I went out for a run this afternoon for the very first time with my baby boy in a jogging stroller. I have been wanting a jogging stroller for a long time, but as you already know I am cheap and therefore would not shell out the money (which I find so hard to come by) on what I considered to be an exorbitantly expensive stroller. (Price them and you will see what I mean.) However, I have met a number of other moms at my boys' preschool and a couple of them are runners as well. We began discussing our running schedules and how we manage training with our family demands. I mentioned that I have difficulty getting a run some days because I am not ready to trust my oldest with watching the baby yet. One of the moms had a jogging stroller in good condition that she was no longer using and volunteered to sell it to me for fifty dollars! Problem solved!
I planned a fairly easy run of five miles. From the beginning, I had a difficult time figuring out my pacing. I had planned on a warm-up mile at an 11:30 min. pace. I knew I was working hard, but I thought the stroller and the weight of the baby were most likely the reason. I looked down at my watch at 3/4 of a mile to find that I was running on target for a 9:00 min. mile pace! Good grief! So much for a relaxed warm-up. The rest of the run was more of the same. Too fast, then too slow.
I could have gotten really frustrated and would have a month ago. A month ago, I would have been unhappy about not strictly following my training plan. At some point during the last four weeks of training for the half marathon, I have changed my attitude toward my individual runs. I am learning to treat every run as a good run, even if I did not accomplish what I had in mind for the day. I am trying to focus on the positive about every outing and leave the negative behind once I have culled the information needed to improve my performance.
I had fun taking the baby with me and he had a good time, too. I know I got in a good workout regardless of pacing. Best of all, I knew my money was not wasted when I found myself planning the next run with the baby!
This blog is a journal of my running experiences. I want to put down my thoughts as a beginning runner while I am still a beginner!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The First Run
Lest you think I am a natural athlete whose talents simply lie dormant until I tapped into them, let me take this opportunity to disavow you of that notion. I was not involved in competitive athletics to any great degree when I was growing up. A single season in soccer and gymnastics classes that never resulted in any meets were my only athletic endeavors. Interestingly enough, I did try out for my middle school track team when I was in the seventh grade. My physical education teacher inspired me to run because it seemed to be the one sport in which I really showed promise. I didn't make the team because I was not a good sprinter. I was edged out by another girl for the last spot on the team. Looking back, I wish I had known that I could still be a good long distance runner and kept running in spite of not making the track team. That is not what happened, though. I tossed the tennis shoes after that school year was over.
I went out for my first run June 25, 2010. I waited until the kids were in bed sleeping before going out so it was already dark, but that is a good thing when you live in Texas during the summer. The temperatures outside were still in the mid 80's at 10:00pm. I would love to tell you I felt great after my first effort to get in shape, but that would be an enormous lie. The plan was to run 1.75 miles. Not much, I know, but I did not want to overdo it an end up injured after only one exercise session. I started off at a comfortable jog thinking, "This is going to be easy". I did not even make it to the halfway point before I had to stop and walk. I could not even run one mile! How humiliating. And humbling. I was out of breath and fatigued after so little work. I had done my homework though, and I knew that I needed to keep my heart rate up for better than twenty minutes or I would not see a change in my metabolism and I would not lose weight, which after all was the whole point of getting off the couch. So I kept on going, pushing myself to run as much as I could and fast walk what I could not. I did not keep a record of my time, but it did take over twenty minutes so I was at least able to be happy that I had accomplished one goal.
I went to bed that night feeling pretty discouraged by my poor performance, but more determined to make a change in my life than before the run. I got up the next morning and of course, had to step on the scale and see if there was any change. I was honestly surprised to see that I was one and a half pounds lighter than the day before. Really? After one run? That was it. I was sold. I knew I had found the key to losing weight for me. That was my initial motivation for getting in motion and kept me going until another motivation took its place. After that first run, I became focused and driven in a way I had not been about anything for a very long time.
