WendyBird

Onward and Upward: New Running Year

2012-01-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

       I have written my opening blog for the year about 4 times and just filed it because I can’t seem to decide what I want to say. I was hoping by now to have run my birthday Cooper’s Test so I could report on that, but I’m sick with a wicked head cold so until I can breathe, I’ll put off a fitness test. In the meantime, I’m reflecting on my past running and looking forward to my future goals.

       I wish I could go back and talk to Beginning Runner Me. I would tell her first off to keep better records! I wish I knew what I was running at the start. I have vague memories of 2 mile run/walks, but have no idea what my time was, or heart rate, or feelings. I’ve logged so many miles now that runs I was sure I would never forget have faded into blurred memories. I started running in 2007, missed a lot of 2008 to surgery, and finally started keeping records in 2009. I know I didn’t run a lot those first couple of years, but being able to look back and see how we have grown is one of the greatest motivators so I wish I still had a window to those first months.

       With the records I have, I can see that in the last 3 years I have logged over 2,250 miles, about half of which have been barefoot. The miles show in my races, where times have gotten shorter, the efforts lighter, and the recoveries much easier! There is no doubt in my mind that I have increased in health, strength, and endurance, but I also know that I have great room for improvement.

       I have lots of great running plans for my future! Of course, I have the Great Wall of China Marathon in May, and will probably run a half marathon in March as part of my training plan. For the fall I want to work on my shorter distances and strength training. I need to keep an eye out for chip timed 5Ks (which are in short supply in Korea) and continue with my newest tangent, which is CrossFit. I have goals there too! I want to be able to handle the weights prescribed for women without having to scale down and I’d love to do even one hand-stand push up and a good pull up. I’ll even put out there that I want to lose 10-12 lbs before the GWC marathon just so I won’t have so much weight to haul up all those stairs, but weight lifting and marathon training do not lend themselves to significant weight loss so that isn’t a primary goal for now.

       So here I am, poised at the start of my 6th year running (WOW, that just hit me!) looking forward to another great year! Marathon training Starts Monday, Jan 16th

Onward and Upward!

Chuncheon Marathon and a New Marathon Maniac

2011-10-26T08:41:00.000-04:00

WOW, where do I begin! We spent the night in the city of Chuncheon so I wouldn’t have any problems getting to the race start in the morning and my parents and daughter could sleep in. This meant a chance to drive the marathon route before race day. I’m so glad we did because I got a much better look at the scenery when I wasn’t focused on running.

When we ran through the tunnel, all the runners yelled.
When we got to the other side, we could hear all the yelling from the tunnel!

This view would be solid runners for miles less than 24 hours later! With the race being run around a long lake, created by damning the river, we had many points where we could see runners for many miles. There was no point in which the crowd thinned out! It was solid runners as far as I could see ahead and behind!

I got up early and puttered around while breakfast settled and my coffee sunk in. I had planned to have a bigger breakfast, but I was still somewhat full from my big bowl of Bibimbap the night before, a lovely Korean dish with rice, veggies, an egg, and hot sauce all baked in an earthenware bowl and then stirred up, YUM!

When I asked the desk clerk to call me a cab, he indicated that I should just walk. Umm, no thanks, I’d rather not take a 30 minute walk before a 5 hour run, let alone get lost on the way! The cab driver got me within a block of the start area and refused to enter the fray of marathon traffic so I still had about a 10 minute walk to find the my club tent (guess I should have walked afterall). Turned out, the club never found the tent and settled near the changing rooms. The only poor soul at the tent site was a guy that had traveled up on his own like me. Unlike me, he had registered for the race through the club and they had his bib and chip! (I believe he did finally track down his bib.)

With a field of 20,000 runners, Chuncheon is huge! There were 9 corals that started in 3 minute increments, beginning about 10 minutes after the elites started. The race has a 6 hour cut off, which is generous by Korean standards, but pretty much eliminates the mostly-walking crowd that usually brings up the rear in US marathons. There were also pace groups in each corral that overlapped the pace groups of other corrals. In other words, when I was running with the 4:00 pace group I was really excited until I realized they were from 3 corrals behind me, which meant I started at least 9 minutes before them and we were only a few miles into the race.

The course was hilly, but the hills were not steep. Unfortunately, steep or not, it seemed like every mile of the course was either uphill or downhill. I was doing great for the first half, my splits were:

5K 33:04,

10K (29:41) 1:02:45,

15K (29:06) 1:31:51,

20K (32:02) 2:03:53

Half 2:13:31

Despite taking a bathroom stop and eating a traditional Korean race treat, the ubiquitous Moon Pie, I was still doing well by 25K, (34:01) 2:37:54, this is about when my calves decided they had had enough of the hills. Following a stop at the aid station for something like Ben-Gay to be rubbed all over my legs, one look at my calves told me I was toast. They were swollen up and hard as rocks. From 25K-30K I managed just under 39 minutes (30K 3:16:58), and 30K-35K was about a minute longer, but by then walking wasn’t reliving my cramping calves and my 35K-40K split was a painful 44:29 (40K 4:40:34). By this time I was mentally shot. I thought there was no way I was going to PR, but I could crawl and still finish the marathon so I resisted the urge to sit on the curb and cry. I tipped the bill of my cap down and stared and the asphalt in front of me while I ground out the last 2 kilometers in just a touch over 17 minutes.

joined by my daughter after crossing the finish line

Even though I was hurting and discouraged, I did manage to perk up and run across the finish line, stopping to hug my mom and daughter before running over the timing mats.

