Run 3. Brutal. After a rather tasty Mexican meal with my Mom we discovered both of our stomachs were frighteningly unhappy. I was down and out for a day or so, with the stomach taking 2-3 days to settle back to completely normal. After that I went for a run (on Saturday in the AM, I got up before noon to run, amazing!). But as soon as I started I felt totally zapped. I made it a mile. Instead of heading home then I tried to do something else . . and rowed for 10 minutes. So, it was better than nothing, I guess, but I was weak and drained and felt like crap-o-la.
Ran again last night (Monday). My goal was 4 miles. I ran until 2.88, got off for a water break and then ran another 1.25. So 4.13. I think the constant movement of the treadmill gets on my nerves after awhile. I need to run outside, so I signed up for a Fleet Feet historic run. It's Sunday morning and just under 5 miles. I've never done one before, but I think the run/history combo will pretty rad. Well, the run was decent last night. I ate too much dinner though. I had a large salad and a small portion of whole wheat pasta about 3 hours before my run. I really like to run with an almost empty stomach and since I like to run late (9-11pm) it's hard to plan dinner so it's filling, but not too filling. I was belching up salad after 2.5 miles. Maybe just a smaller salad was needed.
It will be interesting how I adjust to my work schedule . . today is my last day of summer!! I know myself well enough to know I won't get up before work to run. I still like to run at night, so maybe an early dinner will work and then a run around 8pm or so.
4 miles wasn't easy and although I should look at it as an accomplishment, I can't help but think that 13.1 is a LONG distance if I'm planning on running the whole thing.
My new playlist definitely helped last night though.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Run 2
Ran again today. 3.25 miles. No breaks. Pace 11:32. Heart rate high was 168.
Went to meditation before I went to the gym. We discussed the body after group meditation and how it's important to give yourself time to settle into your body and scan your body for how it feels when you first sit to meditate. I thought a lot about the concept of being in your body while I ran too. I scanned to see how it all felt. The core feels weak, but the legs feel stronger, the lungs feel like they are working less than they had to yesterday, the neck (I had a neck injury a few years ago that bothers me when I run sometimes) felt great the whole time, the arms feel weak still. This scanning helps my mind, helps me focus, and reminds me of what I need to do to feel stronger, perhaps what cross-training I should do. Since my mind bothers me a lot while I run, I see how mindfulness in running could really help during this experience.
I'm reading Once a Runner and it's nice to be reminded that even elite athletes feel pain. It's hard. It's work. It's excruciating at times, even for them. That makes me feel like when the pain hits I am not necessarily weak, it's part of the experience. I feel it. I move on. It's temporary.
Everyday we're either getting better or getting worse. What was I today? What will I be tomorrow? Thursday? Friday? The weekend?
Went to meditation before I went to the gym. We discussed the body after group meditation and how it's important to give yourself time to settle into your body and scan your body for how it feels when you first sit to meditate. I thought a lot about the concept of being in your body while I ran too. I scanned to see how it all felt. The core feels weak, but the legs feel stronger, the lungs feel like they are working less than they had to yesterday, the neck (I had a neck injury a few years ago that bothers me when I run sometimes) felt great the whole time, the arms feel weak still. This scanning helps my mind, helps me focus, and reminds me of what I need to do to feel stronger, perhaps what cross-training I should do. Since my mind bothers me a lot while I run, I see how mindfulness in running could really help during this experience.
I'm reading Once a Runner and it's nice to be reminded that even elite athletes feel pain. It's hard. It's work. It's excruciating at times, even for them. That makes me feel like when the pain hits I am not necessarily weak, it's part of the experience. I feel it. I move on. It's temporary.
Everyday we're either getting better or getting worse. What was I today? What will I be tomorrow? Thursday? Friday? The weekend?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Run 1
75 days until the 1/2. And it's official, I'm registered. I feel better about this since I actually ran today. I ran 2 miles without stopping. The last 1/2 mile was a little brutal. My legs felt a tad heavy, but generally OK. My lungs were hurting a bit, but my lungs are usually the first thing to bounce back into fighting shape after a couple runs, so I'm not so worried about them. I did feel a tad like a weak wet noodle though. My arms aren't strong, my core isn't strong. I forgot my music too, so no Dr. Feelgood to lift my spirits. Overall, it was a decent start to this process though. I didn't feel as gross and out of shape as I thought I would. I need to tell myself that there are tons of people in the world who can't run 2 miles, so I must not be in terrible shape. I tend to get super critical of myself. Trying to stop that.
Things I know about myself and running, learned at some point between the ages of 20-30:
- I can't run well if I've eaten a large meal in the day, even hours before. I prefer to run on an almost empty stomach.
