I’m doing laundry and trying to prep myself for a race that idea looking like it’s going to be wet and cold on Saturday. Fingers crossed that my shin splints are going to be ready for me to run…even if they’re not, I’m still running so they better get ready. With any luck I’ll stick with the 2:15 pace group. If not, I hope to not be far behind. As long as I can finish, I’m happy.
I haven’t run in 5 days. I’m pretty sure that the only reason I’m still sane at this point is because I’ve done everything possible to stay super busy. I’ve cleaned my kitchen and my dinning room from top to bottom, did the floors and ran the vacuum cleaner. I took the dogs to the vet and dyed my hair. Today is the first day that I haven’t been going non-stop. It feels good to rest but it’s also giving me time to think about the things that could go wrong and it’s making me nervous. I’m trying not to dwell.
Tomorrow is race packet pick up day. I’m planning to head over to Fleet Feet Davis after work. One bonus of having a job with non-traditional hours is that I can avoid most of the traffic. I like that part but other than that I hate going to Davis. It’s alway impossible to find parking and since it’s a college town there are bicycles every where. I’m afraid of driving where there’s a lot of bikes. I’m scared I won’t see them and hurt someone. But I’m willing to risk it because race packet pick up in Davis also means Dutch Brothers Coffee. I always treat myself to a cup anytime I’m in Davis. And with this weather it will be a real treat.
Cross your fingers for me, I’m racing on Saturday!
Anyone else racing this weekend?
What’s your favorite run brag? The time you got a new PR when you didn’t expect it? Running a favorite race? Disney?
It’s Friday again (thank goodness it happens every week)! And Friday means Friday Five Link up with Courtney at Eat Run Pray DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for the weekly link-up. If you haven’t checked out these ladies blogs yet, you totally should. They are fun, feisty and not afraid to call it like they see it.
I love winter running, of course I live in California in the central valley which means that our temps don’t drop that low and we don’t get snow at our extreme elevation of about 50 feet above sea level. So winter running is fairly easy here. The one thing in addition to rain (please God, let us get rain this year) that we get a lot of in the winter time is windy conditions. Our average winter temps here are highs in the 50’s and low’s in the 40’s. So they’re pretty mild compared to else where in the country. And temps in the southern part of the state are much different then the temps here in the northern part.
So here’s my five tips for running during “cold” weather.
1. Layers – even in california where our temps are pretty mild you need layers. It might be 45 when you start out but if you’re not wearing the proper clothing you can put yourself at risk for injury if you don’t protect yourself from the cold temps. It’s pretty rare for me to wear long leggings that go down to my ankles. I prefer to wear capris during the winter time with a long sleeve shirt and a light jacket or even a short sleeve shirt and a jacket. Gloves are a must for me. If my hands are cold I can’t regulate my body temperature very well. But after a couple of miles, my gloves will come off and the jacket will get unzipped or pulled off and tied around my waist. Layers. I want to have comfortable run, neither too hot or too cold. Hats are helpful too for regulating that body tempature.
2. Hydrate – even though it’s cold you still need to make sure that you’re drinking, especially during your long runs. Each breath out is water out of your system, not to mention sweating. Cold weather makes me not want to drink so I try to find a rhythm to it. I try to take a sip of water every couple of miles and always drink when I eat or take Gu on a long run. And don’t forget to drink your water before and after your runs too. If it’s really cold out and I don’t feel like water, I’ll substitute cold or room temperature water for hot herbal tea. Anything to get that water into my system.
3. Run into the wind – Winter here brings windy conditions. I’m no meteorologist, but being close to the Sacramento River Delta, we get crazy wind in the winter time and boy can it be cold. It feels like it’s going straight to your bones some days. If you can, on your way out, run into the wind as much as possible. For one, it’ll be at your back on your way home helping push you home and it will not be in your face when you’re at your sweatiest. This will help prevent you from catching a chill on your way home.
4. Visibility – With shorter days, chances are that at some point you’re going to find yourself running in the dark. Wednesday, I got caught out without my reflective vest and while I didn’t have any close calls I felt like drivers just couldn’t see me while I was crossing the street and it wasn’t a good feeling. Being seen can be the difference between being seen and being hit by a car. There are a lot of different ways to be seen. I like a reflective vest but there’s also flashing lights that attach to your clothing and shoes, knuckle lights, bright clothing and headlamps.
