Chels Runs

New Start, New Goals

2011-04-10T18:58:00.003-04:00

Well here I go again with another comeback. After waking up with pretty intense achilles pain the morning after my last post, I decided it was time to really rest it. I haven't really run since then, with the exception of a 3-mile week (3 10-minute runs) a couple weeks ago. Not counting that psuedo-running week, I've been run-less for 5 weeks. Overall, my achilles does feel better but I have a sneaky feeling I'm not out of the woods yet. I still notice some "weirdness" when walking, almost like a slight stiffness or tightness. Nonetheless, I will still be getting back to running this week, albeit cautiously. Unlike my post-1/2 marathon foolishness, I will be coming back much much slower this; week one will only consist of three 10-minute runs followed by a week of three 15-minute runs, a week of three 20-minute runs, and then a week of three 3-milers. If I can make it up to the 3 miles pain-free then I'll consider longer runs of 4-5 miles and possibly some "easy" workouts (fartleks/tempos). This plan should put me in ok shape for the Freihofer's Run for Women 5K, the one race I will to do before heading up to Summit, Greenland for research in June.

So restart the clock and reset the goals: I have eight weeks until the Freihofer's and thus 8 weeks to train consistently. Here's a closer look at this week's training:

Monday -- 04/11 -- Run Easy 10 minutes, Exercise bike 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 04/12 -- Strength Class

Wednesday -- 04/13 -- OFF

Thursday -- 04/14 -- Run Easy 10 minutes, Exercise bike 20 minutes, Stretch

Friday -- 04/15 -- OFF

Saturday -- 04/16 -- Run Easy 10 minutes, Exercise bike 20 minutes, Strength, Stretch

Sunday -- 04/17 -- OFF OR Bike 60 minutes (if the weather's nice)

TOTAL: 3 miles

Training Plan 2/28-03/06

2011-02-27T15:10:00.003-05:00

Last week's shoe test results are in: my new GT-2160s are not part of the achilles problem. In fact, they may even be helping with the healing. Tuesday's run in my old GT-2150's clearly showed that those shoes are well past their prime; for the entire 20 minutes it felt like I was running on concrete! Even just walking around in the old sneaks earlier in the day left me with achy heels. Needless to say, the rest of the week's runs were done in the new shoes. Still no major developments on the achilles front which is good and bad. Good because it means things aren't getting any worse; bad because it means they're also not getting an better. I take that back. I do think things have improved slightly compared to a few weeks ago. But I also think (know) that I'm far from being in the clear yet. That being said, here's next week. I'm hoping to add a couple miles and maybe try a one-mile tempo (if there is such a thing) to prep for the upcoming 4-miler (yes, still on the schedule, albeit it with different goals in mind. Stay tuned for a race plan/goals post soon!)

Monday -- 02/28 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Tuesday --03/01 -- Strength Class

Wednesday -- 03/02 -- Pool/Cross-train 30 minutes, Stretch

Thursday -- 03/03 -- OFF

Friday -- 03/04 -- Run Easy 3 mile w/ 1 mile @ 8:15-8:30, Strength, Stretch

Saturday -- 03/05 --OFF

Sunday -- 03/06 -- Run Long 4 miles, Stretch

Total: 10 miles

What To Do, What To Do...

2011-02-20T22:06:00.004-05:00

Last week didn't exactly shape up to be the wonderful pain-free training fest it was supposed to be. On each of the three excruciating slow and short runs I did, I felt my achilles to some degree. The good thing was that things had drastically improved from a couple weeks ago; each run I only felt a mild discomfort, almost just like a tightness, rather than pain. This suggests that the lift did in fact play a role, which is good to know. Still, I'm apprehensive to start building miles and intensity if things aren't feeling 100%. Talk about frustrating. While on one hand, I'm thinking I need another run-free week (if not two or three) to avoid full blown achilles tendonitis that sidelines me for months, I also just want to move forward to reach my weight loss and fitness goals. That and I really hate most cross-training . With maybe the exception of road biking (tis not the season for that, sadly), I would take a day of running over anything low-impact a gym has to offer. This is probably true for most runners but most runners would probably also do things like the elliptical (gross) and the stationary bike (barf) knowing it will help their return from injury. Me, on the other hand, if I can't run, I will almost assuredly opt for the couch over the gym leading to a loss of fitness and a likely expansion of the waistline; the antithesis to my goals. I accept this is something I need to probably get over but I haven't quite made the leap to do so yet.

Nor do I plan to next week. Tonight I have convinced myself that there may be another solution to this achilles nonsense: my new shoes. As I mentioned last time, I really noticed a uptick on the issue following runs in brand new ASICS GT2160s (with lifts) a couple weeks ago. While I was lift-less this week, I was still in these new shoes. This next week I will test the theory that, in addition to the lifts, the new shoes are also problematic. To do this, I'll throw on my trusty GT-2150s for this week's three slow n' short trots. If the pain/discomfort persists, well then I guess I'll be getting over my aversion to cross-training sooner than later. Here's how the week looks:

Monday -- 02/21 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 02/22 -- Strength Class

Wednesday -- 02/23 -- OFF

Thursday -- 02/24 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Friday -- 02/25 -- Cross-train/Pool 30 minutes, Stretch

Saturday -- 02/25 -- OFF

Sunday -- 02/26 -- Run Long 3-5 miles (depending on achilles), Stretch

Total: 8-10 miles

Just Kidding Again?

2011-02-13T13:37:00.003-05:00

After all that back and forth last Sunday, I ended up taking last week off after all. My achilles hurt quite a bit Sunday evening (as did my tummy from all the Superbowl goodies I ate!) into Monday and I decided it was just not worth it to run. Better to lose a week now than several weeks down the road, right? I massaged, iced, and anti-imflammatory'ed all week which appears to have worked; today my achilles is pain-free. It's actually been that way since about Wednesday, with the exception of Friday when it flared up a bit as a result of a little experiment I did.

I can't remember if I blogged about this back in January but last month I learned that my right leg (the one with all the problems) was a centimeter and a half shorter than the left. While that seems like nothing, it's supposedly clinically significant. The orthopedic said that this difference likely causes excessive pronation on my right side which was likely why I had the post-tibial tendinitis. This issue was easily remedied with the addition of a 0.75cm life to my right orthotic. Hurray! Hizzah! A cure! A fix! Let the injury-free running begin! And began it did for a short while, including through the 1/2 marathon. The lift was an instant fix to the post-tibial tendinitis which was super encouraging. However, the euphoria was short-lived; a week after the lift's debut, I was having this achilles problem.

Things only got worse when I got my new running shoes. Last month I upgraded from the Asics GT-2150's to the GT-2160's; not a major change in shoes by any means but a change none the less. However, something must be different because my achilles issues amplified once I started running in the 2160's with the lift. I did notice my heel sliding in and out of the shoe more in the 2160's than in the 2150's but comparing the two shoes side-by-side, the back of the 2160's aren't any shorter than the 2150's. Perhaps there's more cushioning in the 2160's? Who knows. All I know is that when I wore the 2160's with the lift just walking around on Friday, my achilles was irritated versus when I wore the 2160's sans lift.

Anyway, I've decided to nix the lift all together in the new shoes for a bit to see what happens. While this'll likely mean a return of the post-tibial tendonitis, I want to see if it also means a disappearance of the achilles pain. Besides, the post-tibial tendonitis was going away without the lift (albeit slowly) so hopefully it's absence wouldn't mean I'm doomed to have shin pain for the rest of my life. I should probably run this all by my doctor and my orthotics guy, and I will, I just want to test this hypothesis out on my own first. I'm a scientist; it's just what I do.

With that all said, here's what next week'll look like. I've cut way back on miles from my original plan due to last week psuedo-unanticipated hiatus and have even replaced a run day with a day of cross-training.

Monday -- 02/14 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 02/15 -- Pilates or Strength Class

Wednesday -- 02/16 -- Cross-train/Pool 30 minutes, Stretch

Thursday -- 02/17 -- OFF

Friday -- 02/18 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch, Strength

Saturday -- 02/19 -- OFF

Sunday -- 02/20 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Total: 7 miles

Hopefully I'll be reporting on happy, achilles-pain-free runs next week!

Just Kidding!

2011-02-06T16:41:00.003-05:00

After all that ranting on how much running hurts and sucks, I stubbornly went out for today's scheduled long run (6 miles). It was such a nice day and I wanted to show my running who was boss so I said why not? I figured if it really hurt, I'd just turn around and be mad that I tried running in the first place.

Well there was no turning around today; I felt great! I did get tired around 45 minutes but that's to be expected since 5 miles has been my longest run since the half. One bad thing is though that my achilles was a tiny bit irritated on and off throughout the run as well as now post-run. I'll certainly keep an eye on it and ice it (I currently have my right leg in a bucket of ice water as I write) and if it doesn't improve or get worse, then I'll take some time off. For now though I guess I'll keep trucking along, albeit cautiously. Here's what the week look now:

Monday -- 02/07 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 02/08 -- Pilates or Strength class

Wednesday -- 02/09 -- Run, Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Thursday -- 02/10 -- OFF

Friday --02/10 -- Run Moderate 4 miles, Stretch

Saturday -- 02/11 -- OFF

Sunday -- 02/12 -- Run Long 6 miles, Stretch

Total: 15 miles

A Rant and a Training Plan (02/07-02/13)

2011-02-06T12:04:00.003-05:00

Last week I had one of those sucktastic runs that just makes me question why I even bother trying to keep up running. On Friday, I hit the treadmill for one of my standard easy 3 milers. Unlike Tuesday's run which was done exclusively at an incline of zero, I decided that, for atleast 3/4 of a mile, I would ramp up the incline to 1.0. This move wasn't new; the past few weeks I've been running on a slight incline for most of my easy treadmill runs in order to both make the 'mill a bit more challenging and to make the transition to the road a bit easier. So, given I'd essentially run Friday's run, incline and all, multiple times before, it should've been a walk in the park. Wrong. From the slow start (6.3 mph on the treadmill or 9:30/mile) to the end, I was exhausted, out of breath, and heavy-legged. I probably should've heeded the warning signs at the start of the run and nixed the incline and speed increases but that would've just made too much sense. Instead I pushed through the run"as planned" cursing and yelling at myself the entire way. By the end there wasn't a positive thought about myself in my head. I was fat, slow, never-going-to-improve, and wasting-my-time-trying-to. These thoughts carried well into my post-run stretch and even came home with me.

