Me vs. the heat and humidity

"Whine, whine, whine." No, that wasn't a dog, that was me.

Me + heat = Big Wimp.

I honestly did not care one iota that I stopped to walk during my run today. I was a happy wimp.

That is until the runner-out-of-nowhere showed up again. I was really hoping it wasn't one of his run days, or that he had run earlier. Or at least if he did show up, that it would be while I was running and not walking. I did do a lot of running during my run, after all.

I kept checking behind me, but there was no sign of him. Then, just when I thought it was safe and I could walk along happily with no guilt, I heard something. Oh no, don't tell me, I thought and turned around to look. Sure enough, there he was, about 200 yards behind me, this time with his dog. He had caught me. Again. And I'm sure he had a nice little chuckle to himself when he saw me turn around to look, then immediately start running again. I really was planning to run again, I was! Just not right...then.

I could hear him coming and cringed at how quickly he was gaining on me. I tried as discreetly as I could to pick up my pace, but it was no use, next thing I knew he and his Doberman Pincher were whizzing past me. I think I even felt a breeze. He's a guy, and guys can naturally run faster, I told myself. But um, he should have at least felt like it was even the tiniest bit of challenge to overtake me, instead of feeling like he was flying past some inanimate object.

This time I wasn't about to give him an excuse for my walking-until-he-saw-me stunt, because I'm sure he wouldn't have bought it this time. So in response to his, "Good morning," I simply said the same, maybe a little too cheerfully.

All joking aside, one thing is for sure-- I need to start getting up early enough to run before taking my daughter to school, now that it's heating up here in Florida.Then again, Mr. Whiz-Past-Me and his Doberman might miss me. ;-)

By the way, I found out recently about another 5K race that will be on May 19, and this time it will be right down the road from my house! It's at a Golf and Country Club. I drove by there and it looks like it will be a really nice area to run in. I need to find out where the route will be, though, as the link to the map on the website doesn't seem to be working. I'd really like to start practicing on the race route.

Hopefully my motivation will pick up a little more soon, too. I seem to be going through a phase right now where I'm not quite as motivated as I was. Maybe it's because the "newness" of being back to running has worn off a bit now? Today I just didn't care that I had stopped to walk, which is not like me. Hopefully it will pass and I'll be back to my old self soon.

Challenges.

Wouldn't it be nice if there were no challenges in life? If everything was a breeze and reaching your dreams was a walk in the park?

But then again, where would the victory be in that? You might win, but it would feel... empty. Shallow.

And you wouldn't learn anything, either. Challenges and adversities teach us things about ourselves. It brings the yucky stuff to the surface. Do you tend to be lazy? Try exercising on a consistent basis. You'll find out just how lazy you are. Then you have a decision to make. Keep being lazy? Or change?

Do you tend to give up easily? Do you get excited about something, do it for awhile, then give up when it starts to get a little tough? Try to do something that you've never done before, especially if it's outside your comfort zone, and you'll find out real quick just how much you're willing to stick things out.

The challenges that we face when we try to do something new are what present us with an opportunity to change, or not. If we are willing to change, we can continue pursuing--maybe even reach or achieve--our goal or dream. If we aren't willing to change, however, we will stay right where we are: not meeting our goal, not achieving our dream. There's an old saying: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." But there's a variation on that that I like even better: "When the going gets tough, the tough get tougher." Being tough is tough. Not being tough is... well, easy.

Yesterday and today, running was tough again. Just when I thought it was getting easier, my right shin made it impossible to run further than a half a mile yesterday. Then today, it was hard running 3.1 miles again, and not because of my shin. It was doing better. It was just harder to run today, and hotter. During the last stretch of mile two, it started to get really tough. I pushed myself, giving myself a pep talk, but then finally I didn't care about the pep talk anymore. I stopped to walk and had no plans to start running again. I was going to enjoy walking the rest of the way, thank you very much. I came up with some pretty good reasons...er, excuses, too: my legs felt stiff; my right shin was better but probably didn't need to be pushed; I'm not running in the 5K race on Saturday, anyway, so what does it matter?