I missed a PR again, by 3 minutes and 31 seconds, but I met my goals for my double header. Even though the wheels fell off I managed my nutrition and didn’t run out of glycogen, I finished a full marathon in bare feet (the first of the two marathons), and qualified for Marathon Maniacs (#4381). So I’m happy with my results.

After the race, we walked over to where the Seoul Flyers were supposed to be (again, never found them) and after hunting around for a while I finally gave up and decided to put my feet up for a few minutes against a statue. A nearby running club handed me a bottle of Makoli (Korean rice beer, very yummy) and I put my feet on the small pedestal. I was afraid to actually put my feet on the statue since I didn’t know who it was and didn’t want to offend anyone. Then something very Korean happened. They are wonderfully helpful people, but can be a bit abrupt and personal. A total stranger walked up and told me I needed my feet higher. I guess I didn’t react fast enough because he picked my feet up and moved them up so my legs were straight. Then he told me to take my shoes and socks off. I guess I didn’t react fast enough to that either because he then proceeded to remove my shoes and socks! Frankly, I was too worn out to care so I just let him do it. My parents assumed he was someone I knew, “Nope, never seen him before in my life!” With my feet properly airing, he moved on and I rested for about 10 minutes before putting my shoes and socks back on (a complicated and painful process I would rather have avoided by keeping them on in the first place,) and we headed back to the hotel to pack up the last of our things and for me to get a shower so my family could stand to be in the car with me.

AFTERMATH: Following a shower, I donned my knee high Injinji compression socks and draped my legs across my daughter’s lap for the drive home. Once I got home, I switched to thigh high compression socks to sleep (yea I know, really sexy, LOL). I don’t know if it was training or the compression stockings that get the credit, but I was not in pain the following morning. My legs were no more sore than the day after an aggressive workout with weights. I could walk down stairs fine, get up from chairs, and put my socks on all by myself! I can’t tell you how shocked I was not to have sore calves. After my first marathon I could hardly walk down stairs for days. My secondary goals were to PR, and to not be in pain for days. I may have missed the PR, but being able to go about my business the day after without hanging on the rails to go down stairs or taking 10 minutes to get up from a chair is a pretty big success in my book, and important for someone with RA.

COMPARISON: In both races I felt like I managed my nutrition and hydration well and I had a couple of gels still in reserve at the end. I believe it was running slow that just about ruined me in Seoul. It changed my gait and stressed my hip flexors. For Chuncheon I walked more, but when I ran I ran faster, but at a more comfortable pace. Unfortunately, I was flat out unprepared for the hills and paid dearly for my lack of hill training. Bowing to the piriformis problems I have been having, hill work seemed risky and my higher priority was to run barefoot. I stuck to a flat training route and didn’t develop the muscles I needed to deal with hills. (Note to self, if the race elevation map looks like a sine wave, TRAIN ON HILLS!!)

RA Update: The RA is fine, no flare from the stress of the race or the 5 hour drive. No stiff hands or hurting joints or any residual problems. Although I hurt plenty during and the rest of the day after the race, it was all very short lived.

For the next couple of weeks I’ll take it easy and enjoy my family visiting, then hit the gym with a vengeance! I plan to do a lot of stair and weight work over the next couple of months in preparation for my next round of marathon training. I still have the Great Wall of China on the docket and am crossing my fingers that nothing gets in the way. My piriformis is responding very well to bi-monthly deep tissue massages so I hold hope that it will be healed in time to use steep trails to prepare for China. I have to admit, by mile 20 of Chuncheon, the half marathon in China was sounding pretty good, but now that the post marathon amnesia is setting in, I’m ready to register for my next adventure in 26.2 miles.

Korean Royal Palanquin

Hi-Seoul Marathon 2011

2011-10-11T06:04:00.000-04:00

       The weather was looking wonderful for my second ever marathon, first ever fully barefoot marathon, YAY! Low’s in the 50’s at the start and a predicted high in the low 70’s. I was up at 4am and out the door to catch the subway into Seoul by 5am. It was a long trip, first drive to base, then catch a cab to the train, then an hour and a half on the train to Seoul City Hall, thankfully there were no train changes!

       Arriving at the start, I decided it was warm enough that I didn’t need pants or socks/flip-flops to keep me warm until the gun went off so I stuffed them in my bag and headed to the bag check. I’ve read many times that Koreans can be very aggressive, but my interactions with them have always been delightfully pleasant with people standing in orderly lines to wait their turn, etc. I can’t say the same for bag check, it was like a piranha feeding frenzy! We are given plastic draw string bags and sent to stand in line for stickers so your bag has a number and you have a matching number to stick on your bib. All was fine until we got close to the start and they had run out of stickers. People were getting antsy and when some poor guy was sent out with a handful of stickers he was mobbed like something from an Argentinian Soccer game! In my attempt to get my hands on a sticker I was stepped all over (not the best time to be barefoot), shoved into a planter hard enough to leave bruises on my shins and almost had the stickers ripped out of my hands by other runners. I finally managed to get the stickers in the right places and realized I was never going to get near the truck to place my bag because of the angry mob trying to get stickers. About that time a bag went sailing over my head and into the truck so I thought, what the heck, and hurled mine over about 20 people with my fingers crossed that I would see it again at the end of the race.

