This weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia to catch up with an old friend and run my first half marathon. To be honest, this wasn't a race I was super excited about. I mean, I wasn't dreading it, but this was never really my goal race; it just fit nicely into my training schedule and was a good opportunity to take a mini-vacation. However, I still wanted to do my best.
There was a pretty major hitch in my plans starting the week of the race. Namely, I got sick. Not the worst of illnesses in the whole world, but I did come down with a virus that's being passed around which left me congested, tired, and with a killer sore throat. But I'd already committed to a weekend in Philly, and paid the exorbitant entrance fee, so I sucked it up and planned on completing the race regardless of how I was feeling.
The day before the race was awful - I didn't sleep well the night before and that was when the worst of my sinus pressure and congestion hit me. After spending the morning at the exhibit hall and then spending the afternoon touring Philadelphia, Cristin and I headed back to the hotel to rest for a little while. I ended up falling asleep and woke up feeling like I was hit by a truck. I took a super hot shower, which helped clear things up, but it wasn't looking good going into the race the next morning.
I had been praying that the Lord would grant me improved health by Sunday morning, and sure enough, I woke up feeling much, much better, but nowhere close to 100%. We got up early, ate a healthy breakfast, and then headed over to take pictures at the Rocky statue and run up the art museum steps before the race. Then we slowly made our way into our corral and waited until they let us start the race.
I started running and quickly sunk into a comfortable 10:30 mm pace. It was a little quicker than I'd been running, but it was a nice, cool morning, and the race route was really flat. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself too hard, so I just trusted my effort level. I was able to keep up that pace for the first half of the race, still feeling strong. My throat hurt, and I felt like my head was in a cloud - I had no awareness whatsoever of anything around me - but I felt good breathing-wise and leg-wise. At about the 9-mile mark, things started going downhill.
Runners know that a large portion of the ability to perform in races is having the mental toughness to push yourself when you want to quit. Probably because I had been sick and hadn't been sleeping well, my willpower was just not all there. Just before I hit the mile 10 marker, I stopped to take a break. The break ended up lasting 2 miles. I am pleased to say that I did pull it together to run in the last mile, and I ended up coming in right at 2 hours and 30 minutes. Had I been able to just slow down a little and jog those two miles, I probably would've made it in 2:22, but at least I'll know what I'm capable of for my next half-marathon.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
One year ago
Yesterday I finished my long run for the week. It was 11 miles. This is not an overly challenging distance for me. I was running 11 mile long runs prior to even starting official marathon training. In some ways, it makes me feel like I'm stuck in limbo; like I'm not actually progressing towards my goal of finishing a 26.2 mile race. And then I think of where I was a year ago.
One year ago, I had experienced the first twinging in my knee. One year ago, I was running distances of 10 miles multiple days in a row. One year ago, I finished a long run of 18.7 miles on a knee that started hurting 4 miles in. One year ago, I set myself to be hurt to the point that my knee needed surgery and I wouldn't be able to run at all for many months.
A few weeks ago, I started getting nervous about the emphasis that my training schedule was placing on long runs. As a rule of thumb, most coaches would advise that the long run consists of 40% or less of your total weekly mileage. Mine was pushing 50%. So I switched to a plan that was heavy on mid-week distances and quality runs, and more conservative on the long-run distances.
I honestly don't know how it will pan out in the end, but I can tell you that although my knee is still a little twingey, it feels strong. I've made it a little bit closer to my marathon date without an injury. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned in all of this. Instead of relying on my efforts alone to get me to my goal, I have to have faith in the plan and the preparations.
Regardless of my performance on October 30th or the outcome of the race, I'm looking forward to at least getting to the starting line. That's a heck of a lot farther than I made it last year!
One year ago, I had experienced the first twinging in my knee. One year ago, I was running distances of 10 miles multiple days in a row. One year ago, I finished a long run of 18.7 miles on a knee that started hurting 4 miles in. One year ago, I set myself to be hurt to the point that my knee needed surgery and I wouldn't be able to run at all for many months.
A few weeks ago, I started getting nervous about the emphasis that my training schedule was placing on long runs. As a rule of thumb, most coaches would advise that the long run consists of 40% or less of your total weekly mileage. Mine was pushing 50%. So I switched to a plan that was heavy on mid-week distances and quality runs, and more conservative on the long-run distances.
I honestly don't know how it will pan out in the end, but I can tell you that although my knee is still a little twingey, it feels strong. I've made it a little bit closer to my marathon date without an injury. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned in all of this. Instead of relying on my efforts alone to get me to my goal, I have to have faith in the plan and the preparations.
