My Week In Running

I discovered a lot of new things in running this past week:

1. BC has a lot of hills. Sweetie and I did our 15km long run on Saturday, as we were planning to drive home on Sunday. This began with a big downhill, which meant on the return, there would be a big uphill. However, it was a nice run, fully enjoyable time with Ragnar, and I was able to enjoy the beautiful near-countryside of BC. Weird thing seen: a couch in the ditch.
2. Podcasting: I've heard of podcasting, but never figured it out until I needed something, anything, to block out the Flames of War podcast Ragnar was listening to. So I hooked up to Geeks in Running Shoes, which is a couple of self-proclaimed geeks who are recording their continuing efforts in making running a norm in their lives. They have guests, they talk about their race results, and they're super-nice: one already responded to me on Twitter! They also led me to the Slow Runners' Club, which espouses a joy in running and racing that is based on having fun, not racing for time, personal bests, or a win. Also, running while listening to podcasts? Not awesome, because you may have to laugh too hard.
3. Upon returning to Edmonton, it was, as my sister had described it, as hot as the seventh level of Dante's Hell. Constantly 28-30C, and humid to boot! Fortunately, I had lived in Ottawa, so this humidity was a mosquito's bite compared to some I'd experienced, but it made me start running in the morning again, because running at noon was torturous.
4. Which I did, actually, because I hadn't woken up early enough Thursday morning (the invasive heat and resulting two-hour thunderstorm broke my sleep too much). In deference, I brought a bottle of water with me, and took more walk-breaks than usual. It was a light 5k, but ended up taking a bit longer than usual.
5. Speaking of torturous running and podcasting, one of the topics that Geeks in Running Shoes covered at one point was Ultra running. This was very interesting for me because my boss runs ultras, and Ragnar is getting into them. As a matter of fact, Ragnar is training to participate in the Canadian Death Race (my boss is also training for this, but I'm not his pit crew). Listening to GiRS's podcast, I got a sense of what Ragnar will need on his run in the Death Race: yes-or-no or other equally simple questions, like "Are you peeing? When did you last pee? Are you drinking water? Electrolytes?" Quadratic equations are right out at a time when someone is concentrating on one foot in front of the other.
6. Last but not least, I really hope the wildfires in northern Alberta die down fast because I want everyone to be safe, and I want the air in Edmonton to clear up - right now, it's a disturbing yellow-peach colour during the day, stings my eyes, and doesn't feel healthy in the lungs. I wanted to go rollerblading tonight, but maybe I'll wait for a clearer day.

And that is what I learned.

Addendum: Dear hip, shut up. Just because we're turning 30 tomorrow does not mean my warranty has run out. Stop whining. You just have two more half-marathons to do this season. Quiet.

Sometimes, Indoors Isn't Hell

Hey, everyone,

I'm writing from British Freakin' Columbia. I'm celebrating because I can now say I've been in BC, more than driving through a corner, or stopping through the airport, or spending a few days in Victoria (which seems to be a world unto itself).

Last night, after about nine hours of driving, as we lay in our hotel bed, my legs were going through the usual haven't-run-in-a-week jiggles. Which is funny because I ran on Sunday, but apparently nine hours of sitting in a car equals three or so days of not-running, so who's counting?

Anyways, I got up and hit the fitness room at the hotel this morning. Admittedly, fitness room is a bit of a stretch for a title, because they had an elliptical machine, a stationary bicycle, and a treadmill. I hopped on the treadmill for an intended 30 minutes, but then as I was going on, did the math: if two miles is 3.2km, what is three miles? Close to 5km.

The pace I was hitting was not a challenge, so I decided after the first 30 minutes to let my boyfriend sleep a little longer and run until I hit 5km. Let's just say, worth iiiiit! I felt great coming off the treadmill, my legs didn't bug me until just now, and my hip, which has been worrying me, has stopped pestering me for the day. The best part was, the room was so warm that I had to take my shirt off... and spent a few too many minutes of the run, watching my newly svelte self in the perfectly placed mirror! Hard work success!

Then, funny story, I went to dinner with the boyfriend's family, and his grandmother had been kind enough to buy us a basket of fruit. But someone had misunderstood her, and cut up the fruit onto a huge fruit platter! So now we have enough fruit to make some great snacks!

The boyfriend will be heading out for a run at a faster speed than me tomorrow morning, so I will have to find my own pace and route. Some time this week, we will be going to run around Stanley Park and the Sea Wall, and then on Saturday, we'll do 16km.

