Finishing 2012 Strong

2012 was a year of ups and downs in my running life.  I started the year with hopes of running the Chicago marathon and ended the year just being glad to run without pain.  As March 2012 started, I was just completing my first 12 mile run and thought I was well on my way to the marathon.  Then life got in the way.  I went to Alabama to visit my elderly Aunt Marie and took a few extra days off from running.  When I started up again, I didn’t take account of the time I was off and went out the shoot with “too far” and ended up with a stress fracture.  I didn’t give the injury enough time to heal and tried again coming to a dead stop on Easter weekend.  My poor husband watched me hobble to the house shaking his head thinking “she’s done it again.”  I was completely sidelined from running until late summer.  

Not willing to risk yet another injury (in 2011 I had knee problems) I decided to engage a running coach.  The best running decision I’ve made.  Caroline has been putting together a training schedule for me that has taken it slow and steady and I have consistently followed her plan.  She’s kept me at a slow pace (11:30 to 11:50) and has very slowly been increasing my running intervals and decreasing my walking time.  As the New Year approaches, I’m just about to do my first 30 minute straight runs without any walk break.  Given my previous injuries, my age and the fact that I take a beta blocker (which affects my ability to increase my heart rate), I never thought I would run 30 minutes straight. 

I considered letting Caroline go and trying it on my own.  It is a great luxury to be able to spend the money, it’s not like I’ll ever be a competitive athlete.  Caroline, however, offered me a lower priced, less frills option and I’ve decided to stick with her.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  We’ve discussed my 2013 goals and she’s confident (so am I) that I will meet them. 

What else was on the upswing in 2012?  My shoes!  My injuries all occurred while running in a pair of Asics.  I’m sure they are fine shoes, but they just were not right for me.  I have a very high arch.  I think my orthopedist’s comment was “my god, how do you walk on those things?”  I did a bunch of research and am now swapping runs between a pair of Mizuno Precision 13’s and a pair of Brooks Ghost 5’s.  Besides a committed focus on my running form, I believe the shoes have made a HUGE difference. 

And lastly, my husband gift to me of a Nike+ GPS watch also has helped me close the year on an upswing.  My friend, Sherry, tried to convince me that a gadget was a good motivator.  Of course, I argued with her and truly believed, at the time, that none of that was necessary and going minimalist (with regards to gadgets) was the way to go.  I was wrong.  I love tracking my progress on www.nike.com and seeing my post run routes come alive with pace and elevation.  I’ve had it three months now and seriously love it.

Life is good when running is good. 



Blow Up Monstrosities

The Midwest is desperately in need of moisture but all of this dryness has allowed me to keep running outside.  I have discovered that I really like running in the cold.  Not only is it just easier to run in the cold, but at least time of year, it is such a pleasure on a night run to see everyone's home lit up with Christmas lights.  I must compliment all my neighbors on tasteful holiday displays.  Only a couple houses with blow up monstrosities.  When did they become popular in the first place?  Kind of like having a car dealer "King Kong" in front of one's house.  Although, that might be more fun that a blow up Snoopy on his doghouse.

Back to running in the cold.  It is so easy to dress for temperatures in the 20's when it is dry.  I'm finding that tights, a long sleeve tech tee, a very thin fleece jacket and a baseball cap is all I need.  I wore a fleece cap today and found it to be way too hot.  I also started with fleece gloves but had them off after the first mile.   Only covered 3.5 miles today and did a bunch of 3 min run/1 min walk intervals.  I just didn't feel like running 15 minutes straight (as called for in my training plan) with a one minute walk repeated a couple times.  I'm finding running longer than about 10 mins straight is just boring.  The walk breaks are, for me, just a change in what I'm doing.  I will continue to train for longer running periods (I'm supposed to hit a 30 min run within the next 2 weeks) but I enjoy those days when I just run/walk as I please.  I know for the serious runners that these are just junk days but I'm not serious.

Rocket Elf Enjoying His Holiday Wear

In honor of not being serious, when I got back today my husband made fabulous buttermilk pancakes.  No better way to finish a run :-)  Don't think I would want them on a 70 degree day but on a cold day absolutely.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.  Here's one of my reluctant elves to wish you Happy Holidays.

So Many Possibilities

How do you decide which races to run? Living in a big city area, I have so many choices and not enough time, talent or money to enter all of them. As a result, I find that I sometimes I enter races that I don't run and sometimes wish I was in a race that I didn't enter. Neither of those scenarios makes me happy.

Next week I am signed up for the Naperville Running Company's three mile bad Christmas sweater pub run. I'm going to have to dig through my closet to find an old Christmas sweater. It seems like they're back in vogue. I wish I hadn't trashed most of them!

I'm currently on my way to an overnight in Atlanta and pondering next year's races. Will I be up to a half marathon or two or even a full marathon? I definitely want to accomplish both before this old body of mine says stop but not sure what I should strive for in 2013. A half marathon definitely, a whole marathon...maybe. Which half marathon should I start with? When should do it? These are the questions circling in my head. I don't want to answer them too quickly as the contemplation is half the fun

I am so glad to have spent the week after Thanksgiving in Oregon. It was a nice break from work and the hiking was great. I did not run that week but maintained my fitness with all the hiking. Another question to answer , should we buy property in Oregon? And if so, where and when? Way too many questions, perhaps I will go for a run.

Keeping With The Plan

I’m just about to finish Week 14 of the Running Plan being laid out by my running coach, Caroline Yasuda. This is the first time I’ve run for over 3 months straight without an injury and I feel stronger each day. Caroline’s plan, which was different from the others that I’ve done, has more frequent runs with shorter duration. Sticking with it, I’ve noticed the gradual improvement in my running. The runs no longer feel like incredible slogs. Instead, I feel good through the whole run and just wish my legs were up to a bit more at the end. Although I have pushed it a few times, I’ve been good about stopping realizing that Caroline has set this plan up for a reason. I even stuck with the plan on vacation and enjoyed running in the new environment. I truly enjoyed the track running that I did and wish I had a similar facility near home.

Caroline, at my request, embedded four Fall 5K’s into the plan. It has been wonderful to get out there with people and be part of the running scene. I hope to do even more as time progresses. I’ve signed up for a local pub run on Dec. 18th and hope to meet a few folks there. It should be a blast. Run three miles, end at a pub and wear bad Christmas sweaters. I couldn’t have designed a better run. While we were on vacation, I learned about the Wine Country Half Marathon in Carlton, OR over Labor Day weekend. I’m thinking that might be just the right thing for me. I’ve already been invited to an after run party at Kristen and Patty’s house. What nice folks.

Winter weather is beginning to arrive in Chicagoland. Nothing major yet but temperatures are colder and night starts earlier. This week I did my first truly after dark run. Someone gave me a battery operated blinking running vest. I think I’m visible from about ½ mile away as cars flashed their brights at me to figure out what I was. The bright lights were annoying but I was pretty sure no one was going to hit me. I couldn’t help but think that I look like a moving Christmas tree as I ran by houses decorated more modestly than I was. The temperature was about 35 degrees with a light wind. I wore running tights, a long sleeved tech tee, light windbreaker, the vest, a fleece hat and fleece gloves. I was quickly very warm around my core but noticed that my feet were a little chilly --- got to look for longer winter running socks. My head was pretty sweaty when I got back but that’s the norm for me.
By the way …. I still haven’t given up hopes of doing the Chicago Marathon. I will assess my chances for success as Spring approaches!