Being smart - addressing possible injury

So, this weekend, I am going away.  It's the second annual ladies getaway.  Last year, I had an amazing time.  We stayed up late, played board games, then we did a high ropes course and a giant swing.  Really fun!

What it doesn't leave is a lot of room for training.  So, I made arrangements to have my kids watched today so I could do my long run on the Friday instead of on the weekend like I usually do.

Yesterday, after my run, my legs weren't feeling completely happy.  I wasn't convinced it was "bad pain" though.  This morning, I've got something that just doesn't feel right.

Enter Dr. Google.  Between Dr. Google and I, we've determined a possible IT band issue.  Crap.

There's two considerations here.  First consideration: if I don't run today, I may not get to do this long run.  Second consideration: if I do run today, I may screw myself up worse and end up unable to do my half marathon.

Crap.

So, here's my plan.  Drop my kids off like planned.  Call and see if I can get in to my chiropractor, who does ART (ART is often recommended for IT band issues).  Go there dressed in my running clothes and hope he'll tell me I can run.

See, smart, but hopeful.  That's an okay plan, right?

Weight loss Wednesday, buying laziness and being recognized

The numbers

So, this week's weight wasn't a huge change: 194.2, which means I was down 0.6, which is the same that I was up last week.  It also means I'm at a total weight loss of 49.6 pounds.  Seriously, could I just hit that 50 lost mark?

I'm okay with that.  I've just set some major goals for myself this week and I know losing more weight is going to make a huge difference in getting there.  That is a huge motivation and helps keep me focused.

I've been losing weight for over a year and a half now.  I've lost in some weeks, maintained in more, and gained in almost none.  I'm at the point of accepting that the weight loss part of this is going to be a long journey.  I plan to get to a healthy weight in the next few months, but I think the process of finding my optimal weight is still going to be a long road - possibly years.  These last few pounds have made a significant and noticeable difference in my running ability.  I want to find out just how far I can go, and I'm not going to let the extra pounds hold me back.

Buying laziness

On a side note, I went to Costco today.  I don't do a lot of convenience food anymore.  I prefer my food as unprocessed as possible.  Generally speaking, that means more work in preparation.  Work that is generally worth it.  Having said that, today, I bought what I refer to as a few packages of laziness.  :)

Mini carrots, Cubed butternut squash and a fruit tray to bring to a ladies retreat this weekend

Sure, it costs more to buy your vegetables this way, but it's a heck of a lot better then buying a bag of cookies or a package of pastries.  And, can I say, I love butternut squash.  Sometimes, I roast them whole and scoop them out, but I really like in pieces.  So much work to peel and dice them though!  So cool that I can buy them like this!

Being recognized

Onto another thing.  I've been feeling a bit down about my blog lately.  The comments have plummeted and I was starting to wonder if anybody actually read it anymore.  Then, today, I had my first "celebrity moment"!

I know some of the bigger bloggers get recognized regularly.  It's never happened to me though.  Plenty of friends and family read my blog, and there's some other bloggers whose blogs I read and they tend to read mine.

Then, while standing in line, the lady in front of me looked back and said "I know you.  Don't you have a blog?"  So COOL!  We do have a mutual friend, and live in the same town, so she's not a complete stranger, but it's still neat to know that someone other then my mother reads my writing.  ;)

Sarah, if you are reading, it was so nice to meet you today, and your kind words about my blog lifted my spirit in ways you don't even know.  Thank you!

How have you limited yourself? Dare to dream.

A year ago, I thought that an ultimate goal would be to run a sub-60 10k.  In terms of my running, I never really looked beyond that.  To me, that was fast.  To actually be able to hold that fast pace for a full 10k seemed almost unreachable.

Um, did I happen to mention that I destroyed that goal just over a week ago?  After 16 months of running, I reached my "ultimate" goal.

It was an incredibly rewarding experience.  Yet, at the same time, it kind of left me directionless.  Searching for something.  But what?

New goals.  New dreams.

Here's the thing though.  I was so set on where my limits were that I didn't dare to look beyond that.  But, really?  Where are my limits?  I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know one thing: I'm not setting a limit on it.