- Sometimes a little sugar is all I need to push past a wall I've reached. From my experience, most people need to take calories around 45-50 min or so. I need to around 35-40, since my stomach is usually pretty empty to begin with.
- It feels good to come home and eat a good dinner, knowing I just ran.
- My legs will get stronger. It will get easier.
- My mind is a wild beast. If I'm going to run 2+ hours, I need to plan some mind strategies. My mind can easily kill a run. Physically I might be able to go out and run 5 miles, but my mind will stop me at 2 if it decides to unleash it's wrath. This isn't because it gets bored or it tells me to stop. It's because it gets restless. It races. It spins. Meditation is helping me tame the beast. More on that later.
I'm excited to be doing this. Very excited : )
Things I know about myself and running, learned at some point between the ages of 20-30:
- I can't run well if I've eaten a large meal in the day, even hours before. I prefer to run on an almost empty stomach.
- Sometimes a little sugar is all I need to push past a wall I've reached. From my experience, most people need to take calories around 45-50 min or so. I need to around 35-40, since my stomach is usually pretty empty to begin with.
- It feels good to come home and eat a good dinner, knowing I just ran.
- My legs will get stronger. It will get easier.
- My mind is a wild beast. If I'm going to run 2+ hours, I need to plan some mind strategies. My mind can easily kill a run. Physically I might be able to go out and run 5 miles, but my mind will stop me at 2 if it decides to unleash it's wrath. This isn't because it gets bored or it tells me to stop. It's because it gets restless. It races. It spins. Meditation is helping me tame the beast. More on that later.
I'm excited to be doing this. Very excited : )
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Talking is the easy part
I need a coach. I watched the Alabama football training camp special tonight on ESPN. I need someone to yell at me a little. Maybe I need a coach to inspire me and encourage me. I don't know if I need Nick Saban, exactly, but I need speeches. I need this:
"sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Gipper...
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."
So, as a sports lover I'm going to find inspirational quotes that maybe in the heat of a run I can turn to. This might sound trite, but it works. Ask most marathon runners and they will tell you they have some sort of mantra they recite when it gets tough. Last year I used: "I can't go on. You must go on. I'll go on." - Samuel Beckett. It helped and I might use it again, but it might not work for this experience. I might need something different this time.
So, does all of this writing, all of this talk mean I will actually run tomorrow? I'll get back to you.
Let's hope so.
"sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Gipper...
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."
So, as a sports lover I'm going to find inspirational quotes that maybe in the heat of a run I can turn to. This might sound trite, but it works. Ask most marathon runners and they will tell you they have some sort of mantra they recite when it gets tough. Last year I used: "I can't go on. You must go on. I'll go on." - Samuel Beckett. It helped and I might use it again, but it might not work for this experience. I might need something different this time.
So, does all of this writing, all of this talk mean I will actually run tomorrow? I'll get back to you.
Let's hope so.
I've been thinking about doing things . . does that count?
So, I ran a marathon last year. People tend to think that means I am currently in shape. Ha. Hahaha. I often hear, "well, you can't be in that bad of shape if you finished a marathon last year." I understand this could be true to a certain degree. I'm obviously probably not obese or extremely overweight. I most likely learned a great deal about fitness, my body, nutrition, etc. from that experience. Yes. I don't eat fast food daily. I go to the gym from time to time. I love to drink water. I yell at my Dad when I think he should be working out more. I tell people to eat more vegetables. I would rather eat eggplant than potatoes. I love low sodium V8. So, I make healthy choices, most of the time. THAT does not necessarily mean I am in shape, the kind of shape I would like to be.
A couple of months ago I mentioned on Facebook I would like to run a 1/2 marathon in Indianapolis this fall. This sounded like a good idea while I was in France, eating baguettes, drinking wine, and consuming mass quantities of cheese. My wonderful friend Miranda decided to join me. She lives in Boise, ID and has already started training. I have been inspired my her blog, documenting her ups and downs, her commitment. By inspired I mean I think it's awesome and it's making me think I really need to get off my butt, but I haven't actually gotten off of my butt yet. Nope. Nothing. I went for some bike rides this week and they were relatively long and I felt good, breathing hard, working the legs, BUT . . as for running . . nothing. I think I might have even told people I've started running. It's a lie. I'm sorry. I felt the lie leave my mouth and knew it was sad.
