training

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An amazing run that never happened

Listen to your body…

How many times have I heard that over the past few weeks!

Yesterday I was at my Chiropractor and I was glad to be there.  The track run the day before was horrendous on my body.  My good hip hurt so much that it was hard to walk.  I got up in the middle of the night and limped to the bathroom.  Work wasn’t much better.

After my last few blog posts there seemed to be a theme from the comments and that theme was, “Listen to your body”.

As I was waiting for the Chiropractor to come into the room, I had made up my mind I was going to run after the appointment.  Yes I had been in pain and I was tired, but it was to be an easy run and only 5 miles.  I could do this… But in the back of my mind were the “what ifs”.  What if I run and my hip gets worse?  What if I hurt myself and can’t run the marathon?  All those miles and all the pain would be for nothing.  Then came the other “what ifs”.  What if I don’t run and that would have been “the” best run?  What if I don’t run and in some small way it affects my marathon?  It is only 5 miles after all, I can do that much.  Finally, if I ran all my planned  runs this week I’d be at a 200 mile month which I’ve gotten close to before, but never actually achieved.  “I can’t give that up”, I thought to myself.

The doctor came in.  He adjusted me and asked about my running.  He said I was really stiff and spent extra time trying to loosen me up.  Finally he asked if I was going to run after my appointment.  I told him I was waffling back and forth as to whether I should run or take a day off to recover.

His response…

“Listen to your body”.

Alright, I might be a little obsessive about my running.  I need to be.  If I weren’t I would have stopped long ago.  But eventually hearing all of your comments on this blog and his response got to me.  I knew I had to take the day off.  Sometimes things are said in such a way, and so many times, that I know it is wisdom and not just a coincidence.  This was one of those times.

So I went home.  I got in bed.  I read your blogs.  I rested with heat on my back and hips.  I slept.  I got up this morning and felt great.  I’m still a bit sore and it was hard when I first got out of bed, but I almost beat “The Dog” down the stairs for the first time in weeks.

So yesterday was an amazing run.  I ran it in my head and not on the streets.  It may have been the difference between a good marathon and a great one for me.  It might not make much of a difference.  Either way, I’m glad I didn’t run.

Ten years from now when I am reading blogs and posting comments to help new marathoners, my advice will be:

Hi IrunBecauseIwantTo (made up blog name).
Years ago I was preparing for my first marathon.  I had trained a lot and had a rough couple of weeks toward the end of my training.  I got some of the best advice from fellow runners that I had received in my year and a half of running.  They told me over and over, “Listen to your body”.  Finally I listened.  My marathon was awesome and I can look back and see it was that advice that made all the difference.  So I leave you with the same advice.  Listen to your body and have a great marathon!!!

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My altered running plan

I’m walking slowly today.

I’m sore from my weekend runs and I’m also glad that I am beginning my taper this week.

I started thinking (worrying) about my weekday runs this week.  I am only averaging between 5 – 6 miles a day during the week. I hear from others that they run 8 – 10 miles a day and I started freaking.  Finally I brought myself back to reality.  I just don’t have the time or ability to run more than 5 -6 miles a day during the week.  I get up around 4:00 AM and most days can’t begin my run until after 4:00 PM.  By then I am tired and it is usually about a million degrees outside (okay, that is an exaggeration).

So without really thinking about it, I’ve created my own running plan.  I run about 20 miles during the week and 30 on the weekend.  I think this will work for me and even if it doesn’t, I have no choice.

So this weekend I got to run Saturday with Neill (and a little by myself) for a total of 13 miles.  Then Sunday I ran by myself for another 15 miles.  So for my 50 mile week, I ran 22 during the week and 28 on Saturday and Sunday.  Hopefully the longer mileage weekend will benefit me during my marathon in 2 weeks.

I plan on running about 35 miles this week as my taper begins.  I hope to run 25 during the week and on Sunday and if Neill is running a long run again this Saturday, 10 miles with him.

All in all I don’t think I could have worked much harder to prepare for this marathon.  I hope to never run a marathon in September again as it is way to hard to prepare in the heat of the South, especially since I have to run in the afternoon.  I really think TJ and I are ready for the race and I look forward to finishing it… hopefully in 3:29:00.  🙂

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Run around life

Yesterday was pretty much an insane day.  Here is how it went…

  1. 1:30 AM Get up
  2. 3:30 AM Dr. Appt.  (Yes that is correct)
  3. 4:45 AM Pick up daughter and take to work
  4. 5:20 AM Arrive at my work
  5. 1:30 PM Leave work
  6. 2:00 PM Find out upstairs heat pump isn’t working
  7. 2:10 PM Take Lovely Wife to our Chiropractor Appt.
  8. 4:00 PM Arrive home and work on getting air conditioning back on
  9. 4:30 PM Run 6 miles
  10. 5:30 PM Finish run
  11. 7:30 PM Get in bed for the evening
  12. 8:30 PM Sleep

Wow, I look at that and wonder how I got through the day.  I almost gave up my run.  I was tired and still sore from workouts and the weekend runs, but I thought that I really don’t have many more runs before tapering and I hate to miss one this late in the game, so I decided to run.  I told my Lovely Wife that I was worried that being tired I might get hurt and she made me promise to run SLOWLY.

