Tag: running

Good Run Thursday

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Yesterday I had a really great run. I walked for 4 minutes, jogged for 22, and then walked for the last 4 – and THEN did some strength training at my gym. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and though I’m achey this morning, yesterday’s work out felt really, really good. Some the the achiness I attribute to the strength training. I need to find a good way to tone my abs, as that I hate most of them, and the ones I don’t hate wrench my back (because I’m doing it wrong, I’m sure.)

My pace for my walk/run averaged at 11:10/mi. My heart rate still got a little high if I want to stay in the moderate training range, but wasn’t too crazy, so I feel like I’m doing well. I look forward to see how my run Saturday will be, since it will be my first 30+ minutes running during a week of regular exercise for a few weeks.

I haven’t managed to make it to a Team in Training practice yet – mostly because I’m still unsure as to my ability to do the event, both running and fundraising-wise.

Rethinking Training (with a little help from my friends)

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As I’m looking into braving the chill (damn chill!) of the outdoors today to get a jog in, I thought I’d take up my pal Emily‘s offer to calculate a training schedule.

2010-04-27: 10 20 30
2010-05-04: 11 22 33
2010-05-11: 12 24 36
2010-05-18: 13 26 39
2010-05-25: 10 21 31
2010-06-01: 13 27 41
2010-06-08: 15 30 45
2010-06-15: 16 33 50
2010-06-22: 13 26 40

I can still go out for my 30 minutes total (longer on my slow run days, right Emily?), but I can walk when I’m not jogging – or at least, I think that’s the way I plan it. Last week I did 1x30min and 1×20 min, and walked a fair amount during the week. Today, I might set up to do 10 minutes walk, 11 minutes run, and 9 minutes walk to get me through the end. It sounds about what I’m up for today, and will get me out there, which will be better than me continuing to just sit on the bench.

The sun is out – so perhaps it’s time to go out for a jog, eh?

First Run After Rest

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Yesterday I dragged myself out of the house to do my first run after one week of rest. I stuck to 30 minutes, and despite not figuring out how to set my Garmin to beep at me when my heart rate went over 148 bpm, I was pleased with how I did. I ended up doing 2.79 miles in those 30 minutes, and stayed rather consistently under 11 minutes per mile the entire time.

My joints, however, are not feeling so good today. Specifically, my big toe joint (bunion) was particularly unhappy. I’ve been using my Healthy Toes after runs and in the evening to stretch my toes out. I have no evidence this will do anything, but it’s kind of fun, and I like the idea that it might help. I also picked up some Boiron Sportenine at my local co-op over the weekend, with the hopes that the homeopathic (or placebo) might work to ease some of my training pain.

I definitely woke up to full body aches this morning, though I feel like I slept better. Emotionally, I feel a bit more on-edge, and a little more anxious. I’m not entirely sure that strenuous exercise is good for me. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m going about this wrong.

I plan to try another run tomorrow, to get myself back in the routine. Again, I don’t plan on doing more than 30 minutes.

I feel like I’m trying to walk a tight-rope between health and well-being. Every day I’m inundated with different ideas of what health can be. I just hope I’m choosing the best path.

Week of Rest Near End

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Tomorrow rounds up my week of rest since I came to the conclusion that I was overtraining.

So far, I’ve managed to do pretty well, despite the fact that I’ve been wanting to eat more despite not burning as many calories. My joints are finally starting to not complain as much, though the rain has made my bunions particularly painful when I’m walking outside.

A few friends that I’ve talked to have convinced me that I don’t need to run a full marathon. At this point (and after reading up on it) I’m questioning even a half marathon. I want to do it right – not just do it for the sake of doing it. I also don’t want to cause myself a lot of damage. I’ve already got painful bunions, I really don’t need a bum knee, wrenched back, or anything like that.

I hesitate, because part of me wanted to be awesome. I think that running is awesome (and fun), but I also have respect for competitive distance runners, who are perhaps more crazy than I, but have what it takes to get into the Boston Marathon. I’ve heard rumors that some old-school runners bemoan the fact that average times for marathons have decreased over the years, mostly due to people like me entering the sport at a lower level, and doing it for the sake of doing it, instead of elite athlete competition.

