Running with Resolve: January Runs

[indysteel]

No run today, but DH and I met three other couples for the annual winter hike that the Friends of Brown County State Park put on. It was a lovely day for it--sunny skies and warm temps. Then we had lunch at the park lodge.

I ran about 3 yesterday. I don't know what was going on, but I felt kind of asthmatic. I don't have asthma though, or at least I don't think I do, so go figure. I took a bunch of breaks and spent the rest of the night clearing my lungs.

[katluvr]

So had my race today. Upper 50's start of race. Sunny by second race and warm. So did "ok" on the 5K, knew I would not do a sub 30 min, but I did OK and finished in 31:17. That placed me 8/23 for my age group. Damn, these women are fast. Had about 45 minutes until the start of the 10k. Don't know what I was thinking but did not bring any Gu or such. They had post 5K food, but I didn't want real food and didn't think that I was actually doing 9 miles today! Took it pretty easy on the 10k, took some walk breaks. Tried to just enjoy it. FInished in 1hr 8 min and some odd seconds. Didn't place very high there but got it done. There were VERY few that did the "Duo". Only 2 in my age group so I finished 1st in the Duo! Cool, huh? I don't think I'll ever really win a race, but my combined times (and small amount of Duo ladies) helped me actually get an award. Sadly I left before the awards, but just to see my name on the computer list that I won something is pretty cool!

K

[Anelia]

Yesterday's run and HR on Garmin. I had again these side pains that are killing me on the downhills I had to slow down then.

[nuliajuk]

I wasn't going to start running until the middle of February, intending to get some cross-country ski fitness first. Yesterday I lasted only 10 minutes on the ski trail as I'd brought the wrong gloves and my fingers were screaming from the wind chill of -32ºC. (Note to self - find the old boiled wool mitts to wear over the gloves.)
So, I took a pair of shoes I'd found at Winners for $50 and went to the Fieldhouse track to attempt some running. Not bad - walked 200/ran 200 for 8 repeats, walked 400 to cool down. The shoes worked great, they have the nice firm midsoles that I've been having trouble finding. I'm going back to Winners today to see if there are any left in my size (haven't seen this model in any running store). Thanks to being on industrial strength anti-inflammatories for shoulder tendonitis, I don't have much soreness today. Which is good, because my doctor has ordered me out of the pool for a week, so I needed something to do other than ski or ride the turbo trainer.

[skhill]

Katluvr, that's awesome! Doing a back to back 5k and 10k is nuts. And congratulations on winning the duo; my first age group win was also my first age group last place, but it was still a thrill...

Back to the treadmill today as it was about 20F this morning. Did 5 miles this time, and it struck me that an 8:30 pace felt slow-- how did that happen? A couple years ago a 9:00 pace would have been a bit of a challenge. The next couple days will be on the treadmill if anything, as it's supposed to be around 10F both mornings. Yuck. Might try out the new rowing machine just for kicks.

[indysteel]

Five miles on the treadmill today. I felt really good, which was encouraging given that a couple of last week's runs didn't feel so good.

[OakLeaf]

Very nice kat! Woot for everyone doing those cold weather and/or indoor runs.

I did 14 today, WAY slow. I kind of did a dogleg at the end to get over 14 miles, because it was just important to me symbolically to tick over that mile. I stopped after four to re-tape my heel, and it pretty much hung in there the rest of the way. Plenty of ice afterward, cross-fiber friction, Traumeel, electro-stim... I think part of the reason I was so slow is because I was concentrating on opposite ends of my body. My ankles and lower legs to protect my PF and Achilles, and then on the other end, keeping my neck long and my head aligned. Neck feels good. Heel is hanging in there. I'm way behind where I'd like to be, but I was looking at some free online training plans for reference, that call for a 14-mile long run 12 weeks out, so I'm right on that schedule anyway. Next week if all goes well, hopefully I'll do the 15-mile loop around the airport, and that will be a symbolic milestone too.

[SadieKate]

Congrats, Kat. Two races on the same day with any kind of break is tough. Warming back up ain't easy.

Jeez, Oak, I'd need a checklist to keep track of all that prep and post treatment. It'd be hard to get out the door with all that.

