June Bug Running

[OakLeaf]

So who got out for National Running Day?

I did 8.5, a hillier loop and my legs were a little heavy from yesterday so it took me almost as long as 9.5 did yesterday. No worries, it was a beautiful day, again.

I'd interviewed some coaches last month when I was thinking I might be running Columbus marathon this fall. Since I'm not going to be running another marathon until the spring, I haven't started a program yet, but the guy I've decided to hire suggested that I do shorter races a little more often as part of my base. This weekend I have a choice between a small, more or less local 5K, or a big 10K in the "big city." I've never done a 10K and it was tempting, but not having to drive so far won out. Anyway, the 5K is a benefit for a scholarship fund for female athletes from my county, which is cool, so I'm signed up for that and looking forward to breathing hard for the first time in a while. :D

[yellow]

Oak, I am TERRIFIED of shorter races (and races on pavement in general). That said, I've chatted with more than one very talented distance trail runner who believes in the training power of short races on pavement. One of these days I might get brave and sign up for a 5k. It would be interesting, to be sure. I'd have no clue how to run the damn thing :p

For national running day I treated myself to a short but beautiful, shady, flower-laden trail run. My legs are kind of trashed right now, but I am tapering for a June 15 event and soooo happy about the lower volume for the next week. I kind of fought with my long runs last week (very long back-to-back runs), and my body is just now starting to feel like it's recovering.

[OakLeaf]

It would be interesting, to be sure. I'd have no clue how to run the damn thing :p

Easy, just run until your lungs pop out your eyeballs, then kick the last kilometer. :p

I had a good run this morning. Like the last 5K I did, way back in Turkey Trot season, today was just to breathe hard and see where I am, and I'm happy. Wore my watch but didn't look at it, just ran by feel which is another thing I'm trying to develop, negative splits the whole way (not too hard considering it was pretty much all uphill to the turnaround and then back down again).

It was pretty emotional since the fund is in memory of a young woman who was murdered 10 years ago, and her family is still very involved in putting on the race; her mother won her age group.


Yellow, enjoy your taper - where are you running next week?

[skhill]

Funny, my attitude is the shorter the race, the better! We have just one annual 3k here, and it's the highlight of my racing year. Every time I've run it, I've placed in the top 5 of my age group, despite a very large field. I'd really like to try racing even shorter distances, maybe a mile or 800, just to see what I could do. Maybe my training is inadvertently geared towards short races, maybe I'm pysiologically more suited to short distances, I don't know. In any case, next week is the "5k on the runway." They shut down the short runway at the airport, and run the race there, almost 2 laps of the runway. The surface is very hard (too hard) but it's flat and fast. Lots of fun!

But today was a long run, 10 miles. I had intended a 9:15/mile pace, ended up averaging 8:55/mile, but I felt like I could easily have gone a couple more miles at the end so that was OK. And this despite a couple miles being quite hilly. However, my legs were a bit grumpy when I hopped on the bike to head to the farmer's market a little later in the morning!

[skhill]

Well, I was going to do intervals on the track this morning, but it didn't work out that way. I knew when I started out the door that I was forgetting something, but it wasn't until I was half a mile down the road that I realized it was my watch. At 6 a.m. it was already 75 F and muggy, and I knew that if I went home to get it I probably wouldn't leave again, so I kept on going. Instead of intervals, it was about 5 miles worth of fartlek, including several laps of the track since I was planning on going there anyway.

And it's going to be our first 90+ day of the year today, yuck

[skhill]

I should do a long run Saturday, 12 miles. But I just found out the Bluegrass State Games track and field competition is Saturday as well, just a 45 min drive away. Distances from 100 m to 3k, and you can do 3 events. Hmmm maybe the 800 and 1500? The thought of 3k on the track is just too grim. Might be fun to do an even shorter event, too. I'm tempted...

[Catrin]

I didn't want to start another thread for this, and it DID happen in June :)

Today was the first time I've run when I didn't HAVE to. While my body has become accustomed to running 200-400 meters at the gym (usually only once or twice), and a couple of weeks ago we sprinted 100 meters ten times in a row...I don't think that my body is REALLY prepared for running. The repercussions of those 10 sprints took days to get over - and I though later that first day that I had injured myself but I didn't.

So, on Indy's advice, I checked out the Couch to 5K website. I wanted to get outside today but after my neck problems on the bike yesterday I figured that I should mix things up - so on went my running shoes! With no little trepidation I headed outside. After a 6 minute fast fitness walk I started a jog/walk combo on both pavement and trail that lasted about 25 minutes. At that point my hip flexors in one leg started complaining so I just walked it home - which was only about 5 minutes anyway.

