Re: Long Run One: last Sunday.
1. my aunt (a verteran niagara region cyclist) disagrees with me, but the fact is: trails should have water fountains. certainly trails that go past public parks, and which are not groomed in the winter so clearly are for the summer months, in southern ontario... yeah, they should have water fountains (how do none of those parks have them either?)
but the Welland Canal Trail? ... no water fountains.
result? after about 4.5 miles running shadeless hot sun with no water, i had to schmooze another runner on the trail to help me figure out a place to run off trail and buy gatorade. when i finally acquired an anti-freeze coloured beverage, it was like The Oatmeal's heavenly experience of Japanese long run purple drink (my internet connection on this train won't let me look at the images required to assess the link, but if you don't know about this Oatmeal post, go google it). this Gatorade was joy, survival, soulbalm, life-giving energy, unicorn tears, etc etc.
i felt pretty bad that i hadn't been able to buy lemonade from the kids a block before the convenience store, but the thing is they didn't take debit. when i expressed this sadness to them, one little girl said: "that's what the last adult said!" and the second little girl muttered to the third: "we gotta get a machine..."
2. the whole run was about 11 miles, maybe a little more. it involved running along a canal, above and below and around the locks and some huge boats chugging uphill; first i ran down said hill, and then eventually i turned around and ran back up. turns out this felt a lot harder than it was -- because having forgotten my garmin, i did some pre-run google pedometer measuring... and i didnt' realize i was measuring in miles, not kilometres. um, so my long run was definitely long. good.
Re: Next long run? I've done a couple hot/humid short runs since then, with medium success... but the real deal is i'm running this 'rolling hills' half marathon on Sunday, and I'm in an oddly good mental space about that. It's only supposed to be between 15 and 20C during race time, and my last three runs have all been at 25C or warmer, so I have hopes that I'm a little bit ready. (Not dying of fever or pre-strep like last time, so that's gotta be a bonus?)
My goal is really just to finish under 2 hours, which shouldn't be hard unless the weather sucks -- well, or if my running partner is having a rough day (which she claims is her every run lately, but I have seen her battle through crazy before so who knows.)
Re: the short skirts -- in particular, the men reacting to the short skirts. Sometimes before I run a race I try to read blog posts from other runners of that race, old race reports and what have you? And somehow I keep coming across reports from male Michigan runners which all comment on the sexiness (or otherwise) of the female runners around them on the course. Complaining about women who don't seem to have put thought into the attractiveness of their running gear. And that running skirts are stupid because they prevent men from checking out girls' asses. And so on.
This advanced fuckwitting douchebaggery can just go to hell.
I admit that I complain when (usually elderly) men are running wearing very short shorts, and I am worried I'm going to see their junk by accident. I feel that's a reasonable cultural norm: no flapping genitals, from anybody, regardless of sex or age. It's not because I think the old men runners owe me their effort at looking sexy while they run! You don't even have to look human; I hardly request more than I provide. You just need to be vaguely decent and maybe not fling your sweat on me. Otherwise, nothing that isn't my running is about me. ... And if anybody is running races to assess other people's hotness, their new assigned task is to stop being such a jackass and get a new hobby. Like maybe running in place alone and silent in a locked room where they can't bother anybody else. Very good.
Till Sunday morning: I will chill. I will stretch. I will eat some pasta tomorrow night. I will take a little more advil (some lady business unpleasantness, nice timing, whatever.) I will stretch more. And I will run me a good one Sunday morning!
... And then it will be time for the formation of real training schedules and summer racing plans. But not yet. Wish me luck.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
running the niagara peninsula
the short version:
1. i went for a half hour run on the path beside a university, and ended up scaling cliffs.
2. i went for a long run along a canal, and ended up running 11 miles in the blinding sun.
i will return to report more later today -- with pictures! also with grumbling. but mostly with happy.
1. i went for a half hour run on the path beside a university, and ended up scaling cliffs.
2. i went for a long run along a canal, and ended up running 11 miles in the blinding sun.
i will return to report more later today -- with pictures! also with grumbling. but mostly with happy.
