Back in the real world

I can't believe how well my body pulled up after my long run yesterday. I have virtually no muscle soreness and my only complaint is niggly knees when I go upstairs and a couple of blisters...
I can't say I'm in a rush to do it again but I've heard that long distance running (and it was long for me) is like childbirth... you soon forget the pain and are aching to do it again...
I like that!

So today I did an easy 7.5kms run just to keep myself loose.

That makes my total kilometres for February 260!!

That's another personal record!

Can't imagine I'll beat that in March as we leave for the US and Canada towards the end of March... But I'll keep runnin guntil then...

Total kilometres for February, 260 kms

Setting another personal distance record

Well today I accomplished another record! I ran 26.5kms from the beach near my house, to my mums house across the city.

Last night, I finally told my husband what I was planning and I don't think he was happy about it. Through gritted teeth he said "I'm coming with you".He didn't mean running though. He wanted to follow behind me on his bike (He's a cyclist)

Now that was a bonus for me because I was stressed about how I was going to carry water for this run and he was going to be my solution to that problem!

I told him I wanted to start early as it was going to be warm today, and I wanted to leave before the sun came up. I didn't know he wanted to be with me every inch of the way though and when I went to leave, just as he was starting to have breakfast, he got angry and told me to wait.
Anyone who knows me knows I don't do go with a change of plans when I have something set in my head! So I started to get anxious... it's getting warmer... the sun's up now... is he almost finished??

Finally at 7am I said "how much longer" and again through gritted teeth he said "do what you want" So.... I drove to the beach (and that's another story as I'd wanted to leave from home but it was going to suit hubby better if I left from the beach but I figured more kms under my belt...) and started my journey.

It felt pretty good at the start even though I was against the wind. I took it easy and knew I was going slower than normal.

I was about six kilometres in when hubby called to say he was on his way and to find out exactly where I was. I had told him that I'd need to concentrate and I didn't want him to disturb me while running (lol... look I know how I am!) so he stayed back, going at 11kms an hour about 10 metres behind me.

When I got to the 10kms mark I had an slight uphill section and it almost killed me!! I was against the wind and going slightly uphill. I had to call hubby up to tell him I didn't think I was going to make it. I was trying to hint that I needed encouragement but I guess he was still mad with me because he didn't say anything... so then I said "tell me it doesn't matter how slow I'm going, just keep taking it easy and you'll get there... just one foot in front of the other"
He didn't say that but I'd voiced it out loud and after taking a drink, I felt a little better and just plodded on.

Besides, if I'd stopped there I would have HATED myself and I was so far from the car AND my mums house.

So I continued on and from about the 13kms mark it felt pretty good.

Hubby says I'm a "shuffler" but he also said it looked like I could keep running for another 12 hours like that.I did feel pretty good and man was I happy when I finally got there!!!
TWENTY SIX POINT FIVE KILOMETRES!!!!

My longest run yet! I did it in about two and half hours.
When I get home I'll load up the garmin statistics and get the actual time but it was about that. Not a fantastic time, but that wasn't my goal. I just wanted to finish.So I'm super pleased with that!!

And though it's only a few hours after my run I feel pretty good with barely any soreness!! Maybe that's still to come

Pretty pleased with it all. I'm almost a "real" runner :)

Total Kilometres for February so far..
252.5 kilometers

Dead of morning

There's something magical about running before dawn. Everything is so quiet and still. I just love it.

I did 15kms this morning. It was relatively easy. The trick was not to think about how many kms I'd done and how many more I still had to go.
Also what's driving me is knowing I'm going to break my monthly total! I should do that by the end of the week.

So now, if I want, I have two days off but I might just take one day off and do a short run on Friday.
See how I feel.

6.30am and already runned up.
Loved that feeling!

Total kms for February, 226kms

If all goes to plan...

Wow. Last month I had my best running month ever. 237kms.

This month I didn't expect to beat that because there's three less days...

And yet if all goes to plan, I'm going to beat it! I can't believe it! It seemed insane to reach 237kms last month let alone beating that in a shorter month!

I guess I shouldn't speak too soon...

Maybe it was having that thought in mind that gave me a really good run this morning...

Total kms for February so far, 211kms

Books

Someone wrote about reading running books on the running forums and this weekend, when the kids and I went to the local library, I found the running books and took out the entire lot!

I started reading through a few of them and I can see how inspiring and motivational they can be! Not to mention the tidbits of information I may not have known, or others that I had suspected and had confirmed...
I'm so glad I took them out!
Who would have thought it...

