A Mixed Bag

April 26th, 2010

Last week’s runs were a mixed bag.  The first intervals went well - I was pleased with my ability to maintain a steady rhythm and pace, even if it wasn’t fast.  I completed 12, 5, and 12 minute runs with 2-minute walks in between.  The “light” run day - which was optional, but I did it - was a brief, 8-minute run flanked by warmup and cooldown.  That went fine, no worries.

But I don’t know what the heck happened on Friday. I wasn’t very pleased with how it went, but Coach Jeanne told me there’d be days like these!

It was rather breezy, and it seemed no matter which direction I ran, I was running into the wind…it was just strong enough to slow me down and make it feel like I was running uphill with an anchor tied to my waist.  I also suspect my muscles were a little fatigued from the martial arts test the previous night, and I hadn’t fueled up properly.

Determination got me through the first 12-minute section. Inward hostility can be a good motivator - I went drill sergeant on myself for the 5-minute middle interval and I began to suspect I was going to bonk on the third interval.  There was a deep down fatigue that said my gas gauge was sitting on E or close to it…my legs were tired too and that very rarely happens. So rather than just cop out  on the third set, I decided to just keep going for as long as I could.  I made it to about 8 minutes.

It wasn’t too long after that, on the long walk home, that the middle toe on my left foot started bothering me again.  I think it’s a pavement thing - when I walk on softer surfaces it feels better.

So what’s the moral of the blog post?  Stuff happens.  I learn what works and what doesn’t every time I head out the door.  Mother Nature does not play by our rulebook - she has her own.  So it’s going to rain, and it’s going to be windy, but PERFECT conditions for running are rare, and they vary from person to person. “Perfect” for me is somewhere between 78 and 83 with minimal wind and low humidity. I have friends who prefer to run in cooler weather - say, 45 or 50.  And I have friends who are experienced runners and hardly bat an eye at most weather conditions.

There was once a Peanuts comic strip in which Lucy kept dropping every pop fly that came out her way.  When Charlie Brown asked her why she wasn’t catching anything, she said, “The sun was in my eyes!”  But it was a cloudy day. When she dropped another pop fly, she said, “The moons of Jupiter got in my eyes!”

So I’m going to chalk up that mediocre run to the gravitational pull of Mars and plan to hit the road again tomorrow - hydrated, carbed, and positive.

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On the Road Again 2010!

March 31st, 2010

After a few “shakedown” runs to make sure everything was in working order, I’m officially back on the road again, chasing the goal I attempted in 2009.

On my running program created by Coach Jeanne last year, I made it to week seven before being sidelined by an ankle injury and then a stint in the hospital after collapsing at a writing conference.  The latter turned out to be a petit mal seizure disorder, much to my surprise, but during the time I was instructed to “take it easy” my ankle healed — so that’s a bonus!

I took advantage of a couple nice March days (”nice” being sunny and over 50 here in Ohio) and took myself out for a test run. No pressure. No expectations.  Just blowing the carbon out of the engine.  The first time out, I walked a full loop around the park (which equals 1.16 miles, or 1.8 km), which took about 15 minutes.  I stretched, then started to run, working on finding my groove, and a gait that felt familiar or comfortable.  That in itself took a few minutes.  Something else felt familiar too about 7 minutes into the run:  my lungs and the rest of my body asking “what were you thinking??”  But I anticipated this and kept telling myself, “Okay, just one more minute, one more minute” or “Okay, just till the end of this song.”

And then, voila! I’d made a complete circuit around the park!  Estimated time: 13 minutes, give or take.  I kept going about another quarter of a loop, then took a cool-down walk.  I was pleasantly surprised; I’d expected to need to start from scratch.