It wasn't that bad! I found the trail part more enjoyable, though I don't think my running shoes are designed for off-pavement. I could run longer on the trail before I remembered that I was supposed to be stopping to walk parts of it :) I focused on keeping my head up and not stretching out my legs.

What I didn't like was carrying my water bottle, that was distracting and it seemed to interfere a bit with my movement.

[indysteel]

Good job, Catrin! Yesterday was a great day for a trail run I bet.

I am so not a hot weather runner, but I've been hankering to run lately. I don't think I'll ever be anything more than on again, off again. But I bet I'll be ready to run by the fall.

[Crankin]

Catrin, you can get a Nathan waist pack thing with small bottles, if you continue. I use it, even on short local hikes, when my hiking/x country ski waist pack is too much.

[Catrin]

Catrin, you can get a Nathan waist pack thing with small bottles, if you continue. I use it, even on short local hikes, when my hiking/x country ski waist pack is too much.

If I continue I will check it out. I DO have a very tight heel cord that I am currently working on to loosen - I think that needs to loosen if I am going to do this more often. I've some mobility exercises to work on that - and other things.

[OakLeaf]

Very nice Catrin!

I can't stand a handheld bottle either. Waist packs - try before you buy, if you can, and be aware that once you put water in the bottles they have the potential to bounce like crazy. I still say two liters of water in my Nathan Intensity rides lighter than 24 oz in my three-bottle Amphipod waist pack, but that might be more money than you want to spend.

Any water (extrinsic weight) is going to throw your movement off - the best you can do is keep it symmetrical and as centered as possible. You might even experiment with carrying *two* water bottles, one for each hand - some people do that. Handhelds put a bunch of weight at the end of your arm ... waist packs pull your lumbar spine straight and make it hard to rotate your pelvis ... vests make you want to lean forward to center your total upper body weight over your hips. It's whatever is least uncomfortable for you and least aggravating to your particular biomechanics, I think...

I did 9.5 yesterday, rode a little bit today, thinking I might do 10 tomorrow. Depends on the weather.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the tips - I am trying not to spend any more on fitness this summer since I am moving at the end of September. I may focus more on running the gym this summer with the occasional short run outside this summer since my shoes are right for that environment and there is a handy table to stash my bottle. Hoping to get get riding than running in, but we will see.

[skhill]

Catrin, that's great!

I have a Nathan waist thingy, and find it quite annoying. It's supposed to be one size fits all, but it's a bit too big. Trying on before buying is great advice.

Ended up not racing this weeked, just did 11 miles instead. It was a bit of a slog; should have eaten better before running, probably. I felt out of gas the last couple miles. And today my right knee doesn't feel quite right, I'm wondering if it might be the dreaded IT band. It doesn't hurt, really, just feels off. I'll see how it feels tomorrow...

[Crankin]

My Nathan pack came in sizes, so I guess it must vary with different models.

[OakLeaf]

skhill, hope your knee feels better.

I just wound up doing my same 8.5 mile loop again yesterday - my legs were pretty heavy from riding, and it was getting late in the day after I waited for the rain to clear out. It's a beautiful loop though, I just love running from home. :)

Yep, that's annoying to me too - most of the race belts, hydration belts and carry belts I've tried on are too big at their smallest adjustment, and I'm not small for a female runner. I might be smaller than your average Ohioan, but in my race pictures you can always pick out the chunky one - I take a medium in most brands of bottoms that come in both small and extra small - so knowing that this stuff is too big for all but a small minority of women runners is pretty aggravating, in this day and age. But, since I was thinking about it, Catrin - although it's probably a good idea to have water on the trails where getting lost is a possibility, I think a lot of gym rats can get married to their water bottles. :) I don't ever carry water on runs of less than an hour and a half, longer in cooler weather. And I typically carry more water than most runners - I think I'm the only non-ultra runner in the world who uses that three-liter Synergy pack, and I'll use it whenever I go over 18 or so, particularly if it's hot. Are you sure you need to be thinking about water carriers yet?

Speaking of how far things have come for women runners, I read Kathrine Switzer's book Marathon Woman (http://kathrineswitzer.com/store/) and really enjoyed it. It's quite a readable memoir. I knew the story of her first Boston run, but hadn't realized how much she's done over the years to advance the cause of women's running, and how she unexpectedly fell into that role. I met her at the Boston expo - there was a long line of women and a few men waiting to meet her, because whoever she was talking to got her full attention, in spite of the line, the distractions, the fact that she was having to run the checkout at the booth herself ... She'd run out of copies of her book at the expo, so I ordered an autographed copy, and when it came, there was a personal note tucked into it hoping that I was okay. So I sent her a note via her website and actually received a personal response, obviously not a form reply. She truly has made it her life's work to encourage women runners at every level, not just by advocacy, not just by example, but by living it with apparently every woman runner she meets, which over the years must be tens of thousands. I'm a fan. :)

[Crankin]

That's so cool, Oak. Not many "famous" people would send a personal note.

