A Walk in the Park

Whoosh.  It's only Tuesday morning and it's already been a crazy week!  Even though the upcoming holiday means having to cram 5 days of work into 4 in order to meet a looming deadline, I just need to get the work done, because I can't wait for this weekend - I get to visit my family for Easter, catch up with some great old friends, and see Disney in Concert: The Magical Music from the Movies! What a great reward for a very stressful week.  Can't wait! 

I love the trail near our house, but I so often associate it with "having to go for a run" that the opportunity to amble along and take in the atmosphere is a very pleasant change when it happens.  Last night I had a chance to go on a walk with a friend and her dog on the path - it wasn't a run, it wasn't even a super fast walk, just a nice meander down the trail, talking about not much of anything, enjoying the cool crisp air, the waning light, and all the animals (other dogs, squirrels, bunnies, birds and other random animals around the creek) we saw along the way.

What a great way to clear my mind of the stresses of the day and the upcoming week - I was able to put some things behind me and stopped obsessing over my work project for a while - all while getting a little (not a lot) bit of exercise, and taking in some fresh air.  It was a much needed change of pace after my hectic day!

January Jump Start Challenge

The RunHalfway Mile-A-Day December Challenge is going very well, but is coming to an end.  So my friend Kim over at TriandTrue and I are hatching a plan for a January Jump Start Challenge.

Get a jump start on the New Year! Pledge to log at least one running or walking mile every day in January. Part of the Challenge is fitting the activity into your daily life, so no skipping, BUT - everyone gets one (1) "Grace Day" at any time during the month to miss a mile without breaking your streak!

It's super easy and follows basically the same rules as the December Challenge with one new little twist.  Kim's triathlon training calls for us to include biking as an option for January's Challenge - so trading 3 biking miles for your daily running or walking mile is acceptable in this one.  

So, are you ready to pledge your mile a day?  If so, here's how:

1. Join the FB group here.
2. Share the Challenge badge on FB, Twitter (follow @RunHalfway and @TriandTrue and use #JanuaryJumpStart), or on your blog.
3. Complete at least one mile on your feet every day. If you choose, 3 biking miles can occasionally be substituted for running or walking a mile.
4. After you've logged at least a mile each day, check into the Facebook group to record your mileage and get each day's badge!
5. Visit both blogs for motivation and updates throughout the month!
   - http://triandtrue.net/
   - http://www.run-halfway.blogspot.com/

Doubting the Distance

Today marked 8 weeks until the Walt Disney World Marathon.  And thanks to a not-so-great run yesterday morning, I am starting to doubt my decision to pursue the full marathon distance.

My pace group sort of fractured this week - only 3 of us showed up to do the full training distance.  One guy decided to bump up to one of the faster groups, and one of the guys bumped down to the slowest group.  I knew that there was no way I was going to stick with the faster group, and the slower group was doing 1:1 intervals, which is what I prefer anyway, so I decided to go with them.  They were planning on a 16-17mm, which seemed so slow, but for the planned distance (22-23 miles), made sense.

It was a cool, overcast, very windy morning around the lake.  About halfway around the second loop, and at approximately 13.5 miles, I was really starting to feel tired and worn out.  Chatting with one of the other group members, we decided to start walking at mile 14, and just re-evaluate how we felt periodically about starting to run/walk again.  We eventually ended up walking the rest of the second loop and stopping at 18.2 miles.  A disappointing finish for me - but I do have one more 20+ mile run left before Disney so I wasn't too upset about it.

As we finished out the loop, we were talking about our planned races and discussing training and race day concerns.  Having completed two 18-mile and one 21-mile training runs now, I am doubting my decision to try to do more full marathons (specifically ones on my bucket list like MCM).  Now that I'm deep in the heart of full marathon training, I'm realizing just how hard this is.  I knew it would be.  But, really, this is HARD.  I truly don't know that I have it in me to do it again.

