Word of the Week...Irony

"Headphones, headsets, walkmans, ipods, mp3 players, or personal audio devices, etc. are not to be carried or worn at any time during the race."  -- USA Triathlon Official Rules

REALLY???  This is what I learned upon picking my swag bag (I love that term!) yesterday for today's Giant Eagle Multisport Festival 5K.  Interesting...evidently, you have to be able to hear other people on the course and not just go with your music.  And since the festival included both an Olympic and Sprint distance triathlon as well as the 5K, we were under official rules.  So, I showed up sans mp3 player.  As it turned out, I had better than an mp3 player...I had Becky.  :)

I've known Becky for a few years.  She works with Mike at Camp Mary Orton during the summer and we have been known to hang out on occasion.  Becky is an athlete and has been running for the past couple of years.  Unbeknownst to each other, we both signed up for the Columbus Half Marathon.  She saw my blog and we've been chatting about training ever since.  So, Becky signed up for the 5K today with me.  She was looking for a way to jump start her back into training.  Then, she told me this morning that her goal was to help me set a personal best.  WOW.  Becky stayed with me through the entire race...we were passed by Olympic level triathletes (same course...different race) and got lost in a transition area near the end.  Becky kept up a continual stream of happy thoughts and "way to gos" and really kept me motivated even when I felt like I was going to pass out, throw up, or die from the heat.  Becky congratulated me at the end and came with me to get our finisher's medals.  (Long story short...when we got lost in the transition, we somehow missed the finish line and didn't actually cross it.)  I decided today that everyone needs a Becky to train with...she's way better than music.

The Soundtrack Matters

In my perusal (I love that word) of the Columbus Half Marathon's website, I read in the FAQ that participants are allowed to use headsets for the race.  I actually had to read it at least a half dozen times because I really thought to myself, "how on earth would I possibly get through 13.1 miles WITHOUT music??"  Evidently, in major races for those crazy people who run to actually win prizes, it is normal to run with nothing but your brain to distract you.  How insane are those people?  (Sorry Pop-Up...but you just gotta go with me on this one.)  My brain could NEVER distract me for that length of time while I was running.  I'm always thinking about when the heck I'll be done with this....I need distraction!!!

I was thinking about this interesting fact today on my 4-mile training session.  I did the first mile in a haphazard run as far as I can---walk a lap---run as far as I can---walk a lap and the rest of the miles in the two laps walking to every one jogging.  And, as the song Candlelight by the Maccabeats came on (if you haven't heard that...go youtube it...it's a fabulous Chanukah song set to the tune of Dynamite by Taio Cruz) (and yes...I listen to whatever when I run, even Christmas and Chanukah in July)...and I noticed that because I really like the song and it always gets me going, I could run faster and further because the song was revving me up.  The same thing happened with Disturbia and Fame....so I just need to find MORE songs like these.

So, I pose to you, my readers (all like half dozen of you), what are the songs that get you motivated and really PUMPING for your training sessions???

It's All in Your Head, Bree

"You can have all the talent in the world and all the skill in the world, but the only thing that separates you from success or failure is your own mind." -- Mike Greenberg (one of the Mikes from Mike and Mike in the Morning)

I have a number of friends who are great athletes.  I don't mean that they are elite athletes in terms of playing a professional sport or out winning races every weekend, but that they are great athletes because they inspire others to greatness.  I depend a lot on these friends for their sage advice during my training period.  One of these great friends is my friend Scooby.  (Don't ask about the name...just go with it.)  She is a triathlete.  She has been training for and competing in triathlons for years.  And, like me, she sort of starting running from scratch.  So, she is one of the people that I go to for what I call mental advice.  And, over the course of our discussion last night, she told me that I could run further than my mind said that I could.  I think her exact comment was something to the effect of, "the mind quits long before the body actually needs to" (or something like that).  And I realized that she was right.  I've been trying to come up with some sort of math-y technical plan to get me to increase my running distance while decreasing the recovery walking time.  Really, I just needed, to borrow the phrase from Nike, to just do it.  Jog as far as my mind thinks I can and then go further. 

So, after being sidelined with a terrible migraine for five days, I will do just that.  Tomorrow, my mind will get a mental slap as I do my four miles.  Go farther.  Jog farther.  Reward?  Harry Potter, here I come!  :)

I Can Go the Distance

After missing the first five mile long run for Samantha's birthday, I was a little skeptical about going straight to the six mile today.  I debated long and hard this week in my head before deciding to do the five miles and not the six.  But, after talking with Mike, I decided to get up early this morning and head out for six miles.  Outside seemed the best option as 72 laps around an indoor track did NOT sound appealing.  I set myself three time goals since I had never done it before...a crazy ambitious goal of 1:30:00 (which didn't sound achievable even as I set it), a reasonably ambitious goal of 1:45:00 and an outside slowest possible of 2:00:00.  I am happy to report that I finished in 1:46:28.  I was so proud of myself that I came inside and promptly announced that I was going to puke.  (At which point, Alexa pointed out that I should go use the toilet for that...isn't she smart!)

