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.

Aww

Look at this cute little guy! He was just hanging out in the middle of the path on Saturday morning. I tried to herd him back onto the grass but he didn't want to go.

I hope he didn't get smooshed by the bikes. He was TINY!

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.