Regardless of my performance on October 30th or the outcome of the race, I'm looking forward to at least getting to the starting line. That's a heck of a lot farther than I made it last year!
Monday, August 8, 2011
No Excuses
Marathon training was going along just fine, and then I just stopped wanting to run. Obviously, this is a problem I've dealt with in the past, but it's kind of critical if I'm going to successfully complete a marathon in three months that I not let that happen. So what do I do? Two things.
1 - I switched to a different training plan. This plan still builds weekly mileage, but puts less emphasis on the weekly long runs. It also mixes up the types of runs a little more each week, which means that I get to tour different parts of my neighborhood depending on whether I'm going to do track work or hills or fartleks or what not.
2 - I implemented "no excuses" week. No matter what, I will complete my work outs and eat well this week. Period. No excuses are acceptable. I just need a solid week or two to stick to my plan without waivering, and hopefully that will get me back on track.
So far I got my run in this morning (on a track, no less, which is a huge victory for me!). I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes!
1 - I switched to a different training plan. This plan still builds weekly mileage, but puts less emphasis on the weekly long runs. It also mixes up the types of runs a little more each week, which means that I get to tour different parts of my neighborhood depending on whether I'm going to do track work or hills or fartleks or what not.
2 - I implemented "no excuses" week. No matter what, I will complete my work outs and eat well this week. Period. No excuses are acceptable. I just need a solid week or two to stick to my plan without waivering, and hopefully that will get me back on track.
So far I got my run in this morning (on a track, no less, which is a huge victory for me!). I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Funny thing...
One of my least favorite things to do each year is go in for my annual check-up. I like my doctor, and I know it's good to make sure there aren't any problems that I could be unaware of, but I just feel like it's usually so unnecessary. I don't have a history of serious ongoing medical problems (although, my list of random problems and issues that pop up is pretty impressive), and I'm perfectly fine going to the doctor if I have a concern. Regardless, I dutifully make my appointment to go every year because that's just what responsible people do.
Since I was there already, I decided I would finally ask my doctor about my weight. The struggle to get back to my pre-injury weight has been slow, and I still have at least ten more pounds to go. I was still trying to lose weight prior to when I got injured, so I was thinking that I would need to lose an additional 15 or so pounds beyond what I had previously weighed.
When I asked her what I should weigh, though, she got out her BMI wheel, looked at me, and told me that the BMI chart wouldn't give me a fair idea of what a realistic weight would be. Since I have a large frame and a muscular build (my interpretation is that she was describing as solid, hardy, sturdy), I was already at a healthy weight prior to getting hurt.
That's the first time I've ever heard a doctor say that I didn't need to lose weight, and unfortunately I heard it a year too late to appreciate it in the moment. But it does let me know that I am capable of achieving the one thing that I've felt has eluded me my entire life - good health.
Now I just need to lose these last ten pounds. Anything beyond that will just be a bonus!
Since I was there already, I decided I would finally ask my doctor about my weight. The struggle to get back to my pre-injury weight has been slow, and I still have at least ten more pounds to go. I was still trying to lose weight prior to when I got injured, so I was thinking that I would need to lose an additional 15 or so pounds beyond what I had previously weighed.
When I asked her what I should weigh, though, she got out her BMI wheel, looked at me, and told me that the BMI chart wouldn't give me a fair idea of what a realistic weight would be. Since I have a large frame and a muscular build (my interpretation is that she was describing as solid, hardy, sturdy), I was already at a healthy weight prior to getting hurt.
That's the first time I've ever heard a doctor say that I didn't need to lose weight, and unfortunately I heard it a year too late to appreciate it in the moment. But it does let me know that I am capable of achieving the one thing that I've felt has eluded me my entire life - good health.
Now I just need to lose these last ten pounds. Anything beyond that will just be a bonus!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A little push
I'm in week 3 of marathon training. So far, so good. Even though I'm using the same schedule I used last year, there are a few things I'm doing differently. Primarily, I'm actually strictly following the schedule.
Last time, I went into training thinking that since I started above the baseline capability for distance, I would just keep running the distances I had been until the schedule caught up with me. I'm not sure if that contributed to me getting hurt or not, but it probably did put some additional, unnecessary strain on my body. I'm also actually doing the speedwork drills the plan recommends.
