I started running in April of 2010 and although I found many of the other running blogs inspirational, I could hardly realted to paces in the 8-9 min/mile range when I was struggling to make a 15 min/mile pace.
So here you go, a running blog for the slow girls!
We have been together for a long tine now. I remember when I first got you, back in the winter of '05 when you were the latest fad, who could have thought that all my music would fit into such a little machine? And more recently, when I started running again, you were a wonderful companion through those tough, early runs.
However, I think we both know that lately things haven't been working out. When I need you most, you just die on me. Time and time again, you have let me down. Like this morning, when you just died on me after only an hour and a half. And yes, I realize that I rely on you heavily, perhaps too much as I use you not only for music for as a stopwatch too. But still, you are not providing the support I need and you don't even communicate that to me....you just die without warning! It's not me, it's you.
So, I think it's for the best that we part ways. Now, this doesn't mean that you won't be in my life anymore, perhaps we could just be involved more casually, say on a friendship level? You can still partake in musical activities within the house, but for my exercise, well, you're just not what I'm looking for. We've grown apart and it's time to go our separate ways. Thanks for the memories.
I have been trying to abide by the "no excuses" principle lately but when I awoke this morning I knew that my regular run was out of the question. It was raining and while I don't mind running in the rain, I do mind (and fear) the risk of electrocution. We are in the height of thunderstorm season and have been pummeled by several strong storms lately. A quick look at the radar told me that I would be running right in between two big storms. Would I have been alright? Maybe, but this is not the kind of thing I want to play around with.
Still determined to get in a run, I was left with only one option: the treadmill. Which I have used exactly once before. So at the end of the day I went to the machine and dutifully got on. I was bored about 2 minutes in so I started fiddling with the controls.
I decreased the incline to 0% (oh! So this is what it feels like to run on flat ground) and then slowly started upping the speed into the uncomfortable range. Despite the fact that I spent the next 30 minutes just looking at myself (the gym has a wall of mirrors) I was actually able to maintain a 5 mile/hour speed most of the time.
In the end, I average a pace of 12:46 min/mile and felt that I had left everything I had on that dreaded treadmill. BUT, I am coming to realize that the treadmill may be a useful tool in the future in terms of learning to run faster.
Yes, I am back on the horse, or in the saddle or whatever the expression is! I got up early this morning and ran 2 miles. Also, realized that summer is quickly slipping away (sob!) since it was pitch black at 5:45 AM and I had to wait past 6 to start running (no way am I running in the dark!)
Another thing that I noticed is that I have been running faster. Not consistently, but I have these bursts of speed that I can sustain for several minutes before going back down to my regular slow jog or even walking. And while I am hardly breaking any records (I am now in the 13 min/mile range) I am hoping that slowly these moments will last longer and longer, and soon I will be able to string them together for a respectable amount of time
But for now, I am just glad to be running again and grateful that all my training wasn't wiped out by a couple of bad weeks.
Somewhere between a week at the beach, a crazy stressful week at work, and another short getaway, my running has taken the back seat in my life. This is not a good thing. The vacation was understandable, but when I put running behind work, the stress just builds and builds and without an escape, it just becomes a downward spiral.
Last week I ran exactly one time (5 miles) and haven't been to the gym for who knows how long. At last week's run I flirted dangerously with the line where a break is rejuvenating (ran at a 13 min/mile pace!) but if you wait too long it can set you back (I was wiped out for the rest of the day).
So, tomorrow morning I'll get up and start running again and hope I haven't lost too much time. I'm going to try my best to get back on the wagon.
I've read all the websites and books that say that water is really unnecessary if you are running under an hour, but I wonder if any of those authors have ever been to DC in the summer where the heat and humidity is so oppressive you barely want to leave your house, let alone go running.
I was trying to explain to a friend how miserable and sticky DC was in August and the best analogy I could tell him was this; slather on some heavy lotion, wrap yourself in a thick blanket and then turn up the heat and go sit in your bathroom with the steam full blast.
Bottom line: DC in the summer can be miserable. Which is why I was so upset when I *thought* my Camelbak had sprung a leak. I spent the rest of the day searching for a replacement only to learn that no stores in the DC area seem to carry the waist model, just the back-pack version. No need to despair, I logged onto Roadrunner and used an almost-expired coupon to order a snazzy new waist model.