This "break down" was probably a long time coming; ever since I started running after the 1/2 in January, I just haven't felt good. On top of a slew of want-to-be injuries including tendonitis in my right achilles and shin, I've felt tired and heavy for weeks now. As I alluded to in last weeks training plan post, my body is clearly telling me I need more time to recover from Phoenix, but until Friday, I was taking that to mean, keep running, but maybe slightly less than you originally planned. Now I'm considering the opposite: no running for atleast week. Of course, I'd try and substitute in some cross-training for running but bottom line, I don't think I should run for a bit.

Or is that really the case? In some respect, I feel like I'm letting a shitty run get me down again and hold me back further. Sometimes I do think it's good to "train through the pain" because sometimes that pain and exhaustion is just a product of your body getting used to a new modus operandi. I mean, it certainly doesn't "feel good" to tear muscle fibers and isn't "relaxing" to repair them. But there does come a point where you're just doing more damage than good.

My problem I think lies in the fact that I don't know where that line between "good" pain and "bad" pain exists. This is likely in part due to the fact that I don't really want to know where it is; I would rather just assume all pain is "good" so that I can keep on my happy little running schedule. But I think it also lies in the fact that that line is much different for the runner I am today, then it was for the runner I was in college. In college, I was leaner, fitter, and more consistent, so doing things like adding three miles to a week was nothing. Today, however, I'm a heavier, much less conditioned, lower-mileage, and low-intensity runner. While I want to believe that adding three more miles or an extra day of running or a workout to a week wouldn't affect me greatly, it very well could and probably does given my current fitness state.

While this is a very important realization, it leaves me with a very big and pressing question: how do I proceed? Am I supposed to consider myself a beginner runner and try a 1-mile a day type of program until that feels good and the add miles extra slowly? Or, given that I do have some history of running, is increasing mileage and intensity appropriate and safe? I have no idea what the answer is which is super frustrating. I guess the only thing I do know is that right now, I am not feeling good, which implies something needs to change.

I suppose this leads me to this week's training plan. Originally, I was slated to log 15 miles for the week which included a 4 mile run at moderate pace (under 9:00/mile) and a 6-mile long run. While it's tempting to run it, I think I'm going to err on the side of caution and take the week off from running. My achilles and shin could atleast use it and it certainly couldn't hurt the rest of my body. The plan would be to take Monday-Wednesday completely off, cross-train (probably pool running) Thursday, Friday off, Saturday cross-train, and Sunday off. The following week I may start running again but we'll see. I do want to start running again soon as I have already committed to the Runnin' O' the Green Island 4-miler in March but how soon will depend on how I'm feeling.

Training Plan 01/31-02/08

2011-01-30T19:27:00.003-05:00

If you follow my log, you'll notice that last week's training didn't pan out exactly as I wrote it. I ended up skipping out on pilates after deciding to work from home to avoid campus Tuesday (classes are back in session and campus is a zoo) and Friday I didn't run as I was busy getting ready to have some friends over. The decision to not run Friday was also motivated by the fact that I was just damn tired. This was particularly true for my legs which have felt heavy since I started running again after the 1/2. I am seeing some improvements in the fatigue but I think I may have jumped back on the road a bit after sending my body through that 13.1 mile hell two weeks ago today. Taking Friday off thus seemed like a good way to give my body an extra day to recover without setting me back too far.

That was the thought anyway until I ran on Saturday AND today. I guess I just really wanted to get the miles in. In some respect, this attitude is great as it gets me out the door. However, it also could very likely lead me to injury, especially given that I'm clearing not recovering so well right now. That being said, this week I will to take an extra day off. I may do some light cross-training on this day but most likely I'll just take it off. With that in mind, here's how the week's shapin' up:

Monday -- 01/31 -- OFF or Bike Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 02/01 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Strength (I wanted this to be pilates but, as of today, my ID doesn't work at the gym (probably due to some registration issues I've been having) so I wouldn't be able to get in to the class. Hopefully this'll change in the next couple weeks.), Stretch

Wednesday -- 02/02 -- OFF

Thursday -- 02/03 --OFF or Bike Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Friday -- 02/04 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Saturday -- 02/05 -- OFF

Sunday -- 02/05 -- Run Long 6 miles, Stretch

Total: 12 miles

Training Plan 01/24-01/30

2011-01-23T22:00:00.003-05:00

Per usual, there may be some changes due to weather this week but such is winter!

Monday -- 01/24 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 01/25 -- Pilates

Wednesday -- 01/26 -- OFF

Thursday -- 01/27 -- Run Moderate 3 miles, Stationary bike 20 minutes, Stretch (may move to Wednesday if it looks like a storm's moving in on this day)

Friday -- 01/28 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Strength, Stretch

Saturday -- 01/29 -- OFF

Sunday -- 01/30 -- Run Long 5 miles, Stretch

Total: 13 miles

Snow Day Race Calendar Update

2011-01-21T11:55:00.003-05:00

What a better way to spend the third snow day of the year then pondering and updating one's race calendar?

After the Phoenix fiasco I have decided to hold off on any half marathons for a while until I get some solid training under me. Instead, I'm going to aim to do what I set out to do at the beginning of 2010: PR in the 10K. The 10K of choice? Boston's Tufts 10K for Women in October. I decided to do this race after talking with my friend and mentor, Ruth, who has a set a goal to run a 10K this year. Ruth started running last year to lose weight and in addition to already losing over 40 pounds (40 pounds!), she's completed at 5-mile race and a 5K. Talk about inspiring! The Tufts 10K for women is her race of choice so for the sake of supporting her and a good cause as well as carpooling, I've made it mine as well!

Other updates:

1) Reach the Beach is off the table. I gave putting a team of lady UNH XC/Track alums together one last go a couple weeks ago to no avail; many people just couldn't commit right now and, with the race selling out typically in the Spring, I needed commitments. It's a bummer but such is life! There's always next year!

2) I nixed the Saunder's 10K in August in favor of the CIGNA/Elliot 5K. I ran this race last year and clocked my fasted time since 2008. I credit not only the fast course, but also the timing of the race; the race starts at 6pm which better matches my training schedule than the usual early AM starts. If all my training goes as planned, I should be able to go even faster this year.

3) Without the half, I won't need to focus on getting extra-long long runs in which means I can add in an extra race in September. I did just that: now on the calendar is the Fox Point 5-miler. I signed up for this race a couple years ago but couldn't do it because of an injury. This was a major bummer because I really like the look of the t-shirts! Another bonus: just like CIGNA/Elliot, this race starts in the evening which should mean a better race for me.

Training Plan 01/17-01/23

2011-01-17T12:20:00.002-05:00

Given how yesterday transpired, my original training plan for this week had to be modified slightly. The only major thing is that I am no longer running today. This is fine for multiple reasons including that today's my birthday! Here it is:

Monday -- 01/17 -- OFF

Tuesday -- 01/18 -- OFF (Flying back to NH... hopefully anyway. Sounds like more bad weather's on the way)

Wednesday -- 01/19 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Thursday -- 01/20 -- Pilates (This'll be dependent on how I'm feeling)

Friday -- 01/21 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Saturday -- 01/22 -- OFF

Sunday -- 01/23 -- Run Long 5 miles, Stretch, Core work

Stupid and Somewhat Scary...but also Fun

2011-01-16T19:28:00.007-05:00

Today was the Phoenix Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon and, despite my greatest efforts, I ran too far. This is mostly due to the the fact that, up until Friday, I thought the course was an out-and-back, not a point-to-point. HUGE oversight. If it were an out-and-back, the plan was to run the first 4 miles of the race with my sister and then turn around. Instead I ended up run the first 6 with my sister, from the 10K mark to the 8-mile mark, then for the last 5.1 miles I did a walk/run bit with 2-3 minutes of running for 3-5 minutes of walking. My total for the day was definitely well over 8 miles which is much farther than I both wanted to run and thought I could do. While I was somewhat impressed that I could lay down that many miles off of nothing, I was kicking myself a bit for pushing myself beyond what was safe. This stubborness actually landed me in the ER at the end of the race, the result of one of the worst SVT attacks I've ever experienced.

Last winter I was formally diagnosed with Supraventicular Tachycardia, or SVT. I have had symptoms for several years (atleast since 2006) that include a sudden onset of a "fluttering" feeling in the chest and light-headedness, both which are due to a rapid increase in heart rate to 180-200bpm (atleast in my case) not associated with exertion. These episodes are very infrequent (I only get one maybe 2-4 times a year) and random and were extremely short (10's of seconds to a couple minutes tops). Even the episode that drove me to the ER and then to a cardiologist last February was only a few minutes long.