So that was my day.  Today I’m still worn out and have a steady state run this afternoon.  I am going to try something different in my quest to run somewhere other than my neighborhood.  I am going to run a bike path near work that is about 2.5 miles long.  It is much flatter than my neighborhood and somewhere different to run.

Just over 2 weeks to go before the marathon.

Have a great day and if your not training for a marathon, get some rest.  🙂

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Everyday running is a new day!

Everyday running is a new day!  

That is the great thing about running.  You can have the worse day running of your week, month, year and then go out one day and suddenly you have a PR.

Friday I had probably the worse day running in months.  No storms.  No heat.  Lower humidity.  But I got up at 3:30 AM, worked until 2:00, went to the Chiropractor and by the time I went out to run, it was almost 5:00 PM.  I was tired, hungry and not in the mood for a run.  I ran 3.33 miles and stopped.  I was disheartened and depressed about my upcoming marathon.  Then Saturday I ran 10 miles and Sunday I ran 20 miles.  Bam!  I was back!!!

Everyday running is a new day!  

That is the hard thing about running.  You can set PRs, you can run almost 5 hours in 2 days.  You put your blood, sweat and tears into your workouts and go to bed proud, excited and content.  Then you wake up and it is a new day.  Of course you have your base, but today… you start all over again.

I confess that I am tired.  I have been training for the Lehigh Valley Marathon for months.  I haven’t slept past 5:00 AM in over a month, in fact most days I get up at 4:00 AM.  All I seem to do is wake up, go to work, do errands, go to doctors and then run.  On the weekend, it is different.  I wake up, run, do errands and go to bed.  Now that is a nice change of pace.  🙂

Everyday running is a new day!  

Today is a new day.  The weather is still moderate, not as nice as last week, but not HOT.  I have new confidence after my fantastic weekend of running.  Yes, I’m tired, but that will end in less than 3 weeks.   I have a very supportive family.  They know I’m tired and they really try to help.  My Lovely Wife has been awesome to me and understands what I am going through.  I’m very fortunate.  I have good kids, a blog I love writing and “a hope and a future”.

In the end, I’m glad that…

Everyday running is a new day!  

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30 mile run weekend. Where did that come from?

I needed 20 miles yesterday.

The Lehigh Valley Marathon is in 3 weeks.  I hadn’t run over 17 consecutive miles in one run.  My awesome fellow bloggers and my family keep telling me that I have the base and will do fine in the marathon – But I needed 20 strong miles… for me!

I got them!!!

Here is the breakdown:

  • 20:02 miles
  • 8:53 pace
  • 1659 elevation climb
  • 1 excited runner

I ran at the same park my friend Neill and I ran 10 miles the day before.  It was raining and in the 70’s  when I started at 6:30 AM.  I ran a 5 mile stretch of road that allowed me to hit the “zone” and be back at my car for a gel and gatorade.  I took some advice from comments on this blog last week and muted my iPhone.  No coaching from my app.  No mileage.  I just ran the way I wanted to run.

Other than the fact never walked, I am encouraged that I finished strong (last mile was an 8:35 pace) and my elevation climb was almost 3 times my previous high.

So I now look toward Lehigh Valley Marathon with a bit of excitement rather than dread.  I wonder after yesterday, might it be possible for me to qualify for Boston at this marathon?  I had let that thought go a couple of months ago as the heat of the summer set in.  Now, maybe…

Finally, THANK YOU.  Outside of my family, this blog and you who choose to read it each day is what keeps me going in this journey.  I am so glad I started it 8 months ago.  Your comments, suggestions and encouragment means so much to me, you will never understand.

3 weeks to go.  It isn’t over yet.  But I am looking forward to my race for the first time.

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Hangin’ with The Dog and then Runnin’ with Neill

Sitting here before dawn about to go to breakfast with TJ and then meet Neill  (@BigBigGeek, BigBigGeek.wordpress.com) at the State Park and run 9 miles.  Should be a lot of fun.