A few days later, as I contemplated said snazzy new model, I saw that the Camelbak people offered a lifetime warranty on their products so I decided to give them a call and tell them about my leaking problem and see if they would live up to the warranty, especially since I had only been using the Camelbak for a few months.
Luckily before I gave them a call, I decided to give it one last try, just to make sure. Imagine my surprise when I realized it didn't have a leak at all! Yay! and also Booo! I missed out on my last long run for no good reason.
So why had the Camelbak leaked that fateful Sunday? I am guessing it was because I was trying to fill it with as much water as possible and I probably over-filled causing the water to leak from the cap. Also, just for good measure, I had gone ahead and stuffed a few ice cubes in there.
I'm not sure those extra few ounces I would have gained were worth the aggravation but I'm glad the 'bak is back!
Let me start off by saying that running on the beach is hard. Very hard. Either that or I am VERY out of practice. Since I am on vacation, I didn't set the alarm at some absurdly early hour but instead woke up and was ready to run at 8 AM.
My warm-up consisted of walking to the beach (about 2 blocks) and then across the beach to the water's edge (another 100 meters or so) and as I walked across the soft sand I couldn't help but feel (and look) like a drunken college girl, not that I have any idea what that feels like.
Once I got to the lifeguard chair, I looked around and realized I was pretty much alone, and just started running. It felt great, running again after so long, good music on the iPod but not so loud that I couldn't hear the crashing waves in the background. Also, I felt very safe, it was wide open space wherever I looked with no place for anyone to hide lying in wait to jump out at me. For the record, I live and run in a very safe neighbourhood, I'm just a tab paranoid.
So that was the first five minutes, and it really went downhill after that....For one, it was hot and although I didn't realize it at the time, I was running with the wind at my back which meant no sea breeze to cool me off. I passed a lot of people walking on the beach and I quickly realized that running on the beach is not for sissies and immediately began to feel out of my league. This actually happens quite often when I run, so I'm used to it.
About 15 minutes in, another woman runner passed me and left me in her dust. Again, this happens quite often, but I was most amazed to see that she was running without any water while I felt like I was crossing the Sahara and was guarding every drop in my Camelbak (yes, it's back, more on that later!). Right after she passed me, I took my first break. Not a walking break, but a real break where I hobbled over to the tiny sliver of shade by another lifeguard chair and wondered what the heck I was doing. Nothing like a little self-doubt to get your morning going.
Break time over, I ploughed ahead and with Atlantic City looming ever larger in the distance, I felt like I was in some sort of bizarre gambler's dream. As I neared the end of the route (and island) I ran out of hard sand and was left with the option of either soft dry sand or soft wet sand. I chose wet and immediately felt like was sinking into quicksand. I finally made it to the edge, where I was assaulted by a swarm of dragonflies while I admired (?) the casino's across the water, and turned around and headed back.
Ahh, what a difference a little wind makes. I am sure that serious runners avoid running into the wind because it takes precious seconds off their time, but to me it felt like heaven. I trudged on, all the while thinking that the hardest part was behind me and I just had to get back now. Along the way, a guy packing up a fitness class (yoga on the beach-how cool is that?!) offered me water from his cooler, but I just waved and said I had some but now that I think about it, I must have looked pretty haggard out there for him to be offering water to a total stranger.
Finally, I spotted the modern house at the end of our street, or so I thought. I was so close, I was so relieved that the run was over, I had gone too long without running and had paid the price, a lesson learned the hard way. But I just needed to go a little further and then walk back to the house where a nice cool shower awaited me.
As I approached the lifeguard chair I realized in horror that the number that corresponds with the street number was off by seven digits! I was not home yet, in fact I was still more than seven blocks away....I looked waaaaay down the beach to see a very similar modern house and the next lifeguard chair. At this point I wanted to cry. I was hot, tired and done. For a second I thought about just walking the rest of the way, but I had no choice but to keep running a little while longer.
In the end, I ran a little under 5 miles at my typical 15 min/mile pace but it felt like an eternity. Like I said before, beach running; not for sissies. Or at least not for this one!
