Runners' Rambles 8/20/01

[SusieO]

So, how are we doin'?

I got up before the sun Saturday morning with intentions of running ten miles. Warmed up, stretched, strapped on my water pack, walked out into air so thick you could cut it with a knife, turned around and went back to bed. :( Then I waited for the gym to open, and ran six on the treadmill, in the air conditioning.

And got up today and ran ten miles! :D I discovered that the route is more interesting on a Monday morning. I like watching the kiddies waiting for the school bus.

Just for fun, anyone care to share the song running through your brain on your most recent run? I have no idea where this came from, but this morning's selection was the theme to Smokey and the Bandit: ". . . got a long way to go and a short time to get there. . ." It was more humorous than annoying. Often, towards the end of a run I "hear" the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer." You know, ". . . run, run, run, run, run, run awaaaaaay. . ."

Sorry. Feeling a little giddy this evening.

[emilycat]

SusieO, great job on making up for your missed long run on Saturday! Is the humidity any better now, or did you just duke it out? When is your marathon again?

I'm loving the weather here right now -- I just hope it doesn't go away! My long run on Saturday was awesome (aside from the excruciating cramps in the last mile :( ) -- I accidently slept an hour later than I was supposed to, and since I didn't get to the river until 7:30, I was worried about being out there in the heat at 10:30, but as it turned out, there was a lovely breeze, cloud cover, and it stayed in the 70's. Two more really long ones to go before the race -- wahoo!

Oh! This morning it was 63 degrees! I left my doorstep wondering if I'd even get in my speed workout for the day, and ended up doing a great 8-mile tempo run. Isn't it funny how your body/mind has this way of deceiving you about how you really feel about a run before you even get out there, and don't you love proving it wrong?

Oh, and Susie, Peter Gabriel's "Sledge Hammer" ran through my head. Don't ask how it got there; I think it was simply because you just had to ask what music went through our minds when we last ran. ;) Fortunately (or not) it was later replaced by Everclear's "Wonderful" -- which happens to still be pestering me. :)

Hope everyone's running is going well!

[Kerri]

I ran 10 miles for the first time sunday and it was alwful! I guess I started a little bit late, around 7:40, but I don't really seem myself getting up much eariler on a weekend. For my run, I drove to White Rock Lake, which is the running mecca in Dallas. It is a loop that is a little longer than 9 miles. It was so hot. I think I was expecting more trees for shade. I was wrong. I did finish, but I walked more than I usually do. And why is it that every water fountain that I stop at broken and the bathroom out of toliet paper?!?!?

It made me realize that running is really hard and that running a marathon is going to be really hard. Maybe I should have know this already, but it didn't really hit me until this weekend. However, I did get up and run my 4 miles this morning and it put me into a better mood.

A question: how many blisters are normal for my feet? They don't hurt while I am running, but when I take my shoes off, there they are. Just wondering.

[SusanMac]

I started using a pumice stone to prevent blisters and other weird foot problems from running. You don't want to use it one a blister because it would aggravate it. I keep it in the shower and use it on all my foot rough spots. It seems to help keep my feet healthier.

Running and cross-training has been good this week. I'm considering psyching myself up for another marathon next year. Has anyone ever done either Chicago or the Twin Cities marathons??

[aggie94]

I had a good run/walk last night. I finally bumped up to 2:1, although I'm keeping them pretty short because of the pain that I started having a few weeks ago. It's gone now, and I'm hoping that I can keep it away by keeping on top of my exercises.

DH has recruited me for the Hood to Coast relay next summer. For those that are unfamiliar with it, it's a 12-person team relay that travels from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon. It's 195 miles, and split into 36 legs that range from 4-8 miles each and from easy to difficult, depending on the terrain. Each team member runs 3 legs. It's a huge event that brings people from all over the country, and next year, DH's non-profit is going to sponsor a team as a fundraising event. He's been committed and is trying to recruit me. It would be a big incentive for me to keep up with my exercises and ease back into running slowly and safely, so that I don't commit and end up having to bail because of injuries. At worst, I'll pick up one of his legs. It sounds like a blast, but I'm wary only because I know the people that will be participating are pretty serious runners, and I'm slow. Either way, it's for a good cause. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I'll stay pain-free!