Monday, May 19, 2014
running while i'm judging you
today! i ran today. every second day, ish, is how much i am going to run for the forseeable future, is a thing i decided. i like this plan. and so i ran today --3.5 or 4 miles, not quite sure. i will probably wear a garmin next time, even.
today's run was focused on running slightly faster than was comfortable, noticing that my legs were tired (not so surprising) and trying to shup up the super-judgy voices in my head.
on this last point: jesus, who invited that bitch into my head? somehow i get on a running trail and suddenly i am the world's greatest authority on why everyone else running/biking/walking there is an embarrassment to physical activity: they are running way too slow or too fast, or they don't know what to wear, are those even running shoes, why are they dressed for a completely different climate, who are they trying to impress with that outfit, oh my god that stride is going to give them IT trouble, that other stride will give them cholera, how are they running with that style of headphones, why are you walking now of all places, who the hell gave you that douchey haircut... it is the worst internal monologue ever. and of course at the same time i am smiling and nodding acknowledgment of all the people passing me, and meanwhile Cruella DeJogger is in me snarkkng away...
and the worst thing is that i *know* at the same time that if i am putting in any amount of above-comfort-level effort (which is when this voice really gets its gameface on, uh if voices had faces), i am the ugly-cry equivalent of a runner. i have seen those race pics, people, and i am not a delicate flower when trying to hustle. i look ROUGH. the term "wounded water buffalo" has come to more than one mind. ... this makes the judgey judgment all the worse! they would have every right to be looking back at me thinking "whoa, splotchy hiss-breather, maybe don't make that face in public!" ... and yet, i snark on.
anyway, i ran some and sweat some and snarked some and then laughed at myself for being an idiot. oh, and i swallowed TWO goddamn bugs. karma, presumably. but anyway it was a another run to get me back on track, so i will take it.
today's run was focused on running slightly faster than was comfortable, noticing that my legs were tired (not so surprising) and trying to shup up the super-judgy voices in my head.
on this last point: jesus, who invited that bitch into my head? somehow i get on a running trail and suddenly i am the world's greatest authority on why everyone else running/biking/walking there is an embarrassment to physical activity: they are running way too slow or too fast, or they don't know what to wear, are those even running shoes, why are they dressed for a completely different climate, who are they trying to impress with that outfit, oh my god that stride is going to give them IT trouble, that other stride will give them cholera, how are they running with that style of headphones, why are you walking now of all places, who the hell gave you that douchey haircut... it is the worst internal monologue ever. and of course at the same time i am smiling and nodding acknowledgment of all the people passing me, and meanwhile Cruella DeJogger is in me snarkkng away...
and the worst thing is that i *know* at the same time that if i am putting in any amount of above-comfort-level effort (which is when this voice really gets its gameface on, uh if voices had faces), i am the ugly-cry equivalent of a runner. i have seen those race pics, people, and i am not a delicate flower when trying to hustle. i look ROUGH. the term "wounded water buffalo" has come to more than one mind. ... this makes the judgey judgment all the worse! they would have every right to be looking back at me thinking "whoa, splotchy hiss-breather, maybe don't make that face in public!" ... and yet, i snark on.
anyway, i ran some and sweat some and snarked some and then laughed at myself for being an idiot. oh, and i swallowed TWO goddamn bugs. karma, presumably. but anyway it was a another run to get me back on track, so i will take it.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
the bumpy roads, that i'm back on
and, life, and three months happened.
here are some updates:
1. i ran that Around The Bay relay 15k at the end of march like a complete boss. took me about 1:20, and felt great. my teammate did her back half (with all the hills, mind you) in like 1:11, but we are not going to feel bad! in fact i felt awesome, and this was very affirming because i had been quite worried that my training was insufficient. but i felt like: i could have happily done another 6k! so the spring half marathons will be NBD.
this, you will now guess, was the height of foolishness.
