Sore Legs - the Good Kind of Sore

I've forgotten which workouts I did on which days last week, so I will begin with Sunday (yesterday).

Sunday's workout:

2 mile warm-up
2 hours at marathon pace (8:15 min/mile)
2 mile cool-down

This was a killer workout. Even though I couldn't time every mile, I did do the first and last miles on the track to ingrain the pace in my legs. My route took me out to University of Richmond, which is beautiful but very hilly. "I've made a huge mistake," I thought as I chugged up the first of many inclines. Hopefully my pace didn't wane too much. I do know that my legs are feeling those speed bumps today. Ugh. I have to sit down like a pregnant woman.

Today's workout:

3 mile run (this week is low in mileage)

3 x (12 push ups, 15 curls, 15 military presses)
150 crunches and some back stuff

Old Habits Die Hard

Inspiration strikes in odd ways. Today during my run I was very uncomfortable, burping up last night's dinner and listening to my stomach make angry growls over the sound of my footfalls and breathing. That's when the subject for this post (and for my continued dietary efforts) hit me in the gut.

I was feeling pretty good after making changes in what and how I'm eating and boasting of my "success" online. But I guess I didn't take it seriously enough. A few days of controlling my semi-binging and I thought I was home free. My concentration wavered, though, and I started eating without thinking and eating too much too fast once again. My tummy had to yell at me for me to pay attention!

So starting today I will treat this as I would any bad habit. An Internet search for "breaking bad habits" gave me two million results, many of which made similar, common-sense suggestion such as determining the payoff and trade off of your bad habit and making the choice to change your behavior. They also suggest doing something else in the habit's place for a while.

Here's my plan:

1. Determine if I am actually hungry. If I am, eat something healthful.
2. When I am eating ANYTHING, savor every bite, putting the fork/spoon down often
3. If I'm not actually hungry, do the following:

a. ask myself why I want to eat (boredom? craving?)
b. if I'm bored, find something to do
c. if I'm craving something without being hungry, remember the moment will pass and try to occupy my mind until it does

Okay, so this may seem like a bit much, especially for an athletic vegetarian who already eats very well. I don't have any unusual body-image issues; in fact I genuinely like the way I look. I've developed this plan for two reasons: a) I like plans b) I want to feel as good as possible and remain healthy well into old age

Kicking Myself. Literally.

Apparently there are a certain number of variables that when combined lead to bloody ankles. Or rather, just one bloody ankle. This morning's workout went great (I even took off a layer!), but I just can't stop kicking myself in the left ankle. Maybe I'm clumsy or my body's twisted or it has something to do with the small, bumpy, gravel track I use (even though I go both directions). On Sunday it was so cold that I didn't even feel my sore ankle. When I got home, though, there was blood all over my expensive running sock. Blast! Does this ever happen to anyone else or am I just a freak with one bloody ankle?

Tuesday's workout:
5 mile run
6 x 20 second strides

Today's workout:
2 mile warm up
8 x 5 minutes at tempo pace with 30 second rests (I use the term "rests" loosely)
2 mile cool down

Disconnect: The Problem of Going to Bed Early at Age 23

In college, sports were the perfect excuse for leaving a party early or not going out at all: "I have to get up at 5:30 and row for three hours, so I think I'll just sit this one out." Plus, there was an entire team of Amazon women to back me up.

Now that I'm done with college and am still getting up early for athletics, the same excuse has a different effect. People aren't impressed by my dedication; instead, they are stupefied or annoyed. Or they just stop hanging out with me. Many of my peers have hinted to me that not only is my running habit a little weird, it's an unhealthy phase I'll evenually get past.

This makes me ask myself questions like the following:
When do people reach the age when eating well and exercising is seen as cool?
Is it an American thing rather than an age thing?
Will I ever find friends close by who like me for the slightly-obsessive, early-to-bed, driven running I am?
Is it too needy-sounding to put a "I need friends who run" post on my local running club's discussion board?

Until I find out the answers to my questions, my publicist is issuing this statement:
While Molly Brannan does not like like to drink until she throws up and she does like to get up early for a hard run, she is not a prude. She is fun to be with. She even likes to eat. And swear. A lot.

Cold for Richmond

While I've run in some awful weather (a 10-miler with my best friend during a blizzard comes to mind), Sunday's workout was one to remember. It was not only cold, it was windy too. The wind chill was only 17 degrees, but the unrelenting 20 mile an hour winds made it difficult on my legs and my hands. I have Raynaud's disease, which inhibits blood flow to my fingers in cold weather. Very painful. But there is a silver lining: the workout was great. It's another one that I can recall on race day to remind me that I don't want to stop, that I'm one tough chick.

