Birthday Plans

This year, the Seattle Marathon is on my birthday. What better way to celebrate than to run a half marathon?

I really am serious. By the end of this week, I may be signed up.

I have had a week of fantastic runs. This morning, in the cool rain, I did a fast run in the neighborhood - my fast run being 32 minutes at an average pace of 9:18 and average HR of 168. It's my best time as of yet, though I purposely ran less hills for this run.

I've decided that since I've taken to running up Phinney Ridge on at least one long run that I will use Phinney Ridge for my interval runs. That's a 350ft gain in something like 4-5 blocks.

My last long run was almost 8 miles, and it felt great. The only problem was that I had to take two bathroom breaks! I blame this on pre-hydrating a bit too much, and coffee. Other things I've learned is that I need a hand-holster for my water bottle.

I think the next few weeks I will be figuring out what my Fall exercise schedule is going to look like. I'll be working full time at least until January (when my internship is up) and I will be in class two nights a week. I'll also have to adjust for the changing light.

Lots more to come. I'm loving running right now. I especially love running in my Five Finger Bikilas. They're the best shoes I've ever worn! Looks like they're still in great demand, though. I feel lucky to have gotten mine. Thanks, See Jane Run!

Running in Chicago vs. Seattle

Yesterday I probably walked over 5 miles - it was wonderful, especially considering the amount of fried food I ate yesterday was more than the past month combined. Today I went for a light, long run - it's a break week, so I only did about 45 minutes for the run. My pace ended up just under 11 min for the entire run, and I ended up doing just over 4 miles. The biggest treat was going along the lake in the bright summer sun. It was a bit breezy and, of course, hot - but it was wonderful. Running in Chicago makes me feel like I could run forever. It's amazing what running up and down hills in Seattle will do for your perception of effort. My heart rate was pretty low for a run (around 120-140 a good part of the time) due to a lack of effort needed. It was a fun vacation run, to say the least.

Today was also my first run in myVibram Five Fingers Bikila . They are definitely an improvement over the Sprints - and I'm glad to once again be running a minimalist shoe. My knees ache so much less after a run. The only problem I seem to be having is that my big toe on my left foot gets a little unhappy - similar to the problem I had first with the Treks. At least I'm relatively certain these are the right size. Not too big, not too small. It will take a few more runs before I'm certain - but I think the Bikilas are likely the winner.

Now - back to my break!

Training Progress and Bikila's in Sight

First, I have to say how proud I am of myself for my run on Sunday. It started out as my long, slow run, with no real hills planned. It ended up with me doing a half mile with an elevation gain of over 350 feet! I ran through three different neighborhoods, and 6.26 miles at a pace of just under 11:30. I was a little sore on Monday and Tuesday, but I can't help but be pleased by the experience over all. My knees and hips really didn't like it - and this I partially blame on my conventional running shoes. You see, I'm still running in my conventional shoes as that the Vibram Five Finger Bikila's have been out of stock and backordered for the past month, and I sold my Sprints in expectation of getting the Bikilas. Oops.

This morning I'm a bit worn out after not sleeping well, and then doing a morning run. I've tried to switch to mornings during the week as that it allows me to get more done with my evenings. Also, I can run half-awake if I have to - which I definitely did this morning. It was a misty humid morning, and I did my short fast run at under 10min/mi for 27 minutes. I'm making sure to make hills a part of my routine - something I expect will be a sharp contrast next week when I take lazy runs along the Chicago lakefront.

Speaking of Chicago - I'm really excited that I was able to find Bikila's available at the second store I called. They have them on hold for me to be picked up next Tuesday! There is only ONE official retailer of Vibram FiveFingers in the Seattle area - and that's REI, and they aren't even available for backorder in my size on their website. Chicago, on the other hand, has tons of stores offering FiveFingers - and if I have the misfortune of someone selling the Bikilas before I get to them, I will have at least a half dozen places nearby to check out to see if they have them in stock.

