Steve's Ramblings

Four miles! It’s hard to believe but it wasn’t that bad. It was just over 20 degrees this morning when we started, almost 30 when we finished, so the temp wasn’t much of a big deal. There were more people out this week than last, and I talked to some new folks that I had seen but not talked to previously. It’s just after 9 AM and I’m already home and cooling off.

We started with a long downhill run — more than a mile. After a long flat stretch, a few small hills then another small downhill as we backtracked over the small hills. One long uphill stretch and we were half way. There was a water stop at the halfway point – a good break from running. Then, a sloping downhill / flat section for the next full mile. That mile was the best yet. I ran and talked to Jeff, the beau of a co-worker (but I just met him today). We chatted during the entire mile (and during most of mile 2). It was the furthest each of us had run previously. and the mile felt good. A few short walking periods during the final mile (like up the last hill) allowed a strong finish.

Prep today included eating a few slices of hearty bread, one with strawberry jelly. That worked well for me — I’m not starving and the water I drank beforehand was a huge help.

All in all, I felt good about the run today (especially the 3rd mile). I am getting stronger with each run and recovering faster. I’m encourage since I have the same distance to run next Saturday – and I have proven that I can cover that mileage!

This was a good week. After recovering on Sunday, Monday’s 3-miles was do-able. I walked some, but mostly changed the treadmill to stay at .5% grade and kept my speed under 6MPH. I’m trying to keep at 5.8 or 5.9 during the runs, knowing that if I do, I must push myself to keep running and not walk. I actually ran about 3.25 miles on Monday – figuring the 1/4 mile was my total walking.

Wednesday, I didn’t make the mistake of running outside at night like the previous week. I have kept up with the training schedule about 95% — just the one day of outside running that was a shorter distance than anticipated. I am still nursing shin splints on my left leg — trying to figure out how to let that heal. From talking to several experts, they think that as I tire, I tend to pronate (my foot tends to turn in / become flatter). Well since I have been increasing my distance, I am tired and can buy that. I need to purchase a set of cheap arch supports for my left shoe before Monday to see if that will help.

Today is four miles… it’s a warm 20 degrees currently — so will be similar to last week. I do need to add a hat (I forgot it last week), just to help keep the sweat out of the eyes. It’s really hard to believe how much you can sweat at 20 degrees, but the body is an incredible engine — warming quickly then moderating it’s own temperature by the above mentioned sweat. Thank God for the shower afterwards!

Gotta run and figure out how to dress! Another experimental week…

Tough run — a few periods of walking but I made the three miles. I’m still fighting the sinus thing but it seems better when I run. Everyone was COLD today, so starting slowly was the best plan. I did eat before running (a bagel), about an hour before taking off. That was a huge help. So, going forward, I will do the same when I run outside.

I have noticed the number of runners has decreased since the 2nd week. I think that many people are finding that this is tougher than they thought it would be — probably due to the quick ramp up of distance. 1,2,3,3,4,4,5 miles in the first 7 weeks. Today was the last of the 3-milers — up to four next week. God help me…

Tough week… Monday was 2 miles. Inside, on the treadmill. No biggie after Saturday. I ended up going further, about 3 miles in all, but the last mile was mostly walking. Wednesday I attempted to run outside – that was a mistake I think. I actually ended up working 12+ hours on Tuesday and was just beat. So, I skipped the gym Wednesday AM and headed there at 4:45. All I can say is packed, packed, packed. Every treadmill, elliptical and bike was in use. I lifted (arms) and decided to head outside to run. It was very cold and I didn’t stretch as much as I should have, so it was a hard run. I really didn’t know how far I had run until I mapped it out. It was just under 2 miles with several periods of walking. Not good for my distance. Thursday, I walked on the treadmill, but did end up running a bit (about a mile). I felt better running, but wanted to drop back to walking per my training schedule.

Today, it’s another 3-miler. This will be tough since right now it’s a brisk 17 degrees – but might warm to the mid 20’s by 8:00. The cold air makes it really hard to breath, and it makes my nose run wild. I have been fighting a sinus / cold thing all week, but am determined to run through this today. If I survive, I’ll post after the run to document how it went. If this is the last post, I died along the way… Ha!

This past week, I stuck to the schedule perfectly. I ran when I was supposed to (including the distance), and rested when I was supposed to. Yesterday was the challenge of a 3-mile run.

