3.5m Fueled by Frustration

Week 3, Day 2:  3.5m Track Workout

Today I was busy from the time I woke up to the time I should have been going to bed. I'd already put off Tuesday's track workout, so I had to figure out how to fit it in today. I was not going to have the luxury of using a track and my hubby wasn't going to be home in time to allow me to go to one. So, my creative juices started flowing. I measured the distance around the pasture and figured I'd have to run around it an absurd amount of times to get all my sprint repeats done. Not going to happen.

Next option took me to the hardware store. I came home with colored duct tape (I didn't know there was such a thing) and marking paint. I put Fats in the stroller and down the road we went marking distances along the road so I could do my sprints between markers.

It was a cooler day and a storm was moving in. I had nervous, anxious energy from dropping my son off for his first day of Kindergarten. I had a crazy amount of stress and frustration ready to explode out of me from situations that arose the day before. All of this fueled me through my run.

 My training plan with splits:

 800 meter warm-up

 400 meter sprints (5x) progressively getting faster and with 45 second rest between laps.

 3-4 minute rest

 400 meter sprints (5x same as above)

 800 meter cool down

As I started my warm-up, it started raining and blowing. It was raining so hard I could barely see where I was going so I ran in the house and put on my visor. I was already sopping wet and needed to reference the splits I wrote on a sticky note.  So, off I went to the house again and put the sticky note in a plastic baggie. Then, I put the baggie in our mailbox so it wouldn't blow away. Genius!

I ran 3.5 miles in 34:47 with an average pace of 9:55, including a mile of warm-up and cool down!   I ran off all the tension in my body and had a finish time to prove it! I've never run that fast in my life. I felt better when I was done before I started.  Time will tell if it ever happens again.

5m Woo Hoo

Week 3, Day 1: Five Mile Run

Tonight I accomplished something that I’ve never done before; I ran five miles without stopping or walking!  I had a constant, negative self-talk going on in my head, but I pushed through the doubt and just kept running.  I geared up with my not-so-sexy reflector vest and water belt.  I put Nuun in my water bottles and set out.  It was another HOT summer night and I finished in the dark completely drenched in sweat.  I had a goal time to finish in an hour and I nailed it on the nose without a minute to spare.  Total time: one hour.  Pace: 12 min/mile.  I’m happy.  Life is good.

2.75m I'm a Skirt Convert

Week 2, Day 4

I had another dead Garmin battery and another night of guessing how long I’d been running.  Obviously, I’m not a quick learner.  I was exhausted yesterday, so I postponed my training until today.  I chose my route because I was in search for a key that might have dropped on the road.  I did a slow jog down the road and back keeping an eye out for a lost key.  It felt good to be moving and the key search kept my mind of the distance and the heat.  I wore a pair of running shorts and was quickly reminded why I’ve become a running skirt convert.  Unless you are Barbie, I would expect other runners to understand chafing.  My shorts were short, it was a bazillion degrees outside, and I was sweating.   When I run, I intentionally make sure my thick thighs do not meet by covering them with compression/spandex shorts.  My not-so-sexy behind does not need to be seen by the world.  Thus, the running skirt is a perfect solution for me.  The skirts I wear come with compression shorts under them to keep my friction under control.  Then, the skirt adds a nice feminine touch while covering what needs to be covered.  I LOVE the skirts from Running Skirts (www.runningskirts.com).

On the topic of running skirts, I just bought this one to wear at the Run Like a Girl Half-Marathon in October (www.runlikeagirlbellingham.com).  Check it out!  I have a great group of women joining my Sole Sister’s team.  It is going to be a blast and an experience the gals will never forget. 

4.78m Overshot

Week 2, Day 3:  3-4 miles easy

Tonight I dressed in my obnoxiously bright, florescent green running shirt and white skirt to help me be visible as dusk set in.  Too often our neighborhood turns into a super-speedway and I get nervous when the drivers don’t see me.  There aren’t any sidewalks, so it’s a free-for-all.

I planned the route in my head before I left and went slow, steady, and RELAXED my upper body.  My easy pace is slow enough that speed walkers could cruise right by me, but I don’t care because I’m moving.

