Race this weekend!

I'm so excited. It's Emilie's Run 5K this weekend! This is my favourite race of the year. It's a flat, out and back course, it has chip timing with per km splits, and a small, but very competitive, field. The atmosphere at this race is different.... maybe it's because it's women of all ages, maybe it's the inspiration of running alongside some of the region's top female runners. Either way, I highly recommend this race.

It looks like it's going to rain this year and I'm actually happy about it. We've had nice weather the last two years, so it'll be a good change. And recently my allergies have made breathing during hard workouts very difficult. I have an inhaler and I take OTC antihistamines, but this year's been particularly bad. I know that I'm not 100% when I feel like this. I've been doing some speed intervals, too, and it looks like it's helping... now if only my lungs will cooperate.

I've gotten clearance to run 3x a week, with no runs above 5K. I can add frequency, so that makes me happy, as I'd been planning to do that after the half anyway. So this week and next I'm at 3x a week, then I'm going to up it to 4x. Slow and steady!

Verdict & Plan

I visited another physiotherapist last night for a second opinion. I saw Jordan last year during my injury then and he was the one who suggested the treatment plan that allowed me to recover, so it made sense for me to reach out to him this time around.

The verdict:
I am more flexible now than I was last year. Yay! Though this may be a product of going to physio three times in the last 10 days.

I didn't do anything "wrong" with my training plan. Double Yay! This is not an overuse injury.

The problem:
The pounding of running causes my nerves to splinter and become irritated. The muscles guard the nerves to protect them. Then my back seizes up and all the joints in my back harden and compress the discs further on the nerves. And it goes around and around in a cycle. The remaining good news is that this is treatable, not just in the short term, but I can "undo" it with hard work over the long term. What that involves, I have no idea.

The plan:
I'm going to run the half marathon on Sunday. I ran a test run today of 5K and there was some discomfort, but no pain. I never stopped running and it didn't change my gait. It went in waves of no discomfort to more discomfort, and each subsequent wave was less uncomfortable than the previous one. The worst that could happen during the race is that I have to bail partway through, but then at least I tried.

I'm switching physiotherapists. Unfortunately my current one isn't the right match for my situation. I have a consult next week with a new physio that has been recommended to me by a couple of different people.

I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support. This has been one helluva rollercoaster ride and it isn't over yet!

Hills by Accident

Yesterday was one of the warmest days so far at 20C, so I thought it would be a good day to work on getting acclimated to the warmer weather in preparation for my goal race. So I headed out on my long run in the sun and heat. Hard to believe 20C is considered hot, but hey, I live in Canada! Plus it was dry... I had to run in that weather given that we had record-setting rainfall in April.

Two years ago I ran the 10K at Race Weekend. We had no warm weather leading up to the event, so the 20C+ plus weather on race day was a shock to the system! I wanted to take advantage of yesterday's weather to experiment with my hydration needs and clothing. I was also lucky that it was my cutback week, so it was a long run on the shorter side of things at 12K.

I ran on the bike path along the Western Parkway to Island Park. This is the middle of the half marathon route, though it'll be run on the road and not on the path. When I reached Island Park, I was 5K in, so I figured it was an opportunity to finally try the path on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. I ran across the Champlain Bridge... man, that sidewalk is narrow! But it wasn't crowded, so I was able to enjoy the views of the rushing water, the vistas of downtown Ottawa and the noise of the rapids with the birds flying overhead.

I turned right onto the bike path on the Quebec side and ran right along the water. I followed the cyclists in their team gear, figuring they'd lead me back towards Hull. All was flat for another KM or so... but the last 3K? Rolling freaking hills. And steep ones to boot. I hadn't meant to do a hill workout, let alone such a challenging and aggressive one. It was pretty much up-down-up-down, complete with hairpin turns, until I hit Terrasses de la Chaudière. Oye. At least I know where to go if I want a killer hill workout now instead of doing hill repeats in front of the tourists at the locks by the Bytown Museum.

As a result of the accidental hills workout, my left calf is NOT happy today. By the looks of things, it's just a calf strain. I'm icing/stretching as much as I can in an effort to get it back to normal ASAP. My mileage peaks these next two weeks at 37K, with long runs of 20K before I taper. I can cutback the mileage if I need to, but obviously I'd rather not do it unless I absolutely have to.

Overtrained or under iron

I am exhausted.