It's important to have short term goals, mid-term goals, and long term goals.  It's also important to have dreams and aspirations.  What's the difference between goals and dreams?  I'm sure there's lots of definitions, but here's my take on it.  Goals are specific and attainable.  Dreams are things that you'd like to reach, but don't know when, how or if.

So, with that said, I'm all about impulsive goal setting.  Seriously.  I think when you follow your first instinct, it's sometimes exactly what you need.  Overthink it and you can psych yourself out.

Short term goals:

Run a strong half marathon on Nov 13
Run that half marathon in less then 2:15

These goals are ones that I am currently working towards and have a date when I plan to achieve them.  I consider them to be attainable and realistic right now.  The 2:15 goal scares me a little bit, yet at the same time, I question whether I can even go faster.  The Mcmillan calculator actually predicts my half marathon time at 2:05:50 (based on my recent 10k).  Right now, I intend to pace for 2:15, and then negative split if I have it in me.

Mid-term goals:

Run a sub 26 minute 5K
Run a sub 55 minute 10K
Run a sub 2 hour half marathon
Break 3 hours in an Olympic triathlon
Complete a half ironman, to the best of my ability

Some of these goals are probably attainable (or almost attainable) now, but I don't have specific plans when I will achieve them.  I mainly plan to shoot for them the next time I am doing races of those distances.

Long-term goals:

Complete a marathon, to the best of my ability
Complete a full ironman, to the best of my ability

These are things I definitely plan to do, eventually.  The ironman is years away, and I haven't decided yet when I will be attempting a marathon.

Something that I have come to realize about myself is that I will never be happy with "just finishing".  I don't always have to have a time goal, but I need to feel like I did everything I could, on that day and at that point in my training.  Hence, the term "to the best of my ability" on some of the longer distance races.  If I cross an ironman finish line in 16:59:59 and I gave it everything I had, I'd be happy with finishing.  If I crossed it in 14 hours, but I took it really easy on the bike and walked on the run (when I had no need to), I'd be unhappy.

And now, because sometimes, you should shoot for the stars...

Dreams:

Place in my age group
Boston Qualify
Kona Qualify

I've often been heard saying "I'm never going to be placing".  I'm now recognizing that that's a limit that I've put on myself.  At this point, I don't know what I'm capable of.  However, I do believe that I have the potential to do far more then I have.  I've also been heard to say "I'm not a fast runner."  I now believe I have the potential to go much much faster then I have.  I haven't even scratched the surface of my speed.

And yep, I put it out there.  I would love to BQ or KQ.  Is that an attainable goal?  Truthfully, I don't know.  I honestly don't know if I have that potential.  But, then that's why it's not a "goal".  I might have that potential though.  And, that is why I've allowed it to be a dream.

As for limits?  Well, I'm not going there anymore.  About the only limit I'm seeing is that I will never go pro. Realistically, I'm too old for that, and at this point in my life, it's not what I want for me or my family.

Otherwise, the possibilities are limitless.  I'll just see how far I can go.

How often do you run naked?

This weekend, I had my second 22 km (13.7 mi) run of this training cycle.  I was just about ready to go.  I grabbed my garmin and turned it on to check a setting on it.

And, the low battery signal flashed at me.

Crap.

If the low battery signal flashes during a run, I can usually still get an hour out of it.  If it flashes when I turn it on, it usually means I forgot to turn it off after my last run.  That means it won't even last 10 minutes.

This wasn't good.  I had 22 km on the plate for the day.  How was I going to know how far I had gone?  How was I going to know how fast I was going?  How would I run?

I came to a stunning realization.  I would have to run without my garmin.

My naked wrist

I thought about it a bit, and realized that people did run before garmins were invented.  How is that possible?  Wait a second.  I didn't even have a garmin when I first started running.  How did I manage?

I thought about it a bit and realized how.  mapmyrun.com!  I could go and put my route in to figure out how far I'd be going.  I might not be able to know my pace, but at least I'd know my distance.  I planned out a route that came to 16km (10mi).  I decided that I could stop off at home and grab my garmin for the remaining six (after it charged some).

