Things Bree Hates about Running that Will Make Her a Better Runner

This blog post is dedicated to Josh, who threatened me with it if I didn't stop whining.  :)

1.  Running Outside
I like my hamster wheel.  I like the regularity of the track.  I like that I can run at sunrise, sunset, after dark, in the rain, in the snow, in the heat...and it all feels about the same.  Just the scenery changes (kind of).  I like that there is eye candy.  I like that I can tell myself that I am doing more laps than I can count.  I like playing math games with my lap times.  Heck, I like that I can pace myself with those lap times.  Outside I lose all of those things...but, I gain a harder workout, crunchy leaves, and a change of scenery every few minutes.  I get to think about Pop-Up talking to squirrels (since I don't do those things) and wave at people.  I get to have dogs bark at me and cars roar past.  I get to wonder why my town doesn't feel the need for sidewalks.  So...do I prefer my hamster wheel?  Yes.  Will I get to be a better racer by going outside and dealing with the elements?  Absolutely.  I'm not whining about this one (much) anymore...

2.  Pacing my Laps
For the first month or so of running on the hamster wheel, I had my heart rate monitor set to display total time instead of lap time while I ran.  Every time I would hit the lap time button, it would stop briefly to display the total time at the end of the lap before the total time came back to the display.  Since I was having difficulty with pacing my laps consistently, suggestions were made that I should view the lap time so that I could monitor at the half lap spot to see where I was at with my pacing.  I resisted this suggestion for awhile, but gave it a shot one day and haven't moved back since.  Has it made me a more consistent runner?  Yes.  Does it make it difficult for me to know my total time yes?  Has it made me a faster runner already?  Absolutely.  I'm not whining about this one (at all) anymore either....

3.  Jogging my Recovery Laps during Intervals
This is the one that inspired this blog post.  I have been walking the recovery laps during my interval sessions whether they are short, medium, or long.  It is easier to walk these laps because typically by the time I'm done running the interval distance, I'm tired and out of breath.  This week, for the first time, I aimed to jog the interval laps.  Was it fun?  No.  Was I more tired and out of breath?  Yes.  Did I whine about it when I got home?  Yes.  And threats were made by my friend Josh that inspired this blog post.  (*grin*)  Will doing this make me a better runner?  That's what I'm told...the jury is still out on this one.  (But, probably, I shouldn't be whining about this one anymore either......)

Pants on the Ground

I had an interesting experience at the Hamster Wheel today.  I had been complaining to Mike for about a month that I couldn't wear my favorite gym pants for my faster runs anymore because I kept having to hike them back up.  Well, today I was at the gym for a resistance workout, which includes a 1 1/2 mile running warmup at a pretty easy speed.  And, I realized today that I am going to have to retire my favorite pants.  I was hiking them up so much it was interfering with my run.  So, while I am sad to be losing my favorite pants (*cry*), I am ecstatic for a shopping trip to find new ones!!!  BUT, while I was pulling up my pants at the gym, I started to realize just how far I've come in such a short time...

From January 1 to August 17
1.  Weight Lost: 4 pounds
2.  Body Fat Percentage Lost: 0.3 percentage points
3.  Pants Size: About the same if not a little bigger
4.  Furthest Distance Run: 1 mile on a treadmill seven years ago
5.  Average Pace of a Mile: slow...I couldn't even hazard a guess

From August 17 to October 9
1.  Weight Lost: 10 pounds (14 total)
2.  Body Fat Percentage Lost: 1 point (1.3 total)
3.  Pants Size: About the same
4.  Furthest Distance Run: no change
5.  Average Pace of a Mile: no real change

From October 9 to now
1.  Weight Lost: 9.5 pounds (23.5 total)
2.  Body Fat Percentage Lost: 4 points (5.3 total)
3.  Pants Size: Lost two sizes, almost down another one
4.  Furthest Distance Run: 5.33 miles
5.  Average Pace of a Mile: from 16:06 the first week to 13:27 this week

While I am super excited that my pants were falling down (haha!), it belies the fact that I am getting so much more in shape and really enjoying myself.  Mostly, I am really happy at the fact that I am getting faster and being able to go so much further on each run.  After my not so fun injury recovery, I was able to come back stronger than before and set four PRs in my first three runs...besting PRs for the one, two, three, and four mile times.  And I personally expect to best both my five and six mile times on Monday on my longest long run yet.  To give you all an idea, I have taken 3 full minutes off my mile since the end of October, 2 1/4 minutes off my 2 mile time, almost 3 minutes off my 3 mile, almost 5 minutes off my 4 mile, and a full 14 minutes off the 5 mile time.  Plus, all of those were running!!

Before October, I had run one mile in my entire life.  This month, I not only ran over 5 but ran for a continuous 75 minutes.  Some very dear friends said to me in August that I could go further than I thought I could and that my mind would give up before my body needed to.  Others told me that running would hurt my knees and that I shouldn't push myself so hard because that would lead to injury.  And one person who has become a very good friend said to start slower than I usually did and breathe deep and steady from the first step.  And that was the very best advice of all.  Not just a "you can do it" or a "don't hurt yourself" but a "here's how...and I believe in you" that started it all.  I'm starting to believe that the six miles I will run on Monday is just the tip of the iceberg.....

