Rude Awakenings

OK, I need your help.

What tips do you have for stumbling out of bed in the darkness for early morning running, rather than turning the alarm clock off and grabbing another half hour of sneaky snooze time?

I prefer to do my shorter runs around 6AM, because then the rest of the day's distractions can't get in the way. Also, it just seems more efficient to shower only once :)

However, I doubt anyone in the northern hemisphere has missed the fact that the days are getting distinctly shorter. And I'm really struggling to lug myself out from under the duvet, which means a few runs are not happening, or I lose a chunk of time from the other end of the day - also not good.

I did think about getting one of those alarm clock lamps which gradually get brighter before it's time to wake up, but Beloved Husband was concerned that this habit, once learned, would wake me up at 4AM in summer, too. It would be nice if I could find a method for getting me out of bed (and out the door in the darkness), without disturbing his last few minutes of sleep too much.

Any suggestions? When and how do you fit in your winter-time runs?

Image thanks: Upcast Magazine

What Was I Thinking?

I've not exactly been neglecting my training, but I haven't been totally diligent about it, either. The past few weekends have seen me working hard on some house DIY projects, and my typical Saturday habit of run~eat~sleep is not a big help in getting a bedroom finished. And while I've been doing a few knee exercises here and there, I find I'm surprisingly forgetful in sticking to the "every other day" rule.

So it's not surprising that I'm plodding on a bit of a plateau, and, with no particular progress to report, a blog posting has not come easily to mind.

Today, however, in the middle of my regular lunchtime fitness class, I found myself firmly at the back of a very mixed pack and wondering what the heck I was thinking in signing up for a marathon? I'm feeling sluggish and all my workout gear is tight. My soul mate and running buddy has switched to biking and swimming to relieve his own cantankerous knees. Recently, my "long" runs have been just 7 miles. I need to pull another 19 out of somewhere and I honestly don't know if I have it in me. Would it be so terrible just to give up quietly and settle for running in 10k events?

How do you decide when a goal is just not within your reach? Do you keep plugging away, or give up gracefully?

Image thanks: Runnerdecals.com

Physio Guilt

Last weekend I was aiming to do about 9 miles, but only got as far as 7 when my nemesis-knee told me enough was enough. I could, therefore, write a post full of wailing disappointment, but the gruesome truth is I haven't been doing my physio exercises nearly enough, so I feel like I have only myself to blame.

You may wonder, if running is so enjoyable (it certainly is) and if doing just one full marathon in my life is so important to me (ditto), why have I been so negligent at spending just 10 minutes waving my leg around, a few times per week? Probably, I need my head looked at, as well as my knee, but we won't go there right now.


Perhaps I should add a gadget to the side of this blog so you can all nag me if I don't keep up with my exercises. Or is anyone else, apart from Asha, registered with DailyMile? I could log my knee-lifts there, if you promise to keep me honest.

How do you keep track of, and encourage yourself to stick to, the goals you set?

Cartoon thanks: Cerebral Vortex

Re-thinking of Goals

My goodness, how can half the year be gone already? As I trotted a very modest 7 miles on Saturday (only just over a quarter-marathon, how tame!) I was thinking how this year has not quite gone to plan.

My goals for 2010 included:

• running my first marathon...
  
• ....alongside my husband
• and completing a half marathon in under 2 hours.

Oh dear. Best laid plans and all that. Instead, I'm now praying hard that I'll be healthy enough to run a single once-this-lifetime marathon next year, and I've kicked any ideas of speed out the window, in favor of good, solid knees. One day, sure, I'd like to break 2 hours for the half, but until I get 26.2 under my belt, I'll settle quite happily for a slow jog, if that's what it takes to get round.

As for Beloved Husband (my trusty wing-man), his knees are also giving him grief and he's not running at all at the moment. We're both hopeful that with some care and rest, he'll bounce back, but I have to be prepared for the possibility that I'll be running entirely on my own for the next few hundred miles. (That'll teach me to sign us both up for things without checking with him first!)

So, not exactly a stellar year in terms of fitness goals. But the strange thing is, I'm OK with it. Every time I go out and manage more than 3 or 4 miles without pain, I'm grateful to be able to run at all. And I firmly believe that if I build up really gradually, there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to do a 26 mile course within the 6-hour limit. Everything else can simply wait.

