Filed under: Training
Route: Grand loop
Distance: 3.07 miles
Time: 32:something something, I don’t care
After all my late-night runs last week, resulting in one dog bite fiasco and a complete train-wreck of a long run, I decided it was high time to try morning runs. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m sure it will just take some getting used to, but getting up at 5:30 am to run three miles was like forcing myself to climb a mountain with no high-altitude preparation. I don’t know if mountain climbers partake in any of that, but I would want to if I were going to try to climb a mountain.
And that’s how I felt! It was like all these months I haven’t been training at all. I could go absolutely no faster than a 10:30 pace, if that. Overall that’s what I averaged I think, but it was tough. I finished the full distance, but I didn’t complete my route, I was about 30 feet from where I generally stop running. Then my stomach began cramping and I felt like I was going to faint. The pain was intense and my heart was racing. No good. I’m terrified about doing it again tomorrow.
On the up side, I love coming home from work and not worrying about how I’m going to scrape up enough energy to complete a decent run. Oddly enough, though I would come home exhausted, I always managed a better run than the one I had this morning. I hope that it’s just something that will take some time.
Here’s hoping.
Filed under: Training | Tags: dog bite, humidity, Marathon, Running, Training
Route: Aberdare out and back
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 31:13
Being on a bit of a high from my Week 2 Day 4 7 mile run, as well as my second viewing of The Spirit of the Marathon, I went out tonight with confidence and energy. I saved the run until late, about 9:45 pm because the heat here has been pretty bad the last few days. Even with how late it was, it’s still 80 some degrees out, and the humidity is high. That slowed me down a bit, but I was still pretty happy with my pace today. Aaron’s knee is acting up so he rode my bike behind me, and it was comforting to know that he was there and I wouldn’t get jumped or anything…
Yeah, then at the end of my run I got jumped. On. By a dog. The damn thing bit me. Its owners just stood in the middle of the sidewalk, even after I called out to them. They were facing me so I could see them. Then they were like, “Excuse me.” But they didn’t move or shorten the leash. Without barking or growling, the dog just jumped and chomped. There’s a minor puncture, but for the most part no blood. It just freaked me out. It also added time to my run. That irritates me.
Route: Aberdare out and back
Distance: 3.16 miles
Time: 30:49
Another day of running in the rain. My GPS on my phone wasn’t quite spot on because of the weather, but for me it’s close enough. Aaron and I went out together again, and I think this is my favorite run since my first 4-miler. I have noticed a drastic change in my abilities since just a couple weeks ago. I was actually willing to attempt conversation during this run, and I enjoyed it! We also ran against the wind for about 2/3 of our route and I still kept a good pace.
I think it may be time for a new route. Through the rain and the challenging pace, I caught my mind drifting off on our way back. I started daydreaming about what it would be like if I were to become a Hollywood actress, and all I could think was, well, I really would have no interest except for getting into the good clubs. Perhaps a more challenging route would keep me more focused on what it is that I’m doing here, today. Or maybe daydreaming is a good thing. I suppose some of both would make for good balance.
Today was good. I ended in a sprint. It is so nice to be outside running instead of inside sitting on a couch doing absolutely nothing with my life.
Route: Aberdare out and back, Bittersweet trail out and back
Distance: 6.12 miles
Time: 1:06:21
Today I felt like a real runner. It was rainy out, and without so much as a thought, I put on my gear and headed on out. Aaron was with me today. I love running with him. My self-consciousness melts away when we go out together. I see this show in my time though. When running on my own, my pace is between a 9:54-10 min mile; with him it becomes a 10:35-11 min mile. I’m not sure if it’s exactly me running with him though. The two runs we did together were both late in the week, and our run today was very long for us. Could just be a coincidence.
We paced ourselves well, although I would like to keep our pace closer to a 10:30-10:45 on the long runs instead of 11 like today. But if going slow is the key to success on these long runs, I’m happy. Maybe I’ll tuck the 10:30 in my pocket and pull it out come marathon time. The run to Aberdare and back went really well, I hardly remember it actually because it was just that smooth. The trail was tough for me. All those hills, as short as they may be, do take their toll. Since it was raining there were tons of puddles and little rivers to avoid, which kept things interesting. I listened to good ol’ Bob and Jenna and learned all sorts of vegan-freaky things. I enjoy their show, and saving them just for long runs keeps me looking forward to more than just a run.
Halfway through the out part of the trail I felt so tired. I told Aaron and really had every intention of stopping, but for whatever reason I kept those feet moving. He had some determination that I was able to tap into I think. I was able to make it to the end and once we started on our way back I knew I would make it the rest of the way. I’m so proud of myself!
