I can't believe I have another cold, I hadn't even fully recovered from the last one. Oh well, I hang around with sick people all the time (it's my job) so I do get exposed to a lot of germs.
I went out for a 7 mile loop this morning and hacked and sneezed into my gloives the entire run. Thank goodness I wore gloves. I ended up walking the last mile, I was just plain old worn out. It was such a pitiful slow shuffle of a walk that as I neared my house my neighbor asked, "Did you hurt yourself running?" I gave him a big old snotty sneeze and told him I was sick. Which somehow gave him the opening he needed to tell me all about the time his nephew got a stress fracture while training for a marathon. It was a long story.
By the time I got into the house I was freezing. I soaked in a hot tub and now I'm ready for a nap. I hope this cold is short lived.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Treadmill Hill Tempo
Yikes, these "hill tempos" are hard. Tonight's run was 8 minute miles for 30 minutes at 4% grade. Sounds easy, but it really gets my heart rate up and makes my quads burn. I had to skimp on the warm up and cool down (and on this blog entry) because I need to get back to work!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Turkeys
I got out early again today. This morning was foggy and damp, but the temperatures were above freezing and the snow is going fast. I ran out and back on Spec Pond Rd for about an hour. The trails around here are just too messy for running right now. I can run in mud, but this knee deep slush is just no fun.
There were a lot of birds out this morning. I saw one lonely duck floating in about four square feet of open water on Spec Pond. he looked content in his small pool. The turkeys are going crazy everywhere I go lately. It must be mating season. Today I saw a big drawn out flock of them scurrying across the road single file. My approach confused them and the line got broken up and jumbled. Some turkeys tried to run back the way they came and some ran down the street instead of continuing across. Suddenly, the orderly line of turkeys looked like a bunch of lunatics running around in every direction. After I had passed through I looked back and saw them reassembling and marching through the snow out into the woods.
There were a lot of birds out this morning. I saw one lonely duck floating in about four square feet of open water on Spec Pond. he looked content in his small pool. The turkeys are going crazy everywhere I go lately. It must be mating season. Today I saw a big drawn out flock of them scurrying across the road single file. My approach confused them and the line got broken up and jumbled. Some turkeys tried to run back the way they came and some ran down the street instead of continuing across. Suddenly, the orderly line of turkeys looked like a bunch of lunatics running around in every direction. After I had passed through I looked back and saw them reassembling and marching through the snow out into the woods.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Early Morning Run
People wonder how I find time to work with all the time I spend running, skiing, hiking, and having fun. I do work an equivalent of a 40 hour work week, but not in the typical way. For 2 weeks I enjoy lots of time off with only a few work days, then I work a long hard stretch of 12 hour shifts with on-call nights and a working weekend. I think of this every third week as pay back for all the fun I have had the previous two weeks. I set this schedule up myself so there is no one else to blame when I am in the middle of Hell Week, where I happen to be right now. At 8:00 on Monday, when everyone else is going back to work I will be starting my two weeks of bliss
I set out for an early morning tempo run on very little sleep and with a lot of stress today. Needless to say, it wasn't a great run. But I did get it done. The weather was nice for running and the roads were wet, but clear. I ran a 20 minute warm up followed by 30 minutes at tempo and a 20 minute cool down. I didn't pay attention to pace because I knew it would be off today. I went by my heart monitor and kept the rate up where it would normally be at Tempo pace. It feels good to have gotten it done early. I know my day will go better having had a good hard workout before diving in to another difficult day.
Late in the afternoon when I am dealing with my stressed out coworkers, I often wish they had gone for a walk or a run or a gym workout before their shift started. I know they sure are glad when I get my workout in before work! By the way, the pathetic crying incident has been tactfully "forgotten" by my co-workers.
I set out for an early morning tempo run on very little sleep and with a lot of stress today. Needless to say, it wasn't a great run. But I did get it done. The weather was nice for running and the roads were wet, but clear. I ran a 20 minute warm up followed by 30 minutes at tempo and a 20 minute cool down. I didn't pay attention to pace because I knew it would be off today. I went by my heart monitor and kept the rate up where it would normally be at Tempo pace. It feels good to have gotten it done early. I know my day will go better having had a good hard workout before diving in to another difficult day.
Late in the afternoon when I am dealing with my stressed out coworkers, I often wish they had gone for a walk or a run or a gym workout before their shift started. I know they sure are glad when I get my workout in before work! By the way, the pathetic crying incident has been tactfully "forgotten" by my co-workers.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Long Run and Burgers
While I normally drive to M's house in North Conway so we can run over massive hills on our Tuesday runs, today M came to my house as my vehicle is still on loan to a family member. I ran around Kezar Falls for an hour or so before she arrived. It was sunny, cold, and WINDY! I kept my cell phone on hand and stayed close to home so I wouldn't keep her waiting when she got there. I got about 8 miles in before she arrived.