5. Shower – After your run, if you’re feeling chilled, take a warm shower. Get out of those sweaty clothes that are sapping your body heat and get into a warm shower. Nothing makes me feel better than taking a nice warm shower after a cold run. Slipping into cozy sweats or pajamas after a hard run makes me so happy.
Do you have any tips to make winter running more safe and enjoyable?
It’s true. I’m a horrible sick person. I whine, I cry, I act like my little head cold is Ebola. I’m a sissy, a wussy. I cry more than a person who’s been hospitalized.
I also won’t stay in bed, stay home from work or not run. I’m a doctors worst nightmare.
Last Thursday I was feeling a little off and chalked it up to draining sinuses. But as it turned out I was at the beginning edge of a full-blown head cold. I was going to call in sick to work on Friday but it was graduation day for the latest set of cadets and being that I issue the badges, I had to be there. As soon as it was done I went home…and ran. I couldn’t help it, I’m streaking and I didn’t want to let the streak go. So I did a quick mile and went home, showered and was in my jammies by 12:15.
I ran Saturday and Sunday too. But again, it was shower and then in to jammies. I mostly slept both days which is a nice change. I haven’t been getting enough sleep over the last couple of weeks which I’m sure contributed to me getting sick. Not to mention running at 4am in 45 degree weather (in shorts). I was supposed to run 12 miles on Saturday per my training schedule but I decided that in the long run it wasn’t a good idea. So I ran two miles and called it good. Trying to look at the big picture…
So here it is Wednesday and I’m still sick. I’m getting a little bit better everyday but still not feeling myself. I’m drinking gallons of tea while I’m at work and eating as best I can. But I’m pretty sure my main food groups are yogurt and cough drops. But even with all the tea, I can tell I’m dehydrated. My lips are so dry and rough, I wouldn’t want to kiss me…and my hubby won’t. He’s either afraid I’m going to give him Ebola or he’s thinking of divorce. Either way, I can’t blame him. I’m still pretty gross at this point. I keep making that gross noise where you try to clear out your sinuses…not attractive.
I can’t wait to feel better. I was scheduled to run 12 miles last weekend and I have a 13 mile run on the schedule for this weekend. At this point, I’m not sure if either of those runs are going to happen. My next half is two and a half weeks away. I know that even if I don’t get a 12 or a 13 mile run under my belt, that I will still be able to complete the half. But I will feel a lot better about it if I can get at least one more long run under my belt. My goal for the next half is to beat my old PR that I got at the Modesto Half Marathon back in March. I just need to have an average mile time of less than 10:30/mile. Most of my long runs have been averaging under that time during this training cycle, so I’m feeling confident about it. I just have to get rid of this cold.
Weekly Recap for 10/27 – 11/2/14
My longest run was a 5k last week but at least most of my short runs had average paces under 10.
On top of being sick last week the time changed. We also had a “cold” spell here which means that I’ve been able to change my morning runs to evening runs. But it also means that I’m still running in the dark. I do not like running in the dark. It makes a mile feel so much longer to me some times. My goal for today is to get out by 4pm to run. Fingers crossed.
It’s Friday again which means that it’s time for the Friday Five Link up with Courtney at Eat Run Pray DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for the weekly link-up. If you haven’t checked out these ladies blogs yet, you totally should. They are fun, feisty and not afraid to call it like they see it.
This weeks theme: Five Reasons to Run a Half Marathon
Here’s me setting a new PR at the Modesto Half Marathon in March 2014. I look so happy to be done but in my defense I’d just PR’d by like 12 minutes.
1. Pride. Saying you’re going to do it is a whole lot different from actually doing it. A lot of hard work and effort goes into this.
2. Post race food. I like to eat as evidenced by my hips…j/k but I do love to eat. Post race allows me to eat a special treat once in a while that I generally save as a reward for doing something awesome…like running a half marathon.
3. To prove to yourself that you’re capable of so much more than you ever thought possible. It never ceases to amaze me that I can run as far as I do. I’ve never been particularly athletic. I never played sports in high school and until I started running a few years ago, the only reason I ran was for ice cream.