When I first started running with Neill, 5 miles was his longest run and 11:00 pace was pretty fast for him.  Now he is below 10:00 and running a 9 mile long day.  He has a Half Marathon in September two weeks after my Marathon.  It is so much fun watching someone really push forward and, as my friend RunningToHerDreams would say, “run like a boss”.

"The Dog" waiting for me to throw "The Stick".

“The Dog” waiting for me to throw “The Stick”.

So I sit here with “The Dog” and wait for the sun to rise to start my day.  I must post a picture (my Lovely Wife insists on it 🙂 ) each week.  This one was actually from yesterday after my (not so good) run while throwing “The Dog” “The Stick” in the back yard.  The stick is in the upper left corner of the picture.  She is so intent on that stick… Sort of like me at the start of a 5K (ha!).

Have a great weekend and, as my Lovely Wife says to me everyday before I leave for my run:

“Run fast, don’t get hurt, have a good run”.

Tomorrow – the last long run day before my marathon…

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Aches and pains and the coming taper

I don’t have a body made for running.  I realize this and I wonder sometimes how I do what I do.

I was born with hips that turned inward.  They turned in so much that I had corrective shoes and a bar to hold my hips outward.  To this day if I’m tired my feet turn inward when I walk.

Most days that I run I am in pain.  It got better after my rest weeks following my half marathon, but as I built up mileage for my upcoming marathon the aches and pains returned.  I know, I am 50 after all and I have only been running for 17 months, but I face the fact daily that moderate pain is something I have to deal with.  At least it is pain I voluntarily inflict on myself, unlike so many people who are in pain that they have no control over.

I say all that to say this.  I HATE WORKOUTS.  I am not one of those runners who run a tempo, steady state, or hill workout and think, “wow, that was fantastic.”  Maybe no one likes workouts, but they hurt me physically.

I have used the heat of the summer to avoid workouts before this marathon.  I know, not a good idea.  Well the weatherman laughed in my face this week as the temperatures in the mid afternoon have been in the high 70’s.  Okay.  My excuses are now gone.  I know what I have to do.  Hmmm…

So yesterday I did a steady state run.  I warmed up one mile and then went into my run.  I probably should have warmed up two miles, but I didn’t.  It didn’t go badly.  I got 3 miles under my belt and only had some slight pain in my inner thigh.  My achilles has been acting up also.

So after the 3 miles under 8:00 pace I stopped for a break.  I went inside my house and drank some water and used the bathroom and went back out.  More pain in my inner thigh.  It was to the point that I could have pushed myself, but what if I really pulled something that would affect my upcoming race; so I stopped.

I know tapering is called one of the hardest parts of training for a marathon, but I’m looking forward to it.  I run so much better after an off day.  I assume tapering will help also.  Tomorrow is 3 weeks until the marathon and so I really only have another week or so of pushing it.

Today, hill workouts.  Tomorrow, running with Neill (@BigBigGeek, BigBigGeek.wordpress.com) and Sunday my long day.  I probably won’t have much time to write this weekend, but I will try to “Hang with the dog” at least one day.  🙂

Have a wonderful (pain free) weekend!!!

 

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NEED MOTIVATION TO RUN TODAY?

Summer is hot.

Okay, not the most astute comment I’ve ever made on this blog…

Yesterday was rough.  I really am tired of running in the heat and I didn’t want to go out.  Fortunately it was a bit cooler and it began sprinkling as I was running.  When it started raining, it got very humid and hard to breath and then it cooled off.  I never thought mid 80s would be considered cool, but it was nice.

Half Marathon Mama expounded on “The Voice” post I wrote on Monday.  It is so helpful knowing that others suffer with negative thoughts and how they overcome those thoughts.

This summer has brought out the negative side of me.  I think it is training for a marathon in the August heat of the South.  Also the fact I have to run in the afternoon at the hottest time of the day.

WATCH THIS 6:00 VIDEO

No, it isn’t about football, it is about determination!  It is about getting through the summer.  It is about doing more than people think or expect you can do.  Watch it before your next run, before your next workout, before you set out the door!

We all need motivation at times.  We all need to remove the negative thoughts and voices from our heads.

YOU  CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU CAN!!!

Just do it!

 

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5.5 miles in 105 degree heat. The “wild-eyed runner”

Boy will I be glad when the Fall arrives.  Of course here in the South, it doesn’t really start getting cool until the middle to end of October.

Yesterday was another hot day.  Not too hot by the temperature, but over 105 with the heat index.