The workout:

2 mile warm-up
2 x 10 minutes at tempo pace with 2 minutes recovery
1 hour 20 minutes at an easy pace
15 minutes at tempo pace
2 miles home

Today the weather was colder, but there was no wind (thank goodness). I did 4.5 miles easy. Then, because my legs were sore from yesterday, I did arms and abs/back:

3 x 12 military-style push ups
3 x 15 curls with 8 lb. weights (wimpy, I know, but they're the only ones I have at home)
a modified version of the K-State workout seen here: http://www.runnersworld.com/video/index.html?bcpid=717784762&bclid=909837219/&bctid=1373280780
(these are wicked hard)

New Year's Resolution

My New Year's Resolution for 2008 isn't complicated. It isn't typical. It doesn't even sound very life-changing. And yet, my perspective has been changed since sticking to it.

"What is this mysterious resolution?" you ask. Drum roll, please...
I made a promise to myself to chew more slowly, thus eating more consciously.

My inspiration came mostly from Dave, who has told me over and over again at dinner, "You know, you don't have to eat so quickly." Usually I would just snap back, "Yes I do! I'm hungry and my food might get cold." But the more I thought about it the more I realized those were pretty stupid reasons to wolf down a meal, feel stuffed and uncomfortable, and eat more than I should, all without really enjoying the tastes and textures of a nice, home cooked breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner.

The beauty of this resolution seems to be its simplicity and small scale. I wasn't trying to force myself to "Eat Less", "Eat Better", or do something else that's too unrealistically vague to affect change.

Instead, my whole relationship with food is different with one, small adjustment. By chewing slower my head and my stomach are on the same page (instead of my stomach not realizing I am full, causing me to overeat). Suddenly, I'm no longer craving sweets like I did and those I do eat are just too sweet. I see the meal as the main event, rather than just a precursor to the "prize" at the end. And overall, I'm eating better and fewer foods. Hurrah!

Final Kick

Today's workout was brutal (for me at least).

2 miles easy
2 x 20 minutes at tempo pace (7:42 min/mile) with 10 minutes easy in between
2 miles easy

The first 20 minutes was semi-okay: while I didn't die at the end, the last three laps were definitely a struggle. I felt like I was all elbows and feet, kicking myself in the ankles every few steps. The second 20 minutes was even more unpleasant (it was probably even more unpleasant to watch - at least I do it in the semi-darkness). About a mile into it I knew I wasn't going to hit my time goal; at one point I thought I'd be as much as 6 seconds slow. But I told myself my favorite mantra ("dig deep")and pushed it hard for the last lap. And I did it! What a pleasant surprise, almost as good as meeting a goal in a race.

My happy ending today reminded me of something my college coaches tried to drive into us. A big part of my time at Brown was spent at the boathouse rowing hard. Our coaches didn't believe in steady-state, only 100%, balls-to-the-wall, puke-at-the-end effort. While I eventually got burnt out, I did appreciate learning how to train myself mentally. In running as in rowing, I learned that you cannot get to the starting line of a race and expect to be tough without having practiced being tough. That's what today's workout was for me: a way to hit the wall then push past it. Hopefully, when I run my next race I'll remember today and think, "If I could do it then, I can do it today."

Winter Chills

It was breezy and cool today in Virginia, with the wind chill taking us down into the low 20s. Brrr. Although no winter weather has ever stopped me from trotting down the street, I was surprised by how many other folks were out doing the same thing. And some of them were barely dressed! I had on shorts, tights, a long sleeve, a hoodie, a hat, and two pairs of gloves (oh, and NEW running shoes purchased yesterday - hooray), but I was still freezing my butt off. One girl I saw was dressed in shorts and a long sleeve, and that's it. Her legs were all red and chapped looking. Ouch.

What drives people to under dress? Do they just not feel as cold as I do? I read an article once that said people with more body fat makes people feel colder than people with less body fat. The sad thing is, I'm always cold.

Today's workout was an easy 7 miles with 6 x 20 second strides

My birthday's coming up in a few weeks and my mom has asked me to "pick out running stuff" I want (she didn't even need to ask if that's what I'll be requesting). Do any of you have favorite online sites that offer running gear and clothes for cheap? Us Brannan girls are all about saving some moolah.

Obsession

"We rarely talk about cooking or relationships. All we talk about is running."

My mom was referring to me in this comment to her best friend yesterday. She may have been exaggerating a little, but she was mostly right. My constant introduction of running to conversations, which often don't have anything to do with running, is probably driving my mom and my Dave nuts. They get the brunt of my obsession because they are the lucky two who actually understand my commitment to the sport (everyone else thinks it's just something I do occasionally). Plus I have a hard time keeping my new found love for running inside.

There may be another, less personal reason why I talk about running all of the time: it's what we runners do. We're kind of an obsessive bunch anyway - with personalities that allow us to force ourselves into daily physical discomfort we have a hard time being interested in something without being obsessed with it. We can also see the transformative effect running has on our bodies, minds, and spirits and want those we love to be "saved" too.

