Tag Archives: long run

Friday Favorites: I love CAPSLOCK

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Get psyched friends, it’s Friday…and not only that, but this weekend we will be setting our clocks forward and crawling our way out of the dark and dreary dregs(alliteration!) of winter.

Boo losing an hour of sleep!

YAY gaining daylight!

I think I speak for, well, everyone when I say that longer days means an overall increase in daily morale. Unless, of course, you are a vampire, an owl, or a serial killer who uses the cover of darkness to make their kills and throw their victims into the ocean, then I’m sorry for the whole daylight savings thing.

(If you’re mega creeped out by the above example, all I can say is you should start watching Dexter.)

And I KNOW I speak for runners when I say that longer days are AWESOME. It’s easier to get up in the morning for an early run, you have more time after work for a late run, and it’s just generally safer/more enjoyable to run when you can actually see things.

Suffice it to say, I was chipper when I woke up this morning— which happened not because of my alarm, but because there was daylight coming through the blinds. I hadn’t even set an alarm because today is a rest day, which is quite lovely. I’ve been hitting it fairly hard recently, and I’m basking in some R and R today, complete with a relaxing lunchtime yoga session later on.

Also, I have never, ever said “suffice it to say.” Not sure why that one popped out…

However, despite my merriment upon a having a chill morning filled with cuddling in my bed and listening to the birdies chirping outside, there is a looming thought that’s beating in the back of my head. It goes something like this.

22 miles.

Tomorrow, long run, 22 miles.

This was the longest mileage I trained to last round of marathon training, and so there’s a definite extreme feel to it. Funny, because next week I’ll “get” to go even further, but we’re not talking about that yet. I have a few goals for this run, all surrounding preparation for the real marathon deal. I’m experimenting with a dinner tonight that I think could be really good for pre-long run fuel, I’m setting a very specific minimum finish time, and I’m going to be trying out new mid-run fuel.

After having a potentially TMI conversation with my friends at the local running store, they hooked me up with some packs of goop that they think could help my sensitive digestive system. They’re called Power Bar Energy, and they’re a lot more liquidy than other gummies and gel, which apparently will help deplete the stomach cramping that every other fuel source tends to give me. Stayed tuned.

Okay, let’s move on to the real reason for Friday blogging shall we?

FAVORITES!

–Magazine Day

I am obviously my most beautiful after long runs. Salt on my face and a smell being hidden inside a fleece. Mmmm. Right BF?

I think we can all agree that when you open your mailbox and you see the newest issue of a magazine inside, your day is instantly made. It sure beats getting endless credit card offers from various banks and pleads from your Alma Mater for alumnae money (Sorry UPS, but…really? LET ME PAY MY LOANS FIRST).

I get THREE magazine subscriptions, therefore the beginning of every month is normally riddled with happy mailbox days. Runner’s World day is the best, followed by Real Simple, with Women’s Health in third. I really love to hate that magazine. It always makes me angry, but I still resubscribe.

I digress.

Magazine Day is awesome, and it’s easily one of my favorite things.

–Blueberry Bagels

I ate 75% of this bagel before calming down to take a picture. I would be a horrible food blogger.

My sister has adopted the saying “TGIB,” which I believe should probably be made into a bumper stickers. Bagels are really, really good. Anyone who disagrees is lying to themselves, or they haven’t done enough experimentation with all the wonderful varieties available.

I need no experimentation. In fact, my bagel order has remained the same since I had teeth to actually nom on a bagel. I have ordered a blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese and raspberry/strawberry jam since before I could even string sentences together. And it will forever remain my favorite order. A go-to staple that is the perfect combination of comfort food and Sunday ritual.

 

–The Les Miserables Soundtrack

Okay, so this favorite should actually say Les Mis in all shapes and forms. It’s my favorite book of all time, and the musical is a part of my personal gospel. I adore everything about Les Mis, and recently I have taken to listening to the entire show while working. It’s fabulously entertaining, and it sends me through all the heartbreaking and empowering moments in the show. That said, I am elated because the traveling Broadway show has decided to come BACK to Seattle this summer after having such a successful show last year. I plan on dragging inviting my musical-hesitant-yet-culturally-experimental boyfriend this time, as I saw the show last summer and loved it all over again. You kill me Javert, every time.

-Ellen, and more specifically: Ellen “on” The Bachelor

I really, really love Ellen. Her comedy, her talk show, and her general sense of humor is just spot-on hilarious to me. Ellen should be a Friday Favorite all on her own. In fact, she might pop up again. However this week, this video wins the favorite spot. I will never actually put The Bachelor on my favorites list….yes because I’m ashamed, but mainly because it’s not an authentic favorite. It’s a guilty pleasure that I hate to love (different than love to hate, mind you), mainly because it’s fun to talk about with my fellow watchers. I gave up this crap for YEARS people, why has it dragged me back in??? I’m hoping this is a one season fluke, but who even knows what the intrigue of free On-Demand will bring about.

