Honest Runner

A Nice, Long Run

2010-08-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's been two years since I last updated this blog...maybe it's time to start again.

In the last two years, I've grown to love the structure provided by my local running store's group training programs. I can have the best of two worlds: group company when I need it (mostly when doing hard workouts where I'm not likely to push myself as hard as I could) and solo runs where I let my mind wander.

There is no place in my life where I let my mind wander as much as during the Saturday long run, where my running orders are to run an easy pace and keep my legs moving, mostly without stopping, for a set distance or time. I don't run with music, so it's just me and my thoughts. Today's run was 8.5 miles, which took me one hour and forty-five minutes to complete.

I'm lucky to live where I do, where I can run totally by myself for miles and miles. Well, not totally by myself. If I'm lucky, I encounter birds and the occasional rabbit or hare. Yes, I know it can be dangerous to run solo like this, but for some reason, running is the one area in my life where I've given myself permission to take the risk, because if I waited for a running companion...I'd still be waiting. And not running. And maybe the long-term health risk of such fear-inspired sedentarism is worse than the risk of having a heart attack or other accident in an isolated area. I don't know.

Today's run was supposed to be a group run, but I woke up late and missed the start time. Sometimes that's a plus, because maybe I don't want to chat for the whole time. Maybe I don't want to chat at all. Period. Sometimes I just want to be in my own head and run along, sort of in a dream state. Because although I know I'm thinking about things the whole time...sometimes I have trouble remembering just what my thoughts were. Just like it's hard to remember a dream after you wake up.

But mostly I think about wildlife and how well they generally get along if we humans don't get in their way. And then I think about how much we mess up their carefully timed, yet carefree, lives. We've taken away the effortless abundance that has fueled their lives for millennia and replaced it with scarcity and suffering. At the same time we've caused scarcity and suffering for our own, human kind. What kind of sense is there in that? And what more can I do to change that?

Well, there's always next week's run to ponder that some more.

Namaste.*

*The best part of me salutes the best part of you. Let us both be worthy of our space on this planet.

A Very Good Run

2008-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today's run went very well! I realized that there is probably nothing keeping me from running four miles except the mental factor. The level of effort that got me through three miles is something I can carry on for four miles, if I can will myself to continue. I played around with pace a bit in my last mile, hence the faster time there. I realized that my usual pace for mile one and two is a moderate level -- I was able to talk to myself in a somewhat clipped, short-sentenced conversation. The last mile, however, was at a faster pace that was definitely in the huffing/puffing category, a level that I don't usually push myself into.

Otherwise, nothing great to mention, except that I'm glad it's Thursday and that the weekend is almost here.

Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 33:08
Avg Pace: 11:03 min / mile
Lap 1 - 11:32 / mile
Lap 2 - 11:05 / mile
Lap 3 - 10:31 / mile

2-3-2-4

2008-09-22T18:56:00.001-07:00

OK, so I'm not running on a real plan these days - hence the blank under the "Scheduled Runs" section of this blog. However, bumming around on the forums over at www.runningahead.com (the site that also graciously hosts my training log), I saw a bit of advice for a new runner -- "mix up your runs" the poster wrote, and then went on to suggest four runs a week. 2 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, then 4 miles, for a total of 11 miles a week.

For some reason, this resonated with me a lot, so I started today. It boosts me up to running four days a week, but keeps my weekday runs short. The two mile run lets me experience what it's like to move my legs fast and strong, which I kinds like the idea of. Of course the reality may wind up being very different.

For now, I'm going to try the following for three weeks or so:

Monday - 2 miles
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 2 miles
Saturday - 4 miles

So, my two-mile run this morning was at a surprisingly fast pace for me (um, for me anything below 11 min/mile is screaming fast), even though it probably looked like plodding. And I'll be honest, I was huffing and puffing my way through it. There was no way I would have been able to carry on a conversation at this pace, though I did manage a decent and hearty "good morning" to a man parking his car. I need to look at my watch and pay attention to my breath and slow down.

It was nice to be running with the morning crows again. I miss watching them jostle for position on the top of a particular tall pine tree in my neighborhood.

The Urban Runner

2008-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

In between bouts of eating some Very Good Vegan Food in Los Angeles, I have also managed to squeeze in a run. Yesterday morning, before I lifted any forks, I put on my running shoes and headed out into the streets of the San Fernando Valley, just a few blocks north of Ventura Blvd. I enjoyed what I never enjoyed when I lived in Los Angeles - getting up early and exercising. I noticed what I never noticed before -- that there are precious few peopleout and about in the early morning and it's like having the teeming city to yourself. And despite never being more than a half-mile away from the always busy and noisy Ventura Freeway, you can hear birds call. I've taken to running without an iPod, so I can hear the birds (and hear the cars as they come barreling up from behind).

