Green Mountain Run

I just wanted to post this photo from our trip to Vermont last week. We went for a run on some trails by the Blueberry Hill Inn. It was supposed to be about a 2-mile loop but we took some turns that gave us a little bit extra. It was quite hilly and exhausting in places, but the view was amazing and it was fun to run with a group.

Butt Kickin'

This morning I got up and ran early, but both my Scuttlebutts were out of town so I was alone. I took to the streets of Tribune for the first day of Week 2 of the Couch To 5K Podcasts. I only did one day of Week 1 (instead of 3), but I didn't want to get behind and I figured I could handle it. Today's was run 90 seconds, walk 2 minutes. Again, I'm doing this more as a speed-interval workout to try to up my pace a bit. I figure I ought to be jogging the "walk" intervals, but right now it's really working me hard to keep up a strong pace for the short "run" intervals.

It struck me today how the advice that Robert (Ullrey, author of the podcasts) gives about running form is exactly the opposite of Christopher McDougall's: Keep your arms loose vs. Pump your elbows. Run on your heels, not your toes; vs. Kick your heels to your butt and practice a mid-foot strike. I will say that McDougall's is more challenging, naturally, since it's hard to run slowly and kick your heels to your rear.

Copycat copycat

I don't know, it just seemed like a nice night for a run.

My attempt to re-join the Scuttlebutts on Wednesday morning this week proved disastrous - I only got about 2 minutes of running in before my vision started to go black and I got completely dizzy. Later that day I developed what I'm quite sure was my second-ever-in-my-life migraine headache. I spent Wednesday afternoon and much of Thursday consuming mass quantities of various pharmaceutical agents and groaning. I'm not sure what tripped it, but even by this morning (Friday) I was wary of trying again. Then, tonight, it just sounded like fun.

So here's the current plan: Start C25K over again, with my "new" rules of running gleaned from the "Born To Run" book that no, I will not shut up about. If I count this as week 1, I've got just enough time to complete the 9-week program before the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Colorado Springs. I ran in my flat shoes again, and no, my knee doesn't hurt at all. Instead of holding my "easy" pace that I normally maintain, I am trying to actually RUN. I'm using the pointers I recall from Christopher McDougall -- heels up to the butt, pump the elbows, mid-foot strike -- and it's actually really FUN. Whenever I felt my energy flagging, I checked in on those three points and got going again.

Granted, I just did a Week One run, so it was 8 sets of 60 seconds running, 90 seconds walking, but hey, it's a start, right?? And at the end I felt refreshed and alive, not beat-down (and let's pray for no more migraines).

Reboot

So, last night I went out for my first run since the half-marathon in April. It was a nice evening out, so after the kids were in bed I put on my old Nike Frees, plugged in my new-used-iPod Nano, and set out for a run. I ran our old 2-mile loop in somewhere around 15 minutes (3.5 Ace of Base songs) and felt pretty good. My biggest problem was the breathing--I felt out of breath pretty early on and just tried to keep going anyway. Afterward my legs felt fine except when I was coming down the stairs--then I felt a little weird.

I also recently finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. My review of it is here on my books blog. It's a great read, but the biggest thing I got out of it was that I should have read it before I bought some new Nikes. I got some Lunatrainers right before the half-marathon to wear for future runs. Robyn convinced me that my old Nikes really needed to be replaced, even though they still felt okay, and we were at a running store in Lawrence, so I might as well get them. The staff watched me walk back and forth in my sock feet, and suggested these as something with a little more cushioning but still pretty lightweight and flexible. Well, after reading Born to Run, I'm thinking I should have just stuck with the Frees. In fact, now Robyn and I are both considering getting Vibram Five Fingers instead.

Well, I don't know if I'll be ready for the Space Coast Half Marathon (after Thanksgiving) unless I find more time to get some running in. I've been pretty busy lately with a whole lot of other things, and running isn't always a high priority. But after reading about all these amazing runners, I'm eager to give it another shot.

Good to Be Back

Shortly following our half-marathon achievement 7 weeks ago, I underwent some surgery that took me out of commission for a while. No worries, I am fine; I was glad to be able to do it just AFTER the half-marathon and am even gladder now to be back in fighting shape. Technically I was instructed to wait 6 weeks before doing any kind of vigorous exercise, but I begged the doc to allow this ONE little race which happened 4 days shy of the magic number. He agreed to let me run 3.1 miles (I accidentally ran 6.2 instead - oh well!).

