Home is Home

As my Aunt improves, I feel more comfortable slipping out for longer periods of time. Today I got out for a run along the Mobile Bay in Fairhope, AL. I had not run since Friday, way too long! It felt good to get those legs moving. I ended up doing mostly 1 min walk, 1 min run intervals for 70 min. The heat and humidity really slowed me down. I got hot and sweaty running at 38 degrees. At 75 degrees, I was drenched. Fun running along seeing new places and saying good morning to other runners and walkers

But it will be good to get back to Chicago on Thursday. Home is home

Obstacles

Made it out for a good 6.5 mile run yesterday and had the next week all planned out when ....obstacle! My Aunt Marie in Fairhope, AL is in the hospital and I am unexpectedly going there tomorrow. She is a fabulous woman but she's now 90 years old and has no one nearby. My Uncle died a number of years ago and they did not have children. My Aunt Irma called last night pretty upset about her sister's situation. I didn't commit to going last night but I spoke to Aunt Marie this morning and realized how frail she is. Anyway, my running schedule is all in flux now. Trying to have a zen attitude about this and just go with it. At least it will be warmer down there and there are hills to try.

Beta Blockers and Lights, Oh My!

It occurred to me, while out on a 5 mile lunch time run, why I can go forever but not at a high intensity. It's the beta blocker stupid! About 5 years ago, I started taking a beta blocker for high blood pressure and an arrhythmia and I have pretty much forgotten all about it. It does its job and doesn't cause me any grief. But, and this is a big but, it doesn't allow my heart to go above a certain rate and as such, at some level of intensity I don't get enough oxygen for what I'm asking my body to do. With an excuse in hand, I am now more comfortable about my walking intervals and the slow pace at which I run. So, I still call it running

It has been really nice to get back outside. Running on a treadmill is great (yes, I like the dreaded treadmill) but the only way to harden up those joints and ligaments is to hit the pavement. The marathon will not be run on a treadmill. I was pretty sore after Saturday's 9 miles on the road but am barely feeling today's quick 5. There really is something to be said for consistency. We all know it but I am currently proving it to myself

Do you run with lights even during the day? I do. I have a flashing vest that I wear at dusk but even at midday, I always wear a flashing light. I wouldn't think of biking without one and now I feel the same about running. I know it has caught the attention of a few drivers...as they were about to hit me when they rounded a corner. Stay safe out there and wear light color, flashing lights, etc. Drivers are NOT looking for you unless they're runners

9 Miles

Saturday I completed my first 9 mile run. It was quite cold, 35 degrees, but clear and sunny. I plotted out a 3 mile loop from my house with plans to run it three times, perhaps stopping home to warm up. As always, the first 3 miles felt ok but took a fair amount of mental effort. As I passed the house, the first time around, I started to feel really into it, and decided there was no reason to stop. The 4th through 6 mile was great. I was warmed up, enjoying the run, and feeling good. For most of the run, I was doing 2 min run, 1 min walk intervals. At 54, and a newbie runner, I'm finding run walk intervals are the only way to do these long runs. I'm hoping that after this year's marathon, I will have enough of a base to start doing more runs without walk intervals. But for now, that's what I do. As I passed the house the 2nd time, I checked my Gatorade and saw that I didn't need to stop so on I went. Other than getting a bit cold and knowing it was mile 7, 8 and 9, it went well. Doing 3 mile loops gave me a sense is security (I was never too far from home) and I liked knowing just how far I had to go at each point.

It is now 2 days later and my legs are still a little sore but now too much. I opted for a 50 minute elliptical workout today and will run tomorrow. The 9 mile run has given me a great sense of accomplishment. Still a long way to a marathon, but I am pretty sure I can do it

Races….er, Runs

I have filled out my racing (running) card for 2012. It is so tempting to run every 5K that is out there. Getting together with a couple hundred to many thousands of people to run for a charity is so much fun. There are all kinds of people – young, old, fast, slow, big, little, tall, short – you name it, they run. Plus there is always a t-shirt or a technical shirt commemorating the run. These are fun to collect and make good shirts to wear while working out. On top of that, there’s often food, pancakes, corned beef sandwiches, apples, bananas, and I’ll always run for food. But this year, I am limiting myself to a running schedule that supports my Chicago marathon goal. I’ve had to be thoughtful about which races I’m signing up for and whether they meet my training schedule. As it stands now, these are the races that I’m doing in 2012

April 15th,10K, NCO Spring Ahead run in Naperville, IL
May 26, Fleet Feet Sports Soldier Field 10 Mile in Chicago, IL
Sept 9th, Ashleycan Pediatric Foundation Half Marathon in Bourbonnais, IL
Oct 7th, Bank of America Chicago Marathon in Chicago

There is a small chance that I will also run the RAGNAR relay from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL on June 8th and 9th. A work friend is putting teams together and if there is still an opening, I might just do it. That would be about 15 or 16 miles broken up into 3 segments over the 2 days and one night. It sounds like a hoot and if I don’t do it this year, it will be a goal for next year.

