Reading, Running, and Wondering

I've spent the past few days reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. I loved this book! Given that it is about hard core ultra athletes and a forgotten Mexican tribe, I thought I'd have little to relate to but McDougall writes as if he's having a conversation with you and I found myself hanging on to each word.
Born to Run is unbelievably informative - the book covers everything from the evolution of the human body to the creation of modern running shoes and the onslaught of injuries such as planter faciitis. McDougall's effortlessly details all aspects of his investigation into the ultrarunning world and a tribe of the world's greatest athletes. Along the way, McDougall provides honest yet lovable descriptions of those with him along the journey. I was sad when I reached the end of the book; I wanted to know more about the Party Kids and Caballo and Jurek... but more than that, I wanted to know what McDougall's secret is. In the time period described in this book, McDougall goes from a broken down runner to a man who is able to complete a 50 mile race in the Copper Canons with only the discomfort most of us would endure as a result of much shorter races. Is it simply a question of running form or is it more, as he hints at? Perhaps it is related to the mindset of a true runner which he describes as caring and unfailingly giving?

Given that McDougall started out on this journey as a result of pain in his foot from his planter fascia - what he calls the vampire bite of running injuries - and that I, too, suffer from PF, I am very curious as to how he got back on track. It took diligence and a great amount of effort, that is doubtless. But for all his endless facts about how and why running shoes are bad for you, he never says if he changed shoes or tried running barefoot himself. I buy into his story, though. I do think my feet are weak and I have noticed that wearing cushy shoes changes where I put my weight on my foot. My own struggles with PF has led me to believe that shoes cannot cure what ails you but they can make it worse.

While I don't see myself hopping on the barefoot bandwagon, I do think that I will try to strengthen my feet and pay more attention to my running form. I tried to do this yesterday during a short tempo run on the treadmill and I have to say that the actual act of running felt better as I tried to get my legs more "under me" but it also felt like a lot of work! Seems like my feet might not only be the only part of me that needs some strength-building sessions!

Shut Up and Run's Awesome Giveaway

My favorite blogger is hosting a giveaway for a Silver Maple gift certificate. Check it out here!

Hobblestein

How many 28 year-old (mostly) fit people hobble out of their bed every morning? This one sure does! It started with planter faciitis in March. The PF got better with some new shoes but it still bothers me when I get up. Most days, my back and calves do, too. As a result, at the sound of my alarm (located for some masochistic reason in the bathroom), I heave myself up and proceed Frankenstein-esque the ten or so steps it takes to hit the snooze button. The Frankenstein hobble is usually repeated three more times until it is finally so late that I must actually hobble my way into readiness for work. This morning, though, I could not hit snooze as I had too many errands to run before work. Having to do the hobblestein all through the house led me to the realization that my morning problems with mobility are ridiculous! Usually, I loosen up a bit with each trip to the alarm so that when I actually get up, the hobble isn't quite so bad. Since I did not have the luxury of hitting snooze today, though, the hobble was at its worst and proved to be very problematic as I tried to lurch around three large and excited dogs to get ready for work.

I stretch, I get my rest days in, my mileage is quite low so why I hobble is a bit confusing. I'm so glad my boyfriend considers my get-up time much too early to open his eyes or I'm sure he'd be very alarmed. Something must be done, though! I can not be in my 20s and also struggle to walk normally when I have no real cause not to. I shall investigate and see what the running experts say to do about this. Lord knows that if, for some reason, I'm in a hotel and we have to evacuate in the middle of the night, I might not make it out in my current condition!

The Joy of Running

After taking the weekend off and completely forgetting to do my core exercises on Monday, I was in desperate need of a good workout on Tuesday. As of late, I've struggled to get runs in that afterward leave me feeling refreshed. I have been walking a lot and cutting my runs short. Doing so leaves me feeling a bit like a failure. With all of this in mind, I went to the gym yesterday to get in a tempo run.

I started off slow and increased my mileage every quarter mile for one mile until I reached my goal pace for the tempo run. After running for what felt like an eternity, I slowed down every quarter mile for a mile and ended my workout. No walking! And despite a tough mental battle, I lasted as long as I'd planned on lasting! Sure enough, I had that post workout high that I have been missing terribly.