       It was actually a very small marathon by Korean standards. There couldn’t have been more than a few hundred people for the full and probably less than 1,000 for the full, half, 10K and 5K combined. While waiting for the start I chatted with a few runners, including an Ironman wearing a shirt from the Gobi Desert Marathon, WOW!!! The news station covering the races came up to take shots of my feet. They panned from my face, to my bib, to my bare feet, asked me to move them up and down like I was running, and then wanted to see the bottoms, LOL.

       Finally they fired off the fireworks to signal the start and we all shuffled under the arch. Since it was a small marathon, staying at the back and not passing people didn’t give me as slow of a start as I had planned so I still ended up taking off too fast. There were no spectators or trash cans along the course so when I was finally ready to ditch my jacket, I handed it off to a very confused police man.

       My plan for gels was one every 30 minutes or so including one just before the start, for a total of 10 over the course of the marathon, but I only managed to gag down 8. It worked though, I never hit the wall as far as exhaustion or lack of glycogen. Mentally though I was feeling pretty over the whole thing by mile 20 and my hip flexors were bothering me from 15 on. I don’t know what I did wrong, but by the time I hit 20 I was in way worse shape than I was when I ran 19 or 20 for long runs and I was running slower. I suspect running slow and walking actually added to the impact and hurt me more than it helped.

       Over the 5 hours I was on the course, I talked to many people, American and Korean, and other than the debacle at the bag check I had a great time. Once the miles were into the teens I put in an ear bud and lost myself in my audio book and eventually switched over to music. At 20 miles I was feeling discouraged because I felt more tired and sore than I should have at that point. At 23 miles I was beginning to perk back up despite being about .4 over the markers for distance. That meant a 26.6 mile marathon and I was barely hanging onto my pace. By 25 I was digging deep and we were running down a freeway that was in total gridlock. Seriously, they ran us up an onramp and onto a freeway for the last mile!!! It was even packed with rush hour traffic so we were choking on exhaust fumes.

My Cheering crew, the Osan Bulgogi Hash House Harriers!

As we exited the freeway and approached the entrance to the park where the race was to finish I began to hear cheers and whistles that meant one thing, the Hash House Harriers were waiting for me with beer!!! I’m not really a big beer drinker, but it is the best thing in the world at the end of a very long run when the thought of something sweet makes you gag and your mouth is stuck shut from breathing hard for 5 hours. They were about 100 yards before the finish line and it was close to the 5 hour cut off so I hugged a few people, downed my Dixie cup of beer and did my best to sprint for the finish line.

My official chip time was 4:58:09, which wasn’t what I was hoping for, BUT I successfully finished before the course closed, ran the entire thing in bare feet, and as of today (Tuesday here in Korea) I am only the tiniest bit sore. So other than not setting a PR, I met the rest of my goals and will be ready to do it all again on Oct. 23rd!

Not sure why they were rearranging the mats at that moment

Epilogue: Following a marathon, the brain of a runner is not particularly sharp and decision making skills are not at their peak. Since my HHH friends were so wonderful to meet me at the finish, I decided to tag along with them to watch the start of the Hash event for the afternoon. Before I knew exactly what was going on, I was entered in a running event called The Beer Mile. Still wearing my race bib and medal, I proceeded to run one last mile on a ¼ mile track that included chugging a beer at the start of each lap. I finished the mile in 4th place (thanks to a friend that let me pass her,) and then threw up all the beer (THANK GOODNESS!) Taking tired to a whole new level, I finally managed to convince a few people that it was time to go so I could follow them back to Osan (I had no idea where I was in Seoul for the hash event.)

Marathon training week 15

2011-09-29T23:21:00.000-04:00

       Late blogging again! What can I say, marathon training is very time consuming and some things just get put on the back burner for a while.

       So to catch everyone up, I just finished my miles for week 15. Since I modified my Hal Higdon Novice 2 plan, this means I ran 12 miles today and will have my “training” marathon next weekend, EEEPP!

       Everything is going great so far. There is something almost magical about the 20 mile run and last Friday was no exception. Once you get to that peak mileage run you have reached the top of the mountain. You have put on all the miles. You are ready for the big day! Granted, there are still quite a few miles left, and of course the big 26.2 ahead of you, but really, that is the frosting. Once you have hit your longest training run you have summited. I’ve had friends that ended up sick or injured at this point, didn’t run again until race day, and still managed a PR. I don’t recommend this route, but my point is that once you have mastered your long runs, you are there.

       Tossing in an extra marathon does complicate this somewhat. I am significantly shortening my taper, but although I am adding to my training, I am also not planning to run either marathon full out. Clare asked me what my goal pace was because it looks like I’m shooting for a 4 hour marathon. Yes, that is how my plan is set up, but that isn’t how I plan to run. The Chuncheon marathon is hilly, I’m not sure how hilly so I don’t know how much it will slow me down, and I don’t know how the first marathon will impact the second. So at the moment, although my training pace runs would give me a sub-4 marathon, I am actually shooting for more like a 4:30, but if it takes longer, that is okay too.

       So what really are my goals? 1) To finish a barefoot marathon. I will likely wear shoes for the second one since it will be colder and I want to spend more time looking at the view than worrying about every little piece of gravel on the road, but the race next weekend is my Barefoot attempt. 2) I want to qualify for Marathon Maniacs. Marathons are cheap and often here in Korea so I likely won’t have another chance to run 2 in 2 weeks without spending a bundle once we go back to the US. 3) to PR two more times. This shouldn’t be a problem since my goal pace of 11 minutes per mile for next week is a full minute per mile slower than I ran my 20 miler last week. This pace would give me a PR of several minutes and I know I can do better yet on the 23rd.