As it's Monday, did another treadmill run this morning but to my relief, it felt pretty easy.
I'm so dying to do a long run though.... right now, looks like the first day I'll be able to will be on Saturday and the long range forecast is showing another scorcher for Saturday... I know that can change between now and then. I hope it does!

As it stands, if I run at least 12kms each scheduled running day for the rest of this month, I'm going to beat last month's running record! Didn't think that would happen!

Total kms for February so far, 199kms

Humidity, Blisters, and fear of a hard run.

My run was on the treadmill today. All 12kms of it.

And unbelievably when I was weighing up my options, road/treadmill, the treadmill option looked more attractive because
1. It was humid outside and I didn't want drown in my own sweat
2. I've got blisters on blisters that I'm starting to get a little worried about again and the treadmill is a fraction more forgiving.
3. Yesterday was such a hard run I didn't want to go back out there again.

Oh, and I'll add a fourth that's not listed in my title... Hubby Tivo'ed an SBS movie for me and I love watching those while on the treadmill because reading the subtitles takes my mind off what I'm doing and the run goes quite quickly.

And it was fairly easy and seemed to go by quickly...

Total kms for February, 187kms

Hard, so hard...

Today was no an easy run!

I had been looking forward to it all week... Outdoor run!!! And I could sleep in till 6am!
I didn't have the time constraints associated with getting kids/hubby sorted and getting myself to work...

But...

I had hot wind to contend with.

I knew it was going to be hot. I specifically didn't look at the forecast because I didn't want to stress myself. I told myself I'd just get out there, not look at my speed, and just do my distance however long it took me.

I was going for 16kms this morning.

Not only was I against the wind (in the downhill part goddamit!) but it was a hot wind! It was awful...
And by the time I was doing the last 6kms, I really really really wanted to stop and it was only because I kept telling myself "just see how you feel when you get to that next corner/end of the street/set of traffic lights etc, and if you still feel really bad, stop then" that I didn't.

It's a good tactic because by the time I get to that marked point, I've shaved just that bit more off the distance and figure I'll just 'do a bit more'.

And then those words from some article I read came to me... what separates distance runners from others is being able to push through those pain and mental barriers... so I just kept at it. One foot in front of the other, not thinking about how much it was hurting, how sore I was, how hot that goddam wind was.... and I made it back to my car with a big smile on my face.

And in the end my time was not as bad as I thought it would be.
11 kms/hour average according to my garmin. I was surprised at that. It seems no matter what distance I do (Granted longest distance I've done is only 21kms) what conditions I run in, my average is always from 10.9 to 11.2 km/hour.

I was REALLY hoping to do my 25km run this weekend but I won't attempt it in this heat... Hopefully next weekend...

Oh, and I saw that group of runners in the carpark this morning. They meet up about the time I get there and I don't know why but they intimidate me so much! They're "real" runners. I try to scamper off in the other direction before they can even notice this wannabe. I was actually going to go along the beach this morning but after I saw them, went in the opposite direction.

Total kms for February, 175kms.

Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes

Well I wasn't supposed to run today...
But I kind of enjoy running in the morning....
I know it's early but I'm up anyhow and I feel so much better after I've run, than when I just get up and have a coffee with no exercise...

So last night I was planning on running this morning...

But this morning, when I woke up, I still felt tired so I started arguing with myself.
"Well it's not really a scheduled run day... it's an off day so it's no big deal if I don't do it"
"But you want to do it"
"But you're tired"
"But you know you'll feel better if you do it"
"But you're going to get obsessive. It's not a running day"
"But you know you CAN do it"
"But you're going to have to run six days in a row if you run this morning"
"But you'll feel good"

And that last argument won it... After I'd been up for five minutes or so, I started to feel better and I figured I'd just run a few kms and see how I felt...
And I ended up doing 8kms. I really can't do too much more than that when I'm working as I've got to get myself and the family ready!

So, I'm glad I did it...
And hope the next five runs, even though they will be longer, will be just as good and easy!


Total kilometres for February so far, 159kms

Schedule an Unscheduled run...

I think I'm going to have to turn this into a scheduled run day because I've run it the last few weeks.

For the record, I run every day I don't work, and I only work every Thursday and Friday, and every second Wednesday.... so I run 4 days in a row one week and 5 days in a row in the next.

The problem is, after I run four days in a row, I then work the next three which means I have a three day break from running.

That's way too long right?