Aside from that, my legs feel dead about 3K into a run. My pace is reasonable, so I know it's not me starting out too fast or too fast a pace. On my 18K long run on Saturday, I was pulling from an empty tank by the last few KM, with the last KM being a very tough slog. Mind you, I shouldn't have left a hill for the end of my long run - that was a really stupid decision. But even then, I had to really push myself to finish that run and not pack it in at 15K. When I woke up on Sunday, I looked pale and sallow, with very dark circles under my eyes. I get wanting a nap after the run, but I feel way more tired than I think I should be. Certainly there's different food/nutrition/hydration tweaks I could make, but this feels different.

My pace on shorter runs is suffering, too. But my heartrate is okay and my body temps are normal, if not a bit lower than normal. I ran 7K at a reasonable pace, and I'm so tired today that I need toothpicks to keep my eyelids open. I'm tired and winded walking up a flight of stairs.

Am I overtrained? I doubt it. I'm doing reasonable mileage and mileage increases, with reasonable paces. I've got lots of rest days. My only specialty workout is hills, and even then I'm only able to do 4 or 5 repeats and I'm so beat afterwards that I want to stop running. In the Fall I was up to 8 or more repeats and felt strong. The thought of adding in speedworkouts makes me want to puke... I can motivate myself to run hills because I enjoy the challenge of the workout.

I'm thinking that maybe I'm anemic. I got my last panel from October and the hemoglobin was on the lower end of the spectrum, but still in the acceptable range for an adult. I've significantly increased my mileage since then. I think I need a doctor's appointment, stat.

Breaking through the mileage barrier

These last two weeks of my training schedule marked a new milestone in my running career: long runs over 13K. It's an awesome feeling to push your body further and further each week.

I've hit new highs for my long run, at 14K last Saturday and 16K yesterday. I had to resist the urge to eat everything in sight yesterday and needed an hour-long recharge nap in mid-afternoon. I really hope that the post-run tiredness goes away as I condition my body to run the longer distances. Oh, and I'm still ravenous today. My coworker's softboiled eggs are looking and smelling mighty tasty right now. This coming Saturday's long run is 18K.

I'm also really looking forward to next week's cutback week. I don't think I'm overtrained at this point, but I'm definitely feeling the need for a bit of a break from the mileage increases.

Update to the Fuelbelt bottle situation: I gave up and bought new ones. They are so much better than my old grimey ones. The dude at the RunningRoom said he replaces his every 6 months and joked that the old bottles could be used to throw at cars that cut you off. LOL.

Racing Weight

Today I weighed in for the first time in two weeks. I was down to 155.X then, then inexplicably, I gained 1.6. Thankfully that was just a body mix-up! I lost 3 pounds today, down to 154.0. Hooray!

I would really like to get back down to 145. That's 9 pounds away. I've spent a long time bouncing around the 151-155 range. I like being below 150... I feel good and comfortable in my own skin and clothes.

I know I need to do this slowly and safely as I rachet up my mileage as part of my training. So it won't happen overnight. I just need a bit more willpower in the face of sweets, especially chocolate!

Another awesome part of losing weight is that I'll be a bit faster on the race course! Funnily enough, the Complete Runner's Handbook says that I should actually be much, much lighter. Elites at my height of 5'5" are under 120. Ha! Never in a MILLION years. I can hardly keep the weight off at 135 when I was at that weight in 2000. And I couldn't tell you the last time I was under 135.

145 is the place to be.

How to Get Back into Running

I've had a lot of questions lately from somewhat casual runners on how to get back into running, or how to set a reasonable running goal and what is a reasonable running goal. I thought that my views on these might back interesting blog posts.

Q: I used to like running. I used to run a lot. Then I stopped. How do I get back into it?

A: First off, you need ask yourself some questions. How long has it been since you ran on a regular basis? A week? Months? Years? How far and how often were you running when you ran regularly? A lot of how fast you can return to running depends on what you've been doing during your layoff.

The answers to these questions will help you figure out how to start again. If it's been 6+ months since you ran regularly for any kind of distance (I'm thinking more than 15K/week here) then I'd suggest pulling out the old Couch to 5K program.

Couch to 5K works wonders. It features reasonable mileage increases and is challenging enough for those coming back to running to enjoy it. You might be able to jump in at say, week 4 and then go from there. But the key is to take it slow. I'd recommend repeating the challenging workouts or even whole weeks, because it's better to play it safe than to overdo it. And if you've been a runner in the past, odds are you'll start out like a bat outta hell at first because of your enthusiasm and the chemical rush of running again.

I'd also recommend signing up for a 5K race 8-10 weeks out. It's great motivation to stick with a training program and enough to push you out the door on the days when the weather isn't perfect.