       Could I push it and run a sub-4 hour marathon? Maybe, I would certainly like to think I could. I’ve trained for it and according to all the information I should be prepared, BUT it would hurt and I would hurt for days after, I would significantly increase my risk of injury, and it wouldn’t be as much fun. I can meet my first 3 goals without pushing myself to the point of pain, so why kill myself when I have the rest of my life to run a sub-4. I do hope to do that in the next few years, but until 2013, it wouldn’t do anything more than give me bragging rights. Once I open that 2013 calendar, then I only need a 3:55 to qualify for Boston, and THAT is worth the pain!

Next post should be a marathon race report!!!

Marathon training week 13

2011-09-12T23:25:00.000-04:00

         As I tumble into week 13 of marathon training, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I still have my longest runs ahead of me, but my hardest pace runs are behind me and they went really well. My second 8 mile pace run was so successful that I made up the time from the warm up mile and finished with 9 mpm average for all 9 miles. Lots of splits in the 8:30 to 8:40 range. Today was 5 miles at pace and I even managed a 4:05 half mile split in the last mile! This Friday will be my 19 mile run, but it doesn’t scare me now since I’ve run 18 and what is a mile or two more, right?

      It was a long emotional weekend and my RA is flared up (too many chocolate chip cookies probably played a large part.) A good 12 hour sleep helped, but the joints in my feet are swollen making it feel like I’m walking on marbles again. I was really worried about how it would affect my pace run today, but once I got out there and got moving the pain subsided. I’m tired now and my feet hurt again, but I don’t mind. Tomorrow will be an easy 5 miles with the dog and then a rest day and by then things will feel much better. My calf has not given me any further problems and my piriformis has stayed no more than background noise. My doc wants to do an MRI on it just to be sure there isn’t a pinched nerve or something since the pain has been going on for so long, but I doubt he will find anything.

      I admit I’m feeling a touch burnt out on running at the moment, but I know that is more because of other circumstances in my life than the miles I’m logging. Once I’m on the road, I always wonder why I was so resistant to getting out there in the first place. Once I am done with the run, I’m very glad I didn’t let the nagging voices in my head stop me. I’ve logged well over 300 miles since I started training and have almost 200 left to go; this is low mileage training as marathons go. I’m already thinking ahead to training for next year. What I need to do differently, what is working now. I've already learned a lot this training cycle and the biggest lessons are yet to come! I've read that to really know what you are doing in a marathon, you need to train and run 4 times. I believe it!

Interview with Run Barefoot Girl

2011-09-06T03:17:00.000-04:00

http://runbarefootgirl.com/2011/08/rbg-podcast-episode-13/

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Caity of Run Barefoot Girl podcast. It was a ton of fun and we ended up on Skype for nearly an hour after the interview ended just chatting about running and life. Caity wants to promote women and barfoot running since it seems to be a male dominated movement. I think she is doing a great job and I really enjoyed our interview. I hope you will too.

Marathon training weeks 9, 10, & 11

2011-09-02T05:39:00.000-04:00

Wow, time is flying by! Over two weeks since my last blog and so much to talk about!

       For starters, I pulled my calf last week. I’m not sure if it was the hills I added to my long run, my pace run, or something I did running the crazy obstacle course we call a Hash House Harrier run, but somewhere along the line my lower calf became very painful. The location was about 4 inches above my heel to the outer side of my Achilles, so the lower part of my Soleus.

       My 8 miles pace run on Tuesday the 23rd went fantastic, largely thanks to a cool front that brought the temperature down to the low 60’s. After a nice easy mile warm up, I managed my 9 minute per mile pace and even included a couple of walking breaks so most of my splits were in the 8:30 to 8:45 range. It was a really great run, but the next day my calf was in serious pain. This is NOT what you want to feel during training for a major race! I went ahead and ran my 4 miles the next day, talking it very slow with lots of walking breaks and really paying close attention to my form and what made my calf feel better or worse. I was able to establish that pushing off from the ball of my foot was the main culprit so I concentrated on picking my feet straight up and using my glutes and hams for my forward motion. I made it through the run with no additional pain to my Soleus and focused on ice and rest for the next 48 hours.

       By Friday morning my leg was still quite tender, but doing better. I decided to go ahead and start my planned 17 mile run, but I was prepared to throw in the towel if the pain got worse. In the first few miles there were definitely times I didn’t think I would finish my run, but as I adjusted my form I was able to make the pain go away and stay away. By the end of the first 6 mile loop, my calf was tender, but not painful and I managed to finish my run. Although I had plenty of half mile splits that were on target for a 10 mpm pace, I took walking breaks and did not stop the clock for water/bathroom breaks so my average pace was 10:48 for the run in general. Not great, but considering the heat and pulled calf, not too shabby either.

       For week 11 I decided to concentrate on letting my calf heal without giving up too much mileage. I rested Saturday by not going on trail with the Harriers and just walking a couple of miles. I totally rested Sunday, and skipped my run on Monday. By then my calf was MUCH better but I figured I would benefit more from resting than running 5 miles. Tuesday It felt great so I went on my 8 miler. I decided to take it very slow, plenty of walk breaks, and do some trail scouting so I was up and down hills, through the woods, and around town. It made for an incredibly slow average, but my calf was no worse so I considered it a success.