I will likely add a few organized bike rides to that schedule but no back to back Century rides this year.
I’m planning on using the bike rides and bike riding purely as a cross training tool this year. Unlike most people, I find bike riding BORING; too many hours in the saddle concentrating on the road. With running, you can talk to people, take in the scene and get it done without taking up an entire day.

With that, my race card is full. I’m surprised at how much I am enjoying having a specific training schedule, specific runs/races, etc. It is a lot easier to stick to a plan than to try to maintain fitness in a haphazard manner.

Diet Pepsi update. I’ve not been able to stay on the wagon. I was good for about 2 weeks but it has slipped back in again. I’m not even sure I’m going to try to stop, it just frustrates me!

Going to the Dogs and the Cats

Happy Valentine’s Day. Get out there and make your heart pump with a run! It seems that every new research study supports exercise and particularly running. I’ve yet to see a study that says don’t do it. http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-fitness-mind-20120213,0,7344477.story

Last week’s bad behavior has had its consequences. For one, getting up at 4:30 AM seems like a chore again. I know this will soon pass but at the moment it is a real pain in the butt. Going to bed at 11 PM and getting up at 7 AM or 8 AM seems so much more civilized. But that schedule doesn’t allow for a decent workout at any time. Back to bed at 9 PM with a 4:30 AM wake up call. Secondly, my diet of finger food and alcohol at various receptions made me sluggish and weird. Getting back to salads, greek yogurt, almonds and other good foods makes a big difference in my energy level and in dealing with stress. Third, and this one is obvious, my lack of running last week has set me back (just a little) in my training schedule, create additional stress that I don’t need and made me difficult to be around. Getting in a 5.5 mile run this morning has made me happier today and I see the world from a different perspective. It is good to be back into my routine.

I just signed up to run the Chicago marathon for PAWS Chicago. PAWS is a huge, city of Chicago, no kill shelter. Just running for myself seemed somewhat selfish, but running for a charity makes this all the better. Within a few days I will post a link to my donation page and more about PAWS Chicago.

3.5 Miles

Finally back on track today. I was exhausted following my conference and slept in on Thursday, then out late Thursday night at a lecture at Elmhurst College. Friday morning it just didn't happen. But today, back on track. This past week was suppose to be light anyway as next week is a mileage increase week. Today's run felt great all the way around. I was feeling sluggish and stressed, normal life challenges were throwing me for a loop. Today's run took all that away!

Getting Back to Normal

No running, bad diet and excess alcohol. Keep this up for a long time and it wouldn't be good. The conference has ended and I am heading back to Chicago and a healthier existence. I've never looked forward so much to vegetables and running.

Too Much Food and Fun

Doesn't look like I will get in a run today although I certainly had time. Out a bit too late last night enjoying a dark IPA by http://www.starrhill.com/ This was a great beer but didn't help my motivation this morning. I really don't mind taking two days off after my long run but it wasn't a very mindful off day.

Tonight is the opening reception of the NARUC conference, more food and alcohol, and then a SuperBowl party. Yikes! Plus, I am heading out for pizza in 30 minutes.

With that said, I am just going to enjoy it. Why not?

900 Miles

Flying today ... No running. It is amazing how quickly I am now recovering from the longer runs. If I didn't know that I had run yesterday, I couldn't tell by the way I feel today. I am sure that will change as I take more of the runs to the road. The pavement is brutal. Enjoy Saturday.

8 Miles and a Pedicure

This morning was my long slow run for the week. The plan was for a 7.5 mile run and I finished it in 98 minutes (13:07 pace) I think that is just about right as I can’t imagine doing the full marathon faster than an 11:00 min pace. As I’m using the Jeff Galloway walk run method and plan (with very slight modifications), I ran for 4 minutes and walked 1 min for the full time. When I was finished, I still felt great and ran .6 miles further. I so wanted to go further but know that injuries are going to crop up if I push it. So for me, this morning was a success!

Then it got better. I had previously scheduled a pedicure appointment for this morning. Right after my run, I went to the Edward Health Club at 7 Bridges spa and Ethel pampered my feet. I learned that until the marathon, I will schedule all future pedicures to follow the long run. Wow, did that feel good. The massage, the exfoliation and the hot towels felt better than they ever did. I left with shiny Wacca Wacca (OPI color) toes and a spring in my step. If you men out there are not getting pedicures and you run, you’re making a big mistake – paint your toes bright green and set a trend.

