Mogathon 2012

In a push to get active again, about six weeks ago, I found myself signing up for the Mogathon again. I have really enjoyed it the last couple of years and decided to sign up along with my friend, Arleen. It was really nice to have someone to run with! We did our best to get together once per week leading up to the event to run together. I definitely felt my endurance increase over the weeks, but I don't know if we ran a single training 5K in less than 35-40 minutes. We would get winded or get cramps, or just feel kind of lazy.  We didn't really push ourselves.

Today we ran our 5K in 33:26!  We definitely pushed, and the excitement of the crowd around us was enough to keep us going.  We only walked through the water stations and one quick walk up a particularly daunting hill at about the 3.5K mark.  I am proud of us!

My talented hubby was on hand to cheer us on, and take some quality photos.  Here we are at the starting line, feeling fresh.  Though I have to say, for some reason when we first started moving and hardly begun running I got a sharp pain in my left hip.  Thankfully it eased off as I pushed through it.

Here we are heading for the finish line.  It was a very warm day today.  It was 15C by 7am, and I am sure that by the time we finished running it was probably close to 20C.  The shady spots were so nice, but the last kilometer was tough, as there wasn't much for shade and I was getting tired.  A few moments of nausea passed quickly so I was able to finish strong.

The water stations were fun.  Especially the 80s aerobics themed one.  The teenagers in spandex doing aerobics and cheering us on was worth a smile.  I loved the misters they had along the path.  I wish there would have been more than 2 of them to run through, but that one at the 3km was very appreciated!  I also was happy with the ice water sponges.  That was a refreshing treat once I started to heat up.

We are already talking about signing up for another race. The next one I know of is the River Run around the middle of August.  I did the 10k in that event a couple of years ago and it was fun.  We have talked about signing up for the 5K again, but trying to shave our time down to 30 minutes or under.  I think that we could do it, but we will have to kick our training up a notch and do some sprints/hills/etc to get our cardio endurance up.  

Retirement

I know I still have quite a ways to go before I retire from working.  However, I was thinking this morning that I might retire from running.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Mogathon, and I have enjoyed training and running the events that I did last summer as well.  I went for a run this morning and my knee/IT band is bothering me again.  I think that I would rather not have ongoing pain, so for now I am going to give running a rest.  I will probably go occasionally.  I don't want to entirely lose the endurance I have gained, but it wasn't too difficult to pick it up again this spring after taking last winter off. 

Now comes the hard part.  I don't know what to do for exercise.  Honestly, in the last number of months, running has been my sole form of exercise.  I did do a tiny bit of weight training, and occasional ab exercises when I was going to the Field House regularly.  I know that I have lost most of the strength I gained from P90X last spring/summer, but thankfully, I have not put on weight.  I think I will start to try incorporate some of my P90X workouts and some of my Jillian Michaels DVDs.  Try to find some of the motivation/dedication that I seemed to be full of last summer and can't dredge up for anything this summer. 

I did have a thought of joining my sister for the MS Bike Tour this September.  However, my bike is so old and kind of crappy.....plus I feel terrified at the thought of riding my bike in the city.  I just don't trust cars....plus, not to sound entirely selfish, but I HATE fundraising.  I can't stand asking people for money, even if it is for a super good cause.  So, I don't think I will be doing the MS Bike Tour, but I did briefly think about it while I was running this morning.

Mogathon 2011

After failing to be able to run more than 14k without hurting my knee, I decided to change my registration for the Mogathon from the half marathon (21k) to the 5k distance.  I thought about trying another 10k, but thought, I have never done a 5k and I would like to give the shorter distance a try.  I have to say I quite enjoyed it.  My official time was 34:24 which is about what I expected.  I was hoping that I might do a little bit better, due to the excitement/energy of the race, but I am happy with that time.  Especially considering the last time I ran was almost two weeks ago.  I have had a lot on my mind lately and running was sort of put on the back burner.  I would like to get back into working out regularly because I want to be healthy and fit.

This first photo was taken as I was about to cross the finish line.  I was able to muster up quite a burst of speed at the end of the race and really boogied down the final stretch to the finish line.  I must admit that any time I try to sprint I have these visions of tripping over my feet and ending up sliding across the pavement on my face.  Thankfully I was able to keep up with my feet and made it safely across the finish line.

Enjoying a drink of water after the race.  Every participant got a medal for particpating.

Earlier in the week I had the great idea to create an event page on Facebook to invite people to come down to the Mogathon to cheer me on, if they would like to.  I was thankful that a few friends were willing to sacrifice a Saturday morning sleep in to come down and cheer for me.  Here's a picture with my two littlest cheerleaders :) 

Physiotherapy

Today was my appointment.  Of course my knee has not been hurting for a few days now.  It was quite bad for a few days, and has been completely fine for 4 days or so now.  I still went because I am sure that something isn't quite right.  The therapist I saw was quite nice and seemed very knowledgeable.  She did some assessments and determined that it is my IT band that is tight and was causing problems.  She said that the fact that my feet turn out makes my IT bands tight then the added stress of running made it flare up.  She also mentioned that it feels like I have a thickened bit of retinaculum around my right knee.  Not exactly sure what that means. 

