Is WALK a 4-Letter Word??

I heard an interview with Jeff Galloway on my all-time favorite podcast ever The Marathon Show (the show in general is my favorite, not that specific interview).  He basically says you HAVE to take walk breaks. 

Really?

But, what if I want to train to (eventually) run a full marathon?  Isn't the point to push my body just a little farther than it wants to go each time so that (eventually) I will be running 26.2 miles, or more for that matter.  Everything I've read about ultras say walk breaks-early and often-are the name of the game for ultra running.  (Yes, I am already thinking about what comes after Rocket City....)   I can somewhat understand that...but, if I train doing a walk/run interval, won't that keep me stuck in that cycle forever?  I think it's just like if you never do any speed work you can't really hope to get any faster.  (((I have heard that doing hill repeats and simply increasing your mileage will have allow you to be able to run faster in shorter distances.)))

Well....all week my legs have felt just on the verge of injury.  Call me paranoid, but that's one thing I'm going to make sure I do everything I can to avoid-injury.   Add to that feeling the fact I ended up driving 19 out of 48 hours over the weekend, on less than 6 hours of sleep in the same amount of time....and you have me not wanting to do a long run Saturday.  Instead, I took a nap, ate a good dinner, and then went to bed really early.  Sunday morning I woke up ready to hit the road....but my legs were begging for mercy.

So, I decided I'd listen to Galloway and see what happened.  Before I even put on my shoes I finalized my route and my plan.  I previously mapped out a 10 mile out and back from my house (it's incredible to me that in just three short months I'm planning on running 2.5 times that distance!!).  I arbitrarily decided to do a 3 minute run/1 minute walk interval with a five minute walk for a warm up and cool down.  (I wanted that walk to warm up because, I'm not kidding when I say my legs were not ready to get cranked up and I knew walking would allow them to get with the program.)

When I stepped outside to GORGEOUS weather, my first inclination was to throw the plan out the window and just take off running.  But I reasoned with myself that at least a walk/run interval would allow me to slow down and fully enjoy the experience.  At the end of my first 3 minute run it was all I could do to walk.  Okay, at the end of EVERY run interval (until about the sixth or maybe seventh mile) I wanted to keep running.

A funny thing happened though.  I was just sure all that walking would severely slow me down.  In fact, I planned on having 13:00 miles.  But, I kept noticing my splits were well under that (even the first one where I walked a full five minutes was right at 13:00.)   I slowed down the last couple of miles...by that point, I was so ready to be home.  The beautiful weather had started feeling really hot.  (Note to self--start earlier next time.)  And, I had run out of water.  (I'm getting a bigger water bottle TONIGHT, compliments of Fleet Feet Huntsville because I'm mentoring NOBO--thank you very much to them!) 

When I got back and uploaded my Garmin data I was shocked at my split times, but even more shocked at my run interval pacing.   (I wish I knew how to import a table...)  Here are my times--the first number is the total time, the second is my best pace for that mile.

1. 13:03/10:29
2. 11:49/10:05
3. 12:03/10:05
4. 11:11/9:23
5. 11:14/9:14
6. 11:13/9:49
7. 12:05/9:44
8. 12:23/10:31
9. 12:38/9:56
10. 13:15/9:03 (remember I walked 5 minutes, or more of this last mile)

Average moving pace 12:06, best pace over all was 9:03 in mile 10.  But, compare that with last week's 8 miler:

1. 12:06/10:26
2. 12:31/10:18
3. 11:42/8:23
4. 11:56/9:59
5. 11:28/9:50
6. 11:16/8:10
7. 11:16/9:52
8. 11:06/5:10  (we sprinted in at the end)

Average moving pace of 11:37, best pace 5:10 in mile 8.

I think the biggest difference is something not captured by the Garmin.  My legs feel completely fine so far today.  (Well, not "completely" but they feel fine.)  I think the real test will be when I go out tonight to run with NOBO, and then tomorrow with Daisy.

I just don't know.  To walk or not to walk.  The thing is, like I've said before--opinions are like brains, everyone has one but some are just more useful than others!  I don't want to walk, but at the same time,  I want to run further without getting injured.  I keep hearing that I shouldn't be training to run a marathon since I just started in January, and battled an injury early on.  But, I've also been told if I plan on doing a run/walk interval from the start then I'll be perfectly fine.  The way I see it, I could either spend less time running and build up slowly, or increase my distance by incorporating strategic walk breaks...with the eventual goal of phasing them out completely.

What do you think?  Is WALK a four letter word or should I embrace the idea?