M. wanted to run 2 1/2 hours today. She has been back running after her long layoff for about a week and a half now. 2 1/2 hours sounded like too much to me, but I really can't tell her how to train. She's been at it as long as I have and has had much more success at running than I ever had. Plus she is a very determined and tough lady.
Together, we ran from my house around Bickford Pond and back for 15 miles. We walked some of the bigger uphills on the way back. I'd like to say we only walked for M's sake, but truthfully I was happy for the walk breaks, too. The first half of the run is mostly uphill and today it was against a strong headwind. It really took a lot out of both of us. Some of the wind gusts on the way out actually brought me to a stand still. So although the second half of the run was with the wind and mostly downhill, the damage had already been done. We were beat! In the last few miles we started fantasizing out loud about Pepsi and sandwiches. You'd think we were finishing up a 50 miler!
When we got home my daughter, Shawna was in the kitchen. She is on break from college this week. M and I relaxed on the bar stools and polished off a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi between the two of us, while Shawna cooked us up some delicious burgers. We both thought we had never tasted anything so good before! Everything always tastes best when you are totally depleted.
M. wanted to run 2 1/2 hours today. She has been back running after her long layoff for about a week and a half now. 2 1/2 hours sounded like too much to me, but I really can't tell her how to train. She's been at it as long as I have and has had much more success at running than I ever had. Plus she is a very determined and tough lady.
Together, we ran from my house around Bickford Pond and back for 15 miles. We walked some of the bigger uphills on the way back. I'd like to say we only walked for M's sake, but truthfully I was happy for the walk breaks, too. The first half of the run is mostly uphill and today it was against a strong headwind. It really took a lot out of both of us. Some of the wind gusts on the way out actually brought me to a stand still. So although the second half of the run was with the wind and mostly downhill, the damage had already been done. We were beat! In the last few miles we started fantasizing out loud about Pepsi and sandwiches. You'd think we were finishing up a 50 miler!
When we got home my daughter, Shawna was in the kitchen. She is on break from college this week. M and I relaxed on the bar stools and polished off a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi between the two of us, while Shawna cooked us up some delicious burgers. We both thought we had never tasted anything so good before! Everything always tastes best when you are totally depleted.
Monday, March 23, 2009
No "Bad Day" Today
Today I was scheduled for a recovery day before my long run tomorrow. I loaned my vehicle to a family member so I had to run 6 miles out to the Vet to get Bart's thyroid pills and then 6 miles back. Even though it was longer than I wanted to run today, I was able to do it at a very relaxed pace and felt like it was still a good recovery day. On the way back home I started thinking about bad running days.
The "bad day" phenomonon seems to be shared by most runners. Some attribute it to training too hard and not recovering enough between hard efforts. Others say it is from under training. I have heard others blame diet, hydration, electrolytes, or hormones. One runner I know swears it is all mental.
I would love to know the physiology behind "bad days". What makes some days feel like hard miserable work even at a slow pace. For me, it feels like I have cement blocks strapped to my ankles on those days. I usually don't know it is going to be a "bad day" until I start running. But once I start running, it only takes a few steps to feel it. I've been told to always give it at least 2 miles before giving up on a planned workout when you feel like crap. So I play by the 2 mile rule and try to think positive telling myself "Maybe I'll feel better once I get warmed up." But truthfully, if I feel crappy in the first few steps it is usually going to be a crappy run throughout.
Apparently each runner has a different "bad day" cycle and some are able to predict them better than others. While warming up for the Hyannis Half Marathon one year, my friend Randy said, "I already had my 'bad day' this week, so I should be all set today." Upon questioning him it became apparent that he had exactly one "bad day" each week, he just never knew what day it was going to be. My friend, M. says she has exactly 3 "bad days" in a row each month and they fall at a percise point in her monthly cycle. Another friend tells me he has a "bad day" 2 days after his long run each week. In the past I have kept careful records of my training intensity based on heart rate and tried to correlate that with my "bad days". I was never able to find any pattern or any way of predicting when my occasional "bad day" would occur.
I am lucky that I don't have "bad days" very frequently. But every now and then one will fall on a race day. I can distictly remember three different races which I ran on "bad days". 1st was a 5K in South Portland. While doing a 2 mile warm up I had to sit down on the curb and rest halfway through. I wasn't sure I could make it back to the starting line before the gun went off. I knew I was in trouble. Another time was at the Maine Track Club 50 miler. I don't remember what year it was. I just remember that every step from mile 1 to mile 50 felt like I was running through thigh-high water. More recently at last Fall's Stonecat Trail Race I was dragging along just walking to the starting line. I had absolutely no energy. I had signed up for the 50 miler, but at the first aid station (maybe 4 miles into the race?) I told a friend that I would be trying for a marathon finish on that day and might not even make it that far. I felt like I was wearing someone else's legs that day. And that someone else was definitely NOT a runner.
