I did end up doing my tempo run on Friday, and the weather backed off and wasn't nearly as bad by the time 5 o'clock rolled around. It was a VERY good run, hit all of my targets, finished extremely tired. The kind of run that makes you feel like you've done some good training. Based on how this week has felt, I've come to accept a slower pace of mileage buildup than I had originally planned for. Up until now I'd been calling it lazy. Now, I think I have to call it unavoidable. This is the Good.
I skipped my weekend runs again. Scheduling wouldn't allow me to run Saturday, so I figured I'd miss that one. There was no excuse for not running yesterday. I wasted what will probably be the nicest weather I'll see for the next month. And I haven't lifted weights since Tuesday, but I am chalking that up to the increased intensity of my running. That was the Bad.
And the Ugly? All you can eat pancakes at IHOP. I didn't even eat that many, they just weren't that good. Neither was the service. I think I am cursed. At some point, one of my ancestors must have angered a Gypsy or maybe they were present at one of the Salem Witch trials. Whatever caused it, I have somehow been afflicted with The Curse of Minor Inconvenience. I always get the worst server at a restaurant. Or the new waiter. I can't stand in place at Wal-mart for more than 2 minutes, because I will suddenly be surrounded by dozens of other shoppers who also need the items on that isle. I cannot remember EVER getting a shopping buggy that had 4 fully functioning wheels and didn't veer to one side. Oh yea, and there was the time that the TREE FELL ON MY CAR IN THE WORK PARKING LOT. None of these things are major happenings in the grand scheme of my life (except the tree, which is a story for another time), just minor inconveniences. The kind of things that happen to other people 30% of the time, happen to me 80% of the time.
Oh well. This weekend I hope to pick up at least 1 more day of running, bringing me to 5 days this week.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
3 and Out
Yesterday I decided to punt. Apparently that great tempo run earlier this week was more than I was ready for, because as I started my warm up, I felt flat. No "zip" in my legs. So I turned around and went home, and called it a day before I ever got started.
Today is typically my day off from running, so that means I've got a 2x2 mile tempo run coming after work tonight. The weather is terrible, but not too cold, so no excuses will allow me to skip it.
If I can just get through work today without dozing off from boredom, that is...
Today is typically my day off from running, so that means I've got a 2x2 mile tempo run coming after work tonight. The weather is terrible, but not too cold, so no excuses will allow me to skip it.
If I can just get through work today without dozing off from boredom, that is...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
I Am Fast, Agile, Maneuverable...You Are Not
I try to be very safe as a runner. I always keep myself at least a body-width outside of the white line when a car comes along. I always pay attention to traffic, I look and listen (no headphones for me). If there is room, I get WAY outside of the roadway when I meet a car. I don't want to develop a reputation as "that asshole who plays in traffic". I'd rather be "that nice young man who's always out running".
There are no sidewalks where I live. I run on winding 2-lane roads, out in the country. Even being out away from more dense populations, I still encounter maybe a half dozen cars every mile passing through. This means a half dozen times every mile that I will have to have my razor sharp wits about me, always vigilantly taking note of where I am and where they are.
Drivers have a peculiar reaction to runners. Everyone's immediate reaction to a person jogging alongside of the road (no matter how far from the pavement we actually are) is to swing their car out into the middle to avoid us. They are just being careful, as we runners are known to dive out in front of cars only to be mesmerized when we look into the headlights of an automobile. We cause millions of dollars of damage to cars every year because of this. Oh wait, that's deer.
I suppose drivers think they are being polite, giving us extra room (because we runners are known for our extreme width). People will drive 3-wide at 70 mph on the interstate with no fear, change lanes into a hole with only a foot of extra space on each bumper, and habitually push 10 or 15 mph past the speed limit, all the while staying neatly in their lanes. No big deal, we've all been driving since we were teenagers. We are usually pretty confident in our ability to control our vehicle. We know where the edges are, we know how close we can get. Yet when most people see a person on the side of the road, it all goes out the window. Must give that person a wide berth. But they think they're being courteous.
This is fine on a nice sunny day, when I'd rather be enjoying the view than focusing on traffic. But this is January. Yesterday was rain, followed by huge, damp snowflakes all afternoon. It wasn't extremely cold, not really slick, no reason to worry about driving conditions. The tire paths were fine - wet, but clean. The middle of the traffic lane, however, was a different story. Before the snow plows pass through, there is a long, continuous pile of slush and mush in the middle of both lanes where tires don't end up. So every time someone decides to be polite to me, they throw a soup of salt and cold water and ice clumps from my head to my toes. I was soaked 3 times on a 4 mile easy run yesterday. I skipped my weight lifting because I was very cold and just wanted a shower.
