4 Easy In Raccoon Land

Seriously, what is it with raccoons in my town? I came upon a family of four on my 8.5-miler yesterday, and today, on a measly four-miler, three, count them, three bachelors. Just running around, scavenging, I guess, which is what raccoons do.

But, seriously. I don’t live in the country. I get it that I live near a preserve, but there’s construction all around. Wouldn’t the sound of the heavy machinery frighten them? Apparently not. Neither, by the way, does the smell or the sound of a flat-footed, 10-minute miler on a short training run. In case you were interested.

In my experiment of one, we’re trying out the feasability of a very short run the day before a long run. It’s one way to build up the mileage to withstand the longer long runs, in preparation for marathon-length long runs. Just in case.

The Middle Miles

The middle miles are the Rodney Dangerfields of long-distance running: they don’t get any respect. In spite of this, they are often where races are won and–in very serious ways–lost. So they are important, both in training and in racing.

In training, use the first miles to warm up. For me, I have to actually concentrate on keeping my pace very slow during the first mile (the first three miles of long runs), or every run will become a speed workout as I tend to get faster during my training runs unless I am very tired or running a course I’m unfamiliar with. During the middle miles of easy and long runs I really try not to even worry about my pace. I concentrate on running these miles by feel. Instead of thinking about my pace, I try to concentrate on my form. Head up, shoulders back. Unless it’s still dark out and I’m likely to turn an ankle if I don’t look down every once in a while, my eyes should always be up and ahead of me, not down at my feet.

In racing, after avoiding the deadly mistake of allowing race-day adrenaline and the crowd to dictate my pace, my goal is to hit the middle miles and find my target pace. Having achieved this, if training has been ideal and conditions are conducive to good racing, I try to feel myself cruising at this pace, not struggling to hold it, not feeling like I’m pushing it. Go out too slow, and you can’t make it up in the latter miles. Race too hard in these miles, and you’ll burn yourself out and find yourself too tired in the glory miles when you’re supposed to be finding your kick.

Warm up the beginning miles–but not too many of them. Cruise the middle miles. Kick it in the end.

The middle miles was the TIART prompt at Runner’s Lounge last week. I thought I’d write about it because it seemed an interesting topic. Sorry I’m a week late.

Four Days Off=One Sluggish Runner

Had family in town visiting and my husband out of town, which resulted in missing four consecutive days of running.

Why is it that I feel great after one day off, but horrible after four days off? I think I’m doing the right thing, returning with slow six-milers instead of eight-milers and speedwork, but I still feel sluggish and off. The first run back was really tough. Today’s splits, entirely negative, reflects a run better than it actually felt. I pushed for that last mile, trying to train my body to push when it’s tired. I pictured that last mile in the half, pretending there’s 1:45 on the clock and I want to leave as many minutes on the clock as possible before 2:00 ticks off. Made that last mile at an 8:26 pace, not bad considering how absolutely tired I was.

Went to see the podiatrist about a bruised nail. I didn’t think it was bruised because it was plain white. I was afraid it was yuck. He kept flipping through my chart and I finally said, “I guess I should tell you I’ve lost about sixty pounds since I saw you last.” He finally admitted he thought his staff had given him the wrong chart. The last time I was in to see him for plantar fasciitis and he’d actually written “obesity” right on the chart. Funny, b/c at the time I weighed 155 and I actually topped out at 170 before going on WW.

He said my new issue is still related to flat arches. When I run, my foot flattens out to such a degree that my second toe curls to grasp the ground in compensation. My toe then gets banged against the floor, getting repeatedly bruised. To try to prevent more damage, I have to keep it super short. However, he’s repeating his recommendation for $375 custom orthotics. So, today, I’m placing a call to our insurance company to see how much of that they would cover. My orthopedist already said orthotics would probably help solve some of my knee issues, so it might be a good investment.

Tomorrow, another six, and this weekend, I’ll get in 10. It’s time to get back on schedule.

Fay’s Gonna Mess Up My Training . . .

. . . but probably not my house. I’m thankful for that. First hurricane to really make us turn to the Weather Channel this year (we’re thankful to have had some quiet seasons after Florida’s Year of Fear that was the 2004 season), and it’s not really coming near us. It did make the easterly turn sooner than we would have liked, so now it’s making landfall closer to our family rather than on the panhandle, which would have been personally preferable for us. However, our county is out of the cone of error, and we know the storm won’t make landfall anywhere near us.

However . . . darn if it’s not bringing plenty of miserable weather: rain in buckets and lots of gusty winds. We felt the first bands of it last night. I checked the radar, as is my custom, before I set out for my 8-miler this morning. Looked clear. They promised the worst of the weather here would be felt overnight tonight through tomorrow. So, I went out for three loops of my “Floridians call these hills” 2.75-mi course. Flashes of lightning started in distant cloud clusters at mile 4. Thought of cutting the run short at the 5.5-mile mark, but as the sun was starting to come up by now, I thought I’d take a gamble that the storm was still far enough away–I still hadn’t heard any thunder. Finished the 8.5 with no trouble (got soaked running errands with the kids, but that’s a story for another day, or at least another blog).

But . . . from the looks of things, there will be no running tomorrow, or at least no outdoor running. Ugh. It’s amazing to me that I used to put all my miles on the treadmill. ‘Cause I’m sure dreading it now.

A Year Ago Tomorrow . . .