And so, I first heard a familiar call, but didn't quite believe that it was what I thought it was. And then I saw heard the call again and located the bird -- 'twas the black phoebe, aka the 'tuxedo bird,' so called because of its distinctive black and white coloring. This bird was just about the very first bird I learned when I moved to Chico and became the amateur birdwatcher that I still am. In Los Angeles they seem to have much more black on their breast than in Northern California, but their call and behavior are identical to their Northern relatives. And so it goes, full circle -- the birds were always there, I just didn't have the eyes to see them.

And the run? The run went well. Three miles isn't so long after all. I'll continue with three 2.5 mile runs for the work week or so, then try and boost my 'long run' to four miles by the weekend.

Aves and Reptilia

2008-09-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Another pre-work run under my belt! I had intended to run yesterday, but just couldn't get up in time. I attribute my reluctance to two things - the extra scoop of soy dream that I had the evening before and failing to sleep warmly enough. I somehow scooted the blanket off the bed in the night, so I was sleeping much colder than I like, which meant it wasn't restful recuperative sleep. Last night I bundled up a bit in sweatpants before bed, so I was much more comfortable from beginning to end. Having Tammy the cat snuggle next to me helped, too.

While running today I came across a poor run-over garter snake of a good size - it was very sad. And then on my cool down walk, I encoutered a small alligator lizard that looked like it had met the business end of a cat, poor thing. But on my Tuesday walk in the park with Daniel -- we came upon a very young rattlesnake on the trail. I didn't even see him/her, but Daniel is much better at pattern discrimination. He spotted it and we moved him/her off the trail. The little snake was about as big around as a Sharpie pen, had no rattles, and was about eight to ten inches long. I touched the end of his/her tail while Daniel was fetching an appropriate snake-relocation stick, and the rattle-less tail vibrated back and forth quickly and silently. It was electrifying.

Then...on our drive out of the park, as the sun was setting and the light turned dim and reddish, Daniel spotted a great horned owl up in an oak tree. As we watched, the owl swooped out of the tree, crossed over the road and landed on the ground, where he walked a few steps and then captured a small snake! We had binoculars and were able to see these details quite clearly, but we were not able to tell what species of hapless snake wound up being the owl's dinner. The owl grabbed the snake in his talons and swallowed the snake whole from atop a dinner-table fencepost. Chilling and amazing at the same time.

The Miles Increase

2008-09-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

After my 'long' run on Sunday, I decided to see how I felt about increasing the length of my weekday easy run to 2.5 miles. Turns out, it's doable! What a concept--the body responds to challenges. This morning I actually ran a bit further than 2.5 miles and the hardest part, oddly, was the middle of the run at the turnaround point. I can't explain it, but it was very tempting to walk for a bit. I decided not to, however, because past experience has told me that tactic just causes me to lose all momentum.

So, I pushed through the mental block and just kept going.

Thought for the day: I am doing something at the age of 44 that I have never voluntarily done since childhood--and even in childhood, I didn't enjoy it as much as I do now. Go figure.

Turkey Vultures for the Win

2008-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today was not supposed to be a run day. It was supposed to be a Bird Day - Big Day Birding with the Chico State Bird Club. But that group met up at 7:00am and I did not go to bed till 12:30am, so...that just didn't happen. So after sleeping in a bit, I decided to make today a longer run day, just to see if I could do it. Of course, I know that to many, a three-mile run doesn't qualify as a long run, but to this honest runner, it does. Looking back at my running log, I see that my last three-miler was on June 11, 2008 and that I had no special comments on it. As it turns out, that was my last run since I started running again this month.

Because I got started a little late, it was hot and it was quiet. My crow friends had already gotten their morning started hours before, though I did hear a lot of starlings and a few titmice as I started out. After those chipper fellows, however, all I heard were a few water pumps and diesel engines. Fortunately, there wasn't any almond harvesting going on, else it would have been tremendously dusty.

On my last quarter mile, I noticed a beautiful adult turkey vulture (pinkish red head!) fly over me, directly in line with the street, silently gliding. I assumed that he (she?) was scanning the road for roadkill. In my reverie I forgot to keep an eye on him, but on my cooldown walk I saw not one but two turkey vultures messing about with something dead way over on the side of the road. So the one vulture had landed right in front of my eyes, but I hadn't noticed!! Anyway, I walked over to the other side of the street so they wouldn't have to take off. They both hunched their wings, ready to alight, but I was happy that they actually stayed put to finish their gruesome Sunday brunch. A lovely way to end the run.

Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 33:29
Avg Pace: 11:09 min / mile

On the road...