If it's been less than 6 months, then you can ease into a run/walk routine at a slow pace. The key is to get used to the stress of running without overdoing it. When I came back to running, I ran a 7 min/km pace (11:30ish/mi) and gradually increased my run walk intervals from 5:1 to 7:1 to 8:1 to 10:1 to 15:1 and so on. If I felt "off" or tired, I walked or repeated a run/walk interval before moving onto the next one. I never went over 32 minutes. The goal is to gradually increase your endurance while building a routine again. Don't worry about speed, it'll come.

No matter where you're starting from, there's nothing to be ashamed of when you're starting a training plan. Fellow runners on the streets, paths and trails won't judge you. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and you should be proud of the fact that you've taken that first step.

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.

My Weightloss Journey So Far

About a month ago I mentioned that my husband and I were rejoining Weight Watchers. I'm proud to report that I've lost 8.8 lbs. since July 28th. It's been a nice, steady loss of about 1.5 lbs. a week. I'm starting to see a difference in my curves and how I feel. I hope to see a payoff in my running, as well. I'd ideally like to get down another 11 lbs., to my goal weight of 145.

I've also tried to incorporate more fruits and veggies this time around. Husband and I are eating at home more and planning more healthy meals. I adapted a Jamie Oliver recipe this week - a black bean and beef stirfry... it was fantastic and I'll likely add it to our list of favourite recipes.

Another key goal of mine in all of this is post-run recovery. I'm trying to improve my post-run fueling since, well, it used to be non-existent. I really believe that a lack of post-run nutrients contributed to my injury earlier this year. I never used to consciously plan to replenish my energy stores after tough runs. Without those nutrients, muscles can't repair themselves!

Now I do the post-run smoothie routine, complete with a vegan protein supplement, yogurt, frozen fruit and kale. They're super yummy and taste great after a hills, tempo or interval workout. I eat about two a week and I've noticed a difference in how quickly I bounce back from the exertion of a tough workout.

Digital Distractions

Back in June I posted about how I'd started running without my iPod. Just to recap, I used to be a devoted iPod listener when running. The only time I ran without it was at races because of the sheer number of people. Otherwise, it was an essential part of my running gear. I felt like the bionic woman as I strapped on my iPod, Garmin, RoadID bracelet, phone... the list just kept on getting longer!

But not anymore.

Interestingly enough, there's an article in today's Globe and Mail about the dangers of being too plugged in. The study's authors say that using digital devices to distract or entertain yourself during every waking moment may lead to brain fatigue and impair the brain's ability to process and store memories. I particularly liked this quote:

But all things being equal, Prof. Ratey said, he would prefer to see people do their workouts away from their devices: “There is more bang for your buck doing it outside, for your mood and working memory.”

I agree with this 100%. Most people think they'll hate exercising if they don't have something to help pass the time. I used to be the same way. Just try going iPod/Blackberry/mp3-free for a week while exercising and see how you feel after. Who knows, you might not go back!

The surprise run

On Tuesday morning I woke up early. An hour and a half early. Ugh. I didn't mean to, but I did. Needless to say, my sleep pattern is all screwed up right now. Anyhow, I figured that since I was already up that I might as well go for a run. It was actually nice out, as opposed to the three previous days of monsoon-like rain. I quietly gathered my gear without disturbing the sleeping husband, got dressed, and headed out the door.

I'd actually scrapped my run the night before as my husband had just returned from a 5-day bachelor party in Las Vegas. I wanted to spend the time with him. I missed him while he was gone! I had planned to run on Monday morning, but couldn't convince myself to go out in the pouring rain.

The run I had scrapped was a 5K recovery run. I have a habit of running these too hard, of going overboard and generally not listening to my cranky muscles and tendons. So I figured Tuesday morning was a good time to run that recovery run and actually mean it.

That run was a great run. I was in the zone, happy as a clam, had zero pain or crankiness, and actually followed my prescribed 7 min/km pace. I still get the warm fuzzies thinking about that run!

There were several small victories on this run: I didn't stop to walk at all (I never used to, but since coming back from injury, I've needed to) and the hills seemed easy (always my weak point). I felt so good at the end! It was really gratifying to realize that the training, hard work and hours that I'm putting into my running is actually starting to pay off.

It's added motivation to continue to follow my training plan and not to get sucked into doing too much too soon.

Getting into a routine

I've started following my 10K training plan. I adapted a Hal Higdon Plan for intermediates and cut it down a bit. Originally the plan called for 5 days of running, 1 day of cross-training and 1 day of rest. Well, I know I'm nowhere near ready to run that often.