5. Bling. I mean hellooooo! Who doesn’t love a shiny new medal to hang on the wall!
4. To be the best me that I can be. Simple as that.
I’m not missing in action, I swear. But it’s been a bit of a tough week for me that’s left me feeling like I didn’t want to blog because I didn’t want to be honest with myself much less anyone else. I don’t want to blog a pretend life where everything is just wonderful and I run a million miles with little effort and I’m always happy.
Generally I am a happy person and often get comments about how I’m always smiling. I like to smile. My job is great, my husband and home life are wonderful. What’s not to smile about?
So here it is…I have shin splints. Gah!
*Not my shins…
Specifically anterior shin splints on both shins. So painful and annoying. And I totally blame the treadmill. It started about a week and a half ago, so I did all my runs last week on the treadmill at the gym thinking that my shin pain was from transitioning to road running from the mill. I ran 10 miles on Saturday and 3 miles on Sunday on the road with some minor pain but nothing that would have made me not want to run. In fact the pain would disappear completely after about the first mile on the road and I was basically pain-free for the rest of the run.
This last Monday, I went to the gym to run my regular 4 miles on the treadmill and it was so incredibly painful that I didn’t want to run anymore. I muscled through the 4 miles and in hindsight it was a grave mistake. I should have listened to my body and stopped. Tuesday morning, I got up at my regular time (4am OMG am I crazy? Don’t answer that) and could barely hobble a single mile. It was so painful that my mile time was in the 11 min/mile area. Yesterday was basically the same but with less pain. This morning was much better. I ran 2 miles with my compression sleeves and felt that I could easily have run further but I didn’t want to push it. I’m trying to be cautious. It’s a new area for me.
So to say the least I’ve been crabby, angry and irritated. I do not like not being able to run. I do not like a forced taper mid training cycle. My poor sweetie…having to put up with me. I feel for the guy. You know its got to be tough. And in the middle of all this crankiness the man buys me a bread maker for no reason at all. He’s awesome!
In my down time I’ve mainly been feeling sorry for myself and eating a whole lot of stuff I shouldn’t and also doing basic R.I.C.E. I also need to work on being more diligent with stretching and foam rolling.
Running Recap for last week:
I’m super happy with Saturdays long run. My pace came down from my previous week while my distance increased.
I always have a hard time running in the dark so my first two miles were really slow but once the sun started to come up, my times came down considerably. I did stop to walk when I refueled during miles 5 and 8. But I’m totally stoked that I was running 10:15’s for miles 4, 6, 7, 10. Even mile 9 wasn’t too bad. If this had been my next half I would have come darn close to a new PR.
My mile times for my 9 mile long run the Saturday before were in the high 10’s, low 11’s for the whole run. Improvement!
Usually on every long run something weird or funny happens. This week was the fact that I left and realized that I forgot my water bottle. I had to go back to the house for it and of course, I had to use the rest room again. I basically had to rewarm up for a second time which is why I think I had two really slow miles that beginning of the run instead of just one like normal. I know it’s not funny or weird but it’s always something. Last week some guy stopped me to ask directions to down town and made me all weird and nervous for the rest of my run. The week before that I slipped in some mud and almost fell on my face. It’s always something…
Speaking of it always being someing…Sunday I had a very scary experience while running. I left the house with the plan of running a simple 4 miles, easy run. No biggie. But during mile 3 I experienced a very scary cramp in my diaphragm. I couldn’t get a breath in and the pain was at least a 9 on the scale of 1 to 10. I actually had to call my sweetie to come pick me up because it was so bad. I scared the daylights out of him. I’m pretty sure that he was convinced that I’d been hit by a car or shot or something. I was gasping for breath and grunting. I went so far as to lay down on someones lawn to try to stretch out my ribcage. Awful. Of course by the time I got picked up and we drove the .25 mile home, the pain was gone and I felt fine. So annoying! But I got fancy coffee and a toasted bagel from the coffee shop out of it so it wasn’t a total loss. And I spent most of the rest of the day laying on the couch…
Less than 30 days until the 2014 Davis Turkey Trot. As long as I can get my shins to play nice, I’m on track to possibly PR again which would be so awesome. I haven’t allowed myself to think about this possibility a lot. I prefer a no pressure training cycle.
