Running Type

There are no shortcuts

So, I've had a really great running week.  Did 3 miles Tuesday, but it was hard and my legs felt dead.  Was supposed to do 2 on Wednesday, but I decided to skip it and rest instead.  Thursday I showed up really late to a running meetup that I joined, but I met the coach and did a little more than 3 miles outside in the dark (this reminded me how much less boring it is to run outside than on a treadmill).  Felt good.  I didn't time myself at all, so I have no idea how long it took me.  Friday was a scheduled rest day.  I felt pumped from Thursday night's run, and I was really tempted to run a few miles to make up for the unscheduled rest I took on Wednesday.  However, I exercised my discipline, and did not do it.  Today I did three on the treadmill . . . sort of a fartlekie thing like my treadmill runs usually are.  Did a mile at an 11:00 pace in the middle and felt really strong.  I felt so good, in fact, that I was tempted to do more, but I just said no ,and I hit the weights instead.

Which brings me to the topic I really want to write about today.  Running is completely honest.  There are no shortcuts, there is no cheating.  The only way to get better is to get out there consistently and run.  You can't really make up for missed time.  You can't get anywhere going so far or so fast that you're out of commission for days or more.  

What consistently means, of course will vary depending on your body and the type of training that works best for you.  I find that I do best running about 4-5 days a week, With 2 or 3 being sort of medium distance, one being somewhat longer, and one somewhat shorter.  There are a lot of training plans that pretty much give you that type of week.  Though I've found that having a specific training plan is not a good thing for me.  I feel too tied to it, and I end up not listening to my body, and running starts to feel more like a chore and less like fun.

There have been times where I had a really specific plan, and if I felt tired and took a day off, I'd go nuts to make up the mileage by the end of the week.  This does not work.  There is no cheating.  If you're fit enough and feeling good, a week of this might not be too bad.  But I tried to pick a plan that I thought I should be able to do, which was really a little too advanced for me.  I'd run myself into the ground until I was forced to rest, then I do it twice as fast trying to make up what I missed.  This does not work.  At all.  

I've had the most success when I give myself a general goal for weekly mileage.  Right now, for example, I'd like to run between 13-16 miles each week.  I run easier or harder depending on how I feel, and I'm giving myself the option of running either 4 or 5 days in a week.  I'd prefer 5, but I'm maybe not quite there right now.  I've learned the hard way that this is best way for me to run.  It's based on the same ideas as a lot of formal training plans, but it's just the outline of a plan.  It's the only way for me to not go too nuts about it.  In most things, I operate in one of 3 modes: totally disengaged, laid back but paying attention, or psychotic.  I'm doing better at sticking with option 2 most of the time, much better than I've ever done before.  Who knows, maybe it's the meds.  

Anyway, so far so good.  Hopefully my 5k in February will be a little faster than the one in January, and hopefully I'll be able to up my mileage pretty regularly over the coming months.  I'd like to be closer to 30 miles a week as I approach the half.

What about you?  How do you cope with the desire to run farther and faster right now when you know it isn't the best thing for you in the long run?

Almost 7 miles today!

I skipped a workout on Wednesday, so today, I made up for it by running 6.76 miles.  Not all at once, though.  I'm not up to that yet.  I did 2 and 1/2 early in the afternoon, and the rest later on at and 2 the gym.  Took some walk breaks.  

I worry a little bit that I could be doing too much.  I didn't take much recovery after the 5k.  It's not such a big distance, but it's a lot for me right now.  My right hip has been a little bit sore, but once I get warmed up, it's okay.  I've been doing all my runs as fartleks, pretty much.  On the treadmill, it's a lot less boring that way, and I feel physically better when I'm running faster.  No little nagging aches, but my heart rate gets pretty high pretty fast, so I can't keep it up for a long time.  

So fast running, more than maybe I should have done at once . . . I feel great and proud, but it might not be the smartest thing I've ever done. I kept my mileage within the plan, though, and I'm so far feeling pretty good.  I think setting the February 5k as a goal was a good one.  The half at the end of June is so far away.  I think some smaller races on the way will be a good motivator.

Feeling a bit discouraged

I definitely hurt today.  After a 5k.  That I ran in close to 40 minutes.  Yikes!  What happened to the me that used to run 10 miles in 90 minutes without a problem.  Oh, I know.  She didn't hardly run for 6 months.  Grrr. . . feeling frustrated with my lack of fitness and a little down.  I just need to use that feeling as a challenge to be better.  I know I need to stay consistent and be kind to myself, and that I cannot get back to my previous level of fitness overnight.  I know that.  But it still doesn't feel very good. 

It doesn't help that somehow I've gained another 2 pounds after last week.  My body fat percentage is the same, so it's probably not terrible.  It could just be a fluctuation, but I've been pretty good the past couple of weeks.  Gotta keep going.

Resolution Run and Polar Bear Dive Race Report

So, I almost chickened out, but I ran the race this morning.  I'm very glad I did.  I think more short races are on the agenda for this year.  Even thinking about running a race makes me cringe.  I always feel so certain that I will be both the fattest and slowest person there.  It's never true.  Especially today's race.  All kinds of people were running or walking.  Little kids, a lady with a pug (not the runningest of dogs), some very heavy people, old people, and fast, athletic people, too.  I certainly wasn't at the front of the pack with my 12:00ish pace, but I wasn't at the back either, which I'm satisfied with.  I actually don't know what my finishing time was.  Something like 40 minutes, I'd guess with going in the water bit and all.

I got to the park at 9:30, and the race didn't start for an hour, so I picked up my packet and wandered about.  I'm glad I got there early.  Walking around the start/finish area and convincing my non-rational brain that I really hadn't accidentally signed up for some olympic caliber event was good for me.  The start was just a little bit late, and I think the point when I felt coldest was actually waiting for the start.  It was pretty crowded when we first got going, and I think I started too far back, as I was passing people a lot at the very beginning.  

The course was incredibly puddly and muddy.  I pretty much had circumvent or jump over small ponds on the path.  I could have just splashed through, but I hate running with wet feet.  At the end of the first mile I felt really good, and the crowd started spreading out enough for me go faster during the second mile.  I tried to go even faster during the third mile, but I had sort of run out of steam.  I pushed through it pretty well, but I think I slowed down a little bit.  When the other runners coming back from the finish said the we were almost at the water, I sped up.  I dropped my hat, keys, and shoes at the table, ran into Lake Washington, dunked under, and came out.  I didn't even register the water as really cold.  I mean, it was, but it felt okay.  Not at all as bad as what I had anticipated.  

It was a mistake to take off my shoes.  It took me a minute or two to get them back on, and I was too soaked for it to make a difference.  There were volunteers calling times at the mile markers.  I'm pretty sure I heard 14:00 at the end of my first mile and 24:50 at the end of my second, but I missed my time at the end.