Brushing Up on Running 101: It’s All About Respect

03. July 2014 · 2 comments · Categories: helpful tips, running · Tags: , , , , ,

Hi peeps,

Yesterday before leaving work I wiped away June on my dry-erase calendar started to set it up for July.

dry erase calendar

Clean slate!

And of course I filled in only the truly pertinent dates….

San Francisco Marathon

 “Out of Office” for San Francisco baby!

While out running this morning i started thinking about what I call the Runner’s Holy Trinity—1. Distance 2. Weather/conditions 3. Elevation/terrain and about how important it is to respect these 3 things when running.

Runner's Holy Trinity

Runner’s Holy Trinity

All too often we find ourselves saying things like “well it’s only 3 miles, so I don’t need water” or, on a hot humid day we beat ourselves up over running at a snail’s pace. Maybe we’re supposed to run 4 miles on a specific day but we’ve hit our runner’s high and end up running 8.

Today the dew point was 72 (81 degrees and 76% humidity). I knew this before heading out the door and thought of carrying a water bottle but then I said “Well it’s just 5 miles. I’ll be back in an hour.”

photo 1-1

I did not respect the weather. And I felt that decision for sure. My fingers swelled like sausages and I had to walk up some of the hills. I still enjoyed my run but I could have enjoyed it more with a sip or two of water at every mile.

photo 5-1

5 miles in 80 degree weather with 76 percent humidity took me from fresh…to super sweaty with sausage fingers

So let this be the reminder that we all need.

Respect the distance:

• Don’t run extra miles that could potentially cause unnecessary injury or fatigue
• Do keep a nice and easy conversational pace on those long runs
• Don’t minimize a run that is just a few miles. Treat every distance with the respect it deserves.

Respect the weather conditions:

• Don’t plan on keeping your speedy pace when the temperature is extremely hot or cold.
• Do prepare for weather conditions before you head out. sunscreen, visor, body glide, water and salt tabs are important for running in extreme heat. Gloves and hat are important for extreme cold.
• Don’t forget that wind can zap your energy. Don’t waste that precious energy trying to keep your pace through it.

Respect the elevation and terrain:

• Trail running? Be careful of slippery leaves and tree roots. Your ankles will thank you.
• Uneven terrain and elevation climbs (aka HILLS) require more energy. Try to keep your effort level even meaning you’ll need to slow it down.
• Pounding the pavement can be hard on the body. Think about where you’ll be doing long runs and maybe try to switch it up a bit where you can to grass or dirt.

Can you add to this list? Share your tips in the comments.

photo 4

shameless selfie

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Commando Curls

27. March 2014 · Write a comment · Categories: running · Tags: , , , ,

Hi! Today something wonderful happened. Actually 2 things. No wait, make that 3.

1. THERE WAS NO WIND!!!! I ran 7 glorious miles in sunny 30 degree weather but no friggen wind!!!!!! After weeks of what felt like never ending windy days…this.was.wonderful.

weather

2. It’s that point in my marathon training where I have started to realize improvements in my endurance and that I’m getting so ready for race day! I noticed today that I felt relaxed and enjoyed what felt like an “easy” pace for 7 miles… I averaged a 10:20 pace which is 20 seconds faster than the pace i’m shooting to average for the marathon. I should be feeling easy runs are more in the 11:00 to 11:15 range. The run ended with me feeling like I could keep running another 7 miles. I am really looking forward to April 6, when I’ll be doing my longest training run (20 miles) along the course of the NJ Marathon. It should be a good predictor of where I’m at and what I can hope for come April 27.

free-the-curls

3. I let my curls run free…yep, that’s right! Commando curls! no hat, no headband, no ponytail, no visor….AHHHH! I hardly ever do that but it felt great. While it’s not feasible to do that for a marathon (sweat drips in my eyes,) it sure felt great not to have my head trapped under something =)

Well, I’m gonna take this lingering runner’s high with me now and head to the park to meet my friend and her 2 dogs. We’re going to do our usual 2.5 mile loop and catch up on life and the pursuit of happiness.

Catch ya later!

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14 misty miles—there’s still beauty to be had even when the sun doesn’t shine

06. October 2013 · 1 comment · Categories: running · Tags: , , , ,

Good morning!

My plan had a couple of snags this morning but I still managed to complete 14 miles.
Snag 1: No sunshine = no glorious sunrise. I surprised myself and only sulked for the first mile. It actually drizzled the entire time I was running but that actually ended up being a beautiful thing! Cool and misty = better running weather.
Snag 2: The entrance (and parking lot) where I usually start my run was closed because of the government shutdown. It’s a National park area:(
shutdonw
But like a die-hard-happy-marathon-runner-in-training I managed to work around the snags. I decided I would just run the neighborhood streets that run parallel to the beach. But after a 2 mile detour I arrived to see that the boardwalk was open! It was just the small area by where I start that was closed. It appears that the boardwalk is state/city. So I hopped on and covered an additional 10 miles doing 2 complete out and backs of the boardwalk. Unfortunately my main goal for this run was to see a gorgeous sunrise and to see the Verrazano Bridge (a.k.a. start village for the NYC Marathon) and get jazzed since the NYC Marathon is just 4 weeks away. #Fail!

bridgefoggy

As you can tell from this side by side visibility was in the toilet

sadface-novisible

it really was a bummer not to see the bridge. I needed to reinforce that with another pout

beachlayers

beauty without the sun. I love the horizontal “stripes” made up of the gray sky, the bluish gray water, the reddish sand, the golden sand dunes and the rusty metal railing.

I ended up seeing a beautiful color palette of “neutrals”. I’m actually thinking that I should paint the interior of my home in these colors. They feel calm and soothing, no? I also gave warning to the wild turkeys that it’s October. I don’t know if they know that Thanksgiving is next month. Just wanted to remind them to hide so they don’t end up as part of some family’s feast.

turkeys

FYI: Thanksgiving is just 6 weeks away!

sandart

Old-school sand art

Spent a few minutes playing in the sand. Then it was the same 2 mile detour back to my car and voila, I was done. I ate an apple in the car on the way home.

apple

After a quick shower, it was time for some serious refueling. A bed of spinach, 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 cup of whole wheat couscous, a sliced up tomato and 5 glorious slices of turkey bacon. And a tall cold beer glass of chocolate milk to wash it down. Total calories: 850. But most of all lots of protein.

refule

chocolate milk and a jealous doodle • turkey bacon, eggs etc and a jealous doodle

I love that while the rest of the world slept in on a drizzly Sunday, I didn’t. OK well maybe I don’t love that. I actually miss the days of sleeping in. But that’s what the last 6 weeks of the year are for. I take a hiatus from running usually from 11/15 until 1/1.

Question: Do you like to sleep in or do you wake up early regardless?

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