I could have run all night . . .

Now that the semester is over, I have Tuesday afternoons free to run. It was still warm and not too windy when I got home, but I lingered at the house for about an hour before setting out for the 10 miler I should have completed on Sunday. The wind had picked up slightly and I could see the usual fog rolling in from the coast, but the day still alternated between clouds and sun, and the temperature was pleasantly mild. I decided to do two loops of my usual 5 mile run - through the panhandle, down to 19th Avenue, and back. Somehow that seemed less daunting than running all the way to the windy beach and climbing back again.

I started slowly, conserving energy throughout the first loop and feeling good all the way. A little achy as I launched into the second loop, but also luxuriously warm and loose. I've learned that I need a long warm up - get me past the 4 mile mark, and I'm good to go; before that, it's a constant fight with myself to stay out there.

Through the panhandle at the end of the second loop, I put on speed and heard a group of homeless kids yell out from a bench, "damn, you're hot, you don't need to jog!" It balances out. Last week a guy yelled "you suck at life" when I didn't have any cigarettes to offer.

The panhandle is the last leg of all my runs, and I usually use it to take my "running temperature" for the day. Today I knew I could have run another loop for a strong 15 miles, and I half decided to do it, but the risk of derailing my already feverish training plan gave me pause. I can't risk injury right now, or the possibility of missing a single one of my long runs. So instead, I picked up speed. How else to end a strong 10 miles but with a sprint?

The run ended up just faster than my last 10 miles, way back on April 1st. Though still slow at an 11:12 minute mile, it was a full :30/mile faster than the training plan called for, and I felt truly great the whole way. I still plan to run all of my scheduled runs for the week, probably tonight and Friday, then run 12 miles Sunday.

In between, a bike ride to work!

New Training Schedule

I generated a new basic training schedule (posted below) and while I think it will get me there comfortably, my main goal at this point is just that -- to finish comfortably, ideally in less than 5 hours. Andy reminded me the other afternoon that there would be no shame in running a strong half marathon instead, but that would be pretty disappointing to me. Like most first time marathoners, I'll go in under trained, but I plan to go. I'll have two 20 milers, then a two week taper, and that should be enough preparation. At any rate, it will be all the preparation I can squeeze in.

My 5 mile tempo run yesterday was a bit painful and didn't end up being that much faster than my easy run Tuesday, but it felt good to push a little. I think I'll be in good shape for my 10 miles tomorrow. It feels good to be looking forward to runs again.

Perfect 6 Miles

This week's schedule called for an easy 6 miles yesterday, followed by a 5 mile tempo run Thursday, and a 10 mile long run Sunday. So in the afternoon I climbed out of my work skirt and heels and into my running clothes (shorts!), and headed down to the park for my favorite 6 mile run - around Stow Lake and back. The weather was perfect, the air full of the late afternoon city sounds of birds and traffic and wind. A group of teenage geese, awkward and gawky in their coats of half down, half feathers, bunched together at the edge of the lake, nibbling at pant legs; a mother and son stood at the edge of the path waiting for a gopher to poke his head out; a pigeon puffed himself up for a disinterested female - a perfect summer evening.

I found myself checking the Nike+ regularly, making sure to keep the pace slow. Over the last 6 months of regular running, I've started adapting in ways I hardly noticed. A 10:30 pace for easy runs now feels far easier than the 12:00 pace my original training plan called for, my short run has become 3.5 miles rather than 2, and many of the hills the used to hurt, now feel flat (the steep ones still hurt!). Which is to say, sometimes it just feels fantastic to be running - everything is easy, even the hard parts. You're there 100%, and you want to be there, and you've started looking forward to the next run even before this one's over, and you can't believe you ever dreaded walking out the door in your running shoes. This was one of those times.