Then there was today. I started having some SVT symptoms today actually in the race, probably starting around mile 8 or 9 (oddly, this was right after I snagged a Gu--my first ever. Maybe this was part of the problem?). This was a first in that I never really had episodes while exercising in the past; they always came when I was at rest. I did walk when they surfaced but, as soon as the symptoms diminished, I'd try and run for a bit again. This was probably, no DEFINITELY, a stupid move. As soon as I felt them coming on, I should've pulled off at the nearest medical tent. Alas, that's not what happened, so no point in dwelling. What did end up happening was that I finished the race, started to head towards the exit, but then decided I ought to get my heart checked out since I was still symptomatic. As soon as I said "heart" and "SVT" I was shuffled to the back of the medical area, given a cot, and hooked up to an EKG. Yup. With a heart rate over 190 while I was lying down, I was definitely in Tachycardia. First we tried my usual "home" remedies to get out of these episodes (coughing, squeezing the core muscles, etc.) but those, for the first time, didn't work. So next came out the big guns: the IV. The goal was to get one in place so they could hit me with Adenisone to essentially restart my heart in normal mode. Before the meds though, I would be getting a healthy dose a fluids which was more the necessary fresh off the course. I was down with all of this until they took FOREVER to find a vain. I do have terrible vains that are likely extra terrible when I'm dehydrated so I don't blame the medical staff too much but holy hell did that process hurt. They tried each mid-arm twice (the second try on the left was the winner), my left forarm, my right hand, my left hand and even my ankle. My ankle! I've never seen or heard of that and you would think something of that sort would altleast be on Grey's Anatomy. I guess vains are just too blah for Meredith and McDreamy. Anyway, once they locked in to my circulatory system they administered the medicine. As soon as it hit my heart it felt like I was punched in the chest, but then, all was normal including my heart rate; after the Adenisone, I was clocking a healthy 90-100 bpm. Great! I'm thinking. Now I can find Kendra and get my free beer! Ohhh no. I guess after they restart your heart they like to monitor you for several hours. The news that I would now be heading to the hospital brought tears and panic and demands for my sister. Fortunately they did get a hold of her and she came along with me in the ambulance , only to spend 3 hours in the Tempe ER supporting me as I went through another bag of fluids, got blood drawn (more poking!), and more heart screening. That sister of mine is a gem.

On a lighter note, despite this heart fiasco, in terms of my legs, I probably felt the best I've felt during a 1/2 marathon today. This is funny considering I haven't run more than 5 miles since my last 1/2 in November. I credit the significantly slower start pace. On average, the first 6 miles were just around 9:00/mile which is the pace I've been running at for the past few weeks. Not surprisingly, this slower running with the walking did result in my slowest half time (2:19:14, officially) but since I hadn't been training, I'm 100% fine with that.

Still, the fact that my legs felt looser this time around doesn't excuse the fact that I completely ignored my heart. In general, I really need to be better about listening to my body and adjusting my workouts to it's need. Another goal for 2011!

Local Running Clubs

2011-01-12T11:32:00.004-05:00

Often when I seek advice on how to stay motivated and get in shape I get told I should join a local running group. This makes sense in that such groups usually have a few group runs a week which would,as one friend put it, "keep me on my feet" . Local running groups are also made up of, well, people; people to run with and that could keep me accountable for my training. However, I've always been fairly resistant to the idea for some odd reason. I imagine this mostly has to do with my previous running group experience.

A few years back when I was living in CO, I joined a local running club in attempts to find a training partner or two. Seeing as I was in a college town, I was hoping there'd be a least a few younger ladies and gents that I could pair up with, but no dice. What I found instead was a group of older folks, primarily men, who were all friends with one another and didn't run very fast. While everyone was very nice and gungho about running, I felt extremely awkward and out of place. Admittedly, this all came after one group run, so it's very possible that I just went on a night that had an old-bias. But it has been hard to shake that first impression. (On a positive note, I did end up hooking up briefly with a young woman at a club sponsored event who was a middle school teacher in the area, but seeing as she was not a club memeber at the time, I don't think it really counts.)

Most recently, however, I've decided to give the local running club another go. While I'm still wary, I found comfort in learning that a few grad. student lady friends (who are much faster than me at the moment) have joined one. My (and their) club of choice? The Coastal Athletic Association. I'm officially a member as of yesterday. Just looking at their website this group seems both more organized and significantly larger than the CO group. Additionally, the CAA seems to have a members with a wider range of abilities as well as ages compared to my first group; two things I'm definitely looking for. Other major bonuses:

1) From mid-April through mid-October, the group holds coached track workouts on Tuesdays,
2) There are three group runs a week: Monday nights, Thursday nights, and Saturday mornings,
3) The group sponsors a few large and fun local races a year,
4) The $20 membership fee includes discounts to local running (Runner's Alley) and bike (Papa Wheelie's) shops,
5) The group holds monthly pub runs which entail a 4-6ish mile run to a local bar followed by club-provided apps (I think this is my favorite perk),
6) There are actual club uniforms and gear that can be purchased at Runner's Alley.

Pretty sweet if you ask me. Ultimately, I would like to be able to join a more competitive local running club, such as the Greater Boston Track Club. Such a club would give me the opportunity to hit the track again as well as to race for a team in higher profile races , two things I'm hoping to do in the future. But given my fitness, that's a good year or more out. For the runner I am now though, the CAA is perfect.

In other news, it's snowing! I do love the white stuff. This does mean however that I will not be running today. Probably not the worst thing since the post-tibial tendonitis I have on my right leg has been acting up lately. Hopefully the roads'll be clear tomorrow so I can sneak in a quick run before the long flight to Phoenix!

Training Plan 01/10-01/16

2011-01-09T18:15:00.002-05:00

Those that know me, know I am an extreme planner. I thrive off of schedules and routines and deviations from them can sometimes send me in a frenzy. Maybe it's the capricorn in me.

One of my favorite things to plan out is my training and race calendar; currently I have my daily workouts and racing schedule set until October 2011. This might be taking things a little far but that's me.

In attempts to both post more and keep myself more accountable to my plan, I've decided to post my running schedule every week. I recognize there's probably only a handful of folks who follow my blog but feel free to make comments/suggestions on my plan. Don't suggest anything too drastic though; otherwise I'll freak out! I kid. The plan for next week is below. To see my progress, click on the link to my logarun training blog to the right.

Monday -- 01/10 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 01/11 -- Strength Class 30 minutes

Wednesday -- 01/12 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Elliptical 20 minutes, Stretch (This is weather pending. They're calling for snow on Wednesday but not saying how much just yet. If I can't get to the gym this day, I'll run Thursday before taking off and move the elliptical to Friday's workout. This may happen anyway if I'm extra sore/tired from the prior days.)

Thursday -- 01/13 -- OFF (Flying to Phoenix to visit my sister!)

Friday -- 01/14 -- Run, Easy 20 minutes, Strength (Core + free weights), Stretch

Saturday -- 01/15 -- OFF

Sunday -- 01/16 -- Run, Easy 4 miles, Stretch (I will be running the 1st 4 miles of the Phoenix Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon this day. I was supposed to do the full half but an early winter injury and illness required a lot of unplanned time off. I just hope I don't get excited and try to do more than 4!)

One Year Later

2011-01-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

Yet again, I managed to drop the ball on blogging last year. This is mainly due to the fact that 2010 didn't exactly shape up to be "the" year for my running that I hoped. While I didn't shed a pound nor dip under 7:00/mile in races as planned, I will say last year was MUCH more productive than 2009. Though it took a last minute decision to run a fall 1/2 marathon, I did manage to get in several 20+ mile weeks, something I hadn't done for quite some time. Along with those weeks came some of the longest long runs I've done in a while (10 miles!) and a notable drop in pace of my easy runs (under 9:00/mile!). Not too shabby, but still, fairly disappointing.

Last year showed me that I can, in fact, motivate myself to get out the door and run pretty far; something I wasn't sure about before. Running regularly also brought back a sincere appreciation for the sport. There have been points over the past 4.5 years where I thought I was really starting to love running again but then I'd get injured or bored or frustrated and I'd forget about how great running was. However this fall I actually wanted to get out the door most days. This was shocking for me. Not since maybe middle school had I felt that way. Maybe I'm actually recovering this time from years of resentment for the sport and learning to like it again. I think mostly this stems from the fact that this fall, I wasn't running for anyone but myself. No coaches, no team. Just me. Now if only all that training and new-found appreciation had turned into an excellent 1/2 marathon race. (Ok, I did PR (1:58:11 down from 1:59:42) but given how much work I was doing I would've liked to see more than a minute and a half shaved off.)

I suppose this is where 2011 comes in. With last year teaching me how to train and like running for myself again, this coming year I will look how to train smart, efficiently, and consistently to ensure improvements in races. I'm also looking to expand my training to include more strength and conditioning which'll help my overall fitness. Last week I took a first stab at a 30-minute strength class at the student fitness center. What a workout! I'll definitely be returning this week. These training plans along with a plan to cook more and eat out less (probably the biggest reason for the lack of weightloss last year) I will hopefully drop some pounds too. Then maybe, just maybe, by year's end I'll be ready to seriously tackle some PRs.

So here we go again. Take 957 on Chelsea's grand return to running. Truthfully though I do believe good things could happen this year. I know, I know. We've heard this before but I believe it for this year more than ever.

Circuit City

2010-02-07T12:39:00.000-05:00

The move up to 20:00 runs from the 20:00 walk/runs two weeks ago was a great success; I have run 3 times each week and have progressively increased my pace from 10:00 to 9:30/mile. Bonus: the move up in distance and pace has been pretty much entirely pain free.

With my first race on the horizon, I'll be stepping things up again this week. To make sure I can cover the 3-mile distance of this first race (the NHTI Spring Ahead road race on March 13th), I will be bumping the length of my runs from 20:00 to 3-miles. The first move will be this Thursday. I'll drop to 20:00 again for Saturday's run but will pick up with 3-milers 3 times a week the following week until race day. This week I also plan to do my first psuedo-workout; on the schedule for Tuesday is a circuit. I picked this as a first workout heeding suggestions made by my college coach a few months ago. Circuits are a great way to get fit fast according to him and, considering he's produced some fine runners in recent years, I'll take his word for it.

There is one problem though: I'm not really sure how to do them. I know that the workout involves some combination of running and exercises. I've already planned that I will be breaking Tuesday's two-mile circuit down 10 two-lappers around the indoor track (320m) separated by drills/exercises. Several key questions still remain however:

1) What are good exercises to do?
2) How fast do I run the "intervals"?
3) Do I do multiple sets of exercises? That is, do I pick 4-5 exercises, go through them once and then repeat them? Or do I pick 10 different exercises all together?