I've never been fast, and honestly, that was never my goal. I just wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could run 26.2 miles at one time, so distance was always what was important to me. That's still mostly what's important to me, but I want to be able to run those 26.2 miles in a time I can be proud of. I want to know that when all is said in done, I not only ran a marathon, but I ran the best marathon I could. So I'm doing the speed drills.
I don't like speedwork. It's hard. It takes a lot of self discipline. A lot of times I want to throw up. And a lot more times I want to quit. But I'm pushing myself to do it. And the fun part is that after only a few weeks of incorporating one day of speedwork, I'm starting to see some results.
I don't think I've magically gotten faster in these few weeks. But I do think that I'm more comfortable pushing myself as a result. I'm learning that I haven't been giving myself enough credit. I've allowed myself to get comfortable performing at a level that is nowhere close to my potential.
It makes me wonder where else in my life have I let myself become complacent? Where am I comfortably settling into mediocrity instead of pushing myself to achieve my full potential? To be honest, I could easily a dozen areas in my life where that's the case. Maybe running isn't the only area where I need to give myself a little push.
Last time, I went into training thinking that since I started above the baseline capability for distance, I would just keep running the distances I had been until the schedule caught up with me. I'm not sure if that contributed to me getting hurt or not, but it probably did put some additional, unnecessary strain on my body. I'm also actually doing the speedwork drills the plan recommends.
I've never been fast, and honestly, that was never my goal. I just wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could run 26.2 miles at one time, so distance was always what was important to me. That's still mostly what's important to me, but I want to be able to run those 26.2 miles in a time I can be proud of. I want to know that when all is said in done, I not only ran a marathon, but I ran the best marathon I could. So I'm doing the speed drills.
I don't like speedwork. It's hard. It takes a lot of self discipline. A lot of times I want to throw up. And a lot more times I want to quit. But I'm pushing myself to do it. And the fun part is that after only a few weeks of incorporating one day of speedwork, I'm starting to see some results.
I don't think I've magically gotten faster in these few weeks. But I do think that I'm more comfortable pushing myself as a result. I'm learning that I haven't been giving myself enough credit. I've allowed myself to get comfortable performing at a level that is nowhere close to my potential.
It makes me wonder where else in my life have I let myself become complacent? Where am I comfortably settling into mediocrity instead of pushing myself to achieve my full potential? To be honest, I could easily a dozen areas in my life where that's the case. Maybe running isn't the only area where I need to give myself a little push.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
1 down, 19 to go!
I wasn't planning on an update today, but then I realized that it's been a week since my last blog post. Where has the time gone?!
To be honest, I don't feel like I have anything major to discuss or to note, but that in itself is noteworthy. I have finished my first week of official marathon training and I'm feeling good. I was nervous about increasing the frequency of my runs from 2-3 times a week to 5 times a week, but my knee seems to be holding out okay.
I guess the big reason I didn't feel I had much to write about was because I haven't had much that I was struggling with this past week. I've been looking forward to getting up and running, not trying to talk myself into just getting out of bed and putting my running clothes on. My head and heart have made a complete 180 from a few short weeks ago.
The funny thing is that these are the times that I should WANT to write about! The good feeling - when everything goes okay. I guess I take it for granted that there's no lesson to learn in these times, but there is! This is the pay-off for the frustration and difficulty that I've had to work through to get to this point. This is to be celebrated, and all praise directed to the Lord for His mercy.
On my run this morning, I remembered to thank God today for the strength He has given me, both physically and mentally. But I need to ask Him to also move my heart to cherish these good times and not take them for granted.
I have 19 weeks left to go. There's still plenty of time for things to go wrong, and plenty of opportunities to learn new lessons. For right now, I'll be thankful for the break!
To be honest, I don't feel like I have anything major to discuss or to note, but that in itself is noteworthy. I have finished my first week of official marathon training and I'm feeling good. I was nervous about increasing the frequency of my runs from 2-3 times a week to 5 times a week, but my knee seems to be holding out okay.
I guess the big reason I didn't feel I had much to write about was because I haven't had much that I was struggling with this past week. I've been looking forward to getting up and running, not trying to talk myself into just getting out of bed and putting my running clothes on. My head and heart have made a complete 180 from a few short weeks ago.
The funny thing is that these are the times that I should WANT to write about! The good feeling - when everything goes okay. I guess I take it for granted that there's no lesson to learn in these times, but there is! This is the pay-off for the frustration and difficulty that I've had to work through to get to this point. This is to be celebrated, and all praise directed to the Lord for His mercy.
On my run this morning, I remembered to thank God today for the strength He has given me, both physically and mentally. But I need to ask Him to also move my heart to cherish these good times and not take them for granted.