About a week later, I tried an interval (run-walk-run-walk-run).  It went all right.  The weather was cooler and I wasn’t really ready for it, but the interval went 10-2-5-2-4 (minutes).  I was aiming for 7 on the last interval, but my stomach was giving me grief so I stopped (I don’t believe this was connected to the run in any way - it just happened).  I tried the same interval again a few days later and this time felt a bit frustrated.  It was very breezy, from the north, and the wind was cutting into my ears something fierce. I went 10-2-5-2-3 before I couldn’t stand the discomfort in my ears any more. Thoughts of conspiracies against me by Mother Nature started crossing my mind, but Coach Jeanne and I figured out I was ready to get back on the program, even though the intervals were not ideal.

So today…blessed with 70+ weather and abundant sunshine and a southerly wind…I set my stopwatch and ran through the neighborhood. 10-2-5-2-7.  The ten minute section went much easier than I’d anticipated…it still got a little challenging around the 8-minute mark, but I talked myself through it.  The last 3 minutes of the final interval were a little difficult, but I did it.

I’m ready to start building from here.  The weather will probably be inconsistent around here for another month or so, but I’ve learned my lesson not to fool with Mother Nature.  I will dress accordingly.

How about you?  Did you take the winter off from running?  Time to hit the road again!

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Getting back to it…

September 25th, 2009

I’ve heard from Liz multiple times since this incident and she’s doing well, although no firm diagnosis has been made as to what caused the blackout. Stress? A weird virus? Over-tired? Sometimes, our bodies betray us. We don’t have the answers all the time. And I’m for sure not a doctor.

So what do you do when the world steps up and gets in the way of your fitness? Well, in my head, you don’t give up! You re-group, you re-plan, and you find something that works. For Liz, because she’s enjoying her running, my thinking is that re-grouping needs to include running, at least for now… at least as long as running isn’t causing some physical pain or exacerbating anything that’s already going on.

But running needs to be done safely and falling over in the middle of a park by yourself isn’t a terribly good idea. So, smart says - take someone along for now! A great time to get a running partner. A friend, a spouse, your kids - take someone along!

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Conspiracy Theory

September 22nd, 2009

Someone is out to get me.  And it might be me.

I am truly enjoying my journey toward becoming a runner…a full-fledged runner, not a dabbler.  But over the last few weeks, I feel like my body is ganging up on me.  The spirit is willing but the flesh is having a ‘tude.

In August, I injured my ankle and had to put running on hold for about two weeks.  I was just getting ready to resume when the kids when back to school AND we had a death in the family.  So family had to take precedence.

I started running again last week and the week before and it was going very well.  Coach Jeanne had just sent me Week 7 of my running program, which I was working to fulfill around other obligations….which included a trip out of town for a one-day writers’ conference.

The morning of the conference I felt a little groggy…like I hadn’t had enough sleep, or had pulled an all-nighter.  But I rationalized that if I had some coffee and got moving, I’d be okay.  I made the 2 1/2 hour drive to the conference.

As we changed rooms after the first session, I promptly collapsed in the hallway and was unconscious for several minutes.  I woke to find the conference coordinator looking down at me, along with a paramedic at my feet, saying, “Elizabeth, you passed out.  We’re going to take you to the hospital to get checked out, okay?”

What was I going to say? No?  I couldn’t even form words.  I was aware but couldn’t communicate.

After a plethora of tests, several vials of blood, a CT scan, an MRI and talks with two doctors…they think I either had a seizure (not a grand mal seizure - I just shut down) or I have an undiagnosed sleep disorder.  All I know is something short circuited.  Now the quest begins to find out why and how.  So I’ll be having a sleep-deprivation EEG in the near future, and possibly a consult with a neurologist.

Now that the fog has lifted, I’m left wondering how an otherwise healthy person could just collapse.  My BP and resting heart rate were outstanding the entire time I was in the hospital. BP was 113 over 68, give or take a couple ticks.  Resting pulse was 62-66, depending on when they took it.

My discharge orders said I can resume normal activities except for driving. I have to have an okay from my doctor for that, and she wants to wait till after the EEG.

I’m starting to feel like my body is conspiring against me.  I’m finally making progress on the one thing I thought I’d never be able to do (run) and I have some kind of system overload or malfunction.

