Training Run 12 - 4 Miles in Bozeman

Holy crap, Bozeman is awesome.

My sister was obligated to come running with me because, well, she's my sister and because she didn't want to see me lost or eaten by a grizzly bear or something.

We took a relaxed pace and ran from her house, up Pete's Hill (you get the most amazing 360 views at the top of this - it's a ridge and trail running along the top of it is, in a way, validation of how much I love this sport). Apart from that hill, though, Bozeman is mostly flat. After years of running in Seattle, I cannot begin to tell you how refreshing it is to set off on a run, leaving from home, and have the luxury of no hill-induced intimidation. Ended with a decadent brunch at Nova - turkey hash: too salty. But my dad's order of a cheesy belgian waffle covered in fried eggs, bacon, and maple syrup (called The Morning After) was just about perfect.

This was the first of my training runs during which I had company. We ran at a slower pace, but this is good for me. Pacing has always been my Achilles' heel - I've read that the ability to maintain a conversation while running signals a good pace, and I never felt too out of breath to talk today. We also had to pace ourselves, as tomorrow brings with it a 60 mile bicycle ride (a yearly birthday tradition) - no need to burn ourselves out on a training run! I also have to say: conversation is significantly more entertaining than music. It makes the time pass faster, it makes the run more enjoyable, and it gets me out of my head (which, while running, can be waaaay too distracting).

So, that's that. I should move to Bozeman for more enjoyable running, great bread, mountains, grad school (?), snow, and many other things. As stated, 60 miles on a bike tomorrow, likely at a slower pace. Then...I'll somehow have to squeeze 6 miles in on Sunday...maybe a run in Big Sky?

Onward.

Training Runs 10 and 11 - 2 Miles Recovery and 3 Miles

Don't worry, I haven't skipped any runs. I've just missed the part where I blog about them when I'm done. It's been a busy, busy week and for reasons unknown, I've been left feeling drained and unmotivated at the end of each work day.

I feel like these distances just aren't long enough. I'm supposed to do 13.1 miles in one go in 65 days, and I've thus far maxed at 12 miles in a week! It's not for lack of adherence - I've been following the routine as written, I've been keeping track of my times, and I can definitely feel myself becoming stronger, faster, and more comfortable running. It just seems like I should be ramping up a little bit more.

The 2 mile recovery run was easy, as well it should have been. One of those gorgeous thin-light days that looks like the beginning of autumn - it was warm, and I ran to my previously published playlist (well, 3-4 songs off of it) along the lovely South Lake Union area. My only complaint: as soon as you get past the I Love Sushi parking lot, you start running next to bushes, and it ALWAYS smells like dog poo there. There's nothing worse than triggering your gag reflex during a run. So...yeah. There's that.

The 3 miler was just a repeat of the hill run I did last Wednesday. Completed in just under 24 minutes, no stops. There are three note-worthy observations from this run:
1) There was no pain. Seriously, none. I know that this isn't that noteworthy, and it's not something on which I've focused in a lot of these posts. But, I spent nearly a year unable to do this at all because of pain in my back and upper hamstrings. To conquer a hill run without pain is a huge deal for me, and I'd feel morally remiss if I didn't express my relief and gratitude.
2) I overcame a major case of "the uninspireds." I had absolutely no desire to go running yesterday, even though it was gorgeous outside. I was tired, it had been a long, stressful day at work, and ...I was tired, damn it! But, I threw on my running shoes, my white adidas soccer shorts, and my favorite shirt (an American Apparel soft cotton shirt that has the state of Montana with a lightning bolt through it, flanked by two elk. it is the shit), threw the "Top Rated" iPod playlist on shuffle, and forced the first 20 feet. And then it felt absolutely wonderful.
3) Guilty pleasure songs are actually way better to pump me up. I am so, so, so sad and mortified and embarrassed to admit this, but Mariah Carey's Shake It Off not only resides on my iPod, but also made its way to my ears during yesterday's run and actually inspired me to pick up my pace. I am ashamed.