How are your 2010 fitness goals going?

Photo thanks: Sanja Gjenero

Well, this is embarrassing...

For my own benefit as much as yours, I thought I should do a post to clarify, Yes, I am still here, just struggling a bit.

I've been feeling utterly crummy for three weeks. Nothing in the least bit serious, just a stupid cold that I haven't quite been able to shift. But I felt too guilty to take more than one day off work, and so have been using up my energy just on the daily ins-and-outs of existence. I probably should have spent the last couple of weekends on the sofa, but joining several thousand San Franciscans to watch the USA play England at soccer, plus the unending quest to prettify my home, have just been too tempting.

Three weeks, of course, isn't the end of the world, but before those, there were 16 lazy vacation days, and I wasn't anywhere near wonderful shape before that.

My runs, therefore, have been short and sluggish. This morning's 5 miles were a photo-finish between me and the neighborhood snails. My weight is creeping slowly but undeniably upward (well, brownies are good for morale when you're under the weather, right?).

But this can't go on. I'm a fit, healthy person, not a 10% overweight reluctant exerciser who gets sick at the drop of a hat. If any of you know of a magic pill marked Energy, I'd love to hear about it. I need to get my groove back, and quick!

Photo thanks: Miroslav Sárička

Blogcation

Things will be quieter than usual around here for the next couple of weeks as I'm heading to Cambridge, England for some much-needed family catch-up time, not to mention a spot of rhubarb crumble.

The countryside around Cambridge is mostly pancake flat, and therefore great for running. One of my favorite routes is this unusual trail just outside the city:

Photo: Andrew Mac

Photo: Sustrans

Why the stripes? This section of path marks the 10,000th mile of the National Cycle Network and was opened in 2005 by Sir John Sulston, who won a Nobel prize for his work on the Human Genome Project...

"The artwork along this section of the route celebrates the role of the nearby Sanger Institute in decoding the vital human gene BRCA2. A series of stripes in four colours representing the 10,257 genetic letters, or bases, of the gene BRCA2 have been laid on the path using thermoplastic strips heat welded onto the tarmac."

Photo: Andrew Mac

Pretty cool, huh? And it'll be nice to have a medical concept that is not knee-related in mind, as I use this measured mile to knock a few seconds off my previous times.

All being well, I'll see you back in blog land in early June.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Forget about the Christmas song: I am officially declaring the next 8 weeks the best possible time of the year for runners. Why? Well, in the northern hemisphere at least, we are now enjoying fantastic amounts of one of the world's most precious resources: daylight.

Today I was up at 5:30 and out of the house to run well before 6. The day was waking up with a soft but clear grey light. The breeze was cool, the wildlife was plentiful but unperturbed by me trotting past. My three miles were slow but painless; I was energized rather than tired.

Does it get any better than that?

On the small chance you are reading this blog and have never tried running, I urge you to seize these long days and get out there. For those of us who love to jog, trot or sprint, it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Photo thanks: Craig Goodwin

First Real Soaking

This morning I reached a significant moment in my marathon training: it was the first time since starting all this nonsense(!) that I've had to haul myself out of bed in the dark in the pouring rain. And I do mean pouring.

I've been incredibly lucky up until now - living in California obviously helps, and I was resting my dodgy knee during some particularly smelly weather in January. But for much of last night I was dimly aware that my cheap will-this-thing-really-repel-water? jacket purchased at Target was about to get a serious road test.

In case you care, the jacket is my new best friend, but its owner has a thing or two to learn about running in the rain.

Notes to self, composed during the three wettest miles of my life:

• Don't wear cheap running pants made of jersey, because your thighs will be soaking within the first half mile. That will creep down your legs and give your fragile right knee an excellent excuse to get cold and grumpy.
  
• Your new headlamp is great but doesn't show puddles at all well. Or in some places, at all.
  
• When avoiding said puddles by leaping off the path, try to make sure there are no low-hanging tree branches in the way.
• ...I'm sure there was a fourth point, but the smack on the head from the afore-mentioned branch has made me temporarily forget it. I need to be more careful, else I might still be lying out there enjoying a more intimate acquaintance with the puddle I was dodging.
  