Planted Seeds

I went into last week a little wary.  It was a new week of new workouts..longer intervals, tempo runs, and a 75 minute long run.  I was armed with lap times, doing MUCH better with pacing, but the idea of the new runs (and a really fricking long one) made me doubt myself a little.  Until I was given a heads up that the FOLLOWING week, I should be prepared to do a five mile long run.  WHAT?  Are you kidding me???  I can't run five miles!  I'm still working on consistently having the four mile under an hour!  But, the seed of five miles was planted anyway....

So, I headed to long intervals (2/3 mile, 1/3 mile recovery) and was able to complete them well, setting a 3 mile PR in the process.  Excited by my success, I looked forward to the longer steady state run of 3 miles (new distance) and was able to complete that one with success too!  My first tempo run (run at race pace) was a little daunting but I was able to come in with a little faster lap times than I was aiming for.  I was looking forward to the steady state run (2 1/2 miles) the next day and went out (as usual) a little too fast.  But, I was fine with the speed so I kept it up and was able to run my 2 1/2 at very slightly slower than the tempo speed goal from the day before.  I was ecstatic by my run but tempered the excitement with a few nerves because I knew that I was blowing my goals out of the water (meaning newer, harder goals were coming.....) and because I was a little worried that I had gone too fast and really had done a tempo run instead of really doing the steady state I was supposed to be doing.  As for the next day, my intervals turned into a steady state run (a real one) so that I would be refreshed for the long run on Wednesday.

Wednesday dawned happy and well and I was excited to get started with my long run, but had a few things to do around the house.  While I was cleaning and straightening, that seed (the 5 mile one) took root and grew in my head.  I looked at the lap/pace time chart on the fridge and realized that I could probably aim for the five miles this week.  So, I thought I would give it a try and no being disappointed if I missed it.  So, I played a math game during my run to keep me occupied over my insane number of laps.  Instead of really paying attention to what was going on with my lap time, I played an over/under game seeing if I could stay under the 15:00 pace needed to hit 5 miles in 75 minutes.  After a couple of miles, it was intensely clear that it wouldn't be a problem to keep that up.  And that run turned into the BEST RUN EVER, as I shattered four PRs in that run (total time run, total continuous distance, four miles, and five miles).  Yes...you read that right, not only did I hit 5 miles, I ran for a total of 5.33!!  And each subsequent mile was FASTER than the mile before it, which rarely, if ever, happens during my long runs.  It started with the first mile just under 15:00 at 14:57 and finished with a 13:40.  WOW!  Because of the nature of my lap timing on my HRM, I don't actually see these numbers until they are in my spreadsheet, so I was even surprised by myself!

Good news from all this?  Look at all those amazing PRs!!  I surprised myself and am going to have all sorts of new lap times to hit by the end of the month!!

Bad news?  I injured my left leg.  I took Thursday off and went back at intervals on Friday but couldn't get them all completed because of the pain in my leg.  I tried to push through it (set a one mile PR in the process), but ended up having to take the entire weekend off as a result.  Hopefully, I'll be better and good and ready to go by this weekend!

Musings from the Hamster Wheel

I have been running for just about two months now (!!) and, in that time, I have discovered some interesting things about my indoor track known as the Hamster Wheel...

1.  Stay to the Right Except to Pass
As I was once pulled over by a cop on my way to Payson for this, this is a rule I already know.  I just never realized that it applied to running.  As a slow runner, I find that I am frequently being passed by faster runners as well as passing slower walkers.  And, in either case, you pass on the outside.  Usually.  What causes me no end of consternation though is the "friend walkers."  I can call them this because I used to be one of them...and sometimes, I still am.  They are the ones that walk next to each other on the track...slowly...without paying attention to the runners around them.  When there are multiple runners on the track, these people become a serious annoyance when two runners want to pass at the same time.  (This happens more frequently than I originally thought.)  Inevitably, one runner has to slow his or her run.  So, if this is you, pay attention to the people around you and when there are multiple people looking to pass, stop talking for three seconds and both of you move to the inside.  It would make life so much better for the rest of us....

2.  It's Not a Sobriety Test, People
Those lines on the track...they aren't to see if you can run in a straight line.  Seriously.  That's not the point.  They are to separate the lanes.  No joke.  I seriously spent a good portion of my cool down last night having to pass a man who was WALKING the line between the two inner lanes.  Please, Dude...pay attention to those around you.  While I understand that sometimes it's hard to stay in the lines on a difficult workout, it shouldn't happen on EVERY lap...