So I've brought all my running gear with me on vacation and while I was scouting out local running routes, my husband suggested that I just run on the beach, on the hard, wet, sand.
"Nah....nobody does that, I'd look like an idiot, the only one out there, running on the beach"
Well, early this morning , we were the first on the beach (one of the "advantages" of vacationing with small children) and after we set up camp (who knew we required all this equipment, whatever happened to my days of a towel and a good book?!.....I digress...) I turned around to find several people running on the beach. Guess it's not such a crazy idea after all.
My concerns are: -sand in my shoes -how difficult it can be to walk, let alone run, on sand -gauging distance correctly
The last one is just my OCD-ness getting in my way and perhaps I could just go out there and run for a decent amount of time, turn around and run back? Hmmm, to be determined.
Oh, and just in case you're jealous about the picture, we're not really in a tropical paradise, but it's still the beach which, right now, is a lot better than home, where I hear the temps are in the triple digits (again!).
It's been almost a week since my last run which is far too long. Not only because I fear that the non-running days will quickly pile up onto each other but also because running has become the best way to regulate my mood. Last night I could already feel myself becoming testy with the kids, short with my husband and I knew that I has to get out there and soon.
This week has been full of family obligations that have turned out scheduled up on its head, along with last-week-before-vacation craziness at work where I'm scrambling to get everything ready which has made morning runs more difficult. All excuses? Well, some what...some more legitimate than others. Yes, I did need to take the dog to the vet. No, I did not need to stay up late and watch Law & Order.
Regardless, this morning I got up and hit the road. Nice, easy run and I rewarded my self for being good by trying a new route on the other side of the lake. Much to my surprise, the turnaround point came much sooner that I expected.
The real reward of a 3 mile jaunt? An improved mood. I'm sure my family thanks me.
After I missed my long run on Sunday I was determined to run again as soon as possible and I spent the better part of the day looking for a replacement Camelbak with no success. I was pretty disappointed that my long runs had been curbed, and I let this minor setback spiral out of control to the point that I now have not run *at all* in almost a week. Not good.
My guilt is only slightly assuaged by the fact that I have been keeping up with my cross-training (whatever it is that means). Both yesterday and today I spent a decent amount of time at the gym doing the elliptical and weights.
But I think two days in a row is my limit and I fear becoming a gym rat, or maybe just a gym mouse? Either way, tomorrow I hope to be back on the pavement.
This morning I woke up at 4:50 AM, hit the snooze button a million times and finally got up, had breakfast, got dressed, applied copious amounts of body glide, put on the iPod, got out the Gu and filled up the Camelbak. When I went to put on the Camelback a large stream of water trickled down my legs. For a second I thought I had wet myself but no such luck...the Camelback had sprung a leak.
I then spent the next 20 minutes, drying off the floor and myself and trying to find the source of the leak. While I couldn't quite pin point where it was leaking, I have a pretty good idea about the "why".....the night before I had decided to rinse out the Camelbak and filled it with warm soapy water and asked my husband to squeeze the bag so the water would quirt out forcefully and clean the tubing on the way out. I had forgotten how strong his hands are and it appears that he squeezed a bit too hard.
By this time, it was 6:30 AM, the sun was up and the temps were already in the 80s and there was no way I could complete a long run without water, so I called it day and crawled back into bed. I'm a bit disapointed because I had planned on doing 8+ miles, but sometimes it's just not meant to be.
Let me start off by saying that I have an irrational fear of slugs that began in childhood when my sister stepped on a slug...with her bare feet. Ewwwwww!
Anyway, I have been feeling sluggish all week. I 'm not sure if it's allergies or the humidity (usually 80% these days) or the temperature but I know I'm not the only one. Several people this week have mentioned to me that they have been walking around in a fog, so something is up.
I had planned on waking up early this morning but slept right through the alarm (actually turns out I had accidentally set it for 5:40 PM instead of 5:40 AM), so when I woke up it was already 6:30 but I was determined to run. Actually determined is too strong a word....I was encouraged to run this morning. I ended up heading out the door at 7:15 AM and got in 2 miles.
