The Mystery Run

I had a great last long run this past weekend in preparation for the Kalamazoo Half Marathon I am running in two weeks.  This was one of the few times I have attempted a long run past the typical beginner-program recommendations - you know, capping at 20 miles for a marathon or 10 miles for a half marathon.  Since I am no longer super intimidated by the half marathon distance, I thought I would just try to get in as many miles as I could before the race.  What worked out was a build-up to 12 miles, and that is what I did.

Well, actually, I did a little more.  Heading out the door Sunday morning, I soon realized I had failed to recharge my watch.  So, as soon as I turned it on, the ominous message of "low battery" popped up.  After a moment of OH-MY-GOD,-WHAT-WILL-I-DO hair pulling and gnashing of teeth, I just pulled myself together and decided to let happen what would happen.  (Secretly, I was hoping that if I didn't push any buttons it would suck it up and last for two hours.)  Yeah. That didn't happen. In fact, the battery died in about the first mile.

This presented two problems, of course.  One was not knowing exactly how far I was going, since I only had the vaguest idea of a route sketched out in my head.  (Ergo: Mystery Run) Thank goodness, I had even bothered to go online the night before to look at routes.  

The second was not knowing my pace.  Now, this was a problem because I really wanted to keep things slow.  After three weeks in a row of running long runs faster than I "should" be going - according to the McMillan calculator - I really wanted to make an effort to slow down this past week.  The positive side to not knowing pace, though, is that it really freed my mind from worry.  All that obsessive watch glancing that I usually indulge in was out.  After reflexively looking at a blank screen a couple of times, I gave that up.  And, to be honest, I sure didn't miss THAT.  Actually, the run was all in all pretty relaxed.

The only really downside to the run was that I was sore - really sore - from two days earlier in the week of running hills and one jaunt up an observation tower the day before at our local state park.  I don't know why I did that, but the kids begged, so I went.  (Score 3 for observation towers, zero for me.)  I don't know what it is about going up and down observation towers, but they always seem to be the proverbial last straw for me, as I always seem to go up them after a very busy week, exercise-wise.  And, it's starting to piss me off.  (Pardon my English.)  In fact, it makes me want to end any run I do at the park with a nice walk up the observation tower and down - until I can do so without reaction.  This summer, I promise you, tower, we'll go head to head.

So, yesterday's run: no watch, sore legs to start, and only the vaguest idea of where to go.  I LOVED it!  It didn't hurt that it was a beautiful day for running with temps in the low 50s and sunny skies.  I did a loop from the church where I started out (the kids were in an Easter program) back home.  When I got back home, after peeling myself from the floor where I had attempted to stretch, I got on the computer and tried to map out where I had run.  It turns out I did 12.27 miles.  That is good, because I had it in my head that I had either nailed the 12 miles or done a nine-mile route.  If I had done nine, I would have declared it a good run.  Since it was actually 12, I think it was fantastic.

The route yesterday was good for another reason besides distance.  This was a HILLY route.  I purposely tried to throw in as many hills as I could find in our relatively flat enclave.  Why do that?  Well, because I have it in my head that Kalamazoo will be hilly.  I spent a lot of time in Kalamazoo as a kid and I ran with the Kalamazoo Area Runners last year once when I was visiting.  I remember HILLS.  And, seeing as our neck of the woods is basically flat, I don't normally see a lot of hills unless I go looking for them.  

Like here.  I could run up and down this
about 100 times, but that would get
boring. 

Anyway, I don't know if this race will be hilly now or not. The marathon supposedly has some hills, but from what I have read on their website the Half is "largely fast and flat [including] a few rolling hills along the way."  The elevation chart for the marathon shows this:

I dunno.  Does that look hilly?  Of course, the Half could be on a completely different scale, and that is fine by me.  In any case, mentally I am ready for hills.  I don't think too much could surprise me in that regard anymore, and that was what I was going for yesterday.  If there are no hills, I will be pleasantly surprised.  What I do know is that I am now officially in taper mode, and I feel pretty good.  I am still sore, but I am assuming that will go away.  Mostly, I am just excited to take part in this race, see how I do, and then move on to marathon training.  Happy Running!

Picture of the day:  Play equipment at
a local park.  We have no idea what it is
actually intended for, so the kids think
(like most things) it is for climbing.

Redefining Normal

Well, here I sit.  It's kind of late, and there is nothing on TV - well, the six channels we have.  I have nothing to do but contemplate life, and I am loving it.  I wasn't going to write anything today, but since it's just me in a quiet, sleepy house, what the heck.

So, what am I thinking about tonight?  Well, mainly how normal keeps redefining itself. About how things that I once must have thought were odd suddenly seem like they belong.

One of the biggest examples of redefining normal, of course, is having kids.  Anyone who has seen the Johnson & Johnson commercials of old knows that having kids changes everything.  Whether those changes are good or bad, I will not argue here.  What is true, though, is that once one goes through that "change," that redefinition of life as we know it becomes the norm.  Was there a time when I could actually use the bathroom without intrusion and angry shouts of "he said, she did?"  I dunno, I don't remember.  See?  It now actually seems normal to have to referee fights from a shower.  Who knew?  