I define a good driver as someone who is predictable on the road. If everyone around you knows how you will react in a situation, they can act accordingly. When running, I'm going to keep going forward, roughly the same pace, moving far out of the roadway when I meet a vehicle. A predictable response from the vehicle would be continuing status quo, staying in their lane, and being on their way. Surprises are dangerous on the road. Surprise! I'm going to blow the horn at you when I wave, even though we don't know each other. Surprise! Road salt to the face!
Don't be courteous to me. In fact, pretend I'm not there. If you crowd me, I'll get over further. I don't plan to challenge your full-size pickup truck. I'd lose. Do any of you drive a vehicle with the loaded option that allows you to suddenly scoot over 2 feet sideways if you're too close to something? Didn't think so. Leave the politely getting out of the way to those of us who can.
There are no sidewalks where I live. I run on winding 2-lane roads, out in the country. Even being out away from more dense populations, I still encounter maybe a half dozen cars every mile passing through. This means a half dozen times every mile that I will have to have my razor sharp wits about me, always vigilantly taking note of where I am and where they are.
Drivers have a peculiar reaction to runners. Everyone's immediate reaction to a person jogging alongside of the road (no matter how far from the pavement we actually are) is to swing their car out into the middle to avoid us. They are just being careful, as we runners are known to dive out in front of cars only to be mesmerized when we look into the headlights of an automobile. We cause millions of dollars of damage to cars every year because of this. Oh wait, that's deer.
I suppose drivers think they are being polite, giving us extra room (because we runners are known for our extreme width). People will drive 3-wide at 70 mph on the interstate with no fear, change lanes into a hole with only a foot of extra space on each bumper, and habitually push 10 or 15 mph past the speed limit, all the while staying neatly in their lanes. No big deal, we've all been driving since we were teenagers. We are usually pretty confident in our ability to control our vehicle. We know where the edges are, we know how close we can get. Yet when most people see a person on the side of the road, it all goes out the window. Must give that person a wide berth. But they think they're being courteous.
This is fine on a nice sunny day, when I'd rather be enjoying the view than focusing on traffic. But this is January. Yesterday was rain, followed by huge, damp snowflakes all afternoon. It wasn't extremely cold, not really slick, no reason to worry about driving conditions. The tire paths were fine - wet, but clean. The middle of the traffic lane, however, was a different story. Before the snow plows pass through, there is a long, continuous pile of slush and mush in the middle of both lanes where tires don't end up. So every time someone decides to be polite to me, they throw a soup of salt and cold water and ice clumps from my head to my toes. I was soaked 3 times on a 4 mile easy run yesterday. I skipped my weight lifting because I was very cold and just wanted a shower.
I define a good driver as someone who is predictable on the road. If everyone around you knows how you will react in a situation, they can act accordingly. When running, I'm going to keep going forward, roughly the same pace, moving far out of the roadway when I meet a vehicle. A predictable response from the vehicle would be continuing status quo, staying in their lane, and being on their way. Surprises are dangerous on the road. Surprise! I'm going to blow the horn at you when I wave, even though we don't know each other. Surprise! Road salt to the face!
Don't be courteous to me. In fact, pretend I'm not there. If you crowd me, I'll get over further. I don't plan to challenge your full-size pickup truck. I'd lose. Do any of you drive a vehicle with the loaded option that allows you to suddenly scoot over 2 feet sideways if you're too close to something? Didn't think so. Leave the politely getting out of the way to those of us who can.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Calm Before the Storm
Success:
My tempo run went extremely well yesterday. The weather was the best it has been in forever - 46 degrees, overcast, calm. I ran in shorts for the first time since October. Three miles at a 7:45 pace, 15 seconds per mile faster than planned. The pace just felt right, so I rolled with it. No real slowdowns, no real letdowns, just a workout executed as designed.
That was the calm.
I woke up this morning to pouring rain (...woke up to the sound of pouring rain... - now I'll have that song in my head all day). The forecast: rain turning to sleet, then snow this afternoon, a high of 35 degrees. I get one good weather workout, then back to the misery...