She recommended that I use a foam roller to work on my IT bands on a regular basis.  She also recommended icing them.  She used an ultrasound on my knee today to help break down adhesions in the tissues, and reduce inflammation.  I would say it really didn't feel like much, but I remembered how Jason said that ultrasound really helped with the tendinitis in his shoulder after his accident, so I am hoping it will help.  She suggested that I can ease back into running, but probably no runs longer than 10K this week.  I should maybe try a 5K run tomorrow just to test it out and see how I do. 

I am thinking that I might need to give up on the half marathon.  However, I think I will contact the organizer of the Mogathon and see about switching my registration over to the 5 or 10k event.  I will maybe give myself a week or so to get out and do some shorter runs and see how my legs hold up.  I don't think at this point I would be devistated to have to stop the half marathon training.  I have put a lot of work into it, but I do not want to hurt myself in a way that will affect me long term.

To run or not to run?

I feel a little bummed out after writing my last post then realizing yesterday that my running days might be numbered.  I noticed some pain in my right knee after the run on Sunday but thought like most of the little aches and pains and stiffness I had experienced previously from running it would ease off in a day or two and I would be fine.  It was still bothering me a fair bit yeserday, but I decided that I should try to do my run and thought it might help work out whatever was feeling uncomfortable.  I took it easy and managed to run about a kilometer before it started to hurt.  After another half a kilometer the pain was getting worse so I took a walking break.  Walking really did seem to help it feel better so I tried to run again after a couple of minutes and the more intense pain returned.  I walked for a few minutes and tried running a couple more times before deciding to walk home, disappointed.

I felt a little discouraged yesterday about all the hard work I had put into training for the last three months.  I know it has been good exercise, and for the most part I have really enjoyed it.  There have been only a few runs that I have really had to talk myself into doing.  Otherwise it was something I enjoyed doing. 

When I first started to consider the idea of running a half marathon, I remember asking Jay if he thought I was crazy.  He said no, but that it would be a lot of work, and that I would probably need to push myself to train as much as I would need to.  He said he didn't want to have to nag me to train, and I promised him he wouldn't have to.  I thought back to a client at work that I had talked to a few months ago.  She has two young daughters (maybe 7 and 9 years old) and she said that her daughters had expressed interest in taking music lessons.  She told me that she never tells them to practice.  She said that if they are serious about wanting to take lessons that they will put the necessary effort into it, and if they don't really want it, they won't.  I am not sure I completely agree with her reasoning, however, she did say that both of her girls just love playing music, and she has never had to get on their case about practicing.  I decided that if this is something I really wanted to do, that I would work at it, and do what it took to get there. 

Up until this week, I feel like I have given it a really good effort.  In the last twelve weeks I have ran three times/week and have probably only missed three runs out of all of those.  My plan for now is to take a week off of training and see how my knee does.  I hope to do some stretching, yoga and foam roller-ing to my legs to help them recover.  I called and made myself a physiotherapy appointment for next week.  It will be my first physio appointment I have ever had.  I am hoping that maybe they can give me some idea of what the problem is, and maybe some strenghtening or stretching exercises to work on to help it recover and hopefully I will be able to get back to running.  I will be okay if I can't run the half marathon.  If my leg does recover enough maybe I will see if I can transfer my registration to the 5k or 10k instead as my body seems to handle those distances a little better.    

More running thoughts

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."- John Bingham

I think I may have posted that quote when I posted a bunch of motivational running quotes when I first started my half marathon training.  I found myself coming back to that this past week.  After a couple of less than stellar runs and some sore legs I was not feeling like much of a runner.  I found myself feeling discouraged by being passed on the trail by every other runner I came across.  Even the ones who didn't look very physically fit were passing me with ease, then running off into the distance until I couldn't see them anymore.  And that is quite a feat when you live in one of the flattest places in the world....where it is said that you can watch your dog run away for three days.  I kept telling myself that by being out on the trail, that I was doing better than most people.  And I am always pleased to pass someone, even though 99% of the time, the people I pass are walking.  At least I know that I can run faster than most people walk....