I'm not sure how I'll adjust back to minimalist running after wearing the bone-jarring conventional running shoes. I'll be bringing them with me just in case the Bikila's don't pan out - or end up not working like the FiveFinger Treks.

I'm loving running right now - it's sort of like my co-drug of choice, with my other drug of choice being delicious food. I'm a foodie now, more than ever - I think because my interests have turned to quality over quantity. A running store I had hoped to get my Bikila's from (See Jane Run, whose customer service seems to be ignoring me) sells shirts that say "I run for chocolate." It's true. I run because it feels great to run. I also do it because I can eat more delicious food (with reason) as a reward.

And for a weight update - I'm now below 150 lbs, and my body fat percentage is down to around 29%. I still have 12 lbs to go before I get to where I want to be (20-22% bodyfat) I don't know if I'll get there before my next challenge, but I just thought I'd put this down here for now.

Back and Neck

A week ago, I did something not-so-great to my back while running. I think that it was a combo of issues, being my posture, my running in conventional shoes after a few months of running in minimalist shoes, and poor choice in cross-body day bags. Saturday, I did a 66 minute run, and on my hills coming back, I tried to keep my body to keep my head up and my posture vertical as I ran. That ended up with me waking up Sunday morning with a stiff neck, but my mid back feeling much better.

The good news was that my doctor told me last week that I didn't have to stop running. This was good. It's very much a part of my life, even when I don't want to do it, it's something I just feel better doing. I'm finally getting back into a groove where it's not as painful to do my runs (in the moment) and stretching myself feels good. I just need to work on my posture, and I need to work on strengthening my core muscles (and doing more yoga).

And, just to put in some numbers, I did my slow run for 66 minutes, and went 5.56 mi. That's a pace of 11:52. Not bad, for me!

In other news, I'm almost 4 lbs away from the upper end of the BMI for "normal." While I know that's not a judge of fitness, it means that in roughly 9 lbs,if I lose only fat, I will be down to about 20-24% body fat. This is awesome!

Getting Back Into the Groove

Oh my goodness - staying with my training schedule is really hard with a new internship and class! I don't know how people do it without falling over! Early mornings seem too early, evenings seem too warm (mostly) and require more energy than I feel I have! I just had to whine a bit. I've been rather successful with keeping to how many times I run per week (3), but my duration each time is not steady.

Here's the schedule I've been trying to follow, thanks to Emily's magic computer training schedule maker.

2010-07-20: 0:16 fast 0:32 interval 0:48 easy
2010-07-27: 0:22 fast 0:44 interval 1:06 easy
2010-08-03: 0:24 fast 0:48 interval 1:12 easy
2010-08-10: 0:27 fast 0:53 interval 1:20 easy
2010-08-17: 0:21 fast 0:43 interval 1:04 easy
2010-08-24: 0:29 fast 0:58 interval 1:28 easy
2010-08-31: 0:32 fast 1:04 interval 1:36 easy
2010-09-07: 0:35 fast 1:11 interval 1:46 easy
2010-09-14: 0:39 fast 1:18 interval 1:57 easy
2010-09-21: 0:31 fast 1:02 interval 1:33 easy

Since I haven't been referring to it right before each run, I've ended up either running short or long for what I was doing that day. Not a good idea! I thought maybe posting it might help me stay in line.

Then there's my running again in conventional shoes. I'm waiting for my order for Bikila's to show up in early August. I sold my Sprints due to them being a little too thin for me, and I returned the Treks due to them being a little too small. My Brooks Women's Adrenaline GTS 10 were shoes I was totally in love with when I bought them, but since then have made my everyday shoes minimalist shoes, and in comparison, they feel large and heavy on my feet.

Also, here's the list of aches I have when running in conventional shoes that I don't have running in FiveFingers: knees, lower back, shoulders, bunion/toe joints.

In comparison, here's what doesn't work for me and the FiveFingers - aching feet after long runs.

At least it's localized!

