Sick Of Myself

I’ve had a bit of a cold for the past couple days, which normally means I don’t run. I’ve been trying over the past year to be cautious and rest whenever I’m sick, rather than running through an illness and prolonging it. But that’s resulted in quite a few long breaks, and I only ran twice last week, so clearly time off from running didn’t help me stave off this latest cold.

Tuesday, I was attempting to do a tempo run, kind of like last week’s: 1 mile at 11:36 pace, that went ok, and then I was trying to do 1.1 miles at ~10:30 pace followed by 1.2 miles at ~9:30 pace, but during the second interval, I realized it wasn’t going to happen. I had no energy and was struggling to keep the pace, so I knew there was no way I could run the third interval. I decided to slow down and make the rest of the run an easy run. I cut it a little short, too, since I was attending my friend’s first game on the Marshall JV hockey team.

The next day I woke up sneezing and with a bit of a cough, plus a generally foggy head. Surprise, surprise. But I’m running this dumb 5K this weekend, I’d taken a gorillion days off in November (I didn’t even run 100 miles!), and I’m still reading Racing Weight, which is making me feel badly about myself, so I decided to run.

And I didn’t die! And I didn’t wake up yesterday feeling worse! (I felt the same.) And then I ran yesterday, too! Amazing.

So, I made a calculated decision and it paid off. I could have just as easily woken up feeling like donkey crap, and screwed myself over for this 5K that I don’t even want to run but I couldn’t drag my sorry butt out of bed on Thanksgiving so now I must. I’m glad that it worked out but I was really tempting fate.

I’m sick a lot. I’m not 100% sure why, but I have a few hypotheses:

  1. I eat like crap. Ok, trying to fix that. Entirely my own fault
  2. I don’t always get the best sleep. Sometimes this is my fault, like if I stay up too late reading. Sometimes it isn’t, like when I’m stressed or my stomach’s upset or I’m in an uncomfortable bed (like a pull-out couch, or a cot).
  3. When my allergies are triggered (by dust, pollen, cat dander, or some other unknown substance), they tend to open the door for a cold. I try to take an antihistamine but sometimes it’s too late. I take a preventative one when cleaning!
  4. I have had pneumonia and a couple of cases of bronchitis that seem to have done some lasting damage. I didn’t get sick nearly as often before my first bout of pneumonia about 10 years ago, nor did I get sick in the same way. I used to get a sore throat and a stuffy nose but was able to power through. Now I get a foggy head, labored breathing, and break out into a sweat when I have to walk more than ten feet. I was lucky this last little illness didn’t turn into that (it could have easily!), and I would not be running if that was the case, I’m not an idiot.

I ordered this list according to how much control I have over each potential cause for the frequency with which I get ill. Since I’m planning on improving my diet, and I guess now I should be planning on improving my sleep, I will have to see if that makes enough of a difference that I can stave off or minimize my next encounter with a yucky bacteria or virus.

Motivational Speaking

Some things:

  1. I didn’t run the Turkey Day 5K. I woke up at 6:15 after a very poor night’s sleep. I had a choice between running a crummy race and being exhausted all day, or going back to sleep and feeling like an idiot for not running. I chose to feel like an idiot for not running, but I also had a much more enjoyable Thanksgiving.
  2. I’m most likely going to run a 5K this weekend since I’m still chasing the dream. The course will be exactly the same as the one I just ran a month ago, so that’s a positive.
  3. I barely ran at all last week, so that’s a negative.

To be truthful, I’m having trouble getting up the motivation to run. I never regret running, but for some reason that’s not enough to get me outside when it is dark, cold, and the streets are covered in snow and ice. The warmer weather and rain washed away the snow and ice, so that obstacle has been eliminated, but I’ve got to figure out how to get motivated, day after day.

Maybe I’d be more motivated if I had a race I was training for. I’m not signed up for anything at the moment. I’m planning on running Zumbro but am not sure which distance, so I haven’t signed up. I’m also planning to run the Superior 25K (and MMM) but the lottery isn’t until January. But maybe that would be worse, feeling more paralyzed and panicked because I am not getting out to train for a race I’ve already paid for. I’m not sure.

I’ve been reading Racing Weight and plan to do a review of the book on here, but the book is kind of depressing me. I’ve gained some weight over the past 6 months or so (I’m not exactly sure), not a significant amount, but when I’m still in the process of trying to slowly lose that weight, it’s not heartening. Racing Weight is not written for people like me, and I knew that going in, but it’s hard to keep reading about the fatty non-athletes who have sad, pathetic motivations for losing weight, unlike the lofty motivations for the elevated, evolved endurance athlete. I don’t have a very good attitude about the book but I’m willing to see it through and see what I can do to improve my performance (and my flab!).

Time to turn the page and get back on track this week, although I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot. It doesn’t matter, though. Turning the page is always, always, always better than closing the book.

Turkey Day 5K Goals

Let’s just get this out of the way:

A Standard: 29:29
B Standard: 29:59

I’ve got to get this stupid benchmark behind me. I sense that I have had the physical capability to break the 30 minute mark for awhile (um, duh, since I ran 30:02 5 months ago), but I’m still lacking the mental capability. So the Turkey Day 5K in Minneapolis is where I prove myself wrong.