I'm also looking forward to starting to bike, but I'm a bit daunted by the variety and price range - any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Good Run

Ahh! We went for a real run for the first time in forever this morning. It wasn't long, just 50 minutes, but I pushed hard up a couple of sizable hills and we kept the pace around 9:50 most of the run, which is pretty good considering how out of shape I am. We also got out early enough that the wind hadn't picked up yet, and it felt great just to bake in the sun for most of an hour. As far as marathon training, this was a very bad time for a slump, but I'm optimistic that I'll be able to get to a place where I can run the full distance comfortably on July 29th. That means a lot of dedication over the next two months, but now that the semester is over and I've kicked the nasty cold I've had for the past 2 and a half weeks, I finally feel up to it.

As I try to analyze what lead to the total burnout I began to experience about a month ago, I realize that it had less to do with running than with the emotional exhaustion of juggling too many things for too long. I work 30 hours per week, am a full time graduate student, and was trying to still make time for structured writing, reading, family, a social life, cultural events, and running 4 times per week. I've been maintaining this kind of schedule for 4 years now, often against the will of my body and mind, and eventually this semester I stopped being able to will myself through it all.

Running was acting as a powerful counterweight, but the balance was tipped too far in the other direction: when crisis hit, the vast amount of energy it took just make my way through daily commitments, sapped whatever might have been left for running. As a result, I'm taking a hard look at how to bring my life toward balance. As a start, that will mean cutting back to one class in the fall, and working to keep the summer low key.

At the same time, I was running longer distances, and the inevitable wear and tear on the body was taking its toll. Andy and I have been talking about biking to work for a while now, and I think it might be time to start doing that, both as a way to get a lower impact cardio workout and strengthen my knees, and as a way to get some active personal time before and after work. I've never had a bike in the city, and am a bit nervous about riding in chaotic downtown traffic, but he assures me I'll adjust and I prefer that to the idea of spending time in the gym.

Tomorrow, we'll be running Bay to Breakers, a 12K that stretches from the San Francisco Embarcadero to Ocean Beach. Tens of thousands of runners, walkers, and revelers come out for the event, which is quintessential San Francisco with lots of athletes, fetish gear, nudity, joints, costumes, families, food, and musicians in near perfect harmony. We'll be in the mix with the camera, so expect some fun pictures.

Happy running this weekend.

A Week Without Running

No reason in particular except a few days letting running get squeezed out by other, louder demands. We're both exhausted by the semester, work, being pulled in too many directions at once. We let the first running days pass pretending not to notice, feeling a bit sluggish and sorry for ourselves. Then a few more days. A dangerous slide but also welcome in ways. I needed a mental break. When we let Sunday, our long run day, slip by, we looked guiltily past each other and muttered about stress and tiredness. We were tired. Some old friends had been in town and we'd stayed up late talking and showing them our international collection of alcohols.

Finally last night, for the first time in a week, Andy and I went out for our 5 mile route through the eastern half of the park. The night was clear and rather cold, daylight just fading by the time we got out the door. We kept the pace fast but not too demanding and averaged about a 10:07 mile. After a week without running, we both had more energy than we normally do. I remarked that if I were running just for maintenance, I would always run 5 miles. It's far enough that it feels like something's been accomplished, but short enough that it feels easy and doesn't eat up a whole evening.

Later, our friend Donna came over to the house and we made martinis and talked late into the night about writing, then walked her home at 2am. This morning I am groggy and sore, but also, I feel better than I have for a week. Thank you running; I am now officially an addict.

My 50th Post

When I started running seriously a few months ago, I was almost morbidly attached to my training schedule. I refused to deviate from the prescribed mileage by even a block, and stuck as doggedly as I could to the required pace. I'm not usually like that, but back in December, I would never have thrown caution to the wind as I did last night, when I went out for a 6 mile tempo run - a day early. This might not seem like much, but for me it points to an important milestone. I've grown confident enough as a runner that I can begin to apply another important attribute - flexibility. I can run on a day when I'm not scheduled to run and no longer fear that something will break, that my shin splints will rear their head, that I won't possibly, for some reason, be able to do it. In fact, it was a great run. A comfortably fast 6 miles at an average 10:19 pace (including the slow first and last miles) and feeling fantastic the whole way. I need to add some serious hill work though. They just kill me.