[Catrin]

... But, since I was thinking about it, Catrin - although it's probably a good idea to have water on the trails where getting lost is a possibility, I think a lot of gym rats can get married to their water bottles. :) I don't ever carry water on runs of less than an hour and a half, longer in cooler weather. And I typically carry more water than most runners - I think I'm the only non-ultra runner in the world who uses that three-liter Synergy pack, and I'll use it whenever I go over 18 or so, particularly if it's hot. Are you sure you need to be thinking about water carriers yet?

I am indeed a gym rat, and yeah, I am tied to my water bottle :) I hadn't even considered not taking it - and there is the occasional water source in the park I jogged/walked to. I don't see my running outside in any other location for now so it is likely a non-issue at this time. I also didn't notice any foot pain or soreness from running on that trail with my usual running shoes - but that trail is quite smooth, very very few roots and what gravel there may have been was very small and not loose. I just walked the small sections that were more rough.

Nice that you got the personal touch from the author!

[Crankin]

I can do 2 miles without water, in cool or cold weather, but anything over 3 miles, I need water. I drink a lot, maybe from all my years as a gym rat, but probably also from living in the desert. When I moved here, it kind of astounded me how little people hydrated.

[skhill]

I don't usually carry water either. Most of my usual routes take me past public water fountains from time to time so there's no need. But those rare occasions when I run on the nearby MUP-- about 10 miles from my front door to the far end-- I do bring some. There are a couple of porta-potties, but no water out there... At 5'6" and 130lbs, I'm hardly a twig either; it gets me sometimes that I'm average height and far from underweight and yet unisex smalls can be huge...

The knee basically felt fine today, thankfully. A few twinges when on a very tilted stretch of sidewalk, but it's been OK since. 7 miles in an hour and I've been constantly hungry since.

[yellow]

I had a pretty good event last weekend at the Bighorn Mtn Trail Run 50 (actually 52) mile near Dayton, Wyoming. The last 20 miles were a little rough--I ended up a bit dehydrated and my hip got angry--but I finished, and finished running (many people walked the last 5 miles, which was on double track). I was fortunate to connect with a wonderful woman at about mile 28 and we finished together. We were in the same age group and although we crossed the finish together (hand in hand), her chip registered first so she got 2nd in AG and I got 3rd. I can't complain. It was a beautiful course, the weather was awesome, I met many wonderful people, I did not puke, and I ran more than I hiked. The course surprised me; it was much harder than I thought it would be (much of it was very technical singletrack). 10:56 and change. I feel pretty good this week, and am recovering quickly. I have another 50 mile in mid-July. Back at it next week!

16402

[OakLeaf]

Wow, congratulations Yellow!

[Catrin]

Wow Yellow - that just sounds plain awesome!!!! Sounds like you were in beautiful surroundings!

[skhill]

Wow, Yellow! Sounds like a great event and a great adventure!

Today was an easy run, but my route took me past the track. So in honor of Tyson Gay, national champion in the 100 and 200 and local hero, I threw in a couple 200s (yards not meters). First one I really tried to run fast and did it in 41 seconds. Second one I relaxed and focused on good form and did it in 40 seconds. A good lesson to remember! Including the track exploits, a total of 5.9 miles and boy it was humid out there.

[OakLeaf]

I guess I'd heard a little bit about the One Run for Boston (http://onerunforboston.org/), but I didn't know until Friday that the route was going to pass a mile and a half from my house. I wasn't going to miss that. I only ran about 2-1/2 miles with the relay runners - with running out to meet them and running back from where I turned around, it gave me not quite 8 for the day, which was enough in this heat, over 90° and humid.

Generally I'm skeptical of charity events, especially since this one apparently hasn't even bothered to file for tax-exempt status (it isn't the deduction I'm worried about, it's the basic commitment to accounting that the application represents) - but it's a pretty amazing undertaking, there's a lot of healing going on among the runners, they claim to be the first non-stop cross-country running relay, and I wanted to be a little part of it.

The women officially running the stage came from the other end of Ohio, so I didn't know them - but it turns out that they were at the same place I was when the race was stopped, at Commonwealth & Mass. Ave. One was running, the other had gone as a spectator since she'd been injured. I was really glad I ran with them today, even for such a short distance.