I met the criteria for the plan, which included having been a runner for a year or two and completed a number of races, including a 10K. That sure sounds like me!

Last week I ran a total of 14K, which included a wonderful 6K run on Sunday afternoon. We had torrential rain and thunderstorms all day long. We finally had a break during the late afternoon, so I quickly threw on my gear and headed out. The paths were empty, there was little wind and it was just beautiful. The rain and storms held off long enough for me to get my run in while staying dry!

The coolest part of the run was all the neat smells along the way... weird, I know. Near our house, it smelled like wet concrete, while along the route there were all kinds of wet vegetation smells. It was really neat.

Is it fall yet?

Seriously. This heat and humidity can take a hike. We've had crazy humidity again this week, culminating in some serious thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. As you guessed, my Tuesday run got canned.

I really can't afford to cancel too many runs, as I really need to work on getting my fitness level back up in order to start training for that 10K in early October. Right now 5Ks are still challenging. Uhoh. But at the same time, I'm actually looking forward to running some longer distances again!

And so, I barely woke up to my alarm this morning and rolled out of bed to run before the day's heat set in. I ran at 6:30 a.m. in 20C... 28C with the humidity. Blech. Thankfully there's some relief in sight for the weekend. Hooray!

Either way, the weather here - hot or cold - is better than it was down in the 'States two weeks ago. I was visiting friends in Northern Maryland and it was ridiculously hot. I was up at 6 am to run one morning and it felt like I was running in hot soup. I had to take walk breaks in order to actually get my breath back. When I got back to the cabin, my gear was sopping wet. The weather was so disgusting that I couldn't bring myself to run again two days later. It's too bad I can't find the historical weather for that run... I'd love to put it in with the run info. I bet it'd be a record for me.

What a week

Oh there was certainly something I wanted to write about. But I totally forgot!

This week has been absolutely insane. Our local music festival, Bluesfest, is on. I volunteer there for 6 shifts of 4 hours each. Then hubby meets me and we watch a few shows. We've seen some great ones so far, especially Basia Bulat and Arcade Fire. Passion Pit was awesome, too.

On top of that, work has been nuts, too. I've been working lots of overtime. Thankfully I'm on vacation next week... but the first four days involve a trip to the Baltimore area to visit friends. I need to pack! But I'm definitely looking forward to a change of scenery and a change in running routes.

Tomorrow I plan to get up early to run my hill training. Last week's hilly run didn't go so well, as it was way too hot and I was tired and slightly hungover from the night before. Not a good recipe for a good training run! I missed my Thursday run this week thanks to the craziness at work. I can definitely say I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule again.

Beating the heat

It's so hot.

There I said it.

Most of you probably already know that we're in the middle of a heat wave. Yesterday, the temperaturehit 34C (45C with the humidex) and it's supposed to be like this for the rest of the week! I'm glad summer's finally here after our rainy June, but it's almost like someone flipped a switch.

The biggest challenge for me now is how to run in this heat. We haven't had a summer with this kind of extreme heat in about 5 years, so this is very much uncharted territory for me. In the past, I just moved my run to the next day... but that's not an option when we're talking 4-5 days straight of this weather. Other times I've run in the late evening, like around 8-9 p.m. - but again, it's still hot then!

Today I thought I'd get up early and run before things really started to bake. I headed out the door shortly after 6:30 a.m. It was already 32C with the humidex! Crazy! Thankfully I'm still running 30-35 minutes, so it wasn't too unbearable. And there was a good breeze and the sun wasn't totally up yet. I think I may have to head out even earlier on Thursday morning!

How do you beat the heat? Short of cancelling my run altogether, I can't really think of any other ways to avoid running in the sauna.

Humbling Hills

All is well in running land. I got up early on Sunday to head out for my first workout involving hills. I ran for 15 minutes, walked for 1. Then ran up the steep hill and walked down it twice. The I ran for another 10 minutes and ran up an even steeper hill at the end of my run. I nearly keeled over when I reached the top!

I have to say that I felt pretty out of shape by the end of that workout. I plan to do this each weekend to improve my running on hills, as my regular route is pretty much flat as a pancake and my next two races involve more than a nice gradual incline over 2 or 3 metres!

The rest of the time I'm just taking it easy. Today I'm planning to run 30 minutes and I'm hoping to do it without needing walk breaks.

The best laid plans...