This is my 50th post. Wasn't sure I'd be able to keep the blog (or running!) going this long. Another minor milestone.

Daniels VS Pfitzinger

I ordered both books online, but I'm not really planning on pitting them against each other. In fact, I don't plan on adopting the "Pfitz" plan any time soon (after the SF marathon?), but I am ready to get a bit more scientific about training. I'm still building base miles, trying to encourage my body to catch up with my ambitions, trying to keep it slow and patient, getting my mind to adjust to sustained pressure. Why is it that I can run for an hour and a half with relative ease, but a two minute dash to catch a train leaves me with heart pumping, struggling to catch my breath? Am I not pushing hard enough on my regular runs? Andy would say so. He thinks I should be forcing the pace up, chasing speed goals.

I want to be running farther and faster too, but most of my runs still leave me with tight calves, ominous shin aches, sore hamstrings. Part of that is expected, but I don't have any threshold for comparison. How hard is too hard to push, and what pains are run-of-the-mill, what pains are cause for carefulness? Case in point: after my long run Monday, the back of my left leg grimaced painfully along the whole length, painful even to stretch. It has only started to subside today, and the shin still aches. I want to get in a good hard run before Sunday's race, but is that wise? would a gentle 5 miles be better? if I do include a 6 mile tempo run, when should do it? should I give myself ample time to recover from Sunday rather than risk a real injury (run on Friday), or give myself ample recovery time before next Sunday (run on Thursday)?

Books aren't any substitute for experience, but I'm hoping they will give me context, new ways to measure and make meaning from the jumble of questions and impressions I've built up so far. After July 29th, maybe I'll be able to look back over a year of running and know things, crown myself "intermediate," set new goals. Until then, there are running books, and a break from all that poetry :)

Routines

Well, I got in 3.5 miles last night. It should have been a 5 mile tempo run, but I haven't been feeling well all week and I had missed two runs in a row. So I felt clumsy and out of shape and my stomach was hurting. Weak, yes, but here's the thing: I'm still hoping to get in 7 miles on Sunday and there's nothing I fear more than making running become a loathsome chore I dread rather than the highlight of my day or week. I hope that one day I'll be one of those supremely dedicated people who has run every day for ten years, but for now running is still finding a place in my routines. My biggest goal aside from staying on schedule is to begin running Tuesday mornings before work and classes. Since Tuesday is my easy day, I can probably get away with a 6:30 am wake up, but that's still a full hour before our alarm clock usually goes off. Andy claims Tuesdays will become my favorite day of the week, which proves that he either doesn't know me at all, or knows me better than I know myself.

New Schedule, New Pace Goals, New Running Buddy

I posted an updated training schedule at the bottom of the page with tempo run pace goals in the high 9s. I think this will put me in a good place to start training for the marathon and (I'm hoping) give me a good 12k time to base my training goals on. I'll be swapping out the speed trainings for hill work, and trying to incorporate more hills into my other runs as well.

Unfortunately, Andy's been having some trouble with his ankles and hasn't been running with me much recently. Back in his serious tennis days, he wore down the cartilage in his ankles and was told he would never walk again without a cane. He recovered, but he can't play much tennis or run on pavement more than about once a week. I prefer running with another person, especially on long runs, so I was excited when a friend's girlfriend emailed last week wanting to start running together. She ran the San Francisco Marathon last year, and wants to start training for it again. I hope to meet up with her for a run in the next couple of weeks.

For today, I'm planning on 6 miles through the park and around Stow Lake, hoping the shin will hold up and confirm that I really am back on track.

Running the Embarcadero

At the risk of having to eat my words, I officially declare myself to be out of danger of shin splints. At least for now. Last night I took my first 5 mile run in about 2 weeks and everything felt great. I ran along the Embarcadero which, unlike Golden Gate Park, is full of activity. Runners, cyclists, and tourists filled the wide walkway along the waterfront. It was cold and windy near the water, so I pulled up my hood and ran to the sound of vinyl swishing against my ears. After about a mile and a half, I felt good enough to pick up the pace, and ran at something near a 10.5 minute mile for the next three miles. As I approached the Ferry Building on the way back, I forced myself to slow down again, though not quite to warm up pace. I completed the run in 58 minutes, an average pace of about 11:36.

