Running Therapy

Tuesdays I run "Quality" runs. These can be any kind of hill or speedwork. I overslept Tuesday morning, and I planned on a nighttime hill run. I did not plan on a stressful, emotionally-challenging phone conversation right before the run. Well, my Tuesday night hill run was the best therapy I could get at that time (and the cheapest and least destructive).* I ran what most Spokanites would know as part of the Bloomsday Run (heading west on Riverside to SFCC), but instead of heading up Doomsday to enjoy a mostly downhill finish, I turned around at SFCC to rerun the hills by the cemeteries,** and to run back up the large hill on Riverside that leads from the M.A.C. to Peaceful Valley. This is a challenging run, but I was a runner with a mission, and I easily ran up and down those hills as if I were running on a flat trail. I barely noticed my hard breathing, focusing instead on my playlist (including a heavy does of Motley Crue) and getting out of my head.***

I came home and barely got out of my sweaty running gear before passing out for the night, and this morning--no more stress. All I could think about was my morning "easy" run.****

*I'll admit that retail therapy is my favorite form of "R" therapy, but I have been discovering the benefits of running therapy. I also considered sweets therapy, carb therapy, and wine therapy. I'm glad I decided against these options.

**I don't know if these are actually separate cemeteries, or one big cemetery split by the road.

***Primal Scream is a fantastic running song.

****This morning's easy run was less than easy. My amazing and hard hill run + less recovery time than normal made it challenging, but since I finished, it was still a great run.

What goes down (Run 17)...

Yesterday morning was a forty minute training run--one that was supposed to be easy. I headed out down Riverside (on the start of the Bloomsday route) with Chad just before six in the morning. The start of the run was an easy downhill. Somehow while running downhill, I did not consider that on the way back, I would have to run uphill.

We headed east towards the Centennial Trail, crossed the footbridge, and had to run uphill on the looping trail as it makes its way to the Hamblem (Hamlen?) Conservation area on the hill directly across the river from the hill we just ran down. The uphill run was a pretty decent climb, but I focused on keeping upright and keeping my arms low to conserve energy and power my run up the hill. The trail loops back and forth for a good distance, all the while on an incline. I remember yelling "flatten out," as my quads really started to burn. However, I rocked that hill and we ran a bit on the flat portion before it was time to turn around and head back.

Downhill on the winding portion of the trail was a nice break. Of course, every time I run downhill I think of an article I read in Runner's World about Lance Armstrong's marathon training. Lance asserted that cycling downhill was a pleasure while running downhill was work. In the same article, Lance also claimed he could "phone in" a half-marathon. Now, Lance is unarguably one of the best endurance athletes on the planet. I don't expect to be able to phone-in my half-marathon, but I am a bit disheartened when I think about his position that running is so much more work than cycling. If Lance thinks it's hard work, I might be doomed.

Crossing the bridge after the downhill, winding trail, the Riverside hill loomed before us. Another steady climb, that, after the previous hill work, required a brief walk break. I did manage to finish strong, after completely close to four miles of hill running before 7 in the morning. However, I am relegating this running route to the back shelf until hill work actually appears in my training schedule.

Lazy Sundays...(Run #16)

Sunday evening I completed run 16. I have somewhere around 100 runs to go before the big day (October 19). Sundays are easy, "recovery run" days. The runs are around a half-hour, and they are designed to help my muscles recover from the long runs on Saturdays.

I ran with Chad on the Centennial Trail from the fountain downtown out east past Gonzaga and back. It was a nice pace, but I had to stop briefly by WSU-Spokane. There was some kind of landscaping work going on and the smell of gasoline and chemicals made me lightheaded.

I have completed three weeks of training, and I am starting to notice small advances in my pace, endurance, and overall fitness. Being a new runner, it's motivating to see the changes. However, I am still stuck in that competitive mode, and I either work harder than I should or I get a bit disappointed in myself and my performance because I think I should be better.

However, I am starting to fall for running. I subscribe to Runner's World magazine, and I spend time on runnersworld.com every other day or so. I think if I learn more about running, I will be able to use that knowledge to improve.

What is an easy run (Run 12)?

This morning I managed to get out of bed early and run at 6 a.m. Getting out of bed early was helped by the fact that my friend Luke was going to run with me. Luke and his sister Devon (my best friend) are both natural athletes, so even though Luke has not been running quite as much as usual, he is still a considerably better runner than I. I'll admit, I was a little concerned that he'd think, "Wow. She's a little slow. Does she really think that she can RUN a half-marathon?"

Luke graciously agreed to run at my pace, and I tried to maintain a decent pace for the easy run scheduled for today (but not so easy that Luke had to walk). Although my footfalls and breathing got pretty heavy and loud towards the end, I managed to stay a few seconds back from Luke the entire time (despite the fact that I don't think he was even sweating). Since I am relatively new to running, this was for me a good run. Earlier this year, I'm certain that I would have had to walk and/or give up--the little accomplishments really keep you motivated.

According to everything that I've read and been told, an easy run is one during which you can have a conversation. There was certainly some talking, but it got less and less as the time wore on during the run. It's really a challenge for me to want to continue doing something at which I am not the best. Maybe running will help take my ego down a notch or two.

Luke did add that if I keep up the running, I'll get addicted. I can't imagine that being a bad thing, and it should be considerably less expensive than my Nordstrom addiction.

1 down, 22 to go

The Nike Marathon is in October, so for me to be able to run 13.1 miles--in a row--I need ample training time. My training schedule includes approximately 23 weeks of training, running 5 days per week each training week. The training is based on time v. distance (for example, I may have to run 30 minutes as opposed to 3 miles). The first 7 weeks of training are the "easy" runs, where I should be able to complete my run and still feel as if I could continue to run further and faster.

The easy concept is fine when I run by myself. However, that type-A+ personality of mine can't really handle the easy run concept when running with others. Case in point, running with the Flying Irish, with the training group, or last Sunday with Chad. Now, I know I have limitations in running, but I will find myself trying to maintain pace or lap others, if only because I need to compete. However, as Jackie just told me, "Run your own race." I may need to write this on my hand next time I run in a group.

That said, I completed my first week of training on Saturday--with five runs of around 30 minutes each. All runs were fine (some faster than "easy" and some that include more hills than "easy" called for). Week 1's runs were fueled by: Propel Endurance Water, breakfast at Madeleine's (post-run), and the following artists on my iPod: Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Motley Crue, Lily Allen, Saul Williams, Jamiroquai, George Michael, The All-American Rejects, Beck, Duran Duran, Rihanna, The Bravery, Amy Winehouse, Lupe Fiasco, Moby, Plain White T's, Nas, Chingy, The Roots, Janet Jackson, The Prodigy, Consequence, Justin Timberlake, The Rapture, The Chemical Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, The Bangles, Danger, Poison, Jay-Z, Guns N' Roses, and Fergie.