Ahh, vacation. C'est la vie!

Running in the Rain

As I take a break from packing for my visit to BC and my boyfriend's family, I reflect on this morning.

I got up and debated not going on my 16km run. Then I got breakfast, and figured I might as well.

It looked sunny enough, and as in my past few posts, if it looked like rain, it generally wasn't. So you can imagine that, as I looked out and saw clouds, I generally presumed it wouldn't be too bad.

We started off at a slower pace. My slower running buddy was there, and, loathe to leave one man behind, I stayed with her. We had gotten to about 5km in the route, and the heavens opened up.

At first, it was a trickle, but then it quickly became a downpour. My running buddy and I stopped for a bathroom break at Starbucks, and I debated calling my boyfriend for a ride home. But no, my buddy said, we started this, and she would finish this. And I said, if she can do this, so can I.

We kept running on. I turned off my Garmin when thunder started ringing, but I didn't see any lightning. Still, better safe than sorry.

Long story short, it was a pretty easy run over all. When we got in, other people from the half-marathon group clapped us in - I love that feeling. It certainly made the wet shoes, the shorts threatening to drop, and the mosquitoes feel worth it.

Then I hopped in my car and scrambled back home to get out of my clothes and into a very hot shower.

Next week will be 16km on Saturday in BC - looking forward to it!

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Morning, Redux

Morning. Morning again. Sun peeking through the... wait, no, it's not.

It's grey outside. Grey and windy, and threatening to rain. Sometimes the best condition to run in, if you're not waking up at 5:15 to do it. But I said I would, so I get up, sneak to the bathroom to dress, and head downstairs. Today, I grab half a muffin and some water. I think I learned my lesson from yesterday.

Today, I put on my wind jacket, because who knows what will happen. I do a reverse of yesterday, heading out to the path under the power lines. It seems to stretch on forever, like two mirrors facing each other. My pace is slower than yesterday, which is great, and I feel more energy, from either the half muffin or running slower. I've already decided to do a shorter course, because I might go to the gym tonight.

However, as I'm approaching the turn-around point, I do consider going longer than I thought. But no, stick to the plan, I think. I hit 71 St, and start the turn around. Then I get to 167 Ave., and smack dab into the wind.

I hate running against the wind. So much extra effort and none of it recorded on my Garmin watch. Well, whatever. It's harder going against the wind, and all I can think about is passing the goals that lead me to the big one: home. There's the lights for 77 St. There's the cafe sign that sits in front of the pharmacy. There's the street lights, the fire house, and then the lights of my turn back towards home.

At about 50 meters out, I start to push. Not the fastest I can do, but faster, and to keep going, on a slight uphill grade. I'm reciting, "Finish strong," in my head as a mantra, "Push hard, finish strong." Just to the corner. But what's the corner? I'm too precise. It's the 45 degree angle of the corner block. I finish hard, and find my watch telling me I have run 4.5km this morning. Time to go home, shower, and have a coffee.

And get ready for work. I can't wait to run at lunchtime again...

In other news, one of the things I pass on my runs is the beautiful wild rose of Alberta:

The Wild Rose of Alberta

Morning Again

Morning again. Morning alarm. Time to wake up, and run.

The sun is already up and would wake me but for the heavy blinds blocking most of it out. My body knows it's time to get up, but does the rest of me?

Boyfriend is deeply ensconced in blankets and sleep. But I am determined that I'm going to do this, I prepared for it, and I know it's the best chance I'll have to run today.

So I get up, and get dressed, and go downstairs. I am on automatic. Water? No, I'll have a need-a-bathroom-NOW moment. Coffee? Dehydrating. Food? ... Not this time.

All is ready. It's a bit chilly outside, I can't find my sunglasses, but my Garmin is started, and here we are, out the door.

And I'm off, at a quick pace. 5:30 min/km is a bit quick, first thing in the morning, but I figure it's how my body is feeling, so let's go with it. I can feel my muscles waking up, protesting this movement, the quick turnover of my legs and feet. Hey, they say, this is not what we do first thing in the morning.

After five minutes, the quick pace is affecting me, so I take a small walk break. I figure it's because I haven't eaten anything. No water with me, either. Try to slow down, maybe. There are so few cars on the road, I feel like I'm in my own little world. Sun, birds, gentle breeze - this is perfect.