Let’s face it – our country could use more of the idea that being active is fun. For all of us who sit behind a computer, tv, video game for most of the day – it’s good to have a hobby that actually peels us up from our chairs. Competition and/or challenge and community are just some of what makes a hobby worth it. Not to mention the pride of completion, be it a sweater for your best girlfriend or a 5K. A friend of mine tried to convince me that swimming may be the best fitness, especially for its low-impact and high reward (if you really swim instead of just hopping in the pool.)

The past month or so I’ve been living off of endorphins. I’ve found out that I don’t get a defined high from running, but I do get a respite from my troubles. As another friend (I’ve been listening to a lot of friends) said to me, it’s a way to help you feel less pain so you can go the distance. Emotional pain seems to be another thing it softens, but I can tell you, the backlash these past few weeks have been horrible. Very topsy-turvy.

I look forward to my next run – which may be only 20 minutes long, and likely, on Thursday. I look forward to seeing how my body takes it, if my new Garmin was a good choice, and if I think that the Team in Training will be reasonable.

I’m still on the fence about the Team in Training, mainly because I need to take care of myself first. Mentally and physically.

Running

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I started running at the point where I had lost about 65 pounds, which was June of 2008. I’m at an additional 30 pounds lost, and though I have not been running the whole time (probably about 8-10 months off), I’ve managed to stay in reasonable shape.

A few weeks ago, while in New York for a funeral, I picked up a new pair of running shoes, both to take part in some self-care, and to give me a reason to get rid of my battered Saucony’s, which were needing replacement. I got the award winning Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10. I was fitted for them at the Westchester Road Runner, which is a fantastic place to be fitted for a proper pair of running shoes. Right after purchasing the shoes, I did two days in a row of ambitious running. I say ambitious because I hadn’t been on a treadmill to run in months due to a calf injury (from sprinting) in November. I was achy, to say the least.

Flash forward to this past week. I woke up on this past Wednesday with an itch to run a 5K. I did the 5K in about 45 minutes, with about 10 minutes of that walking. On my route, I passed by a sign at the local Sons of Norway Lodge (did I mention I live in a Scandanavian neighborhood?) for a neighborhood fun run called the Leif to Leif 5K. I decided, since it was for the coming Saturday, to go ahead and do it. After all, I was just going to run anyway, right? It’s also hard not to be inspired by a friend of mine (and former gym buddy) who is undergoing a triathlon in Hawaii tomorrow. (GO EMILY GO!)

Yesterday, though I had a bit of a sore throat from seasonal post-nasal drip, I got up and out the door earlier than my usual and headed out to put in my registration and pick up my Norwegian flag. It wasn’t long before I was chatting with other people from the neighborhood, and after the race started, it wasn’t long before I realized that I was supposed to let myself keep a more relaxed pace. A few weeks of jogging does not lend well to sudden bursts of speed!

I was swiftly lagging behind as I left behind one Lief Erikson statue towards the other Leif Erikson up on the water. However, I was also in front of a few others, and managed to do the entire 5K in about 38 minutes, 7 minutes better than my time on Wednesday! After the run, there were complementary waffles with jam, and another bit of socialization, this time with a man who had lost 119 lbs, and this was his first time running ever.

It was great running socially, even if I wasn’t really paced with everyone else. The smiles were infectious, as was the completion as one of the organizers called to someone with a clipboard toward the end, “Twenty-three is coming!” Hey! That was me!

At my heaviest, I would avoid stepping up on curbs. Now I’m running, and it feels good. Sometimes it feels like I can out-run my troubles. So I’m going to keep on running.

Next up: Rock Riot Run 5K, to support the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, and the LIVESTRONG Challenge 5K, to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I’m raising donations for my LIVESTRONG Challenge 5K – but will not be posting it here (I don’t let my real-name and this blog mix. If you’re interested in making a donation, you can go to here and search for my first and last name and make your donation accordingly. If that fails, please contact me through the here and let me know that you’d like to make a donation.

I look forward to working my way up to a 10K. 🙂