2. training continued as it had been: running enough, but not running far enough. the days after the Around The Bay i was sore, but no tragedy. and so i kept it up -- not running far enough (weather continued to be barking loopy, with hot and ice and sleet and wind and flood and mud and sunshine in a total lottery-type rotation), but still getting miles done. got some new shoes, did some runs with (faster) friends (little bit of pain), fought my IT band a little...
but then! it was time for the April half marathon. run by the police, in fact. two big climbs out of (and back into) the river valley. the course of my first half ever, back to conquer it again, now like more of a pro. right!... well, no, i was still going to be undertrained, but i'd done two 15k-type distances since ATB, so i expected to hurt the last few miles, but manage it fine.
3. 48 hours before the race, i got a fever. ugh. like, shivering/sweating in bed all night type fever. nice, good, great. obviously i had no time for this, but i cancelled all my friday work outside the house and tried to get it together. by saturday night i felt pretty good again, so i decided sunday morning race time was a tentative go.
4. my friend picked me up, drove me to the race, provided a calming presence which let me believe it would be fine. we got the starting line, the weather was unclear, i was obviously going to be too hot as always at march/april races... and we were off! and i was doomed!
at 2k, i thought 'this was a bad idea'. at 4k as we were climbing up out of the valley i was like 'well, my legs are tired today'. at 6k i felt a silent tear of sorrow fall down my cheek -- like in a black and white movie, silent and tragic, it was really moving you guys -- and i thought really seriously, for the 10th time, about quitting.
thinking of quitting 6k in is ... well, you have 15k left. that's a long time to spend deciding if you should have quit, like, an hour ago.
but i didn't quit. i found somewhere in my running soul this bloody-minded determination of endorphins and stubbornness and former fat girl whatsit, or something? ... i don't know where i found it. but i was like: i know the rest of this route, i've run all of it countless times, and there's only one more big hill, and fuck it, you are NOT going to quit. so i ate all my swedish fish, and i drank energy drink at every aid station (which by the way tasted like sweet phlegm -- da FUCK is that flavour? why did its inventor hate people with taste buds?), and i silently cursed, and i never (really) walked, and i finished.
took me 2:02, whereas on a good day i think i should have been able to manage 1:56 or so. but when i finished ... yeah, well first i felt like shit. then i ate oranges and bitched at my friend and her friend and snotted a bit. and then i felt better!
5. but by that night? ... oooooh, not so much better.
two days later i headed for vancouver, where i did work and talked to lots of people and ate out and ran around Stanley Park's gorgeous sea wall. i was stiff sometimes and my throat was sore, but i sort of tried to ignore the fact that my fever would still come back some nights, and i was mostly keeping it together but still somehow ill.
when i got home from vancouver i had 36 hours turn around time, and then i flew across the continent for a two month stay. and once i arrived?... then, the sick really took over. by the end of that week, i had to give in and seek medical help, get immediately diagnosed with strep throat (which was by then killing me) and languish suffering until the amoxicillin kicked in. even after that, there was weakness and constant napping. i did some yoga and practically invented new moves like Napping Warrior.
and so with one sick thing and another -- i missed TWELVE days of running. may 3-15. looking back at my vaguely-annotated history: since 2010, the only times i've gone 12 days without running involved either hospitalization or crutches. this was a serious lack of running.
have i mentioned i'm signed up for another half in two weeks? ahem.
6. so thursday evening, i went for my first comeback run. it was 40 minutes. it was not fast (garmin is banished right now so as not to cause despair). it was in no way impressive except that i did it, and i felt fine afterwards. woot! last night, more yogalates to even things out.
7. so then today i met the friend who is running this half in two weeks with me. it's from Dexter to Ann Arbor, Michigan. we ran it together two (?) years ago. we both had bad races. well, we both executed things incorrectly. for my part, i will say that it was quite hot, and i made an ambitious start, and i held this great pace until mile 11, when... the proverbial wheels came off, rolled into a ditch, burst into flames and got the plague. so, this year was supposed to be a bit of redemption. however we are both feeling a little underprepared (see, all of this post so far)... and we have been having slightly hysterical facebook conversations like: so! we're running DXA2! we're possibly gonna die? yes, true. ok, good, let's die together...