Start running again, and slowing down is not what my body wants to do. The faster I go, the faster it's over, right? Down 167 Ave, and I have to squint because the sun is over the horizon and just to my left. Sunglasses are necessary. By 71 St, I can feel the wall I'm starting to approach. It's not even 2km in, and I'm feeling this. Should really slow down.

Turn down 66 St, heading for the power lines. I have learned my lesson from Sunday, and switch over to the other side of the road when the side-walk runs out. As I complete the 180 turn and start heading back, I'm still hitting my previous speeds, maybe just a touch slowed to 5:45 min/km. There are a few more people on the path under the power lines, but the usual wind-tunnel effect hasn't started yet. It's pretty pleasant, now that the sun is behind me, but my legs are starting to hurt more.

I'm running out of energy, and I'm still at least a kilometer away from home. Can't stop now, though. No one is awake to pick me up, and I didn't bring my cellphone. Keep running, keep running, and you'll get there sooner. I pass an old Asian man who runs a few steps, then stops to walk. I want to tell him, "Don't let anything stop you from running," but it would be weird and condescending, so I keep going. Besides, anyone who gets out there is winning, no matter what speed they're going.

Up past the school, so very close to home. On my final walk break, I see that I've breached 5km. That's good enough for today. Besides, that run was nearly 400 calories already, and on an empty tank. I walk back to my house, cooling off as I go, anticipating the shower. As I enter, the house is still quiet. I press the button to reheat yesterday's coffee, and head upstairs.

A good start to the day. Now, to the rest of it.

Morning Running and Exit Strategies

I have been hearing the accolades of morning running for a while: doing it in the morning gets it done, you feel more awake, you make better food choices during the day, etc. Frankly, I think the first reason is the one that gets my attention the most.
The idea of doing the run I want to and having it done and out of the way by the time I get home from work is incredibly enticing. I've tried doing it after work, and even before my bus ride became a one-hour exercise in frustration, I was too lethargic to get off the couch (go ahead, call me lazy; you're not wrong).
I tried the morning run today, which I have tried before. However, in contrast to the above post, today the weather was -13C and it was still dark out. I only did 20 minutes of running, as I had gotten up a bit late and was slightly under-dressed.
The real prize, though, was coming in from the cold and having the coffee ready, a hot shower waiting, and breakfast tasting the best it had in a while. Even if it was only Cheerios.
That may just be the best reward for the morning run.

In other news, I want to talk about exit strategies, or as more people call it, maintenance plans.
These are my downfall. I perform best when I have a goal to go for - 10k, a half-marathon, the next half-marathon, etc. But when that race is finished, I give myself a week of rest, which becomes two weeks of rest, which turns into eye surgery, which becomes it's too hot out here...
But I never gave a lot of thought to the 'after-race'. I always thought, yeah, I'd maintain, I'd go do some running. This, to date, has not worked, despite the last three races.
So what's a runner-wannabe to do?
I could keep signing up for Running Room courses. Or I could move in with my running boyfriend, wherever he goes. I'll put more thought into this.

Morning Running

I hesitate to write about this, because whenever I start writing about running, I tend to stop both running and writing.

I have had trouble recently having the energy and willpower to get out and running. When I get home from work, I have only enough energy to stumble to my couch, lie down, and stare at MST3K for at least an hour. This leads to being hungry, hungry leads to eating, eating leads to not wanting to go out and run... It's a vicious, lazy cycle.

However, I am having trouble sleeping in past 5am, because the sun is coming up and my curtains let in a lot of light. Usually, this leads to me rolling over, burying my head under blankets, and thinking, "Please oh please, just another hour."

Today, I capitalized on the situation, and rousted myself at 5am to go run. I had thought I would be starving or my muscles would be tight, or I would lose interest and head home.

Getting out was a bit cool at 4C, but once I started running, it was just fine. I was dressed almost too warmly, but in the end, a long-sleeve shirt, my running coat, and winter running pants were perfect.

Man, I can't tell you how lovely it was to be out there in the relative quiet, running beside the Ottawa river, listening to the sound of the birds greeting the morning, and watching the sun lighten the sky gently. There weren't many other runners out and I didn't have my music, but the scenery kept my attention well enough for 5km.

On the downside, my left calf started to cramp partway and my right Achilles tendon was stiff, so perhaps more stretching is needed, or it might just be how it goes when you get up and go straight to running.

I think I'd like to do more of this.

In other news, I think I recognize a paralympian on TV as someone who lives in my building. Squee!