My first snowshoe race is in the bag. What a variety of terrain. They started us on a wide icy road that went up "The Wall" and then careened off onto fresh cut singletrack traversing a soft slope. Amazing amounts of the 4k loop, which we did twice, were freshly cut trail. They even cut steps up a ridge. Much of the course was absolute mashed potatoes. I perfected my windmill technique on the downhills in hopes I'd get a time bonus for artistic effort. Yeah. we got to go up that wall twice - 400+ feet gain in the first mile of each loop.

If we're reading the rules correctly, I also qualified for Nationals. Now, you have to realize that the top 5 in your age group qualify and there were only 5 of us. However, the next level of qualification was to finish within 130% of your age group winner's time. Since a slew of women in their 50s usually show up for races an in our areas and many are incredibly fast, I've been focusing on the 130% time goal. Fortunately, I've been training every weekend trying to keep insight the seriously fast woman who did win the age group (a former Nike-sponsored racer). I'm stoked that I met the 130% with minutes to spare. I know I would have qualified even if I'd DFL'd but I blasted through my hoped for time. I'm delirious.

Back to training now though. The next races are full 10Ks. You know how long it takes to run through 10 kilometers of mashed potatoes?

[Crankin]

Congrats.
That sounds like serious competition!

[skhill]

SadieKate, that sounds like so much fun. I've never been on snow shoes, but we spent a lot of christmas breaks CC skiing when I was growing up, and snowy woods are so beautiful. But I don't miss the cold!

As it was the coldest morning in 2 years, it was the treadmill, as expected. Some guy I don't know was giving me a hard time about running in VFFs, saying they would ruin my feet and leave me crippled, basically. Of course my 2 years in VFFs have been injury free and I'm running much faster and easier than before. Some people... Today's 5 miles put that pair of VFFs over 1000 miles, btw, making them an economical shoe as well.

[Catrin]

Congrats Sadie, and good luck! Oak, that is seriously good news that you made it over the mark you wanted to make and your neck is behaving...wooooo

Katluvr, that is very cool that you did back to back races like that. I need to think of you women when I am challenged by a couple of laps around the track!

[SadieKate]

Thanks, guys. Now I'm extra glad I focused on that time because I just found out that the 3rd overall women was in my age group. Honest to goodness, do all the fast old ladies live in Oregon? But I'm listed on the official qualified athletes page. Woohoo!

skhill, our race wasn't cold. I wish I'd worn a t-shirt. I didn't wear gaiters because I opted for wet feet instead of spontaneously combusting feet. I have to say running is so much more fun below 60F.

BTW, Catrin, I'd be challenged by laps around the track. I hate the track. It's all headology. If my brain isn't required to prevent up close and personal encounters with the ground, it b!thces and whines, and generally throws a temper tantrum. Basically, it focuses on every little ache and pain. Running on a track would be purgatory.

[Tri Girl]

Kat- NICE job!!! Impressive runs on those back-to-backs!!! The shorter stuff is always harder for me because you have to go so darn fast.

Oak- great job on your 14!

Sadie- LOVE the pictures! Congrats on your snowshoe race!!! OK- so not only did you have fun and enjoyed it- you qualified for Nationals. SWEET!!!!

Keep it going, ladies! Reading about your runs keeps me inspired!

[skhill]

4th day in a row on the treadmill. This frigid weather could go straight back to North Dakota and no one would much mind! I intended to go 5 miles today, but stopped at 4.5. Turns out that "Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart" by Camper van Beethoven runs exactly that long at the pace I was going! I'd just put the album on my mp3 player last night, and hadn't listened to it in ages. It was really strange, there was one point when I was running that I remembered so vividly listening to the same song nearly 25 years ago on my walkman, while riding in a van on a school trip heading to the Junior Classical League convention. Remembered the view out the window, the road we were on, the other people in the van, so very vividly. The mind (and memory) is such a wondrous and mysterious thing!

I'm very hopeful that I may actually get to run outside sometime next week. If the warmer weather doesn't bring rain, that is...

[Anelia]

Garmin HR and pace and Sportstracker.
I named my run Charity because I fed a cat who is homeless and lives on the steps that I run on