The first mile was hard.  My legs felt heavy and my neck and back were still tight.  As I pushed through, I felt better and lighter.  My aim was to finish just under or at four miles, but when my Garmin chirped that I was at mile four, I estimated I was still about a half mile from home.  I thought about walking the rest of the way, but figured it would just take too long so I kept running.  Another .52 miles I was home, and  then I walked for .26 to cool down.

I realize that I overshot a bit on the mileage, but I felt good at the end of the run.  The 13:00 pace is probably why.  Tomorrow I’m scheduled for 35 minutes of cross training.  I think I may choose yoga to help stretch out my muscles.  We’ll see.

4.25m With a Side of Ibuprofen

Week 2, Day 2: Track Workout

Yesterday was another track workout and another four miles of mind numbing circles. I only had one distractor with me instead of two, so I was able to focus better on what sequence I was on during my repeats. What I did discover was there are eight lanes on a track (I’m probably the only one who didn’t know that) and I had to repeat my sprints eight times. How convenient? Very convenient because I started my first one in the eighth lane and by my final sprint I was in the first lane. This helped me to not think so much and just run. Because I ran the track this way, my workout ended up being 4.25 miles instead of 4 miles which was fine by me. I finished in 48:22 with an 11:23 average pace.

Thank God I finished when I did because I was slowly being taken over by the high school cheerleaders starting their practice smelling like the Hawaiian Tropic oil they just sprayed on so they could “get a tan today.” Wow, did that smell bring back memories of my high school years!

Yesterday I was smart and armed myself by wearing my compression socks to help “wrap” my shins. Last week my shins talked trash to me the whole time I was sprinting and then for days after. This time, my shins felt better and I could focus on sprinting at 90%. I thought I’d done a good job until this morning when I woke up and my shoulders and neck hurt so bad I could hardly pick up my son. This shouldn’t have been such a surprise to me because I had focused so much on my shins and laps, I didn’t notice how I would tense my shoulders and neck when I was pushing through the sprints. Duh, I’d been so good about focusing on form and relaxing through my runs that I completely blew it yesterday and now I’m paying for it today. So, I started the day off with my normal breakfast, but added a side of ibuprofen.

3.52m Running in the Dark

Week 2, Day 1:  45 minutes easy run

The nights are quickly creeping up as I often venture out about the same time, but todays run I ended up running home in the dark.  I made sure to charge my Garmin to ensure I wouldn’t have a repeat of last week’s dead battery.  Even though it was working, I still had no idea how long I had been running because I didn’t know how to turn the backlight on to read my watch!  It was too dark to read it, and I wasn’t going to chance pushing random buttons and mess up my time.  It was another successful guessing game because I finished back at my driveway at 45:17!  My pace was 12:51.

Again, I focused on my form and consistency in pace.  I ventured out with the goal of enjoying the run despite having eaten a LARGE, late dinner.  I went slow and steady and didn’t have any issues.  It was a beautiful summer evening and I know that they will soon come to an end.  Until they do, I will enjoy them.

3m Award Winning Day

Week 1, Day 4

My training assignment today was “30 minutes or cross-training,” so I met my friend Lisa in Medical Lake to do the Strides for Strong Bones 3 miler with her.  Well, I use the term “met” loosely because she was there prompt and early and I was praying I would make it before the start.  In my typical fashion, I cruised in right as it was starting.  The problem…I hadn’t even parked my car. 

I quickly texted Lisa to let her know that I was there so she could go ahead and start.  In lightning speed, I got Fats strapped in the stroller, gear in the bottom, coffee in the cup holder, and I started running.  No one was at the start line, so I prayed I was heading the right way.  After I found Lisa, I had her push the stroller while I took off my sweatshirt.  To my surprise and relief, she continued to push the stroller for the remainder of the race! 

It was a relatively small crowd, and Lisa and I cruised past quite a few people as we were busy chatting, catching up on the months since we last saw each other.  Before we knew it, we were crossing the finish line and noticing that there were not very many others there before us.

When the awards were announced (given 5 deep in each age group), Lisa and I both won 3rd place in our age divisions!  Even with her pushing Fats in the stroller for me! She was a super trooper and I’m so proud of her.  She has worked so hard to overcome a setback. She is even considering doing her first half marathon next year…considering being the key word.

We don't know our finish time because Fats was fascinated with my Garmin and apparently restarted the timer on my watch when I was holding him.  He also loved the medal and did a taste test on it.

It was a good day, for a great cause, and with great company.