Anyway, Ellen does a fantastic job of playfully mocking this show without totally poo-pooing it like every other non-watcher does. And, you know, if Ellen is willing to talk about The Bachelor…it makes me feel better about myself for giving into it. Oh, and my mom watches (sorry Ma, I’m outing you) therefore again…my conscious is slightly less burdened.

That’s all for favorites for today! Post was getting wordy, that never happens right?

Happy Weekend-ing!

What are your favorite things? Weekend plans? Long run? Hot yoga? Jager Bombs?

Injury Psychosis, or “My Irrational 10 PM Panic Attack”

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Last night around the time I was supposed to be basking in a post-long-run comatose, I was actually having a panic attack. It wasn’t loud, aggressive, or filled with tears (can you guess how these normally go for me?) but it definitely happened, and it kept my brain a-flutter for far too long.

To summarize, in the space of about 3 iPhone internet searches, I self-diagnosed myself with a stress fracture and resolved myself to a fate of another spring without running and no more Eugene marathon.

Let’s back up a bit though.

Yesterday, I ran 18.5 miles for my long run—a bit longer than I intended on, however I felt great the whole time. Despite a brutal head wind that never seemed to go in the right direction, conditions were ideal for this run, and I was thrilled to be out in short sleeves again. There was really only one thing irking me, and right from the get-go it didn’t really make sense: a shin splint.

I’ve had shin splints before, however that was back when I was running track, and I don’t think I’ve actually had one from running since then. Therefore, I was really confused how after all the mileage I’ve built up and training I’ve done, one persnickety little shin splint would choose to show up out of the blue. It didn’t get worse or anything throughout the run, it just kind of hung out not wanting to go away. After I was done, I noticed that flexing my foot to push the pedals in my car was irritating it—and this put me on edge a bit.

I’m very paranoid about any kind of injury (as most runners are) but I think that I’m particularly wary when it comes to any ache or pain in my body. I go right into prevention/recovery mode whenever I feel something’s off—ice, pain killers, stretching, etc. Last night, the pain still hadn’t subsided, and although I was completely fine in terms of weight-bearing and walking, I still had a pang whenever I would flex my foot.

So, after BF had fallen asleep (yesterday he ran the furthest he’s ever run before—14 miles!), I decided to do what I believe is one of the biggest mistakes runners can do: I went online and tried to figure out what was wrong. Now you see, shin splints and stress fractures are quite interrelated in terms of their similar symptoms, their location, and their frequency in runners. Therefore, when you start Googling anything related to shins and running and pain, you get a very wide range of possibilities for the culprit. This would be the part of the story where I go straight to the worst case scenario, deciding not only that I have a stress fracture but that I can no longer run the Eugene Marathon and must resound myself to swimming and spinning for 6-8 weeks. Not only that, but I actually thought about how sad I would be to read other runner’s blogs and how I would need to try to stay positive in my own blogging. Oh, I also thought, “Maybe I’ll still be able to do the half? But then I’d be so depressed seeing people do the full…and why would my family come if I was only doing the half?”

Okay.

Yes, all those thoughts did go through my head.

No, I don’t have anything near a stress fracture.

Once I woke up this morning and regained a better grip on reality, I realized two things: It’s actually not running or impact that irritates this feeling in my shin (it’s flexing my foot), and I’ve had this pain before—and it definitely wasn’t a stress fracture then either.

After a little more logical and thorough investigation with my sports doctor known as Dr. Google, PhD., I got a little closer to what I think is going on.

Ready for some fancy name-calling? Tibialis Anterior Tendonitis. AKA: Really bad shin splints.

In a nutshell, one of the muscles on the front of my leg has some tendonitis, and it hurts to bend my foot.

So yes, it’s too bad and I’ll be taking all the proper precautions in the mean time, but no…it’s not the completely debilitating injury that my pre-bedtime brain decided it was.

Now, I know many runners are super hyper-aware about getting hurt, and understandably so. However, I do think there was a particular reason I so quickly and dramatically decided that this pain meant the worse case injury. You see, it was almost exactly one year ago to the weekend that I got hurt last year. I actually think it may have been the exact same weekend; I had run my half marathon PR, and like a really super smart person decided to run 9 miles the day after. Thus began the week-long downward spiral of my hip flexor, which ultimately would end up torn and disabling me from being able to walk, let alone run. I couldn’t even run 10 feet for a solid 2 months without my hip seizing in pain, and it would be 3 months before I could run more than a mile.