Now that I'm back on track, I'll have a new training schedule with new pace goals up soon. The 12k is only 10 weeks away so, sadly, I might not get to add any 10 milers before the race. It's tempting to try for 7 miles on Sunday and stick with my current schedule, but it's probably smarter to play it safe and log a few solid 6 mile runs before upping my distances.

Running Hills

Took a run through the Mission District for a change last night and realized how easy I have it in Golden Gate Park. Near Dolores Park, even the "flat" streets feature a remarkable amount of incline and decline. I ran up Guerrero Street to 21st Street, over to Dolores Street, around the park, up Dolores to 21st Street again and then zig zagged around until I began to feel a tight itching in my calf muscle around the 3rd mile. I ran another cool down mile to make it about 4 miles. It was humid and warm and I was dripping with sweat when I got done. My leg would probably have lasted another mile were it not for the hills, but they probably got a better workout last night. Overall, I'm feeling good, and I think I'm on track for another 4 or 5 miles on Thursday. Maybe the weather will hold too?

Off Schedule

I was a bit lazy this week and didn't take my Thursday run until Friday evening. Even then, I ran a conservative three miles, though I did pick up the pace a little. The shin felt great, but my calf muscle suffered a slight strain. One side effect to runing through the shin problems, is that my knees and calves are taking more impact than they would otherwise. Still, better a sore calf than the dull pain of muscle pulling away from bone at the shin, and the calf seems already back to normal. :-)

Then I missed my Sunday run altogether and I now feel so far off track, I'm not sure how best to pick up again. That 7 miles I was scheduled for yesterday seems farther and farther off. I haven't taken a run longer than 3 miles in almost two weeks. I'm tempted to try a slightly longer run today (5 miles?), let up a little this week (maybe 3 or 4 miles Thursday), and then see how 6 miles feels on Sunday. Too ambitious? I'll find out after the run tonight I guess.

This weekend, my mom and I drove up to Yuba City for an uncle's 4oth birthday party and quite a few of my uncles and aunts were there (my mom is the oldest of 10). I was surprised and pleased to find out how many of them have been runners. A few even have some marathons under their belts.

Methods

My two mile easy run last night was uneventful. Though my leg felt a bit tight from toe to hip, I warmed up in the second mile and didn't experience any soreness on the run or afterwards. Still, I feel like I've lost a bit of momentum. I'll probably shorten my Thursday run by a mile or two, and maybe my Sunday long run as well. I know I should be pleased that I'm running at all, rather than nursing a dull ache in the leg, but I can't help feeling impatient.

Besides the Internet, my two sources of running information are Andy and our housemate Keith. Andy played juniors and college tennis, and his response to most athletic questions is to work harder, push through, do a little more. He has trouble watching me skip a day of my training schedule, even for "injury." Keith, by contrast, is the kind of natural runner who rarely suffers setbacks, and never had to learn to run. When I asked him about his foot strike a few days ago, I watched as he summoned a mental picture of his stride. He moved his foot ever so slightly. "Heel," he finally said. He once had a shin splint, but could not identify its source. He took a week off from running, then returned to his usual runs (he seems to run 6-8 miles on average).

So I'm trying to walk some kind of line between internet advice (some of which recommends taking as much as 3-4 weeks off) and Keith and Andy's advice, which would like to see me on a 7 mile run this Sunday (but not before, according the Keith). It seems to me that a little bit of running helps build muscle strength and prevents having to start from the ground up again, but that too much will continue to stress the weak area. So far, the soreness has been very minor, more of a threat than a full fledged problem, so I think it's safe to test some different approaches.