2008-09-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Although I am traveling for work today, I got up early and ran two miles. On the street, on the sidewalk in front of the hotel - back and forth maybe two times. Cool and nice, very windy in one direction, not so windy in the other. Thank goodness for the Garmin, a reliable mile-keeper even in strange places. I mostly had the sidewalk to myself, so not too scary. One truck full of landscapers passed by, and I noticed that at least one of the gardeners inside craned his neck around to get a better look at me. That was a little inkling of the dangers of running in the suburbs.

Overhead I heard, but did not see, Canada geese. I saw them yesterday, as I was going to dinner with my co-workers. 'Tis the season.

There were crows heading out to wherever crows go this morning, just like on my morning run at home. It is comforting to be in the presence of crows. And lucky for me, crows are smart, adaptable, and weedy -- when we corrupt and destroy most of the rest of the planet's natural systems, I hope that at least crows will remain, if not prosper.

Distance: 2.00 miles
Time: 22:18
Avg Pace: 11:10 min / mile

Starting a Habit

2008-09-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Another run under my belt! This is starting to become a habit that feels good--at least when I'm finished with the run. Even though I'm only doing two-mile runs at this point, I have to say that I still feel like walking from the halfway point and on. That is probably a sign that I'm running too fast and need to slow down, but I already feel like I'm running pretty slowly as it is.

It would be interesting to see what a heart rate monitor would tell me about my level of effort, because my level of effort always feels moderate to high.

I'm going to be away for work on Friday, so I'm going to run again tomorrow. I'm curious to see if the run is any harder to do.

If nothing else happens today, at least I know that I have accomplished a two-mile run. Honestly, it feels that way.

Distance: 2.01 miles
Time: 22:01
Avg Pace: 10:58 min / mile

Pre-work Running and Blogging

2008-09-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Although I got a late start this morning on my run, I did it anyway - two miles in the cool early morning. I ran partly on road and partly on a dirt road that runs between orchard properties nearby. Doing so will make me late for work, but at this point, the running is way more important than work. I'll make up the time, don't worry.

My question: Why does the level of effort not vary for me? No matter whether I am running two miles or three miles, the runs all seem to require the same amount of effort. Very confusing.

No matter...I'm going to continue with the two-milers for a while. Maybe someday they will seem easy?

Distance: 2.00 miles
Time: 22:29
Avg Pace: 11:14 min / mile

A Walk in the Park

2008-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Not a run today, but a nice brisk one-hour walk in Lower Bidwell Park. About halfway through we encountered four young buck deer in the middle of the park. They had small velvet antlers and they moved quietly and carefully.

Later I made scrambled tofu from Vegan With a Vengeance and it was wonderful.

Saturday Runnin'

2008-09-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today I ran another two miles! I developed some soreness in my quadriceps after Wednesday's run, but I decided to run through it at an easy pace. So far so good! I REALLY need to incorporate some yoga into my routine, but I haven't done that yet.

It's not officially fall yet, but fall is in the air. I'm running without headphones, so all I hear is my breathing, my footsteps, and suburban nature. Today, I could hear the tiny crinkling sounds of the almond leaves as they dropped to the ground. The almond harvest has begun in earnest. Trees are shaking all over my neighborhood, which raises a tremendous amount of dust. This morning's run was on a different route from my usual one.

Anyway, it's going to be hot around here today, so I'm glad to have gotten my run finished before the heat really kicks in. As it was, it was about 80F!

I'm going over to my friend's house tonight for dinner -- I'm making vegan lasagna and also a batch of mini-cupcakes with frosting. It's a good thing I'm running again, so I can sort of afford these caloric splurges.

Distance: 2.01 miles
Time: 22:01
Avg Pace: 10:58 min

Back at it, again

2008-09-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

After doing a lot of hiking these past two weeks, I'm back in the mindset to run again. This morning I got up and ran a nice two-miler - not a big run, not even my formerly usual three-miler, but a run nonetheless.

I am happy that there wasn't a big change in my fitness level or speed, so I'll just keep at the two-mile distance for a week or so, then increase up to three miles. I considered starting a 5K training program through the local running store, but I think I'll do it on my own for a while until there's a 10K program later this season. I still have the pesky mid-hamstring pain in my left leg -- I noticed this quite a bit on some of my hikes, too, especially on the uphill portion. I'll keep monitoring it.

I need to focus on consistency, so I'm going to follow up each run with a post when I can. Just to put the period on the run.

There are two elements for me to add to my physical fitness routine - yoga and upper body (=pushups). For now, however, I'm content with running and hiking.

Pics from my hikes...
August 23 - Bumpass Hell and beyond
August 30 - Cluster Lakes with Sierra Club

Distance: 2.02 miles
Time: 22:50
Avg Pace: 11:19 min

Back at it

2008-06-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Back running again. Today was a 3-mile run - not easy, but not too hard, either. I was glad when the run was over, but I wasn't too bushed when it was done.