[Crankin]

That is awesome, Oak. And in 90 degrees :eek:.

[OakLeaf]

The whole stage was 13.5 miles. The stage before ours the woman ran solo (with a support vehicle that's doing the whole relay) at a staggering pace - a couple of degrees cooler, but way hillier. At least one or two of the overnight stages last night went through severe thunderstorms - don't know how severe it was out on the course, but we had massive amounts of lightning here. And the baton kept moving. It's got a GPS tracker so you can follow it on the website (and join in or cheer if anyone is nearby). And such a feeling of community among the runners. What an incredible event. I wish I'd done more of it - if I'd known about it earlier I'd probably have signed up to do the whole stage - but I'm really glad I got a chance to participate.

[Veronica]

I picked up Marathon Woman after Oak wrote about it. What an awesome book! Thanks for telling me about it.

Sue, you always amaze me. :D

We ran 5.5 miles on Sunday in Maine, the last mile in pouring rain. My feet were so wet, I didn't even notice I was running in puddles until Thom told me to get out of them. It wasn't cold, so it was a fun adventure. We're in Boston now and thinking about where to run to tomorrow, maybe Bunker Hill, maybe towards the Tea Party ships. We've walked that way and the sidewalk is pretty smooth, unlike other places we've walked to.

Veronica

[Veronica]

Ran to Bunker Hill and back - 3.5 miles. It's kind of foggy in Boston this morning. It's strange to be in a place that actually has weather in the summer. It was too early for the Monument to be open this morning, but it was easy to imagine how much you'd be able to see from the hill before there were all the buildings.

Veronica

[skhill]

Second crappy run in a row today. Yesterday was warm and humid and I hadn't slept well, so it was understandable. Today's weather was much better and I got enough sleep, but it felt like I was running through oatmeal. I gave up at about 6.5 miles, half of what I had intended. So it was unintentional tapering for Thursday's 10k.

[TrekDianna]

After thinking about it, and deciding to break the "I will never run again" vow I made after retiring from the Army, I signed up for a 5k and ran it on June 30th. My goal was not to come in last in my age group and I didn't! I was right in the middle. I'm not so much interested in racing against other people as I am in bettering my own times. I suppose that's sort of strange to enter a race with no intention of racing!

[OakLeaf]

Good job TrekDianna! In my book it's still racing if you're racing against the clock. And you ARE competing against other people too, if your goal is not to come last! C'mon, if the only people who entered races were the ones with a shot at the overall win, there'd be ten people in each race and they'd call it the Olympics. If you're lining up with the intention of running harder than you would or even could in a solo training run, then AFAIC you have every right to race and call it racing.

That's just me, who will never have a shot at an overall win of anything unless I'm the only one who shows up. ;) But even elite runners have goal races, and then races that they compete in as tune-ups for their goal races.

I'm doing a 5-miler tomorrow. Never done that distance before. It's the 40th running of this race and it claims to be the oldest continuous foot race in the area. Should be fun. And if it pours down rain, that helps with the law of averages when it comes time for my next long race, right? :p

[TrekDianna]

Good job TrekDianna! In my book it's still racing if you're racing against the clock. And you ARE competing against other people too, if your goal is not to come last! C'mon, if the only people who entered races were the ones with a shot at the overall win, there'd be ten people in each race and they'd call it the Olympics. If you're lining up with the intention of running harder than you would or even could in a solo training run, then AFAIC you have every right to race and call it racing.

That's just me, who will never have a shot at an overall win of anything unless I'm the only one who shows up. ;) But even elite runners have goal races, and then races that they compete in as tune-ups for their goal races.

I'm doing a 5-miler tomorrow. Never done that distance before. It's the 40th running of this race and it claims to be the oldest continuous foot race in the area. Should be fun. And if it pours down rain, that helps with the law of averages when it comes time for my next long race, right? :p

Well, ok :) but I think it's fun to beat my own time. I did get a compliment from an older gentleman who was running near me most of the course. He commented when we were done that he tried to pace himself with me, but I ran faster uphill and that it pushed him to do so also.

I was impressed that there was a woman in her 80s and it was her first 5k.

I love running in the rain and I prefer the trails to the road.

Good luck with your 5 miler. I am interested to hear how it was. I signed up for an 8k at the end of next month.

[skhill]

Good job TrekDianna!

It's looking like rain for our big 10k tomorrow morning, and I'm kinda glad. My PR in the half-marathon and 5k both came in downpours. I don't really LIKE running in rain, and that's what helps. I remember late in both races speeding up so I could get to the finish and somewhere dry. Best finishing kicks ever!