Now, this redefinition of normal is creeping over into my running life - once again.  Did the idea of running 20 miles for no real good reason - other than to say I could - seem "odd" once?  Yes, of course.  But with two marathons under my belt (and 20 of Hubby's), I adapted and now that seems normal.

Somehow, though, Hubby, a.k.a. Distance Dude, has brought a redefinition of normal into our space yet again.  He is gearing up to go on a 35-mile training run tomorrow.  Thirty-five miles,... that's 3-5, people.  It still boggles my mind.  I mean, that is nine miles longer than my longest GOAL distance to date - and it is a training run.  The strangest thing about it to me is that he thinks this is completely normal and makes sense.  Even stranger than that, though, is that I think it is normal, too.  We should probably both have our heads examined.

On a personal scale (which is much smaller than Hubby's), my running life seems to be redefining itself, too.  Prior to a few months ago, running a 5K or 10K race somewhere between a 9- and 10-minute-per-mile pace was amazing to me.  Running a group run longer than four miles and being able to hang with the group the whole time was cause for wild celebration.  Suddenly, though, with the turn of one 5-mile race - where I managed to maintain an 8:41 pace for the whole race, normal was redefined.  I thought it was a fluke, but the past month and a half have shown me it is not.  I am now regularly racing in that range.  Group runs are not as much of a struggle as they once were either.

Normal is being redefined.

Today I had the best impromptu group run ever, I think.  I wasn't even planning on running with a group, but the opportunity presented itself and I grabbed it.  I ended up doing 6.4 miles - of hills, no less - in 1:03.  That works out to an average pace of 9:49 - with my LAST MILE being the fastest at 8:59.  And, there was a lot of walking in there, so I know the running wasn't slow.  In fact, as long as I was moving forward, I kept the watch going.

So, there is a new normal in town; a plateau has been busted.  I don't know that I can really explain why this is happening now, of all times, after having been running for eleven years regularly and when I am coming off of an injury that has really confounded me.

But I'll take it.  I'll enjoy it.  I'll revel in it.  Until a new normal - faster or slower, longer or shorter - is defined.

Happy Running!

Have you had a new normal defined for you lately?  Please share!

Hill Revenge

So, I got in a nice little 5-mile run today on a fairly hilly route with the running group.  Since we decided to do a little field trip from our normal coffee shop meeting place (to check out another cafe about a mile away), the question of routes came up.  However, P.D., one of the members of the group, kept saying he had a route planned out for us.  Don't worry, he had it covered.  Well, within the first half mile or so of the run, he had us heading down a long flight of stairs into this park, only to run up a nice, steep hill.  Before long, it became apparent that that was not going to be the only hill of the day.  In fact, you could say that hills became sort of the theme.  Hmmm, I can't help but wonder if the hills weren't for my benefit.  (Yes, in my mind, it IS all about me.)

You see, I happen to be in charge of our club's April fun run, "The Beer Run," and last year - to help set it apart from the other beer runs popping up - I asked P.D., also our club's maps guru, to map out a nice, challenging, hilly route for the 10K.  He did, and ever since I have felt the heat of that decision.  Mostly, it's tongue in cheek ... I think.  You see, I get teased a bit, because I don't actually RUN this fun run.  Some may feel that ordering up hills and then not running them is something akin to ordering up a round of Jaegermeister shots for everyone and then not partaking yourself (not that I've ever done that).  However, I am in charge of "hosting," and I take that responsibility seriously.  I feel it is important for someone to stay behind at the bar while everyone runs.  After all, someone needs to test the beer watch the sign in sheets, keep the bartender company, make sure the sign doesn't fall down, and direct any stragglers.  So, to some it may look like I am just sitting around, doing nothing but sipping beer, but really there is a lot of work involved.  After all, someone has to have a smile on their face when everyone gets done with the run.

And, anyway, for the most part, the folks who participate in the fun run like the challenge of the few hills (...eight...) that we have.  The ones who don't like the hills probably don't come.  (Maybe that is why our numbers went down from last year to this year?  Food for thought, I guess.)

In any case,  I can't help but wonder if P.D. didn't think this was a fun opportunity for me to put my money where my mouth was.... i.e., run some hills, since every spring I keep proclaiming how great they are.

So, it was a tough run.  Aside from the hills, I was way overdressed.  Leaving the house, it was 40 degrees and rainy.  Arriving for the run, the sun peeked out and it got warmer.  Suddenly, the thermal shirt, jacket, and insulated tights I had chosen seemed like a really poor choice.  Ah well.  I survived, had my coffee, and all was good.

In fact, generally, I thought the run went really well.  That said, though, I am happy that this week is the last big push week until taper.  I am ready to slack off rest a bit before my half marathon in May.  With any luck, taper will go well, and I will head into this race feeling better than I have in a long time.  I think the potential is there.  So fingers crossed; thinking cap on, so I don't do anything stupid in the next three weeks; and happy thoughts.

Happy Running!

By the way, a race report for the relay is still coming.  A relay is such a long event that for me (who writes too much anyway) to write something concise is proving to be a challenge.  It's coming, though!