So why had I lost that feeling? Why had I been copping out on my runs? Perhaps because I'm not training for anything at the present moment even though I'm supposed to be learning how to run faster. Running faster is hard. I could run for hours at a snails pace - come on, who couldn't? Challenging myself to pick it up gets me out of my comfort zone - there I was, huffing and puffing on the treadmill, probably making a pretty big scene given the relative quiet of the gym... Definitely not ideal for someone who would rather go unnoticed. In the end, though, if I can win that mental battle to stick it out, it is definitely worth it. Ah the joy of running.

Goals for the Week

One of my favorite running blogs is titled Goals for the Week. And without fail, the blogger provides a handful of goals for herself each week for each role she plays in her life. I've decided I like this idea a lot... As I am not a wife or mother, my goals would be different, of course but from her categories, you get the idea: Athlete, Mom, Wife, Friend, and Personal Growth. This is definitely something to consider...
To see more about this blog, visit Goals for the Week.

The First Day of Summer

...is a funny thing in the South. The heat index has been near 100 degrees for the better part of three weeks now. While this does not only mean that lunch time runs at work are always done inside, I can now say I deemed Sunday morning officially too hot to run. So much for getting in my miles last week! It was probably for the best as a sports massage on Friday left me feeling pretty depleted the rest of the weekend... and my weekday runs were rough as I think I was still (sadly) recovering from the Race for the Cure. Here's hoping for better luck this week and the energy to get up earlier and run when it is still somewhat cool out... that probably means getting on the road at 5:30 :(

Triangle Race for the Cure

This year I signed up to run the 7 am race hoping that the heat wouldn't be as bad that early. It was terribly hot. That, coupled with the fact that I started way too fast (okay, mostly because of the fact that I started way too fast), I ended up failing to meet my race goal of finishing in under 31 minutes. I had to walk a lot of the hills. I nearly walked the whole way in after about 2.5 miles but then I realized that my time might not be so horrible if I plodded along... I ended up finishing in 31:30. Needless to say, I plan to go back out on the course in a few weeks and get under 30. I know I can do it, I just need better pacing. Turns out this whole racing thing takes some practice!

On Sunday, I did an easy two miler to loosen up from the race. This means I should be ready to run today (Tuesday), but I felt pretty beat last night and thought it might be better to take an extra day. So I need to do at least 12 miles between my runs on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I'm hoping to do 2 x 3.5 and then a 5 miler on Sunday. I like taking an extra day here and there - it definitely makes me more excited to get out there and run.

I recently purchased a pair of Nike Frees to wear when I'm not running. Here's hoping they help with my PF... It isn't unmanageable but it helps when I have a bit more arch support during the day. Fingers crossed!

Massive Fail

So much for my tempo run today. I knew I was in trouble after giving blood yesterday and feeling super wiped out. I should have given myself another day to rest up after Saturday's hard run and Monday's intervals but I wanted a two-day break before the race. Here's hoping that my thinking pays off... I fear that I am still going to be wiped out.

Last night I attended an informational meeting at Fleet Feet for a half marathon program. I think it will be great to have a disciplined training schedule as I prepare for the City of Oaks half in November - given that my second half was slower and more horrible than my first, training on my own just isn't cutting it! The program doesn't actually start until the beginning of August but I am really excited about it. We'll do group runs on Wednesdays and Sundays. You run with a group based on pace... This 5k on Saturday will determine my group so there's a lot of pressure for Saturday!

I think I am going to start adding in some hill workouts after this race. Make next week an easy week and then every other week after that add in a hill workout instead of doing intervals... I've read that hill work is how many recreational runners gained speed so here's hoping! I am also reading Hal Higdon's Run Fast but it seems that I am doing everything I should be ... although I need to start adding those long weekend runs back in!

Practice Run Successful!

Well, I did it! I met a friend on Saturday to do a practice run of next weekend's 5K race and we finished 3.1 miles in 30:56! WOO HOO! I was doing some serious air sucking at the end of it and there's no way I would have finished that last tenth of a mile if my friend hadn't been cheering me along but I did it!

Today my legs are tired but I'm going to do my interval workout at lunch and then follow that up with a tempo run on Wednesday. I'll take Thursday and Friday to rest up before the race on Saturday. Here's hoping I can pace myself and pull through those hills to do just as well on that run as we did on the practice effort (secretly, of course, I'm hoping to do even better!).