3.  The Hamsters
The most entertaining part of the Hamster Wheel is the other hamsters on and around the wheel!!  There is Speed Work Guy who is there almost every night doing something interesting.  It's not always speed work but that's what it was the first couple of times I saw him so the name stuck.  There are the Gym Groupies downstairs who spend more time looking at each other than actually lifting weights.  They make me giggle because really what is the point??  There is Routine Lady who is always at the gym in the morning doing something.  She's usually on the elliptical or lifting weights but never seems to miss a day.  There is Toe Shoe Guy.  I only saw him once and it took EFFORT not to stop him mid-run and ask him about his shoes.  There is Tri-Lady.  I see her running and cycling all the time.  She's super fast and it doesn't even look like effort.  I don't know that she does triathlons but I wouldn't be surprised.  Last of all, there is Sweating on the Stairs Guy.  He dresses in some sort of lycra sweat suit to do the stair machine and he is ALWAYS pouring sweat all over the machine.  I'm sure that's the point, but I'm grossed out every time I see him...

Even with all the crazy people, I still love my Hamster Wheel.  It's better than rain and snow and general bad weather yuckiness!!  And I get the bonus of the other hamsters!!  :)

The First Mile..

One of the things that I have learned over the past two months...I hate the first mile.  After having achieved a running distance of FOUR MILES this week, I can honestly say that the first mile is always the hardest.

I'm not saying that the end of a hard run is easy.  It's not.  Physically, that's the hardest part of my run (or is supposed to be).  But, mentally....that first mile is the hardest.  I have noticed that on my steady runs (2.5 miles) and my long runs (60 minutes), I am always slower and mentally just struggling through that first mile.  Once I turn the corner (haha) on my second mile, my speeds increase, my heart rate slows slightly, and I can relax into the music and enjoy (?!?!?) my run.  I'm still focusing on lap times and breathing and heart rate, but it gets easier and more enjoyable after that first mile.

This thought led to another question the other day...does that make me a distance runner?  It's hard to think of four miles as a DISTANCE when I have friends who run marathons and ultras.  But, could I see myself doing that distance in the future?  I'm not sure....maybe.  But, that's such a different answer than I would have given six months ago.  And, more importantly, does it really matter?  I'm a runner...that's the only label that matters.

Brown??

Saturday afternoon, while mourning a Buckeye loss to Purdue, I decided that I was done with the cute blue sparkly polish that had been gracing my toes since the beginning of the season.  (Yes...I'm aware that blue was not the best of choices for my Buckeyes, but it was a really cute shade and I didn't think it would last as long as it did!)  We were hanging at a friend's house, so I asked if they had some nail polish remover that I could borrow.  As I slowly turned my fingers slightly blue with removed polish, I noticed something interesting...

There was brown under those big toenails!!!  I was so excited that I shared it with everyone who would listen.  Reactions: silence, confusion, worry, pride, happiness.  A weird gamut, yes?  The first three were from non-distance runners; the last two were from my runner friends.  As they know, the brown/black toenail is something that only runners get.  Knowing this, I was absolutely beside myself!  All the disgruntled feelings of slowness, of newness, of not really getting this were wiped away in two half brown toes.  I was ready to start on the next week of training!!!

Now, while I am excited by new level of runner-hood, I do plan on covering that brown up with a cute layer of SCARLET polish to finish out the Buckeye season!!! 

Why Do I Bother?

This week's training sessions saw some interesting ups and downs. 

After four days of 2 mile run sessions, Wednesday dawned as a welcome day off.  But, as Alexa loves to race in the morning, we took off running across the blacktop to Samantha's school.  And that's where I learned my lesson in proper running footwear.  Evidently, ankle boots are not the way to go.  I came down funny on my left foot, overcompensated to the right, and ended up on the blacktop with a skinned knee, a skinned elbow, and a slightly twisted ankle.  I was so glad that Wednesday was a planned day off.

I aborted the run planned for Thursday because of the pain in my foot/ankle and went for a nice, slow walk with Hailey instead.  I was concerned with Friday but thought I would just take it slow.  I was still aiming for Saturday as a 2 1/2 mile run to push myself a little further this week.  Like I said, why do I bother?

1 1/2 miles into the run, I felt good and my foot wasn't bothering me at all.  I was definitely going slower than usual but I was having a hard time judging because I wasn't on my usual track.  I was at a 12 laps to a mile track instead and my lap times were totally different.  So, I decided to aim for 3 miles instead.  And, once I hit 3, I couldn't just leave it there.  So, I finished off another quarter mile at a much faster pace (about 12min/mile pace).  And, as I was leaving the gym, I thought to myself, I so could have gone further at that slower pace.  I ended up running a little over 53 minutes, which is pretty close to that 60 minute goal.

So, new goal again?  Not really..I still have two goals for November that I haven't yet really hit.  The first is to run continuously for 60 minutes.  Most likely, I will hit that on Tuesday with my long run.  The second....to get my average steady mile pace down to 14:00.  With my new training schedule courtesy of Josh (thanks!), I am absolutely confident that I will hit that before Thanksgiving!

(On a housekeeping note, I have changed the settings so all of you who don't want google accounts can now post onto the blog....)