I have done some speed work over the last few weeks, including 0.25 mi repeats, tempo runs, and of course another 5K. But then I’ve also neglected my strength training and took 9 days off running in the middle of this short training cycle. But then I also still ran 30:18 a few weeks ago, just a few weeks after my 50K and with NO speed work at all. So, can I find 19 seconds. Yeah. I’ll go with that. I ran a tempo run this evening that wasn’t exactly heartening, but it was sleeting, so maybe that wasn’t so bad. After a warm-up, I did 1 mi @ 11:24 pace, 1.1 mi @ 10:19 pace, and 1.1 mi @ 9:50 pace. The first 2 parts went as planned, but the second part was supposed to be 5K pace. Oh well, I’m not too worried. Unless it’s also sleeting on race day.

I’ll be driving down to the Twin Cities the night before the race, and sleeping on a fold-out mattress, so that’s not the best way to start things off. I also have to be up fairly early in order to get downtown, parked, and checked in. This is why I like doing races where I can get my packet early! It doesn’t work that way when I don’t live in town. I’m also going to be running the race by myself, since my husband is on call and my brother and sister-in-law decided not to run. It’ll be lonely!

The upside to arriving early and alone is that I will have no excuse not to warm up. I don’t even usually have excuses not to warm up properly, I just don’t do it. I will have nothing better to do so I will have to warm up. If I’d warmed up properly for the Superhero 5K, I’d probably have run under 30 minutes. Maybe. But it’s no surprise that the 5Ks where I’ve done the best (like my current PR, at Midnight Sun Midnight Run), I’ve had a decent warm up.

I also need to make sure I eat a decent meal the night before (so that I don’t have an upset stomach) and race day (for energy), and get decently hydrated, but not so much that I have to pee the whole time. I’m not sure what I’m going to wear, probably tights and a long-sleeved shirt. I have to do laundry tomorrow, regardless.

I don’t know the course, but I do know there’s a wave start. Wave 1 is sub 9 minute miles, and wave 2 is sub-11 minute miles. I like this, because I’m just slightly slower than wave 1. I can comfortably line up near the start of wave 2, and then maybe I’ll avoid dodging and weaving. We’ll see. They don’t allow walkers/strollers in the running waves, but I’m sure that won’t stop some of the more aggressive stroller runners from slipping in.

I’m a bit concerned about my GPS since part of the race will be downtown. That might be a blessing in disguise: I’ll just have to run hard. Pretty simple. Run hard. Push harder. No retreat, no surrender. Oh, there we go, got my motto and my pump-up song!

As always, hoping not to barf, become incontinent, injure myself, slip and fall, become hypothermic, or otherwise harm or humiliate myself and ruin Thanksgiving. It should be a great day, and I hope to have a triumphant race report forthcoming.

To the select and marvelous few who read this site, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Like Riding A Bike

I didn’t run for 9 days before yesterday.

This unexpected long streak came about for a variety of reasons. The first day (the Sunday before last), I thought I might be catching a cold, and I wanted to spend extra time with family. Monday, I traveled for work and ended up more tired than I thought I’d be at the end of the day, with a day of flights and then a car trip at the end. And daylight saving time ending certainly did not help.

Tuesday, I was tired already from a poor night’s sleep Monday night (hotel life!), and couldn’t drag myself to the hotel workout room.

Wednesday, I woke up devastated, after tossing and turning and unable to quell the fear, rage, and frustration roiling inside of me as I faced what had really happened in this country. And I lost all interest in running. My resting heart rate is in the high 60s, and has been for two weeks, even with 9 days off.

I finally stopped making excuses or flat out being lazy yesterday, and ran 4.5 miles on the Lakewalk. My legs felt like lead weights. My form sucked. I know there’s no way I’ll be able to do much speed work. I’ve probably screwed myself out of a chance to break 30 minutes in my 5K next week. I’ve gained at least a couple pounds, probably more like 5. I squandered some of the last warm days I’ll see for months, sitting inside watching television and feeling dead inside. But I’m back running, and it felt good.

I’m not quite ready to take running more than a day at a time. Planning for another ultra seems mentally impossible; let alone actually training for one is more than I can handle right now. I know I’ll adjust to the short days and the cold weather (once it comes), and I know I’ll keep finding ways to meaningfully resist the monstrously corrupt government that’s coming to power in the US in a few months. One step at a time.

Finding Speed

I’m trying to remember how to run fast. (Do I have to keep saying “fast for me” every time? It’s implied.) My muscles seem to have forgotten, considering how the backs of my legs feel three days after my 5K. So I came up with a mini-plan for the next 3.5 weeks leading up to the Turkey Day Minneapolis 5K, based on one of Hal Higdon’s 8 week 5K plans. I started it Monday night with a 1.9 mile treadmill run. My treadmill crapped out at 1.9 miles so that was an inauspicious start.