My pace, of course, was terrible, as I was trying to keep the GPS watch dry and was too busy cursing puddles and seeking alternate routes to pay any attention to speed. Ironically, as a result, I actually quite enjoyed the running part, but only because I knew I was just minutes away from a hot shower.

What tips and tricks do you have for running in the rain? Do you have wet-weather gear would you hate to be without?

Photo thanks: Super Coloring

Twinges & Irony

He probably won't thank me for sharing this with you, but since we're a small and select group of friends here, I will confide in you that I had to run on my own on Saturday....
because Beloved Husband was resting...
a painful knee.

The good news is, it's his left one, so between us, we still have a working set. But nonetheless, I'm shaking my head at the irony that I'm back out there trotting with some level of comfort, and my trusty wingman now gets twinges. Thank goodness we are not running 26.2 miles this Sunday as we'd be a collective bag of bones by the end of it!

I switched my day around and ran in the late afternoon rather than early morning. The forecast was rainy, but instead I was blessed with beautiful Bay Area sunshine. As a result, I was wearing too much and found it a huge effort to hold a 9.5 minute pace for 7 miles. But the important thing is, I held it, and that may just be the fastest I've ever covered that distance.

I had finished the run and was walking the last few yards home when I became aware of a nasty, nasty pain in the arch of my left foot. It wore off after a few hours but I have some fresh hypochondriac Googling to do, to find out what novel problem this might be. I've never experienced anything like it and am hoping it's solely (no pun intended) attributable to my not-broken-in-fully new shoes. As long as it doesn't cost me another $160 in remedial kit, I don't mind too much :)

Photo thanks: Cheeriotown Photography

Feeling Sleepy

I don't have a whole lot new to report, except,

• I'm back out running short distances (3-6 miles) and plan to build up again very gradually.
  
• I'm pleasantly surprised that I can still do anything after such a long break, although holding a 9:30 pace is hard and if left to my own devices I've been drifting over 10:30.
  
• The knee has been OK; naturally I'm aware of it and it doesn't quite feel 100% right, but definitely has not been giving actual pain.
  

However, I've been shocked at how tired I'm feeling and am praying it's just my body getting used to running again.


I'm feeling a little bit cheated because conventional wisdom states that exercise gives you more energy, rather than leaving you feeling wrung out like a wet rag at the end of the day. And clearly, 29 minutes of running should not exactly be a Herculean effort.

One of my 2010 goals is to run a half marathon in under 2 hours: at the moment that's looking like a large hill to climb.

How about you - do you find exercise gives you more energy, or does it leave you yearning for a nap?

Cartoon found here, original source unknown, sorry.

New Gear, New Hope

I didn't want to sing from the rooftops too soon, but I've now been out 3 times post-knee-rest-period and I'm comforted that it does look as though I'll be able to run at least short distances again. Even if the much hoped-for marathon is not within reach, I will be able to do 5k Turkey Trots with my head held high :)

My knee was not exactly quiet as a lamb, but it didn't hurt, either. I guess I'm just much more aware of it and every time I leap from sidewalk to road surface, I'm wondering if it's going to scream at me. We probably just need to work our way back to trusting each other again (ooh, deep).

To give my joints the best possible chance of success, I went to see the nice folk at Fleet Feet in Menlo Park. After some very low-tech staring at my knee caps, I came home $140 poorer, with a new pair of hold-me-stable shoes and some fancy insoles. Yes, of course I'm skeptical, but sooner or later you just have to let go and trust someone.

Hence, I'm breaking in new shoes as well as testing out my doddery knee, so there are a couple of variables at work.

My other new piece of kit was a birthday gift: a runner's headlamp. When I first saw other people wearing these, I pretty much thought, how geeky, until I tried running around our neighborhood at 6AM. I'm not too worried about perverts, but tree roots and uneven sidewalks strike fear into my heart. I tripped while running a couple of years ago and believe me, in your thirties, these things really hurt. So I'm now happily able to trot at a decent pace and not fall over any dozing raccoons, squirrels or Canada Geese. Which was the unfortunate fate of this runner:


Better safe (and geeky) than sorry, methinks.