I went out for my first run June 25, 2010. I waited until the kids were in bed sleeping before going out so it was already dark, but that is a good thing when you live in Texas during the summer. The temperatures outside were still in the mid 80's at 10:00pm. I would love to tell you I felt great after my first effort to get in shape, but that would be an enormous lie. The plan was to run 1.75 miles. Not much, I know, but I did not want to overdo it an end up injured after only one exercise session. I started off at a comfortable jog thinking, "This is going to be easy". I did not even make it to the halfway point before I had to stop and walk. I could not even run one mile! How humiliating. And humbling. I was out of breath and fatigued after so little work. I had done my homework though, and I knew that I needed to keep my heart rate up for better than twenty minutes or I would not see a change in my metabolism and I would not lose weight, which after all was the whole point of getting off the couch. So I kept on going, pushing myself to run as much as I could and fast walk what I could not. I did not keep a record of my time, but it did take over twenty minutes so I was at least able to be happy that I had accomplished one goal.
I went to bed that night feeling pretty discouraged by my poor performance, but more determined to make a change in my life than before the run. I got up the next morning and of course, had to step on the scale and see if there was any change. I was honestly surprised to see that I was one and a half pounds lighter than the day before. Really? After one run? That was it. I was sold. I knew I had found the key to losing weight for me. That was my initial motivation for getting in motion and kept me going until another motivation took its place. After that first run, I became focused and driven in a way I had not been about anything for a very long time.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Beginning
Everytime someone finds out I am a runner, they want to know why in the world I would subject my body to such treatment! "What made you decide to run?", is the first thing people think, as though it is simply crazy to even contemplate running without a mugger on your tail. The truth always surprises them, too. I have a tendancy to be quite blunt with my honesty, so I simply tell them I am lazy and cheap.
I knew, without having to look in the mirror for verification, that I was over weight. I had been for years. Not drastically over weight, but that middle-age, comfort zone of tweny pounds over weight that a lot of us visit and never leave. I put the weight on years ago when I was going through a divorce and just never did anything to change the situation. I went out and bought new clothes in larger sizes and went about life a little less confident and a lot more unhealthy. I rationalized my weight as being okay because I was not finished having children yet. In my mind, why bother losing the weight to just put it back on again when I was pregnant? I know. My logic had more than a few flaws.
That brings me to June 2010. After ten years of being over weight, I had run out of excuses. I had my last baby in September 2009 and have no plans for any more children. I stopped nursing him at the beginning of May this year, so I couldn't blame the extra pounds on that anymore. I honestly could not come up with any good reason why I should still be out of shape and heavy. And in the back of my mind was that internal little pain in the ass voice reminding me I had said for years I would get back in shape after I was finished having kids.
So the decision was made. As I sat on my couch eating Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (not kidding), I contemplated the various methods to get me on the path to a bikini body. (Here's where we get to me being lazy and cheap.)
The first, most obvious option was to join a gym. I am a huge fan (no pun intended) of "The Biggest Loser", so it was only natural to think about getting my own version of Bob or Gillian. But I've been there and done that before. About five years ago, in fact. Do you want to know how many pounds I lost in three months with a trainer? Five. I figure I paid about $40 per pound. That adds up to ridiculous in my account books. Clearly something about the whole gym experience did not mesh with me. Besides, I knew without a doubt that I would not stick to any exercise plan that had me driving across town to get to a gym. The logistics of managing schedules for four kids and two adults in our house plus an exercise schedule at a gym seemed completely overwhelming. Decision made: No gym.
My husband bought an Elliptical exercise machine a couple of years ago. He was so excited about his new toy, I did not have the heart to tell him I hate working out on machines. There is just something so futile about doing all of that work and not getting anywhere! I did not bother to get on it even one time until this summer. I decided the Elliptical could serve as a back-up plan, but there was no way I wanted a machine to be my main choice for exercise.
If gyms and machines were out for me, that left biking, swimming, walking or running. Biking did not seem practical to me. I live in Lubbock and one drive through this city will show you that the roads were not made with cyclists in mind. Very few have lanes devoted to cycling traffic. We live out of the city limits off a highway that does have shoulders, but cars frequently drift over the shoulder stripes. Dangers aside, have you priced good bicycles lately? They are outrageously expensive. Add in all of the necessary gear and you have a high priced sport. Swimming was an option, but I had very good reasons not to swim as my main exercise. To begin with, we do not have a pool at our home, but there is a great pool in our neighborhood that I take the kids to all the time. It is rarely crowded when we go and there is a lap pool seperate from the main recreational pool. Watching the children is the main problem. My boys were ages 13, 4, 3 and 10 months this summer. None of the three little ones could swim so I have to supervise them at all times when they are near the pools. I could not take time for myself at the pool and leave them alone at home, either. Even if I could, I would still have to join a gym to swim when the pools closed at the end of the season. Swimming was out.