I'll write next time with more of my favorite guilty pleasure songs for running. Until then, happy trails!

Training Run 9 - High 5

There are a couple of meanings behind my title today.

First, this was the first "official" 5 mile run of my training schedule. I like 5 miles almost as much as I like 6 - it's a good distance that can be completed at a faster pace and I felt satisfied as I pushed to the end of today's route.

Second has to do with something I read in The Stranger's ever-entertaining "I Saw U" section. Or maybe it was "I, Anonymous." In any case, this person wrote about running around Lake Union and sharing a high five with a random stranger as they ran past each other. This stuck with me - one of my favorite aspects of athletics is team-building. I enjoy the chance to play cheerleader to friends, strangers, opponents, and even myself. Something about that high five embodied all of this, and as I hit the approximate 4.5 mile marker of my run, I went past a group of three runners, all smiling, and all friendly. I held my hand up and received a high five from all of them. It rejuvenated me - I was admittedly on the tired side, as I'd spent the first half of my run battling a mighty wind and the entirety of my run battling my own expectations for pace, etc. Because of that shared encouragement, the exchanged smiles, I found it in me to keep running. Cheesy as hell, and don't I know it, but still fun and still noteworthy.

I enjoyed today's route. Since picking up this cycling habit that I love so fervently, I've come to find that running up hills and/or against a headwind isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. I think this can be attributed entirely to how much more difficult both of those actions are on bicycle. So, though I could see the wind blowing and though the sound still bothers me as much as ever, running into it didn't feel nearly as terrible as it used to. I also enjoy running along the water, especially by Golden Gardens. The sky looked like a magnificent watercolor - the clouds played with my perception, continually moving and fading to different colors, revealing something entirely new and beautiful with each change. I also debuted a new playlist, based entirely on my adoration of 1960s - 1970s (even a little bit of 1980s) classic rock. It still needs some work, but it helped me zone out a little bit, forget that I was running, and drift into my own rhythm and thought process. So, without further ado, here it is. The beginnings to my new running playlist:

1) Queen Bitch (David Bowie)
2) Jumping Jack Flash (THe Rolling Stones)
3) Be (Shim)
4) I Can See For Miles (The Who)
5) Your Time is Gonna Come (Led Zeppelin)
6) All of the Day and All of the NIght (The Kinks)
7) Rebel Rebel (David Bowie)
8) More than a Feeling (Boston)
9) Dancing With Myself (Billy Idol)
10) Tell Me Your Name (Shim)
11) Won't Get FOoled Again (The Who)
12) Get Off of My Cloud (The Rolling Stones)
13) Something In The Air (Thunderclap Newman)
14) Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
15) Separate Ways (Journey)
16) Foreplay/Long Time (Boston)
17) Oh! You Pretty Things (David Bowie)
18) Burnin' For You (Blue Oyster Cult)
19) Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)

Training Run 8 - 3 Miles

Oops! I overshot again.

The run had potential. The weather was rainy, and it just so happens that i like running in rain. Temperatures in the 60F range are also incredibly conducive to a good time. The route was entertaining - I love running through the Seattle Center when I can, and only recently realized how close it is to where I work. I also had my favorite pair of running shorts AND my favorite mild-weather running shirt, an Incubus baseball-style concert shirt I got when I was 20.

Everything was right except for me. My legs felt heavy and sluggish. My breath was fine, but I felt just plain tired. Drained. Slow. Clunky, even! I know that we can't always be 100%, and I know that I'm bound to have bad runs. I guess it just worries me a little bit -- what if the half-marathon happens to be one of those days for me? I think my training schedule has me set up to succeed - lots of tapering and rest during the two weeks prior to the big 13.1, but I still worry.

And it's so funny. Even though I don't feel great about how yesterday's nearly four miles felt, I still did them within the realm of expectation that I set for myself when I started this training program. I stopped once for a desperately needed stretch (calf cramping around the soleus AGAIN!), and still finished in 34 minutes and change. Yes, I know it's slow and I am appropriately disappointed. Still. When I set out three(?) weeks ago, my goal was to keep my miles under 10 minutes, and I've succeeded thus far.