I think part of the problem I'm having is that there isn't one ultimate circuit; it really is an individualized workout that can be catered to pretty much every variable out there--fitness, equipment availability, weather, mood, physical feeling, etc. The options are endless in a circuit, which is why it is a fantastic workout. However, when you've never done one, such open-endedness is overwhelming. I have done a bit of research on the web on circuit training but haven't found anything super helpful. There has to be something out there though. Perhaps you faithful Chels Runs readers have some suggestions. Otherwise, looks like I'm winging it!

2010 Is Going To Be.... What Rhymes With 2010?

2010-01-25T13:23:00.000-05:00

There's been a lot of hub-bub on how exactly to refer to this year; is it two thousand and ten? twenty-ten? Or does Stephen Colbert have it with oh-ten? I think an even bigger problem that hasn't really been looked at is the lack of a clever rhyme that says 2010 is going to be a good year. In years past we've had some good ones: "2008 is looking great!"; "2009 is looking fine!" But now what? 2010 is looking...ken? fen? hen? den? I'm sure I'm limited by my small vocab and lack of patience so perhaps some of you more intelligent beings out there can come up with something perfect. If you do, let me know so I can finally get some sleep.

Despite the lack of an optimistic phrase, 2010 has kicked off for me exactly as it has in the past with a lengthy list of ambitious resolutions: stop procrastinating, be more productive at work (and not, say, post blogs in the middle of the day... ahem....), lose 30 lbs, be better with money, workout atleast 5 days/week, eat healthier, etc., etc., etc. Surprisingly, I've been fairly good about keeping up with most of my resolutions. However, as has been the fate of past resolutions, I suspect these resolutions will eventually be boxed up and stored away until 2011 when they are dusted off and made a focus once again.

It is possible to keep up at least some of these resolutions; I just have to continue to consciously keep the goal list in focus and not let it fade to the back of my mind when things start to get stressful. This is actually not that hard, especially since this month I have established some new habits that support the change. But, as the laws of entropy state, without work things will tend towards chaos; without active efforts to keep at new habits, I will easily, and readily, head back to old ways.

Fortunately for my running, I think my fitness and health goals are going to be the easiest to keep up. At this point, I feel ready to commit to running again and am definitely ready to slim down. This is in contrast to, say my goal to kick my procrastination habit, a habit that is very comfortable and one of which I'm still very fond, despite it nearly causing me to fail two courses last semester (no joke). Running, exercising, and eating well also make me feel good while doing work and homework just makes me cranky and stressed.

In prep for a successful year of consistent running and healthy eating, I have set up a new line of racing goals. Perhaps it's a bit premature since I've only stuck to the "be consistent with running/exercising" resolution for three weeks but what else am I going to do when I'm at work? Actual work? Nonsense!

I think this year's goals are a little more realistic than last years in that they don't have me trying to scramble to get mileage in to PR in a fall half marathon. This year, I'm hoping to instead PR in a fall 10K. This allows me to take building mileage a bit slower throughout the year which I think is something I need. A slower build also allows for more tweaking in case of injury or illness. I think a PR is definitely doable. Like the half, I've run a road 10K only once and clocked a 50:53 (~8:12/mile). I wouldn't be talking a crazy fast PR but something around 44:00-45:00 would be nice... Ok, so maybe that is "crazy fast" when you consider where I'm at now but I don't think it's impossible. To get even close to being able to run that, I plan to be running 4-5 times a week with weekly totals 25-30 miles/week, which includes one day for a workout, a few easy days, and a long run of 8-9 miles. I'd like to get to this point by Late-September/Early October which is more than doable, barring injury. As evident from my race calendar, I also plan to run a few 5Ks along the way which I'll hopefully be running faster than my fastest time since I returned to NH (22:51 in '08) by the fall.

Also thrown into the mix is the Bourbon Chase Relay in Kentucky, a 200-mile, 12 person relay. After a three-year hiatus from my favorite relay team, I will be returning as one of the 12 runners on the Steamed Muscles squad. Atleast I hope I will; the details are still in the works. These relay races are a ton of fun and even more fun when you do them with such a nerdy runner bunch as the Muscles. Whats a little concerning for me at this point is that there will be quite a bit of mileage to cover in 24 hours; almost 3 times what I'm clocking a week right now. This race isn't until late October though so, if all goes as planned, I should be fine.

Chalk full of fun races and realistic goals, I think 2010 is going to be good year in running for me. Now if only there was a clever way to say it... 2010 is looking... full of oxygen? Well, I tried.

Just To Get High

2010-01-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

Before recently, I never bought into the "runner's high." I could not understand how running could make someone feel so great. I mean, sure, I felt "good" because I was being healthy and was fast and fit, but running never really made me feel euphoric. Instead, it always made me feel tired and sore, and, as a result, cranky. All those runners who wrote in Runner's World about how great their latest trip was after laying down a few miles were damn dirty liars. There was no high. Just heaviness everywhere; legs, eyes, head... everywhere.

But then I had my run on Saturday. Saturday was just a usual walk/run (the more recent 5:00 walk, 10:00 minute version) on the treadmill at 10:00/mile; nothing special, nothing fancy. But WOW did it feel good! I felt awake, loose, comfortable and, true to high symptoms, elated. It was awesome! I felt like I could have kept running for miles and miles. And this wasn't just a one time deal; I got high from my run yesterday too even despite some soreness from the weekend's skiing. I have finally seen what the others have seen. I am now a believer, and worshiper, of the runner's high.

So why now? Why did it it take me 13 years of running to feel the runner's high when it takes some days? My theory lies in my recent training. When I was running competitively in high school and college, I was running at such a high intensity level, that any sort of "high" that might have come out with running was drowned out by shear exhaustion from working so hard all the time. Post-collegiately, until recently, I had been fixated on training at that high level despite not having the fitness that I kept ending up injured and frustrated. What's been different in this latest stretch of running since Christmas from other points in my career is that I have been very careful to not push the pace (10:00/mile has been my clip the entire time) or distance regardless of how I've felt. I've progressed super slow from running 5:00 at a time to 10:00 and have kept all my runs to the flat treadmill. For the past two weeks I have been doing 2 sets of 5 minutes of walking, 10 of running, bringing my total run time up to 20 minutes. It isn't until next week that I will try to run for 20:00 at once. Considering I am now coming from years essentially off from running, such a progression is absolutely vital to my success down the road.

Despite all this feeling good, I don't think I'm totally over my peroneal tendon injury. My shmarmy orthopedic thinks differently considering he gave me the all clear a couple weeks ago at an appointment but some residual tightness and irritation along the outside of my lower leg suggests to me that I need to be careful. In the past few weeks I've been quite good about stretching out my calves on my quasi-newly-purchased wedge which, according to everyone I've seen about this issue, will help. It certainly can't hurt anyway. I've also been icing religiously which has also been helping. I'm just a bit nervous for the day that I begin to add hills and roads back into my routine which is where the problem really presented itself. I guess we'll just cross that bridge when we get there. Til' then, I'll keep on enjoying getting buzzed off my slow trots on the treadmill.

An Overdue Update

2009-12-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

New Years resolution: get better at posting more frequently so as to avoid lengthy "catch up" posts, such as this one.

The lack of posting has largely been due to Grad. school's ability to be all consuming. I actually shouldn't really be posting now since I owe 17 pages in a writing, a poster for a conference coming up in a week, and a class project presentation by next Friday but I needed a break and what a better way to take one than to post my running complaints on the interweb?

Not much has changed with my running situation, which is another reason I've been MIA from the blogosphere. I did start running again back in August with a couple walk/run "workouts" ~3 times per week. The walk/run routine consisted of 5:00 of walking and 5:00-10:00 of running, depending on how I was feeling. The walk/runs have largely been on the treadmill and slow (~10:00 pace) which was what I needed. Unfortunately, this is still where I'm at. A healthy combination of work, illness, and injury return has kept me from my goal of getting back up to 3 miles 3-4 times a week by the Turkey Trot, which happened last Thursday. I did end up participating in the Turkey Trot but as a jogger/walker. The finishing time? 37:12. My slowest 5K yet! Surprisingly, I wasn't all that bummed and had maybe the most fun I've had at a 5K. The people in the back of the pack are way more fun then the competitive folks up front!

The biggest problem injury-wise has been the adjustment of my orthotics. Things felt good right after I first got them in August but after I got them adjusted in October, things went south. Trying to correct my excessive eversion, my orthotic guy (what is their proper title anyway?) added extra arch support. This caused me to put all sorts of pressure on the outsides of my foot resulting in a return of pain. I stopped running for a bit but did not see the pain subside. A bout with a nasty virus sidelined me for a little while longer pushing my time from running to 3 weeks. Just recently (literally a couple days ago), I had my orthotics adjusted again this time in the opposite direction; orthotics man added some wedging which corrects the food the other way. This felt good, so I decided to take to the treadmill again for a walk/run (5:00 walk, 5:00 run). So much for improvement. Though the outside of my foot doesn't hurt anymore (plus), the outside of my right leg is more tight and sore than it has been before (minus). And it gets better: no longer is it just my right leg, this week I've notice a similar soreness/tightness on my lower left leg too (double minus). My next orthotics visit is only in a couple weeks so I'm going to ride out the pain and hope that I just need some time to adjust to the changes. I've also returned to the stretching, icing and ibuprofen routine which'll hopefully help keep things from getting out of control.

The new goal is to be able to run the Runnin' O' the Green 4-miler in March 6, 2010. I ran this race last year and had a great time and would like to do it again. A super goal would be to beat last year's time of 33:56, but that'll depend on my consistency over the next couple of months. For all you avid ChelsRuns followers (and general Chelsea stalkers) interested in keeping tabs on my consistency, you welcome to view and comment on my online running log. I started it a couple months back to keep myself accountable. Your feedback is appreciated!