At this point in my training, I'm not doubting my ability to finish the Disney Marathon (knock on wood - unless something injury-related happens).  But I'm definitely going to have to wait until after Disney to make a determination on whether this distance is something that is really meant for me.

Saturday's Run:

• 18.22 miles; 5:02:59; 16:38 min/mi

Road to Recovery

It started out with a throat tickle Friday morning that graduated into a full-on cough by Friday afternoon.  My Saturday at the office was not a pleasant experience.  I made a quick stop at Walgreens on the way home to stock up on every cold & flu medication and cough drop ever made, then headed home to ensconce myself in bed and wait it out.  I emerged from my cocoon yesterday morning, feeling relatively normal - still coughing, but no longer had a fever, chills, and body aches, so I went back to work.

I was worried about missing my scheduled 5 mile run on Saturday, and had 4 miles planned for yesterday, but I knew I wouldn't be up for running so soon.  However, I was itching for some activity after 3 days in bed, so last night I put on my gear and headed out for a walk around the trails, knowing I could easily turn back if I got overtired.  I actually managed to get 3.5 miles in - all walking - at a decent pace, so all was not lost!  I'm going to do the elliptical tomorrow, taking it easy, then depending on how I feel Thursday see if I can ease back into some running intervals.  I'm just pleased to (literally) be back on the road to recovery!

Tuesday's stats:

• 3.5 mile walk; 1:00:29 min; 17:17 min/mi avg.

Cancelled Race Shouldn't Mean Cancelled Run

Because of the crazy cold temps and the absurd amount of ice, sleet, and snow our area has gotten this week, this morning's scheduled 5K/15K race at White Rock Lake was cancelled.

So we slept in, and then I grudgingly hit the treadmill - even though I was really not in the mood.  I completed my standard 10-minute warm-up walk and then started in on the first mile.  I figured that if I could just get going, I'd lose that "blah" feeling and get my 4 miles done as quickly as possible...

Yeah...that didn't happen.  After finishing the first mile, I pooped out, and decided to walk the remainder.  Looking back, I'm not happy that I didn't just tough it out and run the whole way, but at the time, just power walking the rest of those miles felt like an accomplishment.

So even though a cancelled race shouldn't mean a cancelled run, today it did.  Oh well...

Today's stats:

• 4 miles; 1:02:59 min; 15:45 avg. pace

What Counts as Mileage?

Someone on a message board I was reading the other day asked the question: What walking counts towards your mileage log? 

Some people answered that they don't count warm-up/cool-downs.  Other people said they don't count anything other than "training miles" - those specifically laid out in a training plan.  Their answers made me stop and evaluate what I count towards my own mileage.

I count everything I can measure on my Garmin or where I know the exact distance from a map or the treadmill.  I count my pre-run warm up walks, my actual run/walk training mileage, and any walks I get in that I wouldn't do in the course of a normal day (such as the ones I occasionally squeeze in over lunch).  If my training calls for 3 miles, I do a warm-up, and then my 3 mile run/walk.  I separate out "what's what" here on the blog, but as far as total mileage, it all gets lumped in there.  I don't count cross-training mileage on the elliptical or bike, and I don't wear a pedometer so I don't count my routine/normal/day-to-day steps.

Based on what I'm seeing from others, I'm sort of doubting my way of logging miles.  My theory is that is I had to work to make my legs cover those miles, so why wouldn't I count all of them?  Am I wrong?

Today's stats:

• 10 minute walking warm-up
• 2 mi run; 0:25:55 min; 12:58 min/mi avg
• 40 minutes resistance band strength training

Is Virtual Running Really Running?

A virtual run - is there really such a thing?  Yup.  And actually, it's a misnomer.  It should be called a Virtual Race, not a Virtual Run.  You're actually running, you're just not actually racing.  But still, what the heck is it?  The people behind World Run Day have organized a Virtual New Year's Day Run.  Weird, right?  Maybe not!  You choose when, where, and how far you want to run; then you download your e-bib off the website, and just go!  I registered for 5 miles, since that's what was on my schedule, and, per the race instructions, made a small donation to the Texas SPCA, one of my favorite charities.