So I've been trying to run on the Thursday, just a short distance, to keep me limber and ready for my run on Saturday.

So this morning I was up early and running and to spice things up a bit, I ran in my new, blister causing, shoes.

I wrote about the consequences the first time I used these shoes. Since then, I've been scared to wear them although I did wear them for an 8km walk after the blisters healed with no problems.

I started thinking maybe it was the socks that had caused the horrific blisters because I've never had a problem with shoes and blisters AND the socks I had been wearing were old and dry... and I thought maybe they'd just caught in my shoes...

Anyhow, I wore the new shoes (asics) with new socks and ran 8kms.

I did a bit of damage but no where near as bad as the first time I wore these shoes so that was promising.
When I first put them on and walked around I felt like I was walking on air! It's not fair that when I run in them, they give me blisters!
I didn't feel any discomfort till I was at the 4km mark. I held on and ran the full 8kms... just a short one this morning... and immediately took my shoes off to inspect the damage. Barely broke the skin... just a bit of redness and a pinkish hue on my socks
Could have been worse!

Think I'll be back to the old shoes for a little while longer though.

Total kilometres for February, 151kms.

12kms on the Treadmill - I need a medal

The one thing I don't like about the school term is that I don't have time to run on the street... and so on weekdays, if I want to run early, I have to run on the treadmill.

Like I've written many times, I generally don't mind as it's better than NOT running and we have a heavy duty treadmill.
This morning, as I have a break tomorrow, I did a 12km stint on the treadmill.
It was easier than I thought it would be.

Maybe it's running in the still of the morning while hubby is still out working and the kids are still asleep. Maybe it's just knowing I'm achieving something with my day already, before the sun has even come up! Maybe it's the the riveting television that's on at that time... not! LOL
By the time Mel and Kochie come on, I know my time is almost over...

The one thing I do like about the treadmill is that I practice running for a longer time with a softer surface.

They're forecasting hot days for the coming weekend which means by the time my next outdoor run comes up, I'll be fighting the heat!

Which reminds me, had a bit of a tiff with the hubby over running in the heat this week. Every time I groan about a hot day coming up (meaning running in warmer weather even if first thing in the morning) he says that he doesn't mind running in the heat.
Now my husband got me into running but he doesn't run anymore. (He's a cyclist)
When he did run, it was just a casual 4kms run up and down the beach where he was living.
So my running superiority reared it's ugly head and I said "Anyone can run 4kms in the heat, it's running 12kms or more for four or five days in a row IN THAT HEAT that wears you out!"
Cos I mean come on, yeah, we can all do it if it's a shorter distance... it's the longer distances that kill you!

And I was really hoping for another 21kms run this weekend but I'll see how the weather is.

Heat/Rain/Wind - it's always something!

Total kilometres for February, 143kms.

Goddam Closed Captioning

I was on the treadmill at 5am again this morning.
Hubby is on night shift and the kids are sleeping so I have the volume down on the TV and turn on closed captioning.
Have you ever tried to watch something that's live, with closed captioning?? I had on some news program. I think it was Channel Nine.
Whatever channel, it was so annoying!
The captioning came up late... so much so, that I wasn't even sure it was on when I first put it on and had to fiddle around turning it off and on until I realised what was happening.
Then when it was on, it wasn't making sense to the picture that was being displayed with the words.

At least there weren't any typo's though.
When I watch Channel 7's live closed captioning, it's pretty much as they're talking but it's chock full of typo's!
But that in itself is entertaining to watch and makes time on the treadmill pass quickly as I try to figure out what in the hell they're trying to say (It's great when they're trying to type out foreign names!)

It was a good recovery run this morning as I've been feeling a bit flat from my longer road runs.
Unfortunately the treadmill is the only option during week days but as I've written before, it's a heavy duty one, comparable to any you'd see in any gym.

So now I'm all runned up and ready for the day... Another dentist appointment today. Yikes!

Total kilometres for February so far, 131kms

The Wall's Still There

It's been hard these last few days. I feel like I'm just pushing against a wall.
I've not let it defeat me yet and parts of my run feel really good, but parts of it, and it's usually at the start, feel hard.
I just have to not think about it and concentrate on something else.
That usually helps a lot because I let my mind wander to what I'm doing later that day, or about a family member's situation, or whether I should wash my car this week, or wait for next week and before I know if, I've run another couple of kms.

Then by the time I get to the halfway mark I figure, "well I'm on the way back now!" and it's not so bad. Each step takes me closer to the finish line.

