I just finished week one of MY OWN training schedule: i.e. the one that I wrote for myself after having read a few books on the subject. This week I had 15 miles to run, and I am pleased to note at the end of it all that I feel like I could still run more miles! Apparently my new running technique combined with an easier pace seems to be just what I need to get in more miles. For the next few weeks I'll up the number of miles I run until 17 at which time I'll drop it back just to let myself do a rest week (somewhere from 12-15 mi) and then up it again until I'm at 20 miles a week. I am really hoping that I can work on the miles and not have any shin pain from here on out. I really have been feeling pretty good shin-wise since starting this program.
The downside to running slow miles is, and always has been, the fact that my KNEES don't really like it. Anything above about 9:30 min/mi pace and my knees and upper leg mechanics rebel (hams, IT band, quads, glutes). Hopefully the strength exercises I am doing will help with that.
I've also been paying special attention to my diet. (Richard will be surprised if he is reading this). Not that I am really changing too much about the way I eat, which, I know, is not incredibly healthy, but just that I want to know how many calories I eat a day. I have observed, after about a week of keeping track of calories, that I go in 2-3 day waves: I have a couple of days where I eat maybe a few too many calories and then days where I don't get enough. I can tell those days because I'm sort of hungry when I go to bed and then REALLY hungry before I get up in the morning. I'm going to try to be more balanced. I have tried, however, to eat more fruits and vegetables than I have in the past. Hopefully by small things great things will be brought to pass.
No speed work is on the slate for another three weeks or so (minus the injury-preventing hill sprints), so I have that to look forward to once I get there. Hopefully once I do, I'll be comfortable running more miles than before and my drive train will have adjusted to taking the impact off my shins.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Week One on My Own Training Plan
I've worked out a potential training schedule for the next few weeks with a few key goals in mind:
1. Build up mileage
2. Do it slowly so that shins don't hurt
3. Strengthen leg muscles so that muscles problems don't become injuries
Mostly what this means is that for the next few weeks, there won't be much speed work going on. I'll be putting a lot of slowish miles to build up a base and avoid ripping my legs to shreds with fast work (i.e. no races). I'll be building up mileage by week as well (from 15-20 in the next month or so). The third part of my plan involves doing "hill sprints" which are basically very short (8 sec) all-out sprints up a steep hill to build up leg strength. I'm also focusing more on stretching and doing strengthening exercises on the days I don't run. I'm going to keep an eye on how things go for the next few weeks and see what progress gets made and what adjustments should consequently be made.
I was really angry with myself last night: when icing my legs, I somehow frost burned the left one. I have this nice raised red burn (that seems to be fading now, thankfully) marring my left shin. Remember how I was discoursing about my legs and revealing how vain I am about them? There's an episode in Anne of Green Gables where Anne, hoping to get rid of the freckles on her nose, ends up accidentally turning it black. This is the ultimate shame for her since her nose is her one feature she is proud of. That's like what happened to me. I was vain about my legs and now I've got this unholy burn slashed across them. That should teach me.
And it's not just the appearance that bothers me; I mean, how dumb do you have to be to burn yourself with ice???
1. Build up mileage
2. Do it slowly so that shins don't hurt
3. Strengthen leg muscles so that muscles problems don't become injuries
Mostly what this means is that for the next few weeks, there won't be much speed work going on. I'll be putting a lot of slowish miles to build up a base and avoid ripping my legs to shreds with fast work (i.e. no races). I'll be building up mileage by week as well (from 15-20 in the next month or so). The third part of my plan involves doing "hill sprints" which are basically very short (8 sec) all-out sprints up a steep hill to build up leg strength. I'm also focusing more on stretching and doing strengthening exercises on the days I don't run. I'm going to keep an eye on how things go for the next few weeks and see what progress gets made and what adjustments should consequently be made.
I was really angry with myself last night: when icing my legs, I somehow frost burned the left one. I have this nice raised red burn (that seems to be fading now, thankfully) marring my left shin. Remember how I was discoursing about my legs and revealing how vain I am about them? There's an episode in Anne of Green Gables where Anne, hoping to get rid of the freckles on her nose, ends up accidentally turning it black. This is the ultimate shame for her since her nose is her one feature she is proud of. That's like what happened to me. I was vain about my legs and now I've got this unholy burn slashed across them. That should teach me.
And it's not just the appearance that bothers me; I mean, how dumb do you have to be to burn yourself with ice???
Monday, May 10, 2010
Crystal Ball: Marathon?
I've been thinking a lot about running lately, but never has the thought come into my head that I would like to run a marathon. Well, that's not really true. It's come into my head before, most often when I hear about friends running them. It's also sort of been one of my life goals that I'd like to check off sometime; I think a lot of people, even non-runners have that one. But I've never really seriously considered the thought that it might be possible in the nearish future until TODAY.
Naturally, due to my lack of patience, I have already researched this year's marathons by location (Midwest, in case we're here this fall, Utah, in case I were to go home to do one, and Europe, in case we were to be there in the fall.) I found a few interesting ones, but nothing that felt really right enough to decide that one was The One for The First One.
I do have some fairly specific requirements in mind for myself whenever I decide to tackle Project Marathon. One of those goals is that I would want to/have to run it in less than 4 hours. Lofty for a first time? Maybe, but I think with proper training, it wouldn't be out of the question. There's also that little part of me that someday wants to qualify for Boston, even if I don't ever run Boston, (a 3:40 for my age group) but no, I don't plan on doing that my first time around.
