Metro Triathlon, San Jose CA

It's official, Team Hard Coretex will ride (swim/ride/run) again! Last fall my friend VC came to Austin and we put together a team for the Austin triathlon - VC did the swimming, one of my grad school friends did the biking, and I rounded us out with the running. We had to come up with a team name, and as we are all researchers in neuroimaging, and completely bad-ass - Hard CoreTex seemed appropriate.

I'm going out to San Fran in the middle of July, and my trip happens to correspond with the Metro Triathlon in San Jose, CA. We've swapped in a new biker, as our old biker won't be in SF. Instead we're picking up another neuroimaging researcher from Berkeley. I couldn't be more excited! I mean, the rest of my trip out there is jam-packed with awesome shin-digs, celebrations and activities, but doing another team triathlon is going to be so fun. And VC is such a good little swimmer!

So it's on, my training is officially behind schedule, but I think I can eek out a good enough 10K in 2.5 weeks!

speedy, not-so-speedy

I'm a slow runner, mostly by choice, partly because I'm not good enough to go faster. I've said it before, when I started running it was a complete shock to me, and I never thought I'd be any good. Lately I've been seriously toying with the idea of running a full marathon - which is something I never thought I could or would want to do. (Nanio, are we still planning for the Austin full in Feb?! I kinda am...but not alone!)

In reading up and thinking about this full marathon thing, I've decided that I really need to become faster. My reasons for this is two-fold. First, a full marathon at my speed would probably take me something like 5.5 or 6 hours to finish. That's a long time. That's a lot of singing bad songs loudly. That's just...more than I care to do. Faster means, less time spent running, less time distracting myself with mental long division problems (yes, I do this). Second, I think if I work on getting faster, I will become more efficient. Which means, it will be easier to tack on the miles. At this point I feel confident in my ability to make the distance (a half, no problem - a full with a bunch more long runs, sure). But really, how will I feel when it's all done. So I'm going to try and use this summer to improve my speed and efficiency. Which, hopefully, will just make things easier for me in the long run.

Today's Plan:	What I actually did:
20 minute warm up at 12 min/mile at 0% incline	a total of 19 minute warm up switching twice between 14 and 12 min/mile at 0% incline
3 minutes at 10.0 min/mile at 0% incline	3 minutes at 10.5 min/mile at 0% incline
1 minutes at 12 min/mile at 0% incline	1 minutes at 14 min/mile at 0% incline
3 minutes at 10.0 min/mile at 1% incline	3 minutes at 10.0 min/mile at 1% incline
1 minutes at 12 min/mile at 1% incline	1 minutes at 14 min/mile at 1% incline
3 minutes at 10.0 min/mile at 2% incline	3 minutes at 10.5 min/mile at 2% incline
1 minutes at 12 min/mile at 2% incline	1 minutes at 14 min/mile at 2% incline
3 minutes at 10.0 min/mile at 0% incline	3 minutes at 10.0 min/mile at 0% incline
1 minutes at 12 min/mile at 0% incline	1 minutes at 14 min/mile at 0% incline
Cool Down	Cool Down

I was off on the 1 minute walks because I forgot I was supposed to be doing that at my 12 min/mile pace and the 14 one was a pre-programmed button I could easily press. It was tough, but I was mostly impressed with my ability to stick with the 3 minutes and inclines. I'm generally a wuss about this. Additionally I was impressed with my warm-up, I really only slowed down twice, the first time to adjust my bra straps (I do not wear a jane strap, and the straps somehow had slipped too long - disaster!) The second time was because I was tired. But normally I run 5/1's, so getting through the near 20 minutes was an accomplishment in itself. (I only went 19 because I was just silly and read the clock wrong - I was eager to get going I guess).

Tracking time and distance seems silly for this, because we can all do math - I was on the treadmill at set speeds for set times, the distance/time is uninformative. However, the statistic I like now is Heart Rate. Here we go:

Heart Rate before intervals: 138
Max heart rate: 158 *questionably around than 80% of the max for a person of my advancing age.
Heart Rate after Cool Down: 116

Saved by the blog, again!

The fates were conspiring against me, my friends. I declared that I would run, and at about 1 pm, I decided to put that declaration into action. Unfortunately, the universe had other ideas.

