300 MILEstone Means What?

I'm breaking out confetti today because yesterday I crossed the 300 mile line since I started running this past October. I know my party will be short-lived and none will attend it but I will celebrate anyway! What does it mean to run 300 miles?

• It means I could have reached our passed through these cities if I started on my front step. St. Louis, Columbus Oh, Detroit, Nashville, Chicago and Davenport Iowa.

• It means I have spent about 2 full days over the past 4 months beating the pavement.

• It means that I am only 60% from completing the Daytona 500 on foot.

With this being said... the party is now over. Back on the road tomorrow to start working toward mile 400!

Blistering Run

Well I got blistered from yesterday's run. There was snow on the track and so I knew I needed to wear the shoes that had the best tread. Unfortunately now I remember why I stopped wearing my Nikes. At 3 and half miles of my 5 mile run I developed a pretty good bubble on my left arch. Well it's not really arched and that's the big problem. Those shoes are made for some one with arches and so that became a striking point. Needless to say, the shoes will go to the back of my closet now. I'd rather do a little slidding on the outside of the shoe and not on the inside. Thankfully I'm off track today. Tomorrow is slated to be a tempo run. (3 miles at an 8:28/mi. pace) That may be a pretty tall order with track conditions and the way my feet are right now. This may give me reason to hit the 5k course tomorrow.

This Icy Run Really Stunk

Yesterday I was suppose to run 8 miles at a 10:12 per mile pace. I did it at a 9:55 pace so the mission was accomplished.

It wasn't easy to go out for the run today as the temp was feeling like the single digits because of a strong northwest wind blowing all day long. I was very reluctant to get ready but by 1 pm I started putting on layers of clothes, wondering if I had enough to brave the elements. Other my chin turning numb a few times, I was definitely armed for the artic tide.

What I was unarmed for however was an unexpected odor that hovered the track. Across the highway, a farmer decided to fertilize the field with manure. At first, I had no idea what that smell was because I thought, there's no way I could smell those Dover Hill turkey barns, some 10 miles away. It wasn't until I finished my run and drove to the front of the school that I saw the tractor scattering the stuff over the fields. The northwest winds were carrying it down towards the track.

Some elements you try to prepare for while others come unannounced, just like today. That's not only a lesson for running, but a fact in life as well. In the end I was able to overcome both prepared and surprising elements along the way, even ahead of pace!

Speedwork Is WORK!

Today's installment on the 10 week training plan called for "speedwork." It's purpose is to work on, um, speed. I think this is the part of training I find most intimidating.

Mentally I tossed about thinking about the details of my 5 mile work out. I did a mile warm up and a 1 and half mile cool down but it was the in between part that looked like a mountain.

My speedwork consisted of 3 sets of 800 meter runs at a 3:52 pace with a 400 meter jog in between each set. Of course I figured out that it would amount to sub 8 miles in the long haul. That is definitely where I need tobe to surpass my 5k goal for July.

My 800 runs were 3:44, 3:58, and 4:06 which averaged out to a 3:55 pace. So I was off by 3 seconds but I won't let it discourage me.

POSITIVES FROM TODAY"S WORK OUT:

• It just reminds me that speed is going to take work.
• I noticed that with this day's run it was my upper leg muscels that were getting the workout. So now I am aware of where my accelerations are suppose to come from.
• I was winded and so that made me feel like I was definitely working.
• I ran 5 miles and the distance did not intimidate me at all.
• Most importantly though, I think today I really started to feel like a real runner. No, I won't be fast but I will become a runner and not just a plodder.

Tomorrow's schedule calls for an easy 4 mile run at 10:12 pace. If I am not too sore, that will seem easy, compared to today's pace.

Running With Penguins

Today began my 10-week training venture. Of course an arctic blast was at my door, ready to pounce on me at the crack of dawn. Fortunately I had 4 layers on and by run's end, only felt the effects of the chill on my face.

I kicked off the workout with a 4 mile easy run. Well... as easy as it is to run when the wind chill was flirting with single numbers. One upside of running at the track was a strong north wind pushing me down the front stretch. I just kept reminiscing about the warm summer breezes I faced all so long ago.

I actually was about 16 seconds faster on my mile pace than I should have run. I think the cold made me want to pick up the intensity a bit more than I had to. Still, after being chased by penguins for 15 laps, I was rewarded on my final turn. As I took the bend, the sun popped over the treeline, as if to smile upon me for getting out of the blocks, on a morning when it was tempting to hit the snooze button and wait one more day.

Running & Moods

Back in college I took a tempermantal analysis and learned of the 4 basic temperments that I was classified as a melancholy. Boy, was that depressing;) Through the years I have tried at times to supress being a feelings-oriented person. Today I am less resistent to conceal moods; I just try to avoid parading them in whichever extreme. I have come to terms that I am pretty concious of my moods. I keep a running log of which one of the details in the daily record if my runs has to do with my frame of mind. Recently I looked back on the dairy and see fluctuations. Of late I have tended to be in a better frame of mind. Does your mood affect your running? It probably does to some extent. I have found that when I feel angry or frustrated, I usually turn that into fuel to run harder or stronger. If I'm down or depressed, I am lured into mental battles of stopping short of my planned runs on those days. (I have seldom given in but the resolve levels seem to wane when I'm low.) There are running days where I am kind of blank with my mood and I find myself just bouncing from thought to thought when this happens. Of course the days I like best are when I am in a happy mood and running feels like a great dessert that tops my day off. I can not always predict how my moods will effect my performance. But one thing is always for sure, when I am done running my mood is effected. Sometimes I emerge with euphoria. Usually I leave the course content that I stuck it out, and left most negative feelings behind. I can't think of anything that has had a more significant effect on managing my melancholy tendancies as running.

It's a Green Light

Yesterday my doctor cleared me to resume running. Mentally I was prepared to have to wait another week and so it was a very pleasant surprise. Needless to say, I couldn't get home soon enough to see if my body could take the running once again.

I headed to the school's track and started running tentatively those first few laps. There were no twinges or hint of pain and so I proceeded to run a total of 3 miles, with each mile faster than the previous one. At the end I was very satisfied that I had passed the first big test on the road.

Today I mapped out an intensive 10 week workout on my calendar. I am excited be the possibilities that await me!