Groundhog’s Day and Why I Run

I’ve always been a “bit” active, belonging to a gym for 25 years, going through phases where I would get into pretty good shape and then something would happen and I would let it go.  It seemed like was always trying to “get back into it”   In 2007, I had my first real injury when I stepped in a Groundhog’s hole (apropos for today) and snapped my Achilles tendon.  Needless to say, that was a game changer.  I spent months recovering from the surgery and rehabbing.   It was horrible.  I felt sorry for myself and just didn’t take care of my diet or exercise (I could have gotten some but chose to just do nothing)  Finally, in 2009, I had had enough and started on a serious effort to get back in shape.  The first thing that I did was changed my exercise time from post work to pre work.  My boss at the time, Heather, had been prodding me to go early in the morning.  She swore by it.  I swore by my coffee and the New York Times.  I don’t remember why I finally decided to try the morning routine but she was right, there is no better time.  It definitely requires adjustments including going to bed by 9:30 PM and having all my clothing, work items and lunch in the car the night before but, it is worth the adjustments.   I started in with weight training and elliptical workouts and dropped the 20 lbs I had picked up.   Boredom, however, was starting to set in.

Around that same time mid 2010, I took a seat on the Board of Directors of Youth Outlook http://youth-outlook.org   At my first meeting there was a lot of discussion about Team Youth Outlook and the Ride for AIDS Chicago 2010.  I knew it was a big bike ride and there was fundraising but I didn’t pay too much attention.   The RFAC ended and I went to a thank you BBQ for Team Youth Outlook.  As I talked to the team members, I got excited about maybe riding my bike 200 miles over two days (a double century) and being part of Team Youth Outlook and the RFAC 2011.   So, I signed on.  The team trained throughout the cold, rainy spring of 2011 and I discovered that I had it in me to do the ride.  I was actually one of the speedier ones on the team riding my old, 1985, Nishiki road bike.  Heck, the thing was almost brand new as I had never used it.   In July 2011, the RFAC took place and I completed most of it.  It was very, very hot and humid and I misjudged my electrolyte intake and cramped up the first day 70 miles into it.  The second day, which was actually hotter, I did the whole thing.  Never knew I had it in me.

So this year starts to come into view and I needed a new goal.  I find that a solid goal really keeps me in line.  I had been running a little, getting knee injuries, and then running a little more.  That does NOT work.  Consistent, focused, planned training seems to be the only way to really escape injuries.  Focus on form, not time.  Focus on the body, not speed or distance.   Running is strangely addictive and I love it.  Bike riding is nice but you have to concentrate so hard on the traffic that it is hard to take a moment and look around.  Running allows for more observation and is more meditative.    I had run 5K’s and wanted more.  So with all that said, 26.2 seemed like an obvious goal.

Punxsutawney Phil says 6  weeks of winter.   I say 6 more weeks of training without heat!

It is Official

I’m seriously going to do this. Today was the first day to register for the Chicago Marathon and I registered right at noon. No more “I think I’m going to run the Chicago Marathon” now it is “I AM going to run the Chicago Marathon”. I’m also registered for a 10 miler on Memorial Day weekend and a half-marathon in early September. Those will be my 3 races for 2012 and I will be ecstatic if I complete them all. The running bug has hit me hard. I just wish I had started this 10 or 20 years ago. And right now, I hope I can do it 20 or 30 more years.

This morning was another interval workout. This time I kept my running speed between 6.5 and 7.0 mph but mostly only ran 1 min intervals with a full minute of walking in between. I covered 6 miles in a little over an hour. I feel like I should be able to do so much more, but really it has only been 4 weeks since I’ve been consistent about running. Trying not to be pressured by the women and men, next to me at the gym, who can keep up a 7 min pace for an hour. I try to remember that they’ve probably been doing this for years. Having a competitive personality isn’t always a good thing. I think it will “feel” better when I get back outside. Then I will only be competing against myself and not others around me.

Diet Pepsi update. I have not had a Diet Pepsi since I posted, last week, about my addiction. Clearly public declarations work for me. Hoping this public blog works the same for sticking with the marathon goal.

Every morning I receive a quote from Runners World www.runnersworld.com this morning’s quote, and I sure hope it is ok to repeat it here, was “Distance is one of the only things in life you truly earn. Anyone can give you nine pies, but no one can give you nine miles. Nine miles you have to take.” Marc Parent. Ain’t that the truth! Let’s go take nine!