. I'm still not back on form, though I suspect it might be this wounded wrong-kick leg muscle which is troubling me and slowing me down. But I hung in for the hour, and swam 2600m in 59 minutes.<br />
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Planning a soccer practice with the kids tonight -- hoping, really hoping, it doesn't rain. We have to all go to one child's soccer practice, as my husband plays soccer at the same time. Last time, though, it was very fun, and we mostly played soccer too, passing the ball around. I'd like to practice that kick and really sink it into my muscle memory.Carrie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919664513529675842noreply@blogger.com1