Those were fun times. No, actually they sucked. However, despite it all I did learn a lot about myself as a runner, and more importantly about my limits.

So, what does all this have to do with my panic attack about a stress fracture?

Well, I can’t be entirely certain, but I do think a part of my brain—that mysterious subconscious part that enjoys playing tricks on you—is in full-force protection mode right now in regards to injuries. Because last year my spring was so wholly down-trodden due to my limping gimp status, I think part of me is really bugged-out scared about the possibility of something like that happening again. And, sure, it’s for good reason—no one wants to get hurt—but for me that period of time is not entirely pleasant to think back to. I have such high hopes for this spring, for this upcoming marathon, and for the plans I have for the summer, and it cripples me to think of them going wrong.

As a runner, I do need to realize that injuries do happen—it’s all in the nature of the sport. I have internalized this, and I feel better prepared for if and when something happens again, but this little bout of panic I had last night made me realize that maybe I’m more afraid of it than I consciously think I am. I know I got through it last time, I know I could get through it again, but I also remember the feeling of disappointment that lasted for months. And that feeling is what I’m most afraid of. Disappointment in myself for not training smarter, disappointment in not being able to cross another marathon finish line, and overall disappointment in missing the glory of a good run.

So I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I’m feeling a bit vulnerable right now, and I know it’s because at this point—I do have a lot to lose.

And in reality, that’s a really good thing.

Sure it’s scary to think that one little slip up could take everything away, but I’m a big believer in the idea that it’s when you’re happiest that you tend to feel the most vulnerable. When you’ve built up a great deal of strength(both literally and figuratively) in your life, you cannot help but feel exposed and be fearful that all your hard work will come crashing down.

It is better to feel like you have something to lose rather than nothing to lose, though. When you have something to lose, in this case—training and mileage build up—it’s because you’ve put dedication into something; you’ve taken time and care into making something happen. The thought of those hours and grueling efforts going to waste is horrifying, but I think we/I should remember that they actually will never go to waste. Sure, if I were to get hurt, there would definitely be a loss in morale and my marathon registration fee, but it wouldn’t take away from the hours I’ve spent on the pavement, loving the feeling of running, and soaking in the greatness that is a runner’s high.

I’m going to try and remember this, as I nurse this pesky shin splint, but also as I think about the future of my running career. This momentary lapse in my better thinking made me realize that part of being a good runner is internalizing the fact that injuries happen, and I need to trust myself a little more. I’ve done everything I can to stay healthy, and if my body doesn’t choose to cooperate—well then, there really isn’t anything I can do about it.

Of course, as with most tough things, this mentality is easier said than done, but I am going to try and focus on the reality of being a runner instead of just the ideals of it.

Obviously running a PR in every race and having a great run every day would be awesome, but it’s not the nature of the beast. Sometimes, we need a little dose of fear to help us realize that running isn’t a submissive mistress. She keeps you on your toes, and you need to listen to her demands in order to maintain a steady relationship.

 

Icing, ibuprofen-ing, massaging, and resting until this bugger subsides. I’m considering waiting until later in the week to run again, but we’ll see how things go. Thanks for reading my attempts at narrating the complexities of my brain. Sometimes I feel like it’s trying to be an announcer for a 20-person trapeze show…not a cool task.

Questions: Tell me something fun about your weekend! Or, if you’re feeling deep, tell me about your thoughts on the psyche of injuries.

 

Fuel Failing, Personal Nights, and Ranting about Target

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Hello!

How’s it going? How was your weekend? Personally, I felt like it went a wee bit too quickly, but otherwise it was highly enjoyable.

I completed my second 20 mile run in two weeks on Saturday, and although conditions weren’t necessarily ideal, overall it went well and I finished a bit faster than last week.

I felt a general lack of fueling surrounding this run, and it took it’s toll a bit. In a very literal sense, my car was SO low on gas getting to my starting point down by the water, so that troubled my brain throughout the run.

“What if I run out of gas on the way home and I have to walk and I can’t walk because I will have just run 20 miles and then my legs will break and OMG OMG OMG.”

It’s amazing how we can distract ourselves with irrational thoughts, isn’t it?

Anyways, I also knew right off the bat that I hadn’t food-fueled well enough the night before. I had a bad stomach ache all day Friday, and so I wasn’t feeling too keen on a big carb-load that night. It took it’s toll though, because I woke up hungry, and although I ate a bit before going out I was feeling pretty empty earlier than anyone wants to on a 20 mile run. This also added to why my Gatorade supply (which was meager to begin with) diminished quicker than normal. You see, I’m not very responsible when it comes to fueling during a run, and I only bring water or a sports drink if my run is above 15 or so mile. Bad. However, I do think this helps my resilience to needing a ton of water/electrolyte replacement—on a normal day. Right? That makes total sense. This run was proved otherwise, though, and my liquid energy was consumed in flash.