Then, surprise! A runner came whizzing past me from behind. I wasn't expecting it, since, in the area where I run most of the time, it's usually just me and the deer. As soon as I recovered from being startled, feelings of guilt washed over me and I blurted out to him with a laugh, "My body just isn't up to running today." He turned his head slightly to one side and smiled in acknowledgement, waved a quick wave, and ran on. I watched him for a moment, then started running again. I just couldn't take it. Another runner was running past me and I was walking. I ran behind him for awhile, at about the same pace, then he--being from the neighborhood behind me--turned and ran back past me again, and I felt proud then, even if I was scrunching up my face in agony. I kept running and finished out the route. I admit, though, it was a happy moment of relief when it was time to stop and walk again.

On the cool-down walk home, I found myself fighting self-doubts. Why am I putting myself through this? Is it really worth it? Do I really want to keep running, especially with the Florida summer heat approaching?

And the answer is, Yes, because I want to. Deep down, it's my passion, despite the harder days and the setbacks along the way that threaten to make me forget that passion. And because I need to, because it teaches me things about myself, things I need to change.

Starting to get easier.

Yesterday morning I ran another 3.1 miles, and for the first time, it felt a little easier. It finally began to feel shorter and not such a long haul. What a great feeling. It gave me hope that maybe I'm not so nuts for doing this after all; that toughing it out when you don't feel like it really, really does pay off.

I ran a different route this time, and it was a nice change of pace. It was a bit hillier, and the scenery was beautiful.

As for the 5K race this coming Saturday, I am thinking now of skipping it after finding out what the temperature is supposed to be that day. 85 degrees Fahrenheit for a high, and the race is at 4:30pm. Toughing it out is one thing. Being smart is another. I don't feel that I'm ready to fight that kind of heat just yet. Maybe once I have a few more months of running under my belt. But right now, no.

I won't count it out entirely until closer to that time, since forecasters are known to be way off at times.

Happy running, my friends (or walking, or swimming, or bicycling, or whatever your thing is). :-)

3.3 miles

I have been wondering lately if I need to start focusing more on building my endurance. I seem to be able to run up to 2.2 miles without much difficulty, but beyond that, it starts to get hard. I have been concerned more with building speed up to now, but I think I'm going to shift from that to working on endurance for awhile.  Then once I have more endurance, I'll work on my speed, at least while I'm still only running in 5K races. Eventaully I'd like to build up to longer distances. 8K first, then 10K, then a half-marathon. I don't know if I'll ever want to do a marathon, but that's mainly because right now, just running 5K seems tough enough to me. LOL.

I'll build my endurance by running more longer runs, but at a slower pace. Maybe run four days per week instead of my usual three, and possibly even build up to running five days per week. We'll see how it goes. I'll probably only do two longer runs this upcoming week, though (at the beginning of the week), since I'll need to taper off for the 5K race next Saturday (April 28).

Today I ran 3.3 miles (a little over 5K), and it was a tough run. It was an evening run, and since it's pretty warm here right now, the heat didn't help. At one point, it felt like my heart was doing something funny, so I checked my pulse and it was definitely too fast--it was racing--so I slowed my pace for awhile to give my heart rate a chance to slow down some.

Then my legs started to feel so heavy during about the last half mile. I kept telling myself to pick my feet up, because every now and then I would "shuffle." No tripping allowed, I also told myself. It can be bad for your running health.

At one point, the only reason I kept going was because of my nice little self-pep-talk. I noticed something, too. When I focused on the negative aspects of how I felt, it seemed much harder to keep going. But when I told myself I was strong, that I could do this, that 3.1 miles was easy, that I could make it to the fire hydrant, to the gate, to that corner, to the creek bridge... I would literally feel my body getting stronger, and it would seem easier. Not easy, mind you, but definitely easier.

To my runner friends out there who might be reading this: What do you do during your tough runs to help motivate you?

Tired can be just an illusion

I like the above quote, especially the part that says, "Do the thing you think you cannot do." This morning I felt tired and didn't want to go for a run. I really didn't think my body was up to it, but the weather forecast this morning was calling for a good chance of rain this evening and into tomorrow morning, so I figured I'd better go ahead and run and not have to deal with the rain.

I even put it off when I got back home. Had some more coffee, sat at the computer, had a snack, drank a tall glass of water, went pee, then finally got suited up to run. Funny, once I was suited up, I suddenly felt much more ready to run. Out the door I went, not sure how it would go. The brisk warm-up walk gave me no clue. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do today... try to run 3 miles? Do one-mile splits and work on my speed, as I had read recently was supposedly good to do?

