Hesitation

I’ve been hesitant to write about my running. It’s been going so well lately but I feel like I am teetering on the edge of overtraining/injury and if I pay too much attention to it, I’ll fall in to that pit of despair.

My foot has felt fine for the past week, not a twinge since it flared up two weeks ago. My right shin has been giving me some trouble (just your normal, run-of-the-mill shin splints, I’m sure) but once I warm up it no longer hurts and it has been noticeably less irritate each day.

I’m so afraid of jinxing myself that each morning I run, I think about what I want to write about that day but I don’t end up doing it for fear of saying out loud, “Wow, things are awesome!,” which is exactly how I was feeling before my foot started hurting last fall and I was out of commission for two months. Fear does funny things.

This morning I had a scheduled 8 mile run that went so spectacularly well and I’ve felt so great all day, I can’t help writing about it. I’m so proud of my run this morning.

I took it slow to warm up over the first mile and then I let myself run faster. I was looking for a comfortable but fast pace that I could hold over 7 miles (as opposed to last Wednesday’s 8-miler that I ran two miles to fatigue, 2 miles to recover and 2 miles to fatigue again, in the middle of a one mile warm-up and one mile cool down). Last week’s hard 2 mile intervals were in the 8:30 pace range and I was looking to get in the 10:00 pace this morning.

To my surprise, I was close to 9:30 on the first fast mile and I kept hitting this range over and over again as I ticked off the miles. I felt so solid at this pace. It was wonderful. I was cruising up hills and flying down the other side. I was stealthily gliding along the dark morning as the sun came up slowly over the horizon and I was there to challenge it to a foot race.

Consistently hitting under 10 minute miles is quite an achievement for me. When I started running, I could barely reach 12 minute miles when I was on the treadmill and I was hitting a consistent 12:00 pace throughout training for my first marathon two years ago. Now look at me; I’m in the single digit pace range!

Just like the final mile of the half marathon I ran over the weekend, I wanted to see how much I really had left in my legs after so many miles at a fast pace and gave it everything I had for mile 8. Approximately halfway through that final mile, I began struggling to maintain focus and started repeating, “Just keep it going. Just keep it going.,” to myself, over and over again. I completed that final mile in 8 minutes 40 seconds. Woooh, I’m so relieved!

I finished off the run with a slow half mile cool down.

I’m still hoping I haven’t jinxed myself or my running but for now I’m shouting it from every proverbial mountaintop – BECKI LOVES TO RUN (and running appears to love Becki *fingers crossed*).

Today's Daily Dozen

8.5 miles - 7 at Marathon Pace (or faster)

National Marathon & Half Marathon, March 21, 2009 – Race Report

I was looking forward to this race. What began as an alcohol-encouraged declaration, “I want to run a half marathon” by a friend’s brother, finally culminated in the actual running of a half marathon.

Although my running partner for the race (a guy, quite appropriately named for this particular event, Myles) had had some foot issues, he had the go ahead to run from a podiatrist. As we stood in the cold pre-dawn dark, waiting for the race to begin, he admitted to being nervous since he had to lay off running for the last week and a half. Oh yeah, he was also nervous because he’d never done anything like this before today!

The race had a fun Start area this year – cheesy, yet oddly motivational pop music, mostly from the 80s was blaring, a chipper and enthusiastic announcer and plenty of room in the corrals.

Myles and I agreed that we would warm-up on the course and settled in to light stretching and general bouncing around as we waited for the race to begin. You see a lot of nervous energy being masked as warm-up/stretching at the beginning of races and back in slower corrals where there seems to be a larger percentage of first-timers, the nervous energy is almost palpable. The anxiety, fear, excitement, it’s infectious. The tension is not based on the live-or-die to hit a certain pace, get a PR or qualify for Boston. The tension, back where we started, based on facing the unknown – will I be able to do this? – seems much more urgent when it refers to making it across a finish line 13.1 or 26.2 miles away instead of can I break a certain pace or time.

Since Myles was running about 10 minute/miles before his injury, our plan was to take it slow (about 10:30 pace) for the first 2 or 3 miles, open it up to 10:00 pace after that and then see how we felt as the race progressed and adjust our pace accordingly. Best laid plans, right?