In the first few kilometers, I missed my garmin a lot.  I realized that, while I don't usually run with music, I am attached to my garmin.  Normally, I constantly check my pace.  This time, I couldn't do that.  It was an adjustment, but before long, I was really feeling in tune with the run.  I was just running.

Now, I wish I could say that it was a phenomenal run.  I would love to say I set records because I didn't know my speed and I didn't hold back.

Truth is, it wasn't.  It was a tough run and it took some mental strength to get through all 22 km of it.  Having said that, I think not having my garmin for the first 16 was a good thing.  Knowing that I was going slower then usual for a long run wouldn't have benefited me.  I did manage to continue running, and that's what's important.  This was my long slow distance run after all.

I did stop off at home and get it after 16 km.  I tried to make the stop quick, but I took the time to change my shirt.  (Some clothing works for shorter distances but chafes at longer ones.)

The final 6km was still a struggle.  I was tired.  My legs were tired.  Last time I ran 22km, I felt super strong.  I even felt like I could have gone further.  Not this time.  But, having my garmin did help me push a little bit.  When I felt my pace dropping, I'd tell myself to push just a little bit.  When I reached the last km, I decided to see what was left in my legs, and I ran that km in under 6 minutes (fast for me).

So, over all?  Am I going to stop running with my garmin?  Not a chance.  I like knowing how I am doing and the garmin gives me feedback so I can see when I've improved.  Sometimes, it helps me to push myself.

Having said that, am I going to stop running with my garmin sometimes?  I think so.  There's a certain freedom in running naked and not being tied to the little numbers flashing on your wrist.  While the garmin sometimes helps me push myself, it also can hold me back, as evidenced in my Oly tri - where I only ran as fast as I did because my garmin didn't work and I didn't know how fast I was going.

Having said that, I don't know how many of my runs before my half marathon will be garminless.  I am going to try to go without, once a week or so, after.

Weight loss, accountability, and HBBC

So, this week, I didn't do my "weight loss Wednesday".  There's a number of reasons.  I was busy.  The kids have had lots of places to go (and me to drive them).  I've had extra appointments to deal with my calf.  Blah, blah, blah.

The thing is, if I lose weight, I'm excited to post.  I carve out the little bit of time I need to blog - be it 3 minutes, or 30.  I really enjoy blogging.  It's funny, because I never kept a journal when I was younger - not for more then 2 days, at least.  But blogging has become an integral part of my journey.  I don't just go through the steps, but I think about them and I talk about them.  For me, that's made it into a journey that has reshaped me in so many ways, I can't even count.

One thing about blogging is the accountability.  It's a great motivator to get through the rough spots when you think about how you can come on here and talk about your success.  Then, there's the times when you don't succeed.  Those are much harder to blog about.  Everyone wants to be positive, including me.  I don't like to wallow, so I have trouble talking about the rough spots.  I usually wait until I have a strategy to deal with them. (And if that helps me come up with a strategy, I'm good with that.)

So, getting back to the weight loss accountability: this week, I gained 0.6 pounds.  Not a huge amount, and nothing that will hurt me in the long run.  That it came on the tail of my hugely successful race is too bad, but I won't pretend I don't know where it came from.  I don't cook on race days, so there was pizza that night.  Then there was Canadian Thanksgiving, which included some pie.  My portion sizes were nothing compared to what they once were, but the second helping of mashed potatoes was probably unnecessary.

Truthfully, I consider 0.6 pounds to be maintaining my weight, which is fine - just not right now.

Now, talking about accountability, has everyone signed up for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge?

It's run by Amanda, at Run to the Finish.  I really like the whole concept of it, as it's based on what you are doing and therefore, what you have control over.  It starts up Nov 19, which is perfect timing for me, as I do my half marathon on the 13th.  I can take it a little easy for a few days, and then kick it into high gear.  I'm signing up in the "Doer" category.  I know I'm past being a "builder", but don't think I count as "advanced" yet.

Looking forward to it as another tool towards accountability!

Thanksgiving race report - reaching the big goal

A bit less then a year ago, I was running with some friends.  We were talking about where we wanted to go as runners, and I expressed the thought that one day, I wanted to be able to run 10K in less then an hour.  At the time, that goal seemed almost out of reach, but maybe, just maybe, one day I'd be able to do it.  If I could run a sub-60 10K, I'd be forever happy with my running speed and wouldn't need more.