I got home from work, kissed my Lovely Wife, pet the dog, said hi to the kids and headed out for my run.  I really just wanted to run with no intentions.  I hoped to even make it up to 8 miles, but I decided to play it by ear.  Several people have died in my area from the heat and I didn’t want to be numbered with them.

So I headed out.  I tried to start slow, but ended up a bit faster than I planned.  As the run when on, I actually felt pretty good.  Even though it was hot, I didn’t stop at the top of hills or in the shade.  I just kept running.  In fact, without really trying, my pace was under 9:00 for several miles.

I guess 4 miles is where the heat really begins to affect me.  I started to feel a little tired and my legs felt a bit weak.  At 5 miles I was beginning to feel a little light headed.  So, I thought it would be best just to head home and not take a chance with the heat.  I ended up at 5.5 miles at just around a 9:00 pace for the whole run.  Not bad.

After I got back, I sat outside with “The Dog” and threw a stick, but I couldn’t last more than about 10 minutes.  I went back in and stood in the kitchen under the air vent and tried to cool off.  By the time another 10 minutes had passed, the floor in the kitchen was soaked and so was I.  It was like I had just gotten out of the pool.  When I went up to take a shower, even my Lovely Wife said I was “wild eyed”.  I guess running 5.5 miles in 105 heat will do that to you.  🙂

I’m not sure what I am doing today.  The heat continues and I haven’t done my speed workout yet for this week.  The storms on Tuesday really messed with my schedule.  I’ll probably just try to get more miles in and take it easy preparing for my (hopefully) 18 mile run on Sunday.

Thank you for reading and have an awesome weekend!!!

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More thoughts on “The Voice”… Thankfulness is the key!

Thank you everyone for such a great response to my blog post yesterday!  I had more views on my post yesterday than the day of the Boston Marathon.  It was also a great thing to see another blogger pick up where I ended and write their own story about struggling with “The Voice”.  Sarah wrote a really good post here (http://reallyarunner.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/why-blogging-is-brilliant/).  Go read it when you get a chance.

Yesterday, as I lay on the Chiropractor table waiting for him to work on my hip, I thought more about combating that voice that talks so negatively to me during my runs.  I realized that it actually begins before my run.  Mainly on my speed workout or long run days.  So I decided that I am going to begin thinking more positively about my running, especially on those days.  I am beginning by just being thankful that I can run, let alone so many miles and in the Southern heat.  I am thankful that I can go to a Chiropractor who can help me be able to run a 5K race and a 17 mile long run in the same weekend and still be able to walk.  I am thankful for my continued weight loss and keeping those 100 lbs off.  I am thankful that I am off all my prescriptions that I took for years.  I am thankful I am off my CPAP.  There are so many things that running has helped me with that I cannot even begin to list them here.

Running has changed my life.  I went to the doctor the other day for my sinus infection and my heart rate was 56!  That isn’t even one beat a second.  That reminded me of something my father used to say to me.  He said that his theory was everyones heart has a finite amount to beats for each life.  So the slower he could get his heart to beat, the longer he would live.  I don’t know if that is scientific or not, but it sounded good to me.

I am training for my marathon on September.  It is hard and not every workout will be pleasant.  However, I am going to work harder at being more positive and thankful to God for the fact I can run and I am really going to work at extinguishing that negative voice before and during my workouts.

Life is too short!  I want to make the most of all the time I have to live.  Running helps me do that!

I am thankful!

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Good first marathon workout

“You okay”?

I was half way through my steady state run yesterday. The heat index was 103 and I had to take a break in some shade.

“Yes – thanks” was my reply to the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. “It’s hot out here today”, I said as I looked around to see who was talking to me. It was some nice people sitting outside on their porch. I must have looked as bad as I felt at the time. However it only took about 2 or 3 minutes to gather my composure and start back on my run.

I had been dreading this day for some time. Six weeks out from our marathon and we are now starting our workouts. TJ sent me the schedule and I had mistaken that yesterday was to be a tempo run and not a steady state run.

So, being hot out and a bit worried I wouldn’t get through, I set my iSmoothRun app and went out for my run.

Looking back on it, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. My first mile was slow as I warmed up. My achilles has been a bit sore, so I didn’t want to go too fast. After that I went straight into my steady state pace. I am supposed to keep my pace around 8:00, but with the heat, I set my app to 8:30 just to be on the easy side. I didn’t listen to my app.

Here are my splits:

Steady state splits

Steady state splits

Needless to say, I felt good about the run. It was tough, but it gave me some confidence that I can get through my workouts this summer and not pass out. 🙂

This morning I woke up with a sinus infection. That, along with only 4 hours sleep means I will have to take the day off from running today. Oh well. Better safe than sorry!!!