Lately it occurs to me that I may have found a clue to the "bad day" puzzle. Now that I am training hard and training correctly, I can't remember my last "bad day". There are days when I am tired and sore from a previous workout, but never days when I just feel terrible for no apparent reason. This could be because I am taking honest recovery days between my hard workouts. Or it could be because I am more fit than I have been in a long time. It could be because I am being very conciencious about what I eat and drink every day. Then again, I am in a better state of mind about my running and my life than I was for the past several years. It might be a combination of all those things.
I don't pretend to be cured of "bad days." I'm sure I'll feel that lead footed feeling again at times. But for now I can say in all honesty, I'm not missing them a bit.
The "bad day" phenomonon seems to be shared by most runners. Some attribute it to training too hard and not recovering enough between hard efforts. Others say it is from under training. I have heard others blame diet, hydration, electrolytes, or hormones. One runner I know swears it is all mental.
I would love to know the physiology behind "bad days". What makes some days feel like hard miserable work even at a slow pace. For me, it feels like I have cement blocks strapped to my ankles on those days. I usually don't know it is going to be a "bad day" until I start running. But once I start running, it only takes a few steps to feel it. I've been told to always give it at least 2 miles before giving up on a planned workout when you feel like crap. So I play by the 2 mile rule and try to think positive telling myself "Maybe I'll feel better once I get warmed up." But truthfully, if I feel crappy in the first few steps it is usually going to be a crappy run throughout.
Apparently each runner has a different "bad day" cycle and some are able to predict them better than others. While warming up for the Hyannis Half Marathon one year, my friend Randy said, "I already had my 'bad day' this week, so I should be all set today." Upon questioning him it became apparent that he had exactly one "bad day" each week, he just never knew what day it was going to be. My friend, M. says she has exactly 3 "bad days" in a row each month and they fall at a percise point in her monthly cycle. Another friend tells me he has a "bad day" 2 days after his long run each week. In the past I have kept careful records of my training intensity based on heart rate and tried to correlate that with my "bad days". I was never able to find any pattern or any way of predicting when my occasional "bad day" would occur.
I am lucky that I don't have "bad days" very frequently. But every now and then one will fall on a race day. I can distictly remember three different races which I ran on "bad days". 1st was a 5K in South Portland. While doing a 2 mile warm up I had to sit down on the curb and rest halfway through. I wasn't sure I could make it back to the starting line before the gun went off. I knew I was in trouble. Another time was at the Maine Track Club 50 miler. I don't remember what year it was. I just remember that every step from mile 1 to mile 50 felt like I was running through thigh-high water. More recently at last Fall's Stonecat Trail Race I was dragging along just walking to the starting line. I had absolutely no energy. I had signed up for the 50 miler, but at the first aid station (maybe 4 miles into the race?) I told a friend that I would be trying for a marathon finish on that day and might not even make it that far. I felt like I was wearing someone else's legs that day. And that someone else was definitely NOT a runner.
Lately it occurs to me that I may have found a clue to the "bad day" puzzle. Now that I am training hard and training correctly, I can't remember my last "bad day". There are days when I am tired and sore from a previous workout, but never days when I just feel terrible for no apparent reason. This could be because I am taking honest recovery days between my hard workouts. Or it could be because I am more fit than I have been in a long time. It could be because I am being very conciencious about what I eat and drink every day. Then again, I am in a better state of mind about my running and my life than I was for the past several years. It might be a combination of all those things.
I don't pretend to be cured of "bad days." I'm sure I'll feel that lead footed feeling again at times. But for now I can say in all honesty, I'm not missing them a bit.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Running with my Sister
My sister, Amy is up from Connecticut for my Mom's birthday this weekend. She has been training for her first half marathon which is in June. I've been sending her training schedules each week and she has been faithfully doing what I suggest. She did her longest ever run of ten miles last weekend. Today we did 8 miles together over a very hilly figure eight from my mother's house in Limerick. Amy hates uphills, but she actually does very well on them. Maybe she'll eventually learn to love them :) Today's run was a mix of paved and dirt roads. I picked our route while driving in the car before I went to my Mom's house to start our run. It measured 8.0 miles exactly on my car's odometer, perfect!
We ran a nice steady pace after a few comments from me in the first mile to get her to slow down . It is hard for me to convince her that she doesn't have to kill herself every single run. They really aren't supposed to be torture.
After about 4 miles I started my 6 repeats of 1:30 at 5K pace concentrating on uphills and downhills. There weren't any flat sections anyway, so the uphill and downhill thing was easy to get in. When I'd finish my 1:30, I'd jog in place and catch my breath until Amy caught up, then we would continue on. I wasn't sure how I would get my repeats in while Amy was supposed to be doing a steady effort, but it worked out fine. On my last repeat I told Amy to come along with me if she wanted to. I didn't think she was going to, but as I topped the hill near the end of the minute and a half, I heard her right behind me. Good job, AMY! I am very excited to see Amy becoming a half marathoner! I won't start pushing the full marathon yet, I'll broach the subject at the finish line in Fairfield.
We finished in 1:09:03, an excellent time for 8 miles of hills with dirt and mud thrown in. I am so proud of my sister!
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