Fast forward to Sunday.  There I was, at a registration table, signing up to run a 10K distance, with the goal of beating an hour.  I'd never expected to make the attempt so soon, but I have never felt more ready for a race.  Never more ready to prove to myself what I was capable of.

Pre-Race

The morning before the race was one of my least stressful ones yet.  It's been a while since I've done a running race, rather then a triathlon.  There is a lot less stuff you have get ready!  I got up early enough to have my steel cut oats and a cup of tea, plus a glass of water.

I usually have my coffee in a travel mug on the way to a race.  Just before leaving, I realized I'd forgot to brew my coffee.  Oh no!  Now, it may not seem like such a big deal, but coffee isn't just a caffeine fix.  Other runners will get this: it makes sure things move before the run, rather then having an emergent situation during it.

Not such a big deal.  There are lots of places that sell coffee and have it ready to go.  I stopped off at Tim Hortons, skipped the insanely long drive thru option, and got served immediately in the store.  Good to go, and I started the drive into the city.

Now, I should mention that I was doing this race on my own.  My husband and kids usually come out and cheer for me, but when I decided I needed to do this race, I decided it was something I needed to do for me.  While the kids like cheering when I go by, they don't have as much fun with the waiting part (which is much longer then the cheering part), so I thought I'd give them a pass this time.  My husband asked if I was really okay with it.  I was.  Something about this day was very personal and I was totally okay with not having them there at the finish line.

When I got to the race site, I went to get registered and then walked around for a bit.  I saw Runner Leana, so I had to go say hi.  I've been following her blog for a while, so it was very cool to meet her.

Then I headed out and ran a couple kilometers to warm up.  It's amazing how far I've come.  I once viewed the 10k distance as a really long run.  No way would I run first.  Now, I know that I hit my stride after about 10 minutes of running.  I prefer to run at least a kilometer at a slow pace, and when I'm shooting for a time, I don't want that slow kilometer to be during the race.

On my way out the door, I got accosted by a photo booth guy.  One of the downsides of my family not being along was the lack of pictures, so while I was a bit stunned at first, I was glad to get a picture of the day.

Yep, that's a picture of a picture.  My printer/scanner is out of coloured ink, and apparently requires it to scan...

I detoured to drop the picture in my car, then warmed up.  My warm up run felt great, and was a nice relaxed pace.  Then I headed over to the start line and got caught up in the warm up that a fitness instructor was leading.  Do you ever do these warm ups?  I don't.  I prefer to warm up by walking or running.  Having said that, I was there in the middle of it so I step-touched and marched wide with the group...

Once the warm up was coming to an end, I headed towards the start time.  There were a lot of people, and there was a 5K walk in addition to the 10K run.  The last thing I wanted was to be stuck behind hordes of people walking 6 wide, with strollers.  Fortunately, they did have the runners line up first, so it turned out it wouldn't be so bad.

I felt amazing going into this race.  I have never felt so perfectly prepared and excited, but not nervous.  I was ready to push, and push hard.  I was completely confident that I could reach my goal.

The Race

The countdown started and we were off.  Despite the fact I was about to run my fastest 10k ever, I know that to some people sub-60 isn't fast, so I was lined up a bit back from the start line.  It never ceases to amaze me how badly some people seed themselves.  I probably passed half the people in front of me right at the start.  There were also a lot of fast runners that passed me and should have been further forward.  Then there were the people that passed me and I passed back in a couple of minutes.  There was also the couple pushing the double wide jogging stroller, not even behind the jogging stroller, but one on each side.  And, they were NOT going fast enough to justify being in the first few rows of racers.  Regardless, the path was nice and wide, so it was pretty easy to get going.  I was up to speed in about 15 seconds.

Speaking of speed, part of my strategy for this race was to bank some time.  I don't entirely trust running room races to be an accurate distance.  Regardless of what my garmin said the distance was, I wanted to cross that finish line in under an hour.  If the race happened to be long, I didn't want to whine about not beating it because it was long; I wanted to beat it no matter what.