I was left with walking and running. I was walking regularly with the family already and my weight certainly wasn't being affected positively. Therefore, running was my only option left. It was also the only option that really appealed to me. I like the feeling of power and control I get from running. It is a relatively cheap sport to begin, too. A pair of shoes is really all you need to get going. After realizing this, I decided there was never going to be a better time than right at that moment to get out there and get started. I had no idea that first run was going to become the beginning of a new obsession.
I knew, without having to look in the mirror for verification, that I was over weight. I had been for years. Not drastically over weight, but that middle-age, comfort zone of tweny pounds over weight that a lot of us visit and never leave. I put the weight on years ago when I was going through a divorce and just never did anything to change the situation. I went out and bought new clothes in larger sizes and went about life a little less confident and a lot more unhealthy. I rationalized my weight as being okay because I was not finished having children yet. In my mind, why bother losing the weight to just put it back on again when I was pregnant? I know. My logic had more than a few flaws.
That brings me to June 2010. After ten years of being over weight, I had run out of excuses. I had my last baby in September 2009 and have no plans for any more children. I stopped nursing him at the beginning of May this year, so I couldn't blame the extra pounds on that anymore. I honestly could not come up with any good reason why I should still be out of shape and heavy. And in the back of my mind was that internal little pain in the ass voice reminding me I had said for years I would get back in shape after I was finished having kids.
So the decision was made. As I sat on my couch eating Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (not kidding), I contemplated the various methods to get me on the path to a bikini body. (Here's where we get to me being lazy and cheap.)
The first, most obvious option was to join a gym. I am a huge fan (no pun intended) of "The Biggest Loser", so it was only natural to think about getting my own version of Bob or Gillian. But I've been there and done that before. About five years ago, in fact. Do you want to know how many pounds I lost in three months with a trainer? Five. I figure I paid about $40 per pound. That adds up to ridiculous in my account books. Clearly something about the whole gym experience did not mesh with me. Besides, I knew without a doubt that I would not stick to any exercise plan that had me driving across town to get to a gym. The logistics of managing schedules for four kids and two adults in our house plus an exercise schedule at a gym seemed completely overwhelming. Decision made: No gym.
My husband bought an Elliptical exercise machine a couple of years ago. He was so excited about his new toy, I did not have the heart to tell him I hate working out on machines. There is just something so futile about doing all of that work and not getting anywhere! I did not bother to get on it even one time until this summer. I decided the Elliptical could serve as a back-up plan, but there was no way I wanted a machine to be my main choice for exercise.
If gyms and machines were out for me, that left biking, swimming, walking or running. Biking did not seem practical to me. I live in Lubbock and one drive through this city will show you that the roads were not made with cyclists in mind. Very few have lanes devoted to cycling traffic. We live out of the city limits off a highway that does have shoulders, but cars frequently drift over the shoulder stripes. Dangers aside, have you priced good bicycles lately? They are outrageously expensive. Add in all of the necessary gear and you have a high priced sport. Swimming was an option, but I had very good reasons not to swim as my main exercise. To begin with, we do not have a pool at our home, but there is a great pool in our neighborhood that I take the kids to all the time. It is rarely crowded when we go and there is a lap pool seperate from the main recreational pool. Watching the children is the main problem. My boys were ages 13, 4, 3 and 10 months this summer. None of the three little ones could swim so I have to supervise them at all times when they are near the pools. I could not take time for myself at the pool and leave them alone at home, either. Even if I could, I would still have to join a gym to swim when the pools closed at the end of the season. Swimming was out.
I was left with walking and running. I was walking regularly with the family already and my weight certainly wasn't being affected positively. Therefore, running was my only option left. It was also the only option that really appealed to me. I like the feeling of power and control I get from running. It is a relatively cheap sport to begin, too. A pair of shoes is really all you need to get going. After realizing this, I decided there was never going to be a better time than right at that moment to get out there and get started. I had no idea that first run was going to become the beginning of a new obsession.
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Longest Run
Saturday I went out for my long run of the week - my longest run. I knew going into this run that I would be putting too much mileage on my legs for this point in my training, but I just had to get out there and prove to myself that I could handle twelve miles without falling apart, without stopping and without massive injury. I have my first half marathon coming up in just two weeks so this was as much about the "mind game" as it was actual training. With the twelve miles on Saturday, that brought my total to 21.4 miles for the week, an increase of five miles over my previous best week. No matter what running expert you talk to, they will all tell you I added more than three miles over what was safe for my current level of training. Not the smartest move I've ever made.
