A new season of running starts. With it comes new dilemmas. I now know what it is like to run The Boilermaker. I now know what it is like to injure yourself. I now know that foam rolling & stretching isn't a joke. I now know I can do it, so with that knowledge comes procrastination.
I signed up for a second season with BeRunning and while the beginning months of my membership were ones where it was too cold for my asthma, or my leg hurt too much, or the flu took me out. Going to last nights group session was still scary. We have a little community on Facebook and I try to post when I am running there so I can be more accountable, so I have others who will lovingly yell at me if I don't make it to a run.
I knew I needed to start training in March to make The Boilermaker a possibility. I pulled into the parking lot and saw my mentor out putting flags up to mark the trail we were using that evening. Then Ed pulled in and we started talking about running, about how we all took off more time than we wanted in between running. About what type of interval to start running at. For my last race in December I was running 2 minutes and walking 45 seconds. I didn't know if it would be too much or not. Ed, then sprang it on me. Why don't you run the Hudson Half after The Boilermaker. He and Kate are training for it. I think Joel & Mark are running it. Lots of area running friends are running it. I might be able to run it in 3.30 or 4 hours but after training the spring, summer & fall, I might be able to run it in the 3.30 zone. So my interest is peaked but I have to make the decision soon & register if I want to. Curse you Ed, for getting grand ideas in my head.
We started up, did our introductions and our stretches. It was a speed workout. Not the best for me to be picking my running back up again but I needed the group mentality to make a start of it all. As I started out with Kerry, I remembered everything I learned last season. Loosen my shoulders, good posture, exaggerated baby steps. We were basically walking one flag and running two. (other runners do a run faster than average pace, then during their recovery [where i walk] they just run at their regular pace)
Like usual, I started out faster than we needed to be. We decided on a 14 min pace for the speed work. Kerry has a gps watch that i am jealous of because it lets us know our pace. When she had to break off from me to talk to a fellow participant, I was on my own for trying to figure out my pace. Usually it's the rhythm of my breathing matched with my foot strike. However, I was going a bit too fast. I made it around the trail 3 times in 43 minutes, which is good for me.[note to self: get one of those fancy watches] It felt OK running. Felt like it was semi normal. I'll run this week on Friday instead of Saturday because St. Patrick's Day has me everywhere.
Today I'm reaping the benefits of running. A co-worker said to me, you're awfully smiley today. I replied back, yeah that I ran last night, that my season was starting. That it's one month of living on my own, that I'm taking care & protecting myself from things and people that hurt me, and that I'm running. It's a lot of things to be smiley about.
It's nice to have a bit of pep in my step.
running rocks.
ReplyDeleteyes to the Boilermaker!
yes, do the MHRHM!
if you don't have one already, get a simple timex ironman watch with 2 interval timers. don't get dependent on gps. they're not always accurate and developing a good sense of self (yes, that is existential) will go a long way... literally. check this article out: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-238-267--14238-0,00.htm
Glad your back out there!
Joel, I use a gym boss interval timer to keep me at 2 mins running 45 sec walking. About mid April, I'll look to start doing the actual training runs on my schedule. right now I've got to work back up to feeling good pushing out 3.2 miles.
Deletethanks for the article. this morning i tried to pay more attention and i kept my pace around the same time. i've just got to keep practicing that.
i'm about 50/50 on the MHRHM. one of my friends from last seasons running group, is now in another running group. they run on saturday mornings, specifically training for the HM full & half. i'm debating being in two running groups but it feels like cheating on a girlfriend. cause i run Mon, Wed (with BeRunning), cross train Friday's and then look to do mileage runs on Saturday's. I feel like joining the other group will make me even more accountable for my weekend runs. Any thoughts?
It's not cheating. You've got an open relationship with running clubs. =) I say do it! I'm actually in 4 myself (though I'm only regular with 2) and here in BK there are lots of options where I can just jump in on a run with a group and they're cool with it. It's normal and I encourage it.
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