Catching up, and a new record

I've been pretty silent on here for a few weeks, but rest assured that we haven't given up. I got a bit bogged down by the blogging process.

Here's what you've missed, in the meantime:

• Wednesday, July 18 run - a 30 minute run that got cut short due to hip pain; kept up a decent pace though.
• Vacation in Miami - in which we endeavored to run, but failed (Saturday July 21, Monday July 23, and post-vacation recovery on Wednesday July 25)
• Saturday, July 28 run - 8 mile target, just under 6.5 run (making this the new longest run ever). Run/walk of 10min/3min was adjusted to 8min/5min to deal with hip pain, headache, and tummy ache. Ended up stopping 5 minutes earlier than planned because I completely depleted my glycogen stores and just couldn't run any farther. It was a surreal experience which taught me that: 
• a) I need to have a plan for fueling on runs longer than 1 hour
• b) I am infinitely tougher than I used to be; seriously, this was the most out-of-body miserable experience I have ever put myself through
• c) My husband makes an incredible long-distance runner; he isn't affected by this stuff at all
• d) Old Jacksonville Hwy inside the loop has great sidewalks
• e) It's time to buy that CamelBak
• f) I still hate the heat, and probably always will, but it doesn't have to keep me from running
• Tuesday, July 31 run - a 30 minute run fraught with whining and puttering and grunting. I learned that:
• a) Some runs are just really hard for no reason.
• b) My attitude problems aren't gone, but they are getting better (and Matt allows me enough grace to make up for it)
• c) I need to be mindful of my tendency to fall into a slow-pace rut
• d) Accordingly, it's time to kick it up a notch
• e) I still let my emotional environment dictate my physical output
• f) Sometimes my feelings are wrong.

With the Saturday run, we wrapped up what I consider another week towards our bribe-thermometer (lost a week while in Miami).

It's been really tough here lately. I know lots of people experience seasons of discouragement in their training, so I'm not alone. I've been struggling physically and mentally for the last few runs. What have you done to get through periods like this?

East Texas Striders' Half-Marathon Clinic

This past Saturday, I met with the local runner's club for an awesome half-marathon training clinic in the parking lot of Racquet and Jog. I am now a member of the East Texas Striders! More on that later...

THE CLINIC

By the time we got rolling at 7:30 a.m., it was about 80F (it was approaching 90F by the time we started running). We had a nice little canopy set up which helped a bit.

The first speaker was Dr. Cathy Fieisler (M.D.), a sports medicine physician and local ultra-marathoner. In addition to running her practice and serving as a senior writer for Running Times magazine, she's helped out with some major athletic events including (most recently) the Olympic trials in Houston. Dr. Fieisler had a great attitude and lots of helpful advice about injury prevention. It was really neat to hear from someone who had personal experience as a runner.

The biggest take away for me (aside from the usual advice about building your base and increasing your mileage very gradually) was her emphasis on single-leg strengthening exercises. She made the argument that when we run we never have both legs on the ground... so why do so many of us stick to exercises that work both legs (like squats)? She showed us some great stretches and talked about ways to incorporate single leg workouts in our daily routine.

The next guest speaker was Dr. David Flynn (D.C.), a local chiropractor and athlete who serves as a medical adviser for various marathons and triathlons across Texas. He shared some great advice  on the topic of running nutrition.

Some of the things I remember off the top of my head: sodium/potassium deficiencies are usually the cause of cramps during a workout, while calcium/magnesium deficiencies tend to be the root of cramps when you're at rest. Runners are more prone to upper respiratory infections because the act of running, especially over long distances, suppresses our lung's immune response so that we can breath better (and you can work around this problem by consuming foods rich in zinc, vitamins A, C, D, and selenium). Finally, for the best glutamine absorption, try mixing the supplement in some orange juice for an immediate post-run drink.

The last speaker was another runner (the assistant manager at Racquet and Jog) who stepped in as the resident shoe expert. He gave us a basic guide to the shoes sold at Racquet and Jog, along with a succinct discussion of what makes a good running shoe and how to pick the best shoe for your foot/goal. He talked about some of the dangers of minimalist shoes, what kind of lifetime you can expect from your shoes, and how he makes decisions about his own. We got a coupon for 10% off our next shoe purchase at R&J, which is pretty cool because (frankly) they're too expensive to be my first choice.

(Read about our post-clinic run)

Goal achieved!

Earlier in the week, I set a "secret" goal to break 40min at the Komen Tyler 5k today... And I did! Well, really I crossed the line right at 39:59. I was flagging a bit at the end, but when I saw the clock (at 39:55) I knew I had to kick it into high gear. My only regret is that I didn't see the clock sooner, because I had a lot of life left in me.

Overall, I am beyond thrilled. The weather was perfect (for me, anyway... My husband hated it!) It was about 64, overcast and humid. I was somewhat concerned about the slickness of the brick streets along the course, but we kept our footing the whole way through. I saw a handful of folks I knew, mostly younger. Some ladies from our church took a picture of my husband and I, so I'll add that to this post when I get it via email.

We ended up exceeding the plan a bit, which resulted in a good first half but a lagging second. Here's the breakdown:

• Ran 10 min (hit mile marker at about 9min50, awesome!)
• Walked 3 min ran 12 (hit mile 2 at about 9min30, so we ran/walked it in about 12min30)
• Walked 3
• Ran 5
• Walked 1 (started flagging after the last of a bunch of hily sections)
• Ran to finish

Total time: 40min

So, in addition to meeting my secret goal I also learned that I am definitely capable of running under 10min mile. Next week, we scale it back a bit to keep me from overextending myself and ruining this whole experiment. In the meantime, here's a picture of our post-race noms (not counting the honey-granola frozen yogurt we snagged at a vendor booth near the finish!)

                               

UPDATE: PICTURES FROM THE RACE

(Left: Me in the red pants, with two ladies from my church. Right: My husband and I, after the race. He's so cute.)