I don't know that I'll make it to a half-marathon, but I'm definitely going to keep running. Changing the schedule up again -- running on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, with a long run on Saturday. I think, if I skip too many days midweek, I lose momentum, so I'll try the weekday runs instead.

Yoga is still a go on Tuesdays. I'm loving the two-mile walk to the gym, too!

1/2 Marathon or Bust

2008-05-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm on my way to training for a 1/2 marathon about 11 weeks from now--about August 14. I don't know what race I'll be running in yet, but it'll be late August or early September. I'm following Marathoning for Mortals 1/2 marathon run program and am at the beginning of my third week (that sounds better than "at the end of my 2nd week"). The training starts out pretty easy, well within what I've already become used to, which is 30 minutes of straight running and 3-mile long runs. I can cover 2.65 miles in 30 minutes!

I have added yoga back into my schedule as my optional cross-training, which I am enjoying very much. Once a week I'm practicing Iyengar yoga with my old yoga teacher and it was like coming back home. In every class I'm facing my tight hamstrings. I was never very loose, but now I'm even tighter, even though I'm stronger than I ever was. Eventually I hope to work up to the 90-minute classes.

Running is now becoming more a part of my routine; I am requiring less effort to get out of the house and start my workout. Now that it's getting hotter (100F today!), running in the evening is almost out of the question. I'm going to bed earlier and getting up earlier -- early enough to run before I go to work! Today I ran at 6am and with any luck I will do so tomorrow.

I'll try to post more frequently, but you can always check my workouts and comments by clicking on the workouts to the left.

Santa Cruz 10K Summary

2008-04-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

santacruz10K
Originally uploaded by quagga2007

First of all, I want to thank everyone who sponsored me. Your generosity means a great deal to me and to the animals via the work of Vegan Outreach. Team Vegan raised $41,000 in direct support pledged to each runner. An additional $45,000 was donated to Vegan Outreach for Team Vegan as a very generous match.

I must say, the run went perfectly for me. I was a little concerned that the weather and the course would be adverse, but that proved to be needless worrying.

Friday was my travel day and I was giddy with anticipation -- both for the upcoming race and for a plain old day off from my job. I checked the weather for Santa Cruz and found it was going going to be weather nearly identical to Chico, at which I rejoiced -- no rain or wind to contend with! We loaded up the GPS for the car and I packed up all my stuff, giving thanks for Alex's perfect packing checklist. My paraphernalia included:

Garmin 205 wristwatch
running pants
running socks
running shoes
running t-shirt
running jacket/windbreaker
Road ID necklace
sunscreen
(can you tell what's missing from this list?)

We filled up the car with gas and pointed the GPS to Oakland, where we stopped to have lunch at my favorite little vegan spot -- the Golden Lotus. I ate a delicious bowl of wonton soup and shared some of Daniel's delicious caramelized chicken and fried rice. We took two pieces of their vegan chocolate mocha cake to go. Later, we checked into our little hotel room and met up with Team Vegan in Capitola at the Dharma Cafe for dinner. I got my super-cool Team Vegan runner's shirt and had a light dinner. Daniel and I headed back to our hotel, where I showered and then soaked in a delicious bubble bath. I don't think I've been so thoroughly exfoliated in a long time.

The 10K race started at 7:15am, and I had instructions to show up about 1 hour ahead, which meant a very early wakeup so I could eat breakfast and use the bathroom at the hotel before the race start. I set the alarm for 5:30am and went to bed early.

Saturday morning was dark, but not nearly as cold as I had feared. The weather said it was 52F, which was six degrees warmer than my coolest run in Chico. But alas, I had forgotten to pack shorts!!!! Oh noes! I didn't want to run in my long pants, because I have discovered that hot running is very fatiguing. Fortunately, Daniel had left his running gear in the back of the car, so I borrowed his shorts and ran in them. Hence, the skirt-like appearance of my shorts.

There were about 8,500 runners in both the 10K and Half Marathon, and the 10K group was much smaller than the HM group. It still seemed like a pretty large group to me. I warmed up by walking by myself on the pier and enjoying a quiet morning. It was wonderful. And, so, I lined up, first in the middle of the pack with a couple of other Team Vegan runners, but then I decided to move to the back of the pack. One of the other runners had reminded me of two things -- one, if you start from the back, you get to pass people as you find your pace, and two,
the uphill at the beginning becomes a downhill at the end. It took about a minute after the timer started for me to pass the gateway with the timing sensors.

I've written far too much...so I'll wrap up quickly. My run strategy was to do it completely in intervals of 5 minutes run / 1 minute walk, which is what I did. Except for the interval when I didn't hear the Garmin alarm because I was distracted by whales! That's right, I saw whales off the bluffs of Santa Cruz! And a lovely friendly little red long-haired kitty. I stopped for the cat--that's how much I love cats! I stayed with pretty much the same group of runners, gazing with awe at the other 10K runners who were coming back the other way before I was even halfway done. The Santa Cruz course has the lovely feature of a steady hill at the beginning...which turns into a fast downhill at the end (of course, fast is relative term...).