The ramp up in distance is huge (1 mile, then 2, then 3 over just two weeks), so the challenge was before me. The weekly distances were 2 miles Monday, 2.5 miles on Wednesday, walk / cross-train on Thursday, and then 3 miles on Saturday. 2 miles – not bad. 2.5 miles were mostly running (over 2 1/4 miles before walking then finishing with a run), but three?!? Personally, I thought they were nuts.

Our training location is very different from the real 10K course. The 10K consists of a flat course that may turn left or right or make a sweeping u-turn over a flat road. Our YMCA sits at the top of a hill. Turn left, you go downhill. Turn right, you go downhill. While downhill is good, it means that you have to end with a long uphill run. When you are also running the longest you have in almost 25 years, it is not the preferred way to finish.

Yesterday, it was a cold morning – just under 30 degrees at our 8:00 AM start. I started strong although felt like walking after less than a mile. Of course, I kept pushing through the distance since much of what was behind me at that point was downhill. This, of course, translates into an uphill return. After about 1.5 miles, I had to walk for a bit to blow my nose — as with most people, cold weather makes my nose run. I again started running. All in all, I walked a total of 3 or 4 times. One good thing is that I walk quickly so almost no one passed me on those walking stints. After walking part of the final hill, I finished strong and at about 15 in the pack of 75 or so. I was pleased overall, but know there is more work to do.

This week calls for 2 miles on Monday (we’re supposed to feel like this should be easy by now), and 2.5 miles on Wednesday. This duplicates the previous week and is supposed to help our endurance. Saturday is another 3 miles. Let’s hope that the cold weather continues since that is much easier to run in once my body “engine” warms up.

3 weekly runs down, 7 more prep runs to go before the 10K. I know that the 10K should be easier for me than in any year past due to my preparation, and am looking for a personal best time that blows away previous times. Preparation is the key. As a friend told me yesterday before we ran, passing the final exam is much easier if you actually attend class and do the homework!

The mid-week workouts are basically Monday – repeat Saturday’s distance; Wednesday – go further than that; Thursday – change to cross-training of some sort such as elliptical. Sunday, Tuesday and Friday are rest days. The rest on Tuesday seems weird to me since that is a normal gym day for me. This week, I lifted on Tuesday and rested on Friday. Since I wasn’t on the treadmill on Tuesday, I did both arms and upper body the same day. Ouch! DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness. That was me on Wednesday and Thursday. My pects (aka Man Boobs) hurt like hell Wednesday and Thursday. On Monday and Wednesday, I ran / walked on the treadmill way further than my program called for, and topped 650+ calories on each of those days.

Yesterday, we did our long weekly run outside. After a very brief discussion, it was a 2-mile day. The morning was crisp – in the upper 30s to start (it was
I ran the first mile with a bit of effort, but kept going for another quarter mile or so before starting to walk. I do walk quickly, so didn’t lose much of my place in line. I picked back up running again until the hill – then walked to the top and finished with almost 1/2 mile run. All in all, I felt good about both my effort and the fact that I was about the 12th fastest in the novice group. Monday, I will have to do 2-miles on the treadmill, so I will have to see how that goes.

I am determined that this training will not kill me – I will push myself physically – further than I have since high school. I am not as mentally tough or as physically strong as I was then, and many pounds heavier. However, I have done more physically in the past 12 months than in the prior 20 years. After the first few months, my weight hasn’t drastically changed at all. But, I do have less fat and significantly more muscle than I did a year ago. A few changes to my eating need to occur (like bringing lunch and eating oatmeal for breakfast). So, this next 9 weeks will help get that kick started. I don’t want to be lugging this weight around for 6+ miles on March 31st!

Well, I have joined the local YMCA’s Team in Training program to prep for the 10K on March 31st. During the first weekly workout session, it was almost all talk and a very short run. However, that changes quickly.

30 minutes of discussion about what works and what doesn’t, what to wear (high level), and what not to wear (headphones during the weekly runs). After all, it’s about teamwork, and you cannot get that if you have music blaring in your ears. Also, it’s harder to hear people in the back or front of the group yelling about a car coming. However, during the indoor mid-week runs, my music will be blasting away on the treadmill. So, after the discussion, we did a 1-mile run. I finished the entire mile running and not walking at all. I actually think it was less than a mile, meant to motivate you in the first week. There are over a hundred people in the novice group, including several that I know well outside of the Y or know to say hello to in the Y. I don’t think that all of the people will complete the program, but I will!

On to the mid-week workouts!