Even Potholes Can’t Keep Me Down

Yesterday, we had a bit of snow/slush. But after I got off work, it was 33 degrees and I was feeling restless after a couple of days on the dreadmill, so I headed out for a run. I wanted to log a 6-miler. For whatever reason, it was important to me to know I could do the distance. Six miles means I am covering almost half the distance of a half-marathon and that is good for my mental state.

I headed out shortly after 5 in the evening. It was still somewhat light, but I knew darkness would be coming so I took my handy little light with me. This is more so others see me than so I can see the ground. About two miles into the run I turned it on.

I was cruising along pretty nicely. I felt great. I’ve been spending more time in the gym on strength and stretching. Lots of weights, lots of core exercises. Plus, my recent dreadmill work has included speed and hills. I don’t think I was panting even a little bit.

Then, at about mile three, I took a tumble. Ergh. Where the road butts up against the curb, there was a apparently a hole. It was filled with water from the snow so I didn’t see it and down I went. I stood up and shook it off, and tried to decide where I hurt. My left knee landed on the pavement so it was a bit sore; my right ankle was definitely sore, since it was the one that landed in the hole and that I rolled over. I walked about a half-block, debating what next. I didn’t have my phone with me. I did have phone numbers on my ID band, but I was nowhere near a phone. And the loop I was running meant I was three miles from home, even if I circled back.

So I did what all runners do and attempted to run. Really, my ankle felt ok. And my knee didn’t hurt, so I suspected it was only scraped a little bit. Since I had pants on it was somewhat protected.

Long and short of it, I finished the six miles and made it home. When I cleaned up, I noticed that I did put a small hole in the knee of my running pants (which is a bad thing since these are my warmest pair) and also noticed that my knee was quite a bit more scraped than I had anticipated. I put a band-aid on my knee and also a wrap on my ankle, which I then elevated for the evening.

In other words, despite a moment of excitement and dread, it’s all good. I am not too injured, just a bit sore, and I finished the run. And the run, overall, felt really good and makes me almost think that I’ll be able to run at least one of these half-marathons at close to the two-hour mark. Of course, there is quite a bit more to go before we see if the goal becomes reality.

Hills - You Gotta' Love 'Em!

The weather has improved enough so that, for the last two weeks, I have been able to run outside and also sneak in a few walks with Mr. Jake. He appreciates the good weather as much as I do!

Training for the upcoming half-marathons started this week and today was the speed workout. Since I don't have easy access to a track, I instead opted to run hills.

What was I thinking? Well, hmmm....a friend who is a runner and slightly older than me, has put up some pretty solid half-marathon times. She assures me that being diligent about hills will help my speed, so I'm trying it.

And besides, as hard as hills are, a track is tougher. My "wall," if you will, is long stretches of endless asphalt. A track fits into that category. So while hills may be tougher physically, for me, a track workout is much tougher mentally. Perhaps even tougher than the dreadmill.

Today's hills were not awful, but would have been better had I not walked 2 miles on Saturday, run 4 miles and walked 3 miles on Sunday, and done a leg weight and squat workout on Monday. Ah well.

Can You Say Cold?

Oh my gosh – we have had cold and wind and a bit of snow and precious little sun. Granted, it is worse in other parts of the country, so I really shouldn’t complain. Instead, these are the things that I like about winter…

• A fire in the fireplace – is there anything more cozy?
• A warm, down-filled blanket
• Homemade chili
• Scarves!
• Fresh baked cookies
• Catching up on movies

One thing I’m not such a fan of is the treadmill. Dread-mill. Ugh. But at least for this week I’ve been diligent. I find that if I entertain myself I can do better so I’ve come up with two workouts that I tolerate pretty well:

Workout 1: 8 to 10 minute warm up then 3 sets of 3 x 3 repeats. 3 minutes at a fast clip, 3 minutes slow and repeat 3 or 4 times. End with an 8 to 10 minute cool down.

Workout 2: 8 to 10 minute warm up then hill repeats. 2 minutes at a pretty sharp incline (5 to 7 range); 2 minutes slow run or fast walk and repeat for 4 or 5 times. End with an 8 to 10 minute cool down. (I did this one yesterday and woke up in the middle of the night when the snow plow went by; I jumped and the back of both of my legs cramped up. Ouch!)

I’ve also taken advantage of the rest of the gym a bit more this week and have been doing more strength and core work. If I can remain diligent throughout the spring I may be able to reach my goal of a faster half-marathon.

Do Two Halves Make A Whole?

In most cases, yes, but not in the world of a runner. That’s ok, I’m going to do two half-marathons anyway, even if I can't count them as a full-marathon.

After last year, when I ran a half in June and another in September, I vowed “never more.” Apparently, I lied.

I’ve been wanting to run the Go! St. Louis Half-Marathon for a few years now, but it seems I was always traveling with one of the girls for volleyball. Not this year, so I am signed up to run this event on April 11. As is M. As are both of the girls. We’ll make it a great big family event!

And two weeks later (April 24), there is the Kentucky Derby Half-Marathon, for which I am also now signed up. This is one I’ve known of for several years and have wanted to run like no other. I mean, it takes you into Churchill Downs – how cool is that?! M is going to accompany me on this one. It’s been a good many years since I’ve been to Louisville and I’m not sure he’s ever been, so we’ll probably make a long weekend out of it as well.

One small problem as of late is the frightful cold that St. Louis is encountering, just like many other parts of the US. I’ve never been a fan of the cold, but usually if it’s above freezing and not all too windy, I will venture outside for a run. But not in this current weather – a high of 19 with a NW wind. Brrr…. This means I am trying to keep my miles up via the treadmill, which is not my favorite thing by a long shot. I’ve been a road runner for years, after all. I did find a couple of treadmill workouts that I hope will entertain me a bit, or at the very least take my mind off running in one place for 30 to 40 minutes. And with any kind of luck, in a week or two the weather will improve, if only slightly. Otherwise, I’m going to have to challenge myself to extend my run beyond 40 minutes, and that will be a true challenge for me.

Finally, here is one resolution. I resolve to run two half-marathons. With any kind of luck, one will be faster than my previous PR (2:03:xx).