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!
:D

Running With Turtle

WOW.  What a great rulk this morning!!  I covered a total of 5.12 miles (not including my little warm up).  It was slow going, but it really felt great.  I went out with a new neighbor who's just started running.  I can remember how I felt those first few times going out....it's SO nice to be able to tell her, without any hesitation, "YOU CAN DO IT", and know that it is certainly true.  I remember people telling me that, and although I wanted to believe them, there was a part of me that felt like I would be the exception.  "Everyone else can train to run faster or further, but not me.  I won't "ever" be able to run without feeling like I'm going to die.  It will always be really hard."

Lies.  All lies.

Granted, I'm keeping my walk breaks in there for now, but I was "easily" able to run a full mile pain free...and most likely could have kept going for another "easy" couple of miles if I were with someone slow.  My new running partner just started and has been doing about a mile at about an 11:00 or 11:30 pace as best I can tell.  She said she is usually completely spent after a mile.  Today I tried to slow her down a bit (SO HARD TO DO in the beginning), and after a mile we did some walk/run intervals.  After just over two miles she stopped.  I ran alone for a mile and a half, and then did some long intervals--never once feeling like I was pushing myself past what I could easily do.  I am determined NOT to get hurt again!!

Interestingly enough, my calves haven't hurt at all.  My knees have grumbled just a little bit-not enough to make me feel the need to stop, but just enough for me to know they don't quite like it that I'm out there!  But, boy does it feel good.  For a while there, "good" runs were few and far between.  It seemed like every time I got out there I had to battle pain for at least a mile or so (sometimes longer)....and then I had to battle worse pain from 12-36 hours afterwards until I had gone the first mile of the next run.  I was to the point at the end that I forgot just how amazing it feels to have a good run...because even the runs that felt good were tainted with the dread of the pain that was certain to come later.  I've gone a whole week of training without pain!!!!!!  And, not the 30 minute waluns* I started out with, but decent rulks**.  I honestly think I could have "easily" jogged two-three miles today with no walk breaks at all.  I'm sorry, I know I'm gushing....but I'm just in shock over how great it was!!



What's in store the rest of the week:

Later today:  Extreme Abs class
Tuesday:  Power Yoga (I have to say, I'm just a tad nervous about this!)
Wednesday: Walk/Run with my neighbor-I have to think of a nick-name for her.  (We're going to do 2.25 miles of probably 3/2 intervals.) Then I'll do Group Ride (spinning class) and Extreme Abs.
Thursday:  Group Power (weights)
Friday: Walk/Run intervals with ....hmmm, what to call her...I've never been good at creating nick names...I think I'll call her Turtle--ONLY because she is a new runner (that's what they called new guys in the army), NOT because she is slow (like I said, very soon, she'll be running circles around me).  So...Walk/Run intervals with Turtle, and then I'll double what we do for a longer run and finish it off with Extreme Abs.
Saturday--I'll see how the week has gone... I might venture out for a run with Speedy and the others from my 10K group.  (I might need another week to get up to their level though--IF that's even possible at all...)

Yup...you can tell from my ambitious schedule, I'm feeling pretty cocky right now.  Time will tell.

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon.
:D

If you're new to my blog:
     *walun--more walk than run
     **rulk--more run than walk

Week 1/Day 1

WHAT I DID

First of all...I really DID NOT want to get out there today.  I had a very busy day, it was really cold out there, I had a lot to do/not enough time... ***cough...excuse...cough***... but I DID IT!!  

Five minute warm up (.3 miles)...then I "rulked" two miles.  I tried really hard to make it running four minutes/walking on minute...and I did...for the first interval.  From there on it was mostly one minute running and 30 seconds walking.  Then I stopped my time and walked home (probably another 5 minutes and .3 miles).

AND THEN....

I did something I thought I would NEVER, EVER do...I sat my fanny down in ice cold water for what felt like an eternity, but was most likely closer to ten minutes.  I felt really silly taking an ice cold bath  after only going just over 2.5 miles (not ice bath mind you, just ice-cold bath--I'm taking it one step at a time)....But, ice baths are supposed to be for recovering after "long runs", for fighting inflammation, and my calves are still giving me FITS.  They felt like they were on fire after my run today...so I thought I'd put those flames out.

WHAT I LEARNED

My husband was VERY disappointed...that he couldn't video the ice cold bath to post on FaceBook.  I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the police as loud as I was ...not... screaming.  It took every ounce of strength I had not to scream at the top of my lungs.  It wasn't even covering all of my legs, (just about 3/4ths up).   And...I think ice cold baths work!  The proof will be in the pudding tomorrow, so I'll let you know.