And to add insult to an already fuel-less run, my iPod died around mile 13. On a normal run, this would have been no problem, and I would have gotten all existential and credited the universe with wanting me to pay more attention to my surroundings. Remember that hippy-dippy post?

But on long runs, the iPod is a bit necessary—both for motivation and distraction. However, I focused on the lovely scenery (I saw TWO bald eagles!) and I tried to maintain a consistent pace. My energy waves came in spurts, and although my legs were barking by the end, my last mile was 8 minutes flat, which I was very happy with.

{Admittedly, I think I was just happy to be done}

Anyways, total time was 2:47 for 20.24 miles. Approximately 8:15 miles…and given the fuel deprivation I would say I’m very pleased with this, especially after 20 miles last Sunday and 13 miles last Thursday.

Dear legs, thank you. You guys are the best.

Also, I would like to pay homage to my decision to take a rest day on Friday. It paid off big time, and I felt so much better than I know I would have during this beast of a run. I wish I could say that I was a stellar smart and prepared athlete who intentionally took that day off in lieu of the big weekend ahead, but truthfully it was an impromptu decision and happened to be the right one.

What’s the lesson? Scheduled rest days are good. Our bodies like them.

Along those lines, I’m starting to rethink my normal routine in terms of pre and post long run day regimen. I used to always take my rest days (or do an easy swim) the day after a long run, however I’ve recently been introduced to this concept of a “shake out” or “recovery” run, which I’m becoming a HUGE fan of. The idea is that you do a shorter, slow run the day after a long run to, quite literally, shake out your legs and get some blood flowing to your sore muscles. I’ve done this twice now, and I’m a big fan. I really like the excuse for some slow, leisurely running, and I do think it’s helping me recover faster.

And speaking of recovery, my favorite kind of recovery—the kind that requires ample food consumption and couch sitting—was it optimal form on Saturday night. BF attended poker night with some of his co-workers, and while I could have planned a fabulous Seattle nightlife outing with my friends, I knew I wouldn’t make it until 10 pm—therefore a Robyn Personal Night was in order.

I am very much someone who enjoys their own company, almost as much as the company of others. Don’t get me wrong—I love being around people, but there are sometimes when I relish being by myself for a night. And yes, I was the child who sang to themselves played alone on the playground and didn’t give a second thought about it. I really like to think I’ve gained some sociability since then, but nights like Saturday night indicate otherwise.

Allow me to give you a glimpse into what my perfect home-alone setting looks like:

Pajamas on before dinner

A Beecher’s grilled cheese and tomato basil soup {This is the best grilled cheese you will ever eat. If you don’t believe me, come to Seattle and I will buy you one myself.}

Bridesmaids

Blue Moon Spring Ale

US Weekly

A big sugar cookie

These ingredients, topping off a day spent at Target and Trader Joe’s, just about sums up my perfect Saturday. Lame? Totally. But I’m not ashamed. And the word “spent” above is very much pun intended. I went into Target to exchange a shirt for a different size.

That’s. It.

So what did I walk out with? The better fitting shirt…oh and a new dress, a new necklace (the dress needed a friend), another new shirt, bobby pins, and sport headbands.

DAMNIT TARGET.

It’s okay, this is why the Bull’s Eye Boutique made Friday Favorites a few weeks ago, and will continue to so long as it’s within my driving range.

I would just like to say that my receipt was $48.57, meaning I successfully defeated the infamous $50 minimum rule when leaving Target. Therefore I essentially won, and Target pretty much gave me all my new wonderful things. Oh, you’ve never heard of that rule? It’s real, and if you don’t believe me…next time you go to Target for one item, check out YOUR receipt once you walk out of the store.

So there you have it peeps. My idea of a perfect Saturday and an unplanned rant about Target and how it owns my soul.

This is cutback week, meaning my long run won’t be quite as daunting, which honestly I’m a little relieved about. I’ll see you before then, though, and I hope you had a merry weekend of your own.

Tell me about your weekend! What would your version of a Personal Night look like? Did you watch the Oscars? Did you do a long run? Do you have a horrible addiction to a chain store?

20 Miles, Witnessing a Murder, and All My Dreams Coming True.

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Yesterday morning at 8:04 am I started on a run. And not just any run, a long run. And not just any long run, a 20-mile long run. So, with my Gatorade-filled hand held bottle in hand, off I went…and two hours fifty minutes later, my face was covered in salty sweat and my legs were achy.