I decided, once again, to just run and see what my body wanted to do. Turns out, my body was VERY ready to run today! I felt strong and light on my feet. It felt GREAT. So the decision was made for me -- I would run as fast as I felt comfortable running, for at least a mile. So much for being tired, that was just an illusion. I wound up running the first mile at a 9:30 pace, which is my fastest mile yet! At that point, my body was ready to take it a little easier, so I walked/ran/walked the rest of the 2.2 mile route (which is all I had time for this morning, since I had put it off for as long as I did).

Lesson learned: Don't let a "tired feeling" fool you. Get out there and run, and see what your body really wants to do.

If the rain isn't too bad tomorrow morning, maybe I'll try another run (3 miles at a moderate pace, maybe?), since today was such a short one, then skip Friday and do my long run on Saturday.

Even Zombies Can Run

Who says you can't run when you're feeling like a zombie? Despite having a very difficult time getting out of bed and feeling awful and going into auto pilot mode to get myself dressed and take my daughter to school, I still went for a run when I returned home.

It actually wasn't too hard to motivate myself to do it. My body was craving it. I thought about going back home and crawling back into bed, but my desire to run was greater. So as soon as I got home, I suited up and headed out the door for a nice 2.1 mile run. It was a slower pace because of how I felt, but it still felt so good, and afterward, I felt a whole lot less like a zombie. By late this afternoon, however, a nap became a necessity, so I sent my daughter up to her grandma's (she lives on the same property) and crawled into bed for 40 minutes of blissful sleep.

I would love to just rest tomorrow, but I'm thinking I need to at least do the IronStrength workout. Then Wednesday I think I'll try for a 3-mile run at my usual training pace. On Friday, I want to try for a longer run, maybe 4 miles, which will be my longest run yet.

Race Day! Don's Friends 5K

Sprinting to the finish!

(Thought about trying to beat the girl in front of me, 
but figured not passing out was the better option, haha)

Crossing the finish line! 

(Enlarged so you could see the time)

The beautiful scenery that I was all too happy to enjoy after the race

Ever feel like where you really want to be is soooo far away? I want to be faster already. Heck, I want to be the first woman to cross that finish line already. But wanting and getting there are two very different things. Wanting it is easy. Doing what it takes to get there is the hard part. And having patience is even harder.

Today was a baby step in the right direction, at least. I finished the race without stopping and ran my personal best. Time: 31:21. Pace: 10:06. I wanted to run it in 31 minutes flat, and came within 21 seconds of that, so not too bad, I guess. Though if I had known I was within only 21 seconds of it, I might have pushed just a little bit harder. Funny, though, how running 21 seconds faster can feel like climbing Mount Everest when just continuing to run seems so hard.

I admit to feeling more RELIEF than anything else when crossing the finish line, because at that point, I.just.wanted.to.stop.running! LOL. One day, I just know it will get easier.

My next 5K Race is only two weeks away! Maybe with some hard work, I'll be able to come in under 31 minutes. We shall see.

2 Days 'til Race Day ~ Elliptical last night, Tough run this morning

I made a last-minute decision last night to do the elliptical, and was surprised at how easy it was this time! I had to go pretty fast to feel like I was getting any kind of workout at all. Made me realize how much stronger my legs have gotten since running again.

It had been awhile since I had done the elliptical since I had been doing the IronStrength workout. This week, however, I decided to forgo the IronStrength workout, since it takes a lot out of me and I wanted to take it easier this week to prepare for the 5K race on Saturday. I'll resume it next week for sure.

This morning I ran 1.4 miles. When I first started out, I was debating how far I should run. Should I try to get in one more 3.1 mile run 2 days before the race, since I've only run 3.1 miles once so far since returning to running? Would that make it easier or harder to run 3.1 miles on Race Day? I wasn't sure. All I knew is what I had "heard" that it is better to taper off the week before a race. I wondered, however, if that only applied to those who were already running longer distances.

I decided just to run and see how I felt. My body gave me the answer. It was screaming at me to take it easier, as my breath was a bit labored and my legs were stiff, so take it easier I did. I almost stopped at a mile, but pushed myself to run a little bit further and did 1.4 miles. Afterward my shins were hurting again, but nothing too terrible.

Tonight, foam rolling it is. Tomorrow, rest (as much as possible).