I keep being amazed that I can do more than I think I can.  I don't know when that won't surprise me anymore...but it wasn't today.  It was completely up in the air whether I'd do my run, whether I'd run more than walk, whether I'd finish...whether I'd actually sit down in that ICE COLD BATH!

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

STICK TO THE PLAN.

Unless it's called off because of ice/snow, my first group run is tomorrow-two and a half miles!!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D

20...I will NOT quit.

WHAT I DID

I used "the stick" for five minutes on each calf before I went out today....then I rulked 3.35 miles in 43 minutes (including my 10 minute warm up and a five minute cool down).  My average speed was 4.7 mph which is an increase.  The whole time I had to remind myself ...TELL myself... I am not a quitter.  I don't want to be a quitter.  I will not be a quitter.  (More about this in the bottom section.)

One section of my run was on a road that has a bunch of little cypress (maybe cedar) trees planted an equal distance apart.  I started running at the start and told myself to run to the end (maybe 1/5 a mile).  I immediately wanted to quit so I started counting the trees and kept telling myself "just one more" until I made it to the end.

At 31 minutes, I was at the end of my street.  I had just told myself I would not quit, but seeing my house I thought it would be perfectly acceptable for me to finish my rulk since I was originally only supposed to go 30 minutes under the plan I started with.  I felt like the biggest quitter.  My neighbors were all out working in their yards and I imagined them all saying to me, "You're a quitter!!"  Never mind they had no idea how far I'd been or how long I'd been out there...never mind they would NEVER say that to me...  So I pushed myself and kept going.  I am SO GLAD I DID.

WHAT I LEARNED

I love my new shoes!!  No shin splints today!  They are not like running on pillows which is what I would prefer, but they do what they were designed to do--give my fee the support they need.

I am lazy.  Yes, it's true and I admit it as much as I'd like to deny it.  (More about this in the next section.)

I need to drink more water.  My mouth felt like a ball of cotton about 15-20 minutes in.

I can CERTAINLY do more than I think I can. 

WHAT I AM GOING TO DO

I have said it before, but I haven't done it yet---I am going to go somewhere else to run.  I don't think it will make me not want to quit, but I THINK it will make it a little harder since my house won't be right there.  Another idea I has was to have my husband drive me out about 3-5 miles and drop me off.  I'd be forced to finish then!!

I was telling my husband about how I was feeling and he said he thought running had lost the appeal to me.  That's just not true.  I really love it.  I love the way it makes me feel.  I think about it all the time--even now just an hour after my internal debate, where I had to force myself not to quit, I wish I was still out there.  I long for the day when I can go out and run for hours.  But, the thing is, I'm LAZY.  This is something that's going to take work for me to do.  I can't just go out and do what I want to do.....it's going to REQUIRE perserverance--something I've been short on my whole life.  I can act like I can do anything I put my mind to...but the truth is when what I put my mind to gets hard, I decide to change what I've put my mind to doing!!  

I'm going to ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH A DECISION I'VE ALREADY MADE---to keep running...to keep training for the marathon...to keep remembering this is a goal I made for me....to keep seeing myself crossing the finish line... 

Most of all, I'm going to win the race against myself.  I can do it.  I will do it.

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!!

:D

16-From Saturday's Run

WHAT I DID

I was out of town all weekend so my schedule got a little off track.  My normal running days would have been Friday and Sunday...but instead I went Saturday and I'll go today and then again tomorrow.  I increased my running intervals from 15 minutes up to 30 minutes!!  I walked my usual 10 minute warmup, then trained to the HRM (staying between 165ish to 175ish), then walked to cool down for 5 minutes.  Since I was out of town I got to train on HILLS!!!  I am going to have to find some hills around here to train on because that adds a whole other level to intensity!  (Duh, I know.)  It's beautiful where my friend lives--out in the country with farm land and forrest all around.  It had snowed before we got there so, although the roads were clear, the ground was mostly white every where.  I felt like I could have stayed out there for hours...well, I wish I had felt like I could have stayed out there for hours.  That brings me to:

WHAT I LEARNED

 ((Warning: the following section is FULL of psychobabble...not meant for mere light reading!!  

Feel free to skip on down to the next section...it won't hurt my feelings one bit.))

The way I see it, there are four main components to me as a runner: my physical heart (not to be confused with the 2nd component...), my determination/drive/moxie, my body, and my mind.  

My heart is pretty strong, despite slight mitral valve prolapse/mitral regurgitation, and I can tell it's gotten stronger in the last month.  As far as moxie...I am determined to continue running...more than that, I enjoy it. I don't get out there because I have to.  I don't dread it.  I don't want to love it, I just DO!!  Those two parts are strong....but there's a problem with one or both of the other two...