I will call my doctor’s office and double check to make sure it’s okay for me to run.  I have to do something - I refuse to be housebound.  It’s bad enough I’m not allowed to drive, but I hope running or at least walking are in the cards.

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Liz Reports: Igniting Week 7

September 16th, 2009

I’m back in the saddle again!!

For those just tuning in, I was doing very well on my Running Ignited program with Coach Jeanne - making steady progress on challenging runs. I was making my way from non-runner to runner.  And then, I injured my ankle, which put me out of commission for about two weeks.  Then life got in the way for a week or so - my husband’s grandmother passed away and two days later the kids started school, and then I had to take in my beloved Maine Coon, Bob, for a biopsy.  I wasn’t able to run or get to karate for at least three weeks, total.  I did some walking with hubby, who is officially “pre-diabetic” and wants to fix his eating and fitness habits.

Stress piled up in that time, and I finally decided I needed to take control of something, so I decided to test my ankle by going for a run.  I had no preconceived notions when I went to the park.  I just warmed up, stretched, and started trotting along with my iPod.

I don’t know if it’s good genes, great coaching, favorable planets or what, but I ran for 25 minutes straight. No breaks. And my ankle held up just fine.

Coach Jeanne and I decided it was time to officially get back to training. So we “rewound” to week 5 and started there.  I moved to week 6 on schedule, successfully completing run-walk-run intervals with progressively shorter walks, and “long runs” of 25 minutes, plus warm-up and cool-down.

I had a “warm fuzzy” run over the weekend.  Two walkers at the park, a man and a woman, walking independently, not together, both gave me a thumbs up every time I passed them and said, “You’re doing great!  Keep it up!”  Never met these people before in my life.  But it did help me keep going.

I just returned from my first run of Week 7…a 15 minute run, a 90 second walk, and a 15 minute run.  I think I hit “runner’s high” during the second interval, which is weird because normally the second interval is harder than the first.  But everything fell into place and I felt really good.  I think it helped that I managed to stay out of my own head during the run.  I just listened to the Doobie Brothers and Kenny Loggins and just let my body do its thing.

I will probably wind up doing another interval tomorrow, have Friday as a walk day, and a long run on Saturday to stay on schedule.  I’m not planning to go back to karate until October first for a number of reasons. It’ll give me a fresh start.

I’ve been a little lax with my eating plan too over the last couple of months and caught myself eating emotionally and giving in to food selections I knew were not good.  But like I said, I’m back in the saddle, and this too will fall into place if I get back to living consciously.

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Give it your best!

August 13th, 2009

Time for Coach Jeanne to add some thoughts here….

Lately, I’ve been noticing a pattern. Lots of my beginners seem to get minor aches and pains and injuries somewhere between the start of their exercise program and month 5 or 6 of their workout programs. Part of it seems to be that there’s a lot of enthusiasm going on and the tendency to overdo is there. Part of it seems to be the body/mind rebelling to the increased exercise. There’s something in us that wants to continue being couch potatoes. Even though we know with the most logical parts of our minds that we feel better and are more healthy with exercise, we STILL persist in feeling that lazy is better.

The interesting thing is that when our bodies rebel and get those aches and pains and minor injuries, the logical part takes back over and we want to “tough it out.” We “don’t want anyone to think [we're] wimping out,” as Liz puts it. For all kinds of reasons, we think, at this point, that we need to get stricter and harder on ourselves. We try to “push through it” and keep going.

The problem is that we HAVE to give our bodies time to heal, whether the injury is minor or major. It’s not wimping out to deal with an injury. It is important to keep moving where you can, but important to give the parts that are injured a chance to rebuild. This is what “giving it your best” really is… giving your body your best, allowing it to get stronger and better and ready to go again.

For the injured part - RICE - Rest, Immobilization, Cold, Elevation - although for minor injuries, keeping the joint moving without strain is important.

For the rest of you - if you aren’t hurting so much that you can keep going, use cross-training to build other muscle groups and maintain cardio endurance.