Anyway, I have nearly finished my first week of marathon training. Tomorrow is cross-training. I haven’t decided what it is that I want to do yet for that. I’ll have to see how my legs are feeling and go from there. I wonder if yoga counts as a cross. I could sure go for some deep stretches right now. I don’t know how into an elliptical I would be. I’ll have to look into what I’ll do for cross, I tend to neglect it and I know how important it is to balance everything out.
It’s so exciting for me to know that every first and second week I will be running farther than I ever have before. I remember a year ago when I was working with my personal trainer Erin, she would tell me about her morning runs, which covered a six-mile loop. At the time it seemed so damn far. I could barely run a mile and a half and three seemed outrageous. But I told her, someday I will run six miles. And today I did it! Woo!
Route: Bittersweet Trail
Distance: 3.02
Time: 29:57
Here’s my thought process while running today.
-It could be 30 degrees out and this trail would still be a stiflingly hot wind tunnel
-Seriously, I hate running on trails, why would I pick this route today? Maybe I can jump onto Almond and just finish on the road
-Here’s a cute couple walking their dog, I’d better speed up so I look more like a ‘real’ runner
-What a jerk couple, not even smiling when I said hi
-I hate crossing this street
-I hate those idiot pick up drivers who find the need to over-compensate for their short-comings by trying to run me down when I cross this street
-I hope there’s no geese
-Fuck hills
-Half way already? This is going by fast
-I really hope this unleashed dog doesn’t lunge at me
-Shoulders are tense, focus on form
-BABY DUCKIES!
-Shoulders are tense again. Gotta pay more attention to form
-I hate crossing this street
-Yay, no cars!
-Those golfers seem stuck up
-That cute golfer is looking at me, speed up to look like a ‘real’ runner
-This hill is killer, I wish I hadn’t sped up
-I’m super tired I want to quit
-If I finish without walking, it’ll be my first time on the trail finishing by myself
-I wonder if Jamie Liddel would even care if I told him that it was strictly because of his music that I was able to make it through this run
-My butt better look killer after this or there is no way there is any reason to run this hill again
-Oh, I’m on the sidewalk again. I’m almost done!
-Sprint, sprint, sprint!
-Woo, I’m amazing! I love running this trail!
Overall it was a good run, despite all the negative thoughts. I had no trouble getting myself out the door. It was like yesterday, I just did it. Except today there was no dread. I can’t believe it, I’m halfway through my first week. I think maybe I might just do this yet.
Route: Aberdare, out and back
Distance: 3.01 miles
Time: 29:32
This being the first day of my actual marathon training, I expected to be a lot more excited about today’s run than I was. I have the whole 3 mile run down, but after last week I feel that may be the problem. Last week all my runs were 3 miles and mentally it was completely draining. I was not prepared for feeling that way. Since I first saw the spring training sheet last year I was looking forward to the week of all 3′s, thinking it would be the easiest since there’s no long run. I’m sure I’ll regret even thinking this when I’m pounding out my 20-miler, but my mind needed to be able to look forward to something different, and the long run involves mental strength that the shorter runs cannot even begin to tap into.
So here I was today, having to put out another 3-miler. That’s where I’ll be tomorrow and Thursday too. But this week is different than last week. That was the end of my spring training. The marathon training is here. I was still dreading my run all day. I tried to think of any way to make the run more interesting, or at least the best way to just get it done and out of the way. I toyed with running at work, the gym, on Grand, out and back on the trail (I think I’ll try that one tomorrow). Something is comforting about Aberdare out and back for me. Running alone isn’t my favorite thing, but that’s the route I settled on for today. Having to be at Em’s gymnastics class at 6:30 forced me to not even think when I got home. I threw on my running gear and was out the door within five minutes of getting home. I figured out how to make an On The Go playlist on my phone, selected my favorites (Justin, Jamie, Chris, Cary) and went out.
I’m having trouble getting over my self-consciousness while running alone. My pace started out slow and steady, but I kept catching myself speeding up when there was a steady stream of traffic, trying to seem like I’m an even more athletic runner. Just past the golf course I settled into a nice pace that didn’t feel too slow. I was carrying a lot of tension in my shoulders, so I tried to turn my mind on relaxing them every few minutes. At the turn-around point my spirits shot up and it hit me how much I love doing this. If I weren’t running I’d be lounging and this is better than sitting around wasting my life. Get This Out Of My System came on, then Rock Your Body and I was having a very strong second half.
At the last half mile Lost! came on and I dug into some energy I had been saving. I ran the next quarter mile hard, then sprinted the last quarter mile. I’m not counting on such a strong finish every time, but it sure was a great way to kick off my very first marathon training run. Woo!