I used to think my body just wasn't physically able to run.  My legs would hurt, my lungs would feel like they were going to explode, my heart would beat out of my chest...you get the picture (all those things your body does when it's out of shape).  After some considerable pride-swallowing, I made the decision I can run.  I say it took some humility because I had to admit running for any length of time, much less a whole marathon, is not something I can just go out and do, I have to build up and train.  

The "problem" is, almost every time I start my first interval, I think I have an ache or a pain somewhere.  It sometimes feels like I'm running in super slow motion and can't seem to speed up.  I can't describe it.  It's almost like my body is behaving completely contrary to what I want it to do!!  Intellectually, I know my body is stronger than I think it is.   To wit, I haven't been sore, I haven't felt fatigued, I haven't thrown up or collapsed after a run.  So I think the idea of not being able to make my body react the way I want it to must be all in my mind.  But my mind is the one that has decided to run, so why would my mind be causing problems???

As I was running Saturday, I spent the better part of my 45 minute "rulk" debating whether my mind or my body was the weakest link.  They were both pointing a proverbial finger like school children deflecting responsibility to the other one!  I think, because of all I said in the previous paragraph, I have decided my mind is the main saboteur keeping me from my best training.  Unfortunately I can't just tell it, "goodbye" like they do on the show...although my husband might say I did that long ago!!  

So, what I learned Saturday is that I have to continue to train by "my instruments" as my darling husband so aptly put it in his comments to a previous post.  My body is good, my heart is good, my determination is strong.  All of these components MUST overcome my mind.

What I think is funny is that if my mind were weak, I wouldn't be having this "discussion" in the first place!  The thoughts in my head really do have the power to override all the others....which is why it's so important to remember that running was a decision first made in my mind!!

((Hey, I warned you--complete psychobabble!!  My husband says, "Welcome to (his) world!"))

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

In an effort to bring my mind into submission to my drive, on top of the change I implimented Saturday (increasing my run interval time to 30 minutes), I've decided to run every day.  The only thing that might change that decision is if the running group I joined that starts up next week has a different plan.  In that case, I'll simply follow their plan.  

I'm completely aware that this whole thing might make no sense to anyone other than me...but I'm okay with that.  On the off chance anyone reading has any idea what I'm going through, I'd LOVE to hear your suggestions....even if you're reading this years after the fact because chances are I could still be dealing with this issue!!!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D

Ten

I've been reading another runner's training blog.  His profile name is "reachdown".  Interesting, because about a year and a half ago he started training for the Rocket City Marathon.  He says that he used to hate to run, but recently completed the Mountain Mist 50K.  Yes, 50K, that's 31 miles--on mountain trails, in January.  Obviously he doesn't hate running anymore!  That is something I can completely understand (the not hating running anymore, NOT the running a 50K race on mountain trails in January!).

I'm sure I'll say it too much, but I'm loving running.  I keep saying it because it still surprises me.  However, there are times I wonder if I'll really be able to do it....get up and run tomorrow, train all year, finish a 26+ mile race with a six hour time limit (that's an average of 4 miles per hour).

I read something on reachdown's blog the other day (pertaining to this state of questioning) that I really loved ... 

You don't decide daily to workout. The decision must already be made before the alarm chimes at dark:30 AM. You make the decision once and then just behave according to the decision you've made.

Last night, as I was getting ready for today's run, I was thinking I felt a little sore and the questioning internal dialogue started up again...and I remembered that quote.  So, this morning I didn't give it a second thought, I got up at dark:30 and went out even though weather.com said it was 35 ("feels like 27")...and had the best RULK (...my word for more run than walk--not including my warm up and cool down).  I ran 8.5 and walked 6.5 of that middle 15 minutes.  YEA ME!!!

Let me just tell you, it felt GREAT!!  My recovery times are getting shorter and shorter, and I'm able to run longer and longer....now, I'm saying all that knowing it won't sound like much to "real" runners...but I'm committed to staying on my turtle pace program so I can "go the distance".

My average speed stayed the same (4.4), which I don't quite understand...if I'm running more with shorter recovery times, shouldn't my average speed increase (thereby increasing my distance)?  I'm going to have to do some hard data analysis to figure out what's going on there...but, for now, I'm just THRILLED to have made the progress that I have.

I'm behaving in accordance to the decision I've already made with my running...just like I've done in my marriage.  THAT story is a topic for my 100 Words blog, for another day.

Thanks for stopping by, come back soon!
:D