The good thing about this whole peroneal tendon fiasco has been that it's given me a somewhat new perspective on running. I've learned to appreciate just being able to run and to not be disappointed in how slow or short I run. I'm hoping I can keep this perspective, since I think it's key for making running a lifelong hobby.

Updated Race Calendar

2009-08-14T11:22:00.001-04:00

With the orthotics in place and feeling good (for the most part), I'm going to take my first running steps this weekend. It'll be slow and short; the plan is to do three sets of five minutes of walking, five of running back to back. I'm nervous to start back given that every other time I've started up, I've had to stop again. But with a solid two months of no running under my belt and a plan to get back reeeeeally slowly, this time will hopefully be different.

The ultimate goal is to get back for a few fall 5Ks, the first of which falls on the first weekend in October. I don't plan to run any PRs this fall but do hope to get to a point where running is comfortable and painless again; where races aren't disappointing but fun. Hopefully by getting back into it slowly, I'll set myself up for a solid race season in 2010.

The Saga Continues... An Update

2009-08-01T10:41:00.000-04:00

Well, I still haven't run. This, I'm pretty sure, marks the longest break from running since I broke my foot my Sophomore year of college.

At the beginning of July, I saw an orthopedist about my foot. He diagnosed me with "peroneal tendon dysfunction" AKA "I-have-no-idea-whats-wrong-with-you-but-know-the-problem-has-something-to-do-with-that-tendon". I was prescribed PT, orthotics, and Ibproufen; no surprise.

I have since finished PT where I got rid of some scar tissue. My foot feels better, but whether or not that's as a result of PT or just a prolonged absence from running I think is still undecided.

I have been fit for orthotics and will pick them up a week from Monday. I'm hoping they help but am weary. The onset of this whole issue was seemingly sudden leading me to believe that there's an element to the problem that's more than just a biomechanical issue that has built up over time.

Both the guy who's making my orthotics and the physical therapist noted that my calves were unnaturally tight and that this may be the root of the whole problem. I would have to agree, which is super frustrating because that is EXACTLY what the guy I saw back in March said. I thought I was stretching enough but the flexibility tests suggest otherwise. This is where the orthotics will come in; by adjusting the way I run, it is hoped that the pressure will be taken off my lower legs.

As expected, this whole fiasco has altered my running plan. Things aren't looking good for the Seacoast half because I just don't think I have the time to get my mileage up. I already missed one race I paid for, the York Days 5K on July 26th, and will likely have to miss another, the Fox Point 5-miler in September, for the same mileage-build-up concerns that I have for the half. This is a bummer because I was really looking forward to this races. Racing's kind of why I want to keep running and it just sucks to have the taken away for who knows how long.

The plan for now is to start running again a week-ish after getting my orthotics. By that point it will have almost been a full 2 months of not running so coming back slowly is the key. I'll probably start with some run-walk workouts on the track and then go up from there. The good thing is that I have been somewhat good about getting into the gym or pool so hopefully the comeback will be easier and quicker than it might have been had I done nothing.

I'm also trying to get into Weight Watchers to start the weight loss which, while I've been told otherwise, I believe has had a role in this whole thing. I think I was running too hard for where I was fitness-wise and just had gotten to a point where my body wasn't able to recover fast enough. I have gained weight and loss a significant amount of fitness and should've been more conscious of this last year. Instead, I focused too much on the watch and the distance leading me to where I'm at today. I really hope this next round I can be better about really listening to my body and being less concerned with speed and distance.

Bring on the great return to running part 2.

Biting the Bullet

2009-06-29T13:42:00.000-04:00

Despite hopes that self-diagnosis and self-rehab (i.e., icing and sucking-it-up) would result in pain-free runs in the near future, I am going to see an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday. I was able to ignore the fact that my foot/ankle issue was still very present for the past few weeks since I was only running 2.5 miles every other day. Even then, though, the outside of my lower leg was always tight and the outside of my foot, while not incredibly sore, didn't feel right.

Last week I made the daring move up and ran 3.2 miles. The loop was very hilly and hard as hell, but it was my only option at the time. Afterwards, my foot was unbelievably sore and still hurts today. Needless to say, I haven't run since that run (last Wednesday).

I could continue to follow my plan of stopping for a week (or more) and then starting up again but something tells me I'm going to just keep ending up back here. I've been avoiding a doctor out of fear of being told not to run for weeks but clearly, I'm not progressing doing things the way I'm doing now.

I also have a feeling that the issue may be biomechanical given that it takes barely any running to knock me down. It may just be that running for 12 years and weight gain have left me running funny and in need of orthotics. Or a chiropractor. It'll take a real doctor to make that call though.

Haulted in Houston

2009-06-10T14:27:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in my last post (which was far too long ago) I was slotted to spend several weeks in Houston, TX for air quality research. The overall experience was not as bad as expected and, dare I say, even fun (at times). As anticipated, however, the days were long and the breaks none existent; I literally worked 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day. While I liked the change in the type of work (more hands-on lab stuff rather than the paper-writing and data-analyzing I had been doing for the months pre-Houston), it was still exhausting to do it for that long. Needless to see, I'm happy to be back in the cool Northeast on a regular, less rigorous schedule.

Unfortunately and as predicted, my running suffered, though not for the reasons I originally thought. Even though the work days were long, for the first week and a half or so I was there, I was able to get my runs in. The runs I did do were on the treadmill, partially because of the heat and partially because I didn't want to run around the city alone (clearly, I am from New Hampshire), but they were runs all the same. I was starting to feel pretty good at 3 miles and was getting ready to jump up to the 4-5 range. Of course, right when I'm getting psyched about progress, my effing right foot/ankle starts acting up again. I take a couple days off and ice it, hoping it calms down. No dice. In the end, I took 3 weeks off.

With where I'm hurting and how I'm hurting, I think what's going on is peroneal tendinitis. This was my thought before, back in February, but then I was told it was just overall inflammation in my foot by a physical therapist. I'm not really sure how to go about fixing the problem except for taking time off, icing and taking anti-inflammatories. That and stretching my calves madly. Supposedly it's caused by tight calves (among other things) and, to be honest, stretching hasn't exactly been a priority in my post-collegiate training. I probably should start warming up again, even if it's walk-jogging for 5 minutes.

I ran for the first time in 3 weeks on Saturday and then again on Monday. Overall it felt good but I did notice a slight discomfort, which suggests that I need to keep taking it easy and keep on the ice/ibuprofen.

So. Frustrating. It's amazing how three years of inconsistent running and rapid weight gain can make you prone to injury. I mean tendonitis off of 3 mile runs 4 days a week at 8:45-9:00/mile when I used to run 30 miles a week at a much higher intensity? Depressing.

I'm working through it though. Hopefully I'll be able to manage the tendonitis and be able to get going again and have a solid summer of training. I really want to get in shape and get to a point where I'm not embarrassed by my body anymore. But I also don't want to try and train through the pain and get to a point where I'm so broken, I'm sidelined for months. I just have to make sure to keep listening to my body despite my impatience.

Race Report

2009-04-26T12:44:00.001-04:00

Myself, Zach's cousin Chris, and Chris' girlfriend Eileen and I managed to make it out the door Saturday morning and to the Hampton Rotary 5K in Hampton Beach. The race is usually run in August along with the Seafood Festival but was moved this year to April to avoid the usual insanity that comes with the festival. The weather was nice: warm, breezy and sunny.

The course was an extremely flat out and back. Along it were some sweet views of the ocean and some less sweet views of the dead town of Hampton Beach still in it's off season. The unfortunate aspect of the course was the lack of shade. While the sun was nice, it was not fun to run in the blazing heat the entire race with only one water stop. All in all though, a good course to run a fast 5K on.

However, I did anything but that. I suppose that's what not running a lot for the past few months will do to you. Because of the lack of training I didn't really go into it with any expectations, only hopes of finishing sub-24:00. Sadly, this was not achieved. I ended up clocking a 24:27 to finish 28th out of the field of 77. I did end up going out in a 7:35 which was much faster than I thought I would. Mile two was surprisingly faster than mile one (7:27) though I think it might have been a little short since mile 3 was 8:22 and it didn't feel like slowed down that much.

All in all, I was OK with how things went; now I have a place to start from.

Seacoast Half

2009-04-16T12:30:00.000-04:00

Last week I signed up for the Seacoast 1/2 Marathon. Only 6 months early; no big deal. It's good to have some bigger to work towards now though. I'm actually pretty excited to run this race. I've been told that it's a fast course and has good goodies. It also draws a big crowd; the max registrant number (1200) is usually reached by mid-September. The goal time as of now is 1:43:43 (7:55/mile) which I think is pretty attainable if I meet the pre-goal goals of sticking to my training plan and losing weight. At the very least, I'd like a PR, which shouldn't be too hard, especially if I do even a fraction of the training I have planned.

My next race is coming up next weekend. I'm dragging Zach out again but this time only for a 5K. I don't really have a goal for this one, but sub-8:00/mile would be nice!

I've been doing ok with training though a death in the family last week resulted in no miles run for the week. It's been getting much more enjoyable to get out the door now that it's warmer out and lighter later. I'll only get to experience the nice Spring running for a couple more weeks though, which is a major bummer. I'm heading to Houston for the essentially month of May for a field project which'll mean a lot of treadmill running to avoid death by heatstroke and/or pollution inhalation. I'll also have to probably do most of my running in the early AM due to the workload demands of fieldwork, which is a drag. I'll have to get used to it though I guess; morning runs will probably be my reality for the NH summer which just might be worse than May in Houston minus the constant pollution problem.