It's not that it's a struggle, it's just been harder than normal.

I want to have one of those runs where I feel like I'm just floating on air!

Just a matter of time...

In fact what I've found is if I can get through this period, I'll soon find myself in that floating period. This is a test, and the reward is a strong run!

Anyhow I don't think I should beat myself up because I ran 16kms yesterday and 14kms today so I'm not doing badly.
I think I'm making this post sound worse than it was.

In any case, there really isn't a bad run. If you'd made it to the finish line, you've done something that the average person still isn't able to do.
That's something to be applauded!

Oh and what helped me finish strong was the fact that I knew I was making chocolate and peanut butter muffins when I got home! Yum. They're in the oven right now!

Total kilometres for February so far is 121.

Back On The Road

Did a road run this morning.
I thought after a two day break, and with cooler weather, I'd feel stronger.

I didn't feel bad, I just thought I'd feel stronger than I did.

I had to consciously keep telling myself to not worry about speed because I can get so caught up in it!
I wasn't sure how long I was going to run for and in the end, while I was running settled for 16kms.
My garmin told me I averaged 11km/hr for the total run so I guess it wasn't too bad. My hips felt a little sore at the start and I got this stupid cramping thing happening in my calf/behind my knee at about the 11km mark. It really slowed me down but I didn't stop and eventually I shook it out. Damn annoying though!

Happy to say no pedestrians or cars got in my way and all lights I happened to pass through were green.
Yay for that!

The last stretch is always so good. I get a renewed burst of energy and power through the last kilometre. I love that feeling.

Total kilometres for February so far is 107.

Will the humidity never end!

It's been an atrocious week for heat and humidity.

Hubby was on night shift again so, with the air conditioning on, I got on the treadmill at about 5am.
I won't say it was easy but it was definitely easier knowing that I had a two day break coming up.... although, if I feel like it, might do a quick 6kms Thursday night just to keep in the loop.

While running I sure didn't feel like the air conditioning was on.

I was absolutely soaked! Another advantage of running outdoors besides all the obvious ones, is that the wind dries up the sweat... indoors it just sits there against my body until there's too much of it and just drips everywhere.
That's so gross I know
Sorry
So now that that's over, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day!

Total kms for February so far 91.

Still Sweating...

Ugh what a disgusting morning and it's going to be worse today!

Hubby was on late shift so I got up fairly early, 5am, and was on the treadmill by 5,15am.
He got home earlier than usual and muttered under his breath about how crazy I was but really, it's so humid and muggy already, it's only going to get worse! This was the only time I could run!

As it was, I had the fan on but it didn't seem to do anything... Tomorrow that air conditioner is going to be on that's for sure!

But I did my 10kms and it was a little easier than yesterday so I must be strengthening my body a little... or they're getting used to these ghastly conditions...

Total kms for February so far, 81.

Back To The Treadmill

Now when I say I run on a treadmill, it's not some dinky little thing.
When hubby and I were in the market for one, we wanted a super duper one, comparable to any you'd find in a gym.

We ended up buying the Reebok T5. It's long, wide and has a good motor and is able to support runners up to 120kgs in weight. My husband weighed that much when we bought it but he's under 100kgs now - and for the record, no longer running but an avid cyclist....


So this morning as I have strict time constraints (kids/school/shopping etc) and was still nursing niggly knees from my longer runs this week, I was back on the treadmill at 6am.
I did 10kms while watching Sunrise but was really using mind games to get me through those last few kms.
It's hot.
It's going to be hot tomorrow.
It's going to be hot the day after that...

I'm on the treadmill for the next two days also....

At least it's not far to get to the shower!

Now, gotta get these kids to school!!

Total kms for February so far, 71kms

An Easy 10km Run

The day after running a half marathon distance, I like to take it easy.
Normally I'll give my joints a break and run on our super duper, heavy duty, treadmill but today the conditions were just too perfect and I had to go outside.
I'll leave the treadmill runs for the rest of the week when the weather here is going to get hot and muggy.

So I set off in the same direction as I did yesterday. I starting to shy away from the esplanade and only really run the last km on it. Although I love the views, I hate the fact that I have to share the path with other runners.
I get stressed if I have to pass another runner because I wonder if they think I'm showing off, or sometimes I wonder if I can keep up the pace to stay ahead of them.... and I hate being overtaken by other runners (unless they're running at 20km/hr pace... then good for them!)
Granted, those two scenario's aren't commonplace. In fact I can't remember the last time someone actually passed by me and if I have to pass someone, I normally cross the road so I do it from the other side of the road... but just the thought of having to go through all that puts me off.