       I decided that running every other day would be the most conducive to my calf healing so I skipped my 5 easy miles run Wednesday and ran my 18 mile long run Thursday. I was really glad I did! The 18 miles went great. No problems with my calf and only a tiny bit sore now (Friday here in Korea). I managed to finish all 18 miles in 3 hours flat, despite the first two miles being very slow as I ran through town to get to the base (Hubby had the car). The temps were from the low 60’s to low 70’s over the course of 3 hours, but there was a wonderful thick fog that kept the sun off me, which is the number one thing that zapps my speed. My last half mile split was 9:01! It felt so great to meet my long run goals and at the end I could have kept going. I am really hopeful for my upcoming marathons and feel much better now that my calf is on the mend.

       The hardest weeks are past me now. Last week was the most intense, if not the highest mileage, because of the 8 mile pace run and 17 mile long run. This week did not have a pace run to go with the 18 mile long run and next week has my last 8 mile pace run, but the long run is a fall back to 12 miles. After that the pace runs come way down and I only have 2 more miles to add to long training runs. The “training” marathon will be longer, of course, but the atmosphere will be very different and I plan to take it much slower than usual, shooting for 11 mpm pace for the first 20 and then see how I feel at that point.

       I am resting today and running hard and fast tomorrow. I will be marking the trail for the Harriers which means extra running (to mark detractors and false trails, it is like a scavenger hunt) and to keep from getting “snared” by the runners behind me. I’ll have another rest day Sunday, and then be back on track for full marathon training starting Monday with week 12.

       RA update: I got a steroid injection in my wrist so it is %100 better! All else is behaving.

       Barefoot update: Feet are holding up fine. I wore VFFs for the first two miles of my 18 yesterday because I had to run from home to the base, but 2 more miles would not have been a problem. I’m feeling much more confident about putting 26.2 on my bare feet!

Marathon training weeks 7 & 8

2011-08-17T06:13:00.000-04:00

       I had a crazy week this past week, which is my sorry excuse for missing a blog.

       Last week I hit some new levels. It was my longest barefoot road run, and also my longest run in intense heat. Friday the 5th, the sun came out and baked me nearly into heat exhaustion and the humidity drove me to near water toxicity. The sweat simply could not evaporate off my body so I kept pushing more and more water and had no extra gel or sports drink with me. Later, when the sun baked, brain fog had cleared, I realized I had taken in almost 100 oz. of water with only on small 10 oz. portion being a sports drink and one gel. No wonder I had a headache, stomach ache and my muscles were threatening to cramp! I was okay, although very slow, for the first 12 miles. I was able to stop in a restroom to take a break and cover myself in water at mile 13, but the last mile was at a snail’s pace and I felt horrible. Fortunately the headache and stomach ache started within sight of my car. Needless to say I felt bad for the next couple of days and learned a valuable lesson.

       This week went great despite having to delay my runs 2 hours each morning so I could drop my daughter off for VBS at 8:30. My easy run on Wednesday was with a new friend who is a much better runner than I am (she is also an Ironman, Marathon Maniac, and knocks out sub 4 marathons like they are nothing.) Needless to say I ran my 4 miles a bit faster than my usual 10 mpm easy pace, but I did actually manage to talk the whole time. My rest day was spent doing house work to get ready for a party Friday night in my husband’s honor. I wanted to have as much as possible done so I could spend the morning in my long run and still be ready on time. I’m proud to say I managed a great 15 mile run! The rain had rolled in so the sun was obscured, it was only about 77 degrees at the start, and I think the humidity was a bit lower because the sweat was actually evaporating off my arms, YAY! My pace was only 4 seconds slower than planned, even though I took a few walking breaks, so I felt really good about dealing with the heat. I made sure I had plenty of my favorite sports drink, Cytomax, on hand. I started with 20 0z. of water and 20 oz. of Cytomax, refilled the same after 6 miles, and topped off a bit after 12.

        By the time I started the last 3 miles I was tired. With a long list of things I still needed to do for the party, and my car right there, it was REALLY REALLY hard no to blow off the last 3 miles and head for the shower. However, those are the 3 miles that mean the most. It is the last few miles, when we are tired, bored, and struggling that really build our endurance both mental and physical. The ability to keep going even when we have an impressive list of excuses about why we should stop is what makes someone a distance runner. I was also thinking about my running buddy back in Vegas, Bruce. He has had his final radiation treatment this week. I firmly believe the strength he pulled out to finish marathons and marathon training is what not only got him through 12 weeks of chemo and radiation, but also got him through working full time through it all as a cabbie with a feeding tube stuck in his belly. With that in my mind, how could I give up with 3 lousy miles left to go when I felt good, other than being a little tired. Besides, one more half hour wasn’t going to make much of a difference in my preparations.

       After my run and a good round of stretches, I had 30 minutes to wait on my daughter. It wasn’t enough time to go home and get back so I parked in our usual meeting area, reclined my seat and stuck my feet out the window. Elevating my legs made the tired aching stop and I dozed while listening to an audio book for about half an hour. At home I showered and napped for one more 30 minute stretch and was good as new! The party went great, despite torrential rain that kept everyone cooped up in the house, and I managed to stay on my feet as hostess and even get the majority of the cleanup done before falling into bed about 1am. I am a true believer that short naps and elevating your legs do wonders for your recovery! I had worried that I would suffer for having done my long run, but I was also strongly bent on not missing it.

