C'mon, somebody must be running!

[TrekDianna]

I'm running. I have a half in October and my first full in January. I've not run much at all the last two weeks. I was in Beijing for a week and the pollution index was too high most of the time. I had a slight burn to breathe just walking around. This last week I was in Seoul and only got a two mile run in -- the car exhaust killed me. I am on the plane now, on my way home and can't wait to hit the trails and the clean Oregon air.

[zoom-zoom]

Woot -- 2nd Duathlon since Monday! 3rd in my AG (they only medaled the first 2 in each AG...why even bother having a 3 step podium?!). 2nd in my AG on the first run leg, tied for 1st on the bike leg, then 4th on the last run leg. Only 6 of us in my AG...that last run found the humidity and my relative lack of mileage and speed this Summer catching up with me -- probably some residual effects of the race on Labor Day, too. But I spent about 90% of my runs the past few months with my 13 year old to help him get ready for a couple of 5k races and cross-country. So I was OK with sacrificing some more specific training.

[VeganBikeChick]

WTG zoom!

I'm starting to run again after a 3 month hiatus. I had twisted my ankle in June and although it didn't take 3 months to heal, lack of motivation and high summer temps were curtailing any running I'd be doing. Ran yesterday and today. I've decided my new motivation to keep running is to reward myself based on number of days I've run, not number of pounds lost. I am running in part to lose some weight but also to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and sometimes those pounds are so stubborn to come off that I get easily discouraged. Seeing progress by continuing to run is encouragement for me.

[OakLeaf]

Solo, heal up fast.

Zoom, very nice!

VBC, that's a great strategy.

Trek, yikes. To think I'm worried about running in New York knowing that all it takes is 45 minutes of walking around (at a much slower pace than the natives!) for me to get an awful sore throat, every time I visit ... Good luck clearing the smog out of your lungs.

The weather broke here yesterday, thank goodness. Friday's 18 miler was just brutal. For some unknown reason I'd picked a super hilly route on a nearly 90 degree day, and I actually wound up intermittently walking a couple of miles, which has never happened to me before. Physically I probably could've kept up a slow jog, but the heat and humidity just sapped my motivation. Intervals today ...

[solobiker]

I made it through my run with only a bit of pain. I took it slow and paid close attention to how and where I placed my foot. Time will tell...I think I am back in the game. :-)

[BikeDutchess]

I did my first half marathon last weekend! Keep in mind that until this year, I swore that running was the worst form of torture ever invented. But two of my co-workers inspired me to sign up for the Disneyland Half Marathon, and I discovered the Galloway run-walk-run method, so there I was, at 5:30 in the morning, waiting for the starting gun with 15,951 other people (including DH). I had such a great time! Disney sure knows how to organize these things. Running through California Adventures and Disneyland into Anaheim, high school bands/cheerleaders all along the route in the city, lower bowl of Angel Stadium full of cheering people as we ran around the field, it was just incredible. And while it was much muggier than I was used to (93% humidity at the start!), I benefitted from the low altitude and flat course. My run intervals are still measured in seconds rather than minutes, but I finished in 2:55 which I was very happy with. Definitely want to keep running and hope to get faster eventually!

[GLC1968]

Great job, BikeDutchess! Congrats on your first half!!

I did my 9 mile training run on Saturday in our last (hopefully) HOT day of the year. It was 95F and humid (for us), so I was a little wilty-er than usual. I did start before it got too awful hot, so I survived. Managed to be close to my target pace (off by 5sec/mile).

Typically, Sundays are my long run days but I had a prior commitment on Sunday morning so I had to do it Saturday. It's a good thing too since on Sunday morning I tried to stop a falling glass bottle of BBQ sauce from shattering with my bare foot. Dumb. Not only was this my previously injured foot, but that was a HEAVY bottle. I now have a lovely lump and the start of a blue mark on my foot! It kept me up with pain last night, too. Fingers crossed that it heals quickly but I'm now thankful that I did my run on Saturday so I have 8 days to recover before the next one!

[Catrin]

Congratulations everyone, it all sounds good! I've been itching to trail run, but my knee is still getting over an ill-advised (apparently) 5-K trail run I did in June. Heal quickly GLC!

[zoom-zoom]

I did my first half marathon last weekend! ... Definitely want to keep running and hope to get faster eventually!

Yay, now you have a PR to crush! Nice job!!

[VeganBikeChick]

Frustrated! Started running again on Fri after 3 months off. Always a beginner runner before I lose interest or injure myself. Ran Fri, Sat, & Sun, took Mon off & ran again last night. Only 1.8 mi each run, so not long. I'm frustrated because each run is harder than the one before & my pace is slower & slower. I run the same route each time & am eating plenty. It should be getting easier. What am I doing wrong?!

[zoom-zoom]

Frustrated! Started running again on Fri after 3 months off. Always a beginner runner before I lose interest or injure myself. Ran Fri, Sat, & Sun, took Mon off & ran again last night. Only 1.8 mi each run, so not long. I'm frustrated because each run is harder than the one before & my pace is slower & slower. I run the same route each time & am eating plenty. It should be getting easier. What am I doing wrong?!

I suspect your body is telling you that you need to slow your pace. I know it can be hard to do that, but after extended breaks you can't pick up where you left off. Maybe stick to every-other day for a month, too. Run fewer days, but don't run the same distance every time. Perhaps 1-2 miles on some days and 3-4 on others. Change up your route (that's partly a safety thing. Don't make your workouts predictable for creeps).

[VeganBikeChick]

Thanks, Kirsten! I run during rush hour in a very busy part of the city and live in a locked building, so I'm not worried about the creepers. I will definitely take your advice into account. It's frustrating because it's such a small distance. I've never run long miles, but this certainly seems like it shouldn't be tripping me up. I appreciate your input.

[OakLeaf]

I agree, three consecutive days is a lot for anyone. Doesn't matter you don't respect your own effort. That's plenty mileage for not having run in a while. Varying distance (and pace) is good advice too. Practice running slowly, smoothly, on your longer runs.

I did an absolutely awesome yoga video today. It was Iyengar style, totally alignment focused, all about the feet. It was on yogaglo.com, a subscription site, but if anyone subscribes or wants to check it out, the teacher is Marla Apt. I'll definitely come back to that one often. Really helped me with mobilizing and working my feet, and feeling the connection between feet and hips and beyond.


BikeDutchess, way to go!! Very nice job, and great that it was so much fun!

GLC, heal fast ...

[BikeDutchess]

Thanks all! I'll have to set some new goals now - gradually increasing my run intervals is one. At least it's getting cooler now, so much nicer for running (and biking, for that matter).

[lph]

I'm running! After a couple of runs in VFFs that were way too hard on my calves (not the shoes fault, I'm just too impatient to shorten my run or change shoes underway) I ran twice this week in good ol'fashioned running shoes with fat cushy heels. The heels are in the way and catch on the other ankle every now and then, but it sure is nice to just slam my feet down on downhills ;-) I can feel that running in minimal shoes has changed - hopefully improved - my stride, so that I'm lighter on my feet, but running with cushioning sure makes it easier. I don't have to scan the terrain all the time and if I do do a heel strike it doesn't matter. I'll have to try switching shoes regularly.

I don't watch my time or pace, my regular run semicommute is just to make sure I get weight-bearing exercise in addition to cycling. I enjoy the improvement in form, though, feeling my body and breathing adapt. I'm pretty sure I could not run even two days in a row though, let alone three.

I tried a kind of run meditation described on the Chi Running website (thanks for the tip, Oak), that was fun. Concentrating on one sense at a time helps the time pass and is pretty interesting.