But I felt great.

This run was very encouraging, and despite the fact that I had to wake-up early on a Sunday and spend nearly three hours running, I really enjoyed it the whole time. The route, which was somewhat tricky to orchestrate, had a couple of out-and-backs which got a little tedious. Overall, though, it was scenic and pleasant as ever. There were also two golden doodles spotted on the route, and I have made the executive decision that I will own one of these fluffy bundles of love at some point in my life.

These big kahuna runs take ample prep work, both on the front end and back end, and I’m happy to say I would call it an overall success. (Prep work, also see: Eating half a loaf of bread.) I averaged 8:20 miles very comfortably, and although I started to feel it around mile 14 or so my legs are feeling pretty decent today. Planning on a 5-6 mile recovery trot this afternoon.

I was completely ZONKED last night though, and it took approximately 2 minutes for me to go from awake to a deep sleep once I hit the my pillow. I love that feeling though of running completely wiping me out, it’s kind of neat to see direct effects of hard work.

 

In other news, I witnessed a murder yesterday. A murder on the high seas, to be exact. And while I do have this hope that someday I will be at a crime scene that Dexter appears at to do a blood splatter analysis, this crime scene was definitely still cool.

While rounding the corner of the peninsula circa mile 10 or so, I saw a scuffle of seagulls in the water. They were all losing their seagull minds, and as I looked closer I saw a huge tail flop out of the water among the swarm of birds. Obviously I was going to watch at this point, and I’m glad I did. All of a sudden a HUGE sea lion head popped out of the water with a wing hanging out of it’s mouth! It was nuts…I didn’t even know that sea lions were interested in eating seagulls (don’t you think they’d be all gamey and tough?) but this beast was out for the kill. I think all the other seagulls were trying to rescue their victim friend. Alas,’twas too late.

 

Moving on.

Some BIG NEWS.

You guys, I can’t even begin to describe my excitement for what I’m about to tell you. I’ll give you a hint, it looks a little something like this:

An Irrelevant photo, but an EXCITED photo!

So, I am proud to announce that on Labor Day weekend this year, I will be running 13.1 miles through the magical world of DISNEYLAND!! Yes, indeed, I forked over more of my paycheck for this dream-come-true event which could quite possibly be the pinnacle culmination of all things I love in life. Seriously, I’m wondering if anything will ever live up to this. Doing a Disney race was part of the Running Wish List last December, therefore I’m glad to be on the right track to making some of those ambitions come true.

And the best part? BF is running it too!!!

Three of my favorite things in the world all coming together into one magical day. I can’t wait. Well, actually I’m going to have to wait…192 days to be exact. BUT I’m not sure if I’ve ever been more excited about a race. Forget a quality finishing time, I’m going to be too distracted by princesses and Mickey to focus on PR-ing.

BF and I at Disneyland 4 years ago. Don't worry Goofy, we'll be back soon!

 

So there you have it. Despite a sea life murder and some persnickety weather, this weekend was delightful. I hope your weekend was good, and hopefully you are enjoying a day off today. I am not, so please enjoy it even more for me!

And to leave you with a final note of something that made me smile yesterday:

Smart man that Voltaire.

Be happy. And have a wonderful start to your week!

 

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND?

Training for 26.2

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Hi!

Today, I thought I would talk a bit about the marathon training schedule that I followed, as I’m about to start it up again in the new year. As you may know, I was injured for 3 months before I started my marathon endeavor, so as I was deciding on a training routine—I was pretty careful to make sure that running wouldn’t take over all my time.

After recovering from being hurt (bad hip flexor strain) I knew that my body needed lots of different forms of exercise to keep it healthy. Running is a beneficial, fulfilling, and all around glorious sport, however it comes with a hefty “handle with care” caution tag. In order to stay a sane and injury-free runner, there are—in my opinion—three essential things to incorporate into your running routine: Yoga, Cross Training, and Rest.

–Yoga

Sure, you can consider this cross training, however I believe that practicing basic yoga at least once a week is essential for distance runners. Yoga offers your muscles a lot of relief from all the heavy impact of running, it helps prevent excessively tight leg/back/core muscles, and it centers your mind in the most deliciously peaceful way. It took me a long time to start liking yoga, but once I finally figured it out I can’t imagine my running routine without it. Plus, if you’re a runner, I can guarantee yoga will feel really damn good.

–Cross Training

When I was injured, I learned to love cross training, and I found that once I was out on the roads again, the muscles that I had strengthened from participating in other activities actually helped my running. Developing the smaller muscles around your big running muscles helps prevent injury and it can improve your flexibility and speed. I can honestly say that doing sprints in spin class helped with my marathon finish time more so than my long runs.