Road Race PRs

2009-04-11T14:48:00.000-04:00

Instead of doing work that I really need to do, I decided to try and come up with a list of my road race PRs. I know my cross-country and track PRs pretty well from high school and college but haven't never really taken the time to look at my road race times until now. After an exhaustive google and cool running searches, here's what I came up with:

Road Race PRs
5K - 19:01 - 2002
4 mile - 26:56 - 2000
5 mile - 31:34 - 2004
10K - 50:53 - 2008
1/2 Marathon - 1:59:42 - 2008

Because I was competing on a team for 3 seasons, there wasn't much time for road racing in my younger years. Funnily however, many of my road race PRs are from early 2000 when I was competitive. This isn't surprising, considering I was in good shape during this time. PRs from longer distances (namely the 10K and 1/2 marathon) are not surprisingly from my later years since I didn't attempt to race farther than 5 miles (and that was pushing it) when I was on the team. These times are also slower than what might be expected by looking at my other road PRs which, again, is not surprising given my post-competitive fitness level.

What's kind of cool however is that none of the times are outstandingly fast and are actually quite reachable; I believe I could hit new PRs in the near future for all distances given a bit of consistency on my part (Well, except for maybe the 5-mile and the 5K; aiming to go much faster than those times right now, might be a bit of a stretch right now, though maybe not impossible). This is something I hadn't really thought about until I saw all the times written out. Looks like I have a new running-based goal!

Back in the Game.. For Now

2009-03-11T10:11:00.000-04:00

So according to last week's PT appointment I do not have tendonitis but rather irritation to both the soft tissue and the bones in the 3rd and 4th metatarsal region. The physical therapist said this was likely caused by substantial inflexibility of my calve muscles. He said I should take two weeks of no-impact exercise (this is in addition to the 10 days I took off prior to the appointment) and gave me instructions to do calves stretches twice-daily, holding the stretch for atleast 60 seconds and repeating 5 times.

As a result of the appointment, I ended up taking Tuesday-Friday off. I also tried the stretching routine but ended up with sore achilles in both legs. I haven't done the stretches since.

Even though I was told not to run, I still went ahead with running the 4-miler on Saturday. Zach was running it and I figured we'd run it slowly together and, if it hurt, I'd walk. It had also been two weeks since I'd run so I thought maybe I'd be healed. The race actually went way better than expected. Firstly, both Zach and I ran sub-34:00 watch time which, while slow, was much faster than either of us had planned. And it felt good; I was barely sore and winded the entire race. My foot also didn't hurt during the run nor did it hurt afterwards. This was actually quite surprising, but definitely a good thing. As a result, I've decided start running again this week, despite the physical therapist's wishes. It'll be a slow return but I'm looking forward to running again.

Stepping Back

2009-03-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

Still no official diagnosis on my foot. I ended up taking all of last week off in part to give my foot a good rest but also because I was sick with a bad cold turned sinus infection. The unfortunate part is that my foot still hurts. While the pain has gone down significantly since Sunday (i.e., I'm no longer limping about), I still notice a very dull, subtle ache every so often when walking. I'm still convinced it's tendonitis (BAD tendonitis) but am considering the possibility of something more severe like a stress reaction or *gasp* fracture. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow morning where I hopefully will not only get answers on whats going on with my foot, but also a rehab routine.

I have officially dropped out of the 1/2 marathon. I feel pretty badly abandoning Kara but just don't think it'd be wise to try and wing another 13.1, especially since I'm already injured. I am still planning to run the 4-miler this weekend partially because I already have paid for it (I fortunately hadn't sign up for Great Bay yet) and partially because I'm going home to NY to visit my parents anyway, but also because Zach's running it. He's been training a lot these past few weeks and has made incredible improvements and is pretty excited to run a race with me. I figure I can swing a slow 4 miles and if I can't, well I guess I'll walk it.

I'm considering taking a bootcamp class offered at a local yoga studio starting this week. My dad takes a similar class at the local YMCA and loves it. The class offers a lot of variety in terms of exercises and is a killer workout. I do still plan to run 3-4 days a week, but for the next few weeks, the focus will likely be this bootcamp class. The hope is that this class will get me in shape, both in terms of weight and strength, and to a point where running won't hurt as much. Once the class wraps up at the end of April, it will be back to running full-time and hopefully consistently.

Uh Oh Spaghettio...

2009-02-22T12:51:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I ran 6 miles--the longest run I've run since the fall. Dear lord was it painful. Of course the fact that it hurt so much and wasn't even that "fast" (51 minutes and change) was frustrating but I got over that pretty quickly.

What I haven't been about to get over is this pain on the outside of my right foot. The pain is a dull ache and extends from just above my ankle to my pink toe. It aches even when I walk on it. It doesn't necessarily hurt while I'm running but after words, holy @#%!.

I've done a little web research and have asked some of my friends who are versed in human anatomy and athletic injuries and it sounds like it might be peroneal tendonitis. One website said it's onset usually occurs "when the patient returns to activity after a period of time of." Hmm. Sounds a smidge like myself. I'm considering going to a doctor and/or sneaking into seeing a trainer to get a proper diagnosis but i think it's atleast safe to say I have some type of tendonitis in my foot that may be related to the pick up in training I've done. Another possibility is my new shoes. This would be odd however since I've run in the same model for years now, though it should not be ruled out.

Sick last week with a moderate cold, I took an extra day off from running which gave me 3 days in a row of no running. My foot was feeling better to walk on so I thought maybe I had nixed the tendonitis and that maybe running today wouldn't be so bad. Wrong. I just finished icing it but am wondering if it's worth it to proceed with training. If I were working towards a 5K or 10K, maybe I could take a week of rest, but because I'm planning to run the half marathon, I'm a little nervous to take that much time off since that didn't really work out for me so well last time. I don't necessarily have a tremendous desire to run the half except for the fact that it would be fun to do it with Kara. She's still really up for it and I would feel pretty bad letting her down like that.

I guess my dilemma is that I want to run the half marathon because I want to run it with Kara but I don't know that I can train at the level I need to to get to a place where finishing a half marathon in one piece over these next few weeks. Kara doesn't have any interest in going fast or have any goal time so if we dogged it and ran 10:00 pace, I'm sure she'd be just as happy as she would be if we ran 8:30's (my goal). I guess I'm just stuck on the fact that it's 13-frekkin'-miles and if running 6 miles leaves me with foot pain, what would 13.1 do? The other thing is that I tried the running-a-half-marathon-with-no-training thing. While running it got me a PR, it also floored me for several weeks with IT and quad problems. I'd like to avoid that so as to avoid yet another set back and to progress with running. I guess the bottom line is that I probably shouldn't run the Great Bay half. The problem now is how to tell Kara. Bah. I hate these situations...

More Bleepin' Changes

2009-02-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

My race schedule has changed yet again. A few months ago I emailed a bunch of UNH women xc/track alums about running a team in the Reach the Beach relay. Initially there was a good amount of interest but that seemed to wane as people checked their schedules and bank accounts. This includes myself who's bank account is not exactly in the best shape right now. With RTB off the schedule, September opens up in terms of races. As I have it now, I plan to run the Fox Point Sunset 5-miler in early September (official date yet to be announced) and the Eliot Festival Day 5K on the last weekend of the month. I ran the Eliot Festival Day 5K last year and loved it; it was a great course and great atmosphere and the food spread at the end of the race was unbelievable! Needless to say I'm pretty happy I'll get to run it again this year.

I got my new runnings shoes Monday and am looking forward to taking my first run in them. That was supposed to happen today but have decided to take today off. I am incredibly sore as a result of some harder runs at the end of last week (Kara kicked my ass! -- in a good way of course though) and dodgeball. Yes, dodgeball. The first game of the new season was last night and, while it was fun, it was surprisingly (read: embarrassingly) hard on the bod. In addition to my legs, my 3rd toe on my left foot is also sore. Why? In a act of grace, I dropped the base of my blender on it. All I wanted was a milkshake and I ended up with a bruised and potentially broken toe. Fortunately it doesn't bother me when I walk since it's in the middle of the toe line and doesn't get used all that much. It should therefore be ok to run on, but I figured and extra day away from running couldn't hurt. (For the record I did still make the milkshake and it was delicious).

No Race, But Motivated

2009-02-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

So last weeks Inauguration Day 5K didn't happen for me or Zach. The alarm went off then it was turned off and then it was 8:30--an hour before the start. Since it takes 20-30 minutes to get to Durham and there were still things to be done (walk the dog, eat breakfast, etc) we decided to nix the race. That and it was freezing outside and the bed was warm. I was a bit disappointed I guess but in a way I was relieved; Knowing the race wasn't going to be pretty awful I figured I spared myself some frustration and embarrassment.

I did do most of the running I had planned for last week though despite not having a slow 5K time to motivate me. Running this 1/2 marathon with Kara is proving to be motivating in itself, especially since I'm meeting Kara to run two days a week, one of which is today. It also didn't hurt that I was in Virginia Beach last week for a conference. On Wednesday, while NH was getting slammed with snow and freezing rain, I ran along the beach in 70-degree weather wearing a t-shirt. It was glorious.

I have updated my race calendar yet again as well as my training program. I hoping it doesn't continue to change this drastically again (i.e., that another random 1/2 marathon sneaks it's way into my race calendar). I'm also updating my shoes this week. I've had my current pair since May (yikes) and am starting to notice shin splints and foot pain which I can only associate with old shoes. I ordered my new pair a couple weeks ago (birthday gift from mom and dad) and am expecting them this week. I'm hoping the new shoes and the new running buddy are enough to get me running consistently again. They atleast can't hurt my training!

Identity Crisis

2009-01-24T13:36:00.000-05:00

I confuse myself sometimes when it comes to what I want out of running. Yesterday I had lunch with a former teammate of mine, Kara. While Kara is still a student at UNH, she is not running on the team this year. She however still runs (sort of) and, as I found out yesterday, wants to run a half marathon before she graduates in May. She then proceeded to tell me we were going to run the Great Bay 1/2 Marathon on April 5th. I liked the idea and agreed to do it. Hold the phone, you might be thinking, aren't you running like 9 miles a week right now? How do you expect to get in 1/2 marathon shape in 6 weeks? A good point. I guess I don't expect to get in good 1/2 marathon shape, but have managed to write up a little program that, if followed, I think could get me a 1/2 marathon PR. Kara and I also will be training together for this atleast 1 day a week which should encourage consistent training on my part.