This will be my 5th time doing this race and I'd really really like to knock 10 minutes of my original time. That'd mean 50:59. Not impossible; that's around an 8:10 pace and I expect to do 5ks faster than that these days. But it's more than a minute faster than my current best 10k. So we'll see. It'll be fun no mater what!

The 91 year old woman who has been the oldest competitor at this race for much of the past decade isn't running this year. Not because she's ill or injured; she's been too busy as an Alzheimer's advocate and organizer to train the way she'd like the last few months. She's promising to be back next year! Oh, and she's never been the last finisher overall. An amazing lady!

[VeganBikeChick]

Started my running up again. It's the most consistent thing I've done for the past 2 years, even if I take a month off now and then. Did a 2.8 mi loop today and on Tuesday, walk/run combo since I'm not up to full running with my 6 week hiatus. 96% humidity felt yuck, even though the temp was only mid 60's. It's really helping my depression, which is a nice bonus.

[OakLeaf]

Cool VBC! You know, at my last appointment, my DO asked me why I like running. I spouted off something about it being meditative, and he nodded and mentioned the rhythmic coordination of breath and movement, which I hadn't thought about it in those terms before - but that's definitely something you don't get from cycling. So it makes sense that it would help depression in ways that other outdoor aerobic activity doesn't.

But I like competition too. :p Won my AG today, which I'm pretty happy about since it was my first try at 5 miles. I thought I was going to have to stop and puke twice in the last kilometer, but I managed to keep going. I'm pretty sure second place in my AG was someone I followed for most of the race and passed in the last mile or so - I had a 16 second gap. Didn't get rained on, which I could've used the cooling - I took a cup of water at the 3 mile aid station and poured all of it down the back of my shirt. :)

ETA: @TrekDianna, in terms of the comparison to a 5k, it's a little hard to tell since I'm only just getting back into the shorter races, and doing them AS my speedwork for the longer events, not as goal races, and without any other speedwork - but my average pace in the 5 miler was 4 sec/mile slower than I ran the 5k in June, and I was definitely closer to my limit this time. The courses were similar, in fact they started at the same place, so it's a pretty good comparison in terms of terrain - it was more humid this time but about the same temperature.

How'd your 10k go, skhill? Anyone else race today? Should we start a July thread? :p

[skhill]

Good going on the 5 miler, OakLeaf!

My race was not good. My right calf was really tight as I biked to the race, then it loosened up as I warmed up. It started drizzling as the race started, and continued throughout the race-- never all that hard, it was actually pretty nice. But I started way too far back in the field, surrounded by much slower folks, and as I was weaving my way through the crowd, my calf started tightening up again. After a couple miles it was getting pretty painful so I stopped to stretch and walk it off for a while. Ended up having to do that several times over the rest of the race, so a good time was out of the question. The final mile was my best, just a little tight, but I didn't try to crank up the speed. I finished in 57:11, but at least I finished. And it's been raining pretty much non-stop since then, yuck. But one of my best running buddies went in to the race hoping for 1:06:00, just under his old PR, and he did way better than that, in 1:04:30ish, and that was fun to see. And the woman in my age group that I'm always keeping an eye out for, as she's usually just a few seconds faster than me, also had a bad day. Faster than me, but no where near what she's capable of either.

Better luck next year!

[TrekDianna]

But I like competition too. :p Won my AG today, which I'm pretty happy about since it was my first try at 5 miles. I thought I was going to have to stop and puke twice in the last kilometer, but I managed to keep going. I'm pretty sure second place in my AG was someone I followed for most of the race and passed in the last mile or so - I had a 16 second gap. Didn't get rained on, which I could've used the cooling - I took a cup of water at the 3 mile aid station and poured all of it down the back of my shirt. :)

ETA: @TrekDianna, in terms of the comparison to a 5k, it's a little hard to tell since I'm only just getting back into the shorter races, and doing them AS my speedwork for the longer events, not as goal races, and without any other speedwork - but my average pace in the 5 miler was 4 sec/mile slower than I ran the 5k in June, and I was definitely closer to my limit this time. The courses were similar, in fact they started at the same place, so it's a pretty good comparison in terms of terrain - it was more humid this time but about the same temperature.


Nice! Congrats on winning your AG!

I think my 8k does part of the 5k course - that will be familiar, at least I won't be surprised this time with the hill that faces me when I go around the first corner. My regular running trail has the first 2 miles at a steady uphill that's not much of a hill, but even slows me down on my MTB. I think running that every other day is good for me - at least that's what I tell myself.