I finished and my sweetie was there to take pictures of me crossing the finish line. I wasn't out of breath and recovered really well. I wasn't even sore afterwards!

Santa Cruz Here I Come

2008-04-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

My last week of training is behind me. The week ahead is taper week -- easier workouts preceding the big run (try as I might, I cannot call it a race).

Today I was scheduled for 3-mile run for the beginner 10K schedule, but I decided to see how I felt at 3 miles to see if I could go for 4 miles. At the 3-mile mark (I love my Garmin!), I asked my body to complete 4-miles, which it did, albeit grudgingly. Toward the last quarter-mile I had a nice chat with myself--to remind myself that in November I was officially a non-runner. In December I started with C25K again (I started with week 5), and just kept running. Until my lazy spell last month.

Now that I'm back on a pretty regular running schedule, I again feel that sense of well-being again. Why oh why do I keep forgetting about that feeling?

I timed my 4 miles to end at a house where a particularly nice yellow lab lives. He's just a goofy dog who comes barreling out with a bit of an intimidating woof, but I've learned to ignore that. We've had a couple of generous belly and ear rubbin' sessions, so now he kind of knows me. Well, today he fell in love with me. Even though I didn't even know his name.

After our scritchin' session, I guess he decided it was a Day for An Adventure. So, he followed me as I walked back home, about 3/4 mile away. He's followed me before, but I always thought he was kind of scared to leave his home turf (not that there are a lot of loose dogs around here), because he always stopped after about 100 yards and turned around. Not today!

Today he just kept following me. I was joking with him that he wanted to find out where I lived--a dog stalker, if you will. We passed by a beekeeper tending his hives (bee veil and all) and he was slightly tormented by the bees, but I don't think he was stung . (No yelping.) When that happened, I just figured he'd follow me home, I'd stick him in the car and drive him back. Even though he could probably find his way home, I didn't want that burden on my heart.

So, he trotted a hundred feet ahead of me, looking back to make sure I was still there, wandering off into the orchards every now and then. When we got to my house, I opened the back of the Jeep, but he didn't jump in. So I had to put his front legs up, then hoisted his hind legs up and then closed the hatch. Then I ran into the house and got the car keys and drove him back home.

When I got back to his house, his person, Marie, told me his name was Duke (is that a cute name or what??). Anyway, I explained what happened and let Duke out. She held onto his collar, and I drove off. BUT, he tore away from her and ran into the street. It's a good thing I was driving slowly, because he ran across the street. I'll be darned if he didn't run alongside my slow-moving Jeep. Well, seeing this, I figured I'd just speed up and see if I could leave him behind so he'd turn around and go home. No go! He turned into a yellow-lab greyhound, for goodness' sakes! He did that full leg extension run that you see on the side of a Greyhound bus!

So I stopped the Jeep in the middle of the road and hauled him into the back of the Jeep...again. I had to hoist him again, too, because I don't think he was too keen on going back to boring, safe old home. Today was his Big Adventure, you see.

Anyway, we went back home, where Marie was waiting for him. We tried to lead him out to his kennel, but he started doing these Gandhi passive resistance moves on me. When I tried to lead him to the back of their property, he just laid down in protest! Marie tried to tempt him with the call of treats, but since she didn't actually produce the goods, he literally didn't take the bait. Anyway, we finally got him into the garage. I told Marie to keep him in there for a while so he could mellow out a bit. When I got home I told Daniel to be on the lookout for a yellow lab named Duke who was looking for adventure.

Duke knows where we live. And I'm sure he'll be back.

Where Have I Been??

2008-03-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Where have I been, indeed! My calendar says that theoretically I am at the end of Week 9 of Team Vegan training...but Life happens and really I am not that far along.

Sedentarism is a hard habit to beat, and as I force myself out the door to do my run it's sometimes the ONLY thing I think about as I plod along.

Let's see...my last post was back in my innocent days of Team Vegan Week 2...aah, the easy runs. Here's what happened after that:

Week 3 - 2/10-17 - kept up with training! Yay me!
Week 4 - 2/18-24 - Nada. Sheer laziness. I spent a lot of time surfing on those evenings.
Week 5 - 2/25-3/2 - kept up with training! Yay me!
Week 6 - 3/3-9 - Nada. Sheer laziness wins out again.
Week 7 - 3/10-3/16 - legitimate Nada - raging sinus infection, some lung congestion , too.
Week 8 - 3/17-23 - Nada. Maybe legitimate - sinus infection still on the mend, but still having sore throat and general nose issues.
Week 9 - 3/24-30 - Panic setting in as I realize race day is almost here...