Speedwork

Yesterday's "speedwork" was downgraded to a "tempo run," which turned out to be 5 miles at a just-faster-than-walking pace. "Maybe we could go so slowly, we would be walking backwards," Andy said. I'm babying my troublesome left shin, which has been gently but ominously sore the last few days, and hoping that if I treat it carefully and ice regularly, I won't have to miss a running day. So I'm icing today and tomorrow (rest days), and will take stock Sunday before going out for my long run. If all goes well next week, I may update my goals -- Andy has promised to run the 12k with me and he wants to average a 9 minute mile.

Easy Run?

This morning, before it began to rain, I thought I might test the limits a little and see what kind of 5k speed I could come up with, despite the fact that this is an easy run day and I should be doing my usual 2 miles at 13:00. Even as I started out, I wasn't sure which run I would do, but the threat of night, and the ghost of my earlier shin pain made me opt, conservatively, to stick to the schedule. It was more difficult to stick to pace: the wind was blowing toward me, dashing rain into my face and I had to fight the tendency to run head down, hands in pockets. It was tempting to sprint, both to keep warm, and to get the whole thing over with. The first mile took will power to complete, but I had the consolation that there would be only two. The second mile was easier. I was warmer and the wind was behind me. I allowed myself to increase pace, a token nod to my ambitions earlier in the day, and finished in 22 minutes. A clean 11 minute mile. Take that, training schedule.

Commitment

Nothing could test my three-day-old commitment to a training schedule more than exiting my apartment this morning and stepping into the rain. Suddenly my 5 mile tempo run tonight is looking a lot more difficult. I don't have good rain running gear, so the bus ride to work found me paging through a mental catalogue of my clothes, trying to think of something waterproof.

Jumping In

I first fell in love with marathons last July, when the San Francisco Marathon took its course down Haight Street. I woke in the early morning to the sounds of cheering outside my window and dimly remembered that the race was taking place. Feeling an odd sense of alertness and energy, I dressed and walked down to the street to watch as the first waves of runners made their way toward Fillmore Street. Friendly Hell's Angels directed traffic and pointed the way, and small crowds had gathered on almost every corner to cheer. I had never run more than a mile or two, and do not generally think of myself as athletic, but something about the moment captured my imagination. I decided that when the San Francisco Marathon came past Haight Street the following year, I would be running in it.

I have always loved running, and in the 4th and 5th grades, I excelled at the 50 yard dash, the long jump, and the relay. I even have a few blue and red ribbons. But mostly I rode horses and wrote poems and read books, and that is still true. On that July day, my only athletic shoes were a three year old pair of cross trainers. Still, I thought that if I could run for just thirty minutes. And then if I could keep running with some kind of sporadic consistency despite the demands of graduate school, and work, and loved ones, and vacations. And if, when January came and I was still running, I still loved it, then I would begin to train.

Of course, it didn't quite happen like that, though I did run for nearly thirty minutes the first day. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't too difficult either and slowly I began adding miles. At the end of a run, I couldn't wait to start the next one. I bought a pair of real running shoes. Though I began to feel a persistent soreness in my left leg, I thought little of it. Finally the pain the the beginning and end of runs was too much to ignore. I had expected a shin splint to present itself on the front of my leg, not along the inside calf near the muscle, as it did, but the signs were all too clear. I took a week off, which became two, then three. I took infrequent short runs but was frustrated by how quickly I had lost fitness. Finally, a few weeks ago, I asked after a pair of Capri sweat pants I had bought for running and Andy quipped, "I gave them to a runner." I couldn't even be mad, because he was right. I had not run for several weeks.

So I began running again. Not much, but enough. Then, last Sunday night, Andy and I took a frigid 4.5 mile run through Golden Gate Park. It was my first pain free run in several months and I came back ecstatic, despite the cold. I decided I needed a more immediate goal, and a bit more guidance, so I set my sites on a 12K race scheduled for March 18th. Then I went to Runners World and generated a 13 week training schedule, complete with speed work, tempo runs, and weekend long runs. It started with an easy run last night. Two miles at something like a 14:01 minute mile. It was the easiest run I've ever taken. Now for the hard part.