The fact that I want to jump into a 1/2 marathon without much training isn't all that strange, in fact the enthusiasm required to make such a commitment can be seen as positive. The weird thing is is that same day, I was supposed to go out and run 3 miles. Three miles. What didn't I do? Run three miles. Why? I just didn't feel like running. I had been up late the previous night working on a presentation for a conference I'm going to next week and was exhausted. I also was cranky for reasons unknown but a bad mood rarely makes me want to run.

This "runner schizophrenia" has consistently been an issue for me and has consistently made me frustrated with myself. On one hand, I want to take on the world of running by challenging myself but on the other hand, I am incredibly lazy and view running almost indifferently. I would love to be one of those people who just LOVE running. One of those people who, if they don't run, their day is ruined. But I can never get to that point. Truth is, I really don't enjoy training all that much. In general, I do like the way I feel after I run in that I feel healthier but never do I just want to go on a run to run. The one thing I love is racing. I love to compete and be fast and love the atmosphere of road races. The only thing that sucks is that without training, I know I won't do well at races and, if I don't do well at races, I get super disappointed. I guess I just wish it was easier for me to get out and train and that I could find something that motivated me to do it. While trying to run fast again should do it, it doesn't. I've signed up for races thinking have something on the horizon will get me going and it doesn't. The only thing that kind of works is running races and seeing how slow I am. That and sometimes the fact that many of my clothes from even last year don't fit anymore and that the scale reads over 180 lbs when I step on it. These are usually temporary motivators though; I'll usually train solidly for a few weeks after a race or "weigh-in" and then get bored/tired/busy/stressed and take a week+ off. I just wish I could take the enthusiasm I have about challenging myself in races and apply it my training.

This weekend's the Inauguration Day 5K. I know it's going to be awful (current goal: break 26:00) but the proceeds benefit UNH Track and Field and there's free wings and beer afterwards so I predict the morning won't be so bad. My boyfriend, Zach, is running the race too and it'll be his first (but hopefully not his last) 5K which I think'll be fun. Atleast it will be for me. Hopefully it'll motivate me to train these next 6 weeks.

Training for Something

2009-01-15T11:02:00.000-05:00

I realize how silly it is of me to make a training plan for an entire year. Since my last post, I have already made changes to it and will likely make changes to those changes as the year progresses. The latest changes involve adding a fifth day of running in May to get some more mileage and to better prepare for the 200-mile 12-person relays I plan to run. This addition bumps my weekly mileage up in the summer without requiring me to run more than 5 miles on weekdays, which is good.

I have also decided I want to run a half marathon in the fall. The chosen race is the Seacoast 1/2 Marathon slotted for November 8, 2009. My original plan to stick with 5Ks this year was boring and left me with nothing to really work towards; I know I can finish a 5K but also know that I won't be running any PRs this year so there were few goals to set. On the other hand, I have only run one half marathon (The Sun 1/2 Marathon) and did it without the proper training. I'd like to drop my 'PR' from 1:59:42 (9:08/mile) to sub-1:45:00, or sub-8:00 pace. I think this is more than doable especially if I actually train for this half marathon. Another goal would be to not walk. I ended up walking a significant portion of the last 7.1 miles of the Sun half mostly because I had absolutely no endurance at the time (my longest run prior to the Sun half was one 8-miler with most of my runs between 3-6 miles). As I have it planned, I will have run several 10-milers and several weeks at 30 miles prior to the Seacoast half which'll hopefully help that problem.

In other training news, I have been doing well following my training program these first few weeks of 2009. There were even a couple days that I absolutely did not want to run but made myself. Interestingly enough, these were some of my best runs in a while. I also feel really good physically; my IT band issues that flared up after the Sun half are gone and I'm feeling strong and energized. The only quasi-lame thing is that my runs have essentially all been on the treadmill because of the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. Fortunately, I've loaded my iPod with some new running tunes that are keeping me entertained on the 'mill for now.

2009 Training Plan

2009-01-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

I've been taking my running slowly, running 3 days a week, 2 miles a day for the past two weeks after a semi-unplanned 3 weeks away from running ('semi' since I was aware that 1) finals + holidays = little time to train and 2) holidays + several rounds of bad weather=university closure=no gym/treadmill access and 'unplanned' because I had hoped to work around all of that). These 6 mile weeks are the first two of my 2009 training program, a self-designed running schedule that runs through December 2009. My program calls for the same 6 miles this next week but will add a mile each day the following week (Jan 12-18th). I run this 9 mile week for three more weeks before adding a mile to Sunday's run (my long run day) as well as a 4th day of running (2 miles), bumping my weekly mileage to 12 miles the first full week of February. As it's written, I continue to gradually progress, to a maximum mileage of 24 miles by mid-July. I sustain this mileage until the 2009 Turkey Trot at which point I drop to what I'm calling my 'winter' mileage (15-20 miles). Throughout all of 2009, I run only 4 days a week, cross-train on 2, and take the 7th off. I don't plan to start workouts until the first full week of April, running only fartleks and tempos until mid-June when I add hills and track workouts. Dotted in the plan are races I hope/plan to run, most of which are listed in the column to the right with the exception of two adventure 12-person relays I hope to run (Spokane to Sandpoint in August 2009 and Reach the Beach in September 2009) provided the money's there to fund them.

Why I like my plan:

Four days a week of running - I've shown myself that I get bored and tired very quickly and think aiming for four days a week of good running with two days open for other forms of exercise is a good and perhaps more attainable goal than shooting for 5 or 6 days of straight running.
It drops my mileage in the winter - I'll admit it, I am more of a fairweather runner. This is largely due to the fact that I have exercise-induced asthma that flares up when running in the cold, but I also just generally don't like running in the cold with a million layers on. There's also the New England factor. While it is beautiful here, the winter brings short days and frequent, debilitating storms making running outside challenging. Basically what this all means is that most of the time between December and March I'm running on a treadmill and, since I can't really stand the treadmill for more than 4 miles, lower winter mileage is inevitable.
No more than 5 miles a day a weekdays - I'm a busy grad. student who gets paid to do her research and, while I'd like to, I really shouldn't be taking more than an hour (run+shower) out of my day to run (though apparently it's acceptable to take 9 hours to blog during the workday!).
No more than 9 miles for a long run - Any longer and I get bored.

Why I don't like my plan:

No accountability - I wrote it, who's going to care if I don't do whats written?
Super slow progression - This is actually really frustrating. Most of me feels like I should go super slow to stay injury free. However, a lot of me is also impatient and eager to get out there and knock out a good, long, hard run. Looking at my program I sometimes think I wrote it as if I have never run in my life, where in fact, I have been running for sometime.
Low weekly mileage - While the mileage comes with the fact that, at my max, I'm running 5 miles 3 days a week and 9 miles one day a week, it's a bit frustrating to stay below 30. At 24 miles/week I don't feel as though I can really run a 10K+ well. While I enjoy 5Ks, I like the idea of getting good at the 10K. I also would like to take on another half marathon and try to run it well, though that would mean stepping up the long run, which is not likely to happen this year. And that marathon I talked about earlier? Definitely not going to happen on this plan (which is probably for the better).

I guess I'll stick with what I've written for now. If I stay consistent and start feeling good, maybe then I look to make adjustments. This self-coaching thing is difficult!

I Feel Fat

2008-12-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

While at home last week for Thanksgiving, I decided it would be a good idea to hop on the scale. I figured that because I had been running fairly consistently this fall and walking more, that I may have lost a few pounds. Instead I found out that I had actually put on another 8 since August. This puts me up almost 30 pounds from my college running days.

Now, I didn't expect to stay the weight I was in college. I wasn't running 30-40 miles a week, running two days of hard workouts and competing in meets every weekend anymore. But I was running 10-20 miles a week and, after getting my dog, was walking a mile or two a day. I will say that my diet is not great. I do eat out a lot (despite have virtually no money) opting for chinese or pizza most of the time. I guess I have also been drinking more frequently then I had in college, which is probably the opposite for most. Not to say that I get drunk more now but now I'm more likely to have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, go to a happy hour, or meet friends out mid-week for a drink to catch up.

Still, all things considered, I don't feel like these things should cause a 30lb increase. Sure, maybe if I was doing all of that and not exercising at all, but I have been running and walking.

It's things like these that get me really down on myself and my efforts to get back in shape. All I see is that even if I try to be good and consistent with running, I still end up with a net gain in weight. I guess the only thing to do is to nix all the bad eating habits for a couple months, keep running, and see what happens. Easier said then done; especially for a PhD student who turns to food when stressed.

Turkey Trot 2008

2008-11-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

While I didn't set any formal goal going into the race, in the back of my mind I was aiming for a reasonable time; something that averaged well under 8:00/mile. Considering my training and "recent" race times, I thought this was more than attainable. At the end of September, I ran my fastest 5K since May 2007 in 22:50. While it's still pretty far off my PR, I was happy to see that I was actually improving for the first time in over a year. My training has also been fairly consistent recently; I've successfully followed my training program for the past four weeks. Granted, the training program as of now only calls for running 3 days a week at 3-4 miles a day, but still--this was a huge improvement from my sporadic training that I had done since college. All things considered, I thought that I could pull off atleast a 23:30. Instead, I ended up clocking a 24:33 (7:55/mile).

Needless to say I'm a little disappointed. I had hoped that I would be getting somewhere and that it would show in the race. Instead, I ran my slowest time since April. This may not have been entirely my fault. The race had undergone some changes in the locations of the start, finish, and registration which created a nightmare situation. Despite pre-registering for the race for the first time, my family ended up waiting in line for our packets for a half an hour. This left 5 minutes for a warm-up which, given the crowds and the obligation to meet up and stick with family members, was impossible. This led to heavy and tight legs for the entire 3.1 Trying to get to the start was another major issue. The new start was positioned on a street that was not wide enough for everyone which led to runners being squeezed out to the sidewalks and onto side streets. The mile markers on the course were also way off, so I had no idea how fast, or slow for that matter, I was going. My splits were as followed: 8:02, 9:46, and 6:01. I'm pretty sure I couldn't run a 6:01 mile all out right now mind you one at the end of a 5K.