Photo thanks: REI, Failblog

Birthday Lunges

OK, you know it's time to seek medical pschyological help when you decide a good use of your birthday lunch-hour is to show up to a Body Sculpt class. Not only was it my birthday, but the weather was foul and my quads were still in agony from Tuesday's session, so I had three perfectly adequate excuses to give it a miss.

Any sane person would have gone for a big lunch with friends, or for a spot of light shopping, or even just to claim their free drink at Starbucks. Not me - I dutifully joined in with more of the same lunges which almost defeated me earlier in the week, with a liberal sprinkling of push-ups and upper body torture thrown in for good measure.

And you know what? I actually feel a bit younger than I did when I woke up this morning. Which is a good thing, as I plan on doing some serious dietary damage this evening. :)

Photo thanks: Michael Lorenzo

Cautiously hopeful

Well, it looks like the very pleasant people at Fleet Feet Sports might know a thing or two about running with a dodgy knee.

I'm cautiously pleased to report that I managed 4 pain-free miles on Friday and another 7 this morning. I can only assume that the surprisingly low-tech piece of velcro I bought is doing the trick. And I'm trying not to think about the cost-per-inch of my new friend. But hey, if it's doing it's job, who cares?

I totally realize that there is a huge difference between 7 miles and 26 in just 11 weeks. And I've clearly lost a lot of fitness (as my high heart rate to achieve an 11-minute-mile pace demonstrated). But I'm thrilled to be out running again and even if the odds are still pretty long, at least I'm not throwing in the towel just yet.

Needless to say I'll be proceeding with extreme caution. If you see anyone out running with bubble-wrap on their knees, please wave and say Hi. :)

Image thanks: Ilco

All I want for Christmas is a healthy pair of knees

Ooh, I love a good spreadsheet. As you might imagine, entering a marathon was a wonderful excuse for drawing up training plans, pace calculations, and what-if scenarios.

Unfortunately when I started all this, I didn't really expect to be doing the spreadsheet to figure out just how long can I rest my knee without kissing Napa goodbye. It turns out, Excel has spoken, and if I don't start trotting this weekend, with a LSD run next weekend, it ain't gonna happen.

With this in mind, I took myself down to Fleet Feet in Menlo Park, much beloved amongst local pavement-pounders for their friendly, helpful (miracle-working?) staff. I left the store $20 lighter and the owner of a Pro-Tec Patellar Tendon Strap. What the heck, it's worth a try, right? I'm heading for the track a little later to do just a couple of miles and see what happens.

But don't worry, I'll be careful. I've received some wonderful advice here about the importance of perspective and that I may be looking at one marathon versus the rest of my life. Sounds kinda scary when put like that.

Although, Santa, if you could return the Tiffany earrings and BMW convertible, and pop a couple of new knees down the chimney instead, it'd be much appreciated. Cheers.

Photo thanks: Pro-Tec Athletics, and please note, that's not my hairy knee.

Now I'm scared

First, let's look at the glass being half-full: yesterday I went out for a long-slow-distance run with Beloved Husband and covered 18 miles without serious trouble. Sure, by the end, I was pretty fed up and more than ready to stop, and yes, my pace (keeping heart-rate deliberately low) was mind-numbingly slow, but we covered the distance without me ever feeling at all doubtful that I could finish it.

And now the half-empty. Afterwards, my right knee (yes, the same villain from our long run 2 weeks ago) was seriously painful. Not that good, been-out-for-a-trot-and-loved-it kind of ache that runners know and love. More of the hurts-to-walk-round-the-grocery-store and how-the-heck-will-I-run-tomorrow kind of painful.

Up until now, I'd been foolishly assuming that as long as I followed the plan, forced myself to train even when I didn't feel like it, and stuck with the program, then a marathon would be well within my reach. Now I'm having to face the thought that something outside my control might have the final say.

I'm disappointed, scared, and tired.

Photo thanks: Simona Dumitru

Others training for Napa?