– Rest

Again, this realization took a while for me to come by, however resting from exercise is not only essential to preventing injury and burnout, but it makes you a smarter athlete. Even the most elite athletes and runners in the world still take a rest day to allow their muscles and minds to relax.

The fact of the matter is simple: if you never rest, you will burn out—and you don’t want burn out to come in the form of a sidelining injury.

 

Anyways, integrating these three essentials were very important in my marathon training. I got my 12 week training schedule off the internet, and tweaked it a bit to match my own timeline and mileage. With that said, a typical week in my schedule looked like this:

m: rest

t: 8-9 miles, lifting/core work

w: cross train and yoga

t: 10-12 miles, lifting/core work

f: cross train and yoga

s: 6 mile “shake out” run

s: long run (ranged 14-22 miles)

 

Now, keep in mind that when I designed my training program, I was already running a decently high weekly mileage (appx. 35-40 miles/week). Therefore, I was able to use a shorter training time frame (12 weeks as opposed to the standard 16-20), and I trained up to 22 miles instead of the more common 20 miles.

This schedule worked really well for me. I felt like I had a great balance of running and cross training, and because I wasn’t running 5-6 days a week (like some programs) I mostly enjoyed all my running days. I was fearful of starting to loathe my long runs, however by sandwiching them between a shake out run day and a rest day, I found that they were a fantastic challenge to look forward to each week. Sure, I had very little social life and they took a good 2-3 hours out of my Sunday, but in the end it was totally worth it.

So worth it, in fact, that I am currently in the stages of planning my next few marathons for 2012!

As of right now, I am planning on doing the Vernonia Marathon in April (a small race along a gorgeous course), potentially the Seattle Rock’ N’ Roll in late June, and the Bellingham Bay Marathon in September.

Wow, writing that down seems daunting.

However, I am really committed to establishing a competitive running routine. I’ve been an athlete and competitor my whole life, and running offers a great way for adults to still compete with others but mainly with themselves. I never plan on winning a race, however continuing to push myself, lower my times, and continue improving is incredibly rewarding and gratifying. Does it come without hardship, bad runs, self critique, or all around shitty experiences? Absolutely not. But the bad only makes the good that much better, and I’m a big believer that any experience is good experience.

Yes, even if it’s being forced to not run for 3 months after overdoing it.

We learn this way, and ultimately we become better runners.

Anyways, enough psychological jargon.

As I take on my next marathon, I am planning on actually increasing the distance of my long runs, and will perhaps train (gulp) past 26 miles. This is a training method used by some, and as long as I go slow and build even slower, I am thinking that this technique could work for me. I want to do the Seattle Rock’n’Roll just over 2 months after Vernonia, and I’m thinking the only way to do this successfully is to up my overall mileage.

We will see though, nothing is set in stone—and with the other distance races I have planned, who knows what will happen.

What marathon or half marathon training plans have you used? What were some successful side activities you did to help your training?

 

Sunday Funday

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I feel like yesterday’s post was a bit heavy in a Yoda of Running kind of way, so I thought I’d start today with some thoughts on a very important weekly event:

Sunday Funday.

Now, the term “Sunday Funday” was brought to my attention by BF, who would describe this holy day of the week (pun intended) as something like this:

Sweatpants, couch, football, eating, beer, football, beer, nap, football, repeat.

Snuggies are important for Sunday Funday. BF approves.

Maybe you’ve heard of it?

He and his friends have practiced a mean Sunday Funday through the past few years during football season, and while I can’t entirely understand it—I am big on once-a-week sanctioned events. I realized that I actually do have my own version of a Sunday Funday—but instead of the boy-version, mine involves running. Long running.

While most of my weekly runs would qualify as “longer,” it is specifically Sunday where I like to test my endurance with a steady high mileage run. I suppose I really started this when I was marathon training, as that’s how my program was set. However, I’ve sort of continued this routine post marathon—and I’ve found that there are innumerable benefits to taking a long run on a Sunday. Below, I’ve listed a top ten list of why it’s the best day of the week to strap on your shoes and hit the pavement:

1) Starting the week off right.

I feel like I tend to forget that Sunday is actually the first day of the week, technically. If I treat Sunday like a jumping off point instead of a slog-around fest where I avoid the inevitable reality of Monday, then I’m much less prone to resenting Monday. If I can jump into the work week feeling like I’ve already accomplished something big, then I’m all the more ready to take on whatever’s next.

2) Evaporating weekend indulgences.