Oh, and the song I had stuck in my head while I was running last night was the theme song to Freaks and Geeks. ("I don't give a **** about my reputation..."). That's pretty much all I know, so it got rather annoying after awhile.

[RobinC]

I am proud to say that I am a new runner. In my journey to change my lifestyle, be more healthy, loose weight, and overall feel good, I decided to take up running. I am pretty busy, tend to travel a lot, and decided that I needed more exercise. I realized that running is a very portable exercise. I can never seem to work my schedule around aerobics classes.

The big question for me, a 200+ lb gal who has been sitting on my butt for too long, was how to start. A friend recommended to me a book called "The Beginning Runners Handbook - A 13 Week Ralk to Run Program."

I started Week 2 this week. 1 minute running, 4 minutes walking - repeat 9 times. WOW! Do I feel great!

Okay, so I am nowhere near you 10 mile running mavens....yet. So far my head doesn't have any room for songs to ramble around. I am busy thinking "You can do it! You can Do It!"

[emilycat]

Robin --

Everyone has to start somewhere! Your attitude is awesome, and many people say that running is largely a mental thing. (okay, so talent has a little bit to do with it if you're Tegla Laroupe ;) ).
And welcome to our little running chats -- keep us updated! :)

[Gina O]

RobinC- Welcome! :) We are glad to have you here. I started running last November on a program similar to the one you are doing, then had to take about 2-3 months off for an injury and am now up to running 4 miles consistantly and 5 miles occassionally! Keep it up, you will get there!

Kerri- I had the exact same blister problem. They never hurt but I had 3-4 on each foot. I talked to someone at Fleet Feet and he recommended some socks that are designed to prevent blisters. I started using them and I no longer have any blisters. The maker is Wright Sock, and they say "running" on them. They are double layered, so the layers rub against each other instead of your feet. The seem like they would be very warm on your feet, but I actually find them cooler than my other running socks.

My running has gone pretty good... 4 times for 17 miles last week. I ran today, three miles when I wanted to do four. It has been really hard to get motivated lately, but I haven't missed a run yet. Oh, and no songs swimming around my mind this morning. Gina

[Mbart]

Had to join in...

RobinC...great to have you here! And don't worry, we are at all levels on this board!

My running has been very up and down, mentally. I am trying to improve my speed, and I find that I've had some improvement, but I still cannot come close to the pace I held in my first 5 mile race, and I thought I was running that race at my regular pace. Is this normal?

You see, before that race, I wasn't paying attention to my times, I just went out each a.m. and ran my normal 4 mile loop. But once I ran that race and decided I want to be faster, I've been timing my runs. And like I said, I'm way off my race pace, even though the effort is much more extreme than the day of that race...I feel like I'm sprinting at the end! The closest I've come is a little under a 9 minute mile, and the day I raced, it was under an 8:30 mile. What's the deal? I mean, I know there's the adrenaline thing at a race but still...I don't get it.

[SusieO]

Good for you, RobinC. You CAN do it!

Eva, that relay sounds like a lot of fun. There was a recent article in RW about a similar race in Hawaii.

Mbart, this is going to sound stupid, but have you actually measured your 4-mile loop? I had been beating myself up over my pitiful time on weekday 3-mile runs. Then I drove the route, and discovered it was actually 3.4 miles. Enough to make a difference!

Well, after changing my mind a couple of times (and a change in employment status :( ), I bit the bullet and signed up for the Motorola Marathon. Sunday, February 17, 2002, in Austin. I figure wherever I am in February I can just travel to Austin.

[Mbart]

SusieO, etc.

