Leap Year = One More Day to Train

For St. Malachi, that is. This year’s race falls on Saturday, March 15, and if you haven’t already registered, do it now!

Neither my mind nor my body is ready for racing right now, but I still have a little less than one month to go. At least I have Feb. 29, my one extra day, to prepare for my first race of the season.

And that preparation officially started today: I ran for one hour at about 10:00/mile pace around my neighborhood. The run wasn't particularly fast or long, but it felt great just getting it done. What a good way to get my new schedule rolling...

It was super-sunny outside this afternoon, which made the bitter cold easier to bear. I was dressed in my typical fleece running jacket, thermal headband, and my new Mizuno running tights (I’ll obsess about these things another time), while most of the people I passed were going sans coats and one guy was wearing a sweatshirt while washing his car. Weather.com promised in was 25 degrees; I believed it. You would think that being the person running that I would think it was warmer. You would think that.

Yet I was more taken aback by how creakedy my body felt as I warmed up. Sure, my running schedule has been pretty jumpy, but I haven’t had shin splints and calf cramps and general fatigue quite like I felt today.

I thought that the new running shoes I picked up this afternoon from Vertical Runner (they were a gift from my dad—thanks, pops!) would make me fly, fly, fly… but I just felt stiff and flat-footed.

My first inclination was to blame the shoes. Were they too big, too wide, too bulky? I tried different tying configurations, but I was just in denial. My new Mizuno Wave Inspire 4 (the same shoe I bought last year; new colors) are kickin’. Granted, they don’t have the magic fairy dust I needed today, but I don’t think those are race-legal anyway. Sigh.

Thirty-five minutes into the run, I hit the point at which I either a) wanted to stop and go take a nap ASAP; or b) keep running because my lactic threshold was just around the corner. For the sake of not being a wuss, I chose option b. And it worked. The latter half of the run was pretty smooth. My shoes felt like a reinvigorated version of my old Mizunos, and now my training plan in under way.

That plan: build distance every day at a healthy pace. Avoid injuries. Eye progress, but don’t force my hand (or foot). In other words, don’t be stupid (again). Perhaps I’ll follow that notion all year long.

Come Monday (or some other day next week), I should have a clue what’s wrong with me. That’s not an open invitation for speculation ;-) Following today’s run I felt fantastic for 1-2 hours; I ate dinner and I was fine; and then I ate some honeydew and wanted to cry.

Was it bad honeydew (it tasted great!)? Was it delayed digestion? Was it just runner’s stomach? Who knows.

Lucky for me, this thing seems to pass after whatever is miffing my stomach makes its way through. But I would prefer eating in peace, scarfing my cake and loving it too.

I’m fairly certain, however, that all the non-injury problems I’ve had over the past year have been the result of bad karma. For years I was one of those horrible people who bragged about how she never ever got sick. Ever. Look at me now! Have you known (and hated) a person like that? Well, now you know what happens to us. So, tell your children to brag about something else, like being tall. I’m curious about what happens to people like that.

Speaking of tall people, I hope you didn’t miss the All-Star Weekend Slam-Dunk Contest. It’s my favorite event of February. After my birthday, that is. I always like watching talented people being creative and reaching for the stars. And, in Dwight Howard’s case, pretty much touching the stars.

Sure, I’m horribly jealous of tall and incredibly able-bodied people. Some of that envy turns to inspiration. I won’t be dunking any basketballs soon, but I like when people reinforce the idea of aiming high. So, aim high, my blogger friend. Aim high.

New Job, New Rec, New ‘Do…

On the bright side, my new job rocks a mean bag of pretzels. Cool people, awesome projects, killer opportunities. And there’s nothing quite like feeling respected for the person you are and the things you can do. Rock on!

