Back on singletrack

Much of my winter was spent training for a road marathon, which became a half marathon thanks to the flu. I got sick in March and missed 3 critical long runs in a row. Next fall, I WILL get my flu shot, thankyouverymuch. To the point--running on asphalt is kind of boring. The race is over and I have a sparkly medal to send to my I Run4 buddy:

So now it's time to get back to the woods. There aren't any races on my radar so I can focus on gaining strength and maybe building up some speed.

I've missed running in the woods. This fact became more apparent this morning, when I woke up with part of a "song" about trail running in my head. Without further adieu, may I present:

An Ode to Trail Running (to the tune of America the Beautiful)

O beautiful for singletrack,

For random waves of pain,

For purple bruises on my knees

And mud and rocks and rain!

Trail running! Trail running!

My heart belongs to thee.

It feels so good to run through the woods-

We feel that we are free!

Maybe I'll see you out there!

Winter munchies

Right this minute, all I want is a big plate of cheese fries with real bacon and a good beer.  Ah, winter weather, you are making me want all the wrong things.  Tasty...but it's the wrong thing to do.  I will eat my applesauce and cinnamon walnuts and go for a run later.  Boring...but it's the right thing to do.

Sigh.

My Morning Mile

Oh hai!  Where've you been?  It seems like it's been ages since I saw you all.  Dunno if you remember this, but about a year ago I was wondering what my winter/spring would have been like if I hadn't been training for a marathon.  Turns out that it's like major depression.  The kind that makes it easy to give in to my cravings for sugar and other carbs.  The kind that makes it difficult to do anything beyond the absolute minimum required.  Plus the minimum required at work has gotten pretty maximum in the last 4-5 months.  Plus other changes (and make no mistake--even good changes are stressful).  It's been tough. 

It's getting easier, at last.  The "I don't know how this is going to work" has settled into "we're finding our way through this."  The changes required more time than expected, so workouts have fallen to the wayside.  I went a full month without lacing up running shoes or unrolling my yoga mat.  Yes, yes--exercise is the #1 antidepressant--but sleep deprivation doesn't make depression any more pleasant to deal with either.  Still.  I keep waking up half an hour before the alarm goes off, so I decided to use that time to do something besides lay quietly and try to rest my body while my mind runs circles around my to-do list.

Yep.  That early.  (found the pic here with 10 tips to shut up and run)

One of my new roommates is a dog--a lovely husky/lab mix who is a bit neurotic.  I've seen similar behavior in purebred working dogs who have no work to do.  Working dog breeds seem to be more settled if they have activities similar to the ones they were bred to do. I thought that perhaps I could help us both.  About a week ago, I got up as soon as I woke up, laced up my running shoes, snapped on her leash, and went out into the cool of the dawn for a teeny-tiny, one-mile run.  I've done the same thing each day since then.

My running buddy, mid-wag

She gets very excited when she sees the running shoes go on my feet. She's also getting better at running on a leash and beginning to get used to the sustained effort the run requires.  She's learning to sniff things briefly without actually stopping our run.  She's learned a couple of commands and is slowly accumulating more. I'm not a morning person, so mostly this early running makes me tired and hungry.  However, it feels good to know that I'm becoming a runner again.  Plus, it's over before my sleepy brain realizes what I'm doing  (just like the motivational signs say).  

Found the poster here with 7 reasons to exercise early

And it's nice to start the day by making some creature ridiculously happy.

Three Good Things 1.24&25&26.15

Time got away from me yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to put together a blog post.  Here are my three good things from this weekend:

1. Managed to run 9 miles and got to do the last two with a friend.
2. Finished all the cooking that I planned to do.
3. Had a fun trip to the thrift store and my partner* bought me a dress that makes me giggle whenever I look at it.

The dress is one of those snazzy cotton blend straight up and down dresses from the 90's.  This particular dress is black with zebras and hibiscus flowers.  Who knew that zebras were native to Hawaii?! (hint:  zebras do NOT live in Hawaii unless they are in a zoo.)  I plan to take the dress apart and create something that will fit my shape better--a swirly skirt or a sundress.  Can't wait to show off my Hawaiian zebras!