I talked to my sister on Thursday and she has officially decided to drop her half marathon training.  In the last couple of months she has gotten into teaching fitness classes, both at her gym and for the city, and with teaching one or two classes each day she was finding it tough or impossible to have time to run as well.  So it looks like I will be running on my own June 25th.  I am sure it'll be okay but I hope that I am not left in the dust of all the fast runners doing the Mogathon.  It could be a lonely two and half or three hours for me.  I guess it's a short stretch in the scheme of life.....I would like to maybe recruit a few cheerleaders to come and cheer me on.  The Mogathon is June 25th.  It starts at 8:30am at River Landing and if you are not an early bird, I expect to finish sometime between 10:30 and 11:30am.....hint hint!  :)

I think after hearing that I would be going this alone I gave myself a bit of an ultimatum.  After the knee problems I had been feeling the last couple of weeks on my long runs, I decided that if I could not do the 14K this weekend with minimal discomfort that I should probably stop my distance training and maybe stick to 5 or 10k races.  Not that I really wanted to give up, I just would rather humbly step back than to push on and hurt myself unnecessarily.  I took some Gatorade along with me this week, and I really do think that the steady intake of sugar throughout the 14K run helped my muscles to not fatigue so badly.  I did end up with blisters on both of my big toes and a bit of pain in my right knee, but different from what I had been feeling in my left knee the last couple of weeks.  This, I think, feels more like overworked muscles/tendons than joint pain.  I am assuming that as you train and run further, that some pain is inevitable.  But I don't think I have injured myself, just some sore muscles that need to recover and rebuild themselves before I put them through the ringer again next week.  So I think I will keep going for another week and see how things go.  I would love to be able to do this!  Onward and upward!

A running revelation?

Last week was a tough running week for me.  The distances keep increasing (only 7 weeks until the Mogathon!), and last week I was to run 5K, 8K and 13K.  After my 12K run last Sunday my knee was feeling tweaky.  I wondered if it was maybe my shoes wearing out.  I bought them last summer and though I didn't use them a lot over the winter, I hear that a person should replace your shoes about every 6 months.  I think that is especially true if you are running, as it places a lot of extra strain on shoes, and your body.  I went and picked up some new shoes this week and after skipping my first run of the week to allow my knee to rest, I went to the gym on Thursday to test out the new shoes on a treadmill (in case I had to return them because they weren't comfortable).  I did 5k on the treadmill, and the shoes felt fine and so did my knee. 

After a fairly busy weekend involving going to see Riverdance and a Mother's Day bbq lunch at our house I was struggling to find the motivation to go run my 13K yesterday.  After a nice hour long nap in the afternoon, I finally sucked it up and drove myself down to the river.  The running felt good, and I decided to try a walk/run schedule of 10 minutes of running followed by a one minute walk.  I did very well with that until I reached somewhere between 8 and 10k.  That is about the time that my legs started to feel heavy and I noticed my knee feeling a bit tweaky again.  I took a few more walking breaks and actually stopped to stretch out my hamstrings and adductors a little.  I managed to run 13k in 92 minutes! 

On the way home I started thinking about my run, and my tweaky knee.  I had a thought that maybe the problem is fatigue in my muscles.  After running the 8-10k or 60-70 minutes I think that possibly my muscles are running out of stored energy and possibly fatigue in the muscles makes me lose my form which leads to a tweaky knee.  I felt like that was quite a revelation.  I don't know if it is true, but I think next week on my long run I am going to take along a gel energy pack, or possibly Gatorade instead of water.  Just something to get some quick sugar energy to my muscles so I can complete the longer distance runs without hurting myself. 

Ode to a running skirt

When I started running last year I saw some women out on the running paths wearing skirts.  At first I thought they looked silly.  I thought, why would you wear a skirt and not shorts.  After purchasing a pair of shorts to run in last summer, I realized that for women with drumstick-esque thighs, that shorts tend to rub together and ride up.  So as you run, the legs get shorter and shorter until there is no leg left to speak of between your legs.

A month or so ago when we went to Costco I saw that they had yoga/exercise skirts for $17.  I picked one up and didn't have a chance to try it out until today.  I donned my skirt and went for my 12km long run this afternoon.  At first I have to admit that I felt a little bit self conscious.  I thought maybe people are looking at me like I am silly, like I thought those other women last year looked silly.  Once I got over that idea, I realized that I liked it.  There was no rubbing together and it stayed put.  I like the length of it, and it even has a little zippered pocket for carrying a key or cell phone while you run.  I think I will likely wear this for the half marathon in June as it is comfy and cool. 

Zoo Run

When I decided to train for the half marathon with my sister, I thought it might be fun to seek out a few other running events leading up to it to use as training runs.  One that jumped out at me was the Zoo Run.  I didn't realize that this event existed and thought it would be fun. 

Today was the run.  It took place right at the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo.  They set up a 2.5km course that you could either walk, or run two laps to make a 5k.  I wasn't sure how they would set up the course, but I thought it was fun that the course actually went through the zoo as well as including a loop in the park. 

I was a little bit concerned about the weather forecast, but it turned out to be not too bad.  It was cold enough that the puddles were still frozen and the places that would have been muddy were still firm.  But it was warm enough that I didn't freeze my butt off. 