What weird things have happened to you on run? The weirdest was getting passed by a jack rabbit once. He just looked at me as if to say, “Move your ass, lady.”
Have you every had a close call that involved you having to call home for a ride?
Monday, Monday, here again. This Monday I’m actually glad to be back a work. My weekend of running and just hanging around the house was enough for me to look forward to getting back to work. It was just one of those weekends that was really boring. Other than run, I didn’t do much besides chores and watch TV, 2 things I don’t really enjoy all that much.
Saturday’s long run was really great. I got up at 6am and was out the door early only to discover that it had rained over night and the temps had dropped a lot. Mid-50’s make me really happy. Plus those mile times are starting to come down, always a bonus.
Weekly Recap:
Monday: 4.51 miles in 42:59, 9:32 average pace (Treadmill)
Tuesday: 3.25 miles in 30:00, 9:14 average pace (Treadmill)
Wednesday: 4.01 miles in 38:06, 9:30 average pace (Treadmill)
Thursday: 2.01 miles in 20:25, 10:10 average pace (Outside)
Friday: 4.01 miles in 37:41, 9:24 average pace (Treadmill)
Saturday: 7.00 miles in 1:14:25, 10:38 average pace (Outside)
Sunday: 4.01 miles in 41:54, 10:27 average pace (Outside)
Total miles run: 28.8 in 4:45:30
So on to that “interesting problem.” I’ve been having terrible heart burn while I’m running. It’s so bad that the back of my throat is just miserable and I can’t run without taking 2 Tums before hand. Thankfully the Tums seem to handle the problem but it’s really annoying if I forget to take them.
Friday was so bad that I kept having to take sips of water while I was running to keep the acid from my mouth. I might be over exadurating it, but boy was it bad. That burning sensation is just awful. It doesn’t seem to matter if I eat something or not before I run. I’ve had this occasionally in the past but this has been going on for at least the last week to 2 weeks.
Anyone deal with terrible heartburn while running? How do you handle it?
How were your runs last week? Anyone see anything fun/cool while running?
Normally, I don’t run on Thursday. It’s my day to catch up on chores or take a nap after work instead of going to the gym. But due to Sunday’s unscheduled rest day, I decided to at least try to drag myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4am to get a run in. While I didn’t make it at 4am I did make it out of bed at 4:10, so win for me.
I didn’t want to press my luck with running too many miles on a day I don’t normally run, so I decided a quick 2 miles was good enough.
I figured this was a good opportunity to run outside since “it’s not hot”. It was 64 this morning. After running for the last two months in the gym with a fan blowing on me, 64 felt incredibly hot. I’m pretty sure that I sweated gallons.
I really wanted to try to push myself for this run. I wanted to try to bring down the mile times to a more reasonable 10 min/mile. Never judge a run by the first mile and this run was no exception to that rule. I came in a 10:26/mile. Still a huge improvement over my last run per mile. But still not where I’d like to see that time. Mile 2 finished at 9:56/mile. Super happy with that.
Before I got injured running the Capital City Classic 10 Mile back at the end of April, I was running consistently (more or less) around the 9:40 mark.
Splits from Last Training Run
My last training run before the Classic was along the levies by the Sacramento River in an area known as The Pocket in Sacramento. I was on track to be the fastest I’ve ever been (excludes middle school P.E.) and I really want to get back there. My goal race pace for a half marathon is 10 min/mile or better. At this point it’s going to take some doing to get back to this pace, but I’m willing to put in the time and effort to do it.
Do you have a goal race pace that you’d like to achieve?
This week is flying by. Normally I like to post my training recap on Monday for the prior week but it’s been such a busy week that I haven’t gotten to it. So it’s recap Wednesday…
Monday: 4.01 Miles in 38:29 for a 9:36 pace (Treadmill)
Tuesday: 2.01 Miles in 19:36 for a 9:45 pace (Treadmill)
Wednesday: 4.01 Miles in 38:58 for a 9:43 pace (Treadmill)
Thursday: Rest day – No gym, met the in-laws for dinner and then to Fleet Feet Sacramento for the Movement Lynchpin seminar
Friday: 4.00 Miles in 38:52 for a 9:43 pace (Treadmill)
Saturday: 6.00 Miles in 1:05:37 for a 10:56 pace (Outside)
Sunday: Full rest, no run, no gym. Wasn’t feeling very well and needed a down day.
