Dear James, Daniel and Emily
I am ready, or as ready as I can be, for the Half Marathon. I have a week of rest until then. I know that technically I could probably get in a short run or 2 this week and still be tapering properly. But I have 2 things at work for experience. First, last year I probably got a little carried away the week before the race last year. Second, before my 10 mile race this year I was forced to take the week off to rest up my leg that I had somehow hurt. And those 2 experiences showed me that the thing I probably need to focus on, in addition to training up to the desired distance, is that my body needs to be as fresh as possible.
Because if there was one thing I took to heart from running the half marathon last year is that the endurance really plays a bigger part than I thought. Just running that long of a distance, running for over 2 hours, asks a lot of your body. And one of the things that it asks is that you somehow stay relatively fresh for such a long time, much longer than anything else most people will ever do. I just didn't really grasp that, particularly the impact that being in a race environment, where I psychologically want to keep up with those around me. I didn't grasp how taxing that would be.
So last year I ran a relatively long run pretty close to the race. Then the day before we went to the State Fair, which meant a lot of walking around, and then not getting as much sleep as I really should have. All of those things I am seeking to avoid this year. Sunday was the last major exercise for me until the race. I will probably do some morning walks the rest of the week, just enough to warm up & then stretch again. Then this Sunday we are hosting a pot luck, so I won't be doing much walking around & I should be able to get to bed at a reasonable time.
It all boils down to what can I do to have an enjoyable race, and feel good about how I do. That's what is the most important thing. I am under no delusion that I will be setting records. I know, from last year, that I can finish, now I just want to make it a good time, and with a result I can be proud of.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Running on an edge right now
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
I am not in the best shape that I would like to be. And one of the side effects of age is that it takes longer to recover from a hard workout. What that means is that when I ran the 10 mile race 2 weeks ago I did real well, but I had to take a week off before hand just to be ready. And I am having a hard time getting ready to do another long practice run before my half. So any run is a balance of wanting to run, but knowing that if I push it too hard it will take that much longer to be ready for the half.
So I am trying to balance all of that, listen to my legs and body. I am confident I can do it, but I am recognizing that I have to be careful.
This is also a lesson learned, once I have recovered from the half I need to get more serious about strength training. Ideally I would be able to join a gym, but that's not an economic option at this time so it will be up to me to buckle down with home exercises at least initially.
Monday, August 13, 2012
If there is one thing this month has taught me #running #theSkinnyRules
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Rhythm and habit are very important to me. Rhythm in my running, establishing one, and not letting things disrupt that, because all it takes is 1 big disruption, or a couple of small ones, and I am done. And while we did a decent job of starting new habits in July, we have a lot farther to go.
My plan was to take my weekday running lighter than normal, so I could be fresher for my long weekend runs and also start to taper for the half marathon. That part went well. I had hike Saturday morning with Daniel, which was not real technical or strenuous, so I felt fresh Sunday morning. Then I had the bright idea of trying to wear the Camelbak on my run. It was with good intentions, I know that on these long runs I do tend to get a little dehydrated, and the smart thing would be to have some water. But that idea was a miserable failure. Our Camelbak is great for hiking, and possibly bike rides, but it is not designed for running or jogging. So I was constantly having to adjust it, which totally messed up my rhythm. Instead of my planned 10 mile run all I managed was about 6 (which still feels weird to type and say.) So much for that plan. Well I have 1 more light week and 1 more long run before the half marathon, then 2 weeks of taper. I am confident I can do it, just need to avoid trying new things that will disrupt that rhythm, instead stick with what works.
They say it takes about 30 days to establish a habit. I would say we probably made it through 3 weeks of seriously following the Skinny Rules, before we let things go. And now to some extent we are back where we started. Except for one very important factor: we know what works and what we have to do. This week will be about getting started back again, we may not be perfect, but we can start, just like that first week. Then the following week we can get serious, because the blessed routine and schedule will kick in for the whole family. The kids will be back in school. Kim will resume her more normal work schedule. And that will eliminate 2 of the big stressors that have thrown off our routine. We know what we have do to, know we can do it, know it works, just need to set ourselves up for success instead of failure.
Rhythm and habit are very important to me. Rhythm in my running, establishing one, and not letting things disrupt that, because all it takes is 1 big disruption, or a couple of small ones, and I am done. And while we did a decent job of starting new habits in July, we have a lot farther to go.