        Running a marathon really isn’t the hard part; it is keeping up with a training schedule for 18 weeks and not letting excuses get in your way. I could easily have begged off my long run, no one would have faulted me. It might not have even cost me on race day to miss just one, but in my mind it would have been a defeat. Now, instead of feeling like a slacker for not running, I feel like super woman!

       Barefoot update: feet are doing great! No blisters, although I do have a couple of tender thin spots from constantly having wet feet while running, but nothing that makes me miss a run or cut a run short.

       RA update: My wrist continues to be a problem and I’m thinking of going in to beg for an injection into the joint. I can hardly move it and I fell on it Saturday when I slipped on stairs (which also resulted in a scraped elbow, stiff neck, and nasty bruise on my rump, but I saved the cake!) Otherwise, my RA is behaving.

Mileage for last week:

Mon: 4 easy. Tues: 8, 7 at race pace. Wed: 4 easy. Fri. 14 LSD

Miles for this past week:

Mon: 4 easy. Tues: 7 easy. Wed: 4 easy. Fri: 15 LSD

Running: Are You in the Zone?

2011-08-01T00:26:00.000-04:00

Refreshing Building Block Over the Line

              The Good Zone

       When it comes to a basic idea for improving your running, there are 3 zones. For this blog I will call them 1) Refreshing 2) Building Block and 3) Over the Line.

       Refreshing runs are important and often beneficial and necessary. These are recovery runs where our bodies are getting a break. They are a mentally beneficial and very enjoyable when run on a lovely day, with a friend who isn’t quite where we are, with the family dog or kids on scooters and tricycles, or just a few easy miles to shake off the cobwebs the day before speed work or the day after. These are great runs that we shouldn’t ignore, but they are for recovery and do little to improve speed, endurance, or strength.

       Building Block is the meat and potatoes. This is where you are pushing, building, gaining, and growing as a runner. It might be a long run, tempo run, speed work, race, or any combination where you take yourself a little farther or faster than you did last week or last month or last year. These runs are mentally and physically draining, but exhilarating at the same time. The sense of accomplishment is great, BUT, it is not something we can do every day.

       Over the Line is when you have crossed the line, pushed too hard and are in the injury zone. Sometimes we cross this line like we have been shot out of a cannon, the sudden loud pop as a bone or tendon gives way, the sharp pain of muscle fibers losing their grip on each other and tearing, the cramp from Hell that stops us in our tracks. Then there are also the slow building injuries that come from crossing the line just a little day after day: the shin splints, plantar fasciitis, IT Band syndrome, runner’s knee, the nagging injuries that start as a twinge that can be ignored or propped up until after the big race. This is the zone to avoid and the trick is to get close and gain maximum benefit, without actually crossing the line.

       Sadly, these zones are not written on the pavement and they change from day to day. They also interact, which can be good or bad depending on how we handle our training. We can push away the start of Over the Line with runs from Refreshing. We can widen Building Block with strength and cross training. We can run right up to the edge of Over the Line with coaches that can spot fatigue or form issues, masseuses to work out the knots, and therapists to keep everything in tip top shape, but few of us have the resources or need for that level of training. The trick is to get out of Refreshing and spend enough time in Building Block to keep moving forward, without crossing the line into Over the Line. Easy-peasy, right? Not so!

       In the early weeks of a full or half marathon training plan, one is generally in their comfort zone distance wise. Having finished the first third of my marathon training I’m feeling good. The pace runs have been tough, largely because of the heat, but the long runs have not exceeded my routine distances so I feel like I have not really left Refreshing. However, week 7 will be very much into my Building Block. My pace run will be 7 miles (that’s a one mile warm up and then 7 miles at 9 mpm, pace runs will peak at 8 miles in this training plan.) My long run will hit 14 miles and take me into new territory with my bare feet. A year ago I ran 15 miles barefoot, but it was on a trail, so from here on out, I’m logging my longest barefoot road runs ever. To cap it off, my easy runs have another mile added to them so my weekly total will exceed 30 miles for the first time. I have had a couple of 28 mile weeks this year and 2 more miles doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but there is something psychological about rolling over to 3-0. All in all, I’m ready. My schedule is based around my runs, my family is supportive, and I have enough strength and stamina to do this. Onward!

This past week:

Mon: 3 easy miles in the morning, 2 crazy miles in the evening.

Tues: Decided to postpone my pace run to recover from being out too late Monday

Wed: 7 miles, one mile warm up and then 6 miles at pace with a break in the middle. It was nearly 80F in the gym, but lightening outside so not a lot of choice.

Fri: 9 miles and then back in to the doctor because my throat is sore again. Turns out I still have bronchitis so I’m on round 2 of antibiotics and hoping this will be the last of it. Now I know why I have felt short of breath!

I’m on my 4th day of antibiotics and feeling much better. No more sore throat and no more gunky cough. Now to get used to the allergy meds so I’m not falling asleep all the time! The flare in my wrist is still driving me nuts, but now slowing my runs. And yes, I’m still putting in all my miles barefoot!

Running, Where We Actually Get A's for Effort

2011-07-17T03:18:00.000-04:00

"Life doesn't require that we be the best, only that we try our best."

**H. Jackson Brown, Jr. **
       When non-runners look at the running world, they see the leaders like Ryan Hall or Kara Goucher eating up the roads at magnificent speeds and appreciate the skill, determination, and work that has gone into those hard won miles. Runners see the same things, but it extends much further. Anyone that has been part of the larger running community, like participating in local 5K charity races either as runners or volunteers, knows the blood sweat and tears that can go into the finishing chute with the average Joe long after the Ryan’s and Kara’s are gone.