Sadly, the people in the neighborhood where I go for short runs aren't big fans of sprinklers so about 5 minutes it I was super sweaty and it was so, so hot and humid that I ended up taking several walk breaks. But it seems that these walk breaks are once again in my best interest as I ended up with a 14:42 pace.
I'm taking tomorrow off and resting up for Sunday when I'm supposed to run 8.5 miles (gulp!) but I'm going to have to get up a whole lot earlier if I want to make my goal. We shall see...
This morning I woke up early to enjoy a short run in the rainforest. Except that instead of tropical vegetation, there were pines and maples and instead of macaws and monkeys, there were robins and chipmunks. You see, it wasn't *really* the rainforest, it just felt like one.
At 6:30 am it was still under 80 degrees but with the humidity levels in the 90s, I might as well have been running in the Amazon. I was lucky to complete the short run in between thunder storms and while I did dodge the rain, it felt like I was breathing someone else's hot breath.
Still, not too shabby (for me) given the weather conditions....2.1 miles at a 14:27 min/mile pace
is very, very swollen. Not sure why, but this is how my hand looked like after my run this morning. Maybe it was the iPod band? Or poor hydration? Or the heat and humidity? No worries, it all cleared up within an hour or two.
I hit the snooze button about a dozen times this AM, so got a late start at 6:45, and after warm-up and stretches, started running at exactly 7 am. By then it was about 72 degrees which is not terrible and the humidity was moderate but best of all I was blessed with cloudy skies for most of the run.
The plan today was to complete 8 miles, but I wasn't sure I was going to do the while thing since last week I had only done 7.2 miles and didn't want to push myself too hard. But as usual, once I got going I felt pretty good and when I came to that turn in the road, right to go home or left to go another mile, I took the left and sailed through.
Until mile 6 that is, I was doing OK but going downhill really does a number on my knees so I end up walking down hill and looking forward to the up-hills. Somewhere around mile 7.5 (I am just estimating b/c I don't have a Garmin) I was hurting so I took a short walk break but it wasn't really worth it since starting up again is so much harder. I truly don't understand how people can do the run-walk-run method. Once I stop, I stop for good.
At the last half-mile I looked down and realized that I stood a chance (small, but still a chance) of finishing around 2 hours, so I really pushed it and sailed through quickly. I can't imagine being able to run that fast for a long period of time.
Totals for this week's long run: 8.1 miles completed in 2:05:26 for a pace of 15:27 min/mile. Not too shabby!
Shortly after I started running, I realized that my beat up sneakers just weren't going to cut it. So I took everyone's advice and high-tailed it over to a proper running store where I was watched (and filmed!) while I ran and then I chose from a variety of quality running shoes.
But, as with many things in my life, I came unprepared and had to "borrow" a pair of running socks to try on the shoes. I fell in love instantly, they were smooth and pink and awesome and I wanted some! No, my husband's oversized Hanes cotton socks just weren't going to cut it anymore. So $150 later I walked out of the store with shoes, insoles, and 3 pairs of socks.
I gave strict instructions to the family that these socks could not be dried, and that they were *very special socks* only to be used for running. All was going well, until I noticed a few days ago that one of the socks had gone missing. And no, I couldn't just use another one, as my husband suggested because there are right socks and left socks.
After some searching, I found the missing sock in the dark crevasse between the dryer and the wall and knew at once that I must recuse it! So, long pointy object in hand, I reached down and rescued by dear-missing-but-now-found left sock.
And just in case you were wondering, yes I did run it through the washer again before wearing it since it was just a tiny bit dusty!
Temps continue to hover in the triple digits with terrible air-quality, so no outdoors workouts for a while. Which is fine, since today is supposed to be a cross-training day. Except that I'm still trying to figure out what qualifies as cross-training. Biking and the elliptical? yes. Weights and yoga? hmm, not sure.
I'm blessed with a gym at work so I did my mandatory 20 minutes on the elliptical and then did 10 more minutes of weights hoping to finally lose the giggly arms. While I am seeing progress on the biceps (bigger, more toned, defined!) the triceps are waaaaay behind. I finally figured out how to set the machine to work on the triceps instead of the biceps only to find out that even at a minimum resistance, I couldn't lift the weights. So, it's just simple free weights for now, another day of the the triceps lagging behind.