I am a master of eating great throughout the week and then once the weekend hits, all bets are off. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing—reward systems can go a long way—however when my system that is used to fruits and veggies is filled with beer and cheese, I can go a little out of whack. I also have Ulcertive Colitis, which really tends to hate these sudden dietary switches. Sunday is a great day to sweat out the treats of the weekend and clear both your conscience and arteries of that extra brownie, or four.

Yes, that was me Saturday night. I have no shame—worth it.

3) Time.

There is really never another day of the week where you have the amount of leisurely time available to test yourself and see what your legs are made of. I’m personally used to scheduling my workouts between set time frames, and sometimes it’s very freeing to know that I have as much time as necessary to do one simple thing.

4) Saturday carbo load.

As if you needed an excuse.

5) Be with the people!

Tons of people, whether they’re training for a race or not, run/walk/meander around on Sundays, and it’s nice to feel like you’re out enjoying the day with them. If ever I want some entertainment on my runs, people watching and dog watching are among my favorite activities.

6) Be with the runners!

Kind of similar as before, but by seeing other runners out there, you are sure to be encouraged and inspired to be part of such a cool group of people. And I’m not being cocky or exclusive or anything like that, but the fact of the matter is that runners love other runners. Runners love to talk about running, give advice, listen to others, and generally they have a great energy and enthusiasm about them. Perhaps this is why non runners scoff at runners sometimes, but I know that there is really nothing quite like the classic runner-to-runner head nod exchange to keep my spirits high.

7) Be outside!

It’s so easy to stay couch-logged on the weekends; we’re overworked, tired, and just want to relax a lot of the time. But sometimes getting outside is just what we need to clear our heads of all work and stress related burdens. Running offers an opportunity to be outside and get exercise—both integral to regaining our sanity.

8) Good sleep before the week.

If you’ve garnered some extra energy over the weekend, sometimes Sunday night you’re prone to go to bed later, sleep restlessly, and then our Mondays are groggy and slow, which no one likes. If you can burn off some energy on Sunday, you are so much more likely to settle into a restful sleep that night and start the week off right!

9) Enough time for stretching, hydrating, and relaxing.

I cannot tell you how many times I promise myself to stretch more after my runs, or roll out on my foam roller, or do any of the standard post-run necessities. Problem is, once I’ve squeezed in all the minutes I can into my run and get back home, I need to shower and get to work asap…leaving no time for these easy but important things. With the flexible time on Sunday (for the most part), you not only get to take your time on a run, but you can also take ample time afterward to properly stretch all your big running muscles, take an ice bath (if necessary), and prepare a good recovery meal.

10) Football

In honor of BF, I will include football watching as the final reason for a Sunday long run. Once you’ve logged some solid, quality miles—you truly have earned the right to sit on your butt cheering for your favorite team.

There you have it! If you find yourself restless and antsy at the end of your weekend, I really recommend trying out switching your long run to Sundays. While I was in school, Sunday was by far my least favorite day of the week, but now that I am free of homework and able to orchestrate my Sundays more loosely, it might just be one of my new favorites 🙂

16 miles down, and ready for the week with a delicious bowl of chili. Makeup was very unnecessary today, clearly.

When do you do your long runs? Do you change it up every week, depending on other circumstances? What is your idea of a Sunday Funday?

Running for Fun

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I think it was Dean Karnazes who said in one of his books, “Running isn’t fun. It’s too hard to be fun.” He explains that it feels good, it’s refreshing, and the end result is worth the work; however, even for the most devoted runners, “fun” is never really associated with our sport.

As I was on my weekly long run yesterday, I began thinking about this notion of having fun while running. Sure, I often get “cravings” to be out running, and I always feel accomplished and content after I’ve finished a run.

But what about having fun while running?

As I brought this to the front of my mind, I decided that since I spend 2+ hours out of my Sunday running, maybe I should try to focus on the actual time itself instead of the before and after. I find that with running, we can get so consumed with all the things we do before (fueling, hydrating, getting enough sleep, proper attire, etc.) and after (re-fueling, stretching, relaxing) that sometimes the actual act of running itself gets lost. I believe wholly in preparing and debriefing a run properly, however I’m realizing that these specifics lose their significance if we don’t take time during our run to be present.

Kara Goucher, professional runner and all-around bad ass chick, has a fantastic quote that really resonates with me:

“Do the work. Do the analysis. But feel your run. Feel your race. Feel the joy that is running.”