Consult your doctor, first. Make sure your injury isn’t serious. Then, talk it over with your coach (don’t have one? contact Ignite!) and devise a plan to get through it and back to it! Give it ALL your best - including recovery!

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Liz Reports: On the Injured Reserve List

August 11th, 2009

Nothing makes me crazy like injuries just as you’re finding your groove.

I suppose this is a hazard of cross-training or being involved in more than one sport at a time.  Last Wednesday was a full day.  I had a karate class with a run planned afterward (an interval run with two 15-minute runs split by a 90 second walk).  I was ready for both.  I felt good, flexible, and energized.  The weather was warm but not unpleasant.  And frankly, I needed the workout to destress. It had been a rough day.

During karate we covered a lot of material including personal defense, grappling, stress lines (one defender, multiple attackers), and sparring.

I know…you’re wondering what this has to do with running.  I’m getting there!  Trust me!

I have a vague recollection of two things occurring:  a pain in my foot during the stress line, and stepping off the mat at an odd angle during sparring.  At the time, I didn’t feel anything unusual, and I went out for my run as planned.

Thursday morning I woke up to a sore, stiff foot, and I noticed a purple area on my left ankle.

Bummer.

Coach Jeanne advised staying off it - no running or karate - for 2-3 days. Also, she recommended some no-impact stretching, just using my hands to manipulate my foot and keep it flexible.

It’s been almost a week without running, although I did go to karate yesterday, and certain techniques were a little uncomfortable.  I was still very careful and didn’t do anything excessive.  But my foot is still bothering me.  Although the purple has faded to olive drab.

I’m concerned about how far behind I’m going to get the longer I stay off my foot.  How far am I going to have to back up in my training and start again?

I guess this is the hazard of being involved with more than one sport or physical activity - an injury in one sport can put you off your game in another.  As injuries go, I’m sure this is minor.  It’s not like I blew out my knee and need surgery.  However, it’s still going to interfere with running and karate, and recreational tennis is out of the question for a while.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to “phone it in,” as Jillian Michaels would say.  If I’m going to do something, I’m going to give it my best each time.  When I “take it easy” I feel like I’m wimping out…or rather, I don’t want anyone to think I’m wimping out.  Caution versus wimping out.

I don’t believe that just because something is difficult you should give up. But this is proof how a little caution can get you back in the game sooner. I probably extended my down time by trying to “be tough.”

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Liz Reports: Week Six Crisis of Confidence

August 2nd, 2009

Week Six turned out to be even more of a challenge that I was expecting.  I have enough training time for various endeavors under my belt to know that the higher you climb, the harder it gets.  And if you’ve been following my posts, you know that I’m not overconfident.  I did not expect running to be easy, and so far, I’ve been able to meet the challenges and talk myself through any inclinations to giving up.

But this week - which was Week Six of my running program but Just Another Week  in the life of Liz - is not one I’m proud of.

I had two interval runs scheduled, plus a 25 minute “long” run on Saturday. But life started to get in the way - nothing dramatic, just same stuff different day - and I had difficulty scheduling the runs.  I got to the end of the week and was due to have the long run the same day as the class I refer to as killer karate (one hour of full impact kickboxing and boxing drills).

However, I’d missed an interval earlier in the week.  Knowing this, I decided to get to the park, warm up, start running and see how I felt.  If I was holding up okay, I’d just do the long run as scheduled.  If my energy started to flag or my left knee started to act up, I’d work in the interval run.

Weather was pleasant - warm but not stifling, a nice breeze, sunny.  People have been griping about the “unseasonably cool” summer, but from some perspectives, it’s been a welcome surprise!  Anyway, after hydrating and powering up with a Power Bar, I went to the park, warmed up, stretched, and started running.

I was already pretty tired, no doubt about it. I was trying to focus on the music in my iPod, not my internal Doubting Thomas, who was yakking up a blue streak telling me all the reasons why attempting this was stupid (although he crossed the line when he played the “You’re Too Old for This” card).  Age had nothing to do with it.  I’d just gone through another high impact workout and now I was out here running!  So there!