Saturday night was the first Full Moon in June (in Tribune!) 5K/10K run. The evening started off splendidly with a lasagna feed at the Burger Bar, one of our fine local eating establishments. Second helpings of pasta and garlic bread were much enjoyed, as was the small ice cream cone I shared with my two-year-old. By 8 o'clock we were lined up and ready to go for the Family 2-mile Run/Walk, which took us all around the east side of town. Ann was with me (no Jonathan this time, he and Thing One are on vacation) and we pushed Thing Two in the ladybug trailer. The first family to cross the finish line won a family movie pass to the local theater. We weren't gunning for that - just kept up a brisk walking pace and wound up finishing in 27 minutes, which means we were walking at 4.4 mph.

We had a respite then, during which we filled our water bottles (and drank them dry, and filled them again) and enjoyed some conversation and company. At about 9:15 we loaded the little one back into the ladybug, gave her a "blanklet," and started pushing her around and around (and around and around) the parking lot in the dark. She fell asleep just in time for us to park the trailer with the race attendants. We confirmed that they had my cell phone number, and headed to the start line.

Now, I mentioned that I ran 6.2 miles by accident. I will just say here that I obeyed my doctor's instructions - apart from stretching and walking I had not done ANY exercise for the past 7 weeks. I knew going back into running that I'd probably be able to knock out 3 miles okay. Well, Miss Ann is training with me for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which means in 3 weeks she and I will walk a marathon and a half in 2 days up in the Rockies. They send out training schedules for this walk, which say that we should be walking about 12 miles at a time by now. Great, sure, I have nothing else to do for 3 hours! :-P So anyhow, she reasoned that we could run partway, and walk the rest, and together with the 2-mile walk we would boost our mileage for the day. (Ann, you see, was under the impression she could not run one mile, let alone 3 or 6, though I knew otherwise. That is her story to tell.)

We lined up, somebody said a prayer, and just as Lesa turned around to say something to me the gun went off! OH! So we ran. It felt so good. I got winded at the beginning, as I always do when starting a long run. I'm comfortable enough with that pattern that I didn't think, "Oh, no, I can't make it." I just thought, "Right, I remember this, the first few blocks always get me out of breath but I'll settle down pretty soon." And sure enough I did. The miles ticked by; I had decided ahead of time to break it up a little bit by doing the "run-a-mile, walk-a-minute" pattern and this definitely made it easier. Also, Ann and I compared knowledge of 80's song lyrics to pass the time (she knows way more than I do). As we got about halfway through mile 4, my "I'm not a runner!" pal decided she couldn't keep my slow pace. I decided I liked my slow pace, so she took off and I trotted along behind. Now, when I say "behind," I do mean it sincerely. There was nobody running with me, nor was there anyone running behind me. I was alone on a country road just takin' my time.

This part of the run will probably remain in my memory as one of my favorite running experiences ever. No matter how much longer I do this or how many other races I finish, I don't think it gets better than that. To the north, on my right, was a large field that shone smooth and golden. Above the field, thick dark gray Kansas thunderheads loomed, with a lightning show it seemed the clouds were putting on just for me. To the south, the clouds broke open to allow the bright full moon to light my way. I had brought a head lamp but quickly realized that I could see better, and enjoy the run more, if I got rid of it and just ran with the moon instead. My feet in their new flat shoes connected brilliantly with the road; when I stepped on a larger piece of gravel my foot, rather than turning at the ankle, would just sort of roll around it. My left knee felt as healthy as my right. I knew I was moving more slowly than anyone who calls herself a runner ought to, but I felt wonderful. And without even thinking, I started to praise God in my heart for the beauty of the Earth, for the glory of the skies.

All this was too good to last long, of course. I was the final runner, and there were support vehicles stationed at each mile marker (3 of them - the course was out-and-back). During my final mile, the vehicles started coming back along the road behind me. I pulled over to the soft shoulder and waved them to go by me, but they didn't. The last vehicle to join them was the big fire truck with its obnoxiously bright lights that completely trashed the heavenly moonlight I had been enjoying. What's more, they thought it was fun/amusing/something to run the sirens at me as I ran. When I finally accepted that they WEREN'T going to pass me, I looked up and found a couple stars that had broken through the clouds in front of me, in the western sky. I kept my focus on them and did my best to ignore the headlights, sirens, and whoops behind me. I also realized that yes, in fact I do still know all the words to Javert's anthem "Stars" from Les Miserables.