So today I went to the main rd the runs parallel with the esplanade. It was still going to be a shorter run after my 21kms yesterday. I felt pretty good the whole way although I was looking forward to the end by the time I got there.

At one stage I noticed a male runner on the other side of the road. He seemed to be motoring away but we stayed together for a while which made me feel good because it meant I was doing that pace more or less too! But then he turned off to the esplanade and I kept going...

Average speed today 11kms/hr and heart rate average was 160 bpm which is lower than it has been so I was happy about that too!

61kms for the month so far...

A New Personal Best!

I was all nerves last night because I knew it was time for another 21km run.
I knew I could do it. I guess it was just the anticipation that was getting to me.

I was a little disheartened this morning when I heard the wind howling outside. It was going to be windy! I hate running when it's windy. I don't mind the rain so much but the wind can be really draining.

I'd planned out an entirely different 21km route. I didn't know how I was going to feel about that either as I usually like familiarity.

I got up and procrastinated a little while, telling myself I was just waiting for the wind to die down a bit then I slapped myself on the wrist and just got out there.

I drove to my regular finish line and wouldn't you know there, there were a group of runners there, waiting to start. Luckily they were going in a different direction to me.

So I start off and know immediately that my time is going to be slow because it's just so damn windy.

As always, I didn't find my groove until about the 5.5kms mark and at that point, felt I was flying along nicely. In fact I don't think I really struggled at all except for those first few kms!

When I had 5kms to go, I realised I was going to make a personal best time!

Now I realise that my time is not as great as some others but it is MY personal best so it means a lot to ME.
I ran just over 21kms in 1 hour 55 min and 15 secs!
Go me!

I'm super happy about that AND I seem to have pulled up really nicely! Last time I was really muscle sore and barely able to walk when I got back but this time I feel quite good!

Makes me want to go out there and do it again!!!

Oh, and my heart rate average was 164 and I felt absolutely fine so I'm not going to worry about it.

Isn't it great to be a runner!!!

Marathon Dreaming...

Today I was reading a thread on a forum where someone had asked "how do you know when you're ready for a marathon?"

Interesting question! Especially for me...

If I take it back to the half marathon, I knew when I was ready.

I don't think I'd be able to run a full marathon now. Well actually, I think I could complete it, but I'd probably be immobile for the next month!! And I'm not interested in injuring myself... I'm happy to take things easy and just come to each goal as I'm ready.

Having said that, I'm itching to go past that 21kms mark.

It's 25kms to my mums house and I'm thinking of running that soon but that would mean enlisting the help of hubby to come pick me up!

Or I could just map a round route of 25kms so I end up back at the car but it would be so much more fun to end up at mums so she can spoil me and oooo and ahhh over my achievement :)

The night before I knew I was going to try the 21kms distance, I couldn't sleep! I was just so excited and I'll never forget how I felt when I completed it.

Right now, a full marathon still seems like a dream but I think I'm getting closer.

Today was a non running day but I managed a 6kms run on the treadmill to keep me limber...

Looking forward to my Saturday morning run. Especially as it's been forecast to be a little cooler!

Perfect!

Ho Hum

Feel a bit drained today. Don't know if it's because I've been running earlier than usual.

This morning I started at 5.45am because I wanted to be done before hubby got home from his night shift... I normally don't mind doing that (and I normally run early anyhow) but today it seemed a little harder than usual. 12kms again today.
It's humid and I perspired disgustingly!

Still, as always, the finish line gives immense satisfaction.

So now, as I work the next three days, I have those days off running BUT I might throw in a 6kms treadmill run Thursday night if hubby goes out just to keep me going.
I really hate the long break....

A Heart Issue

Went over to Mark and Maria's last night and was speaking to Mark about heart rate.

Now Mark is an avid cyclist and one of these guys that is absolutely in tune with his body.

I told him that my Garmin had been telling me my average heart rate per run was about 168. It gets there quite quickly and stays there for the duration of the run, no matter how long I run for.

He had such a look of concern on his face that it threw me! He started asking me if I felt any distress while running etc etc.
I just know I'm going to get paranoid about this now!

So I wrote about it on the Aus Run Forums and will see what others have to say about it.

I ran a fairly easy 12kms this morning... felt a touch sore after the 15kms yesterday but nothing bad at all. All in all, I've been really happy with how my body is holding up!