Under most circumstances, getting caught in the rain isn’t the worst thing that can happen on run. But after Saturday’s run-in with the sidewalk, I felt a little wary of inclement weather and opted to renew my confidence on the long-neglected track at the rec. center.
And, you know, it really wasn’t bad.
I ran a mile to the rec. center, 6.13 miles on the track and then another mile back to work. The day’s 8+ miles put me at 59.1 miles with two weeks remaining in my run to 100 miles goal. I have been targeting the century mark since April, and it appears I might actually make it this time (knock on wood). At this point I am 12.5 miles ahead of my target… so, at least I have some wiggle room in case of emergency.
Today’s run, however, was all about getting my confidence back. I know most people need to retrieve their confidence from memories of a bad race or a bout with injury or illness. Well, I had to get it back from the concrete on the corner of Kent Road and OH-91.
Although I ran on Saturday night, in my pre-Cavs ritual, it wasn’t a comfortable run at all. I was uneasy, scared and wholly unfocused—I didn’t know whether to worry more about unfriendly cars or uneven sidewalks—at that was just a little over two miles. So, I started out slow.
I almost forgot how easy it is to run on the track. No hills, no wind, no godforsaken heat and humidity! Not mention the even and friendly surface. And after an 8:59 warm-up mile, I aimed to build a touch of speed for each mile because it was going to be a short run on such simple terrain.
I picked up mile two to 8:47 and three at 8:40. I wasn’t even winded after an 8:37 fourth mile or 8:30 fifth. So, I came cruising in at 8:00 for the last mile and then cooled down for a few laps for a 53-minute run.
Also: I am most happy to report that my knees have been quite awesome. Despite the Saturday scare and weekend soreness, they have really felt great when running the past couple weeks. All it took was a little doctor scare! My left knee is still scabby and sore to the touch from the fall, but feels great in my stride. (My left arm, however, is a different story: after landing, flipping and skidding on my upper arm and shoulder, weight training and swimming will take some slower getting used to… I’ll see how it feels in the pool tomorrow).
The one-mile runs to and from the rec. center were nice bookends to the workout. It was a little awkward to jog with a tote bag (and trying not to sweat too badly on the way back because I had already showered), but I made it work. It was better than wasting gas to drive across campus… and only took a few extra minutes.
Next on my list of ways to integrate training into my work day: packing my bike. I would like to start bringing my bike to work. I’m not yet in cycling shape to make the ride to work (correction: I’m not in shape to make the ride to work and then actually want to pedal home at 5 p.m.), but it would be nice to have my bike to ride to places like the rec. center or anywhere else wind-blown helmet hair might be appropriate. It just breaks my heart when I have to drive somewhere, and I’d really like an alternative when there just isn’t enough time to walk.
Now, if only I could get my wheels on and off without a big, dramatic and greasy scene, I would be all set.
Showing posts with label confidence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confidence. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Epiphany Weekend
My fear of losing running fitness from my Portland break persisted through each run last week. I started out each time tight and pessimistic, and finished pretty loose and only slightly reassured. Even though I was finally getting my pace down, it felt like a struggle to get through each time. That feeling was only offset by my newfound (albeit temporary) freedom from school. And we celebrated on Friday with a pleasant evening walk.
It was supposed to be a pleasant Friday-evening bicycle ride, but LeBron, my bike, has a flat back tire. Darn it! We tried pumping it up, but it looks like that tire patch kit I never purchased would be great right now.
On the upside, Neil and I finished our walk with a half-mile run to the end of our street and back. You knew I would rope him in at some point, didn’t you? He did a fantastic job and I’m very proud of him: high-five dude! We’ll start inching up little by little and be at a mile in no time!
By Saturday morning, I promised myself that I would take my run inch-by-inch as well. It was swell outside (it felt like mid 60s with plenty of sun) and I took off jogging down the trail in Stow. I felt so tight and unmotivated that my targeted one-hour run seemed out of my reach. So, I just took it slowly (it was all part of my plan… muahaha) until I found my stride.
Eventually it came to me. After warming up with three cool miles (8:36, 8:37, 8:39), I picked up an 8:26 pace for several miles. And by the time I reached my one-hour goal, I was about seven miles out. I could have taken a shortcut to make it back in a few miles, but I took the long way home instead!
Miles eight, nine and ten had to be the hilliest regions of Kent and Stow—it just kept going up and up and uphill—so I took them at 8:34, 8:42 and 8:35, respectively. I hit that point at which I said to myself “OK, one more hill and I’m walking” at least six times, but I just kept going. And then I got to the point where I was promising myself a walking break after three more hills. I bluffed on that front too.