And supposedly, I should be "carb loading" leading up to the race. I'm not sure how necessary it is for a 5K race, but I'll do it anyway and see if it helps.

Tonight's dinner: Kraft Deluxe 4-Cheese macaroni and cheese with tuna, and fresh steamed broccoli. Tomorrow's breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins; eggs with cheese (I must have cheese on my eggs or I can't eat them)
Lunch: A chef salad with croutons and pita bread crisps.
Dinner: A big plate of spaghetti with a lean meat sauce; garlic bread; salad.

I also read that the morning of the race, it's best to eat something low in fiber yet high in carbs (so you'll retain water and stay hydrated), so I'll probably do a banana with peanut butter and some milk. And of course plenty of water far enough in advance to allow enough time to empty my bladder before the race.

4 Days 'til Race Day ~ 2.2 Miles and a lesson about fuel

Today I wasn't sure at first if I was going to run another 3.1 miles or not, but my shins gave me the answer, so 2.2 miles it was. I had wanted to start tapering down to prepare for the 5K Race on Saturday anyway and had originally planned to only run 2 miles today, but being the stubborn girl that I am, I wanted to see if I could do more.

It was an easy to run this time. At no point during the run did I have to give myself a pep talk. My shins did hurt at first and my legs felt a little tight, but not for the entire run, at least. In fact, I increased my pace for about the last mile, and sprinted near the end. My shins began to hurt again something fierce afterward, but it wasn't too long before the pain began to subside (after some good stretching). And I am pretty sure it was a much easier run because I ate a banana beforehand. The last time I did that, it was an easy run. Coincidence? Maybe. But I have a bad habit of not properly fueling for my runs, and I think I've been paying for it.

Thursday I will try my best to only run a mile in order to give my shins every fighting chance for a good run on Race Day.

Run day 19 ~ Back in the game!

Today was finally "the" day. The one I've been longing for since the injury that put me out of running several months ago. The day I would be able to run 5K again without stopping. What an awesome feeling it was to know that I am finally back in the game, and much sooner than I originally thought I would be. 19 days of running and I'm there. Wow.

It was another evening run. Thankfully a cool front moved in a couple of days ago, so the heat was much more bearable. I was hoping for an easy run after taking two days off to rest, but at less than a mile, I wanted to stop. I couldn't believe it. Thoughts crossed my mind like, "You must be nuts. Why are you doing this? Why are you putting yourself through this? Just stop already and go home. This is no fun." But I ignored those thoughts and just kept going. There was no way I was wimping out. No siree. I wanted today to be the day I ran 5K, and I knew my body was probably ready.

So out came my tougher side, and the pep talk commenced:

- "If that woman can run 100 miles (there's a woman on DailyMile who recently ran in in the Umstead100--have I mentioned her?), then you can run 3.1 miles. No problem."
- "3.1 miles is easy. It's nothing. Think of all those people who see 3.1 miles as an easy warm-up run."
- "One foot in front of the other. Just keep running."
- "Your legs aren't hurting. Nothing is hurting. You aren't out of breath. Keep going. You can do it."
- "Focus on the finish line, on how good you'll feel once you get there."
- "Push yourself. C'mon. Unless you're about to pass out or die, just keep running."
- "You're in the home stretch. C'mon, don't give up now. You would kick yourself if you got this close and then gave up."

At one point I tried to take my cell phone out and play a game of bowling. Bad idea. I promptly closed my phone and put it away. I don't know if it's just me, but I can't focus on much of anything else when I need to keep running and I don't feel like it. I think I do want to get an ipod, however. That's right folks, I do not own an ipod. "Rawr." (That was a Tyrannosaurus.)

I love what running can teach you, if you let it. To get the job done, even when you don't feel like it; push yourself beyond what you "think" you can do. To not be a wimp; not give up; to practice delayed gratification. To think ahead to the end result, instead of focusing on the uncomfortable here and now. The rewards are so worth it, too. It gives you more confidence in yourself, strengthens your resolve, and gives you a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, just to name a few.

I look forward to Race Day on Saturday with more confidence now. I know I can cover the distance if I just push myself. Now it's just a matter of how fast. Today I did it in 33 minutes, 30 seconds. I hope to do it in 31 minutes on Race Day.

Tuesday will be my next run day, and I'll taper back down to 2 miles, then 1 mile on Thursday. I want to have well-rested legs on Race Day. I'm pretty sure the reason my shins were giving me a problem before is because I was trying to increase my weekly mileage a little too soon.

