running
No running for me
I was really excited to run the Run Like Hell half-marathon in Bend this October. But I have injured my back – not a terrible injury, but bad enough to keep me from running for at least a little while. By the time it gets better, there will almost certainly not be time to get up to half-marathon shape. This was a huge disappointment for me, but better to rest and heal than make it worse and take even longer to heal. I’ll have to find a half-marathon to run in December or January instead.
Impulse race
A week ago I saw a listing for the Tualatin River Trail 10 Mile run. I’d been feeling like I haven’t been running enough lately (I barely get up early enough to get in 3 miles before work in the morning and didn’t do a long run last weekend.) The race sounded pretty and, more importantly, it’s limited to 250 people. I don’t think I’ve ever run in a race of less than 1,000 people, so I was curious.
It was a lot of fun. Since I haven’t been running a lot, I wasn’t sure if I’d need to walk some of it, but I did fine. We ran through various parks and neighborhoods in Tualatin/Tigard, and it was very pretty. After about the first 2 miles, the crowd really started to separate, and there were very few people around. I was following one woman for most of the race – she’d be about 20 yards ahead of me, then I’d reach her or pass her on an uphill, and then she’d pass me on the downhill. But around mile 7, there was a long incline and I passed her…and she never caught up again. By the end I was the only runner for probably 100 yards – that’s how spaced out everyone was. It was a fun little event, and generally well-organized.
And I now know that I’m in good enough shape that I can sign up for a 10-mile race on a whim, and do just fine. Last year at this time I was training hard and nervous about running 6.2 miles, and now I can do 10 without any sort of preparation. I want to stay in this kind of shape!
No marathon
I decided a while ago, but forgot to post it here. (Not that I imagine anyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting to find out.) I’m just incredibly stressed out this term – it is a very challenging term and I’m barely going to make it to finals without going crazy. So I want to spend this summer relaxing, and I don’t want to have the stress of finding time to do a ton of miles every week. Plus C’s job is ending in June and he’ll basically have the summer off, while I work full time, so I want to make sure I have enough time to do lots of fun things with him (as well as everyone else I’ve neglected!) Add to this that I’m getting burnt out on my routes that I can run from my house without having to drive somewhere, and it just seems like it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, I’m going to sign up for another half marathon in October – probably Run Like Hell in Bend. Maybe next year I’ll try for a marathon.
Impressive energy
C & I are taking care of C’s mom’s dog this weekend. She’s very exuberant, but doesn’t regularly get a lot of exercise. Yesterday we took her for a ~2.5 mile walk. Today, I took her for a 9 mile run on the beach. I was sure that by the end of that run, she would be exhausted. I didn’t think she wouldn’t be able to run it, but I thought that she would be just trotting right next too me, to tired to try to go any faster.
The first 4.5 miles were easy – the wind was at our backs, pushing us along. The 4.5 mile return, though, was ridiculous. The wind was right in our faces, the rain was blowing so hard it stung my face, and it was all I could do to run 6 minutes at a time before stopping to walk and catch my breath. I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to make it all the way back without calling C to come get us.
But Minnie was still going, pulling at the leash and wanting to chase seagulls the whole time. I felt like she’d defeated me. I’ve been running ~25 miles a week lately, and she gets barely any exercise. But she beat me on a 9 mile run.
Between the two of us, we used up about 4 towels before we came back into the house. Now I’m doing homework and feel like I could go for another run if I need to. Minnie, however, appears to finally be tired. Normally, when we come back from having been somewhere, she’s bouncing off the walls. When we got back a few minutes ago from an errand, we had to actually call her to the door to come outside. She and C are taking a nap now.
So there. I beat you, dog. I do hope you’re not really sore tomorrow, though. I would be, if I were you.
Should I or shouldn’t I?
After having such a great time at my first half-marathon, I’m thinking about doing the Portland Marathon in October – especially because this year, the race is on 10/10/10. I’m not really sure if I should do it or not.
Pros
- I made it injury-free through the half-marathon
- I had a great time
- The Portland Marathon will never again be held on 10/10/10 (in my lifetime), so if I’m going to do it, it should be this year!
- I’d be able to train mostly in the summer, when I have more free time
- I’m in better shape than ever, so I have a good base to train from right now
Cons
- The main reason I want to run a marathon to say that I ran a marathon, which doesn’t feel like it should be the biggest reason.
- It’s EXPENSIVE! $135 to sign up.
- I’d have to train over the weekends in the summer, which could inhibit vacationing/camping (or I might end up skipping runs that I shouldn’t.)
- I’m so busy in general right now, I just don’t know if I have the time. When I get to the end of training, the long runs could easily take me 4 hours! This is the biggest con on the list. I really would like to have some time to just, I don’ t know, watch TV or something. And clean the house. And stuff. Marathon training would take a lot of that time away.
