What's next?

After this weekend, I'll be done with this training cycle. I've been training for the Fall Colours 10K for the past eight weeks, a Somersault Race that I entered after I had to withdraw from the Winterman 10K back in February.

But now I find myself starting to think about what comes after the race. What do I do with myself until my next serious training cycle starts in March? I know for sure that I'll try for the Half Marathon again. Do I keep running the mileage I'm running now? Do I start with base building - slowly increasing my mileage without running tempos and intervals? I know for sure that I'd like to continue to do hill work on a semi-regular basis, because I can really feel the improvement on the hills after making it a cornerstone of my training over the last 8 weeks. Not to mention that I really love the burn it gives me and the total high/exhaustion I feel after. Yeah, I'm weird.

Anyone have any suggestions? Or where to look for ideas?

I could run the Cookie Run 5K at the beginning of November. It's a fun little race, but I know I'm nowhere close to a PR in the 5K. So if I do run it, it'll just be for fun. I've already decided that I won't be running the Running Room's Resolution Run on December 31st. Part of the reason is that I don't need another jacket (that's the race schwag) and the event always seems to cause husband and I problems when it comes to holiday plans. Last year the road was really snow-covered and it was so tough to run on (greasy) that I'm sure it caused the muscle weakness that contributed to my injury last winter.

Prize idiot - Long run edition

I was so excited to get out for my run today. Yesterday we had tons of freezing rain, so no running for me. I was dying to try out my new Garmin.

I'd prepped my old shoes the other day for winter running - I'd added the customary 9 screws in each shoe. I'm a big fan of screw shoes: they're cheap ($1 for a box of screws at the dollar store) and easy to do. And if they break, the screws are cheap to replace. I picked up 3/4 inch screws since I figured that might be a better length than the 1/2 inch ones I used last winter. My fellow blogger described the wonders of the screw shoe in a recent post.

Today's run was promising: cloudy and just below freezing for the first time in weeks. Thank God for warmer weather. I wore my screw shoes and the walk to my start of my run reaffirmed the fact I needed them. The sidewalks were still really icy and somewhat treacherous.

Then I reached the path. It was clear! A few puddles here and there, but just wet. What??? By 2 km into the run, I knew the screw shoes were a bad idea. I hadn't hit any long icy or snowy stretches. Ugh. Soon I'd realized the 3/4 inch screws were a bad idea, too. I could feel them poking through my Superfeet insoles. Soon the pointy ends were hitting the ball of my foot. The uphill or downhill stretches were even more painful, but the worst pain was reserved for when I landed on large rocks or pieces of salt. OUCH!

By 8 km I had visions of bloodied socks running through my head. I stopped at this point to see if I could remove them by hand, but they'd migrated right into the shoe and the screw head was flush with the sole. I was out of ideas and decided to run home and deal with the pain. Too bad I don't run with a screwdriver in my pocket... though that could make for some interesting comments from passing runners.

And to make the run even more of a calamity, I'd stopped my Garmin at about 3 km to switch it from imperial to metric. I forgot to start it again and only realized this after I'd been running for 15 minutes more. Thankfully I'd also brought my Nike+ and it captured the time missing from the Garmin.

Today's run just wasn't meant to be. But, the good news is that: a) it's funny; and b) there were no bloodied socks, just a couple of blisters. Oh the wonders of trial and error. I was so happy to get home!

Races Races Races

I took advantage of race entry discounts and registered for a number of Somersault races in 2010. I really enjoyed their races this year, so I figured I'd run the same events next year!

Registering early for races can be a bit of a gamble, but it's totally worth it. With Somersault, I saved $25 off the race-day entry price. And by registering early for the other races, I saved 20% off the entry fee and I got a free change of entry. That means that if plans change and I can't run the race, I can switch to a different race without paying extra. Talk about handy!

So, next year's race calendar looks like this:
02/19 - Winterman 10K
05/30 - Ottawa HM
06/19 - Emilie's Run 5K
07/31 - National Captial 5K.

I'm hoping that all the work I'm putting into my HM will pay off on my 5K time in June. Then I get another month to work on my speed again.

I am a wimp

We were hit with a snowstorm yesterday. The winds howled and we got about 20cm of snow. I love running in the snow. But, this time? Not so much.

What did I do? I stayed in. I bailed on my piddly little 5K run. My legs have been very cranky lately and I've been sleeping poorly. I knew based on my last run that to run again in two days was pushing it. I have no motivation right now, whether it's running or everything else. The headaches, poor sleep, lack of motivation and not enjoying running are all signs of over-training. It's key that, as a runner, you listen to your body.

So, I took a break. And now I'm looking at the freshly plowed sidewalks with envy. Saturday's 10K long run can't come soon enough!

Bring on winter!

I'm looking forward to getting out running tonight. I didn't want to yesterday, that's for sure. I got the flu shot on Monday night and both my husband and I felt awful yesterday. Not to mention that I ended up working 8-6, even though all I wanted to do was cozy up on the couch with a blanket.

I knew my body was telling me it needed a rest, so I dutifully bumped my runs by a day. This week I'm running 8/8/11 and have a couple more 3 run weeks until I plateau at 28K/week for most of December and divide up the mileage into 4 runs per week... just as the weather starts to get cold and snowy.

But I have to admit, I'm a masochist. I love winter running, especially in snowstorms. Snowstorms are actually one my favourites, because I get to see who all in this city just as crazy as me! There's some strange extra endorphin rush that I get when I run in crazy weather.

Another great part about the weather turning cold is the fact that it's easier to dress for my runs. Lately it's been between 7 and 10 degrees during my runs. Normally that's an ideal temperature! But then there's been a lot of wind and either rain or sun. It's tough to figure out what to wear, which usually means I end up freezing when running into the wind or toasty when the wind's at my back.

Bring on winter!

I love arm warmers

I've converted to a new religion: armwarmerism.

Exhibit A is Kara Goucher, an American long-distance runner.
I like to think I look like this when I'm wearing my arm warmers. Now if only those abs were sold along with the arm warmers!

I've worn my Sugoi arm warmers a few times now and I can't rave about them enough. They're a fantastic piece of gear for windy days and days with temperature below 10C or so, depending on the conditions. Wearing arm warmers also lets me wear tanks or t-shirts longer than I'd normally be able to. And you can roll them down or take them off if you get too hot!

The ones from Sugoi are lightly insulated and have non-slip bands at both the top and bottom. I love them so much that I just ordered a second pair: their new black and white Tatu design!