The gun finally went off but it took us about 5 minutes to get across the start line…and then (finally) we were off! One of the things I like about this race is that the course and water stops aren’t as crowded as other races in the area. It was nice to not have to jostle for position for the first few miles like you do at bigger races in the area (MCM, Army 10 Miler, etc.).

We hit Miles 1 and 2 at around a 10 minute pace but when I looked at my watch for the Mile 3 split, we were speeding up so I purposely slowed us down on the next mile. Oops, Mile 4 ended up being our slowest at around 11 minutes.

The race was going well as we started Mile 5 through the Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan neighborhoods…and some steady-climbing hills, where I got to unleash my hill running demons. This race, since I was pacing someone else and had to be conscious of their effort level as well as my own, made me realize how impatient I am when running hills. I speed up them in order to get them over with sooner and the feeling once you’ve leveled off and conquered the hill just can’t be beat. It is a sense of relief mixed with pride of accomplishment and it always gets me going.

Mile 5 was also are second-fastest mile of the race (I told you, I’m impatient).

Once we finished with the hills, we settled in to a fairly comfortable 9:30 to 9:15 pace through Mile 12. This part of the half marathon went by quickly and without much of note. I had laid off the chatter since Myles wasn’t much of a talker after Mile 4, only announcing the mile markers as we passed them and pointing out water/Gatorade stops. However, when we passed the Mile 10 marker, I turned to Myles and said, “well, you’ve officially run further than you’ve ever run before. How do you feel?” Myles half grunted, “squishy” and we kept running.

I was feeling good when we hit the 12 mile point and turned to Myles, proclaiming, “This is it. One more mile to go,” and with a glint in my eye and devilish grin, “let’s make it our fastest.” I just took off, hoping he would, and could, keep up.

For the rest of that last 1.1 mile, instead of running side by side like we had for the entire race, he was one step behind me and each time he caught up, I pushed it just a little bit more.

We were passing people left and right, just picking ‘em off. It felt great!

As we hit the last mile marker, I pointed out the finish line just around the corner and up a hill and said, “We just have to make it up this last hill to get there. Let’s do it.” Myles sounded a little surprised that the finish line was so close and we charged up the hill. (Race directors in DC, bless them, can be a little sadistic when it comes to ending their races on an uphill climb).

We crossed the finish line, with the announcer saying Myles’ name over the loudspeaker. “And here comes Myles Kitchen. With a name like that, you have to announce it!” We crossed the line in 2 hours 8 minutes, with a second between the two of us.

It felt good to be able to end this long-anticipated race on such a high note. We finished strong. We were able to bask in the after race glow for a while as we found family and friends who had come to cheer us on and get food from the runner’s tent before jumping on the metro, headed for a diner and a well-deserved stack of pancakes.

Race Pros: Proximity to home. Metro opens early. Decent amount of spectators (half only, I hear the second half of the full gets very lonely). Tech tee race shirt.

Race Cons: They ran out of cups at some of the middle mile water stations!! Expo is boring.

Mile Splits (according to my watch):
Miles 1 & 2 20:01 (missed 1st mile marker)
Mile 3 9:40
Mile 4 10:57
Mile 5 8:46 (where did that come from?)
Mile 6 & 7 19:49 (missed 6th mile marker)
Mile 8 9:30
Mile 9 12:36 (potty break)
Mile 10 9:20
Mile 11 9:14
Mile 12 9:15
Mile 13 7:57 (that last mile felt good...Speedy Gonzales good)
Final .1 1:11
Total 2:08:16

Motivation

I’ve been slacking off on cross-training and strength training lately and this morning I finally made it a point to get some quality time in the gym.

I exercised on the elliptical for 25 minutes (15 going forward, 10 going backwards). It wasn’t a strenuous workout but my heart rate did rise, which is the point. Next, I went through my BROCCLS strength training workout and it felt great to do some solid strength training. I am feeling some DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from yesterday’s long run so I skipped the lunges and squats.

One of the aspects of cross-training that I look forward to is that I can usually read a magazine while I’m on one of the machines (walking on the treadmill, elliptical, and bike). Ever since I started doing all my runs outside, I haven’t had been able to read my magazines (Runner’s World, Fitness & Wired) and cross-training presents a good opportunity to catch up on some reading. This morning I read part of the way through the most recent Runner’s World.