The first 15 minutes was not bad.  I was starting to find a groove or hit my stride…getting to the point where the run was comfortable.  I probably should have just kept going and gone for the long run. Instead, I erred on the side of caution and I think it cost me the second interval. I started my 90 second walk interval, but found I needed two minutes.  Given my earlier workout, I wasn’t surprised and tried not to let it get to me.  But the second 15-minute run interval was difficult.  I got to about ten minutes and was having difficulty drawing a full breath - I’m not sure why.

I think the combination of negative thoughts and physical fatigue ganged up on me and I threw in the towel around 12 minutes.  I only had three minutes to go and I surrendered.  Like Mr. Scott on the Enterprise, I was “given ‘er all she’s got, Cap’n.” But I just couldn’t tough it out.

I’m sure I’d reached a temporary physical limitation of some kind but I still feel like I gave up.  It’s bugging me. I’m irritated with myself.  And I’m considering redoing Week Six just so I can “do it right.”  I think maybe I need to prove to myself that I can do it well - it’s like being an A student and only answering half the questions on your algebra homework.

Scheduling is difficult.  I know I’m trying to complete the runs with most of the day already behind me, and that includes not only family obligations but also additional workouts.  I need to rearrange a few things so I can get in my runs earlier in the day.  It’s a brick wall I’ve seen other people come up against - how do I juggle my needs with those of work and family?

My kids go back to school in about three weeks.  I know that once they do, I can get in my running the morning.  Striking a balance between now and then - so I’m not overloading myself and becoming susceptible not only to fatigue but negativity - is going to be hard.  But I’ve committed to becoming a runner and I want to make it work.  I know it will.  One “bad run” is not a signal to give up.

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Liz Reports: Half Way!!

July 26th, 2009

Woo-hoo!  I’m half way through my program!!

I completed week five this week, including a walk today. My schedule has always included one “day off,”and alternating running and walking days (your schedule may be different, depending on your fitness level and your goals, but that’s what mine looks like).  The runs have been getting  steadily longer, with my “short” sessions including two shorter runs split by about two minutes of walking.

This week, because we were under the threat of thunderstorms on the day I was supposed to have my “long” run of 25 minutes, I flipped a run day and a walk day.  I did my 25-minute run last Friday…and I mean I DID IT!

It kicked my butt….but I DID IT!

I so did NOT feel like Rocky when I got done.  I didn’t raise my arms in victory as I charged up the steps. I was upright and that was all that mattered.  It was not an easy run…but then, if running came easily to me, I wouldn’t need coaching and training and I’d have been running for the last 20 years.

Part of the reason for the difficulty, I think, was humidity.  It was sunny and mostly clear, about 83 degrees, but on the humid side and the breeze was intermittent at best.  There may have been other factors, but I was having one of those days where I knew I would keep finding excuses to postpone the run “just until I finish” whatever project was on my list, and then I’d need to start making dinner, and then….well, you’ve probably been there before.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am enjoying the process and I love the physical challenge of learning to run, but there is still that Inner Procrastinator that I fight pretty regularly. The Inner Procrastinator gives me a hard time even when it comes to things I love doing:  writing, martial arts, home improvements.  If it’s something out of my comfort zone or something I dread - balancing the checkbook, grooming my long-haired cats - I.P. doesn’t have to give me too many reasons to not do it.

Anyway, I knew I needed to get in that run on Friday.  I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew it was also going to be harder to get out the door once my kids and husband came home.  Even though they’ve been supportive of my latest endeavor, I’d still be fighting I.P. and his sidekick Maternal Guilt to get out the door.  So I got dressed, strapped on my iPod and went out the door.

Up until now, I haven’t really been paying attention to distance and at this stage of the game distance still isn’t a priority.  It’s more about time and building up endurance (Coach Jeanne, correct me if I’m mistaken!).  Still…I was curious.