On Monday night as I watched it getting dark and contemplated the 7 miles ahead of me, I figured I can't be the only fruitcake training through the winter and that surely there would be some others signed up for Napa who were also heading out for an evening run.

That thought made me feel somewhat better so I did a Google blog search and found these valiant souls who look like they'll also be cantering through wine country in March:

• Asha, I Run Because I Teach
• KT, Life as I Know It... in San Diego
• Kristin, Camels & Chocolate
  

Now, clearly, there will be more than just 5 of us running the race. But I'll enjoy checking in to see how others are getting on and getting a taste of how training feels for them.

Photo thanks: Pcuoco

Highs and lows

One of the things I need to get used to about a multi-month training program is that it's not all going to be a steady, cheerful climb to the top.

After Saturday's enjoyable run when I felt strong and, ooh, let's be honest, showed off just a little for the last couple of miles, it was a bit of a disappointment to go out yesterday for a five mile trot and find myself so sluggish. Logic, of course, says that's the whole point of the Sunday run - to go out when you're already tired and ask your body for a bit more. But I was quite shocked how hard it was and how un-zippy I felt. What's more, today there is another 7 miles to be done, after work, in the dark and cold. Oh joy. Getting out the front door is going to require some willpower.

To pep myself up a bit, I have booked a hotel in Napa for the marathon, and spent a few minutes thinking about women like Kathrine Switzer who fought for the right to run the Boston Marathon in the 1960s... back when everyone believed a woman couldn't possibly achieve 26 miles. Incredible, but true, and all the more reason to get my running shoes on this evening.

Photo thanks: Asif Akbar

Still some gas in the tank

Thank you for the kind comments and encouragement regarding whether to listen to my wimp of a body or whether to just keep on runnin'. After discussing the matter with Chief Coach (aka Beloved Husband), we decided that since I wasn't feeling absolutely horrible, I should do just a quick trot on Friday morning.

That was accomplished and we then headed out for 9 miles 'at pace' today. The idea of a pace run is that you figure out your hoped for pace to do the whole 26 miles, and get used to running at that speed. Having pondered the topic and used a few online calculators, I'm hoping somewhere around the 10 mins 30 per mile mark is about right.

Happily, that felt great, and I was feeling strong enough that we sped up for the last bit. Granted, that got harder, but was still very do-able, and my last couple of miles were just over and then just under 9 minute miles.

There was definitely still some gas in the tank when I finished - maybe all that gruesome speed work is actually helping? :)

Photo thanks: Juliane Riedl

Is it Friday yet?

Let's start with the positive: I'm pretty happy with how the training is going and my knees have been playing nicely. I found a marathon training plan which starts at 16 weeks and since that's the time I have left, I should be in good shape.

... But I'm feeling awfully tired. So far this week, I've done:

• Monday: 7 miles, pace
• Tuesday: Body Sculpt class
• Wednesday: 5 miles, speedwork
• Thursday: Body Sculpt class

In theory, tomorrow holds a very short, easy run, followed by pace on Saturday, and a short recovery run on Sunday. Typing this out makes me see why maybe I'm feeling tired! I've also been trying to eat a bit better and my body is perhaps missing all the sugar and junky bits it previously 'enjoyed'.

So, the big question is, do I listen to the fatigue, and take a rest day, or do I gamble on the running junkie endorphins pulling me through?

Photo thanks: Nadia Jasmine

15 miles!

Today I owe a big warm thank you to Beloved Husband who somehow endured the boredom of three hours of 12-minute-miles to accompany me on a 15 mile run on Saturday. What's more, it rained on us so I felt even more guilty at being the impetuous one, responsible for signing up for a spring marathon.

I just checked back on the 14 miles achieved at the end of August and am a bit concerned to see a mention of complaining knees in that post. On Saturday, my right knee wasn't just complaining, it was yelling at me. We're hopeful that the grade (camber) of the path was a factor, and in fact when I switched sides it did improve, but for a couple of miles I was in serious pain. Thankfully, it now feels absolutely fine, so I'll be heading out again this evening to see if I can put a few more miles on the clock.

Beloved Husband has drafted a plan in which I add 2 miles every other week from now until February. I hope my knees are listening.

Photo thanks: Billy Alexander