       Watching the finishers cross the line for a local 5K you see many different stories. You see the guy that has run all his life and breezes over the line in 22 minutes. He didn’t try his hardest that day, he has a more important race coming up, but he wanted to run with his friends or support a particular charity. Everyone cheers for his great time, gives him high fives, and he may even walk away with a shiny age group award. I appreciate his hard work and achievements, but there are more touching stories to come.

      The real inspiration comes in later. You see the 80 year old man that struggles to cross the line before the chute is packed up and taken away. You see the woman that has recently lost 70 pounds and is over the moon because she ran all 3 miles and 180 yards without walking. You see the 40 year old that decided to get serious about his health and giving it all to bread 30 minutes. You also see the survivors of cancer, heart disease, abuse, and an endless list of other challenges straining to do their best. What time these people finish or what place they received for their age group is totally immaterial. They are out there giving their very best effort for no one but themselves. They are there to prove they are stronger than their struggles and the crowd cheers for them like they did the ones that crossed the line early on. Sure, Olympians are inspiring, but I know I will never run like that. It is the rest of the people that inspire me more. To be strong like them, to have that heart and determination, that is what I strive for. I hope I am still crossing finish lines when I’m 80! I hope that if I ever have to face cancer, I can do it with that kind of courage.

       A dear running friend of mine is more than half way through cancer treatment. He has battled through Chemo therapy while working full time at a physically demanding job. Now he has a few more weeks of radiation to go, but he is back on the treadmill and just knocked out his first mile. In comparison to his achievements of qualifying for the Boston Marathon 3 times, running one single mile in a day may seem like nothing, but it is everything. It is the WIN over cancer. It was the hardest mile he has ever run, and it is the most inspiring mile he has ever run. THIS is the thought that gets me out the door when I don’t feel like running. This is the thought that keeps me setting goals and pushing forward. If Bruce, with a feeding tube in his stomach and a body ravaged by deadly chemicals and radiation, can step up and run, I can put my excuses on the shelf and get out the door. (For more of Bruce’s story, please see his blog )

       So what was my week like? Well, I’m still pretty cruddy from last week’s bug so my times were much slower than I like, but I got the miles in and hope in the next week or two to be back up to pace.

Mon: 3 easy miles

Tues: 7 stronger miles

Wed: 3 easy miles

Fri: 11 mile long run.

Sat: extra recovery day

      I choose to skip the hash run this Saturday to try and kick the last of the crud with back to back rest days. I had a nice mile+ walk just to shake the lead out, but otherwise give my body time to heal. I’m primed and ready to begin week 5 tomorrow!

Marathon training: Quick Update

2011-07-11T17:58:00.000-04:00

Quick update:

       Runner’s World has been interesting the last couple of months. July was about the relationship between cancer and running, which is very strong. They talked about how distance running gives people back control over their lives. I agree with that 100%! Running gave me control over my body despite RA and I’ve seen it give people control when they felt they had lost it over illness, abuse, or just a bad run of luck. In the August issue there is an article about pain that asked at the end if people with chronic pain would react differently if they were feeling the same pain while crossing the finish line of a marathon with a cheering crowd. Well, DUH, of course, but there is no cheering section for chronic pain sufferers. We didn’t ask to be there, we didn’t work to be there, there is no gain from chronic pain.

       People often wonder at why I would train for and run a marathon. Why would I want to put my body through that kind of pain? It is very simple. I have resigned myself to the fact that pain is part of my life. When I don’t run, I have RA pain, when I do run I have all the aches and pains that go with pushing your body to its limits. Obviously on the running side one has better health, a better figure, and a more positive outlook, but there is one other factor and that is CHOICE. If I’m hurting at the end of a speed work out or pushing the last mile of a race, I’m hurting because I choose to and I can make it stop any time. By choosing that pain and pushing the envelope, I am exempting myself (for the most part) from the uncontrollable, unchosen, unending pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I did not choose to have RA so when it takes over my life and rides roughshod over my decisions, it makes me bitter and angry. I choose to run and when I am sore and aching I know it means I am getting stronger. When months of my life were spent surviving and never getting on top of all the things I needed to do, let alone get around to something I wanted to do, it plunged me into the depths of despair for months at a time. When months of exhaustive efforts see me successfully crossing the finish line, I am elated and on a high that lasts far longer. To me that makes marathon training a no-brainer.

       I ran 3 miles this morning. They were slow, but good. I didn’t start feeling wiped out until the last mile and considering I haven’t taken my Enbrel in over a week that is very good. My chest has cleared up, but my head has not, which means I’m still coughing from the gunk in my head, but no more of the deep chested stuff. I am better, but not yet well and it is okay. I ran today.

Marathon Training week 3/18

2011-07-09T23:59:00.000-04:00

       Training plans are a wonderful tool. They take the knowledge of great coach and make it available to the masses. The down side is that people often feel they have to follow the plans to the letter, and if they can’t, they are sure they are doomed to failure. It is rare that someone embarks on a 16 or 18 weeks plan and sees it through without a hiccup. The reality is that life usually butts in at some point, throwing off the schedule, making us miss runs, and consequently undermining our confidence.