8. right, so we ran today. she has been doing actual long runs, like she's paying attention, and so this week was her longest training run: 12 miles. i thought, probably after one 40 minute run in 13 days, let's not run 12 miles. just a nod to sanity for a change. ... so we met up, and i planned to peel off at some point. the running together was perfectly easy (always easier to run with someone else...) but then when i peeled off i was alone, and i also didn't want to retrace my steps but that meant taking a detour... and so turns out (i just checked) i ran 8 miles.
those 8 miles took me 80 minutes, although there was a fair amount of waiting at those lights and pausing to text, so i think i probably was running about 9:50 average. that's obviously slow, but it's still only my second run in recovery, so i'm going to count this as a win.
9. overall thoughts: running thus far this year has been an exercise in willpower. i have had some great runs, and some great endorphin highs, but it hasn't been the quite the same joyous affair. however, energy is returning, and warm weather is here/coming/about to get gross (uh, 2/3), and i see some good running times ahead.
10. after DXA2, though -- i am kind of without goals. i need another race to aim for! ... i think that's what i'm feeling, anyway. there has been a lot of loose talk about summer 2015 races -- it seems i know some runners with a thing for the Yukon, land of the Midnight Sun (bonus) and Epic Mosquitos (red flag)... but let's burn that bridge when we come to it next year. more to the point, what will i be doing with the rest of my summer?
so: on the lookout for an epic october-type race. and maybe a trail half in september. and something else in july... probably should leave that one till i am back to the tundra, since michigan in july is often like a humid soup full of hot stinksteam, and actually i'd rather run in the snow. ... so! onwards. including foam rolling and real stretching and more weight training and speedwork (eventually!) and nuun-drinking and the whole sweaty thing again
as for right now: recovery calories.
here are some updates:
1. i ran that Around The Bay relay 15k at the end of march like a complete boss. took me about 1:20, and felt great. my teammate did her back half (with all the hills, mind you) in like 1:11, but we are not going to feel bad! in fact i felt awesome, and this was very affirming because i had been quite worried that my training was insufficient. but i felt like: i could have happily done another 6k! so the spring half marathons will be NBD.
this, you will now guess, was the height of foolishness.
2. training continued as it had been: running enough, but not running far enough. the days after the Around The Bay i was sore, but no tragedy. and so i kept it up -- not running far enough (weather continued to be barking loopy, with hot and ice and sleet and wind and flood and mud and sunshine in a total lottery-type rotation), but still getting miles done. got some new shoes, did some runs with (faster) friends (little bit of pain), fought my IT band a little...
but then! it was time for the April half marathon. run by the police, in fact. two big climbs out of (and back into) the river valley. the course of my first half ever, back to conquer it again, now like more of a pro. right!... well, no, i was still going to be undertrained, but i'd done two 15k-type distances since ATB, so i expected to hurt the last few miles, but manage it fine.
3. 48 hours before the race, i got a fever. ugh. like, shivering/sweating in bed all night type fever. nice, good, great. obviously i had no time for this, but i cancelled all my friday work outside the house and tried to get it together. by saturday night i felt pretty good again, so i decided sunday morning race time was a tentative go.
4. my friend picked me up, drove me to the race, provided a calming presence which let me believe it would be fine. we got the starting line, the weather was unclear, i was obviously going to be too hot as always at march/april races... and we were off! and i was doomed!
at 2k, i thought 'this was a bad idea'. at 4k as we were climbing up out of the valley i was like 'well, my legs are tired today'. at 6k i felt a silent tear of sorrow fall down my cheek -- like in a black and white movie, silent and tragic, it was really moving you guys -- and i thought really seriously, for the 10th time, about quitting.
thinking of quitting 6k in is ... well, you have 15k left. that's a long time to spend deciding if you should have quit, like, an hour ago.
but i didn't quit. i found somewhere in my running soul this bloody-minded determination of endorphins and stubbornness and former fat girl whatsit, or something? ... i don't know where i found it. but i was like: i know the rest of this route, i've run all of it countless times, and there's only one more big hill, and fuck it, you are NOT going to quit. so i ate all my swedish fish, and i drank energy drink at every aid station (which by the way tasted like sweet phlegm -- da FUCK is that flavour? why did its inventor hate people with taste buds?), and i silently cursed, and i never (really) walked, and i finished.
took me 2:02, whereas on a good day i think i should have been able to manage 1:56 or so. but when i finished ... yeah, well first i felt like shit. then i ate oranges and bitched at my friend and her friend and snotted a bit. and then i felt better!