And now for my three good things from yesterday:

1. My mom sent me a cool pair of short boots with no heel and they fit perfectly.
2. Had a long lunch with a couple of my favorite guys.
3. Nearly finished a project at work much sooner than the higher-ups anticipated (again).

Receiving the boots was extra-lucky because I was on my feet all afternoon.  I was wearing pumps that weren't terribly comfortable, so I was very glad to have more comfortable footwear to get me through the day.
 

The Hawaiian Zebra Hermit Crab is as close as Hawaii comes to a native zebra

*I use the term partner because some of my friends are married and some are dating, and because I believe the terminology should be the same across the board, whether you are gay or straight, married, living together, or dating.  You are romantically involved with that person currently (and if you’re romantically involved with more than one, you have partners—simple as that).  It’s easier all around, but I doubt it will catch on since it doesn’t give anyone a social cue about the status of your romantic relationship or if your significant other (or others) happen to be the same gender as you are. Humans are so illogical.  I did discover that one of my heroes defines it similarly, so if you have a moment check out Laci Green.

 

 

 

Three Good Things 1.17&18.15

Some of my gloom is lifting and I had a fun, relaxing weekend so finding three good things was pretty simple.

1. Spent the weekend with a surprise guest—one of my favorite dogs.  Bailey’s fear of the giant dog was eclipsed by his need for treats, and he managed to come out of hiding for dinner and snacks.  He even sniffed noses with the “monster” one time.  Brave little cat!
2. Had a fun afternoon of crafting and sushi with friends.  We didn’t accomplish everything we set out to do, but we had fun doing what we did.
3. Split a tasty bottle of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) with someone who didn’t subsequently run 8 miles.  Fizzy wine is not awesome running fuel, but it feels tremendously decadent to have it with brunch.

Speaking of running fuel, I really need to start getting the long runs in before the weekend gets rolling.  I learned my lesson with trail rash last year—no alcohol the night before ANY trail run.  I am WAY too good at falling down.

Not my actual knee, but weirdly similar to scrapes/bruises I got last year

C'mon Spring!!

 

The Art of Running in the Rain

Before I even opened my eyes on Saturday morning, I could hear it raining.  Usually I depend on the sound of tires on wet pavement, but not this day.  Before I even made my coffee, I put on my running gear.  That seems to be the simplest trick for getting motivated.  Once you're dressed and have your shoes on, you might as well go out and try.  Knowing that rain was likely, I'd gotten everything ready the night before.  No excuses! 

Still.  I stood on the porch, arms clasped tight around me, and watched the rain come down.  NO desire to go out in that mess.  It was chilly, it was wet, my friends had bailed.  Inside there was coffee, breakfast, more sleep.  Oh man, did I NOT want to go for a run.  Then I said to myself, “you're an endurance runner.  Endure.”  And off I went.

I ran the first mile as quickly as I could manage, to warm myself up.  It's been so hot for so long that I'd forgotten what it was like for the breeze to be cool.  Running in chilly rain is an excellent way to convince yourself to keep running.  Walk breaks are seriously uncomfortable in that kind of weather.  Almost no one was out on the greenways.  I ran at least 2 miles before I saw another person, and nearly 5 before I saw another woman.  (Probably all the women were at the gym doing Crossfit.  Tough ladies, those crossfitters.)  It was so early that my brain refused to focus on anything in particular, not even my long-run mantra. (When I run for hours by myself without music, I find a mantra helps to keep me rolling.)  No breakfast before long runs, so the churning river reminded me distinctly of chocolate milk.  That kept me distracted for a couple of miles.  I tried to compose this blog post, but couldn't keep the ideas in line.  Not that that is particularly unusual in my writing anyway.  (Yay, tangents!)  I imagined what it would feel like to be in the kind of shape that the other women runners appeared to be in.  Tried to figure out if the white shapes on the opposite bank of the river were birds or plastic bags. (Then realized that I was using that as an excuse to slow down.  Not okay, too chilly for that.) 

