and then there's this

Whoohoo!!

 

 

 

De-Motivating Run

Well, that’s a first.  I’ve had un-motivating runs, but never one that was DE-motivating. 

 

My plan this past Saturday was to run 8.5 miles.  I ate and hydrated properly the day before, and prepped as normal the morning of my run.  Off I went to the park – all’s well so far.  Put on my assortment of gear – gloves, earbuds, ear muffs – and off I went.  Not 5 minutes into the run my ear muffs start slipping and sliding.  They are the spring loaded kind that you wear so they wrap from the back of your head around your ears.   I end up F**king with them for the next 3 miles.  Finally I’d had enough and headed back to the car.  The worse the equipment problem got, the more distracted I was.  UGH!

 

My ears are extremely sensitive to cold, so this was a game killer for me.  I do believe there was loud swearing along the way … and I was irritable for several hours afterward.  Not only was I feeling pissy, I was questioning my ability to complete any long runs, ever.  I started thinking I’ve just been fooling myself.  As I said, very de-motivating run.

 

I decided to try a little retail therapy and headed to the running store for a moisture wicking ear wrap, and also found a nice Brooks running vest on the seasonal clearance rack!

 

Not one to let a bad day ruin it all, I’m headed out again tonight for a short 3 miler - then we’ll attempt the 8.5 miles again on Friday.

 

 

 

 

Random race photos - not always a good thing.

Long Runs

On Christmas Eve I ran my longest training run – 7 miles.  Using the run/walk method, with 4 minute run/1 minute walk intervals, I finished with a pace just over 11 minutes per mile.  Something happened to me that day, almost like a switch being turned on.  I started thinking that a half-marathon was completely doable. 

 

Prior to that, a half-marathon was a pipe dream.  I had no reason to believe that I could ever complete such a thing, at least not with a respectable time.  Something about running half of a Half …

 

Tomorrow is my next long training run, 8.5 miles!  I’ll complete this at the park along the river, same place as the 7 mile run.  It’s a great place during daylight hours.  Not a lot of traffic, well established run/bike paths, scenery, and other runners and walkers.   I don’t have to plan my route here either.  I start at the parking lot and run until my RunKeeper app tells me I’ve gone ½ way, then I turn around - simple.

 

Speaking of the RunKeeper app, I love that thing.  It’s a free App for my iPhone, and has been so valuable in my training.  I use an armband for the phone, and set the RunKeeper to give me the interval cues.  My music of choice plays in the background, and the nice RunKeeper lady tells me when it’s time for an interval change.  She updates me on my current pace, how far I’ve run, etc.  Great training partner!  During my last 5K race, I set the app to a ‘target pace’ update, instead of the interval training.  That nice RunKeeper lady gave me frequent feedback on how far I’d run and what my pace was, as compared to my target pace – super helpful.

 

The RunKeeper website also tracks my training history and provides motivating feedback.  Here’s the chart that tracks my per mile pace.  You can see that all those practice runs are working, as my speed gradually increases.

 

 

 

Back to the long runs … they require a little more planning than my short runs during the week.  I have a gear belt that Jim got me that holds extra energy chews, along with chapstick, Kleenex, car key, ID, etc.  For the 8.5 mile run tomorrow, I’ll be carrying fluids.  I found a water bottle at the running store with an easy hand grip feature.  The bottle is in my hand, but is attached by a strap so I don’t have to concentrate on actually holding it.  I found this better than having a water bottle on my gear belt, bouncing around.   I also have some pre-run activities that I go through to get ready.  I try and drink at least 16 ounces of water before my run along with some coffee, 2 hours before is ideal, so bathroom stops are minimized.  J   I also have some energy bars that I made and keep in the freezer.  Nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, brown sugar, oats, rice krispy cereal – they are yummy and give me just the energy I need for the long run.

 

I’m a little nervous, as I was for the 7 mile run, but am confident that I can do this. 

 

The timing chip from my first REAL race

I am a runner.

 

Never in my life did I think I would be saying that.  So how did I get here? 

 

In June 2011, I was approached by several friends to participate in a 5K “family fun run” inside the Disneyland Resort, as part of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon weekend.   Well, I hemmed and hawed and debated … then finally registered.   We were going to walk the 5K, just fast enough to stay within the time limits, and participate as volunteers for the half-marathon event.   Sounds like fun!

 

The backstory here (and the reason I hemmed and hawed) is I had a real mental block on anything to do with running.  When I was a member of the US Marine Corps, running was part of the job.  You had to take a physical fitness test every year, and there were run times that were expected.  The faster you ran, the higher your physical fitness test (PFT) score.  The higher your PFT score, the higher your composite score as a Marine.  This composite score is used for promotions.  So basically, your job and paycheck depended on running.  That took any fun out of it that I might have found.

 

Fast forward to 2011 … after 20+ years of NOT running.  In August I went on a Saturday morning ‘fast-walk’ to see how I would do.  Well, my fast walk hurt!  My shins were killing me.  Out of frustration, I broke into a slow jog.  The pain went away immediately, and I continued to jog for a minute or two.  More walking and small jog intervals until I got home.  Of the 3 miles that I recorded that day, maybe ½ mile was jogging.  I started to slowly increase the jog intervals until I’d reached a 50/50 split with walking.  Then I discovered Jeff Galloway and his Run-Walk-Run method.  After some brief research, I knew this was the running method for me.  The more I’ve worked at it, the more I’ve enjoyed the results.  I’ve been following his program ever since and my last long run was 7 miles, with a per-mile pace of just over 11 minutes! 

 

I’ve enjoyed the process, and the runs, so much that I’ve participated in three 5K races now, and registered for the Disneyland Half-Marathon in September.  

 

While the Half-Marathon is certainly my distance goal, the race that means the most to me is the Marine Corps Marathon 10K.  What better race could there be for this patriotic veteran than through the streets of our nation’s capital, with Marines in uniform cheering you on.  And the finish line?  The Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA.  I’m already filled with emotion – I’m sure I’ll be a running blubbering fool that day.   J

 

I have many races that I’m thinking about.  I’d like to try a 10K this March, then perhaps a Half in May or June, just to see if I can do it prior to the Disneyland Half. 

 

I don’t see an end to this.  I’ve already achieved health benefits and physical conditioning, which I wouldn’t otherwise.  And there is a special satisfaction that comes when you cross that finish line!

 

Yes, I AM a runner!