It occurred to me at some point that when I last ran a 5K back in September in the Garden of the Gods, my time was 42 minutes. Now, that was at a higher altitude and with considerably more in the way of what I think they call "hills." But this was twice as far and coming out of surgery and an almost-2-month hiatus, so I figured I'd be happy to keep the same pace as that. As I approached the clock, I could see 1:2-:--. I couldn't tell if the third number was a 3 or a 6. One hour twenty-four minutes would be the number I needed to beat. I got closer - it was a 3! I had to come in just under 1:24! So I put on the gas (or "added oil," as the Chinese say) and vroomed toward the crowd. (Nobody realizes this, but the last runner is the one who gets the most cheering.) As I whooped my way in, they re-directed me over to the, um, actual finish line, which I crossed with 15 seconds to spare. That made my clock time 1:23:45, a time I am pleased with both for its numeracy as well as for its goal-beating.

I was awarded a bronze medal for being the 3rd woman in my age group to finish the race. Ann got the silver, finishing 7 minutes ahead of me and proving once again that I am RIGHT. My Scuttlebutt pals Lesa and Rechelle, who ran the 5K, got gold and bronze respectively in their age group. With all of us getting medals, and the beautiful night, and just finishing the race, I think I was about 10 feet tall.

Were we born to run?

I just finished reading a new book out there called Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. He's a journalist who was writing for the likes of Men's Health and Runner's World magazines when he happened on the story of the Tarahumara people in the deep canyons of Mexico. Here he was, a young hotshot fitness buff who couldn't keep himself out of knee injuries and plantar fasciitis despite seeing the best sports medicine specialists in the world. And there they were, men and women in their 50's and 60's who ran hundreds of miles a week over impossibly rocky terrain wearing nothing but a little bit of leather, never getting injured. Not only that - they didn't even act like it was hard! They would complete a fifty-mile run looking as if they had just had a refreshing day at the beach.

The book is pretty well-done - a combination of journalism about the world of ultra-running and the world of the Tarahumara, a really good story about this crazy race in the canyons of Nowhere, Mexico, and a case for why all humans ought to run. In fact he would have us believe that running isn't just good for us, but that our bodies are designed for nothing other than distance running and it is in fact a biological imperative if we want to be healthy. He makes the case for running without extensive cushioning, but does stop short of saying that everyone needs to run barefoot.

I have done two things since finishing this book that I probably would not have done if I hadn't read it: 1) I ordered some old-school Saucony shoes with the idea that they'll be my primary walking shoes as I get ready for the Avon Walk and that maybe I'll try this less-cushioning thing. He quotes a statistic that, of all runners in the U.S. between 60-80% of them will be injured EVERY YEAR. I was part of that this year, and I figure my $100 shoes didn't prevent it so I'll try it his way and see what happens. 2) I ate a salad for breakfast. He's totally a fan of salad for breakfast. (I also tried a trick Ann taught me - cook an egg over easy, plop it on top of your salad and slice & mix it up for a quick & yummy dressing.)

There are a couple of YouTube videos that talk about this running style, which McDougall describes in somewhat vague terms (his book is not a training manual). "Imagine your kid is running into the street and you have to sprint after her in bare feet. ... You'll automatically lock into perfect form -- you'll be up on your forefeet, with your back erect, head steady, arms high, elbows driving, and feet touching down quickly on the forefoot and kicking back toward your butt." It also seems similar to something dubbed "Chi Running," which has its own little cottage industry and YouTube videos to check out. The idea is that 30 years of "improving" running shoes has only increased the number of sports injuries and allowed us, by blocking our contact with the ground we run on, to become so sloppy in our form that we whack out our knees, hips & feet. By running in less-cushioned shoes, or even barefoot, our feet are forced to tone and strengthen their muscles which ends up protecting the whole body. (He mentions one man whose feet shrank 2 shoe sizes due to the toning and better arch he got.)

There's another section I won't even try to summarize, but basically he visits Harvard science labs and delves into evolutionary biology to answer the question of why our small, skinny, hairless ancestors outlived the much stronger, faster, and by many accounts smarter Neanderthals. The answer? Naturally, it's distance running. Go read the book yourself to find out why.

Half Marathon!

We did it! On Sunday, we ran the 2009 Lynn Electric Half-Marathon. It was cold and rainy, but the rain cleared up just before we started. There was, however plenty of wind in some spots which made us feel right at home. This photo, from the start of the race, shows our Tribune "Scuttlebutts" team plus a couple with Tribune connections. Brent is from Tribune and came up from Texas to join us. Then there's the Scuttlebutts: Rechelle, Jonathan, Robyn, and Lesa. And on the right end is Kinsey, also from Tribune and now studying in Lawrence. (We had a couple others who unfortunately weren't able to make it.)

It was a nice route through Lawrence and very well organized. There were a ton of volunteers and signs to point the way, lots of water stations, and road traffic was diverted or stopped to let runners go by. Our only complaint was that it ended at the Lied Center, which is on a hill. Let me tell you, the last thing you want for your last mile of a half-marathon is to run uphill into the wind!

