Smoooooooke, on the Waaaater

Well, more like smoke EVERYWHERE! There are huge wildfires burning in Quebec, and the wind is blowing gobs and gobs of smoke into Vermont with no regard for the border between our two countries. Justin and I were at a campfire last night with Charlie, so when we woke up we assumed the smoke we were smelling was on his fur or in our hair. Then we stepped outside and knew it was something more; the morning news filled in the details.

I went 5 miles today on my run. The first and last half miles were warm up and cool down, but the 4 in the middle were actual running! I went out on a fairly hilly course, but my cardiovascular system felt really, really good, if you don't count the smoke burning my throat. I was about an 11:30/mile pace overall, but a little slower sometimes. But I felt so good!

I did have my first "dive in the ditch to use the bathroom experience". I have just been waiting for the other shoe to drop with my IBS; I hadn't had an attack yet on a run, but I felt it was only a matter of time. Last night I ate heavy food and drank alcohol and didn't get a full night's sleep. All those things make a perfect storm to trigger an IBS attack.

I had ran out my 2.5 miles and was on my way back home when my tummy started to rumble. The road I was on has quite a few houses, so when I felt the cramping start in earnest, I jumped off the road, pushed through some leaves and grasses, paused my Nike +, and found a tree to lean against. As I was attempting to get situated, I looked down and saw a tick on my pants. Justin had a tick in his leg last year, and Charlie has had several, so I knew what I was looking at. I was so freaked out and startled that I slapped the tick away and ran up out of the ditch and back onto the road. I guess it was the opposite effect of being scared shitless, because I made it back home without incident. MUCH to my relief, and, I'm sure, to the relief of the motorists on the road and the neighbors who may have been looking out their kitchen windows.

Justin and I then went for a hike in Johnson, which was fun and lovely, but I burned up my calves, hammies, and glutes powering up those hills. We'll see how that feels tomorrow, after also taking my body out on its longest run to date this morning.

Run With Tim

There's nothing like a dog attack to wake a person up on a Saturday morning. Charlie (my Golden) and I were attacked by a huge mastiff-type dog as we walked on the road this morning. Charlie was on leash, and this dog charged. We are both ok, but the dog took me out and my wrist really hurts, and I"m scraped. Nevertheless, I am a RUNNER now, and the show must go on.

So, I drove to my brother's house and ran my normal loop on River Road. This time, though, I took said brother with me. We ran a 5K, chit-chatting with each other, and I wore my Nike + but didn't listen to music; I just did it to record my pace and distance.

When I got home, I promptly dropped my iPod on the floor, so I'm worried I may have damaged it. Though it seems to be working ok, it won't upload my workout to the Nike + website. However, when I try to load the Nike + website, it won't load correctly or log me in. So something is screwy. Therefore, I can't really report the stats of my run, but I can tell you I was sucking wind. Partially because I was talking, I'm sure, but I think also partially because I was hauling ass. The workout summary on my iPod says we kept an 11 minute mile pace, so I'm happy.

I had a moment of delirious joy when I looked at my iPod readout and though we run a 7:30 minute/mile pace. Holy smokes! I thought. I'm a contender! I thought. Then I realized that since I'd programmed my Nike + to track a 5K, it gave my pace in km/hour, not miles/hour. Bummer.

Couch to 5K- Week 9 Day 3: I DID IT!!!!

I am now officially a C25K graduate! I am so very excited, and proud of myself. I actually stuck to something, and I feel very successful. I look forward to just sticking around 3-4 mile runs for a little while, and enjoying my new status as an official runner.

My run this morning was great. It was a cooler morning than the last 3 have been, and I just felt good. I didn't get out of breath. I didn't slow down on the hills. I wasn't constantly checking to see how much time was left. I just went out and did it. It was a really nice way to end this training program.

"It is not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves." ~Sir Edmund Hillary

"Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people." ~Nido Qubein

Couch to 5K- Week 9 Day 2

We are in the middle of a big heat wave- temperatures in the 90s. So, I got up at 5am to run. It felt ok; I slowed down about a minute per mile because I ran the hilly course, but I did it. I knew I wouldn't want to run at 4pm with the heat and humidity. In other news, I also narrowly avoided stepping on a dead bird. Or rather, half of a dead bird. *gag*

I am so excited that I am only 1 workout away from being a C25K graduate!!

Couch To 5K- Week 9 Day 1

Scouting Report: Run at 7:40am on Sunday, May 23

Animals Seen:
*4 dogs (all friendly)
*1 cat (sunning on a woodpile)
*1 turtle (still dead in the ditch, as per an earlier blog post)
*1 woodchuck
*numerous robins and other birds

People Seen:
*6 runners (5 female, 1 male. 4 waved back at me, 2 did not)
*1 walker (female, waved)
*1 biker (male, waved)
*4 fishermen (yes, all men. 2 in hip-high waders)

I ran along River Road this morning, enjoying the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells. It was truly gorgeous, and I felt GOOD! This was my first 30 minute run, and it was awesome. I wasn't panting, I didn't really hurt, and I didn't totally overheat. I am glad I was done running by 8:30am, though- it's supposed to be well into the 80s today, totally sunny, and humid.

Nike Plus says that I was at a 10:29/mile pace for the first mile, then 10:59/mile pace for the second mile. At the third mile, I was at 15:00/mile, but I had just slowed to my walk after the 30 minutes of running. So counting my 5 minute warm up walk, I did a 5K today in about 35 minutes. That's great!! It was on the same course exactly as my town's 5K in August, so I'll be excited to see how much I can improve my time on that route before then.

I think the reason I ran more quickly today was that the course was flat, and it was still cool. On Friday I ran an hour later, and it was hot and the course was hillier. I will continue to run hills because I know they make me a better runner, but I do loathe them.

I am so very pumped!! I am going to run just 30 minutes again on Tuesday or Wednesday, and then on my last day of C25K I will run 3.1 miles, however long it takes me. WOOT!

Couch To 5K- Week 8 Day 3

It is a beautiful, sunny morning, and I took a sick day to go to a few doctor's appointments. I decided to sneak in my run first, before it hits 80*F as it is supposed to today. It's hard for me to believe that I only have 3 runs left before I've completed C25K!

Today's run was great for the first half, and hard for the second. I felt it get warmer as I ran, I did a course with hills, and I also fatigued myself in the first 19 minutes. Today I ran at just under a 12 minute mile pace. I was running to the beat of the music on my C25K Week 8 podcast. It was steady, so I was steady overall. That was a small victory, since I usually speed up and slow down throughout my run. On the first half of my run that pace seemed a little slow- I wanted to gun it, and felt like I could move more quickly and still be comfortable. Then by the end of my run, I was running that pace but I was quite tired, with heavy legs. I can tell that as I go on, my battle will be to find a pace that my lungs and legs are comfortable with, but that I can also sustain for 3, 6, 10, and 13.1 miles.

I am happy to report that 90 minutes of running from now, I will be a C25K graduate!!

A Thought for Today...

I was reading a few posts on the Runner's World forums, and I came across this quote from a runner:

"Stop trying to build your run into something you can't handle..."

I think that really spoke to me because I start every new run that has added mileage with the thought, "Oh my gosh, I won't be able to do it." I should psych myself up, not down.