I have 19 weeks left to go. There's still plenty of time for things to go wrong, and plenty of opportunities to learn new lessons. For right now, I'll be thankful for the break!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Halfway
The last several months have been filled with uncountable frustrations and difficulties for me. Most of it was fueled by my injury and the havoc that wreaked on my daily routine. Regular exercise was out of the picture, and I was having a really hard time reigning in my eating habits. I've definitely struggled to maintain some control over my health, wellness, and fitness, and even though I managed to hang on without regaining all the weight I worked so hard to lose, I felt defeated.
I think I've reached a turning point in my efforts, though. For one thing, I'm excited about running again. It was a very strange experience to work so hard to be able to run and then not actually desire to go running once I was capable of it. I read an article in Runner's World recently that explained that some of that is related to fear of reinjuring yourself or of not being able to perform at your previous level, but most of it is simply because you're out of the routine. Hearing someone that had been a runner for two decades admit to the same struggle I was facing helped immensely.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've regained a lot of the enthusiasm for taking care of myself that I had lost. I've been eating much better, and I've been getting out and running on a more regular basis. This week I started my official marathon training. Following the prescribed schedule, I'll be cutting back on the distance of my long runs for a few weeks, but I'll be increasing my mid-week mileage (which means I'll be running five days a week instead of three). Having a schedule is good for me - it takes some of the pressure off of me to try to figure out what I should do/how far I should go.
I also have finally seen some significant results on the scale. I am now down 10 pounds from the most I weighed post-injury. I have about 10 more to go before I reach my pre-injury low (and unfortunately I had about another 15-20 to go before that). It took me six months to get back to this point. It was a difficult, emotionally challenging, frustrating six months, but being able to finally see these results validates the work, the determination, and the prayers that got me back here.
Maybe I'm halfway back to my pre-injury weight, but if I could measure the progress of my emotional and psychological health, my attitude, my heart, I think my spirit has progressed much, much farther than that. This experience has definitely tested my faith and determination, and I have a feeling that it will continue to test me. But I also know that every challenge we overcome makes us stronger, more confident, more faithful.
I make a point of praising God when I run. Maybe it hurts, maybe I want to throw up, maybe I'm tired and want to quit, but I'm capable of running, and I never regret the discomfort I went through once I'm back home.
Thank you, Lord, for my body that is strong and can run. Thank you for friends and family that have supported and encouraged me, especially when I was a depressed, emotional wreck. Thank you for showing me how strong I can be when I surrender my worries and cares to you.
I think I've reached a turning point in my efforts, though. For one thing, I'm excited about running again. It was a very strange experience to work so hard to be able to run and then not actually desire to go running once I was capable of it. I read an article in Runner's World recently that explained that some of that is related to fear of reinjuring yourself or of not being able to perform at your previous level, but most of it is simply because you're out of the routine. Hearing someone that had been a runner for two decades admit to the same struggle I was facing helped immensely.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've regained a lot of the enthusiasm for taking care of myself that I had lost. I've been eating much better, and I've been getting out and running on a more regular basis. This week I started my official marathon training. Following the prescribed schedule, I'll be cutting back on the distance of my long runs for a few weeks, but I'll be increasing my mid-week mileage (which means I'll be running five days a week instead of three). Having a schedule is good for me - it takes some of the pressure off of me to try to figure out what I should do/how far I should go.
I also have finally seen some significant results on the scale. I am now down 10 pounds from the most I weighed post-injury. I have about 10 more to go before I reach my pre-injury low (and unfortunately I had about another 15-20 to go before that). It took me six months to get back to this point. It was a difficult, emotionally challenging, frustrating six months, but being able to finally see these results validates the work, the determination, and the prayers that got me back here.
Maybe I'm halfway back to my pre-injury weight, but if I could measure the progress of my emotional and psychological health, my attitude, my heart, I think my spirit has progressed much, much farther than that. This experience has definitely tested my faith and determination, and I have a feeling that it will continue to test me. But I also know that every challenge we overcome makes us stronger, more confident, more faithful.
I make a point of praising God when I run. Maybe it hurts, maybe I want to throw up, maybe I'm tired and want to quit, but I'm capable of running, and I never regret the discomfort I went through once I'm back home.
Thank you, Lord, for my body that is strong and can run. Thank you for friends and family that have supported and encouraged me, especially when I was a depressed, emotional wreck. Thank you for showing me how strong I can be when I surrender my worries and cares to you.
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