The only not-so-sunny side is the new commute: I’ve gone from a 40-minute roundtrip to a three-hour roundtrip. Yick. There won't be able bike-riding from these spots. While the first week had me pretty mopey, I’ve gotten over it and learned to better manage my time (which includes hours dedicated to rabid, desperate house-hunting!). It helps that my department allows me to have flexible hours—I get in early and leave early to make the best of low-traffic times—around which I’ve managed to fit 5:30 a.m. aerobics and 5:30 p.m. runs. I might just make it after all…

Once I get down my rhythm, I’d like to take advantage of this university’s rec. center, which is located right next to my parking garage. I ran for 35 minutes last week on the 1/8-mile track, but have been trying hard to keep my runs outside. Plus, it's a little less orderly on this new track. The track team seemed to be running against the traffic whenever and wherever possible. What gives?

While the single-digit temperatures haven’t exactly been helping the outdoor effort, I have managed to run 2-3 times each week for around 30-40 minutes. Because I’m just ramping up the new season o’IronG, I’ve been taking it pretty wimpy. Believe it or not.

But today will be different. This side of winter is kind of nice: it’s face-chapping cold, but at least the days are getting longer. It’s supposed to be in the 30’s and 40’s for the next couple of days, so I’m going to run my butt off while I can do it without making my fingers freeze off.

I’ve really missed this energy brought on by the excitement of imminent running. Not only am I pumped for this week’s weather, but also the upcoming season. I already have on my calendar Tackle the Tower on Feb. 9 (that’s right: Landon convinced me to do it; I don’t know how…) and St. Malachi 5-miler on March 15. Let the training begin!

It tickles me to think that this time last year I had just reached my 30-mile dessert goal and wasn’t even counting down to my first race. I remember fretting late each night that I wouldn’t be able to finish the five-mile race. Hee hee.

And I’m headed into this race season a little lighter. No, I’m not talking about weight; I donated my hair! For anyone who knew me in person, you’ll know I had long I’ve mistreated for the past 5-6 years. I had been trying to care for and condition it lately in preparation for donating it “some day.”

But when I went to my hair stylist last week, I had planned to get a chunk chopped and that chunk turned into 12 inches (I was only 4-5 inches away from donation length with my original plan, so I just went for it; what’s 4-5 inches anyway?). It was the least remorseful haircut I’ve ever had. And it’s nice to be short again. Now I just have to figure out how to run with this thing…

Sometimes it’s just easier to swim…

Would the Titans-Colts game end already? I’d like to get to sleep so I can hit the rec. center for the last time before my membership ends and I’m without a pool again.

But I took advantage of the pool and track today, after morning yoga, with a slightly bricky workout: a 4,100-yard swim...

• 1,000 yards IM drill
  (25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast, 100 free;
  25 free, 50 fly, 75 back, 100 breast;
  25 breast, 50 free, 75 fly, 100 back;
  25 back, 50 breast, 75 free, 100 fly)
• 10 x 50 free sprints on 1:00
• 4 x 250 yards alt free and IM kick
• 10 x 50 free sprints on 1:00
• 1,000 yard IM (sub. one-arm fly)
• 100-yard cool down

... followed by a 2.5-mile run: the first was 10:15/mile, followed by a 9:25/mile, and then halfway through the third mile I felt the gentlest twinge in my left calf. It was so slight that it may have even been a mental pain, but I didn’t want to test it. I stretched it out, walked a few laps and went home. Today's swim was the first time I've done such a long, fast set of sprints (20x50 free) in at least ten years. Talk about pushing it! At least I was able to finish the swim. Sometimes, I suppose, it's just easier to swim 2.5 miles than run...

Surprisingly, I made it through the entire day without a nap. I didn’t drag because I had a wealth of things to do… and an even greater wealth of things to eat. When I was food-reading in the bible last week, I hit on that tip about eating carbs and protein (and little to no fat) within an hour after training, and it was all I could think about on the ride home.