So I guess I’ll think about it.
I did it!
I ran my first half-marathon this morning – Race for the Roses. It went really, really well. I’m still really excited about it.
The race started at 7:00, so I got up at 5:00 in order to be able to eat a decent-sized meal and still have it digested before the race. C got up with me and drove us down to the convention center, and I started the race without incident. The weather was great, and the course was very nice. There were a couple of moderately difficult hills, but overall it was a very flat course compared to what I train on. There were lots of water stations, and this was the first race where I actually used them. I discovered I’m pretty much incapable of running and drinking out of a paper cup, so I stopped and walked while I drank the water. Sara’s sister Desi was working one of the stations, and it happened to be her who handed me my water – that was neat!
C was waiting for me just before the finish, and took pictures and cheered me on, which gave me a boost for the final stretch. My time was 2:14:44 – about 10:28 per mile, which I think is absolutely great. It’s actually the same pace as I had for my very first 5K – but this time I held it for 13.1 miles, instead of 3.1! And it’s faster than my pace for the 15K last month. I still felt good after the finish line – I think I could have done another few miles if I had to (and if they weren’t very hilly). After cooling down my legs were pretty sore – I hobbled a bit for about an hour after the race. But now I’m feeling great again, and ready for my celebratory cheeseburger, fries and milkshake! Yippee!
Almost there
I’ve got a week and a half until my half marathon. I’m running 10 miles tomorrow, and 12 miles on Saturday. Then next week cuts back to fairly low mileage until Sunday when I run the race! I ran about 92 miles in the month of March – my previous maximum was 78 miles last May – and most of the time I average more like 50 or 60.
Oh, and now I’m in Illinois! My running log tracks you as you run across the country. I made it through Virginia and Kentucky, and now I’m making a short trip through Illinois:
Only a little over 2,000 miles to go until I get to Oregon!
Running, and shoes
I successfully finished the Shamrock Run 15K – the longest race I’ve run to date. It took me 1 hour and 36 minutes – a time I am perfectly happy with. It was a lovely day, there weren’t too many people doing the 15K, and the hills up Terwilliger weren’t as bad as I expected. Hooray!
In related news, to celebrate running 1,000 miles I decided to get a pair of FiveFinger shoes to try out barefoot running. (All the cool kids are doing it!) So last night we went out and bought them! I haven’t used them yet except walking around the house, so I can’t really say much about them except that they feel cool. Switching from running shoes to barefoot/FiveFinger-like shoes is supposed to take some time – barefoot running works your calves and achilles tendons a lot more, for example. And since I don’t want injure myself with the half-marathon only weeks away, I’ll probably just be walking and maybe running a mile here and there in them until I’ve finished the race. Then I’ll get to really give them a try!
As a side note, REI now carries the shoes in their stores, although they’re apparently very popular and so they’re often out of stock. I’d recommend going in and trying them on before buying them, if anyone was considering getting a pair. I tried on probably 5 pair before I settled on the pair I bought.
P.S. Happy Pi Day!
10 miles!
I ran 10 miles this morning. That feels like a big important step, since it’s a nice round number. It’s good to know that I can do it. I felt great when I finished – I bet I could have continued on for another 3.1 miles to go full half-marathon distance. But I will stick to my training schedule – no injuries for me! I’m now almost 2/3 of the way through the program – I have 5 more weeks to go until the half marathon. I’m going to officially register for it, now that I’m pretty much certain that my knees or some other body part aren’t going to give out on me and stop me from doing it. (Knock on wood!)
When I ran my first 5K, C and I started the tradition that we go out for cheeseburgers after the race to celebrate. (Well, usually several hours after the race, since races often get done around 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning.) When I ran my first 10K, I added a milkshake to the celebratory meal for races of that distance. After the half marathon, I think I should get to add something else. Maybe I’ll have pancakes or a cinnamon roll for breakfast, and THEN a cheeseburger. And milkshake. Mmmm. I know that running 13.1 miles doesn’t work off ALL of that, but it’s not just the running of the race itself that I’m celebrating, but also the months of training to get me there. So I think it’s a fine way to celebrate.
Two weeks from now, I’ll run the Shamrock Run 15K. It’s an intimidating race, since it goes from the waterfront up to Terwilliger by OHSU and then back down Barbur. That’s some pretty good hills there, in addition to being a longer distance than I’ve ever raced before. We’ll see how it goes!
Barefoot running
This article is one of many I’ve read about barefoot running. (It’s also about other things, but I won’t go into them.) I’m not convinced it’s everything that the fanatics claim it is, but I think it’s worth giving it a shot. When I hit the 1,000 mile mark – which should be less than 2 months away – my reward will be buying a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and give them a try. I’ll start slow and be careful. And even if they turn out to be not for me, they seem like fun shoes to have anyway.