Enough for now. 5 ahead of me tomorrow, and lots o' bike riding today to take in what might be the last sunny day for a while.

Training Run 7 - 2.5 Miles

whoops, i did 0.5 more than i was supposed to. my bad. i also ran the reverse of this route, starting south on eastlake, then up the ramp onto fairview.

this was more than a good run. this was a kick-ass, hell-yeah, i'm so happy that i'm doing this sort of run. 22 minutes, kids. despite the hills, i finished this mother in 22 minutes! now, i know that a lot of you could do this much, much faster and you're awesome for it. just realize that it's been hard to recognize that i devolved so quickly, and that it's taken a lot of patience for me to get through being slower and more awkward than i used to be. any sign of improvement buoys me and helps me through the harder days, and running an almost-three-miler that quickly...well, yeah. it's definite improvement. :D

i usually hate any sort of hill. hills are more tiring, they do a number on my glutes and back, and i think that i have a bit of a mental hang-up when i see them. they intimidate me. having run the seattle half-marathon in 2008, i can tell you that there is no room for hill-intimidation. you finish mile 8 and all of a sudden, you have to run up Madison for nearly a mile. Seriously! (...ookay, i may be exaggerating, but it's still a BFH). then you get a bit of a downhill before taking on Interlaken, which runs at a small (but noticeable) grade for a few miles. it's nearly sadistic! so, yeah. i'm trying to train appropriately. it seems only wise to get myself used to running hills, especially after i've already run over half of my route. this way i'll train my body for everything that makes the seattle half so difficult.

that said, it was really fun getting up to the top of the ramp onto Lakeview. You get to see all of Lake Union, the Aurora Bridge, the Olympic Mountains to the west if you're lucky. On a smaller scale, and especially if you've just run from the lowest point on Eastlake, you get to look down on tall buildings that had towered over you when you started. doing so made me feel powerful, as though i'd just conquered a mighty enemy through sheer determination alone.

even though this was a good one, i have to say: holy calf cramping! the pain seems to express itself most in the area of my soleus, and i can feel that it's tighter when i'm at yoga, trying to do the downward dog without yelping. i stretch, and i'm eating bananas on a somewhat regular basis. i've never really had issues with my calves cramping before, either. any seasoned vets out there have some advice for me?

Training Run 6 - Lake Union

...or, the day that my body finally remembered how to run and was able to tap into the cardiovascular base that has come with riding my bike every day.



i don't know to which aspect i can attribute today's success. i like to believe that my music choice often contributes significantly to inspiring the next steps, in getting me through any exhaustion or lack of enthusiasm. starting today's 6ish miles with journey's "separate ways (worlds apart)" was, surprisingly, a good choice. it's one of those songs that makes me laugh and reminisce over a good night shared recently with friends (over one or three beers, naturally). as such, it helps me find my rhythm. it reminds me that i should be grateful for every step i take running because, deep down, i truly do love it and because i could not do it for so long.

perhaps it went so well today because i'd downed a mocha a couple of hours prior to running (and stop judging me - it was a small!). i know it's likely psychosomatic, but i'm otherwise convinced that caffeine makes me go faster and tap more effectively into my cardiovascular capacity. this, by the way, is why you'll almost always find me drinking either coffee or diet soda before ultimate games.

i think the most likely explanation is the fact that i missed two training runs while my parents visited over the weekend. they're walkers and when they come to visit, it's more important to me to walk 4 miles with them than it is to run 2 or 3 or whatever my schedule called for on those days. it called for 2.5 miles today at an easy pace. instead, i ran 6ish miles around Lake Union in just under 50 minutes. not spectacularly fast, but faster than i've been since i started training, and much, much farther. but it finally felt better. it felt good. only one stop to stretch after about 3 miles. go me!

don't worry, i know it's bad to deviate from a published schedule. i did extra mileage today because i missed 7 miles' worth of runs over the weekend. i don't plan to miss anymore, and i don't plan to improvise as my schedule allows. part of this thing is the commitment that it requires. part of it is establishing and adhering to a schedule. part is re-immersion into a sport that i used to love so fervently. that said, it felt wonderful to learn that i'm still capable of not only running this distance, but having that drive to continue when i finished.

rest day tomorrow, and then i dive back in with a 2.5 miler on wednesday. hooah!