The weather wasn't fantastic, but for December it was tolerable. One thing I've learned as the weather has turned colder is to make sure I have plenty of Kleenex in my pocket and chapstick! Nobody tells you how badly you are going to need these simple little things when the temperatures drop. The fifty two degree temperature did not bother me. In fact, that is pretty close to perfect for running. The West Texas wind, however did bother me. I really do not like running into a 25 - 30mph Northerly wind, but that was what I had in my face for half the run. I was already unhappy about the situation by mile two, but I have become a master cheerleader for myself, so I got my game on. I mentally began to tell myself that these conditions were great for my my training. I thought, "Who knows what the weather will be like in Las Cruces on race day? It could be colder, windier, wetter, anything! This is good. At least the wind is in your face for the first half of the run. This way, the wind will be at your back for the second half and make the harder portion of the run a better experience". Other people may not have to have these mental conversations to get through a run, but I sure do.
I felt truly amazing after passing the half way point. The lack of wind resistance was great and I was feeling really good. I was running relaxed, sticking to a 10:45 mile pace and enjoying myself thoroughly. I didn't notice a problem until about mile eight. My left knee began hurting on the outside of my leg. It wasn't enough to change my stride so I kept plugging along. By mile eleven though, I knew I was beginning to limp and compensate for the discomfort. I was not going to stop running that close to home so I pushed through the pain and finished strong, feeling exhilarated at having completed such a long distance for me with a respectable time of 2:09 for a comfortable pace.
I took precautions after the run and elevated my knee with ice packs for an hour and took my extra strength Tylenol, but by the time I went to bed that night I could barely move. I fell asleep with ice on my knee. I took more Tylenol and iced again. I read my running books and checked the Runner's World web-site to make sure I was treating my injury correctly and discovered that my insticts were correct and that the injury is probably Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS). As Sunday went by and I kept moving my knee, the pain got better and better. I woke up this morning just fine. I'm not hurting at all. However, I exchanged my training run today for a workout on the Elliptical machine in our basement. I hate that thing, but it made no sense to risk another injury when I have a race to run in twelve days. Finally, a smart decision!
The weather wasn't fantastic, but for December it was tolerable. One thing I've learned as the weather has turned colder is to make sure I have plenty of Kleenex in my pocket and chapstick! Nobody tells you how badly you are going to need these simple little things when the temperatures drop. The fifty two degree temperature did not bother me. In fact, that is pretty close to perfect for running. The West Texas wind, however did bother me. I really do not like running into a 25 - 30mph Northerly wind, but that was what I had in my face for half the run. I was already unhappy about the situation by mile two, but I have become a master cheerleader for myself, so I got my game on. I mentally began to tell myself that these conditions were great for my my training. I thought, "Who knows what the weather will be like in Las Cruces on race day? It could be colder, windier, wetter, anything! This is good. At least the wind is in your face for the first half of the run. This way, the wind will be at your back for the second half and make the harder portion of the run a better experience". Other people may not have to have these mental conversations to get through a run, but I sure do.
I felt truly amazing after passing the half way point. The lack of wind resistance was great and I was feeling really good. I was running relaxed, sticking to a 10:45 mile pace and enjoying myself thoroughly. I didn't notice a problem until about mile eight. My left knee began hurting on the outside of my leg. It wasn't enough to change my stride so I kept plugging along. By mile eleven though, I knew I was beginning to limp and compensate for the discomfort. I was not going to stop running that close to home so I pushed through the pain and finished strong, feeling exhilarated at having completed such a long distance for me with a respectable time of 2:09 for a comfortable pace.
I took precautions after the run and elevated my knee with ice packs for an hour and took my extra strength Tylenol, but by the time I went to bed that night I could barely move. I fell asleep with ice on my knee. I took more Tylenol and iced again. I read my running books and checked the Runner's World web-site to make sure I was treating my injury correctly and discovered that my insticts were correct and that the injury is probably Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS). As Sunday went by and I kept moving my knee, the pain got better and better. I woke up this morning just fine. I'm not hurting at all. However, I exchanged my training run today for a workout on the Elliptical machine in our basement. I hate that thing, but it made no sense to risk another injury when I have a race to run in twelve days. Finally, a smart decision!
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