So, Honest Runner that I am, I must confess that I have not been keeping up with the training program. I can point to a couple of setbacks after my glorious Week 2 runs in the Park. In Week 3, I again tried to run in the park, one time running after work, which I thought was really cool. But when I tried this run-after-work scenario again, the weather was cold and blustery and I started too late. So that particular run was discouraging. I wound up walking most of it AND getting terribly cold while walking back to the office.

The sinus infection was a major bummer. I don't want to whine about it too much, but I'll just say that I'm still trying to get over it. It's not an acute sinus issue anymore, more of a chronic one that makes me feel like I'm operating at only 90% instead of 100%.

Consequently, every workout starts out with a major pep talk, since I feel a little crummy and though I feel much better afterwards, it's still hard to get started. Poor me, I know.

So, where do I stand now? Well, for one, I'm glad that I signed up for only a 10K. I've changed my long run (and race) strategy to 5-minute run/1-minute walk intervals instead of trying to keep a steady pace, since I'm pretty sure that I would fail at that. My run today was a test run, to see if the interval strategy will work, and I think it will. I was able to run 6.44 miles in 1.25 hours. I had to push myself for every minute of running in the last couple of intervals, but I did it! If the conditions at Santa Cruz are not too adverse, I should be able to complete the race.

But I'm worried. Santa Cruz is supposedly a hilly course -- so that might kill me. And if there's any headwind, well, that will poop me out -- there was a stretch on my run today that was straight into a north wind. Those intervals were the hardest to run.

Anyway, that's enough negativity...I accomplished a long run with less than adequate preparation and it didn't kill me!

A part of me wonders: If I had kept up with my blogging through the month of March, maybe I would have better at keeping up with my training...

Nature sightings: On today's run I saw the first western kingbird of the season, some swallows, a dead robin (so sad), a black phoebe, and two of the friendliest yellow labs you could hope to meet. Good stuff!

Team Vegan Week 2 - A Mad Dissatisfaction

2008-02-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here I am, at the beginning of Week 3 of the Team Vegan Challenge. A few things are clear -- sedentary habits are hard to break, my stamina has increased tremendously, and I do, in fact, enjoy running.

On the last point, that I enjoy running. Yesterday I ran for four miles in Bidwell Park and I became one of those people who you see running the trails along the edge of Vallombrosa. The significance of this for me is incalculable, since for years I have been driving along Vallombrosa and seeing these lovely runners of all shapes and sizes. Every time I see these runners, I am driven slightly bonkers by a mad dissatisfaction with my own life that I am not running free along a lovely park trail.

A mad dissatisfaction with my own life. That instead of being outdoors, I am in an office. It's a lovely office with lovely people, but an office nevertheless. Sitting in a chair that fits my backside all too well. And so, yesterday's run was a watershed moment in my life. I can't wait to repeat it as the year progresses, since I know the park in all its seasons and I know that soon the park will start raising up showy and not-so-showy wildflowers for my enjoyment, followed by butterflies and birds raising their young. I will walk through the park many times this year, no doubt, but I will also run through the park.

The Garmin acted up on me (read: I couldn't figure out which buttons to push), so I wasn't able to download the data from my run, but I figured I was running at a good clip for me, maybe 5.5 mph. Because that pace was a little too fast for the long run, I had to take a couple of short walk breaks (1-2 minutes). It seems that at this point, I can only run in two speeds, "too fast" and "too faster". I can't seem to master the easy pace, the one they say you're supposed to run for most of your running, the one where you can talk. Finding my first, second, and third running gear is going to be a challenge, once that I must solve or else I will be sure to run myself into an injury. As it is, I am experiencing some post-run soreness in my hamstrings and as well as a little tenderness in my left knee. Nothing is bothering me during the run. My left hamstring is bothering me the day after the run, but nothing else. I am concerned.

The subject of injury brings me to the third thing that I know about myself: sedentary habits are hard to break. Proof: I have done zero cross-training in Week 2 AND also skipped my Thursday easy run. Why did I skip them? Because the sofa is comfortable habit that is hard to break. I recall clearly my feelings on Thursday when I was supposed to run an easy three miles. I planned to run at lunch time at work...which I missed. Then I said I could take off at 4:30pm and still run in the park after work...which I missed. Then I brought my gear bag home, and planned to run on the treadmill...which I also missed. I didn't forget, but rather I deliberately chose to sit on the sofa.

The mind knows what to do, but the body refuses. Why? And does thinking about it solve anything? Does blogging about it? Where is the stranger within who started me running in the first place?

On to Week 3!

Team Vegan Week 2

2008-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

How about that? I get to jump to week 2 already because the San Francisco kickoff was technically week 1!