Honestly, it is what motivates me to get out of bed early on cross-training days. It struck me as funny during the workout this morning: what a strange thing to motivate me to do cross-training! Here are some additional motivations I could come up with:

• Sometimes I am motivated by others like when I see other people on the trail and I keep running a little bit further than my intended distance just so they don’t see me stop.
• Sometimes I think I keep running on a daily basis just so I have a “thing” that distinguishes me from most people.
• Usually, I eat healthier in front of Mike than I would if left to my own devices (popcorn for dinner is a reality when Mike is on travel), which is strange given Mike’s (horrible) eating habits you would think it would be the opposite.
• I don’t feel guilty listening to cheesy pop music (think Brittany Spears, Janet Jackson and Rhianna) when I’m working out because I can use the excuse that the songs are the “right” tempo. I think it is the only reason I use my iPod when I’m in the gym and it has been the sole reason I’ve gone to the gym on more than one occasion.

Whatever the motivation, as long as it keeps getting me in the gym and out on the road, I’m happy. I wonder what quirky things motivate other people?

Today’s Daily Dozen:
Elliptical – 25 mins., moderate intensity
Strength Training – BROCCLS (minus the LS)

Injury update: My foot felt a little weak when I began my 15-miler yesterday but once I was warmed up it felt better. For the remainder of the day, I had some soreness in my shin (I think because I was slightly compensating for my foot and changed my gait in the beginning) and my foot was tender to the touch. I am happy to report; however, today I haven’t had any pain. So far, so good (but my fingers remain crossed).

Forced Foot Commute

The Bad News:

I slept horribly last night. I was tossing and turning – first, I was too hot and then I was too cold. My mind was racing (a former boss contacted me; the reminder of that job and all the craziness it entailed brought back all the frustration) and I couldn’t seem to turn it off.

After not sleeping for 2 hours, I made the decision to skip the four mile run I had planned for the morning. There was no point in running if it meant sacrificing sleep and feeling horrible and tired the whole day. I cut my losses and slept in.

The Good News (three-fold):

First, my foot hasn’t hurt at all today and it feels strong. Hopefully, the weakness and pain yesterday was just an anomaly. Second, the person I am suppose to run next weekend’s half marathon with will be able to run. He had a pain in his foot that he thought might take him out of the race but after seeing a doctor, he just needs a few days rest and has the go-ahead to run. Yippee! Lastly, today’s planned run may not be entirely lost.

As I was getting ready this morning, I had the thought, “well, I could run when I get home after work” but realistically, that never works for me. Once I get home from work, I have a tendency to get lazy and not want to leave. However, after this somewhat shameful recognition of my own laziness, I had another thought, “what about running home from work?”

Why not run home from work? Now that we’re in daylight savings, it will still be light out. I used to do it all the time at my previous job. It may be longer than I planned today (I’m estimating 5-6 miles) but I’ll take it slow. Also, I’ll have my metro card with me so I can abandon the mission if I need to at any point.

The one downside is that I’ll have to run home with my backpack but that’s what it is made for and is the reason I bought it. Trial by fire (see above mention of metro card). Again, I go back to, why not?

I’m looking upon the frustratingly sleepless beginning to my night last night as a blessing in disguise. It has pushed me to commute by foot.

Hike - Difficult Run to Great Falls Loop

Just over a week ago, it snowed.

This past weekend it was in the upper 60s/low 70s.

We would have been silly to not take advantage in the break in the cold temperature and get out for a hike.

Something we hadn’t done in a few weeks.

We had driven out to Great Falls before; paid the park fee and mingled with the relatively large crowds at the Falls and surrounding trails. However, this time we decided to experience the area in a slightly different way.

We drove out toward Great Falls, VA and parked in a lot on the side of the road near Difficult Run. I was concerned that the trails would be thick with mud after the previous week’s snow melt but as we took an unmarked trail across from the lot in to the woods, I noticed the ground was soft and squishy in some places but absolutely passable.

After a few minutes on the unmarked trail we reached a large path through the woods and headed off toward the Falls. It was approximately a mile to the Falls and as we hiked in, we noticed the long line of cars above us waiting to get in to the park. We realized how much more we preferred reaching the park our way – no waiting in line and no park fee!

