Sunday's 10-miler was the last significant run before the April 26 half marathon. Woo-hoo!
This route was even more race-day-specific than its predecessors; it included a loop around the Capitol as well as the hills up from Gray's Lake, from downtown to the base of Bulldog Hill and of course Bulldog Hill itself.
It was another solid, strong effort. We had some obstacles in a strong southerly wind and an early side stitch for me, but we stuck it out.
Oddly enough, I kept a better pace and attitude going up Bulldog Hill than I did at the end of my nine-miler — I don't get it, but I'll take it.
So what now?
I'd already started to scale back workouts that weren't the long run, just to save my feet a little bit, but I'll continue that.
I'll still have a longer run this coming Sunday (thinking about five miles), and I'll continue with the speedwork (just at a shorter distance).
Originally I'd thought of incorporating more yoga to keep active, but if the weather continues to grow nicer, bike rides might be more tempting.
And I'll just enjoy the dramatic spike in free time. People always talk about the taper crazies, and maybe my own memory is fading and I've ranted about them in the past, but right now I'm just glad to scale back a bit.
I am profoundly grateful for having found the right post-long-run routine to prevent stiffness ... but it definitely takes up time beyond what the run already sucked up.
Throw in eating and a shower (and, OK, the procrastination before the run!), and it often feels like the day is totally gone.
But not this Sunday!
Showing posts with label stretch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stretch. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
The agony and the ecstasy of Midwest springtime
It's only natural that a bit of a down post would follow such a cheerful one.
To be fair, I'm using a little bit of artistic license to help inspire the blogging, but it was still a pretty mediocre week in terms of workouts.
We started out with thunderstorms in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning I chose to drive to work rather than bike. (Safety second, not being cold and wet first.) I never stop being surprised by how guilty I feel when I drive someplace that I generally bike to.
At least on Thursday, I felt confident enough in the weather forecast/my ability to persuade some nice guy to rescue me via car, if need be, to start biking again. And holy moly did it feel great to be chilled by a damp cold wind as I flew downhill that day.
I had a similar struggle-and-redemption story in my running. Given that it was overcast, cool and wet, and that a cold virus was still lurking in my sinuses, I didn't really want to run.
Tuesday, I went on an easy three-miler without issue, but I got lazy afterwards and didn't complete my foam-roll regimen. You better believe I felt it the next day, when I mustered the ambition to get ready for a tempo run.
"Expect rain to end by 11:45 a.m.," said the forecasting website as I warmed up around noon. Liar.
A gentle rain began to fall as I ran a mile away from my apartment. It picked up when I got to where I intended to cross the street, so I could eventually head south, and I tried to wait for the light to change.
But the crosswalk light was elusive, and my patience finite, and the skies ever-gloomier. Forget it, I thought, I'll just head back to the apartment and maybe cross there.
You know what those 30 to 60 seconds resulted in? My being that much farther away from the apartment when the hail hit. Emphasis on hit. Poor arms.
By the time I got back inside, dried off and did my complete round of stretching, the rain had stopped. Go fly a kite, Mother Nature and weather.com.
To make up for the 10 minutes of tempo running I didn't do, though, I did a short hilly run on Friday, when sunshine and dry weather returned to Des Moines.
Oh, the euphoria of running in pleasant weather after you've completed what you feared would be a brutal work shift, without having a meltdown, in time to have a friend-filled Friday night!
To be fair, I'm using a little bit of artistic license to help inspire the blogging, but it was still a pretty mediocre week in terms of workouts.
We started out with thunderstorms in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning I chose to drive to work rather than bike. (Safety second, not being cold and wet first.) I never stop being surprised by how guilty I feel when I drive someplace that I generally bike to.
At least on Thursday, I felt confident enough in the weather forecast/my ability to persuade some nice guy to rescue me via car, if need be, to start biking again. And holy moly did it feel great to be chilled by a damp cold wind as I flew downhill that day.
I had a similar struggle-and-redemption story in my running. Given that it was overcast, cool and wet, and that a cold virus was still lurking in my sinuses, I didn't really want to run.