The trip to San Francisco was a little iffy because of the forecast of rain...but the night before the skies were clear and I could see stars, so I was pretty sure that the rain would hold off. I set the alarm for 5:15am and hoped for the best. On Saturday morning I woke up, made myself some oatmeal, packed my gear and by 6:15am Daniel and I hit the highway en route to the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Mason Center. Thank to the iPod and This American Life podcasts, we made it through drizzle and a bit of rain (no fog! yay!) to meet up with the group right at 9:15am.

And what a group it was! Everyone was so nice! And so young! And so fit. Marathon Matt is a cool guy -- he thought it was great that I decided to go for the 2-mile run instead of the 1-mile workout. I thought it was pretty cool, too. That I voluntarily ran for twice the distance that I had been asked to is a pretty big deal.

We learned some stretches and got some pointers on form and cadence. (Did you know that it's more efficient and easier on your body to take many small steps than fewer long steps? The magic pace is 180-190 steps per minute, I discovered. The average person's pace is 140 steps per minute.) So we ran and I survived. My Garmin says I ran a pace of a little under 10 minutes per mile, which is, like, screaming fast for me. I kept up with the group is all I know, though I was huffing and puffing more than was appropriate for an "easy" run.

My reward for all that was a lovely lunch at Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason Center, about which I'll post separately.

So, I survived the workout. We survived the pouring rain that accompanied us all the way back to Chico, too -- three hours of nonstop driving rain. Ugh! We were glad to be home again, that's for sure. Poor Daniel drove all the way!

Which brings me to today...Week 2 of Team Vegan training. Today's run was an easy 3 mile run. (I can hardly believe that I can think of an easy 3-mile run, but there you go...bless the C25K program is all I can say.) I practiced my cadence and took tiny steps on the treadmill -- and discovered much to my surprise that many fast small steps are far easier than fewer long steps. They are easier on my stamina, that's for sure. I can't tell for sure whether it's easier on my joints. Right now my left knee is complaining a little bit, but not too bad.

I can't wait for my Thursday run!

Week 9 Day 2

2008-01-31T21:33:00.000-08:00

So, today's lesson is...prepare mentally for your run during the day, be well hydrated, don't eat dinner beforehand...and you, too, can run for 36 minutes without feeling bad. As a matter of fact, you'll feel pretty darn good. The hardest part was getting on the treadmill in the first place. Once on it, well, I just kept going. It helped to be listening to an interesting episode of This American Life. I love that show.

On Saturday, I'm heading over to San Francisco to run with Team Vegan and Marathon Matt! Afterwards there will be a team brunch with Vegan Outreach at Greens Restaurant. Woohoo. I hope it doesn't rain, because if it's too rainy we might not go.

Week 9 Day 2

2008-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

OK, so I was lazy and did not do my run on Wednesday as I had planned. I was very very lazy and let other stuff, like baking failure cookies (I made peanut butter cookies that never firmed up and chocolate chip cookies that were way too crispy -- it was an odd double failure recipe night for me), deter my from my run.

I have to be in the Bay Area for work today and tomorrow (that's Thursday and Friday), so...I got up at 5:00am today and wound up getting on the treadmill at 6:00am. How's that for dedication? And then I got in the car by 8:20am and drove to Berkeley.

Because it was so early in the morning, I decided to simply run for 30 minutes, plus the usual C25K warmup/cooldown. I could have run for the alternative 3 miles had I not been strapped for time. Or if I had started running at 5:00am or shortly thereafter instead of frittering away the early morning until it was almost 6:00am. I am SO good at frittering!

It would have been a whole lot easier had I simply deferred my cookie baking until after a run.

BUT, I have had the most wonderful feeling of wellness and accomplishment all day at my work meeting. It's like my legs are sending waves of "you did it! you can do it!" chemicals to my brain. I understand how and why folks arrange their lives so they can go running in the morning, just for the lingering feel-good aspect of it. I may stay on schedule and run tomorrow when I get back from San Francisco because I won't really have a chance to run on Saturday.

Week 9 Day 1

2008-01-21T21:54:00.001-08:00

Hey, this post is not a mistake...I'm re-doing Week 9 because I never finished it last week. Today I was back on the treadmill doing my usual run, a lot like last week!

I am really happy that my stamina has increased so that I can run for 36 minutes straight to complete a full three-mile run. I'm going into new territory here. Not just longer distances and longer running times, but also the discipline to keep going, even though the sedentary arms of the sofa nearly grabbed me back and held me prisoner. I had planned to run several times last week, starting on Thursday night. Then Friday, Saturday, well...you get the picture. That old inertia is still lurking in my psyche, that's for sure.

That's why this week is critical. I don't want to fall into a pattern of excuses following my Monday run. I have to do some traveling this week for work, which means that it will be very easy for me to skip running. My very short-term goal is to complete Wednesday's run as scheduled. If I can do that, I will be very happy with myself.