Last night, I had 6 x 400 on my schedule. I did 6 x 0.25 miles, which is basically the same thing, but my watch is in imperial units, so that’s what I go by. I walked/jogged 0.1 miles between reps, which worked out to about 1:30-1:40 of active recovery between reps.

Here’s how things went: 8:43 (included a hill), 8:43 (included a hill), 8:17, 8:32, 8:20, 8:55.

So, that was probably not very smart running. I need to try a couple other things next week.

  1. Run a flatter route (I ran the Lakewalk and hit both hills at Leif Erikson Park).
  2. Slow down. I think aiming for a nice, even 8:45 pace would be smarter than just kind of going balls-out and seeing what happens. The reps are supposed to be run at a mile pace, and I think 8:45 is a reasonable mile pace for me.
  3. Reduce recovery time. With an overall slower and more sustainable pace, I can reduce the recovery distance to 0.05 miles.

Next Tuesday I’ll be doing another set of repeats, unfortunately mostly in the dark just like yesterday (I started late due to a work function), thanks to the end of daylight saving time. Ugh.

Race Report: Superhero 5K

Official Results:
Time: 30:18
Pace: 9:46
Placing:
Overall: 39/171
Gender: 14/102
Division (F 18+): 10/82

Watch Results:
Time: 30:23
Pace: 9:32/mi
Distance: 3.18
Heart Rate: N/A

Goals:
A: 29:30
B: 29:59

Food:
What I ate the night before: gyros and fries
What I ate on race morning: Clif bar
What I carried with me: nothing

Gear:
What I wore: Doctor Who t-shirt, shorts, buff
Gadgets: GPS watch, fitness tracker

Discussion: This was an overall disappointing result for me, mostly because my expectations were too high. I assumed that I would just waltz out there and PR easily. I entered the race with a friend, so I didn’t do a big warm-up, which probably did not help.

The funny thing is, this is my best placing ever. I was on the first page of results! However, many of the people I “beat” were 2 year olds, or people carrying 2 year olds. The race assigned bibs to all participants, even little kids in strollers. It was sort of like the Simpsons episode Homer’s Enemy, where Homer is tricked into entering a children’s nuclear power plant design contest.

I was only 16 seconds off my time from this summer, so I am not overly concerned about giving <30 another shot. With a few weeks of work, I can get back some of that lost speed and energy. And mental determination. I probably could have run under 30 minutes if I’d had better head game.

The race itself was fun, it was inexpensive and a fundraiser for the Duluth Police Foundation, so I was happy to participate and I expect to run this race again. The course gets a little crowded and there were some pedestrians on the Lakewalk that added a few obstacles, but since the race was small and the average pace was slower, I got out of the crowding fairly quickly. The race starts behind Grandma’s Sports Garden, so the course doesn’t go as far down the Lakewalk as the Midnight Sun Midnight Run does, avoiding the Leif Erikson park hills. (10K runners do not avoid the hill, though.) I’d have thought on an easier course I’d run faster, but I guess not. It was windy but I didn’t feel the wind was a factor. I was just glad it wasn’t 30 degrees. The Sports Garden does open early, so there’s a nice, warm place with actual bathrooms at the start/finish of the race.

In conclusion, it turns out that when I don’t train specifically for a race or put much thought into pre-race nutrition and warm-ups, I don’t magically PR. What a surprising development.

Crash Into Me

I’m back to running after 8 days off post-Wild Duluth. Those 8 days off did wonders for me. I had a cold for most of the time, which cut down on how much I could get done around the house, but giving my legs, hips, and back time to rest was invaluable. So was giving my brain a chance to rest. That was probably the most beneficial part of my time off.

I started back running on Monday, and was rewarded for getting back on the road by getting struck from behind by a cyclist while on the Lakewalk. That was exciting! I’m fine, he didn’t hit me very hard, but he did scream at me that I wasn’t paying attention. Ok, sir, I’m not the one trying to pass on the right, off the trail.

I signed up for a 5K on Saturday which is… I think on the Lakewalk. I’m not sure. I’m not really trained for it but it gives me another chance to get under 30 minutes this year. I’m also running a 5K in Minneapolis on Thanksgiving, but I’d just like to get this hurdle out of the way. The race hasn’t historically had a large turnout, so I’m hoping to get a lot of space to run. My goals are:

A Standard: 29:30
B Standard: 29:59

I think it’s possible, even though I have hardly done any fast running lately. In fact, for almost two months! Whatever, it’ll be fun. A friend of mine will be visiting from Grand Forks and will be running with me (and probably beating me).

Regardless of whether or not I finally get under 30 minutes for this 5K, I am going to stick to road/pavement running for awhile. I have spent a long time working on strength and endurance, and I have to spend some time re-learning how to turn my legs over. I have some mechanics to fix and some muscles to wake up, and I can’t break those bad habits on trails. I know I have limited time left on trails before snow and ice take them over, but I feel the need for speed. That doesn’t mean doing speed work in every workout, it just means that I will stop running at my “I can run forever” shuffle pace. I’ll take this month to re-train myself to run a bit more sharply, and see if I can get that to translate onto trails. I need to get faster, for a variety of reasons, and this is the first step.