Running In Place

Here’s the problem. The problem is that running is the only form of exercise I enjoy. For me, all commitments to fitness begin and end with running. I know that’s one dimensional and I almost don’t care. But Wait!! This time I am going to make myself care, this time I’m going to keep moving forward even if I’m backing off my mileage for a couple of weeks, this time I am going to be The Well Rounded Athlete. Right??

The reality? I am The Clown Shoes of Crosstraining

Monday
This was the day Garmin took me through the wormhole. I was running along the trail and, since the leaves are coming in, it had lost its signal about sixty-eleven times. This usually doesn’t annoy me too much since I don’t pay attention to the average pace on the screen so much as the actual time/distance, which it seems to get straightened around when it does pick up the signal. This day, I happened to glance down and see that I had a signal, and that I had traveled 0.49 miles thus far. A short time later the distance alert beeped and I thought wow, that was a fast 1/2 mile! Then I looked at the time and it said 7:52!! HUH??? A quick look around at where I physically was on the trail confirmed that I’d been duped, which was not a surprise nor a disappointment. There is no way, no how I am running a 7:52 mile. I don’t say that because I am humble, or because I am unwilling to give myself credit for what would be some ass kicking progress – I am just not, at this point, physically able to run that kind of mile. So that was weird. Maybe the trickster spirits in Jon’s Ghostrunner have come to visit. Anyway, I estimate that about a quarter mile went up in smoke so I have adjusted my numbers accordingly.
Distance – 4.45
Time – 49:57 (ya couldn’t run 3 more seconds??)
Avg. Pace – 11:13
Effort – 8 of 10

Tuesday
Well this was a fun run! I finally got out there and ran with the running club I joined forever ago! I ended up running with a lady who said “I’m very slow.” Well, ma’am, you’re singing my song! She and I were pretty much at the way back of the pack and she said she was glad to have someone to run with because she was often alone. Wasn’t I just thinking the same thing! The president of the club joined us and I think she upped our pace a little bit. I won’t be back next Tuesday because I have a wedding shower to go to but after that, most definately. In June they start doing timed runs as part of Boilermaker preparation.
Distance – 3 miles
Time – 33:07
Avg. Pace – 11:02
Effort – high 8 of 10

Wednesday
Ok, here’s where it gets silly. I sat around all day, well not just sat around – sat around and went on an empty-carb bender. Finally, late in the day I thought dammit, I gotta get moving! So down to the basement I went to drag my bike up to the light of day. I bought it used about 10 years ago from a co-worker?s son and I don?t think it?s been ridden since. It?s a mountain bike called a Canyon River, which I can?t locate online anywhere. Either it?s not made any more, or it?s, like, Walmart brand. Anyway, I washed the sorry old thing up and filled the tires but I wanted to wait over night to see if they held air before I went a?ridin. Since I?d managed to jack my butt off the couch, I went downstairs and did some stuff with the resistance bands. Then I sat down with my calendar and made all kinds of grand plans for a Well Rounded Fitness Plan. Which alleviated my guilt a little.

Thursday
Went in to help out at work this day and ended up staying till 7 pm. Got home about 7:30, check the tires ? still full, zip in the house, change, and head out for a little ride before the sun goes down. Ride about 1/8 mile, shift gears, pop the chain, can?t get it back on, walk home. Drink a beer.

Friday
Much needed Rest Day HA HA HA HA!

Saturday
Kind husband, who hasn?t ridden a bicycle in 25 years but has ridden motorcycles equally as long, fixes the derailleur thingy. Kind son accompanies me on my ride and shows me how to use gears appropriately rather than shifting higgledy-piggeldy and ka-chunk ka-chunk ka-chunking down the road. We only go 3 miles because we have family from out of town coming to visit and there isn?t much time to spare before they arrive. They arrive 3 hours late. Despite race tomorrow, stay up way too late, eat way too late, drink beer (way too late), etc.

Sunday
Did manage to get in 7 hours of sleep and woke up feeling not too worse for the wear. Today was the National Distance Running Hall of Fame 5K. I really had no idea what to expect after no running for 4 days, but my calf had not bothered at all in a few days so I was optimistic. The weather was cool, low 50′sF with a chilly breeze and threatening rain. I trussed my shin up in my new compression wrap, warmed up, stretched a little and was ready to roll. I ran into a lady that I went to nursing school with who is in the Go the Distanceprogram, which is put on by a local TV station and follows the training of pre-selected 1st time Boilermaker runners (she’s not yet listed on the website).

As I said, I really didn’t know how things were going to go today for me but I was not by any means expecting a PR because my best time so far was done on a dead flat course. We started off almost immediately with a hill that led us over a bridge towards the north side of town, followed by another hill before we came to a portion of the Erie Canal towpath (the same one I run on, but a different piece of it). The majority of the race was an out and back on the path, which was mice and flat. Cardio-wise, I was definately working hard but as for pain in the calf – none! Cool!! Back off the path, it was time to tackle those hills again and I got that blessed 2nd wind that gets you up and over when you think you’re just about spent. I had started in my usual spot in the way back and had hung back for the first mile. I probably did most of my passing in the last mile, on the hills! Cresting the last hill, the finish line was right at the bottom so, of course, we all took off. Some guy and I were neck and neck down the hill and, being the non-competitive type, I was almost going to slow just a touch and let him pull ahead but then I thought well, why would you do that? Are you racing, or what?? So I poured on some steam and passed him. Afterwards, I got some water and walked back up the hill to cheer Dawn and the rest of the finishers as they were coming over the top.

I hung around long enough to see the official times posted and was very pleased to see I had finished in 32:30 with an average pace of 10:29 (I screwed up my actual splits because I got messed up on the 5K and Half Marathon mile markers). Anyway, that’s only a 38 second difference between my utterly flat PR course and this course with 4 decent inclines!!! Yeah, I’m really happy with that!! And I’m really happy with no calf pain too!

Even so, I will plan on another week of easy mileage and wacky bike misadventures, and then ease back into the training plan after that. As long as I don’t involve rollerblades in my crosstraining, I should be safe.