Tuesday, I went on an easy three-miler without issue, but I got lazy afterwards and didn't complete my foam-roll regimen. You better believe I felt it the next day, when I mustered the ambition to get ready for a tempo run.
"Expect rain to end by 11:45 a.m.," said the forecasting website as I warmed up around noon. Liar.
A gentle rain began to fall as I ran a mile away from my apartment. It picked up when I got to where I intended to cross the street, so I could eventually head south, and I tried to wait for the light to change.
But the crosswalk light was elusive, and my patience finite, and the skies ever-gloomier. Forget it, I thought, I'll just head back to the apartment and maybe cross there.
You know what those 30 to 60 seconds resulted in? My being that much farther away from the apartment when the hail hit. Emphasis on hit. Poor arms.
By the time I got back inside, dried off and did my complete round of stretching, the rain had stopped. Go fly a kite, Mother Nature and weather.com.
To make up for the 10 minutes of tempo running I didn't do, though, I did a short hilly run on Friday, when sunshine and dry weather returned to Des Moines.
Oh, the euphoria of running in pleasant weather after you've completed what you feared would be a brutal work shift, without having a meltdown, in time to have a friend-filled Friday night!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Scratch those second-quarter goals
I recently had a pretty crappy run — definitely the worst one since my 5K dud or since any possibility of spring first emerged.
Because it was such a slog, I had plenty of time to re-evaluate some life choices and arrive at a few decisions.
These weren't the kind of decisions I spontaneously, angrily make while frustrated by a tough run ("I quit running!" being the most frequent). These were the culmination of a month's worth of observations.
The first big one is, my goal-setting has been far more ambitious than my goal-attempting.
It's obvious that some second-quarter goals were just not working out for me — namely "regain mental strength" (that one required a plan, more than just saying it) and "do 10 stair repeats in 10 minutes."
That latter goal was part of another big problem. My half-marathon training plan had too many pieces beyond the necessary runs: strength yoga, mobility, core, stairs.
Each workout seemed so overwhelming, time- and energywise, when I looked at my fridge.
I'm not denying the value of strength training, but realistically, some of these were just too complicated for me to follow through consistently.
So for the rest of the month, I'm settling for consistent stretching and foam rolling, with a few planks tossed in there. It's taper time anyway; hopefully I remember to keep it simple in a few months when I next work on a training plan.
As for next month ... I might not run at all.
That sounds extreme, I know. I could also quite easily do it: The temperature and humidity are both rising, and RAGBRAI is approaching far faster than I've gotten bike miles in.
Plus, if this month is any indication, trying to run and bike will just end up with my being frustrated that both are difficult.
I may amend it to allow for short, social runs, but at the same time, my friends who run are also doing RAGBRAI. There won't be much peer pressure, if at all.
And finally, I think I've finally committed to giving up on the spring half marathon for good.
Assuming no injuries between now and Saturday, this will be the third consecutive year I've done a spring half, and each time, the weather has dealt a different sort of wild card.
The unpredictability of Midwest spring might not bother me as much if I had less riding on its whims, like training for a 10K instead of a half marathon.
Because it was such a slog, I had plenty of time to re-evaluate some life choices and arrive at a few decisions.
These weren't the kind of decisions I spontaneously, angrily make while frustrated by a tough run ("I quit running!" being the most frequent). These were the culmination of a month's worth of observations.
The first big one is, my goal-setting has been far more ambitious than my goal-attempting.
It's obvious that some second-quarter goals were just not working out for me — namely "regain mental strength" (that one required a plan, more than just saying it) and "do 10 stair repeats in 10 minutes."
That latter goal was part of another big problem. My half-marathon training plan had too many pieces beyond the necessary runs: strength yoga, mobility, core, stairs.
Each workout seemed so overwhelming, time- and energywise, when I looked at my fridge.
I'm not denying the value of strength training, but realistically, some of these were just too complicated for me to follow through consistently.
So for the rest of the month, I'm settling for consistent stretching and foam rolling, with a few planks tossed in there. It's taper time anyway; hopefully I remember to keep it simple in a few months when I next work on a training plan.