Training Run 5 - 2 Miles

So...it was 2.6 miles. Whoops!

It's a good sign that I don't feel satisfied when I'm done, right? That I want to run more? Previous experience should be enough to teach me to refrain from overdoing it; I do not have enough sanity nor patience for another year out of my many sports. But sometimes, the day's events can be so frustrating, so troubling that they force your legs forward, faster, as if this frantic drive will propel me away from the unexpected angst that accompanied today's events.*

I think that's how I found my running addiction in the first place. I was 18 and I was going through a bit of relationship drama, so I hopped on the dreadmill (it was the middle of January in Billings, MT. The ground was covered in ice, and the air was biting enough to chase me indoors for my daily run) with Incubus' "Make Yourself" loaded into my discman. I set the time for 60 minutes and my pace for 7:30 miles. An hour later, I had gone through every possible scenario, found resolve, and a little bit of a runner's high.

Come to think of it, I've since dealt with most of my stronger emotional reactions by throwing on my running shoes and hashing through my mental state in so many miles. Truth is, I can never actually run away from my problems. It's certainly not an adult way to cope, nor is it fair. I can, however, use the 20 minutes to 2 hours to solidify my thoughts and feelings about anything in the world. It makes sense of the trauma that came with abandoning my weekly 40 miles with the onset of my back injury, and in my mind, it truly highlights my immense appreciation for this coping mechanism. I don't know how I went so long without it.


*I apologize. I don't want to be super vague about things, but I've blogged my personal experiences, romantic exploits, and interpersonal battles before. It was a mistake that caused a lot of problems and cost me a friendship. That said, I'm fine, I will be fine, I just need to let it go.

Training Schedule

I *think* this should work. Here you have it, ladies and gents: My training schedule. So far I've been happy with it, although I'm only just starting week 2 and today's a rest day :D

I'm noticing that the introduction of a schedule is helping me to make positive changes in other facets of life. I've set an official bedtime of midnight every day (excepting, of course, Thursdays when I ride with a group of my favorite fools on bicycles for whom I would do almost anything) before which I religiously brush and floss, I'm choosing healthier foods, I have a set 6am wake-up time after which i drink a cup of coffee and do yoga to a DVD from Gaiam before packing my bag and riding my bike into work. I think that, for numerous reasons, the last year of my life has been devoid of any sort of solid routine, and the lack of stability has been jarring. Simply advancing the practice of setting a schedule, adhering to it, and tracking my progress has been a catalyst to a more sane lifestyle and healthier habits. In turn, these habits seem to help me develop into a better, stronger, faster runner with higher endurance. Ah, symbiosis!

Training Run 4 - 2 Miles Recovery

Maybe it's the rain, maybe it's because I ran later than usual, maybe it's the fact that I had to run out and just get this done, but today's run felt right. I didn't overthink it, just walked out my door and started running without a second thought. Was it particularly fast? No. Was it long? No, not at all, I clocked in a whole 2 miles. But, I ran it faster than I did on Wednesday (granted, the hills on today's run were significantly kinder than those in the Eastlake area), and I felt like I could have done at least another two before calling it quits.

Isn't it funny how the best run can happen on a day when we feel the least motivated? I'm wondering if it has to do with expectations - if you spend the day dreading your miles, it's bound to feel better than you expected, right? And I suppose it makes sense that a run that you eagerly anticipate has more potential to disappoint than one that's been wearing a negative light since its inception. It's absolutely true that the hardest stride in running is the one that brings you out the door - it's amazing how much better I feel once I get going.

