PreRace Report

It is the day before a race. In less than 24 hours, I will be forcing myself to run faster than feels normal. I’ve been so focused on distance, my speed is turtle speed. With the treadmill, I hope to improve my speed. I’ve been doing sub-12 min distances. This will be interesting. I have to laugh too because running three miles used to be an out of this world concept. Now, it's my warm up. It will be great and give me a good chance to push it. I'll be reporting in on the Frosty 5k at the Winter Jamboree probably on Monday.

Before I taught yoga, I dropped off our house guest. Jack fit well into our household. He slept in my arms lest he paced the house for the whole night. He gathered his treats and moved them to eat by my dog. He followed me around like a shadow. I think, he looked a little sad when I dropped him off at his own home.

Yoga had an unexpected visitor. The studio has two different locations and sometimes students end up at the wrong one. And sometimes, class are running concurrently. Wednesday night, we ended up with a lost student. The regular and I encouraged her to stay and try out aerial yoga. She did great. I hope it was a fun experience for her. It is fun for instructors and regulars to have new people. It reminds us to slow down and to really align ourselves in the asana. The class was very casual and we worked our shoulders and necks the second half of class. It felt very nice after as I cleaned up.

Thursday I slept in. I wanted to do a two a day but I needed to sleep. I’ve been tired later. Maybe it’s the weather, or maybe it’s related to the sniffles I’ve had for three weeks now. I went to the gym after work. It was not nearly as busy as the morning was on Wednesday. I’ve now got a treadmill I hope for. I was on one that was a little softer for distance running. Two down from me was a similar model but it had a tv screen and I could plug in my phone to watch Netflix. I will be aiming for that one next time.

It was a great run. It felt good. It was hard and I pushed myself. I again improved my speed and managed my third fastest time. A couple of people ran next to me and fell away. Thank you, Netflix, as I watched the second episode of Jessica Jones and the start of the third. I did catch myself looking at the time and distance but I would then adjust my speed and distract myself with a little Marvel action.

Karn got to finally come out and play. He will be getting a bath and crickets this weekend. But he came and snuggled after I got back from the gym. The dog is getting disinterested in him so far but we will keep a watchful eye. When I put him back in, he was rather photogenic and silly.

First Half Marathon Distance and the Evil 5k

Lazy. I was lazy on Friday and I didn’t go to aerial yoga. I was feeling tired. I’d had a few late nights and the Packer game on Thursday went very late. And I’m so glad I stayed up for the whole game unlike so many who gave up after the 1^st quarter when things were looking so grim. I did a little yoga at home. I was so lazy I didn’t even do aerial at home, just regular ground yoga.

Saturday I had an 11 mile run in mind. The weather was nice. The dog woke me up at 4:30am which was also nice because I could get my run in and then take a nap and still get up at a “normal” Saturday time of 9 or 10. I wore my Saucony Rides. Long runs on the road means comfy padded shoes are needed. I love my Xodus GTX but those are for wet runs. It was foggy and beautiful but not wet. I went light and even then I wanted to remove layers. Music was a list of my favorites from Iheart. Dog was anxious to go. I can’t say I was. The distance was a bit intimidating. Only in spring, I couldn’t even run a mile.

The run started a bit rough. I couldn’t find my pace, Runkeeper was being a poop, my music kept stalling out, and the dog kept stopping to pee. Finally, everything started to bend to my will. I wanted to keep slow so I didn’t wear myself out. I started out with a half a pack of watermelon Gu with the plan of taking a half pack every 4 miles, raspberry was the other flavor. I think the Gu is very helpful with long runs. I could feel when it kicked in and when it wore off some.

The mileage went pretty fast except on some of those straight a ways. Oh, those were tough. I could see where I wanted to go and that spot just didn’t seem to get any closer. My fiancé’s words kept ricocheting around in my head between song lyrics. “Be kind to yourself.” I wanted to get on myself that my slow pace but I was doing fine. Speed comes after distance. The whole run was pretty comfortable. After a certain point, my legs were moving on their own as naturally as my body knew to inhale and exhale or how my heart would beat all on it’s own. My mind sang the lyrics, checking in with pain to make sure it wasn’t serious. Pain is part of my life so it is vital for me to check in and ask myself “real or not real.” While all the pain is real, what I really ask myself is the pain proportionate to the area. My body exaggerates it’s reaction to pain stimulus. But I did well. My miles slowly built in speed until my last mile was my fastest.