You see, I've always wanted to be an athlete. My brother was an athlete growing up, my Dad was an athlete too and I always felt a little inadequate for not being one. As a kid I remember when the track coach thought I would be good since my brother was a phenom. I wasn't. I wasn't even mediocre. I hated running. I was terrible at track. I quit in 8th grade to volunteer as a peer tutor after school instead. I was terrible at soccer. I recall coaches shouting "be aggressive" when I was afraid of the ball. I was cut from the 8th grade volleyball team when all of my friends made it. I did other things instead of sports. I excelled. My parents never cared that I wasn't an athlete. My childhood scars from this are small. But I always wished I could have been competitive, aggressive, physically strong. I wanted to be an athlete. I wanted to be good. I just wasn't. And I wasn't one of those inspiring, Rudy-type kids who are terrible, but have the heart to work hard and do their best. I just wanted to go home and watch TV most days after school. The weird thing is people always think I'm an athlete. It's the large calves and broad shoulders I have, I think. Thanks, genetics.
So, time passed and eventually, I ran a 5 mile race in my hometown in 2005 and my Dad told me I was the family athlete now. That was nice. (It's not really true, my brother does triathlons now. Good job, Jeff!) Then after many experiences and for many reasons I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2009. It's a long story, but that ended up being much more bittersweet than positive. As messed up as this sounds, I'm still learning how to feel proud about that experience. If you ever want to know why, just ask.
BUT THAT WAS LAST YEAR. It's August 2010 now. After a marathon some people can't wait to run their next race or get their new pair of shoes or train for something else. I, on the other hand, didn't run for months. I ate pizza. I think I've gone running maybe 5 times since that race. If I'm going to be anything here it's going to be honest. So, I don't run anymore. I look at Runner's World covers on my end table and feel out of shape, sad, tired, fat, blah.
So, Miranda and I are running this 1/2 marathon in November. This blog is a strictly selfish way (aren't most blogs pretty selfish, anyway?) to monitor my thoughts and progress as I try to train for this. Stay tuned . .
A couple of months ago I mentioned on Facebook I would like to run a 1/2 marathon in Indianapolis this fall. This sounded like a good idea while I was in France, eating baguettes, drinking wine, and consuming mass quantities of cheese. My wonderful friend Miranda decided to join me. She lives in Boise, ID and has already started training. I have been inspired my her blog, documenting her ups and downs, her commitment. By inspired I mean I think it's awesome and it's making me think I really need to get off my butt, but I haven't actually gotten off of my butt yet. Nope. Nothing. I went for some bike rides this week and they were relatively long and I felt good, breathing hard, working the legs, BUT . . as for running . . nothing. I think I might have even told people I've started running. It's a lie. I'm sorry. I felt the lie leave my mouth and knew it was sad.
You see, I've always wanted to be an athlete. My brother was an athlete growing up, my Dad was an athlete too and I always felt a little inadequate for not being one. As a kid I remember when the track coach thought I would be good since my brother was a phenom. I wasn't. I wasn't even mediocre. I hated running. I was terrible at track. I quit in 8th grade to volunteer as a peer tutor after school instead. I was terrible at soccer. I recall coaches shouting "be aggressive" when I was afraid of the ball. I was cut from the 8th grade volleyball team when all of my friends made it. I did other things instead of sports. I excelled. My parents never cared that I wasn't an athlete. My childhood scars from this are small. But I always wished I could have been competitive, aggressive, physically strong. I wanted to be an athlete. I wanted to be good. I just wasn't. And I wasn't one of those inspiring, Rudy-type kids who are terrible, but have the heart to work hard and do their best. I just wanted to go home and watch TV most days after school. The weird thing is people always think I'm an athlete. It's the large calves and broad shoulders I have, I think. Thanks, genetics.
So, time passed and eventually, I ran a 5 mile race in my hometown in 2005 and my Dad told me I was the family athlete now. That was nice. (It's not really true, my brother does triathlons now. Good job, Jeff!) Then after many experiences and for many reasons I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2009. It's a long story, but that ended up being much more bittersweet than positive. As messed up as this sounds, I'm still learning how to feel proud about that experience. If you ever want to know why, just ask.
BUT THAT WAS LAST YEAR. It's August 2010 now. After a marathon some people can't wait to run their next race or get their new pair of shoes or train for something else. I, on the other hand, didn't run for months. I ate pizza. I think I've gone running maybe 5 times since that race. If I'm going to be anything here it's going to be honest. So, I don't run anymore. I look at Runner's World covers on my end table and feel out of shape, sad, tired, fat, blah.
So, Miranda and I are running this 1/2 marathon in November. This blog is a strictly selfish way (aren't most blogs pretty selfish, anyway?) to monitor my thoughts and progress as I try to train for this. Stay tuned . .
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