Training Run 3 - 3 Miles

This was another gorgeous run. We had about two or three good hours of sunshine in Seattle today, and they managed to coincide with the time that I was finally able to build myself up for the run. The three windy miles flew by, as the view of the Olympics and the sound distracted me from the fact that this three miler was more difficult than it should be. Yes, it was more difficult, but I finished it in 25 minutes. Not too bad, especially considering that my actual route added a little bit more distance based on extra twists and turns that allowed me to stay closer to the lovely water. I still feel like I haven't found my old stride. Each step is a little bit labored and they all feel shorter than they used to. Still, it feels better each time, and I'm hoping that trend continues.

Training Run 2 - 2.5 Miles

Oh. ehm. gee. what an amazing day for a run!!! 71F, sun shining, crystal clear blue skies, the perfect little breeze to keep me from overheating...yes. amazing.

2.5 miles is not a lot of distance to cover when you come from a perspective that includes a history of daily 6-8 mile runs. you learn to see it as a warm-up, the distance in which you find your stride for the rest of the day, establish your breathing, and find that zone where you can just lose yourself. those longer runs are wonderful because you can solve all the world's problems in an hour and walk away exhausted and satisfied. 2.5 miles is like foreplay cut short. You're just starting to really get into it, you're hot, you're breathing harder and starting to sweat and really feeling ready to take it a bit farther...and then you cross that distance line and you're done.

That said, today's 2.5 mile run felt like an accomplishment. My stride loosened up just enough that I felt a bit more fluid, and despite the additional half-mile, it felt much easier today. I cannot go so far as to say that it came naturally -- and it's funny how this set of movements that used to feel so natural and blissful is now so foreign and forced -- but it was less awkward than on wednesday's run. I finished my run in just under 22 minutes (and it's difficult silencing that perfectionist in my head screaming through a megaphone that i used to finish 3 miles in 21 minutes, but whatever), and improvement already seems achievable. I'm admittedly nervous to bump my mileage beyond 4 at this point, but I have more than 2 weeks until the schedule calls for it.

As a good friend of mine would say, onward.

Training Run 1 - 2 Miles

F***er took me 17 minutes! When in my life has it taken me 17 MINUTES to finish a measly two miles?!

Still, not bad for the first one. I didn't stop, despite starting with a significant incline, and let's face it: this is the first of many. I can only improve, right?

Seattle Half-Marathon 2010, Here I Come!

I got bored.

Spawnfest ended after our loss at semifinals, and I realized that, for the first time since I started *really* playing ultimate, I would not be going to the series this year. I still have Hanford Howl to look forward to, and there's also fall league with my fishies, but I was bored and I was feeling sorry for myself. I needed a purpose! I needed a goal (let's face it, I don't know how to function without aspiring to something in the process)! I needed something bigger than myself!

...and maybe I was feeling a little bit fat.

So, I bit the bullet, paid $70 online, and am now financially commited to running the Seattle half-marathon on November 28, 2010 (the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend).

Last time I participated in this run, I did kind of an improvised "run how I run" approach to training. I was in full-blown weight loss mode(pretty sure I was weighing in just under 145 lb when I ran the last one), was running 30-40 miles per week, and had almost a year of solid running as my background. I think the longest run I did up to that point probably clocked in around 10 miles. I finished in about 2 hours, and was proud of it.

Thing is, I don't have the year of solid running behind me this time, and running is no longer a habit or an addiction. So, my approach has changed. I found a good little 12-week training schedule online that eases me back in before pushing me to longer (i.e., greater than 6 miles) distances. I'll post it as soon as I can find it online again. I don't have a goal beyond finishing (i.e., crossing the finish line without walking during the 13.1 miles). As great as it would be to break through my last half-marathon time, my level of physical fitness now as compared to then suggests to me that aiming so high is unrealistic. And who knows. If this goes well, I may sign up for another one and train to finish in a set time. Better yet, maybe I'll rediscover my love of the sport and (as seems to happen when I start running a lot), I may return to a size that I find to be acceptable and attractive.

In the meantime, I'mma post my runs in here and hope that the rest of you (assuming anyone's out there) hold me accountable. No need to pay $70 to fail, right?

Thanks in advance for the support! Also - get at me if you'd like to train with me!