My outdoor long run is a slog. I need to get off the mill and get more time outdoors. But it’s so convenient to go to the gym after work and it’s so hard to get up at 4am to run in the morning. I was going to do it this morning but since I didn’t fall asleep until 11:45 last night, getting up at 4 just wasn’t going to happen. But at some point, I’m going to have to suck it up and just do it. My gym membership is up on the 17th of next month anyway…
How’s your training going?
Any advice for transition from the treadmill to outside?
It’s Friday Five Link Up with Cynthia at You Signed Up for What, Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC and Mar at Mar on the Run. This weeks Friday 5 is Blogs that you love. I’m a huge reader of running blogs. I love to know what others are doing and they are often a good source of information on the latest products and fun running tips.
Here’s 5 of my favorite running blogs in no particular order:
All of these ladies pretty much tell it like it is. They talk about their training, their injuries and their lives in general. The things I love about blogs so much is the fact that these are real people, from different walks of life and different areas of the country. It’s not a cookie cutter article written for a magazine.
You know how they say that while you’re making plans, God is laughing? Or at least something like that? Originally I had planned to run a 8 mile race (Rock the 80’s) in less than two weeks as part of my training plan for my next half marathon (Folsom Blues Breakout in October). But with the groin pull all that (and as an added bonus my half I was supposed to run in May) went out the window. Sorry paid fees, you’re gone. Sorry 10 mile easy runs, you’re gone too. Sorry endurance and outside runs, bye-bye.
It’s been 4 months since I got hurt at my last race, which was still an awesome race and I’d totally do it again but this time without the injury. I’m feeling amazing but my confidence has been shaken. I use a lot of negatives and past tense when I talk about my running. I used to run half marathons, I used to run outside. I remember running 10 miles like it was no big deal. Negatives, negatives, negatives.
But lately, the last week or so, I’ve been turning my thoughts forward. I’m feeling amazing but I still haven’t run outside so that leaves a lot of doubts about what I can and can’t do. The half I’d planned to run next month is not going to happen. That’s a fact. I just don’t have enough time to train the way I like to. And I’m not willing to push it and get hurt more/again.
So now I’m turning my thoughts to November, specifically the 2014 Davis Turkey Trot (1/2 Marathon). It’s far enough out that I could start with my long run this Saturday with only 4 miles. Now here’s where my confidence is rocky. I’d need to run outside, on the road, like a real person does when training. It means stepping away from the treadmill where I know I can run 99.5% pain-free and putting myself out there.
The last time I ran outside was 8 weeks after my injury and I was in so much pain that I could barely make a mile and then it was a 13 minutes or so pace. I’ll be honest with you and myself…I’m scared. I’m scared it will hurt. I’m scared I won’t be able to do it. I’m scared I’ll have to walk. I’m scared people will see me. I’m scared. I have a nice safe gym membership until the middle of October and by then it’ll be dark. Dark is like a blanket. No one will see me fail and I can fail in private.
Fail in private? Really? Wow, I’m defeating myself already. I’m basically saying that I can’t do it. That’s terrible. I’ve never been that kind of girl. I’ve always been the type that when you say, “Girls don’t do…,” I do whatever it is that girls don’t do! And never tell me not do something or say that I can’t because I will. And let’s face it. I’m going to have to face running outside, in public, on the ground at some point. My gym membership is going to end and then it’s face the music. So I think I’m going to tackle this one straight on. Saturday will be an outside run. I will have to get up early so I can run before it get’s hot but it’ll be worth it.
Pro’s and Con’s list for running outside:
Pro: It’s outside
Con: It’s outside!
Pro: Wind in my face
Con: People will see me!
Pro: Interesting scenery
Con: Might be painful
Pro: If it hurts, I can go back to the gym
Pro: It’s not boring
Pro: Checking out new neighborhoods
Pro: The sun on my face
Pro: Crunchy leaves
Pro: The park
Pro: Trails
Pro: Weather of all kinds, except wind
Con: Wind
I think the pros out weigh the cons. This Saturday is do or die. Outside run at 6am! Be there…or be inside at the gym…
The Half Mad Half Marathoner 