My FIRST time around. See? I'm even considering making a habit of the crazy distance. After just one day of entertaining the idea of running one.
My thoughts this evening are perhaps more sane/realistic. I want to run a marathon, yes, and I want to do it soonish, yes, but I think that I might be happier with the experience if I have a lot of training under me by the time I undertake it. Yes, I could train adequately perhaps in four or five months to run a sub 4 marathon this fall, but I'm not sure it would be super fun to do things that way. Instead, as I am an injury prone runner, I think I should spend some time building up some base miles (I'm still at a pathetic 14 miles per week and I've been training since March. Sheesh.) and adding some speed work and just doing little races here and there this year. Next year, I'm thinking, I won't have stopped running (I really hope) over the winter and I will be able to do more serious training for a more serious time.
Naturally, due to my lack of patience, I have already researched this year's marathons by location (Midwest, in case we're here this fall, Utah, in case I were to go home to do one, and Europe, in case we were to be there in the fall.) I found a few interesting ones, but nothing that felt really right enough to decide that one was The One for The First One.
I do have some fairly specific requirements in mind for myself whenever I decide to tackle Project Marathon. One of those goals is that I would want to/have to run it in less than 4 hours. Lofty for a first time? Maybe, but I think with proper training, it wouldn't be out of the question. There's also that little part of me that someday wants to qualify for Boston, even if I don't ever run Boston, (a 3:40 for my age group) but no, I don't plan on doing that my first time around.
My FIRST time around. See? I'm even considering making a habit of the crazy distance. After just one day of entertaining the idea of running one.
My thoughts this evening are perhaps more sane/realistic. I want to run a marathon, yes, and I want to do it soonish, yes, but I think that I might be happier with the experience if I have a lot of training under me by the time I undertake it. Yes, I could train adequately perhaps in four or five months to run a sub 4 marathon this fall, but I'm not sure it would be super fun to do things that way. Instead, as I am an injury prone runner, I think I should spend some time building up some base miles (I'm still at a pathetic 14 miles per week and I've been training since March. Sheesh.) and adding some speed work and just doing little races here and there this year. Next year, I'm thinking, I won't have stopped running (I really hope) over the winter and I will be able to do more serious training for a more serious time.
Taking Care of the Legs
This evening I treated myself to a long hot bath and a little self-administered pedicure. The hot pink polish on my toes was chipping, but now, after a coat of my favorite neutral color polish (Maybeline's foreverstrong "Brawny Tawny" - yikes) the old toes are looking great.
I realized today that I like taking care of my legs and toes. In some small way, it approaches the way I feel after I get back from a run - like I've just done something good for my body. Spring running is toning up my legs but I have to admit that the hot pink stuff made my feet look like they belonged to a college sorority girl. The new polish makes them look much more sophisticated. And it goes well with my legs.
Am I the only one who cares what running does to the legs? The funny thing is, I look at pictures of really, really good runners (Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, for instance) and I just sort of wince at their sinewy limbs that look like muscles without skin. Do I want to look like that? No. Would I like to be able to run like that? HECK, yes. But I don't want their legs, thank you. I like the sort of "moderately toned" legs, I guess.
I suppose I don't have to worry about developing leg muscles like an elite runner. But still. It's the sort of thought that COULD hold you back.
I realized today that I like taking care of my legs and toes. In some small way, it approaches the way I feel after I get back from a run - like I've just done something good for my body. Spring running is toning up my legs but I have to admit that the hot pink stuff made my feet look like they belonged to a college sorority girl. The new polish makes them look much more sophisticated. And it goes well with my legs.
Am I the only one who cares what running does to the legs? The funny thing is, I look at pictures of really, really good runners (Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, for instance) and I just sort of wince at their sinewy limbs that look like muscles without skin. Do I want to look like that? No. Would I like to be able to run like that? HECK, yes. But I don't want their legs, thank you. I like the sort of "moderately toned" legs, I guess.
I suppose I don't have to worry about developing leg muscles like an elite runner. But still. It's the sort of thought that COULD hold you back.
Season Opener
I'm starting this blog mostly because I like to talk about running these days. I know it's not a topic that is especially enthralling for a lot of people, but it's interesting to me. This way, instead of getting glazed over stares when I start to discourse on the topic, I can just blab to The Unknown and The Unknown can just navigate away from this blog once they realize how boring it is. The best part is, I'll never know!
You are, of course, welcome to blab back, should you wish. I'm not trying to discourage dialog, I just want to be realistic about the fact that my obsession may not be everyone's. Don't feel like you have to pretend to be interested. I understand if you're not. Really, I do. Okay, maybe I don't. But I'll try to imagine such sentiments.
Oh, an explanation of the title. Few people understand why I run. So I thought this Bible quote was applicable, if taken completely out of context.
You are, of course, welcome to blab back, should you wish. I'm not trying to discourage dialog, I just want to be realistic about the fact that my obsession may not be everyone's. Don't feel like you have to pretend to be interested. I understand if you're not. Really, I do. Okay, maybe I don't. But I'll try to imagine such sentiments.
Oh, an explanation of the title. Few people understand why I run. So I thought this Bible quote was applicable, if taken completely out of context.
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