My running guru once told me that you could switch over to burning body fat as fuel for running within an hour or so.  Mark Sisson claims that exercising in a fasted state will help train your body to do that even quicker.  I'm not convinced.  I suspect that it takes at least two solid hours before my body starts working on its stored fuel.  Ugh.  My mental IQ is pretty decent, but my body IQ probably needs to ride on the short bus.

All in all, it was a damned good run.  Soaked to the skin by the halfway point, I felt stronger than I have since the marathon training days, and I kept up a decent pace from start to finish.  I'm not where I'd like to be as a runner, but I'm much closer than I was a couple of weeks ago.

Illin'

I’m not sure I can think of a way to talk about this without sounding like a whiner.  This depression is really starting to get me down, you know?  It stole any sense of pride or accomplishment I might have gotten from completing my first marathon.  How unfair is that?  I should have been so pleased/excited/happy/ proud but instead I just felt relieved that it was over.  If it weren’t for wine, crafty crap, and cats, I don’t know how I’d cope.  Depression lies to you and I know that, but it talks so loudly and it’s always so certain that I’m (pick ANY negative descriptor—I’ve said it to myself at some point).  It’s been six months now.  It’s like serving time except you have no idea how long your sentence will last.  Could start feeling better next week.  Could still be in this headspace at Christmas.  During my marathon training, I was wondering how much more depressed I would be if I weren’t running so damned much.  Well.  Turns out to be a fair amount more depressed.  I haven’t been able to run since the marathon due to physical issues of one sort or another and things are absolutely getting worse.

Of course, there are plenty of things I do that keep it from getting too bad.  I take the right vitamins and supplements, I exercise (still walking 10-20 miles per week), I try to get out of the house, I stay busy.  I’m beginning to find myself withdrawing from my friends now.  I’ve tried a few times to suggest a girl’s night, but they all have partners* who are so cool they can’t be left behind, even for one night.  (Either that, or they need some moral support to deal with being around me for an entire evening—don’t think I haven’t considered that angle.)  Being the 3^rd, 5^th, or 7^th wheel has lost its appeal and become more of a chance to find something different to be depressed about rather than a beneficial social interaction.  I occasionally consider getting back on the online dating sites, but that feels almost like an addiction at this point.  (i.e. “I feel like crap about myself, I need some positive feedback and here’s an easy source.”) Maybe prescription drugs are the way to go, but they have such unpleasant side effects.  Hopefully I’ll heal up from this physical mess and get back to running very soon.  At least then I’ll only be kinda bummed instead of the way I feel now.

*I use the term partner because some of my friends are married and some are dating, and because I believe the terminology should be the same across the board, whether you are gay or straight, married, living together, or dating.  You are romantically involved with that person currently (and if you’re romantically involved with more than one, you have partners—simple as that).  It’s easier all around, but I doubt it will catch on since it doesn’t give anyone a social cue about the status of your romantic relationship or if your significant other (or others) happen to be the same gender as you are. Humans are so illogical.

Marathon Woman

I did it!

I actually ran an actual marathon!  More than a marathon—I ran 26.46 miles because it was a trail race and they tend to be less exact.  I still can't quite believe that I really did it.  There are pictures on Facebook, though, so it must be real. 

During my training, I covered each of the trails on the course at least twice, so I was able to put together a plan for running and hiking on race day.  The week before the race, I practiced getting up at 5 am so I wouldn't be as dopey on the big morning.  It didn't help my attitude during the week—I am definitely NOT a morning person.  But race day dawned slightly overcast (perfect for running) and I was up and making coffee by 4:45 am.  Out the door by 5:45, but my car started overheating when I was almost there.  I turned the fan up and kept rolling.  I figured if the car died, I wanted to get as close as possible before starting to walk (or trying to hitch a ride).  The car made it to the parking area at the resort (whew!) and I found someone to take my “before” picture.