5. but by that night? ... oooooh, not so much better.
two days later i headed for vancouver, where i did work and talked to lots of people and ate out and ran around Stanley Park's gorgeous sea wall. i was stiff sometimes and my throat was sore, but i sort of tried to ignore the fact that my fever would still come back some nights, and i was mostly keeping it together but still somehow ill.
when i got home from vancouver i had 36 hours turn around time, and then i flew across the continent for a two month stay. and once i arrived?... then, the sick really took over. by the end of that week, i had to give in and seek medical help, get immediately diagnosed with strep throat (which was by then killing me) and languish suffering until the amoxicillin kicked in. even after that, there was weakness and constant napping. i did some yoga and practically invented new moves like Napping Warrior.
and so with one sick thing and another -- i missed TWELVE days of running. may 3-15. looking back at my vaguely-annotated history: since 2010, the only times i've gone 12 days without running involved either hospitalization or crutches. this was a serious lack of running.
have i mentioned i'm signed up for another half in two weeks? ahem.
6. so thursday evening, i went for my first comeback run. it was 40 minutes. it was not fast (garmin is banished right now so as not to cause despair). it was in no way impressive except that i did it, and i felt fine afterwards. woot! last night, more yogalates to even things out.
7. so then today i met the friend who is running this half in two weeks with me. it's from Dexter to Ann Arbor, Michigan. we ran it together two (?) years ago. we both had bad races. well, we both executed things incorrectly. for my part, i will say that it was quite hot, and i made an ambitious start, and i held this great pace until mile 11, when... the proverbial wheels came off, rolled into a ditch, burst into flames and got the plague. so, this year was supposed to be a bit of redemption. however we are both feeling a little underprepared (see, all of this post so far)... and we have been having slightly hysterical facebook conversations like: so! we're running DXA2! we're possibly gonna die? yes, true. ok, good, let's die together...
8. right, so we ran today. she has been doing actual long runs, like she's paying attention, and so this week was her longest training run: 12 miles. i thought, probably after one 40 minute run in 13 days, let's not run 12 miles. just a nod to sanity for a change. ... so we met up, and i planned to peel off at some point. the running together was perfectly easy (always easier to run with someone else...) but then when i peeled off i was alone, and i also didn't want to retrace my steps but that meant taking a detour... and so turns out (i just checked) i ran 8 miles.
those 8 miles took me 80 minutes, although there was a fair amount of waiting at those lights and pausing to text, so i think i probably was running about 9:50 average. that's obviously slow, but it's still only my second run in recovery, so i'm going to count this as a win.
9. overall thoughts: running thus far this year has been an exercise in willpower. i have had some great runs, and some great endorphin highs, but it hasn't been the quite the same joyous affair. however, energy is returning, and warm weather is here/coming/about to get gross (uh, 2/3), and i see some good running times ahead.
10. after DXA2, though -- i am kind of without goals. i need another race to aim for! ... i think that's what i'm feeling, anyway. there has been a lot of loose talk about summer 2015 races -- it seems i know some runners with a thing for the Yukon, land of the Midnight Sun (bonus) and Epic Mosquitos (red flag)... but let's burn that bridge when we come to it next year. more to the point, what will i be doing with the rest of my summer?
so: on the lookout for an epic october-type race. and maybe a trail half in september. and something else in july... probably should leave that one till i am back to the tundra, since michigan in july is often like a humid soup full of hot stinksteam, and actually i'd rather run in the snow. ... so! onwards. including foam rolling and real stretching and more weight training and speedwork (eventually!) and nuun-drinking and the whole sweaty thing again
as for right now: recovery calories.
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