In other good news, I've lost two more pounds! I am two pounds away from losing a full twenty since I started running a little over a year ago. Once I reach that goal, I'll set my sights on the ten additional pounds I should lose to be at an optimal running weight (of course, I realize that this would drop me down a jeans size and I'm pretty psyched about that, too!). Today, I am so thankful for getting involved in this sport. I have come a long way in a year!

Practice 5K

I've failed to mention that my running adventure began with my sister. We each signed up for the Komen Race for the Cure last year. Shortly thereafter, she decided to do a half marathon. In sure little sister style, I said, "I wanna do it, too!" and so our running began. We have now completed two half marathons together... or mostly together (more on that in another post!). This marks our second year participating as competitors in the Komen Race for the Cure since we started on this adventure and, as she lives in Ohio and I live in Raleigh, NC we had to do them separately. My sis completed her race a few weeks ago in record (at least to me!) time: under 30 minutes! I've had more time to prepare and should arguably be able to do the same...

But I'm nervous. I've been doing interval runs and tempo workouts (although probably not as fast as I should have been doing them) to match her time. And now the race is 8 days away... too short an amount of time to actually make any real progress so tomorrow I'm testing myself to see what I can do. I'm running the course with a faster friend who will pace me and I hope to finish this test run in... well, I'm not sure. I think I'd be happy to finish in under 33 minutes. My real goal might be to finish in 31, though... I'm worried. If I really push myself tomorrow, will I be able to push myself a week later? I know the adrenaline of the race will carry me through quite a bit so I think I should go for it... I think.

I've already decided that I'm going to sign up for another 5k this summer to see if I can improve upon next week's time. I'm hoping to use this summer to build up my speed (if we can call it that), so that sis and I can finish our next half marathon - hello City of Oaks! - in under 2:20. Seems doable right? That would be shaving off 16 minutes from my best time, though... Fingers crossed that this practice 5k goes well! I need a good gauge of what I'm capable of so I can get my training for the fall half underway...

Cookies Aren't Good Fuel? Bummer.

I know, I know... I've read it a billion times already: nutrition matters. Knowing this did not keep me from going on a serious cookie binge last night, however. I lost track of how many I ate but it was enough for my boyfriend to call me the cookie monster. This morning I got to work with a migraine and I started to re-evaluate following my cravings... When I died after 1.65 miles into my 3 mile tempo run at lunch, I knew why. Damn cookies. But they are just soooo good and even though I know they are bad for me in so many ways, I can't not eat them when I really want them.

Don't get me wrong, I've been trying. I've been running for a year now and am happy to report that I have lost 16 pounds... Sadly, as I have also realized that I've been under the impression that I was much taller than I actually am, I still have about 15 pounds to go before I'm at a good running weight. And that goal is totally doable - on most days - just not when the cookie monster rears its ugly head!

But I overcame - at least I overcame my workout woes, anyway. I pushed through and got in my tempo run. I'm doing a 5k in 9 days and am really hoping to finish in a time that will project a good 1/2 marathon finish for the fall. I'm working on my speed and plan to continue to do so for the next month or so before getting into a 1/2 marathon training plan. Let's hope I can pick it up and leave those cravings behind by then!

Why Blog? Why Now?

I've been running for a year. During this year, my ability has increased very little but my obsession with the sport has increased ten-fold. I have struggled to find good information and a place to store worthy information. Upon reading an archived article from Running Times this morning, I knew it was time to find a solution.

I hope that this blog will provide other newbies to the sport some support. I get tired of finding countless blogs that are started when someone signs up for a race and then quickly forgotten by the would-be blogger. There are also blogs that are supposed to be about running but turn into long diatribes about breastfeeding (yeah, that was a rough read) or other mundane facts of life.

I plan to sign up for and run the Chicago Marathon in 2011. I will keep this blog up at least until that date if not longer. I hope that running will be a lifetime addiction for me. It has proved to be a fruitful adventure thus far and I can't imagine not continuing down the running road. I imagine I'll need to change the name of this blog shortly after the race -- can one still be a RunnerGirl after thirty?