My tempo run went extremely well yesterday. The weather was the best it has been in forever - 46 degrees, overcast, calm. I ran in shorts for the first time since October. Three miles at a 7:45 pace, 15 seconds per mile faster than planned. The pace just felt right, so I rolled with it. No real slowdowns, no real letdowns, just a workout executed as designed.
That was the calm.
I woke up this morning to pouring rain (...woke up to the sound of pouring rain... - now I'll have that song in my head all day). The forecast: rain turning to sleet, then snow this afternoon, a high of 35 degrees. I get one good weather workout, then back to the misery...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Losing Sleep, Gaining Perspective
Another weekend of "failure". I put it in quotes, because I am questioning the meaning of the word, and when it is appropriate. Did I do a long run this weekend? No. Did I run both days (or either, for that matter)? Well, no. Was I really expecting to?
We went on a day trip to visit friends on Saturday. I had already accepted that I wouldn't be running. It isn't really fair to call Saturday a failure, I did exactly as planned. On Sunday I was planning an easy run at best. I have already dropped the diagnostic run from my schedule, my other workouts have given me what I need to decide on a training pace, and with the unpredictability of the weather, there's no guarantee that my results would be meaningful.
And speaking of the weather...
We had a cold snap this weekend. I draw the line at running below certain temperatures. So Sunday was a LEGITIMATE DAY OFF. I've done well not skipping weekdays, and the weather this week is looking perfect for some serious training.
Why do I feel guilty when I see those zeros in my running log? I think I need to adjust my wiring, all of this writing about goals and declaring things just for the sake of holding myself to my word has knocked me out of focus. Typically I'm very good at accepting things that should be accepted, and only applying my energies where they are really needed. Feeling bad about skipping runs that should be skipped is just spinning my wheels.
This week I start tempo runs. My goal is to work on some race pace running, trying to get my body back accustomed to working up near the lactic threshold while I continue to ease into my training and increase my volume. My fartlek runs went well, I'm a little behind on mileage but I'm getting there. My weight lifting has gone almost too well - I'm starting to feel the weight room bug biting me again, that little (but deep and very manly) voice saying "add another 5 pounds, keep pumping..." I still need to add in lower body work, which is scheduled for Friday.
I need to get into bed. I've somehow allowed my internal clock to get scrambled (sleeping in on the weekends?), and even though I need to be up by 6, I can't seem to get into bed before 11:30. It isn't that I'm busy, I'm not even that interested in the things I'm wasting time on. The lack of down time is starting to accumulate, I feel terrible this morning. I think I need to force myself into bed at 10 tonight.
We went on a day trip to visit friends on Saturday. I had already accepted that I wouldn't be running. It isn't really fair to call Saturday a failure, I did exactly as planned. On Sunday I was planning an easy run at best. I have already dropped the diagnostic run from my schedule, my other workouts have given me what I need to decide on a training pace, and with the unpredictability of the weather, there's no guarantee that my results would be meaningful.
And speaking of the weather...
We had a cold snap this weekend. I draw the line at running below certain temperatures. So Sunday was a LEGITIMATE DAY OFF. I've done well not skipping weekdays, and the weather this week is looking perfect for some serious training.
Why do I feel guilty when I see those zeros in my running log? I think I need to adjust my wiring, all of this writing about goals and declaring things just for the sake of holding myself to my word has knocked me out of focus. Typically I'm very good at accepting things that should be accepted, and only applying my energies where they are really needed. Feeling bad about skipping runs that should be skipped is just spinning my wheels.
This week I start tempo runs. My goal is to work on some race pace running, trying to get my body back accustomed to working up near the lactic threshold while I continue to ease into my training and increase my volume. My fartlek runs went well, I'm a little behind on mileage but I'm getting there. My weight lifting has gone almost too well - I'm starting to feel the weight room bug biting me again, that little (but deep and very manly) voice saying "add another 5 pounds, keep pumping..." I still need to add in lower body work, which is scheduled for Friday.
I need to get into bed. I've somehow allowed my internal clock to get scrambled (sleeping in on the weekends?), and even though I need to be up by 6, I can't seem to get into bed before 11:30. It isn't that I'm busy, I'm not even that interested in the things I'm wasting time on. The lack of down time is starting to accumulate, I feel terrible this morning. I think I need to force myself into bed at 10 tonight.
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