I love this. Running, particularly competitive running, needs to be about numbers and analysis and scrutiny. However, in order for these specifics to be worthwhile and satisfying, we must recognize the momentary joys of running. Sometimes it’s as simple as listening to our own breath and dropping all other thoughts from our heads. I know personally I am prone to concentrating on tons of other things while on runs. My thoughts normally go something like this:

This pace feels fast…I wonder if I should slow down? I’ll see how long I can keep it up. But wait, I don’t want to get injured. Well, let’s see how I continue to feel. A fast run will warrant a good breakfast too. Hmm what should I have? And what should we make for dinner? I should probably go grocery shopping today. What all should go on the list…? Ah list! I have to finish yesterday’s to-do list. If I don’t send that check today it’s going to be late. Why’s that so hard for me to remember? I should be better about staying on top of things. There’s definitely parts of me that are Type A, but I don’t really want to totally be Type A. What do I normally say in interviews again about personality type?

Does this sound familiar?

Honestly, there’s nothing wrong necessarily with these types of mind distractions. Sometimes it’s helpful to concentrate on other thoughts, however I am starting to see this random back-and-forth way of thinking as a waste of a run. It sounds a bit cheesy and perhaps elitist, but I’ve realized that running provides a great opportunity for both mental clarity and serenity. Rarely do we get an opportunity away from our cars, tvs, computers, and smartphones where our only source of stimulation is our brains (and sometimes an iPod). We spend all day sorting through the busy thoughts that constantly fill up our brain space, so why should we let that clutter enter our running time?

I’m starting to think that if I’m able to push aside the heaviness of the daily grind while I’m running and focus on the present moment, the act and simplicity of running itself, then running just may become fun. I think it’s easy for us to simply say that running is our “me” time and our stress-reliever, however unless we consciously make an effort to relish, savor, and bask in our time spent running, we will not be able to fully appreciate the glories a run can hold.

Weekend Recap

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For better or for worse, I’ve never really been one of those people who dislike Mondays. For better, because the end of the weekend doesn’t necessarily bring me down, and worse—because my enthusiasm for a new week can be annoying for all the normal people out there.

Either way, it’s Monday, and I’m ready for it!

Today is a rest day, my first in a while, and I’m actually pumped about it. Normally on rest days I get a little restless and bored, but this one feels needed and I plan on taking full advantage of my scheduled laziness.

This past weekend was fabulous and filled to the brim with Seattle themed activities.

To begin…

Friday night, BF took me to a wonderful three-in-one date in downtown. For those of you who don’t know…three-in-one means drinks at once place, dinner at another, AND dessert at another. It’s a lot—hence why it rarely happens and hence why it was an exciting occasion. We weren’t celebrating anything particular, which I think took some of the normal big-date pressure off and made the night highly enjoyable.

Drinks were at an old bar, the Brooklyn, which included oyster shooters (yum?) Dinner was at a fancy shmancy place in Pikes Place Market where the menu is always changing according to the local grub they have available in the market. Needless to say—it was awesome and wayy more than our $10-thai-food palettes ever experience (Hooray giftcards! Thanks BF’s sister!) Dessert was at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory where we each decided on two things to complete our fabulous night as lushes.

Look at us! We're classy!

Saturday morning included a double spin session which I  typically do once a week. It’s exactly as it sounds…two spin classes in a row…and it’s a fantastic sweat session which tests endurance as well as speed. The classes are normally different, and so all different spinning muscles get a great workout. By the end, my shirt and body are covered in sweat, but it’s a great refreshing feel.

Tip: If you are attending two spin sessions in a row, drink more water during the first class than you normally would and take a little walk around in between classes—it helps get you ready for the second class.

The rest of Saturday was relaxing—filled with Starbucks, reading, tons of grocery shopping, and finished with a trip down to my alma mater to see a dance performance with some friends.

New Runner's World and coffee..nothing better. Oh wait, and Christmas cups..double win.

Sunday morning traditionally consists of a long run (for both BF and myself) and then we rendezvous for bagels afterward. It’s a great routine, and helps make the long early morning miles much more worth it. Anyways, yesterday I wanted to do two things: Run for two hours and take on the biggest hill in our West Seattle neighborhood. I’m normally someone who has their route very mapped out and planned two days before a run, however on Sunday I was a little at a loss of exactly what to do—so I decided to just start my watch and see where my feet took me.

By the end, I managed to accomplish both my goals (with an additional 9 minutes) and had knocked out 15 miles—the furthest since my marathon! I had finally defeated the hill that has scared me ever since we moved here, and it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Side Note: I’m the BIGGEST baby about hills.

The rest of the day was relaxing, with more Starbucks, crossword puzzles, a Target trip, football, and a mega huge chocolate cookie from my favorite bakery. It was a good day, and yes—my boyfriend and I are prone to acting like an 80 year old couple. Whatever.

Anyways, now it’s Monday…my calves are still a bit knotty from yesterday, and I’m looking forward to a great week.

 

How was your weekend? Any crazy/fun/exciting/delicious/lazy/etc adventures to recap? Tell!