As for next month ... I might not run at all.
That sounds extreme, I know. I could also quite easily do it: The temperature and humidity are both rising, and RAGBRAI is approaching far faster than I've gotten bike miles in.
Plus, if this month is any indication, trying to run and bike will just end up with my being frustrated that both are difficult.
I may amend it to allow for short, social runs, but at the same time, my friends who run are also doing RAGBRAI. There won't be much peer pressure, if at all.
And finally, I think I've finally committed to giving up on the spring half marathon for good.
Assuming no injuries between now and Saturday, this will be the third consecutive year I've done a spring half, and each time, the weather has dealt a different sort of wild card.
The unpredictability of Midwest spring might not bother me as much if I had less riding on its whims, like training for a 10K instead of a half marathon.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Recovering from hibernation and from that first run after
My brain is happy to report that hibernation ended Sunday. My muscles are now, finally, no longer annoyed to share that same news.
I lucked out majorly by picking Sunday as the day to quit plowing through holiday leftovers and move off the couch: Highs in the mid-40s called for shorts in January!
We went for an easy route, with no shame. The out-and-back from my place to Salisbury House and back was about 3.25 miles, with only short, slight hills. (We did have to leap over puddles quite a bit, though, so — sarcasm — we're not total slackers.)
Based on Cory's criticism of his own first post-hibernation run and my own experiences returning to running, I'd expected to suffer quite a bit. For me, though, the misery didn't hit until later.
I was a dutiful runner and made sure to stretch afterward, but that didn't prevent the stiffness in my upper lower body and the soreness around my shins/ankles.
However, I was lazy and didn't use the foam roller until Tuesday — um, for the first time since sometime in November — and holy moly was that a punishment. Surprisingly, it was my quads and not my IT bands that suffered the most (IT band was second-most painful).
The best part of course was re-realizing how much pleasant/chatty I feel on days that I run. Too bad that doesn't linger like the aches in unused muscles do.
I lucked out majorly by picking Sunday as the day to quit plowing through holiday leftovers and move off the couch: Highs in the mid-40s called for shorts in January!
We went for an easy route, with no shame. The out-and-back from my place to Salisbury House and back was about 3.25 miles, with only short, slight hills. (We did have to leap over puddles quite a bit, though, so — sarcasm — we're not total slackers.)
Based on Cory's criticism of his own first post-hibernation run and my own experiences returning to running, I'd expected to suffer quite a bit. For me, though, the misery didn't hit until later.
I was a dutiful runner and made sure to stretch afterward, but that didn't prevent the stiffness in my upper lower body and the soreness around my shins/ankles.
However, I was lazy and didn't use the foam roller until Tuesday — um, for the first time since sometime in November — and holy moly was that a punishment. Surprisingly, it was my quads and not my IT bands that suffered the most (IT band was second-most painful).
The best part of course was re-realizing how much pleasant/chatty I feel on days that I run. Too bad that doesn't linger like the aches in unused muscles do.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Hibernation arrived at a good time
It's tough to maintain a running blog when one is not actually running, but rather than use this platform to yammer on about my personal life, I'm going to use my personal life as a backdrop to why now is a good time for me not to run:
* The historic cold blast arrived barely a week after the Holiday Running Streak ended. The six-day difference between the 2012 and 2013 streaks saved my buns ... or my whole body ... or my streak's existence ... or whatever it would've cost to hop along to a friend's gym on a guest pass ... or the people in the skywalk from seeing a weirdo run a mile through the skywalk.
* Post-holiday parties — friends who felt bad they didn't spend enough time at my place over New Year's made a return visit.
Because I made them wait an extra 30 minutes to see me to finish off the streak on New Year's Day, I luxuriated in NOT making them accommodate a hobby they respect my interest in but would really rather never participate in.
* Our household grew! A 9-year-old tabby named Ringo has moved in, and it's taking him a few days to adjust.
* I was mentally and physically tired of running, while my muscles had just about had it with my limited stretching/nonexistent foam rolling.