I hit less hilly ground (nothing seems to be flat by foot around here) at mile eleven and felt energized. It was about time that Greens Plus energy bar kicked in! The problem, however, was that some major chafing kicked in as well. Not only did I have some serious sleeve rubbage, my HRM sensor left scabs around my torso and that didn’t feel fantastic on the sweaty day.
I haven’t had too much trouble with chafing, but I have a feeling it will be a greater concern this summer and something to add to my list of things to think about!
So, how far did I end up running? Well, I reached my car at 13.7 miles, so I turned around and ran .15 miles down the trail and came back for a personal distance record of 14 miles in 1:59:25 and an average pace of 8:31/mile.
It was remarkable not only for my distance, but for several other reasons too: 1) I felt great after my run—a little tired and slightly sore from impact, but great overall; 2) Not only did I run past my one-hour goal, I nearly doubled my one-hour goal, and that’s just cool to me; and 3) I woke up today feeling fine, feeling normal without any soreness—not even in my goofy knees. In fact, had it not been an action-packed Mother’s Day, I would have probably gone for a slight run today as well.
My plan for this week, other than going to New York on Friday: get a plan (thanks Salty) and look at races. I’d like to start plotting out my races and understanding how to race them. It has dawned on me that I can run really well when I don’t know what to expect, but I clam up and slow it down so much when I know what’s ahead. How backward is that? Unfortunately, it’s the same way I swam when I aged into longer races like 100-200 yards butterfly. I thought that I would only make it if I swam slowly in the beginning and brought it home strong. Goof. Sure, I realized after a while that I should train to go strong all the way, but it didn’t really click until I had solid confidence under my belt. I’ll have to see if I can find that on the trail someday too.
It was supposed to be a pleasant Friday-evening bicycle ride, but LeBron, my bike, has a flat back tire. Darn it! We tried pumping it up, but it looks like that tire patch kit I never purchased would be great right now.
On the upside, Neil and I finished our walk with a half-mile run to the end of our street and back. You knew I would rope him in at some point, didn’t you? He did a fantastic job and I’m very proud of him: high-five dude! We’ll start inching up little by little and be at a mile in no time!
By Saturday morning, I promised myself that I would take my run inch-by-inch as well. It was swell outside (it felt like mid 60s with plenty of sun) and I took off jogging down the trail in Stow. I felt so tight and unmotivated that my targeted one-hour run seemed out of my reach. So, I just took it slowly (it was all part of my plan… muahaha) until I found my stride.
Eventually it came to me. After warming up with three cool miles (8:36, 8:37, 8:39), I picked up an 8:26 pace for several miles. And by the time I reached my one-hour goal, I was about seven miles out. I could have taken a shortcut to make it back in a few miles, but I took the long way home instead!
Miles eight, nine and ten had to be the hilliest regions of Kent and Stow—it just kept going up and up and uphill—so I took them at 8:34, 8:42 and 8:35, respectively. I hit that point at which I said to myself “OK, one more hill and I’m walking” at least six times, but I just kept going. And then I got to the point where I was promising myself a walking break after three more hills. I bluffed on that front too.
I hit less hilly ground (nothing seems to be flat by foot around here) at mile eleven and felt energized. It was about time that Greens Plus energy bar kicked in! The problem, however, was that some major chafing kicked in as well. Not only did I have some serious sleeve rubbage, my HRM sensor left scabs around my torso and that didn’t feel fantastic on the sweaty day.
I haven’t had too much trouble with chafing, but I have a feeling it will be a greater concern this summer and something to add to my list of things to think about!
So, how far did I end up running? Well, I reached my car at 13.7 miles, so I turned around and ran .15 miles down the trail and came back for a personal distance record of 14 miles in 1:59:25 and an average pace of 8:31/mile.
It was remarkable not only for my distance, but for several other reasons too: 1) I felt great after my run—a little tired and slightly sore from impact, but great overall; 2) Not only did I run past my one-hour goal, I nearly doubled my one-hour goal, and that’s just cool to me; and 3) I woke up today feeling fine, feeling normal without any soreness—not even in my goofy knees. In fact, had it not been an action-packed Mother’s Day, I would have probably gone for a slight run today as well.
My plan for this week, other than going to New York on Friday: get a plan (thanks Salty) and look at races. I’d like to start plotting out my races and understanding how to race them. It has dawned on me that I can run really well when I don’t know what to expect, but I clam up and slow it down so much when I know what’s ahead. How backward is that? Unfortunately, it’s the same way I swam when I aged into longer races like 100-200 yards butterfly. I thought that I would only make it if I swam slowly in the beginning and brought it home strong. Goof. Sure, I realized after a while that I should train to go strong all the way, but it didn’t really click until I had solid confidence under my belt. I’ll have to see if I can find that on the trail someday too.
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