So, I planned to run at about a 5:45/km pace.  For me, this is fast and was a bit of an aggressive plan.  I have run at that fast a pace twice, for a distance of only 5 km each time - at the end of sprint triathlons.

Having said that, I believed I could do it.  My running has done nothing but improve lately, and I regularly find myself running at faster paces then I'm used to - at the same effort level.  I also know that being able to achieve that pace at the end of the triathlon means I should be able to hold it longer when I'm not going into the run tired.

For the first kilometer, I held back a bit.  It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement at the start of the race.  Having said that, it's also a good way to burn yourself out if you go too fast.  That first kilometer almost felt easy.

km 1: 5:47

Going into the next couple kilometers is where I had to start working.  It was hard.  Doable hard, but this was no Sunday stroll.  It was a Sunday race!  I actually tried not to look at my garmin too much and instead focused on keeping my effort level steady, but hard.

km 2: 5:42

km 3: 5:42

During the fourth kilometer, I hit the water station.  I grabbed a cup and walked for a few seconds to take a drink.  I wasn't really thirsty, but my mouth was dry and it felt better to wet it.  I still suck at drinking out of those paper cups though.  Maybe one day I'll manage to do it while running.

km 4: 5:52

Then we headed down a bit of a hill.  Going down, I observed that I might lose time coming back up.  The distance markers seemed to be pretty much right on though, so as long as the turn around point was accurate, I could afford a minor slow down.

km 5: 5:37

The turn around point seemed to be at pretty much the right spot.  It wasn't out by more then a couple dozen meters, which could just be from taking corners wide and the margin of error on the garmin.

I saw Leanna a bit after the turn around.  She gave me a word of encouragement and I just smiled and tried to look strong.  She said I looked great, which was probably a lie, but made me feel good anyways.  ;)

Then it was back up the "hill".  There was a guy in black compression socks that I had been right behind for the last 5 km.  I decided that as long as he didn't slow down too much, I'd make sure to hold onto him up the hill.  He actually sped up going up the hill, so I did too.  Not so bad at all!  Seriously.  I train in the foothills of the rocky mountains, and I was considering this little slope to be a hill?  Maybe because the rest of the course was flat, I just saw it as bigger then it was.

Then I passed him.

km 6: 5:46

Then it was into the homestretch.  Back to the water station.  Another mouthful of water.  Did I really need it?  Probably not.  I think I may start skipping water stations on 10k races unless it's a hot day (which it wasn't).

km 7: 5:35

With three kilometers left, I had planned to pick up the pace.  I wanted to work for my finish, not just coast in.  I wasn't coasting though.  This was hard.  Man, it was hard.  I decided that if I could continue to hold my pace, I'd be good.

km 8: 5:35

With two kilometers left to go, I realized I could finish at a gentle jog and still break one hour.  That wasn't the point though.  I was going to finish strong.

km 9: 5:41

When I finished the ninth kilometer, I decided it was time to let it hurt.  It was already hard, but it didn't hurt.  I'd been afraid to make it hurt with three kilometers left, but I knew I could do it with one left.  As I passed the 9th km marker, I picked up the pace and passed two people that I'd been running close to for a bit.  Then I passed a couple more people.  I heard somebody close behind me and decided that I was not going to be passed for the rest of the race.  I pushed.  I pushed hard and I started feeling like I needed to puke.  I held on.

km 10: 5:05

With the finish line in sight, I sprinted to the end.  I didn't think I actually had more in my legs, but my pace for the extra 46 metres, that my garmin measured, was 3:51/km.

46 metres: 11 seconds

Finish time: 56:33

A personal best by 3:39

Beat the sub-60 goal by 3:27

So, that's it.  I guess I may as well shut the blog down and take up lawn bowling.  After all, I reached the ultimate goal I once saw as a runner.

Hmmm, It feels amazing right now, but I have a feeling I won't be able to be "forever happy with that running speed."

Quick update - OH YEAH!

So, as to my goal of hitting a sub-60 10k?  I blew that goal out of the water and finished in...

56:33

The full race report is to come.  (As well as a post about underestimating my abilities and setting my goals too low...)