Around mile 8, I made a decision. In my previous runs, I had a nagging urge to run 13 miles but I wanted to trust the plan. However, I had decided to abandon the plan around mile 6. I can’t say it’s serving my running needs any more. I think I need more speed intervals. Distances were getting longer but my speeds were still turtle-like. Anyway, I decided to add 2 miles to my run. I was feeling good. Actually, I wasn’t feeling much at all. I hear that’s a good thing. I did some maths in my head and figured where I could find the mileage. About this time, I started getting dirty looks from the dog. I told her she was a border collie and to keep going. We past the zoo and she was surprised by monkey and elephant noises. When we past a local coffee shop, we ran into a pack of santas roaming on bicycles. I’m not sure which freaked out the dog more. At mile 11.5, I died. Those legs I couldn’t feel started to feel like cement, slogging thru cement. Part of me whispered, “Stop at 12. It’ ok. You still did great.” But if I could do 12, I could do 13. Pure determination got me thru. They say running is a mental game and I think I won.

The smile is because I can't feel my legs. 

Runkeeper had a virtual race on Sunday. It was a 5k and I thought that was doable.

I had just done 13 miles on Saturday. A 5k couldn’t be that bad. It was the longest three miles of my life. How I felt during the last part of Satuday’s run was how I felt during the whole run. All of it. I wanted to quit and go home, I wanted to stop and walk. I wanted to do anything but run. The dog felt the same way judging from the piercing glares I was getting. I tried to be positive but I think I used up all my positive thinking on Saturday. The good news is I’m stubborn. And I finished and I did not walk. It wasn’t my fastest time and it wasn’t my slowest run but it was definitely one of my hardest. Originally, I didn’t plan on getting a t-shirt for this race. It felt not quite like a race because it was virtual. After finishing this race, I realized I needed that shirt. I also want one of those 13.1 stickers for my station wagon.

Really, it was a triumphant weekend. I did 18ish miles. I did a half marathon. I ran thru all my discomfort and doubt to victory. A victory that seemed impossible in April. 

Drapes and Gu

Wednesdays are great. Not only are they the middle of the week, but it’s the day I get to teach low aerial yoga. I’ve said before I don’t really like to say “teach” and really think of it ask guiding or leading but for sake of conversation, I teach on Wednesdays. Each class is different. Some are very silly and some are a little more on the serious side. And just because you are less than a foot off the ground most times, doesn’t mean class will be easy. My style is relaxed. I use the English version of names. Talking is fine so long as it’s not too distracting. It’s a safe place where things can be said and know it won’t go any further. The attendees are pretty fantastic themselves with different backgrounds and abilities and goals. I’ve got a few regulars and new ones pop in here and there.

Last night, we used two fabrics. Another teacher did this with me in a regular aerial yoga class and I’ve been wanting to try it. I went in with a few vague ideas of asanas/poses that could be done but decided to explore the dynamics of the fabrics as we lay and stretched in them. Part of the joy in aerial for myself and, I think, the students is the freedom of movement and at the same time the guidance of the fabric. Sure you can force a move, but in reality, it’s just better to go with the flow as much as possible, especially in a class that has “restorative” in its description.  And restore we did. The time flew by as we played in the fabrics. Time was spent stretching joints and twisting out our aches and pains. I did have one pose I wanted to do. I’m not sure it would have a name in regular yoga but I call it draping. There is also a dead lizard or corpse lizard but that one is completely enveloped in the fabric and nearly impossible to get a picture of. I promise it’s not as grisly at it sounds and a great hip opener.

Thursday was a rough morning. I’ve not been getting to bed very early and it’s taking its toll. But I have a schedule and I like to keep my commitments, even to myself. Maybe, most importantly to myself. Not because I’m most important but because I have a habit of forgetting about myself till I don’t know what sort of eggs I like.

 My HRM is on the fritz which makes me sad but I dressed a little warmer on top and a little cooler on the bottom and chose my Gu for the run. Strawberry is good and gummier than the blueberry pomegranate. I found it very palatable with a splash of milk. It was a nice chilly 30 degrees. No rain or snow, with just a bit of wind that I was running into for the first half of the run. Great, tailwind!

I had mentioned in a previous post that I thought I was hitting a good run streak only to be disappointed by a rough run on Tuesday. Maybe Tuesday was a fluke but Thursday felt great. I don’t know if it was the weather, shoes, body, Gu or what, but I just felt good. Running felt right. It felt like something that was natural and natural at an 11:00 pace. The dog, I don’t think, felt the same as me. She started running with me about half way thru. There was some tired legs, there was some gasping, there was some side stitches but that’s just part of running. I ate the other half of Gu when we turned around. I think the Gu works. My time decreased from 1:23:00 to 1:18:00 and I still felt pretty good at the end of the run.

This is a really short post about the run. There wasn’t anything that made it special. I didn’t see any urban wildlife or paintable sunrises. It was just me and my dog challenging ourselves. It’s pretty wonderful. 