Week 9 Day 1

2008-01-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't been too consistent this week, I'm afraid. I didn't run on Monday like I planned, so I ran on Tuesday morning outside. We were leaving for MacWorld in San Francisco at 10am, so I started at 9am. Outside, in the real world.

I felt really good in the first part of the run, but then got too tired toward the end and stopped running before I made my 30-minute mark. When I downloaded the data from the Garmin (which is the fun part about running outdoors!), it turned out that I was running way too fast. When I'm on the treadmill I run a steady 12-minute mile (5mph), but when I ran outside my average pace was about 10:30-mile, so no wonder I was tired!

I also gave myself a case of shin splints, I think. My shins were really sore -- the first real soreness I've experienced since I started C25K. I used this soreness to postpone my Wednesday run from Wednesday to now Friday.

Carry on!

Week 8 - DONE!

2008-01-13T22:06:00.001-08:00

C25K Week 8 is complete! I can hardly believe that I am almost done with this program. Monday's run was weird because I had to run at the gym -- the power was out at the house because of Friday's storm. It was very noisy and there were so many people around! Blech. But...I was one of those people who I used to admire -- you know, the person working out next to you who just keeps going and and going at a faster pace or steeper incline than you are!

Wednesday's run was back at home -- our power came back on Tuesday night. (Thank you and bless you PGE!!) I postponed and postponed, but I finally started my run at 9:00 pm or so.

Friday's run was a challenge -- I decided to try the distance recommendation rather than the time recommendation for the C25K program. So, instead of running for 28 minutes, I decided to try to run 2.75 miles, which I did in about 33 minutes. Which amazed me. It is like having a stranger within (a la John Bingham in last month's Runner's World) who is motivated to go running and do other good things for herself. This stranger, oddly enough, has the stamina and mental concentration to run for 33 minutes straight.

Anyway, I felt really good afterwards--not out of breath, legs not tired, just sweaty and happy. And the next day, Saturday, I felt great also, especially my legs. It was wonderful.

I'm on the trail of a cheap rowing machine that I am looking forward to using for my upcoming cross-training days. Wish me luck on Craigslist!

The stranger within says bring on Week 9.

Week 7 Day 3

2008-01-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the power went out on Friday. The Chico area had high winds (40-60 miles per hour). The morning started okay -- rainy and windy but within normal bounds. This was at 6:00 am, when my alarm went off. As I lay in bed, contemplating getting up and starting my day (I don't really have to get out of bed till 7:00 am), the wind started to increase and my will to get up decreased even more. By 7:15 am or so the lights were flickering. By 8:00am it was clear that the power was going out for sure. And so they did. And they did not come back on. About 60,000 people in Butte County, California lost power.

Because I do my running on a treadmill, a power failure puts a major crimp in that activity. In skipped my scheduled run on Friday, but tried to run outside on Saturday. The weather was cold and windy, but not raining, so I gave it a try. And I discovered that running on real pavement is really hard! I wasn't able to run the 25 minutes straight that I had hoped to, but I did what I could and called it a day. It was a good inkling of what I'll be up against when I actually run in Santa Cruz!

Note to self: Schedule at least one outside run a week.

Week 7 - Day 2

2008-01-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

Ta-da! I have completed another 25 minute run, much to my amazement. How is it at the age of 44 I can amaze myself?

Today I used a Podrunner podcast to run with, since I didn't need Robert Ullrey's podcast cues for when to start and stop running. I used a 143-bpm techno track to run with and found that it kept my feet moving, and moving, and moving. It was great.

Other news...I saw a pheasant in our backyard this morning. And I didn't run outside in the fresh air yesterday as I had thought I might. The couch potato rises again.

Week 7 - Day 1

2007-12-31T22:36:00.000-08:00

I successfully completed Week 7 / Day 1 of C25K today, which is a 25-minute run, the same as last Friday. Having completed last week's run made it much more difficult to come up with a good excuse to not complete today's run, so I just kept running even though I thought about quitting.

Even with that, it was much easier to get started and keep running this time than last time. The last 8 minutes or so were hard because I kept thinking, "Geez, when is this run over?" I'm still using the Robert Ullrey podcast, but because these are straight runs now, I can conceivably start running to my own music.

I've been running exclusively on the treadmill since starting C25K. It's winter: the days are short, it's cold (to me, anyway) and I'm shy about running outside. Then I see these blogs from other people who are running in the snow, for heaven's sake, and loving it, which makes me feel like such a wimp. Well, so be it.

So I think I will try a short run outside tomorrow. On level ground and if the weather is nice. To commemorate the New Year. The new me. This stranger inside me who can run 25 minutes straight and not complain.

Week 6 - DONE!

2007-12-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

Killer Day 3 is done! I would never have thought that I could complete 25 minutes of straight running, but I was able to do so. Physically the run was fine, but mentally, whoa boy!