Run Day 18 ~ Today wasn't the day

Today wouldn't be "the day" I would run 5K without stopping, though I wanted it to be. I overslept, then hurried out the door with just enough time to get in 2.2 miles. The good news is, I ran the whole 2.2 miles without stopping, and in 24 minutes. It was an easier run today, though not easy by any means, as my shins were sore. Then tonight, the bottom part of the shin muscle--where it runs down into the foot--was hurting immensely on both legs/feet. Tennis ball rolling up and down those muscles seemed to help, but the lower part of the shin muscle still hurts on the right leg/foot.

I have to wonder if I have been trying to do too much, too soon. As much as I don't want to, I think I will rest from running tomorrow and Saturday to give my muscles plenty of time to recover. That will still give me three more runs before race day.

Run Day 17 ~ Practice Run of 5K Race Route

The pier in the above picture will be the starting point for Don's Friends 5K Run I plan to run in (God willing) on April 14. The run won't be on the beach; rather, it will start in the parking lot of the pier and follow along one main road near the beach as well as a couple of side roads. Either way, it is a beautiful place to run, and I can't wait. Yesterday morning (Tuesday), I went there to do a practice run. My original plan was to be there early, but I wound up not making it until 11:00am. I dropped off my daughter first at my brother's house not far from there. It was getting pretty warm by then, and a bit humid. This time I was prepared for the heat with a water bottle.

The water bottle helped (I didn't drink it, just used it to cool off), but only a little. It was one of my tougher runs. After only running about a mile, I had to stop to walk for a bit and recover, then run again.  I was also interrupted three times by urgent phone calls related to a family matter, which forced me have to stop and walk each time. I had another challenge along the way as well, but I didn't let it get to me, I just told myself there will be challenges and you have to work through them. Challenges are good, they teach you to expect the unexpected, and not let them trip you up.

When I saw that I had about a mile left to go (based on the race map), I gritted my teeth and made myself run faster. Everything in me wanted to stop, but I made myself keep going. Drivers turning onto the side roads were very courteous to me and would stop to wait for me to run across before turning. Maybe because they saw the sweat pouring off of me and felt sorry for me. LOL.

I finished the 5K route in about 38 minutes. I say "about" because I was so happy to be at the finish line, that I completely forgot to look at the time. I looked at it not longer after that, however, so I estimated.

Not too bad, I guess, considering the challenges. My goal right now is to finish the 5K race on April 14 in 31 minutes flat. Maybe even 30 minutes if I'm at my very best that day. My hope is that I will continue to get stronger with my runs this week and at some point conquer that last six tenths of a mile or so and run 5K without stopping. I believe I can do it. Tomorrow morning will be my next run, which I'll probably do from home before my husband goes to work. It's too bad I live so far away from the race route, or I would be doing more practice runs there. Hopefully I'll be able to run it at least one more time before race day.

Run Day 16 ~ 2.4 miles and counting...

Yesterday evening I went for my next run. Normally I don't run on Sundays, but to prepare for the 5K race two Saturdays from now, on April 14, I decided to change up my running schedule starting this week.

I really had to push myself this time. It was much warmer, and apparently I don't handle heat all that well. But this new much less wimpy girl dug deep and was willing to risk going too far. My legs were tightening up and I was really hot.

At about a mile and a quarter, having had to push myself as it was, I had to literally say to myself, "Run to the next mailbox," and I'd run to that one, then the next one, and so on until I just didn't think I had any more in me. Then I saw the canal bridge ahead and said to myself, "Now run to that canal bridge. C'mon, you can do it. Just to the bridge," and when I got to the bridge, I told myself to run to the end of it (that happens to be a particularly wide canal), at which point I stopped to walk and felt like flopping over into the grass, but of course kept walking, and tried to keep my walking at a fast pace until I was ready to run again.

My goal from here to Race Day is to cover an entire 5K distance each time I run, even if I have to walk part of it. All total, I wound up running 2.4 miles, and walked only .7 mile. Progress!

Sometime this week I plan to run the route of the race. I may have to do it with my daughter in the stroller since she is off from school for Spring Break and it is too far away to go do it before my husband does to work or even after he gets home, but it's a flat and mostly straight route, so it shouldn't be too hard.