Life and work have been hectic lately, so I haven't had much time to think about posting here. I hope everyone's well!

Physio is chugging along. The last few sessions have been pretty intense. I'll admit that I dropped a few f-bombs during needling. See, my physiotherapist doesn't just stick needles in and leave you on the bed to pass out... she actively moves them in and out of muscles. It hurts, but it works. It's a good thing I like her, or else I don't think I'd ever want to see her again! haha.

I have two more weeks of multiple sessions per week, then I move to one session a week and I get to start running again! Yippee! Just in time for awesome spring-time running.

The thought of running again led me to seriously look at my racing plans for 2010. I sat down and looked at my schedule and timing for the half marathon on May 30. I realized that it's going to be tough to fit in a 10-week training plan starting from scratch. I haven't run in 2 months.

My husband and I were talking it over last night and I think that dropping out of the HM to run the 10K is a much more sane idea. I really don't want to try to train for the HM only to end up injured, again. The safer approach is to work my back up to the 10K for Ottawa Race Weekend, and then focus on a fall Half Marathon. The extra few months will give me enough time to safely rebuild my base mileage, to continue to build my core, and to properly train for the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles.

I'm lucky in that Ottawa has tons of races of all distances year round, so there's lots to choose from later in the racing season. My favourite race of the racing season, Emilie's Run 5K, is in mid-June and I don't want to miss it. It's a flat course with a fast field, so the race is a good bet for a new personal record in the 5K.

This whole adventure has been a tough pill to swallow, but I know that I'm going to be a stronger and faster runner by the end.

Why?

Someone asked me the other day why I cut back a run to 3K. I realized that I was so focused on the numbers that I forgot to explain exactly what I did and why.

I used to run 8K on Tuesdays and in order to add an extra day of running, I split the distance into two runs. Because I'm now running 2 days back-to-back, one day should be shorter than the other. This is especially important because I need to slowly expose my muscles to the concept of running 2 days in a row, without a rest period in between.

While I deal with that, I won't be increasing my mileage or doing any speedwork. This is a really conservative approach, intended to avoid injury. I'll maintain the 4x a week and a long run of 13K.

Why? The rule of thumb for runners is that too much too soon (TMTS) will result in an injury. Almost every kind of injury is caused by this in some way shape or form... whether it's too fast, too far, too long. In the end, it's all too much, too soon.

The 3K run on Monday felt good. But, short. I was just getting into a groove and then it was over! Tuesday's 5K was good. It felt like more of a workout than a run around the block. My legs were a little cranky halfway through, and the mainly up-hill route didn't help either.

Now I feel like I should be running again tonight. I must be patient!

A week of milestones

This week I'll hit quite a few milestones. I'm pretty excited about them because it really drives home the fact that careful, measured training can pay off.

Tonight I'll mark the first milestone: the beginning of the second phase of my pre-half marathon training. This week I begin running four times a week. It doesn't sound like a big deal, I know. But, it's such a huge step for me. I tried to do this back in September, but it was just too much too soon. Now I'm ready to make the jump. For the next four weeks I will maintain my mileage at 28K a week. I'll run 3K on Mondays, 5K on Tuesdays, 7K on Thursdays and 13K on Saturdays. I just need to remember to slow down. I've been running my long runs too fast, even though my perceived effort is consistent. I always end up feeling like I could've gone faster.. but that's a post for another day.

I'm really looking forward to tonight's run. It's supposed to be warm (I love how warm is a relative term in the winter months!) at -3C, with some snow. I love running in downtown Ottawa at this time of year. The Christmas lights are lit and it feels so cheery and festive. I always come back from my runs in a good mood.

November was a good month

A very good month for me on the running front. I had the new personal best in the 5K at the Cookie Run. I've also been following a training plan that I built for myself.

The goals of the training are to increase my mileage to 20-25 miles per week (that's 32-40km a week for the metric folks) and to run four times a week. Now I can't do this all at once, so Novemeber was just mileage building. This past week I ran 27km, which is a new weekly mileage record. And for the month of November, I ran just over 101km. That number is huge for me! It beats my old mileage high by 20km.

December should deliver a new mileage record, too... providing all goes as planned. I increase by 2km again this week (8/8/13) then a break next week (5/5/10). After that I'm moving to the 4 runs a week phase for 4 weeks, with no mileage increases planned. I might be able to add mileage at the end if I'm feeling okay, but for now the plan is to tackle one phase of training at a time.

I also plan to run the Running Room's Resolution Run on December 31st. Hopefully it'll be warmer than the -25C we had last year!