First, I couldn't find my Janestrap, which is a vital component of my running attire. I was pretty sure I had put it in the wash after my last run, but it was not hanging with my sports bras, nor did I see it when I put away my clothes that went in the dryer. It is a strange article of clothing, so I thought maybe it got jammed in the washing machine or something. There was no sign of it in or around the laundry area, though. Hmmm. Closet? Nope. Exercise clothes drawer? Nope. Laundry basket? Nope. After about 20 minutes of looking, I gave up. I hate to run without it, but I did just that for the first 8 years of my running career, so I figured I could survive.

Then I went downstairs only to find that my inhaler was clogged. I have exercise-induced asthma, so I have to use an inhaler before I exercise. I started a search for some sort of needle that could fit into the tiny little inhaler hole. I couldn't find one, so I just rinsed it out repeatedly and jammed a paper towel down around the little hole. Somehow that did the trick.

Next stop was finding my iPod. I remembered taking it out before my last attempted run, so now the question was, where did I leave it? I looked all over the house and couldn't find it. As a last resort, I looked in the drawer where it was supposed to be stored, and wouldn't you know it, there it was! Apparently I have been taking my commitment to keeping things organized seriously. I will have to remember that for next time.

Then I went out to the snugly (is this word really spelled with only one 'g'?), warm garage to tell the boy that I was leaving. This swayed my resolve somewhat because here were my two choices:

Rainy, crappy day:

Or cozy, rocking-chair-by-the-fire garage:

But I was strong, my friends. I knew once I started running in the rain, my favorite type of running, I would be happy. I headed out of the garage and was pelted quite hard in the face by some fat rain. This caused me to turn around, head back into the garage, and declare, "Forget it. I will go tomorrow." Then I sat down on a stool by the fire, quite pleased with my decision. 

But then I remembered that I had declared to the internet that I would run today, and I couldn't bear another failure in front of the internet. So finally at about 3 pm, a full two hours after I began this running attempt, I picked myself up, walked out the door and just started running.

It was glorious. I loved it completely and didn't hate it at all. Even when I had to run through a shin-deep lake-puddle on the trail, I was happy to do it. It was reminiscent of my BEST RUN EVER which was also my first 10-mile run that Jenni and I and our Austin Fit running group did in the rain around the Town Lake Trail in Austin.  When I got back to my house, I even did drills. In the rain! I am so proud of me.

Distance: approx 4 miles on pavement, dirt trails and wooden bridges.
Lessons learned: I really love running in the rain
Song that rocked my run: The Skin of my Yellow Country Teeth by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Another promise :)

I have been the queen of coming up with reasons why I just cannot run these days. Either it's too hot, or too cold, or my allergies are too bad, or I drank too much beer last night, and the list goes on.

My plan when I first moved here was to follow the half marathon training program that I did last year, through Austin Fit, even though I didn't have a half marathon to run at the end of it. I was actually hoping to get down to San Antonio to run the Rock n Roll half marathon in November, but instead, my best friend in the whole wide world is coming to visit me in New Brunswick, which is WAY better. Also, Jenni will not be able to run it this year either. (That reminds me, Jenni, we should plan to meet somewhere else to do a R n R half marathon. Dallas? Nashville? Vegas? Or maybe I can just come to Austin for another half.) Anyway, my point is, that I was planning on following a training program, and I am not really doing that very well. I keep getting emails from the Austin Fit coordinator telling my what my long runs should be each week, and I consistently ignore them. Well, not anymore. I have made public my commitment to run the 13K Terry Fox Run in September by emailing all of my family members and posting it on Facebook. Now is the time to get back into training mode.

According to Austin Fit, this weekend was supposed to be 4 miles plus drills. I did not do that. In fact I did very little all weekend, except walk a lot. Today is a moderately cold, rainy day, and my best runs usually happen in these conditions. So, today, I shall do my 4 miles plus drills. As Jenni may remember, I hate drills with a passion, probably even more than she hates the treadmill, but dammit, I will do them! I have a long driveway that is perfect for hopping, skipping, and jumping all over. I am also putting the Austin Fit schedule into my google calendar so that it is there every day looking me in the face. I can't say that I will do everything on the schedule, but I will commit to doing the long runs every week, and most of the short runs.

Here goes nothing.....

A promise

Here is it, my stuff for the treadmill today! I went for an outdoor run yesterday, and it was alright. it was hot, and I was slow. Today we're going to go inside - which I've decided is better than not going.