My plan was to take my weekday running lighter than normal, so I could be fresher for my long weekend runs and also start to taper for the half marathon. That part went well. I had hike Saturday morning with Daniel, which was not real technical or strenuous, so I felt fresh Sunday morning. Then I had the bright idea of trying to wear the Camelbak on my run. It was with good intentions, I know that on these long runs I do tend to get a little dehydrated, and the smart thing would be to have some water. But that idea was a miserable failure. Our Camelbak is great for hiking, and possibly bike rides, but it is not designed for running or jogging. So I was constantly having to adjust it, which totally messed up my rhythm. Instead of my planned 10 mile run all I managed was about 6 (which still feels weird to type and say.) So much for that plan. Well I have 1 more light week and 1 more long run before the half marathon, then 2 weeks of taper. I am confident I can do it, just need to avoid trying new things that will disrupt that rhythm, instead stick with what works.
They say it takes about 30 days to establish a habit. I would say we probably made it through 3 weeks of seriously following the Skinny Rules, before we let things go. And now to some extent we are back where we started. Except for one very important factor: we know what works and what we have to do. This week will be about getting started back again, we may not be perfect, but we can start, just like that first week. Then the following week we can get serious, because the blessed routine and schedule will kick in for the whole family. The kids will be back in school. Kim will resume her more normal work schedule. And that will eliminate 2 of the big stressors that have thrown off our routine. We know what we have do to, know we can do it, know it works, just need to set ourselves up for success instead of failure.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Changed focus, it's all about those long runs #running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
For the next month my focus is all about those weekly long runs. For now the hill runs and to some extent the tempo runs will have to take a back seat. My whole focus is on just keeping fresh so that I can do those long runs, and eventually taper for the Half marathon.
Which does mean that my weekday runs will appear shorter, and not so strenuous, but I know from last year that getting ready for the long runs is the biggest issue. I need my body ready to handle the 2+ hours on the trail. Once I achieve that, I know that when the race actually arrives I will run a faster pace just from being out there with other runners.
I have almost completely lost the focus on Skinny Rules recently. I feel guilty about that. And know that I just need to stress more discipline. But recent weeks have been pretty stressful, and the schedules and routines have been disruptive. All I can do for now is try to stick as much as possible to my goals and rules, and when things settle down it will be easier to do the rest.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
7 seconds, and worth the extra effort #running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
I was a tad disappointed 2 weeks ago when I missed bettering last years effort in the 10K race. So I was pretty motivated to do well today in the 10 mile race. But of course all I could think of was my calf injury from last weekend. So I approached this race with mixed emotions: would my calf start hurting? Could I better my pace from last year if I stayed healthy?
Today was just about Perfect conditions. Chilly, overcast, with the sun barely peeking through, not like the heat of the 10K. Once I hit the 2 mile mark with no pain I felt it was time to maybe pick up the pace. I guess I had forgotten the route from last year, that while it wasn't like my hill route, there was more uphill than I had remembered. But when I hit 5 miles and it was clear it was pretty much downslope the rest of the way I was able to really pick up the pace. Started slowly gaining back seconds.
In the last 2 miles the soreness started to appear and I had to do a little walking, but kicked it up at the end. Knowing I had a chance to better my time. I kicked it down the stretch and was pretty confident I had done what I hoped. And now that the final results are in I found I was right, I beat the number by 7 seconds! Not much in the grand scheme, but great for me. I also know better what I have to do to take care of my legs so I can start really making that final push to get ready for the half marathon on Labor Day.
I was a tad disappointed 2 weeks ago when I missed bettering last years effort in the 10K race. So I was pretty motivated to do well today in the 10 mile race. But of course all I could think of was my calf injury from last weekend. So I approached this race with mixed emotions: would my calf start hurting? Could I better my pace from last year if I stayed healthy?
Today was just about Perfect conditions. Chilly, overcast, with the sun barely peeking through, not like the heat of the 10K. Once I hit the 2 mile mark with no pain I felt it was time to maybe pick up the pace. I guess I had forgotten the route from last year, that while it wasn't like my hill route, there was more uphill than I had remembered. But when I hit 5 miles and it was clear it was pretty much downslope the rest of the way I was able to really pick up the pace. Started slowly gaining back seconds.
In the last 2 miles the soreness started to appear and I had to do a little walking, but kicked it up at the end. Knowing I had a chance to better my time. I kicked it down the stretch and was pretty confident I had done what I hoped. And now that the final results are in I found I was right, I beat the number by 7 seconds! Not much in the grand scheme, but great for me. I also know better what I have to do to take care of my legs so I can start really making that final push to get ready for the half marathon on Labor Day.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
It's a lot harder to not run than I thought #running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
And I am sad, and feel out of sorts already. And this is just missing 1 scheduled run. Knowing that I won't run on Friday either has me out of sorts. Injuries suck!
No Run today :-(
And I am sad, and feel out of sorts already. And this is just missing 1 scheduled run. Knowing that I won't run on Friday either has me out of sorts. Injuries suck!
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