I think this should be my theme song.

Three runs and a funny hat

So I am playing catch up with my posts.

I was pooped from the holiday so I took Friday as a slug day. I barely moved and catch up on my TV shows like Criminal Minds and Sleepy Hollow. It was like visiting with old friends. With all the running I’ve been doing I haven’t been able to watch much TV. I ate horribly and I have to say the day was wonderful minus the piles of laundry I had to fold. It is vital to take time to let your body recover from all the trials we put it thru on our way to fitness. My body hurt from the race.

Saturday was a different story. The dog let me sleep in. We didn’t start our run until 6:30am. It felt strange running in daylight. I started with a Gu and slammed some milk before I left. It wasn’t the salted watermelon. I went safe with a blueberry pomegranate. I’ve heard sometimes these running fuels can lead to upset stomachs and this was a long run. They are sort of like the consistency of jujubes than the gumdrops they look like.

The run itself felt pretty good. I felt comfortable right away. I tried to think positively cheering myself on when the legs started to tire. I reminded myself that discomfort is natural. After a while, I could just focus on my breathing. Breathe in fresh breath, breathe out the old breath. This time out, I had no route planned. I had a general idea of where I was but I followed a road that had no sidewalk suddenly and then found a trail that looked like it followed said road. It did not. It ended rather in the middle of nowhere. I found a road that I was trying to avoid because of the high foot traffic. In the midst of the confusion, Runkeeper told me that I was 5 miles in, time for more Gu. It was very hard to chew as my mouth was dry. I don’t really remember the mileage. I just ran, trying to stay in the 12:30 range. The second half of the run was much less relaxed. People had started to move around the city. Other dogs were about and the dog had to show how tough she was. I’ve trained a lot of her old habits out of her but that one still lingers. I do remember the last mile. I was feeling tired but I didn’t really feel my legs. I knew they were there and I had some knee and shin discomfort but it felt sort of far away. I finished with 10.3 miles. Sometimes, when I am doing these long runs, I want to cry. There are so many emotions that run thru me. There is accomplishment and pride and a little panic. Mostly, there is amazement that my body can do this.

There is a new ache. My back, my upper back. The tribulations of being a blessed woman. I know my core itself is good but I need to work on strengthening my back. I’ve tried doubling support but so far still a sore back.

Monday was a great run. It felt good. There was a little rain. Just enough to cool me off as I pushed thru the 5k. My legs felt extremely tired but they still felt good. I don’t know how to explain it but I felt confident in their ability to carry me thru this run. I also remember thinking I’m going thru a good run streak. Because there are good runs, bad runs, and ugly runs. Sometimes, you are lucky and have a good run streak and with Saturday and Monday, it felt like one was coming on. It was a nice easy run and I sped up for the last mile. That last mile was exhilarating. My new found power shone and carried me easily home.

We are in the homestretch. We are on today’s run.
Let me tell you that streak ended today. It wasn’t an ugly run but it wasn’t a good one either. It was raining when I started, rather heavy, only to turn into a mist and finally disappear at the end of the run. I was gasping for breath from the start. I tried Gu as this was a build up run. It was supposed to be a 6.5 mile run so I took one before I left and one at 3.5. The legs were heavy but I did not have the same confidence as I had yesterday. It was like I was slogging thru mud. The dog also was not feeling this run. She was running next to me and this made the run like an obstacle course with the leash slack between us. Finally, I wrapped the extra around my wrist loosely. A less tired me might of thought of that earlier after the first or second hop over the leash, but it was taking all my minds focus to keep the legs moving. There is a monster of a hill at the five mile mark. It starts slow and then builds up in severity. Another hill is rather deceptive at the last half mile. It doesn’t look bad but when my tired legs hit that incline, it takes a lot of interior cheering to keep me going. While I did well, my first full running mile started at 13:07 and built up to 11:04. It is hard to tell exactly what I did as I generally include my warm up and cool down walks in my time. The last thing I want to do is futz with my phone while I’m out. Especially, in the rain where the touchscreen gets a little dodgy with the water droplets. All in all, it was a good run even if it didn’t feel like it while I was running it.

I wasn't impressed with the GU and I couldn't figure out why everyone was such a fan. Then, I figured something out. I was eating like a fourth of what was recommended for the time I was out running. I probably won't eat two or three packs a run, but I might try eating half before my run on Thursday and half while I'm out in this soggy weather.

Also, why all the selfies? Because running is fun. And I hope my smiling face is encouraging to those that question that reality. I questioned it less than a year ago

My head has been a little stuffy so sorry if this was a little meandering. To make up for it, here is a picture of the dog with her Christmas hat ala The Grinch