Always Learning Lessons

It feels like it's been ages since I blogged about running, when in reality, it's only been a week and a half. Where were we? In case you're wondering if the Oliver Winery trip was worth shifting around my running schedule and doing a shorter run than planned, the answer is a definite YES. It was one of my favorite Oliver trips ever. Great weather, 13 samples of wine, tons of good picnic food, and truly letting myself enjoy a day off work. To think that I even considered NOT going!!

The weekend of April 3-4 was Easter weekend, so we went to see Chad's parents up by Chicago. With those two days and the Friday before of the Oliver trip, I had 3 full days off of working out. I can't remember the last time that happened! These days it feels like a stretch to get 2 days off consecutively.

This past week, April 5-9, was a busy one at work. A few group fitness instructors were out on vacation, which left me covering their classes. It was also my first week of picking up a cycle class on Tuesdays since my co-worker is 7 months pregnant and teaching cycle has become uncomfortable for her to say the least. When all was said and done, by Thursday of last week I had taught 7 classes! And thrown in 2 other workouts of my own. Friday I only taught the 10-minute abs class, and Chad and I played tennis after work. Finally, on Sunday I was scheduled for the 11 mile traning run.

We had gone out to eat at Nickel Plate for lunch on Sunday. One of my favorite menu items there is the strawberry chicken salad: a HUGE bowl of salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, mandarin oranges, walnuts, blue cheese crumbles and balsamic viniagrette--all of which I love. I ate the whole salad thinking it was a better pre-run meal than the fish and chips or the buffalo burger that I also like there.

About two hours later I set out on my 11 miles. (See map below.) I was feeling great initially. I ran through downtown Fishers along 116th which was new scenery for me. By the time I had crossed Allisonville Road, I felt like I could throw up if I tried, but wasn't too worried about it yet. Normally when I get side stitches during running, I can make them go away by focusing on deep breathing and pulling in my abs, but I was getting some stomach cramps that weren't subsiding. I reached 131st and Hazel Dell which was my designated turn-around point and headed towards home. Here my stomach was totally cramping up and aching, top to bottom. My chest had a little bit of a burn in it that felt like acid-reflux. I saw Chad coming up the hill on his bike with my bottle of Powerade Zero. I took a few swigs of that hoping it would revive me, but instead, as soon as I stopped running to take a drink I realized how awful my stomach was actually hurting and knew I probably couldn't take off running again. I started thinking back to that giant salad as well as my breakfast which included scrambled eggs with tons of chopped bell peppers. Basically, not enough high-carb grains and too much fiber and roughage, which is a bad feeling especially when you're running...if you know what I mean. (From a previous experience, I also don't recommend grapes before a run!)

I tried to run for a few minutes, but by the time I reached the corner of Hazel Dell and 116th, I absolutely could not continue. I was so frustrated and on the verge of tears because my legs felt geat, my heart rate seemed on the low end for running, and I still had plenty of stamina left cardio speaking. It seemed like my good intentions were always foiled somehow. Chad was planning on booking it back to the apartment on his bike, then getting his car and picking me up.

I started walking on 116th back east, frustrated the whole time. Even walking at a fast pace made my stomach double over in pain, so I just took it slow, waiting to see Chad's blue Blazer there to save me. Finally I made it back to Allisonville, crossed over, and thought that I would try running again. This time there was still some cramping but it was bearable. The fact that I COULD physically run was a step up from where I was moments earlier. I was able to get up to a pretty quick pace, and shortly after, saw Chad pull up beside me. He must have been able to tell I was going to make it, because he gave me a fist pump out through the sun roof, and I yelled "See you at home!" I made it back pretty much just in time as the stomach aches/cramps/rumbling were coming back.

I peeled off my sweaty clothes and jumped on the computer to mapmyrun.com to see how much of that 11 miles I actually ran versus walked. I was quite surprised to find I actually ran 9.05 miles between my 2 spurts of running. I was already just passed 6 miles when I started walking, and I couldn't have been walking for more than 30 minutes even though it felt torturous. So I felt satisfied. Almost.

Sitting there watching Phil Mickelson clinch his Masters victory, I decided it was bugging me that I didn't RUN the full 11. Here's where most normal people, not mini-training, would think that running 9 miles and walking 2 was a crazy amount of exercise for one day. But what did I do? Put back on my same sweaty clothes and headed to the apartment gym to knock out 2 more miles on the treadmill. Although we were getting ready to head to the grocery, Chad didn't even protest. He knew it was just a mental goal I had to complete. I was back in no time at all, having ran the 2 miles at a speed anywhere between 6.2-7.0 mph. Being a perfectionist, it still bothered me that I couldn't complete the 11 continuously, but three combined efforts was as good as it was going to get that day, so I was happy, mentally settled, and physically exhausted, but not sick or in pain.

The lesson of the run here was, just like I underestimated the importance of hydrating during a run, I underestimated the energy that comes from carb-loading before a distance run. I don't mean a crazy amount of carb-eating; just grains and sugars that are easily and quickly digestable, fueling your muscles and glycogen stores. Protein is slowly digested--great for post-workout replenishment and muscle repair/growth; not great for immediate energy. Fruits are vegetables are great for keeping your stomach fuller for longer with their high fiber, but like any plant, they all have certain elements that are undigestible. When you are doing high motion activites like running, you want all the blood moving to your limbs, and not a lot of activity going on in your digestive system.

It's coming down to a science of running. Even though running is not new for me, running this amount is. There are certain criteria of what to do and what not to do that best prepare my body for a long run and enable good results. Beyond standard rules and common runner knowledge, every person's body is unique and will react differently to foods/drinks.

Dilemma...

I've been faced with a dilemma this week, that made me choose between sticking to my training schedule or taking advantage of a beautiful spring day, off work, at Oliver Winery-- aka one of my most favorite places. (See pictures from one of many of our Oliver trips.) Dow is closed on Good Friday (surprising since even banks don't observe that holiday!), so it will officially be my first vacation day of the year. I had planned to do a 10-mile run since that's what I'm due for this week. Friday was my only chance since we are spending Easter weekend up in the Chicago area Saturday morning-Sunday evening.

THEN, I found out some girls from work are going to Oliver Winery that day. They are planning on leaving around 10 or 11am, which wouldn't give me much time to get in a morning run and shower...we all know I'm not a morning person, not even a little bit. (Good thing the mini was bumped to an even earlier start time of 7am this year, huh?!) And running 10 miles after multiple wine tastings, cracking open a bottle, and then picnicing outside in what's forecasted to be 85 degree weather does NOT sound like a good idea to me. That's just asking for major dehydration.

My gut instinct was to turn down the offer. I made a training schedule for a reason...to stick to it! You could say I even backed out of doing my full 9-mile run last weekend, since I broke it into two separate segments. I like to think two of my best qualities are my determination within myself and my follow-through with other people. It irritates me to no end when others don't have these same attributes, so I hold myself to the same standard. Even if nobody else would know that I skipped a run, I would.

When I talked it over in my head, (if it was ANY place besides Oliver, I could have said no), I realized I WOULD regret not hanging out with my newest group of friends and taking full advantage of a BEAUTIFUL vacation day. Would I regret not doing the 10-mile run? Out of sheer principle, yes. But would it negatively affect my training? No, because I hit the 10-mile mark two weeks ago. Is 10 a monumental mile number to me anymore? No. Mind made up :)

To justify my choice, I started brainstorming of ways to squeeze in a decent length run before Friday. I'm limited with time in the evenings as it would start to get dark before I completed the run, plus I'm usually tired from my work day. Then it just so happened that today, I was able to take an hour and a half break since I only was able to take 30-minutes away yesterday. Even though running around the work campus is not an appealing scene to me (boring loops and running into the same people you see day in, day out) I decided to do it. It was 61 degrees and sunny when I took off which made me a little more gung-ho than I was. All in all, I ran just over 8 miles. Not having water breaks started to be a problem again. Around mile 6, I was pretty thirsty and started to have a couple isolated leg cramps. It's never a good sign when you stop dripping sweat and you just feel salty, which was happening too. I listened to my body and knew I could push through to finish my designated laps, and made sure to hydrate right away with water and some FULL sugar apple juice. Within 10 minutes and a good shower, I felt back to normal.

No 10 miles, but still respectable. Definitely the longest I've ever run in the middle of the work day. Call it a compromise?

The Joy of Cross-Training

Since I didn't get in my usual exercise at work yesterday, Chad and I decided to go on a bike ride last night. It was only the third time I've been out on my bike since we bought them, since I've been so heavily into running and not much else lately. A great little strip of bike path can be found on 106th street between Hague and Allisonville Rd. It's all hills, which makes for a fun bike ride. One small section of it is wooded and has multiple wood bridges to ride over. All in all, we did a 6 mile ride. The problem I have with biking outside is that so far on the streets around Fishers, I have yet to actually feel like my heart rate is elevated enough for it to be called a good workout. Last night, with those hills, was the exception! For more details on the ride, copy and paste this link in your browser:

http://www.mapmyride.com/view_workout?w=287126999363919145

Runner's High

I was reading an article in Fitness Magazine (April 2010 issue, pg. 125) entitled "Why I Run." Four women wrote a short essay about why they run, what made them start and why it outweighs any other form of exercise. Here were their reasons:
-It's the only "sport" I enjoy and can excel in.
-Running at sunrise is the calm before the day's storm of being a parent.
-It gives me inspiration for writing my novels.
-It was a natural form of Prozac after my husband lost his job.

I can relate to all of these reasons in some fashion. Obviously, running gives a plethora of physical benefits. I got to a point in my fitness life where no other form of exercise (minus spinning) quite got my heart rate up the way running did. When it comes to toning leg muscles, same thing. But I'm not going into great detail here, because the physical benefits are only the surface reasons for running.

The first woman in the article wrote that she had tried sports like soccer and failed miserably, then picked up cross-country, and even though when she started she usually came in last place, she eventually was able to run 3 miles in 23:28. I can completely relate to this one. As fitness-orientated as I have become, I am by no means blessed with athletic skill. Little hand/eye coordination and that classic girl fear of (I'm ashamed to say) being hit by the ball. I went to basketball camp in middle school and while I became really great at free throws (I made it into the 10-in-a-row club) the whole dribbling thing messes me up. I enjoy volleyball and played a lot last summer, getting better with each game. I know the first game I play this summer will NOT be pretty. Chad and I have recently been playing tennis, which is one of my better sports (not saying much). When we first bought our rackets I started the trash talk of how I was going to dominate him on the tennis courts. He looked at me and with all seriousness said, "No. I've seen you play sports." Leave it to your husband to be honest. With running, I don't need really any kind of coordination except to know how to run straight and dodge giant potholes---that I can do :)

The second story of "Why I Run" I can't fully relate to, as I'm not a parent--and hopefully won't be for a long time! But I can say that any stress I've felt either in college or real-world can be alleviated with a good run. No wonder I've been in such a great mood lately!

Again, the third story I can't relate to as much either as I am not a writer who's constantly brainstorming of plot ideas for novels. But of course running gives me inspiration for every day life creativity. Inspiration enough to start a blog!

Who can't relate to the last reason for running?? We all need some natural Prozac every now and then. And ANY exercise has this effect. I dinstinctly remember the workout I had 2 years ago on the weekend I found out my parents were getting a divorce. Again, I don't typically workout on weekends, but that Sunday night, as soon as I returned back to my college house up in Anderson I headed straight to the campus gym, avoiding all eye contact with the people I knew, and jumped on an elliptical. Music full blast, pedaling hard, wondering sometimes if the wetness on my face was sweat or tears. Even in situations as dire as this was, every little bit of physical activity helped. One thing that I both love and hate about my job is that no matter my mood, no matter what has just happened in my life, and no matter how rainy and gray the day is, I have to put on a pleasant face and be chipper enough to motivate other people--and be believable. One day at work, I got news that Chad's already meager pay had been cut in HALF due to my least favorite person EVER--Chad's old boss. I cried...hard. And then I composed myself and taught class. (Thank God Chad's new job came within a few weeks after that incident.) Even though I could confide in some of my clients or group fitness participants, there are settings where they need me to be the encouraging one--not the other way around. They are there to workout, be pushed, and find motivation in me that they may not have on their own. It's one of those things, when I pretend to be happy and smile for so long, I actually become happy and realize that my life isn't so bad after all. In fact, it's fabulous.

Why do you run?? Feel free to comment!

The Best Weekend Ever

Ahhh. I love those Sunday evenings where the full-feeling of all the fun things I was able to do over the weekend outweighs the melancholy of knowing Monday morning is looming ahead....only hours away. This was exactly one of those weekends. I'll admit, Friday night I was dreading all the things I had to get done over the next two days: my training run, picking up a cluttered apartment, making a trip to Anderson to pick up our hot-off-the-press wedding album, and multiple commitments with my friend Sarah including a promised workout together---in addition to my training run. But I have to say, this weekend was one of the best I've had in a LONG time. The perfect balance of accomplishing things (if you know me, I'm BIG on checking off boxes on the ol' to-do list) and relaxing.

Saturday started off with a morning run with Sarah. We made the loop to the "workout park" that I've referred to in this blog a few times and did one circuit of strength exercises. From there we jogged in and out of streets lined with our dream first homes, into an adjoining neighborhood (with a HUGE PINK inflatable Easter bunny), and back to my apartment building. Towards the end of the run I could tell Sarah was starting to struggle a bit, and she mentioned several times that she was focusing only on keeping running without stopping to walk. She made it, of course. It still seems so bizarre to me the be the one dishing out the encouragement during a run with a partner. We went inside my apartment and mapped out the route we took, and found it was 2.7 miles. (See below.) Sarah was so pumped that she made it that far, only stopping to do a circuit of exercises that still kept our heart rates up...i.e. step-ups. It took a good hour for me to realize that was the farthest she had EVER run continuously...let alone outdoors, which for most newer runners is hard. After seeing her lose FIFTY pounds and undergo multiple personal training sessions by yours truly, I was so glad to have been there to experience that literal milestone with her.


Even though this run was not a physical challenge for me, and much of it was social (chit-chatting about when will we ever be able to afford houses of our own and who is tacky enough to have a HUGE PINK inflatable Easter bunny in their yard?!), it was during this exact run that I decided I could do this running thing for life. After only a few short weeks of being in runner mode 24/7, I don't want this to end after May 8th! I think I could really enjoy a nice Saturday morning jog. I've always refrained from working out on weekends because it really just makes me think of work. For most people, it's an escape (as it is for me most of the time) and everyone else gets a break from the work week so why shouldn't I? God knows I don't need the extra calorie burn beyond what my job gives me. I've never really enjoyed running with other people either. Usually their pace is faster than mine, or they tell me to set the pace but I still feel the pressure to run faster than what I can maintain for long. I decided we were a good running pair. We know each other's fitness level well enough to gauge when to push the other person, but at the same time, I never minded running at a slightly slower pace than my usual so that we could stay together. This run was just so different...it was shared, fun, and not anything resembling work or pain. And that is ok.

Then on to my training run. I decided to take a different approach and screw the 9-mile run I had so diligently mapped out on Friday. Since I had just run 2.7 miles, I split my training run for the weekend into 2 parts. The morning run combined with a 6-miler would give me the total of 9 that I had committed to. Normally, I wouldn't recommend splitting a training run into two parts since endurance is a key factor of a long-distance race. Just this once I decided to try the two-a-day workout because it does have other benefits (think of it as intervals and why they are so successful--when you have minutes where your body is allowed to recover, you can perform at a higher intensity during the designated hard minutes). Sarah and I grabbed some lunch at Panera and wasted approximately 30 minutes of our lives watching the newest Dane Cook stand-up. Allow me to sidetrack here....formally a huge Dane Cook fan, I wasn't finding humor in any of these newest jokes. He started out with tackling some heavy, controversial issues in a serious tone: racism, politics, suicide, rape, cancer, and the death of both of his parents only months apart. He clearly wasn't trying to be funny. Then when he WAS trying to be funny, his jokes were so raunchy and over the top that I wanted to throw up more than laugh. I find it hard to believe anyone in the audience was giving him more than a sympathy chuckle. This was the guy that only a couple years ago made me laugh until I cried; the guy whose lines I would think of in the middle of class and have to try so hard to stifle a laugh. After one too many jokes about STD's and hookers, I decided I would RATHER run 6 miles than continue this nonsense.

Sarah showed me a route in Noblesville (see below) that she and her husband had mapped out as being a 5K loop. I set out to do it twice giving me a mileage of 6.2. What can I say about this run? It went by SO fast!! I knew I was running at a quicker pace than normal, but I was fully expecting to walk back into her apartment, discover I had only been gone for about 30 minutes and tell her she was WRONG. I got back right at 54 minutes (and she re-mapped the route for validity) meaning I, once again, shattered any previous time. Running 6.2 miles on a treadmill, I would have finished at 62 minutes. Even mentally, this run felt equivalent to a 4-mile treadmill run I did on Thursday. Maybe I'm beginning to retract my previous statements about treadmills being so much better?? I can almost hear the "told you so's" from any REAL runner out there. My favorite song of the run was "Beautiful Day" by U2, because it was, in every way.


PS. I did attempt to use a water-holding belt that I found at Dick's Sporting Goods on Friday night. I got about .01 miles into the run and it was jostling all around. The water bottle is supposed to stay right around the hip area, then as I ran it would migrate to the front of my stomach, then my other hip, then behind, always smacking me as I ran, even though I tightened the belt. Needless to say, I ditched it and re-started the run. I'm almost glad it didn't work out after all, because let's be honest....it was a glorified fanny pack.

I finished out the weekend with eating out at some of my favs (Panda Express and Qdoba), a new hair color (mahogany, they call it), a couple glasses of Riesling, sleeping over at Sarah's since Chad had been gone for the entire day/night (making it our first married night apart), church this morning, making the rounds in Anderson with Chad's family, dinner with him at Greek's Pizzeria (new for us, and I highly recommend it!), and finally, putting together some playlists for the cycle classes I am teaching this week.

And no feeling sick after this run:) Only proud, of both myself and my friend (that I ended up spending 25 straight hours with) for what we have termed the The Best Weekend Ever.

9 Mile Out and Back Fishers Neighborhood Run

This route is offcially the plan for tomorrow. All I did was search "running routes in Fishers, IN" on mapmyrun.com and boom this one came up. It was like they KNEW I needed a 9-mile run! Here is the description: "This route takes you through 5 subdivisions of Fishers. There is usually light traffic and is relatively flat with a couple of very small hills." PERFECT =)

I'm trying to figure out a good way to bring water with me. I know they make running belt-like contraptions that carry water bottles, but the idea of strapping anything on me while I run drives me crazy. I can't even stand to run with my wedding rings on because feeling them move around on my finger irritates me. Nor can I tolerate running with a normal-sized ipod in an arm band. That is why I use the shuffle. Chad will be at work tomorrow, otherwise I would commission him to ride his bike around the same area and deliver occasional drinks of water. Maybe I'll drive through the route and leave water bottles hidden in bushes along the way haha....

Clarification

I wanted to clarify that caffeine in and of itself is NOT bad for exercise. It actually has many benefits when the right amount is consumed before a workout (as a co-worker pointed out to me yesterday.) In my blogs I've only been preaching about the harmful effects of too much before a workout, but I don't want to discredit caffeine completely. They say, if you are used to drinking a morning coffee, then it's actually beneficial to do the same on the morning of a race. (I did that last year before the mini.)

A recent article from Shape magazine:
"Q: Is it harmful to drink coffee before I exercise?
A: Not at all. In fact, it can actually improve your performance. Caffeine makes you more alert and may help you workout longer or at a harder intensity. In an Australian study, runners who ingested caffeine before at 5K shaved 10 to 12 seconds off their finish times. Other research published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that cyclists who downed a dose of caffeine before a sprint felt less leg pain and had a lower rate of perceived exertion. For optimal benefits, drink up to 45-60 minutes before a workout and stay under 150 milligrams. That's 12 ounces of coffee, up to 24 ounces of tea, or 17 ounces of Red Bull." March 2010 issue, pg. 130

For reference, I had about 20 ounces of coffee that morning :O

Pro: Energy boost and less feelings of pain/fatigue
Con: Dehydrates your cells and could cause a dangerously high heart rate/blood pressure.
As long as you're drinking the right amount to reap the benefits and not slip into any of the "cons" then drink up!