Today I was supposed to run 30 min. but given that it was 102 degrees and a code red day I instead took a pass. I suppose I could have run on the gerbil wheel (AKA treadmill) at the gym, but instead I just took a pass. It really does seem to take a toll on my knees and back and since outside was definitely not an option, I just skipped the run today.
So, I suppose I should feel guilty...but then I remembered that one of the last few games of the world cup was today and I couldn't *possibly* miss that! So, guilty? Nah... not so much.
Today I declare my independence from laziness. Today, I ran 7 miles. Actually, it was 7.2 miles, but who's counting ;)
I was very nervous as I had missed last week's long run due to illness and had not really kept up with my shorter runs this week due to a very, very bad week. So I had not run a long run in 12 days and my last run was on Tuesday and while it was a decent time (for me...3.1 miles at a 14.1 min/mile pace) I just wasn't sure I could do it.
Still, I woke up early after only 5 hours of sleep and set out diligently just as the sun was coming up and the temps were still cool. I actually felt pretty great during the run, and really once I get to the halfway point, it's cake for me as I think, "OK I just have to get home now". Once again I am so grateful to live near such a beautiful lake and was delighted to discover yet another far off corner of the lake in my longest run yet.
I was still handed a good dose of humility as I was passed by a couple of runners, but I take my pride where I can, even if it's only passing the little old ladies walking their dogs. Hey, at least I'm faster than somebody!
With about a mile to go, I look down to realize that I'm making pretty good time, about the same as a couple of weeks ago when I ran 6.5 miles. And just as I'm in the homestretch, the iPod (and the stopwatch!) dies!!! No warning, no blip, nothing, just dead. My first thought was, "Cool, I just outlasted my iPod battery!" which is not really a huge accomplishment since it's pretty much the first iPod made but then I realized that I would not know my pace and time so I frantically pulled out my phone and set the stopwatch for the last half-mile or so.
So while the results aren't official, today I ran 7.2 miles in 1:45. Not too shabby! I'm just impressed that I was able to do the 7+ miles mostly running (very little walking) and hope that with time my pace will improve. But if it doesn't, that is OK too...i think.
When I started running, I had no idea what I was doing...I still don't. But when I started running, I would go as fast as I could for as long as I could (usually about a block) and then I would walk with my heart bursting out of my chest for a bit. Then when I no longer felt like I was dying, I would do it over, and over again. It was torturous and ridiculous.
In order to motivate myself I would imagine that I was an antelope leaping through the tall grasses, running away from a tiger. Never mind that antelope and tigers live on completely different continents, it worked for me and I stuck to it. So there I would go, the crazed antelope sprinting one block at a time and wondering what there was to love about running and how did some people make it look so easy?
Who knows how long I would have continued like this, but luckily family intervened and once I told them of my strategy and they were able to catch their breath from laughing at me, they explained the concept of building up my resistance slowly..... ahhh. Who would have thunk it?!
So then I started jogging slowly and found I was able to run for longer, slower periods of time without stopping and without feeling like I was about to become a cardiac patient. Before I knew it, I was running a mile, a very slow mile, but a mile none the less.
So that is why my new mantra is "slow and steady". But the truth is that I am not very steady either, so I'm sticking with slow and sweaty, both things I can do well.
As for the antelope, who knows? Maybe I'll resurrect the image if I ever decide to try to speed up. But for now, I'm sticking with the tortoise.
Exactly three months ago today, I started running. I had run briefly in the fall of 2008 but as the temperature dropped, so did my motivation.
I'm not really sure why I started running again this time. In part, I wanted to *finally* lose my baby fat from my youngest, or as I like to call it, "my kangaroo pouch. Another big part was that my sister-in-law suggested that we run a race, specifically the St. Jude's half-marathon, together. So I decided to run for a month, see where I am, and then decide about the race. At the end of the month, I realized that the St. Jude's half was not feasible for logistical reasons, but I went ahead and registered for the Philly half-marathon which is closer to home. I figured it would be good to have something to aim for.
Apparently, I am also very optimistic because by the end of April I had run a total of 19 miles. That's right, 19 miles the entire month. The longest run had been 2.5 miles. And yet, somehow, I went ahead and registered for the half, figuring that still had 6 months to go.