It’s exactly one mile from my house to the first major intersection in our neighborhood.  It’s a straight shot down the street.  So that was the path I chose on Friday. I kind of feel like I’m on display running down the main drag, but I really wanted to see how far I’d run in 25 minutes.  And that would help me figure out my running speed per mile or kilometer.

Low hanging mulberry branches and rogue lawn sprinklers aside, I ran all the way down, all the way back, and around the corner about a fourth or a third of the block in 25 minutes.  I’m estimating 2.25 miles in 25 minutes.

Woo-hoo!

Although, at the time, I was thinking, “Holy **** that was hard!”

I mentioned the run on my Facebook page and my friend Marnie replied and said, “Doesn’t it feel exhilarating?”

I replied, “At the moment, it actually feels drippy.”  Sweat was raining off me and onto the keyboard.  It’s a wonder I didn’t short out my laptop.

Even though it was a difficult run, and I was moving at Clydesdale speed the last five minutes, it was pretty exhilarating….after I’d showered and rehydrated.

If you’re new to running and you’re having a hard time getting through each run, I encourage you to keep at it!  Run slower if you have to, but keep going! You can do it!

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Liz Reports: Running Rewind

July 16th, 2009

Week Four was all laid out.  I had my schedule all planned out to a T.  But I did notice that everything was budgeted out to the minute last week.  If anything got in the way….

And of course…it did.

I had three meetings in two days.  Two of those meetings ran long and were mentally exhausting.  Then, apparently Mother Nature didn’t get my memo about my running plans and she initiated some thunderstorms and wickedly high humidity.  Tally it all up and I ran twice and walked once. And I had to play hooky from karate in order to get in the run.  What was interesting though was that I wanted to run more than I wanted to go to karate. *Gasp!*  Sorry, Master P!

I think part of it was because I had been stuck at home with the kids all week, and when I wasn’t at home, I was in meetings.  I needed my own space and I needed to get outside.  So rather than be in a small dojo with 8 other people, I opted to run.

I was glad I did!  The run was not easy - two 12-minute segments with a 5-minute in between - but I DID IT!  And I was glad I did!  I felt much more relaxed and the fresh air and sunshine were a huge bonus! I also got in my longest unbroken run to date - 20 minutes.  I had a few moments of “Are we there yet?” and checked my watch a little too often but I got ‘er done!

Even so, I felt like I wasn’t ready to move up to Week Five.  And Coach Jeanne said because I’m not training with a particular target in mind, at this point, it was okay to repeat Week Four’s running plan.

Coach also sent me some guidelines on cross training, which I’ve been doing all along and just didn’t realize it!  Cross training is just alternative exercise that isn’t running.  It can be something high impact like kickboxing, or low impact like swimming or kayaking.  She recommends cross training once or twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes.  It does alleviate monotony, and it works different sets of muscles as well.

I already take martial arts, and I’ve been doing that for almost five years. I’ve also been experimenting with kettle bell training, taking a beginner level class.  If you’ve never seen a kettle bell, think cannon ball or bocce ball with a handle.  I’m currently using an 8kg bell, but the instructor thinks I am probably ready to move up to 12kg.  It’s been an excellent strength training mechanism for my legs and my core.  My balance has improved, and some of the aches I’ve had for the last few years have diminished or disappeared from strength training and stretching. My kettle bell instructor also has 20 years of yoga instruction behind him and has given me phenomenal stretches! I’ve have almost no soreness since I started running and I really believe it’s because of thorough, effective stretching.

So I am in the midst of a “do-over” for week four.  I did a challenging run last night in strong winds and rather high humidity, but I was proud of myself when I finished.  I ran to John Mayer’s album “Heavier Things” on my iPod (”Clarity” and “Split Screen Sadness” have good tempos for a moderate run, in my novice’s opinion), but when I finished running and cooling down and stretching, I treated myself to some much needed veg time, sitting on a park bench, watching the sun set over the lake, and enjoying that wonderful summer breeze.

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