The animals were quite active as we ran through the zoo.  I don't know if they could sense our energy, but it was fun to see.  The one wolf was running laps around it's pen as we ran by and the male lion was letting out some pretty loud roars.  At one point I came around a corner and saw this little brown goat of some sort standing by the fence, looking at me making it's goat noise.  I thought maybe he was cheering me on, in his goat-y way, haha. 

On my second lap through the zoo, I came upon a group that had been walking the route and one of the people was an overweight man with a big hoop earring and he was wearing Vibram Five Fingers shoes.  He just looked a little bit eccentric-ish.  The group was standing by the enclosure with the alpacas.  One of the alpacas was in a weird sort of a squatting position.  It reminded me a little bit of Kiwi's peeing stance, but I am not sure that alpacas squat to pee.  But this eccentric guy yelled at the alpaca "You look dumb!"  I just shook my head and kept running.  I thought maybe the alpaca was looking at him, thinking the same thing....

The run felt pretty good, and being as it was a 'fun run' it was rather informal and there was no timing.  I figured from my watch that I completed it in around 33 minutes, which is not a bad time for me.  I really do like running at events because the energy is a lot different than just running by yourself.  I think it's easier to push yourself a little harder when there are other people observing you, and when you know if you push just a little harder that maybe you can pass someone.  It feels good to pass :)

I missed out on my long run this week because of the awful weather.  The thought of running 10k on a track or treadmill seemed painful, so I opted to miss it this week.  I have to say, that today rounded out my 8th week of training, with 10 weeks to go and this is the first run I have missed!  I don't think that's too bad....I know the long runs are the most important ones, but I don't plan to miss any more.  In fact, I am going to try to map out an 11k route in Swift Current so I can run next Saturday when we are there for Easter.  I will earn my Easter dinner this year ;)

Running

I have read that some people find running to be a great stress reliever.  I think I finally get that.  I think for a long time, running was exercise.  It was a chore.  It was hard.  It was a struggle.  And it is still hard, and I still struggle, but I like that for those 30 minutes or so, it's just me and my body and the treadmill/track/path.  I appreciate listening to the rhythm of my foot steps and my breathing.  I like to push myself, and succeed and do better each time.  Of course there are runs that are more difficult and less satisfying in some ways, but at least you got out there and did it, even if you didn't feel like it, and you pushed yourself to keep going, even when you wanted to stop.

Tonight I ran 5k in 33.5 minutes.  That felt really good.  I think I may have done it a bit faster last summer a couple of times, but I would say I averaged around 34-36 minutes for 5k last year.  I really felt like I pushed myself.  When I run on the treadmill, I would say that if I run at 5mph that I feel like I could go on pretty much indefinitely.  But I am able to push it a little and can keep pace at 5.5mph pretty well.  It's when I try to go over that I start to feel it.  Tonight my aim was to run 1km at 5.5mph then 1km at 6mph and do that until I reached 5k.  I managed to run a whole kilometer at 6mph, which felt really good, but after 2 or 2.5k I had to slow down a bit and ended up having to slow down to 5mph for a while.  At the end I really wanted to finish in about 33 minutes, so I cranked it up to 7mph for a couple of minutes and was able to finish strong, but barely breathing, haha.  This weekend our long run is 8km, but the weather is supposed to be really nice, so I am looking forward to getting outside again! 

Life Lessons Gained from Running

Maybe the title is a bit dramatic, but I was feeling inspired to write a blog after going for a 5k run yesterday morning. I sat down and typed the title, then lost my inspiration, or got distracted, or something. So here I am trying to retreive some of the life lessons I felt like I had learned after running yesterday morning.

My run yesterday was on a treadmill at the Field House. I feel kind of awkward running on the track there in the morning. It is mainly inhabited by older people who are part of a heart health program. I also find it nice to run on the treadmill because then I know exactly how far I have gone, and how fast. I find running on the track I lose count of the number of laps I have run, so I appreciate having a mini computer to keep track of it for me.

Running gives a person a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think about life, work, etc. but mostly I think about how fast I am going, how my body is feeling and trying to convince myself to keep going. I think this is where the life lesson comes in. I think that running is at least 50% mental. I will agree that you do need to have a certain level of physical fitness to run. Though, everyone has to start somewhere, and you will never learn to run, if you never try. So once you drag your body out there to run, and you start running, it can get really easy to convince yourself that it's too hard....that you can't do it.....that you didn't eat before so you don't have the energy.....that you feel tired.....that you have a cramp in your side so you should stop.....etc etc. I am not saying that it isn't important to listen to the messages your body is giving you (ie pain due to injury or over exertion) but I always have quite the mental dialogue when I am running. It often sounds something like this:

"Wow, this is really hard this morning. Well if I can make it to 10 minutes I will give myself a walking break. No, you can run longer than 10 minutes. How are you going to run for 2 1/2 hour or more if you can't run 10 minutes. Okay, I will keep running, but maybe I should slow down a bit. But if I don't slow down I will be finished sooner. Okay I'll try keeping it at 5.5mph and see how long I can take it. My knees feel a little funny, not sore, just feel aware of them. I wonder how I look when I run. I hope I don't look like an elephant stampeding. Wow, look at that old lady with the walker boogie-ing around the track, I hope I can walk that fast when I am 80. Phew, my face feels red. I wonder if anyone is watching me. Stand up a little straighter, shoulders back. Maybe I should try a sprint, see how long I can go at 7mph. Phew, okay, now I need a walking break. Thirty seconds should do it. No, maybe 45 seconds. Okay, Angie, back at it, and no more walking until you are finished!! If you are tired you get to keep going, if you want to slow down you will go faster. You can do it!"

So I think the life lesson is that negative self-talk can really decrease your ability to acheive a goal. For everyone who things "I could never do that", whether they are referring to losing weight, running a marathon, quitting smoking, getting a new job, going back to school at age 56, becoming a parent, or whatever seems impossible. Imagine if you took on the idea of "I can do this" "I will try my best, because I am strong, and I know inside of me that I can do this!" I think that a lot of people would be a lot healthier, and satisfied with their lives. I don't think it is always easy, but it can be awfully easy to talk yourself out of doing something.

I will end this post with a quote that I read recently that made me stop and think:

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. - Unknown

Half Marathon Training

I just finished week three of my training this morning. The weather was finally nice enough (in my opinion) to go outside for a run. After church this morning I went and picked up my sister and we drove down to the train bridge to run along the river. It was so nice! Today's run was only a 5k, which might seem daunting to some, but I have to say that I think I have gained a bit of endurance in the last three weeks of running. It felt really good to be outside, and I have no idea how fast we ran, but it felt good and we only took two very brief walking breaks (and one nose blowing break :P). I felt like I could have kept going, and in fact just as we were almost back to the train bridge my sister suggested a sprint to end our run. I felt really good sprinting, it was probably only a 15 second sprint, but right at the end of the run and it still felt good.

I think that the program that Robin's friend laid out for us is a good one. It is a gradual increase of distance over time with three runs per week. Once each week there is a longer run. Next week it is 6km and each week it goes up by one kilometer until three weeks before the Mogathon when we will run a 20km practice run! Then it tapers off for three weeks until the event. I am still a little overwhelmed at the thought of going these distances. Anything over 10km seems really crazy to me.....but like I said above, I think my endurance has improved, my leg muscles aren't nearly as sore the day after a run as they were even three weeks ago.

I have not suffered any injuries yet, however I did notice my hips and possibly IT bands were a little sore in the last week or so. I am thinking a good massage or two and maybe some yoga should help to take care of it.

Something I have considered is registering and running in a couple of shorter events in the next couple of months. There is a fun run at the Saskatoon Zoo on April 17th that is a 5k around the Forestry Farm park, which I think would be a nice place to run. I was also considering registering to run the 10k at the Saskatchewan Marathon at the end of May. It's amazing how different it feels to run in an event versus just a run on your own. Even today, running with my sister felt good. It's nice to have someone to chat with and keep pace with, and it helps keep you moving when I am sure I would have stopped for a few walking breaks, it's easier to keep going with another person. I figured the events I mentioned above would be fun, and give me some good practice.

Motivational Quotes

Psyching myself up for all the running and training and hard work in the next few months by looking up some motivational quotes.

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."
-Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."
-Henry Ford

"I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards."
-Alberto Salazar, three-time winner of the NYC marathon

"If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."
-Priscilla Welch

"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
-Edward Stanley

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
-John Bingham

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought."
--Arthur Blank

"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit."
--Dr. George Sheehan

Run Number One

Last night I did my first training run for the half marathon in June. I still haven't registered for the race yet, but maybe I should, because investing money is a good way to be more committed to something. We'll see...

After work yesterday I headed over to the Field House and decided to sign up for a monthly pass. I figure I will keep renewing it until it is nice enough to do more running outside. I am a self-admitted running wuss when it comes to cold weather. I don't even know if it's the cold, but I don't necessarily want to buy a bunch of special winter running gear, plus I am a little paranoid about slipping and falling while running outside. So indoors it is for now!

I decided that I would aim to run 5k or for about 35-40 minutes yesterday. I have to say that it wasn't an easy run, but it wasn't as difficult as I imagined it might be. I haven't ran, at all, since October so I expected it to be harder than it was. During the first few laps I noticed that the muscles on the front of my shins were burning, but once that stopped I felt pretty good. I took a few short walking breaks, and managed to run/walk for about 35 minutes. I am not sure how far I ran, as it's hard to keep track of the number of laps when you are on a 200 metre track. I just looked online and I was running in lane 5, which is 226 metres. So I think I went a little further than I thought. I am a little sore today, mainly my quads, but also a little in my hamstrings and adductors.