I was so happy to see that I could run for longer periods of time even if I couldn't maintain that pace for the full six miles.  No six miler this week though...five miles is the long run!  :)  (And I even have the day off!!!)

Thanks again to all of my HUGE supporters who are helping me get through this...I have ignited a 5K craze for my friend Janine (who finished her SECOND 5k yesterday at an even faster time than last week's) and have found time to talk training with my fellow staff members at work.  I'm working so hard and wouldn't be able to do it without my friends!

Runner in Training

"I often hear people say 'I'm not a real runner.'  We are all runners, some just run faster than others, that's all.  I have never met a fake runner."  -- quote from Runners World magazine.

I didn't write down who said that quote but it really resonated with me yesterday when I read it.  Even after eight weeks of training, I don't really consider myself a runner.   Most of my training consists more of walking than running so it seemed logical to me.  But, I realized that I was not giving myself enough credit for the training I have accomplished.  While I still don't really think of myself as a runner yet, I am definitely a "runner in training."  In any case, I AM an athlete and working so hard to accomplish this goal.

So today's training was four miles.  I went to the gym today for my training and decided that I was going to run one lap followed by walking two.  I have been doing my training on an indoor track that is 12 laps to the mile and today's training was on an indoor track that is 9 laps to the mile so running the lap was longer than I usually do.  After three miles, I was exhausted.  BUT, I persevered, kicked my mental butt, and kept going.  Happy to report that I completed the entire four miles following the pattern I had set even though it was difficult, setting a new PERSONAL RECORD in the process!  My mental goal was to complete in with the pattern and in less than one hour.  I finished at 59:49...a full eleven seconds to spare!!  I don't think I could have kept up that pace for another mile but I was still happy to have achieved my goal!!

I Wasn't Last

I completed my second EVER 5K today.  The first race was what I lovingly refer to as the "Shuffle for the Cure" where I completed my 5K in an hour and twenty minutes and there were still THRONGS of people behind me.  The Bexley 5K was a completely different race -- it was a race where people came to actually race and my friend Janine and I were outstripped quite early in the race.  All in all, I was both proud and disappointed in my performance.

I came in at a disappointing 50:52 according to the chip timer (my watch said 50:48) which was well outside of the 45 minute goal I had set for myself.  The good news...I wasn't last.  There were a whole FIVE PEOPLE who came in behind me.  (I was 363 of 368.)  I am personally ignoring the fact that four of those people were over 60.  What that means to me?  There is lots of room for improvement.  And concern that I have been training for 8 weeks and still am not even close to where I want to be.  I think some of it is mental...I had a game plan and didn't follow it.  I let the heat and humidity get to me and used that as an excuse.  My heart rate stayed up in the 70% range for the entire time and that is good.

So, after all that negativity, what am I proud of?  I am proud of the fact that I both started and finished the race jogging.  I stayed positive and cheered both myself and Janine on throughout the race.  And I am proud of the fact that I stayed the course and finished the race.


Official Race Time

Motivation where are you?

I am still training.  I am still training strong.  I just haven't been blogging.

Over the past three weeks (?!?!) since I last blogged, I have had some difficulty in finding my motivation.  As the training sessions have gotten longer, I find myself wistfully thinking about (and looking forward to) the 2-mile training days!!  When I look ahead to next Sunday and see 6 miles (which I am reducing to 5 miles since I haven't actually done that distance yet...I missed that training day because of Samantha's bday party), it makes me worried for the time it will take.

I got new sneakers (thanks Columbus Running Co!!) and officially signed up for the half marathon.  YAY!!!  Those were the most exciting things I did in the past three weeks.  I'm also thinking about doing some cross training. I got roped into a personal training session at the gym which left me sore but also thinking that I am essentially coaching myself to an endurance race.  I'm not sure if it's best to follow my training plan to the letter (or number in this case) or switch it up a bit.  Because five days of just run/walking is driving me up a wall.  (You do 36 laps at the gym for your 3 mile training days....it's dizzying.)  I miss the elliptical trainer and doing weights.  BUT...I really don't want to add a sixth day of training to my schedule.  Thoughts from the gallery?

:)  Here's to a great officially eight weeks of training down!!!  :)