I guess I can't complain too much though. 24:33 is 2 1/2 minutes faster than last year's abysmal 26:59 at the same race. I did also have a lot of fun. Unlike my recent road race experiences, I knew a lot of people who were running; almost 10 of my family members ran including my brother who hasn't ran a step in 4-5 years and I ran in a couple good high school friends, one of whom I hadn't seen in two years. The post-race festivities were great fun too. Following tradition, me and four of my cousins stopped at the Ale House for a few beers (free to runners!). Despite being freezing because we were drinking outside on the street to watch the 10K (which is surprisingly ok with the cops), we had a blast catching up and laughing. So, while I didn't run a good time, I had a good time, which is fundamentally more important, despite what my competitive self may think.

Marathon Cravings

2008-11-10T09:46:00.000-05:00

I'm entirely sure why, but last night I decided I really wanted to run a marathon. I think in part this is because I've watched several friends successfully complete their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in the past few weeks. This blog might also be partly to 'blame'--Ever since I started it a couple weeks ago, I've felt more in control, proud, and excited about my running.

This desire to run a marathon is so strong I'm looking to possibly run Vermont City in 2009 which is in May. This means that I'd have to buckle into marathon training starting at the beginning of February. I think it's doable but is it something that I should even be considering right now? I haven't run 26.2 miles in a week since college. Should instead I be focusing on getting consistent? Should training be my goal for now, not a race? I'm not sure I know the answer. In the past I've tried to use races to motivate me to train but that almost never worked. This actually happened when I signed up to do my first marathon. I thought shelling out the big dollars (50-something dollars for registration!) would motivate me to train for my first 26.2. Nope. But was that situational? Did my move cross-country make it harder to train rather than a lack of motivation?

I think I will do a marathon next year but I'm not so sure aiming for Vermont City is a good idea. My next thought was Cape Cod in late October 2009 which I think would be more feasible. But do I want to wait that long? Maybe I'll do both.

Why I'm Sometimes Afraid of Running Trails by Myself

2008-11-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

Stumbled upon this article today while on runnersworld.com: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-ODD-Fox-Attack.html

The story's about a woman who, while on a trail run in AZ, was attacked by what was a presumably rabid fox. The fox first bit her in the foot and then in the arm when she grabbed it by the neck to take it off her foot.

Here's where the story gets interesting.

Instead of doing what most would do (throw the motherfucker into the woods and GTFO), this woman wanted to get the fox tested for rabies. Fair enough; no harm in double checking on whether or not you need a rabies shot. But what do you do when you're a mile away from your car and several miles from the hospital? You run a mile to your car with the fox who is still biting your arm, throw the fox in your trunk and drive to the hospital, obviously. And that's just what this woman did.

I'm still baffled by the situation. In trying to picture it, all I see it a potentially hilarious scene in which the woman is running with a fox flopping back and forth to the rhythm of her arm motion. I can't imagine that I'm that far off the mark except that I'm guessing she had to cradle the fox because of it's weight and to keep it from escaping.

What makes the situation even more bizarre to me is that the woman had to deal with hold onto a likely rabid fox while it attacked for a whole mile of running. Um, ouch? Even if she was running as fast as she could back to her car (which, I really hope she was) that still 6 or so minutes of biting. I'm pretty sure after about 30 seconds of that I would drop that fox and hope it would stammer back into the woods. I don't know if I think she's badass or just crazy. Either way, I hope she doesn't get rabies.

Week I

2008-11-02T15:47:00.001-05:00

This past week was my first back to training after three off. Up until three weeks ago I had been struggling to train for my first half marathon I signed up to do with some former college teammates, Kelly, Margaret, Lisa, and Michelle. The original plan was to do the full marathon but, because I hadn't been able to keep up with the training (surprise, surprise), I bumped myself down to the half. My training for the half went well at first; I logged two of the longest weeks of training since college (24 and 25 miles) in September and had gotten up to my longest long run in a while (8 miles). But then, as things usually go, I was getting tired, sore, and cranky with running and ended up stepping way back, dropping my mileage back to under 20, even down to under 10 for some weeks. Then, three weeks ago, I ended up getting sick and taking a full week off. With little training and a full week away from running, I ultimately decided not to run the half. I decided then that I would take another week off and then start up training again slowly.

While I did take the two full weeks off, I actually also ended up running the half marathon. This was mostly because I got wrapped up in seeing Kelly again and was excited to be able to go to a race with people again. It hurt like hell but I had fun and still managed to squeeze under the 2-hour marker (1:59:42). All in all though it probably wasn't the smartest move. I ended up taking another "unplanned" week off and am still feeling the effects of the race on my legs two weeks later.

This past week, I set out to do three days of running: 2 miles on Monday, 2 miles on Thursday, and 3 miles on Sunday. I'm proud to say I did all three runs and felt pretty good on all of them. Monday I probably felt the worst; After the run I felt every muscle that was sore after the half marathon again. I was also a little sore on today's run and actually felt some runner's knee coming on. That'd be super lame if that turned into something. Here's hoping that it doesn't. Maybe it's new shoe time? If I only had the money...

Next week's training will consist of the same runs on the same days. Two of the days I won't run will be dedicated to other physical activities namely dodgeball and soccer. It's nice to have the variety in the mix because, as my training records have shown, I get bored quickly if I only have running.

If I run the week as planned this'll be the first time in a while that I've followed my training program for more than one week in a row. While consistency will come with my ability to stick to the program for several weeks, completing two in a row as written with surely be a step in the right direction!

An introduction

2008-10-28T13:13:00.001-04:00

I've always had a bit of a 'thing' about blogs. Perhaps it's more that my friends had a 'thing' about blogs and that I just went along with their opinions to save face. 'Yeah, blogs are totally lame.'

I guess in general blogs do make me feel uncomfortable. In no way am I OK with divulging all of my inner thoughts for all the world to see. And talking about problems, especially those with people? Yeah right. I'm already paranoid enough with regards to making people upset with me when I interact with them face-to-face. The added stress of plastering their name in a hate post open to the public is completely unnecessary and to be avoided. However, the potential for blogs to be a good emotional outlet is there. That is, I guess, if you code names, remove any incriminating reference to place or situation ('oh my god she's talking about me...'), and add qualifiers to emotions ('I was mad that she punched me in the face but I was hungry and probably thinking irrationally...').

To avoid what will clearly be a high-anxiety situation, I will not be using this blog as a window to my inner workings. I'm going to use it to talk about running.

I ran competitively for 10 years, starting on my high school's varsity team in the spring of my 7th grade year when I ran a 2:29 in the 800. The change of the coaching staff during my sophomore year led to a change in my training. No longer were there "fun day Fridays" where the team would play running games such as Capture the Flag or Hide and Seek. Instead we now were following the Paavo Program which required 7 days a week of running and unnecessarily high mileage for teenagers. By senior year, I was running 60 miles a week. On Mondays I was out running 10 miles well under 8:00-pace. We never tapered and, if the program called for "SIs" (slow intervals--400 meter repeats with 3:00 inbetween) the day before race, we would do them. Sometimes we would even do 10x200 on the cross country course, immediately following a race. My coach concentrated on success at the high school level, with virtually no regard for life-long successful running careers for his athletes.

The Paavo program did lead to some good times my Senior year with an XC 5k time of 18:05, 3K time of 10:43, 1 mile of 5:09, 1500 of 4:51 and 800 of 2:17. However, in addition to the slew of PR's, the program also gave me a chronic back injury ... at age 17. Now, when I run, walk, or sit for too long, my SI join on my lower right side inflames, causing severe spasms and pain in my lower back. Additionally, I was constantly exhausted, underweight, and I quickly began to resent everything about the sport. While my coach's short-sighted views did land me an XC time I have never been able to beat, I have been left with an inability to enjoy running the way in which I see many other runners do.

Despite feeling physically and mentally burned out, I went on to run for a decent DI university. I was actually pretty excited to move to a new program and work with a new coach. I saw running in college as a place to start over. Fortunately it proved to be just that. Working with a coach who finally listened to me when I had problems, believed in tapering, and kept my mileage below 40 miles a week, I managed to PR in three of my favorite mid-distance events: a 4:43 1500, 2:58 in the 1000, and 2:14 in the 800. While I never hit my 18:05 PR in cross country, I ran consistent XC times in the high 18's and low 19's and several miles below 5:15. I discovered an appreciation for being fast and fit, but still lacked a heartfelt desire to run.

This brings us to the present.

Two and a half years after the end of my college career, I've struggled to maintain my desired fitness. While I still love the idea of being fast, I haven't been able to keep up with the training. I try to run and be consistent but end up getting frustrated/bored/tired/sore and quit before I get any quality runs under my belt. My mileage has fallen to a mere 10-15 miles a week, on average, and my pace has risen to 9:00/mile trot. Thinking it'll motivate me, I'll hop in a local 5K every so often only to find myself continually disappointed with the results. I haven't run sub-22:00 since the Fall of 2006 and ran the slowest 5K of my life in the Fall of 2007 (26:59). I've tried joining a running club and working with an online coach but neither were able to pull me out of my training rut.

So now I'm trying a blog. I figure if I put this out there to friends, family, and other fellow runners, maybe I'll feel more accountable when I don't train. Or perhaps the encouragement I hope to receive will be enough to get me out the door. Here, I'll hopefully have the opportunity to ramble about frustrations and brag about accomplishments and to receive feedback on both. Hopefully the start of this blog is the start of an overdue, successful, post-collegiate career.