Monday, July 28, 2008

Botched long run attempt/yoga fun/yay for sub 10 min miles

Last Wednesday I was determined to FINALLY get a long run in. I headed to the Greenway with what seemed like an excessive arsenal of "must haves" for my run: ipod, chewable Rolaids, gum, chapstick, sport beans, water and keys. Since I only had 1 small pocket, I was forced to carry my water and keys. I fit my sport beans in a tiny pocket on the inner lining of my shorts. I applied the chap stick, chewed the gum and popped the Rolaid as a preemptive strike against my nasty foe, Mr Acid Reflux, who enjoys visiting during runs. For some reason I had it in my head that the trail was 7 miles with an additional mile trail that connects to it. I was planning on doing the 7, then running 1/2 the other mile, turning around, running back and voila! I'd be done with the 8 miles and have a new distance PR under my belt. The first half went relatively quickly and I was suspicious when I looked down and noticed that I'd gone what I thought was 3.5 miles in just over 20 minutes. Although I knew there was no way in hell I'd managed to shave a few minutes per mile off my pace, I forged on, secretly hoping my watch was broken because I'd much rather buy another watch than realize I'd gone significantly less than the intended 8 miles. I'd stopped at the half to go to the bathroom and study the map, and then a few other times (VERY short stops, in my defense) to 1. readjust headphones that were falling out of my ears 2. rest for a minute or two and 3. eat my beans. I felt like I had to choke them down and they didn't seem to give me a boost like I'd imagined. :( I was concerned when I reached the starting point and noticed that instead of indicating 3.5 miles, the marker noted 2.75! What the &%$#?! I thought, "I swear it HAS to have been farther than that!" On the way out, the trail ended at 4.5 miles. So how the hell am I only at 2.75 right now?! The other "mile" of the trail lacked markers and I felt like I was about to puke so I turned around after a few minutes and came back. I ended up walking for a bit and considered the fact that I always look at people who run during the noon - 2pm hours and wonder why the hell they are running during the hottest part of the day. I don't know whether to respect them or put them in a straitjacket. Just kidding, of course I respect them...even if I do think it's a bit crazy to run in such heat. Except here I was, at 1:30 in the afternoon, attempting my longest run to date. Oy! When I finished I was happy to be done but exhausted and very thirsty. My water was out and unfortunately, the water coming out of the nearby water fountain was HOT. I spat out the mouthful I'd slurped and got in my car. I didn't even have the energy to stretch. Bad girl, I know. I really thought I did somewhere between 7 and 8 miles (despite the screwy mile markers), but my time was only 1 hour 9 minutes. In my gut I knew that there was no way I'd gone 7-8 miles. The timing was too far off. A few days later I went back to the trail and noticed that what I thought was 3.5 miles was only 3, and that more than likely I only did about 6.5 miles. Boo! I was pretty pissed and considered vowing to never run that p.o.s. trail ever again. I need to figure out where the other "mile" starts and stops so that I can accurately run the 8 miles IF I choose to do so on that trail. It's either that or try to do the 8 on the treadmill, which I'm not psyched about.

Friday I did a lousy 2 miles in 19:24 and felt my shins starting to hurt, so I figured I'd stop and give it a rest. I have been all about the Namaste Yoga programs that come on Fit TV. I have my dvr set to record all of them and I am enjoying varying the workouts. I have not been able to memorize the actual names of the poses so for this story I will simply describe what I was doing. It's funny the way timing works. I was just starting to feel like my flexibility was genuinely improving and was mentally patting myself on the back when I got a reality check. I'd been in a kneeling pose, with my butt on my calves with hands clasped behind my body. Then I was supposed to lean forward slowly and gently touch my forehead to the floor. When I was about half way down, I lost control and rocked forward, with my entire face plummeting into the carpet. Talk about a nosedive. I had to laugh because I must've looked like a prize idiot. Thank God I was in the privacy of my living room! I look foward to the day when I have the yogic mastery not to grind my face into the carpet. I hope that day comes soon. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, I did 4 miles today in 38:47, which pleased me. I'm happy to still be on track with the sub-10 min miles. Surprisingly, that pace now feels good and comfortable - at least on the treadmill - I'm still worried about pacing myself on asphalt. I'm thinking about going to a group run tomorrow night that is typically "somewhere between 3 and 7 miles". I'm very nervous but figure I HAVE to take a shot. I don't know how else to meet runners up here and have realized that I'm not sure how much farther I can go on my own with this training. I enjoy my solitude but I think I could/would/will benefit tremendously from having at least a partner to run with. Wish me luck!

5 comments:

EmLit said...

Congrats on the sub-10 minute miles! That is a great achievement :) And don't worry, we all have those moments in yoga. Everyone falls on their face (literally) at least once. I have had the pleasure of doing it in a room full of people. I just try to remind myself that yoga teaches humility!

I hope the group run goes well!!

Megan Hall said...

Hey Jen - Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll look forward to hearing about your goal-accomplishments this year!

Rachel said...

Hey Jen!

Great job on the faster runs!! You are seeing some great improvements lately! Hope your run with the group goes well...I really need to do the same someday.

Aron said...

great job on the runs!!! i think a group run is a GREAT idea... its amazing how motivating it is to be out there with other runners. you learn so much and meet people with similar goals! hope it went well!

Steve Stenzel said...

My wife gets visited by that nasty Mr Acid Reflux too...

Nice second run! Way to go!!

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."

~Henry Ford