My sister's, friend's husband, is a runner and created an 18 week running schedule for her to follow and I will probably follow it or something similar. I found this plan yesterday, by Hal Higdon, and it looks quite manageable too, though it's only 12 weeks, I could probably use a few weeks to work on getting my cardiovascular endurance back up. My aim is to run three times per week, and hopefully to get outside to do the longer runs. I don't think I could spend upwards of 2 hours or more running in circles on a track, or in place on a treadmill.

Fitness Goals and being a Penguin

I believe it is important to have goals. Mentally it is easier to be motivated to work if you know you are working toward a goal. I am wondering if my lack of exercising motivation has been due to a lack of goals. What am I working toward? I feel right now like I am hoping to just maintain what I have acheived in the last year. I am fairly happy with the way I look, I know I have lost some of my endurance/strength and wouldn't mind building it back up, but I haven't had any specific goals.

My sister has been throwing around the idea of running a half marathon at the Mogathon in June. She called me last night to say she has signed up for it, and will be starting an 18 week training program on Tuesday. I was suddenly hit with a wave of anticipation and thinking it might be fun/challenging/down right tough/exciting to join her. I think it would be easier to train with another person, and even though it is still cold out, I am thinking of getting a city leisure pass for a few months so I could run at the Field House if weather does not permit. The more I think about it, the more I am leaning toward it.

TWENTY - ONE KILOMETERS! CRAZY!

As I have been thinking about this, I have looked at a few training schedules online. I also have come across some websites with training tips. I found this one site that had a group of articles about 'penguin runners'. It caught my attention so I started to read some of them. I felt that I could identify with them, from my experiences last summer. I am going to copy a couple of exerpts:

"Why a penguin? Because metaphors usually used to describe runners–fleet-footed gazelles, cheetahs and winged-footed Mercury–don’t have much to do with my running style. I tend to resemble a penguin waddling across the frozen tundra more than a thoroughbred in the homestretch.

If you’ve seen a penguin run or walk, you know what I mean. Penguins walk as if their feet are killing them. Penguins, waddling and scurrying, are the ultimate expression of will over form. Their feet move as fast as possible, but their bodies are barely propelled forward at all."

AND

"What is often misunderstood about those of us struggling to reach the front of the back of the pack is that we really are trying. We really are, at whatever our pace, doing the best we can. Some runners, and even well meaning non-runners, interpret our position in the pack as a measure of our effort. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We — the few, the proud, the plodding — very often train as much as, or more than, faster runners. At a blistering 12-minute pace, a 20-mile week represents a major time commitment. I do speed work and tempo runs. I do long, slow runs. I just do them very slowly.

It's not a matter of trying. It's not a matter of motivation. It's just a matter of speed. A fast runner friend of mine put it succinctly when I asked him what he thought was the limiting factor in my running future. His answer was as insightful as it was concise: "Maybe you're just slow!"

And slow I may be. But I am the best athlete I know how to be. I am the best runner I know how to be. Every day is an opportunity to improve. Every time I run, I try to be better. I have given in to my running instinct. I have given in to this passion to uncover the primal joy in running. And I hope you will, too."

After reading these articles and identifying with the idea of being a 'penguin' I had some flashbacks to grade seven and eight, where I got picked on, on a daily basis, at school for the way I walked. The boys would call me penguin then they would quack at me. Haha...silly boys didn't even know that penguins don't quack ;) I will wear that title proudly. I am not in it to win, I am in it to finish. What an accomplishment to cross that finish line, and maybe it will lead to greater and even more seemingly CRAZY goals.......like a triathlon, or a full marathon......we shall see!

And now, deep thoughts....

When I started the Couch to 5K running program in May I joined the C25K page on Facebook. There are over 100,000 people in that group and it is a great source of motivation, or a place to ask questions and find answers from people who are in the same place as you. Tonight they posted a link to a running forum thread where a woman had written a few of her thoughts on what she ponders during her 20 mile long runs (I assume she is training for a marathon).

One that really stuck out to me was:
I will never look at someone running slow again and think, ‘man he’s slow’ because I really don’t know how many miles he has behind him.

I found that to be really profound. Whether you consider it to do with running or just life in general. It is never a good idea to judge someone based on an outward appearance. You don't know where they have been and how far they have come.