Still, everyone in our group finished the marathon in under 3 hours, and though we're all still quite sore from it, we feel good. I finished in two hours and two minutes, and Robyn came in at about two hours 43 minutes. Ridley and Hania ran the last few yards to the finish line with Mommy. It's pretty cool to go from not being able to run for more than 30 seconds at a time to finishing a half marathon. I don't know that we're going to shoot for a full marathon anytime soon, but we're trying to set short-term goals to keep us in shape. There's a "Full Moon in June" night-time run coming up here in Tribune, and Robyn and I are hoping we can run in the Space Coast Half-Marathon at Thanksgiving if we can swing a trip to Florida then.

Long Time Coming

Well, this post was a long time in coming. I realize it's been too long since we gave an update! But the real piece de resistance is our half-marathon! After more of a year of trying to become runners, and 5 months of direct training, the race is coming in a mere 6 days.

There have definitely been some imperfections, but by and large we have stuck to the schedule we set ourselves. Jonathan is in terrific shape and will have NO problem finishing the half-marathon. He's a natural runner, leggy and nimble.

I on the other hand am going in an injured pony. About 3 weeks ago we did our first 8-mile run on a Sunday afternoon. I had been marveling that very morning on my healthy joints! Over 13 months of running and never a single injury. I always warmed up and stretched, but never made a huge deal about it so I didn't give it a lot of credit. That afternoon we were going out with a couple other people and had gotten a babysitter. For some reason I was slow getting ready, then forgot my water, then had to use the restroom.... I was holding everyone up! So when I finally got outside we just took off and ran. Those 8 miles were some of the longest, slowest, most difficult of my whole running career. Afterward, my left knee felt a little stiff. The next day, more stiff. I immediately started an aggressive regimen of ice, stretching, and anti-inflammatories. For the last 3 weeks I have kept it up, and each time I run the knee gets a little more stiff. I've had it looked at by our physical therapist and had an ultrasound exam (they found just a little fluid on it). It has never really been painful per se, just very stiff. After yesterday's 10-mile run, our last long training run before the big day, it hurt less than I thought it would. Today after clinic, though, it was the stiffest ever. I'm going to need to rest it all week and keep up the icing. I'm very confident I'll still be able to finish the half marathon although I will be thrilled to do it in less than 3 hours.

Wish us luck! For info on the race, check out: http://www.kansasmarathon.com.

Cross training

Well, despite the lack of updates here, we have in fact been training still. Here's an over-the-shoulder photo of some of us on our bikes for cross training. We've been doing some stretching and strengthening exercises, gradually increasing the length of the runs, and interspersing shorter runs as well.

So far our longest run has been 5 miles, but that will continue to increase every week up until the time of the half marathon. Unfortunately one of our team members hurt her knee pretty badly and won't be running with us, but there are four of us who are planning to run together.

New Year's Day Run

We decided in the midst of our new training schedule to shake things up a bit with a run in Syracuse on New Year's Day. It was a small, very poorly organized race that nevertheless was pretty fun. We signed up for the 4-mile run, which was just two laps around their golf course. On the first go-round, the person who was advertised to be stationed at a confusing "Y" in the route was not in fact there, and we followed a bunch of other people down the wrong path. Thankfully we did make it back to the start for the second round, on which we were properly directed. My advice to next year's organizers: SIGNS!

Our training has been going pretty well, as long as we stay healthy. I had started developing some bronchitis the day of that run, and since it was longer than our typical runs so far I think my body was rather unhappy at the exertion. Thus I sent Jonathan out alone for our scheduled Saturday run yesterday. We're up to "long runs" of 2.5 miles, which we'll increase to 3 miles over the next 3 weeks. I hope to add some Pilates and strength training over these weeks too. Then on Jan 26 begins our official 12 weeks of half-marathon training, which is much more intense. After the way this 4-mile race treated me, I really hope I'm up to it.

Things I think I need to work on (besides conditioning, obviously): Stride length. As I jog my body seems to want to stay very compact. I don't go very fast, which doesn't bother me, but I think this is probably not the most efficient way to run 13.1 miles. Jonathan, when running without me, stretches his legs out and gets sore in different muscles than he does when he runs with me (when he pretty much looks like he's trying not to walk). TWO, I need to find out if there are special considerations for knock-kneed distance runners. Any special stretches or weightlifting I should do to compensate for my valgus? I do recall being told in medical school that "Thou Shalt Not Varus" is a cardinal rule of sports, so if I'm going to have deformed knees I picked the right ones to have.

(And a note: we've changed our blog name to reflect our new goal!)