Yesterday I agreed to do a race, and it's coming up really soon. All the pieces haven't fallen quite into place yet, and when they do it certainly deserves it's own post. But this may just be the wake up call I needed.

This week's goal: tempo work on the treadmill. As much as I hate (hate hate hate) running on a treadmill I am really terrible at pacing myself. LDH can attest to that, I have two speeds - running and walking. I'm not very consistent, nor am I able to tell if I'm starting too fast (which means I generally start too fast). If I can't have LDH to set me straight, the treadmill will have to do. Now to search for some good articles and training plans on how to actually do that!

welcome to Texas Summer

The other day LD asked if I'd run, and when I said no she said she was just asking to make me feel guilty - for which I'm grateful. I need some accountability. Sadly, though, I had very few plans to actually run this week, so I don't feel like a failure. I just feel - lazy.

Let me introduce you to my friend Texas Summer, who is here in full force. It's hot. All day. Every day. Yesterday and today the forecast has been for Thunderstorms. Mid week the forecast was for partly sunny days. In reality, the whole week has been beautifully sunny, big bright blue skies, puffy white clouds, and temperatures near 100 already.

What this means for running though, is disastrous. If you want to be outside (which I do!) you must get going and be done before 9am for sure. Even 8:30 is sometimes too hot. And the humidity, it's much worse in the morning. If it cooled down in the evening, night would be the best time to run - but it doesn't. This makes scheduling a run pretty tricky. Getting up and out around 6:30 is my usual plan, but some weeks when there is a lot going on, this is just impossible. This was one of those weeks. There was a lot going on, and running never made it on to my schedule.

Without LD here to suffer through these runs with me, I envision a few more trips to the treadmill this summer. Perhaps I can do some speed work there.

I did it! (Sorta)

Well it appears this blogging thing is actually working for motivation and accountability. (At least for me.)

Today I set out on my planned 4 mile run. My stomach was KILLING me, but I decided that a run might help. Ha. After approximately 30 seconds of running, the pain felt as though my lower intestine had grown spikes and was stabbing my stomach and other intestines as I ran. Not fun! So I quit. But then I remembered that I had a blog to report to, and I didn't want to have to say that I failed again. So, I sucked it up and started running again. Today, I went to the Waterfowl Park for the first time. There are a few trails both around it and through it. I had planned a route that went from my house to the park, around the trails and back. Unfortunately, it looks a lot easier on the map that it did in the park. I got a bit confused and ended up exiting to early, so I think I only ran about 3.5 miles.

I did not see any waterfowl in Waterfowl Park, but I did see a lot of poop that appeared to have come from some sort of large birds. Parts of the park were pretty bushy, and I was a bit nervous about running by myself in the bush. Then I remembered that Sackville is such a safe place. It's not like I was in Surrey or something! My worries were alleviated for a brief moment until a heard a loud noise that sounded like a bear. On hindsight, it was probably a car since I was running near the road and was listening to my music quite loudly, but in the moment I went on high alert looking for anything that might come out to eat me. I need to do some googling to see what kinds of wildlife I need to be afraid of around here.

After the run, I thought my stomach felt a bit better, but that only lasted about 5 minutes until I drank some water and the pain came back with a vengance.

Distance: approx 3.5 miles on pavement, dirt trails and wooden bridges.
Lessons learned: Running alone in the bush is scary
Song that rocked my run: Seven Nation Army - White Stripes

Public declaration fail

Well, this is what I get for declaring to the internet that I am going to go on a run. I FAIL.

My shin splints from Sunday were still pretty bad yesterday, so I thought I might wait an extra day to let them chill out. They are still pretty sore today, but not so bad that I wouldn't have run on them. I did, however, wake up this morning with an EXTREME stomach ache. I think it could be all of the potato chips I have been eating after not eating potato chips for years. Or it could be the anxiety of arguing with my former property management company. Or it could be the 20 chocolate covered graham crackers I ate yesterday from a large package of cookies that only cost $0.99. Cookies that cost $0.99 for 50 are probably not the most nutritious things.

Whatever the cause, my tummy hurts. A lot. And so I didn't go running. If it eases up by 5, I will go for my 4 mile run. Any later than that and I will just become mosquito food.

Second Sackville Run = Success

Wow, my run was definitely not as zen as Jenni's today, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. After reading Jenni's thoughts on running for the sake of running and being in the moment, I can only imagine that my next run will be even better.