Good Shoes

In my career as a massage therapist, I have told more than one client that "you can't go wrong spending money on a good mattress or good shoes"and I really do believe that. I tend to be the type of person who loves a good deal. I love getting clothes for half price or less. I choke a little bit when I have to spend more than $15-20 for a shirt. Or more than $40 for pants. I have learned in the last few years though that it really pays to invest in good shoes. I am not a shoe fanatic. I can't believe that some women own 80 pairs of shoes. I think that I own maybe 10 pairs, which does sound excessive. But a person needs dress shoes, and winter boots, and sandals, and casual shoes, and yard work shoes and athletic shoes. I would say out of my shoes, I wear three or four pairs on a regular basis.

Since I started running I have read a bunch of articles on the importance of having good running shoes. I invested in a nice pair in January of this year when I made my New Year's resolution to exercise more. They are a pair of Adidas Supernova running shoes and have served me well. I wore them for my 10k on Sunday and noticed around the 7 or 8k mark that my one knee started to hurt a little. Nothing major, and it actually felt better when I was running than when I stopped to walk and it seems to be resolved now. However, I went for a run (or tried to...) after work today and by the time I did my 45 minute walk/run my knees were starting to ache. I felt like it was a tough run because it was warm out today and for some reason my body really doesn't seem to handle heat and running well. If it was +12C or a little warmer I think I could run forever. Well until my body gave out on me, but my heart and lungs are happy to run when it's cooler.

I have been thinking of going to a running store to get fitted for shoes. I hear that they are very thorough and will analyze your gait and posture and choose shoes that meet your needs. I think I did pretty well picking out my current running shoes but I did not choose them with the knowledge that I would be running in them. I expected to wear them mainly to do aerobics and other workouts. I have heard that running stores tend to be pricier for most shoes, but I think in this case, for the sake of my knees and hips and the rest of my body I should take my own advice and consider it an investment. If I am going to keep running I need to make sure I don't hurt myself. I have read that running shoes should be replaced every 6-12 months. That sort of goes against my policy for clothing items. I tend to wear my clothes to death. My shoes, when I am done wearing them I will retire them to yard shoes. My runners still look like they are in good shape, but I think the all important cushioning is wearing out. I think I could still wear them for working out at home, just not for running.

River Run Classic

Yesterday morning was the River Run Classic. The race started at 7:45am so we left the house right around 7am in the hopes that we would be able to find decent parking. Yeah right! I looked at the overall results online tonight and there were over 500 runners registered in the race, including 5k, 10k and half marathon runners.

Parking was a nightmare and after we got chewed out by an old man with nothing better to do at 7:25 on a Sunday morning for parking in his precious parking lot at his condo (I saw no signs indicating we couldn't park there), Jay just dropped me off and said he would do his best to find parking. He ended up hanging out at the parking lot of Lawson Heights Mall until closer to when he thought I would be done and circled the block a few times and finally my sister saw him and just told him to park in a non-parking zone because at this point no one was going to care! So he did and just got set up in time to get a shot of me coming toward the finish line.

I enjoyed running the 10k. I think I enjoyed it more than the Mogathon because there were so many runners. I definitely wasn't the fastest (I still don't understand how people can keep up that pace for 10k!) but I wasn't the slowest either. According to the final results I came in 221 out of 253 runners doing 10k. There were 23 people in my age group (20-29) and I came in 21st in my age group. My time to complete 10k was 68 minutes and 12 seconds. I think that is a very respectable time for someone who has never actually ran 10k before. I have run 8 or 9k a couple of times, but never the full 10k. And I actually ran the majority of it. I took a few short (30-60 second) walks and I walked through the water stations (I learned during the Mogathon that I do not jog and drink well at the same time *choke*).

The weather was absolutely perfect. When I woke up at 6am it was +9C and I think by the time I finished running it was probably closer to +15C. I talked to one of the other runners at the starting line and she said that last year it had poured rain on the day of the race. She said she had found a parking spot near the starting line and sat in her car until they started the race then hopped out of her car and started running. Haha! So glad I didn't run in the rain :)

Here are a couple of pictures. The first one I snagged from the Saskatoon Road Runners Association website. I didn't realize they had a photographer covering the event. The second is taken by Jay.

Aspirations

I think I am actually starting to really enjoy running. Up to this point it has been alright and I have been happy with the progress I have made. I like cardio vascular exercise. I like getting my heart rate up and sweating and feeling like I am working hard. I am still a running newbie, but I feel like I am getting my groove.

I figured since I am entered to run a 10k on August 15th that I should probably start running further than 5k three times per week, so yesterday I went down by the river and ran somewhere between 9 and 10k. I mapped out a 10k but the mapping tool I use follows the roads and I ran on the Meewasin Trail and I don't think I quite made it all the way to where I calculated the 5k distance was before turning around to go back. I ran from the Mendel Art Gallery to the water fountain by the playground near Pinehouse Drive and back. My plan was to run for ten minutes then take a one minute walk then carry on running another ten minutes and so on. I managed that for about forty minutes then my runs got to be more like seven or eight minutes with a one minute walk. I still managed my 9-10k in 66 minutes which I am happy with. I was hoping to do the 10k on August 15th in 75 minutes or less, which I think is definitely doable.

