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.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Turkey Trot 2008
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.
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.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Marathon Cravings
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.
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.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Why I'm Sometimes Afraid of Running Trails by Myself
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.
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.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week I
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
An introduction
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.
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.
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