Do you other runners find you drive your spouses and best friends crazy with tales of hard workouts, chafing, black toenails, and PRs? Please tell me stories so I don't feel so crazy myself.

Yesterday's workout:
2:30:00 easy pace
had tired legs but kept up a steady trot; cannot imagine running a marathon at 8:20 min/mile at this point

Today's workout:
6 miles easy plus some arm, ab, and back work

Goals

The spirituality of running is what has kept me in love with the sport for so long. By "spirituality" I don't mean religion. Instead, it is the communion with nature, the human community, and the humbling experiences running provides. But while abstract concepts are wonderful to ponder in front of the computer or at the tail end of a perfect run, my goals get me out the door every morning before sunrise.

To motivate myself through the winter I've been reading back issues of Runner's World Magazine and researching ultramarathoning. This morning I came across an old article on Dean Karnazes. He was telling the interviewer about his training schedule for his 50 marathons in 50 states streak and his schemes for the future. While I was initially humbled (see: even reading about running can humble you), thinking "I could never run like that", it made me think about my own goals. I may not have the means or the physiology to do what Dean does, but - dammit - my goals (and everyone else's) are no less meaningful.

For the sake of full disclosure and further motivation, here are my running goals right now:

1. Break 3:40:00 in the Shamrock Marathon in March to qualify for Boston
2. If #1 doesn't work out, break 3:40 at some other marathon
3. Run the Boston Marathon
4. Run a 50 mile race this year
5. Run a 100 mile race eventually
6. Qualify for the Western States Endurance Run
a) run 50 miles in under 11 hours
b) run 100 kilometers in under 14 hours
c) complete any OFFICIAL 100-mile trail race
d) complete three 50-mile runs, completed within the cutoff times of
those races, but in not more than 12 hours, and during the qualifying period
7. Run the WS100

Please share your running and non-running goals with me.

Rest Days Stink. Literally.

A paradox: On days when I run, shower, then ride my bike to work, I smell fine. On days when I don't run and then ride my bike to work I'm smelly. I mean it's not nauseating, but I do have to spend a few awkward minutes taking an armpit sink bath.

While there is probably a reasonable physiological explanation for my odor paradox, I'm not going to go the science route. It's just not my style. Instead, I see my stinkiness on rest days as a metaphor for the rest days themselves.

Ever since I started running, I've hated rest days. There were periods of time when I would run twice a day and not take a single day off. I thought I'd get out of shape or, worse, fat. But it's hard to ignore chronic pain kicking you in the ass (or legs). "Oh really? Every article on training I've ever read was right? So the shin splints and exhaustion are from over training?" Duh. I knew I had to force myself not to run or cross-train to save my own physical health, especially when I began training for marathons. Trying to run through pain for six miles is do-able; trying to do it for 26 is just stupid.

It's been a few years now, and I still hate rest days just as much as I always have. But I write them into my workout every week because experience has taught me what the experts already knew. Rest is necessary and beneficial. My head knows that these day-long breaks will allow my muscles to recover and come back stronger even if my body doesn't.

Bottom line: rest days may always be stinky, but it's a stinkiness I can handle.

The First Workout

As I was running back home this morning, watching the sun come up behind the statues standing guard over Monument Avenue, I thought about what I should write for my first post. Should it be abstract? A description perhaps? Maybe I should ponder the meaning of running in my life...

Nah! The meanings will make themselves known without me having to force them onto the page (or the screen). What I really want this blog to be about is the reality of running: the workouts, the goals, and the frustrations. The down-and-dirty stuff. Hopefully it will allow me to share my experiences with others, document my running life, and practice my writing. So in that spirit, I will talk about today's workout.

A little background: I am on week 21 of 30 of Jack Daniel's marathon training plan in Daniels' Running Formula. Today's workout was hard, no thanks to the 15 mile-per-hour winds that whipped around the track. I did a two-mile warm-up through the dark streets of Richmond. (It made me sad to see all of the Christmas lights disappear, but at least the weather was balmy.) On the track I did 2 x 15 minutes at tempo pace, which for me right now is 7:42, with three minute rests, and 1 x 10 minutes at tempo pace. Then, with the lovely feeling of tired legs, I shuffled home.

In addition to thinking about this post, I also thought about my improvement in running, a subject that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Not only have I gotten faster since a month ago (not to mention since ten years ago), but I've improved my running intelligence. I was training for the same marathon a year ago, and my approach to each workout and the training as a whole was so different: it's now much more specific, I stay hydrated (duh!), and my stride is more efficient. It's amazing how such a seemingly simple sport can reveal its secrets to you so slowly. I wonder, do the running gods make you earn it?