. . . I ran a mile for the first time. I’d been walking on the treadmill for a while, adding running quarter-mile and half-mile running stretches. For the heck of it, I’d try to keep track of which laps I’d walked and which ones I’d run. When I came in, I’d write it down. On that day, I walked a half mile, ran a half mile, then alternated walking and running quarter miles for the next mile and three-quarters, and then . . . I did it! I ran for one mile. I finished off with one walking lap for a total of four miles. The next day I got more ambitious: I ran for a mile and a half, and my total distance that day was five miles.

Yes, I know now the experts recommend you don’t increase your distance by more than 10%. Back then I was so excited to discover I could run! By the 22nd of August I was running 2 miles at a stretch, with another 1.5 later in the run, for a total of 4.5 or 5 for the day. I didn’t increase my distance for some time after that, instead working on reducing my walking distance and turning it all into running distance.

Ready for some before and after? Don’t you feel bad for the person in the first picture? Seriously?

I was a fitness runner for months, finally entering my first 5k in December, my first 10k two weeks later. I completed my first half marathon in February.

My challenge now is to balance ambition, trepidation, and good sense. I want to improve my times at all distances, without overtraining and inviting injury. Some distances you only get to try once or twice a year, so it’s especially important to do well at them when you get the chance.

The 26.2 monster? A good question. Many of my friends have done their first with under a year of running under their belts. I’m undecided. I’ve picked the likely race, and have a willing training partner. Now that the kids are young and I’m not working is the most likely time for me to train for it. Can the knees take the necessary mileage? Can I resist setting a time goal? The goal, for now, is a sub-2 half. We’ll see how training continues, and how the body reacts to continued 40+ mileage weeks.

Happy runniversary to me!

Six Words

Take It and Run Thursday’s challenge at Runners’ Lounge is a six-word running memoir. Some bloggers have taken the opportunity to write several memoirs, memorializing different stages in their running lives. I remember, in younger years, being a good sprinter, and perhaps I could have taken that tack. Other bloggers wrote memoirs tied to specific races, and though I am a rookie at distance races, I could definitely have written specific six-word memories for each of the races I’ve run in the last eighteen months, and I might do that another time.

Today, though, I wanted to try to encapsulate what running means to me. On one level, I definitely use running to control my weight. Having lost seventy pounds, I know there’s part of me that fears a return to the pre-running size 16 days. I know even if an injury occurred and I had to stay off the roads I’d use portion control to remain a single-digit size, but the mind is a mine field.

Running is also my solitude. A stay-at-home mom to two preschoolers has precious few moments to be alone, and this will be true even when the oldest starts pre-k (yipes!) in two weeks. But, when I’m running, I’ve got at least five to seven hours every week that no one’s talking to me. And you want to know why I don’t run with an ipod? Silence, baby, is golden.

But running is more than that to me. It’s a way to be the best that I can be. It’s a way to push myself, to be disciplined. When I am disciplined about running, it spills into other areas of my life. When I pursue excellence here, it reminds me to pursue excellence everywhere else. As Paul discovered, racing is a great metaphor for life. We don’t all have to compete, in running or in life, with anyone but ourselves. For most of us who are not elite runners, we’re not necessarily out to win the race, just our race–not out to break the tape, but out to set a PR, or to fulfill our training with a good race.

So, my six-word running memoir: Striving to run my race well.

August 6: Intervals & More

Intervals today: 1600 at 8:28, 4 reps. Not sure why I did 4. I guess I thought that’s what was on the training schedule. After only eight months of owning the 205, finally realized how to use it to run intervals. Really liked it.

Didn’t hit the target pace for the first two reps, but was pretty close: 8:38, 8:33, 8:29. I ran the last mile as fast but as controlled as I could since I’ve never actually clocked myself for the mile and came in at 7:57. I’ve got time to get better at the pacing.

On the good news front, new shoes are on their way to me since at 372 miles, the Brooks Adrenaline 7s I’m in might be on the way out. The knees are starting to talk and since I can’t peg it on increased mileage or anything else I think it might be the shoes. Seems the timing is about right. Well, few brick-and-mortars have 7s, and I didn’t like the 8s last time I tried them. Found a pair of 8.5s on Amazon.com. Don’t like the color but I’m not looking at my shoes when I run, so I snagged them. For $50 and free shipping, didn’t even have to think about it, especially b/c at that price, I could also think about looking around for a second pair to rotate. Looked for and found a pair of Nike Structure Triax+ 11 in my size, 9D, at RunningWarehouse. Again, at just $80 and free UPS 2-Day Air, who has to think about it? Can you believe it? For $130, I’ll be in shoe rotation land!

August 2: Long, 13 miles

Nice run, probably should’ve kept the pace a little slower, but what the hey. Again, cannot do simple math on the run. Meant to do 12, ended up with 13.

Warming up here in southeastern Florida. Absolutely blistering on this run. Fewer people out training and those of us out there must be the diehards.  We’re trying to stay hydrated but you can see as we come back to the start that we’re dripping sweat, so tired and happy to be done.

First 2 miles over the bridge, then around the inlet and back. Knees talking to me some. Definitely time to start rotating in a new pair of shoes. If Fleet Feet Stuart doesn’t have any more Brooks Adrenaline 7s, I hear the Adidas Supernovas might fit the bill. They’re hosting Diva Night on Thursday night, so I might be shopping for a new pair of shoes then.