So, I got up this morning, still stuffy and coughing, looked at the thermometer, ...and chickened out.  I decided to wait until it had at least gotten above freezing to leave the house.  Once noon rolled around, the temps had hit 32, and the sun was out, so I did my 5 miles.  After a week of not running at all, and still feeling fairly yucky (but much better than the previous couple of days), I did it - but I walked it.  I decided there was no point in pushing myself too far while I'm still in recovery mode and doing more damage than good.  But I was determined I was going to get those 5 miles in.  So I stuffed my pockets full of kleenex, bundled myself up, and set out.  Felt great after going, too! 

Today's stats:

•  5 mi; 1:27:20; 17:28 min/mi avg

Christmas Junkie

Yup, I admit it.  I love everything about Christmas: the sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes - especially the tastes.  Not only am I a Christmas junkie, I'm a Christmas junk food junkie.  Up until the last couple of days, I was doing pretty well - a few indulgences here and there, but I was trying very hard to be mindful of what I was putting in my body.   All that started to slip this weekend, and then went completely out the window the past couple of days at work...and I felt it today during my "run."  I was sluggish, tired, and hurting.  A three mile training run turned into a three mile stroll on the treadmill.  It was a HUGE wake-up call that with just over two-and-a-half weeks until the race that I can't afford to routinely put crap into my body, because that's what I'll get out of it - crap.  So, to continue the metaphor, with the exception of the "big" meals coming up over the holidays, it's back to the "high-octane" food fuels for me!

Today's stats:

• 3 mi; 0:53:06 min; 17:42 min/mi

Tailgating = Trouble

BBQ chicken, brisket & sausage, potato salad, coleslaw, deviled eggs, homemade rolls, baked beans, pound cake, cookies, and ice cream all made up the spread at my office's annual pre-Thanksgiving tailgate party today.  It was an amazing feast - and I ate entirely too much of it to be comfortable.  So, I started my treadmill run this evening feeling pretty yucky.  I still ran parts of the scheduled 3 miles, but ended up walking more than I'm happy with...  But what's the most important part?  I still did it.  I sucked it up, and made myself do it.  3 miles.  And am so glad that I did.  I felt much better afterward, and it made me that much more pumped for the 5-mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning!!!

Today's stats:

• 3 mile run/walk; 0:46:03; 15:21 min/mi

Fair Trade?

Probably not.  Because of a schedule conflict, I needed to do my run Monday night rather than the normal Tuesday night.  Then, because of a massive amount of gardening this weekend, every muscle in my body hurt yesterday.  So I wimped out and walked the 4 miles on the treadmill last night rather than running them.  I'll have to make up for it and run a little harder and a little faster Thursday night.

Last night's stats:

• 4 mi walk; 1:08:30 min; 17:08 min/mi

Horse Apples!

No, it's not just something that your 90-yr-old grandfather says...they're a real thing!  Actually, they're the fruit of the Bois'd'Arc tree, a north Texas native, they look like green, lumpy/knobby grapefruit, and they practically cover the ground this time of year!  Especially on/around the trails I like to take - where they fall from the many trees lining the creek.  As I jog past, I remember the old M*A*S*H episodes where Colonel Potter yells "Horse Apples" in response to Hawkeye and B.J.'s antics, and it makes me smile...

Today I had to walk past them, and felt just as frustrated as poor Colonel Potter.  I put a kink in my own plans of moving all my runs this week up by a day in order to free up my Saturday morning.  Foiled by a low (then dead) battery on my Garmin...and since I live & die by my Garmin on my training runs, I walked a short loop (1.6 miles) and finished early.  So I'll do my normal Tuesday run tomorrow, will do Thursday's run on Wednesday and Saturday's run on Friday.  Sounds like a plan!