Today I tackled the same 2.6 miles from Friday, but at a cooler temperature and and a better level of hydration. On average it was definitely better than my first Sackville run. At first as I was running up and down the rolling hills I thought that I would definitely not want to run back up and down the same hills. These are not very motivating thoughts to have while running. There is a reason I generally avoid hills like the plague - I hate them. If Jenni would have been with me, she would have said something like, "We got this!" or "Don't look at the hill, just look at the ground." It is not nearly as convincing when I tell myself. Soon enough though, I got into the running zone and barely noticed the hills. I finished in a reasonable time and felt grrrrreat! For the rest of the day, I was feeling a little less great. Another reason why I generally avoid hills is because they give me shin splints. After my bad run the other day, I had mild shin splints. After my run today I had such bad shin splints that I could barely walk. My next run will definitely be on a flat surface!

My plan is to do 4 flat miles on a trail on Tuesday. Now that I have announced it publicly, I will have to do it.

Next time I do my 2.6 mile run though, I am definitely bringing a camera. There are sheep and cows and tractors and everything along the route. Ridiculous. I live in the boonies.

Today's summary
Distance: 2.6 miles, mostly pavement
Lessons learned: Hills suck especially when you are out of shape
Song that rocked my run: Private Idaho - The B52s

Running Rewind

I did it! I got up this morning at 6:45, and I headed down to Town Lake, and I set out on a 5 mile run. When I got to Town Lake, I parked at TxDot - homebase for many weekend runners. The loop heading west (from Congress to Mopac) is 5 miles. And the entire loop is 10 miles (from Mopac to the Longhorn Dam), so I was faced with the first decision of the morning. West, or East? West is the more familiar run. East is prettier. West has many more runners/bikers/dogs. East is quieter. So, East I went.

I consistently missed my mark for the first 24 minutes, running 5.5/1.5's instead of the planned 6/1's. It was around this time that I started reflecting on what running has become for me. It's a lot of numbers. Tracking miles, and minutes, and minutes per miles, and walk breaks. It's a constant battle of trying to one-up myself. And while there is nothing wrong with wanting to get better, I think I've lost sight of the big picture. I never started this to become some elite runner. I'm never going to win any prize for being a running phenom. The fact that I run should be the point. I think my closest friends and family are still waiting for this running phase to end. And I'm continually shocked that there are people who only know me as a "runner".

So, I let go of the watch. I stopped tracking minutes and miles. I started thinking about all the positive things. I'm healthy and I live in a place that is safe and beautiful and full of a community of people who are passionate about running. I was up early, and out running. And, in a short-ish amount of time (2 years) I've had some wonderful running accomplishments - 3 half marathons, 4 10Ks, one of them part of a team triathlon, a 12-person 200-mile relay, and some of the greatest running buddies I've found (here's looking at you LDH, R'OD, Boston T.Pod).

I gave myself a break for the rest of the run - I walked when I was tired. I stopped for water when I was hot. I ran slower when I needed to. And while I was fighting with two annoying problems (poison ivy on my neck that made me want to DIE, and the headphone issue that really needs solving), the rest of my run was delightful.

And when I finished, I remembered something that my Yoga instructor always says, "Remember, that where you are is exactly where you are supposed to be". It was not the fastest of runs, but why did it need to be? I haven't run in a while, I don't have a race coming up, I haven't been eating as a runner, I haven't been hydrating. It was just the attitude adjustment I needed.

In the end, turned out to be 6 miles! Gold star for 6 miles!

Terry Fox Run

For me, a key component in my motivational strategy involves training for something. I have been looking for runs in and around the Sackville area, and there are quite a few. In fact I was having a hard time making a decision. That was until this morning when I saw the site for the Confederation Bridge Terry Fox Run. Terry Fox is a Canadian hero who attempted to run across Canada after losing a leg to cancer. He called his journey the Marathon of Hope. He also just happens to be from Vancouver and just happens to have attended my alma mater, Simon Fraser University.

Every year in mid-September, there are Terry Fox runs held all across Canada to raise money for cancer research. I spent my childhood participating in these runs at school, but have lapsed in participation since high school. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Terry Fox run, and I am going to renew my participation by running 12.9 km across the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick to P.E.I. to raise money for cancer research. Both of my paternal grandparents were taken by cancer, so this is a cause that is near and dear to me.