Anyway - I'll contain my frustration. It's important for me to stay running and stay active, despite my schedule and the demands upon it. Now it's time to finally go to a Weight Watcher's meeting (first for nearly a month!) to try to get some control over what I'm putting into my body. It's sort of a mental reset.

Evening Run with Conventional Shoes

I managed to injure my right heel during my trail run enough to convince me to wear my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10 for a "fast" run last night. This was my first real run after my race and hiking, back in my neighborhood.

I've decided to consider trading in my FiveFinger Sprints due to the fact that they don't keep stuff out, and they are really thin compared to other options. I think my feet need a little more protection than they've been getting. However, in my old (still close to new) traditional shoes, my feet definitely felt burdened. The plus side is the bruise on my heel didn't hurt, the downside was my feet felt hot and sweaty, heavy, and I felt two inches taller and out of touch with the ground.

The run itself felt pretty intense. It was 20 minutes long, and as intense as I could muster considering it was the end of a work day, on very little sleep. It was also warm - which really, in Seattle, is warm for an evening, but not unbearable. I can see why some people choose to run in the mornings at crazy early hours before work, vs. doing it in the evening when they get home.

My pace for the 21:45 run was 10:19, which is not my best, but also, I intentionally tackled some hills. I could have probably pushed my heart rate farther, however, I just wasn't in the mood, and even an hour after dinner, wasn't quite digested enough to do so.

I look forward to scoping out new FiveFingers and to my heel healing.

Trail Running Ridiculousness

What do I know about trail running?

1. Trails are involved.
2. Running is involved.

That's simple, right? Find a trail and run on it.

Thanks to my scuba diving training I've developed a keen sense of how any sport can be disastrous given particular circumstances. Running, at least, you're in the open air and should have a pretty good supply of air to breathe, however, there are other factors that can impact your health and well-being. Upon first telling my father-in-law my plans to just run in the suburban neighborhood in Westchester Co, NY, he let me know of a recent coyote problem in the area.

Coyotes.

Luckily, I haven't had any encounters with coyotes in the neighborhood. I didn't bother to think of the coyotes when I decided on driving out to Saxon Woods this morning to do a long run. In fact, I didn't bother to look beyond the Google Map or GPS on the car to see what kind of running conditions I would encounter. I was honestly expecting more of a shady city park, not wilderness and gravel/dirt trails.

This did not bode well for my choice of travel running shoes (Vibram FiveFingers Sprint) which have a very scant amount of protection on the bottom. At least my choice of heart rate monitor was well suited for the trek (Garmin Forerunner 405CX).

It turned out that the trails were not as well marked as I would have liked, and that the trails themselves were pretty rocky, both with imported gravel and the natural rocky terrain of the region. It was BEAUTIFUL on this sunny day, with many chipmunks scampering about and songbirds singing. There were only a few people on the trail, making it rather lonely - and as I got deeper into the trail, it occurred to me that maybe I was fresh meat for a coyote. Alarmist, sure - but I realized I don't know how to deal with wildlife, let alone, spot and avoid poison ivy. And did I smell a skunk? I'm pretty sure I smelled a skunk. This was enough to get me to turn around about 10-12 minutes into my run.

It all would have worked out well, too, if it wasn't for a fork in the road that I somehow missed on the way in. I ended up taking the wrong fork in the basically correct direction, leading to a bit of panic calmed by the fact that I really was surrounded by civilization (a nearby highway could be heard). This is where my Garmin 405CX comes in handy. You see, I can switch to the GPS mode and it will help me get back home. It's a wrist compass, and was basically accurate in getting me back to my starting point. To say the least, I only ran for about 15-20 out of my 45 minutes in the woods. What I basically know about survival is to not over exert myself, and to conserve resources to get out of the jam.

I was relieved to get to the car in short order - basically navigating through natural navigation, supplemented by my compass. It's good to recognize your surroundings on the way in to help you on the way out.

I think I may want to go to a trail running clinic. There is so much in Washington State to hike and run in, and it seems a waste to do all my running just in the neighborhood.

Who wants to be my buddy? (Another good safety measure, btw!)