Though I have to be honest and point out two reasons hibernation came at a bad time:
* The latest issue of Runner's World arrived recently, so not only do I feel guilty about not running, but I also feel guilty that I haven't used my spare time to even read about running.
* The historic cold blast arrived barely a week after the Holiday Running Streak ended. The six-day difference between the 2012 and 2013 streaks saved my buns ... or my whole body ... or my streak's existence ... or whatever it would've cost to hop along to a friend's gym on a guest pass ... or the people in the skywalk from seeing a weirdo run a mile through the skywalk.
* Post-holiday parties — friends who felt bad they didn't spend enough time at my place over New Year's made a return visit.
Because I made them wait an extra 30 minutes to see me to finish off the streak on New Year's Day, I luxuriated in NOT making them accommodate a hobby they respect my interest in but would really rather never participate in.
* Our household grew! A 9-year-old tabby named Ringo has moved in, and it's taking him a few days to adjust.
 |
| An excuse to post cat pictures? Guilty as charged, and unashamed. |
Though I have to be honest and point out two reasons hibernation came at a bad time:
* The latest issue of Runner's World arrived recently, so not only do I feel guilty about not running, but I also feel guilty that I haven't used my spare time to even read about running.
* Holiday leftovers.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Things I've learned about running just one mile
I already knew from last year that running a single mile is an odd feeling at first, and that when you compare it with the misery you felt during the middle school mile run, it puts your fitness gains into amazing perspective.
The stretch of subzero wind chills and its corresponding single-mile-run streak have taught me a few more things about the experience:
1. Basically, my head will never not sweat if I'm moving faster than a brisk walk for more than a few steps.
2. My nose will still run, but I can make it back without a Kleenex break.
3. I still need to stretch afterwards. I'd gotten lazy about it, thanks to some poor time management, and after a few days of that, I woke up with my first charley horse in years.
I haven't skipped stretching since, and the charley horses haven't recurred. Correlation doesn't mean causation, but right now, I think my theory is a good one.
4. Though I happily miss out on the runger, I still catch a brief runner's high. That also might just be relief that the Holiday Run Streak lives another day, but hey, whatever lifts the spirits!
The stretch of subzero wind chills and its corresponding single-mile-run streak have taught me a few more things about the experience:
1. Basically, my head will never not sweat if I'm moving faster than a brisk walk for more than a few steps.
2. My nose will still run, but I can make it back without a Kleenex break.
3. I still need to stretch afterwards. I'd gotten lazy about it, thanks to some poor time management, and after a few days of that, I woke up with my first charley horse in years.
I haven't skipped stretching since, and the charley horses haven't recurred. Correlation doesn't mean causation, but right now, I think my theory is a good one.
4. Though I happily miss out on the runger, I still catch a brief runner's high. That also might just be relief that the Holiday Run Streak lives another day, but hey, whatever lifts the spirits!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday facetiousness: Is it all in the name?
Stretching before working out, apparently, is the worst thing in the world, according to every fitness blog I follow.
Stretching afterward is acceptable but supposedly doesn't help all that much (I disagree, and I don't care whether that's a placebo effect).
Yet it occurred to me as I did my post-work yoga routine the night before my race that none of these no-cold-stretching articles mention yoga.
I know they're called "postures" and not "stretches," yet in descriptions, it's acknowledged that the moves will stretch out certain muscles.
I like yoga, so I'm not trying to get it on the fitness experts' naughty lists ... but I don't understand the science behind stretching = bad and yoga = good. What's the difference? Is this a pink slime versus lean finely textured beef situation?
Stretching afterward is acceptable but supposedly doesn't help all that much (I disagree, and I don't care whether that's a placebo effect).
Yet it occurred to me as I did my post-work yoga routine the night before my race that none of these no-cold-stretching articles mention yoga.
I know they're called "postures" and not "stretches," yet in descriptions, it's acknowledged that the moves will stretch out certain muscles.
I like yoga, so I'm not trying to get it on the fitness experts' naughty lists ... but I don't understand the science behind stretching = bad and yoga = good. What's the difference? Is this a pink slime versus lean finely textured beef situation?
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