Before we were able to reach the park, we hiked along a stream and began hearing the strangest noise. After first, we thought it was a flock of birds that we’d never heard before but then we realized it was coming from the water. It turns out the noise was being made by frog, not birds! It was the strangest thing and had us stopped in our tracks for several minutes.

Not long after listening to the frogs we began to hear the happy shouts of little kids playing outside. We were getting closer to Great Falls. Since we had been to the park before, we didn’t spend much time at the Great Falls overlook but we did stop long enough to take a picture and check out all the other people taking advantage of the nicer temperature by having a picnic.

View of Great Falls from the park overlook.

Next, we headed downriver along the River Trail. There were quite a few people on the trail and at the numerous overlooks along the trail but the crowd

eventually thinned out. Along the way, we trampled over several wooden bridges crossing streams and small falls feeding in to the Potomac River and even saw some ruins of the old lock system.

View of the Billy Goat Trail from the other side of the River.

By the time we reached the trail intersection that would take us back along Difficult Run, the crowd had more or less disappeared but we still occasionally passed other hikers. The climb out of the River Trail was uphill and was a nice change of pace. We hiked up it, breathless but happy when we reached the top and began descending toward Difficult Run.

View of Mather Gorge along the River Trail, Great Falls, VA.

We took a slight detour to see where Difficult Run meets the Potomac River before backtracking and headed back toward the car.

At the end of the 3.5 mile hike, I was glad it was over since my legs were tired from my run that morning but it felt good to get out and hike. It always makes me feel like I actually accomplished something on the weekends we hike.

Us!

Uh-Oh!

I’m trying hard not to overact…but my foot started to hurt while I was running this morning. Yes, my right foot. Yes, the foot that was injured a few months ago.

Around Mile 1 of the run, my right foot started to hurt; a sharp pain that came on suddenly. However, it quickly turned in to a dull ache that lasted through the start of Mile 2. Over the next mile or two, the dull ache slowly dissipated and my foot felt weak but all I could think about was my foot and being injured and not being able to run the marathon, let alone all the races I have planned along the way…and then, my foot no longer hurt.

I finished my 7 miler without any more pain in my foot (but did have a weird pain in my left hamstring…I swear, sometimes pain migrates, when it doesn’t feel like it is getting my attention in one spot, it’ll move to another). However, the thought of being injured again left me a bit (hopefully, irrationally) freaked and I taped my foot to provide extra support in my work shoes. I also plan on getting back in the habit of wearing my sneakers while I’m home because walking around barefoot doesn’t do my foot any favors.

That being said, my pace was great this morning and I couldn’t be happier about that aspect of the run. The last couple miles of the run felt great; very, very easy.

So fingers crossed everyone….I might take tomorrow off….just in case.

Today’s Daily Dozen
7 mile run

Bad Eating/Good Running

Bacon Cheeseburgers w/ fries! Doritos! Burger King Chicken Sandwiches! Soda!

These are the sort of things I’ve been including in my food choices lately. I’m not saying there isn’t room for these things in my “diet” but they aren’t the types of good I want to include in my eating habits on a regular basis…and they’ve become much more common in the past few weeks. It is time for a change. I want to rededicate myself to more healthful foods. Foods that not only taste good while I’m eating them but foods that make me feel good after eating them; the above examples are not it. I begin today.

On the other hand, my running has been phenomenal lately (I really doubt the two are related…wouldn’t that be fun if eating Oreos made me a better runner). I’ve been so pleased with my pace (10:00 to 10:30/mile without focusing on pace is feeling easy) and how my body has been reacting to training.

My long run last weekend was a ten miler. I felt great the entire time, I was cruising up hills and since it was a step-back week in my marathon training schedule, I decided to just go with the flow and run at the pace that felt most comfortable. I held a near-steady 10:00 minute pace the entire time. When I got home and checked my Garmin, I almost couldn’t believe it. It felt wonderful.

I took the plunge and signed up for the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT and I could not be more pleased with how my training is going so far. When things go well, it sure feels good!

Today’s Daily Dozen
3.5 mile Run
Maybe a walk tonight after dinner