There aren't an awful lot of choices for races to run in and around Saskatoon so I was looking online at different races that are offered in Alberta. I came across one called the Dinosaur Half Marathon in Drumheller in September. It looks pretty cool, but I don't want to push myself to run a half marathon by September. I am fairly comfortable with 5k now and 10k is not unmanageable but 21k would take a lot more training. I am thinking that possibly if I keep running over the winter (thinking about getting a treadmill, or possibly a City of Saskatoon leisure pass) that maybe by next spring/summer I could consider a half marathon. I can't believe these words are even coming out of my mouth. I used to think runners were crazy. Why in the world would anyone want to run 21k?? Or even 42k?? Crazy people! I used to think. Now I think that it is a great personal challenge. I like that I don't need to compare myself to other people. I know I am a pretty slow runner, but I am still amazed that I am a runner!

Mogathon (900th blog post!)

Saturday was the Mogathon! After six weeks of training I felt good and ready to run my 6k portion of it. However, on Friday evening I talked to my sister and she had been unable to get in touch with our 4th team member. We started to panic a bit because I certainly had not trained to run 12k and my sister had barely trained to run at all (though she is in really good physical shape). By Friday night I decided that I would do the first two legs. I figured that I was ready for 6k and the second leg, if I had to walk a good portion of it, well then so be it.

We headed down to the race site at 7:30am on Saturday, after having a really poor sleep. I think I was just having problems turning my brain off. I was hoping that running/walking 12k on about 5 hours of sleep would be manageable. At about 7:50am all the people participating in the 30k run (both independently or as part of the team relay) lined up at the starting line. Somehow I ended up near the front, so before the race started I wiggled my way to the back, knowing that I run at a snail's pace. I had read over and over again and was reminded again by Stacey not to get caught up in the excitement because everyone will take off running fast at the start and you don't want to burn out too soon. I took my time and I think I was nearly last for at least 3 or 4 kilometers. Then the other people who didn't pace themselves as well started slowing down and I actually passed three people. It was a nice feeling to pass people.

I think I ran most of the first 6k but did take two one minute walks to allow my heart rate to come back down a little. The weather was beautiful on Saturday but by the time I was nearing the end of my 12k I was pretty hot!! I did a lot more walking in the second leg of the race. I would run as long as I could then I would walk. At first I tried to keep the walks to one or two minutes, but I think after a while I was walking more like 3 or 4 minutes then maybe jogging for another five minutes or so.

I have to say on the second leg of the race I don't think I saw a single other runner until I got to the 9 or 10k mark and started seeing the runners who had made the loop and started coming back toward me. It was kind of lonely at times out on the path, and since I didn't have my MP3 player with me I had a lot of time to think about how long I would have to lay wounded on the path if I hurt myself before someone would come looking for me. Haha! I continued my snail's pace and made it to the trade off point in one hour and twenty two minutes. I had looked at my watch when I got to the 6k mark and did that in about 40 minutes. So, with all the walking I did in the second half, I managed to keep a similar pace as I did in the first half.

When I reached the trade off point and saw my husband, my sister, brother-in-law, nephews, and the Upson family I got a little emotional. I think I felt proud of myself for completing 12k. Six weeks ago I had NEVER ran any significant distance in my life. I still feel sort of modest about this accomplishment. I realize that it is a pretty significant distance, but I really do feel like if I can do it, anyone can. I have learned over and over again since the start of this year you never know what you are capable of until you try. Pushing yourself is such a mind game.

I decided to sign up for another 10k run in the middle of August. I figure if I don't have a reason to keep running that I might not keep up with it, and for now I would like to. I am already feeling excited for it and I hope by then to be able to run further with less walking breaks. I do my best to not compare myself with others. I heard someone say on the Couch to 5k page on Facebook that when you start out running 5k or 10k races that "you are not in it to compete, but to complete". It's sort of cheesy but so true.

Here are a few of the pictures that Jason captured on Saturday:

This first one is just after the race started. Everyone taking off from the starting line. I don't think I am visible in this one.


Here I am just past the starting line once all the fast runners got out of my way. Feeling fresh and ready to tackle 12k!


Here I am approaching the 12k trade off point with my sister. Not feeling so fresh. Feeling hot and emotional and tired, so tired.


We wore an ankle bracelet with a timing chip on it that we traded off at the trade off points so we could have an official team time at the end of the race. (Note: Robin and I did not plan to wear matching clothes....haha)


After Robin and I finished our legs of the relay we headed down to River Landing to the finish line to wait for Stacey. We all ran across the finish line together (well sort of.....Stacey runs a lot faster than I can, haha). Pretty cool!


I will leave you with a quote that I find particularly thought provoking, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford