Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Four Miles When They Count
Today's Run: 4.0 miles
Run Time: 43:13 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 924.3 miles
Thoughts on the Run:
This morning was typical: I woke up, felt tired, wanted to make an excuse to sleep in and skip my run. Of course, I've been through this routine before and know once I get out there, I enjoy my runs, so I forced myself to go downstairs and get ready.
Something interesting happened: I still felt lousy and wanted to talk myself out of it. I had been out with my wife last night on a date to see a movie and we were back late. I also was forced to grab some quick fast food ... while I made a "better bad" choice with getting chicken tacos, there was something in the seasoning that just made me feel ill in the evening, so I didn't get much sleep.
I was in the process of heading back up to catch some more sleep when it hit me.
You see, if I didn't have a set goal, this workout would have been passed by. On a calender with green checks and red "x" marks on the missed workouts, this would have been a big, blaring red "x" (my calendar is green so far, by the way).
But it wasn't just that. It was where I'm going with this.
You see, I have a goal I've followed for years to run an ultramarathon ... a race that is longer than the traditional marathon distance. For me, that is a major goal because I have yet to complete a full marathon. Having run several times at distances over 20 miles, I know what it is like.
Some people assume that running distances is proportionate. When you start going longer distances, as long as you work into it, you get used to it and a 20 mile run is like a 5 mile run used to be.
In my experience, that's just not true. A 20 mile run is 4 5-mile runs back to back ... and you FEEL the previous 5-mile segments. While your body may slowly adapt, it becomes a true mental exercise. Your requirements for food, fluids, and electrolytes change. You go through different phases and moods. You might feel sapped of energy, as if you cannot possibly take another step, and yet still have to force yourself to keep moving forward and closer to the goal, only to find you get a new burst of energy and feel great later on.
And how can I possibly train for those TOUGH moments if I'm not tough on myself?
Suddenly it wasn't about feeling sore or tired, but about the opportunity. Here I am, sore from my workouts, tired from lack of sleep and lots of work, feeling like the last thing I want to do is stand, let alone get out and run ... on hills, no less. What a PERFECT opportunity to get out and practice running under TOUGH conditions!
So, I set out and began my jog. And amazingly, while it took a LOT of focus to get through the first uphill mile and get warmed up, once again my decision came with the ultimate reward: I ended up enjoying myself. The temperature was perfect (low 40s), the sun was still under the horizon but showing its presence with a soft glow, I had the streets to myself and once I was warmed up, felt fantastic.
I hit some serious hills and approached them by working on one step at a time. They couldn't defeat me: I may have slowed down, but I never stopped. And each time I felt like I wanted to, I thought to myself ... if I give up during a 4 mile run, how much more reason to quit during a marathon? No way. I'm winning this one ... so I pushed ahead, through the hurdles, and finished.
And finishing feels SO GREAT. What an accomplishment ... to take a day I truly had a mindset of not training, and turn it around into a win. I love it!
One thing I've noticed as well is that I'm really learning how to run correctly for long distances. As a former sprinter, I always had a longer stride and would push out and pump my arms. This would wear me down for distances ... if you think about it, the more you move with each step, the more you fight gravity, and the more impact you have on your body when your feet hit the pavement. Excessive swinging just burns more calories and forces your body to work harder to stabilize.
After watching long and ultra distance runners, I realized most have a short, almost "staggered" looking pace. It's the minimum distance and footfall required to move forward. Arms hang loose and comfortably, not pumping or swinging (after all, on those longer runs, we're out there for hours). So I've started to adopt this method and it has paid off. It is tremendous for going up hills, because I change my stride a bit but keep the pace. I also stopped bouncing off my toes and land flat on my foot so the entire foot can absorb the impact.
Anyway, it was great to finish and then cook myself a breakfast of two whole eggs, two egg whites, and a slice of whole grain toast. I had a snack of a pear and grape juice, lunch was a taco stew and afternoon snack will be lentils with egg plant. Delicious!
And there is no "missed workout" to fret over. Still green on my success calendar.
Take care,
Run Time: 43:13 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 924.3 miles
Thoughts on the Run:
This morning was typical: I woke up, felt tired, wanted to make an excuse to sleep in and skip my run. Of course, I've been through this routine before and know once I get out there, I enjoy my runs, so I forced myself to go downstairs and get ready.
Something interesting happened: I still felt lousy and wanted to talk myself out of it. I had been out with my wife last night on a date to see a movie and we were back late. I also was forced to grab some quick fast food ... while I made a "better bad" choice with getting chicken tacos, there was something in the seasoning that just made me feel ill in the evening, so I didn't get much sleep.
I was in the process of heading back up to catch some more sleep when it hit me.
You see, if I didn't have a set goal, this workout would have been passed by. On a calender with green checks and red "x" marks on the missed workouts, this would have been a big, blaring red "x" (my calendar is green so far, by the way).
But it wasn't just that. It was where I'm going with this.
You see, I have a goal I've followed for years to run an ultramarathon ... a race that is longer than the traditional marathon distance. For me, that is a major goal because I have yet to complete a full marathon. Having run several times at distances over 20 miles, I know what it is like.
Some people assume that running distances is proportionate. When you start going longer distances, as long as you work into it, you get used to it and a 20 mile run is like a 5 mile run used to be.
In my experience, that's just not true. A 20 mile run is 4 5-mile runs back to back ... and you FEEL the previous 5-mile segments. While your body may slowly adapt, it becomes a true mental exercise. Your requirements for food, fluids, and electrolytes change. You go through different phases and moods. You might feel sapped of energy, as if you cannot possibly take another step, and yet still have to force yourself to keep moving forward and closer to the goal, only to find you get a new burst of energy and feel great later on.
And how can I possibly train for those TOUGH moments if I'm not tough on myself?
Suddenly it wasn't about feeling sore or tired, but about the opportunity. Here I am, sore from my workouts, tired from lack of sleep and lots of work, feeling like the last thing I want to do is stand, let alone get out and run ... on hills, no less. What a PERFECT opportunity to get out and practice running under TOUGH conditions!
So, I set out and began my jog. And amazingly, while it took a LOT of focus to get through the first uphill mile and get warmed up, once again my decision came with the ultimate reward: I ended up enjoying myself. The temperature was perfect (low 40s), the sun was still under the horizon but showing its presence with a soft glow, I had the streets to myself and once I was warmed up, felt fantastic.
I hit some serious hills and approached them by working on one step at a time. They couldn't defeat me: I may have slowed down, but I never stopped. And each time I felt like I wanted to, I thought to myself ... if I give up during a 4 mile run, how much more reason to quit during a marathon? No way. I'm winning this one ... so I pushed ahead, through the hurdles, and finished.
And finishing feels SO GREAT. What an accomplishment ... to take a day I truly had a mindset of not training, and turn it around into a win. I love it!
One thing I've noticed as well is that I'm really learning how to run correctly for long distances. As a former sprinter, I always had a longer stride and would push out and pump my arms. This would wear me down for distances ... if you think about it, the more you move with each step, the more you fight gravity, and the more impact you have on your body when your feet hit the pavement. Excessive swinging just burns more calories and forces your body to work harder to stabilize.
After watching long and ultra distance runners, I realized most have a short, almost "staggered" looking pace. It's the minimum distance and footfall required to move forward. Arms hang loose and comfortably, not pumping or swinging (after all, on those longer runs, we're out there for hours). So I've started to adopt this method and it has paid off. It is tremendous for going up hills, because I change my stride a bit but keep the pace. I also stopped bouncing off my toes and land flat on my foot so the entire foot can absorb the impact.
Anyway, it was great to finish and then cook myself a breakfast of two whole eggs, two egg whites, and a slice of whole grain toast. I had a snack of a pear and grape juice, lunch was a taco stew and afternoon snack will be lentils with egg plant. Delicious!
And there is no "missed workout" to fret over. Still green on my success calendar.
Take care,
Labels: hill running
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]