OK, I honestly would have chowed on a fried basketball if one had presented itself, but my actions/intentions ended up much better with this quick (less than 5 minutes) meal:

• 1 cup cooked cous cous (150 cal, 0g fat, 30 carbs, 5g protein) cooked with jasmine green tea, cayenne and green onions
• ½ cup chilled organic black soy beans (120 cal, 6g fat, 8g carb/7g fiber, 11g protein)
• 1/8 cup pumpkin seeds (85 cal, 7g fat, 2g carb, 5g protein)
• 2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream (47 cal, 4g fat, 2g carb, 1g protein)

And I followed it with a crisp, tart Granny Smith apple. Quite tasty! It was a little more fatty than perfection, but I'll work on it.

The weather over the next week seems conducive to outdoor running—just in time for no-more-rec and my new job in Cleveland. I’ll be checking out all the recommendations I’ve received from everyone. Thanks a bunch!

No Browns in the playoffs. Sigh. At least now I can go to sleep while you check out Lance Armstrong in Dodgeball...

The 12:00/Mile Allergy

So, I couldn’t hold back another week and started running today. But it was all in good measure, and maybe a little too slow to start.

Because I’m still being a weather wimp, I went to the rec. center track (besides, my membership needs to be worth its while; I have all winter to run in the cold) and warmed up with a 15-minute/1-mile walk. Not only did the walk make for a good pre-warm-up, but stretched out my feet and helped me gauge how my achey and fatted bones felt today. All good so far—even if I could feel the gravity of three days’ worth of binging!

Then I took off for a slow warm-up. I generally don’t give myself targeted times for a slow warm-up (12:00/mile today, which is 2:00/lap), but my propensity for running at too high intensity has proven uncontrollable in the past. And I just didn’t want to break my leg today.

As usual, I had poor speed control in the first half lap (I was just too excited!) before finally nailing the 12:00 pace by the end of lap two. The only problem: my legs broke out into hives! It’s been years since I’ve experienced what I assume to be slight exercise-induced anaphylaxis. My legs from thigh to calf were itchy red and slightly swollen. Thankfully I had no allergy symptoms elsewhere—running a warm-up isn’t the best time/place to get swollen air passages. Years ago I would get hives when I ran, but I always figured it was the shock on running that threw them for an allergic loop. It was their way of not-so-quietly saying, WTF?

Here I am, however, a year into doing some not-so-bad training, and I’m breaking out into hives? Argh! Lucky for us all, I’m as stubborn as they get. If a stress fracture didn’t stop me from running, how could a few blisteringly itchy hives? (Warning, kids: don’t try this idiocy at home.) I know these types of “attacks” are often related to not exercising for several days, but where was this outbreak when I took a month off in October? And most of November? My cross-training has been pretty steady all along, so I just chalk it up to the randomness and unpredictability of EIA.

Luckier still: the hives went away two laps into my second mile. After the 12:00 warm-up, I did a 3-mile set, which included three more consecutive miles at 10:00, 9:00 and 10:00 paces. I allowed myself the 9:00 miles as a reward. It had nothing to do with needing to pass other people on the track; it was just a pat on the back for being able to pace myself. Honestly! It felt great to stretch my legs and run at a comfortable pace for the first time in too long. I miss my running.

Isn’t it strange, though, that the hives disappeared almost immediately after I picked up my pace? Sure, the EIA or whatever else it was could have been burned away by my sensible warm-up run, but I think I’m really just allergic to the 12:00 mile. My body apparently just doesn’t like it (maybe it prefers stress fractures; who knows!).

Perhaps my legs were just protesting—how dare I make them run after I ate so many pastries, cakes, tarts and tortes?

When I think of the past three days, however, I realize that if nothing else I did make good on my goal of eating by color: I had my red flavanoids in red velvet cupcakes, orange in the carmelized sugar-topped dobos torte, yellow in the creamy center of an éclair, green in the holiday-colored melted chocolate drizzled on baked goods, and blue from blueberries topping a creamy orange dreamsicle cake. Taste that rainbow, baby! Sounds like a balanced diet in anti-oxidants to me. No wonder my body has become allergic to running.