A little stressed but starting to refocus

 While I was engaging in the traditional “standing in line for the porta-potty” ritual, I got a fist-bump from someone else who had run this particular race as his first marathon a couple of years previously.  My timing continued to be lucky as I only had to stand at the start line for a minute or two before the gun went off. 

Here's a link to the map of the course, if you want to see it.  The initial trail through the resort was fairly narrow and the resulting bottleneck slowed us down, but we were out on a paved road pretty quickly.  We had a little over a mile to find our pace, then we hit the park and the dirt trails.  My race plan included walking the first trail (The Trough), since it goes right up the side of the ridge, but I did run some parts of it.  What goes up must come down, so we went down Buck and Hotel, both fairly tricky trails—steep with lots of rocks, roots, twists, and turns.  I caught up with a woman who was going just a bit slower than I felt like running, so I stayed with her on Hotel and Four Gorge.  My usual technique is to try to run the first half of a race with someone who is going a little slower than me, which keeps me from wearing myself out too early.  She would get ahead of me on the uphill parts and I would catch her on the downhills.  Once we got to the flatter parts (Tuck-a-way and Enchanted Forest), I got ahead of her and stayed ahead.  I ran Little Bell and Schoolhouse without seeing anyone except a couple of guys fishing in a boat on the cove.

A mile or so after the halfway point (on Arrowhead), I caught up to an older gentleman.  He was going to let me pass him, but I wasn't going quite fast enough.  He was less chatty than my previous race buddy, so I concentrated on running.  Sometimes he got ahead for a while but I would always catch him.  I was certain that my earlier running buddy would catch me on the long uphill (Brushy Mountain—2.5 miles of up up up starting at mile 19—yuck), but she didn't appear.  I met a college student who was running her first marathon and a woman who had come from Virginia Beach to run the race.  Eventually, I caught up with the gentleman and passed him when we started heading downhill again. I had tried a new technique going up the long hill (yes, I know you're not supposed to do that during a race, but after hiking that hill a couple of times I discovered that my muscles would shorten up during the hike so I wasn't able to run once the terrain changed).  The long uphill was a fire road, so there was plenty of room.  I occasionally turned around and hiked backward, then ran a few steps before dropping back into my steady hiking pace.  When we got to the downhill part, I was much better able to run than I had been on my training runs.  The long downhill trail (The Gauntlet) was narrow and rocky, but I ran it better than I expected.  At mile 23, I was getting really tired and a little whiney, but I pictured my running buddy's grin which always helps to keep me going forward.

I Run 4 Joshua cuz he's awesome!

Just a couple of miles of slow and steady uphill (Horsepen), one last water stop, some paved road, and some slightly confusing trails through the resort property and I was done. Twenty minutes faster than I had expected and only 10 minutes slower than my dream goal!  Though honestly, I had to pee so badly by the time I hit the finish line (no porta-potties on trail race courses!), that I look grumpy in my finish line picture and the lady who hung my medal on me told me to smile.  I flashed her a grin, then found my way to the porta-potty at last.  My regular running buddies were supposed to be at the end, but I didn't see anyone.  I grabbed some food and found the college student and my first race buddy and congratulated them. I was starting to wonder if they had closed the resort property so my friends couldn't get in, so I hiked back toward my car to find my phone.  I ran into a couple of my friends on the way.  I had finished so much earlier than expected, they were still getting into place!  We hung out at the finish line and cheered for the last couple of runners, and my buddies gave me a couple of cool gifts, including this magnet:

My friends are the coolest!

 

For the next couple of days, all I did was eat and rest and admire the slogans and drawings on my car (The Cove = Conquered).  It would have taken a serious emergency to get me to run.  It's been over a week now, so I'm hoping I can run a little this week and get back to my usual routine next week.  But holy cow, I'm a marathoner now—can you believe it?!?!

Heavy medal ;-)