You can sponsor me here http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=910099

It's a catch 22 of a slippery slope into darkness.

Am I being dramatic, maybe. Do I exaggerate, definitely. Is it a serious problem, for sure!

I love to run. I love the way it makes me feel like I've done something productive. I love the way my life goes when I'm running consistently. I love the challenge of running. Basically, nothing bad can come from running. And when I'm in a good routine, I actually enjoy getting up early and going. It's peaceful, it's productive, it's pretty awesome. Like LDH says, running saves lives - or at least mine. Except when it doesn't.

Here's how my running slump usually goes:

Some traumatic or intense life event happens and I grant myself "permission" to slack off. I sleep in, I eat crap, I mope. This leads me to think of running as a chore. And the longer I put off the running, the guiltier I feel about it. As I continue to not run, my mood declines, other life events happen, and running becomes a distant memory. Bad mood begets no running, no running begets bad mood; lather rinse repeat. And thus it goes.

Until one day, when I remind myself that running, while it now seems like something loathesome and horrific, will actually solve all my problems. Running will make me feel productive and accomplished. It will make me feel awake and happy. It will make me feel peaceful and relaxed. And I do, have to coach myself through this. Until it sinks in. And then, I'm back!

The end of May was rough for me, running wise. The Ragnar Relay that some friends and I had been planning for the better portion of a year had come and gone. LDH up and deserted me. And, the first post-ragnar sans LDH run I went on was terribly sad and miserable. I went runless for the better part of three weeks, until Wednesday, when I finally dragged myself to a treadmill (blech, I hate treadmills). And, ohhhhboy, was it TERRIBLE. Not the thing I needed to pull me out of the current running funk. I'll try again, outside, in the early morning on Sunday. I'll return to Town Lake. And all will be right in the world.

Route: 2.4 miles on a treadmill.

Time: if I told you, you'd cry for me.

Lessons learned: treadmill running does not do the same as outdoor running to help you overcome downward spiral of doom.

First Sackville Run = Fail

I left Austin, Texas on May 30 knowing that I would be traveling for two weeks before I would be in my new house in Sackville, NB. I packed a large quantity of running clothes because I knew I would have nothing to do for 2 weeks except run. Yay! Except I totally underestimated the power of my own laziness. Without Jenni there to force me out of bed and into my running shoes, I just stayed in bed and sometimes on the couch. In the entire two weeks, I only ran once, and it was on a treadmill!

I moved into my new house 4 days ago and every day since then I have vowed to go for a run "tomorrow." Conveniently, tomorrow never came. Yesterday my excuse was eating too many chips. Today my excuse was getting up to late. Finally Jenni convinced me to JUST DO IT, DAMMIT. So I did. I set out for my run at 2 pm. It was a lovely breezy day here in Sackville, and it felt amazing to get out running. I felt so amazing that I didn't even mind the rolling hills on my short 2.6 mile run/walk. Usually I avoid hills at all costs, but today I loved them. Well, at least for the first 11-12 minutes. I was running too fast and then the sun came out and the wind died down and it was damn hot. I wasn't very well hydrated, but I had thought to myself, well it's not like it is Texas. But let me tell you, it sure felt like it. I was hot and dehydrated and miserable, so the last 1.3 miles of my run consisted mostly of me running for 30 seconds to a minute and then walking for 3 minutes. It was pathetic. I even faked an injury because these obnoxious high school kids kept driving past me and yelling things. I was embarrassed that I was barely running, so I started limping. Seriously.

Summary:

Route: 2.6 miles, mostly pavement
Time: I don't even want to know.
Lessons learned: 1) Don't run while dehydrated. 2) Don't run in the peak afternoon sun even if you live in Canada.

Once upon a time in Texas.

Once upon a time in Texas there were two girls, let's call them Jenni and LDH. These two girls ran together often and encouraged each other to achieve running goals that they thought were not possible. It was magical and wonderful. Then one of those girls had the audacity to graduate and get a job a million miles away. And now neither of them has a full time running buddy to be accountable to at 6:30 am when staying in bed seems like a much better option than running. That is where this blog comes in. Although Jenni and LDH cannot pound the pavement or the trail together anymore, they can run together in spirit. And then they can write about it on blog. And they can encourage each other to keep running because running saves lives. Well, at least it saves us from losing our minds in the insanity that is academia.