I am so impressed by all you people signing up for Marathons! Way to go!

Regarding my 4 mile loop, I have measured it, to death! I keep thinking I can prove it's longer if I just drive it one more time:) No such luck. I wish that were it!

[Jennett]

Ditto what Mbart said. You all are so inspiring !

I'm a relatively new runner, or maybe a reformed one? I've been running consistently for a couple months now, though I ran on and off in the past but wasn't particularly dedicated to it. All in all, last week was pretty good for me. Started out with some awful runs, which I then griped about on the BB:o , but then on Saturday I ran 10 miles for the first time ever.:D Was very psyched, though my right leg really cramped up at the end. I hadn't planned to run quite that far, so perhaps I didn't eat enough earlier in the day.

Now I know I need to start focusing on having a training program or schedule. I want to increase my speed, and distance, though I'm not sure whether it's better to one before the other. I need to peruse Runners World more thoroughly, I know.

Oh, and Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries was running through my head. I heard it on an NPR spot for the re-release of Apcolypse Now a while ago, and it keeps popping in my head.

[emilycat]

SusieO, I read that article and thought, I have to run that relay someday! It sounded so incredible! I actually love the idea of doing a relay, so maybe sometime....

Mbart -- adrendaline plays a huge part in how fast you run a race, and often a hard effort doesn't feel as fast as it is. So maybe you were running faster than usual; you just felt as if you were on normal pace. Good news -- you could probably run a much faster race time if you tolerated a bit of discomfort pushing yourself.
Don't fret about the numbers, though, too much -- you don't want it to detract from what you love about running. :)

[RobinC]

Thanks for all the encouragement! You guys are great! :D

My good friend (and running guru) is going to run in a Predict race coming up really soon. I think it is a 15 mile or so course and at the beginning of the race, you have to predict your time for the course. The winner is the one who comes in closest to their predicted time. No watches or other timing devices are allowed. I thought this sounded pretty cool.

Today is my designated run day. Last run day I was feeling pretty pushed in the beginning of the session with the 1 minute interval, but got to feeling pretty good when I got to intervals 7 - 9. I am looking forward to today's run. I feel pretty smug when it gets easier to complete the running interval. :D

[SusieO]

Originally posted by Jennett
Oh, and Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries was running through my head. I heard it on an NPR spot for the re-release of Apcolypse Now a while ago, and it keeps popping in my head.

Have you ever seen the Bugs Bunny version of The Ring? I saw it when I took a (listening) class on Wagner in college, and it is really funny. But if you've seen it, you can sing along: "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit"

[RobinC]

SusieO,

Your post got me thinking about a conversation a group of friends and I had a long time ago. One of the group commented, "I just realized that my introduction to classical music and my early classical music education came from wating Bugs Bunny Cartoons." :D

[aggie94]

Originally posted by RobinC
SusieO,

Your post got me thinking about a conversation a group of friends and I had a long time ago. One of the group commented, "I just realized that my introduction to classical music and my early classical music education came from wating Bugs Bunny Cartoons." :D

LOL! A week ago, DH & I went to a concert (classical symphony orchestra), and during one of the pieces, he leaned over to me and whispered, "I think I've heard this before." I said, "Really? Where?" (he hasn't had much exposure to classical music, so I was surprised). He said, dead seriously, "On a Bugs Bunny cartoon." :rolleyes:

[Jennett]

I know I'll always associate "The Blue Danube Waltz" with the duck cartoons!

[AndreaD]

I am just getting back into running, after delivering my son last January.

Songs in my head - Well, actually I am a songwriter, and I often songwrite in my head while running.

I just ordered a babyjogger yesterday and can't wait for it to arrive next week :)

Has anyone heard of "strollerfit" ? It's a class for parents with kids (although it seems that only mothers attend), with running, stretches, etc. with your baby in the stroller. I tried it last week, and plan on doing that twice a week, for while along with running 2-3 times a week.