       This has been one of those weeks for me. I was feeling run down from a weekend of too much fun, with late nights and a bit more drinking than usual, but I wasn’t too worried. Usually a nice easy 3 miler will clear away the sluggish overwrought feelings and clear up minor head colds, but not always, it can also bring things to an ugly head. I had started with a bit of a cough on Thursday evening, but wrote it off an typical allergies and post nasal drip. Unfortunately, following my 3 mile run, I was coughing up some scary stuff and through the course of the day I felt worse and worse with each passing hour. By Tuesday morning I was feeling horrible and went to the clinic. Sadly, doctors that do not know us do not always have confidence in our personal assessments so my knowing I had an infection fell on deaf ears. I was given the usual gamut of over the counter medications and sent home with instructions to come back if I was still sick the next week.

       Chest colds are dangerous for people on Enbrel. One of the side effects of this RA drug is that it predisposes us to a deadly form of pneumonia so, needless to say, I was very concerned that this bronchitis would turn into pneumonia and knock me flat for weeks or months. Marathon training aside, this would put a serious crimp in my life and that of my family. If I were hospitalized and the doctors here decided they could not meet my medical needs, my daughter and I would be sent back to the States and my husband would have to finish out the rest of his 3 year commitment in Korea alone. My motivation to stay as healthy as possible is very high indeed! In addition to treating my illness I also have to stop taking Enbrel to allow my immune system to be as strong as possible; this sets me up for a whopper of an RA flare.

       By Thursday, I was running a fever and far more sick so I went back to the clinic. This time I was listened too and given antibiotics, along with more decongestants. I appear to slowly be getting better, but it will be a week or two before I’m back on track. If this antibiotic isn’t strong enough, it will mean more weeks out, more time off my RA meds, and more time lost from marathon training.

       At the moment I am still optimistic. Having just started training, I’m still within distances that I am very comfortable with so a week or two off won’t matter much. A month off would be a problem. If this illness had hit after week 10 or 12, it could possibly have meant canceling. I know that marathon training is not really important compared to pneumonia and all the complications that would go with it, but for a runner, losing that which keeps us positive and on track is frustrating and disabling. Only another athlete can understand that. The race itself is merely frosting, it is what I gain mentally and physically from the training that holds my life together. I’m going buggy laying around watching movies and sleeping between coughing fits.

       As of Sunday morning, I’m nearly finished with my 5 day course of antibiotics and feeling somewhat more human. If this trend continues I will try going for a short run tomorrow and see how it goes. I’m a big believer in sweating out crud and breathing deeply to clear out the lungs so hopefully a nice easy run, followed by a good nap will do a world of good.

Week 3: one pitiful 3 mile run

Marathon training week 2/18

2011-07-03T04:56:00.001-04:00

Things are still going well and I’m feeling good. The niggling issues of my piriformis is at least not getting worse, and may be getting better. In September, when my favorite massage therapist gets back from vacation, I’ll start getting regular deep tissue massages (every other week) and see how that works for improving things. I’m doing everything I can so maybe adding the massages will finally kick the issue.

The big running tragedy this week is that my beloved Garmin gave up the ghost. Yes, I’ve tried everything, all the resets, all the tricks, it is truly dead. I believe the battery is shot and the mode button no longer works right so I ordered a new one and am anxiously awaiting its arrival! In the meantime, I’m using Map My Run and past experience to gauge my distances. I have a pretty good idea where each mile mark is around the flight line to keep a bead on my time and where to turn around, so it hasn’t been a total disaster. Also, if I haven’t received my new Garmin by Tuesday (which is pretty likely since the whole base stands down for 5 days to celebrate the 4th of July) I can borrow a heart rate monitor from the gym to help me stay in the right zone for my pace run.

So, for this week….

Mon: 3 easy miles. It was a touch colder and more windy following the tropical storm that blew by so not as comfortable running in the rain as I would have liked, but not totally miserable either.

Tuesday: 5 easy miles, which I turned into 6 because it is easier to just finish the circle around the flight line. I got a late start because hubby went in to work a little later so it was steaming hot. Also, without the Garmin, I pushed too hard and finished with an average pace of 9:30 mpm.

Wed: 3 easy miles again, but so humid! It was 75F with 100% humidity at 6:30 in the morning, like trying to run with a pillow over your face! Again, I ran it way too fast trying to get it over with. 9:20 mpm pace.

Thur: rest day! Which would have been great if I had taken it more seriously, but social obligations had me out way past my bed time and I had 2 drinks, which is more than usual for me so I was feeling pretty tired the next morning.

Fri: Long run, 9 miles. Tired and dehydrated from being out the night before made my 9 mile long run exhausting. I also need to work on my calorie consumption. I had my usual coffee with milk and banana, plus a handful of nuts, but after 30 minutes when I decided to have a gel, I realized I had left it in the car, UGH! By 5 miles I was starving and miserable, but I knew the only way to fix it was to get back to the car and the protein shake waiting for me. With a couple of walking breaks thrown in I finished in just under 1:30 so spot on for my 10 mpm planned pace. In the past I have had my long runs on the weekend and had time to rest afterwards, but on Fridays I don’t have that luxury. I was busy non-stop the rest of the day, ending with hanging out with friends for hours, drinking wine and staying out past midnight. This wouldn’t be so bad if I could sleep in Saturday morning, but I wake up at 5:30 no matter what I do. After once again exceeding my one glass norm, (by 3 glasses), Saturday morning was not pretty.

Sat: Hash run! I really debated this one. I was so tired from being out two nights in a row and it was so hot out! However, I really enjoy running with this group and as I’m the official blogger for it, I feel somewhat obligated to go. Fortunately, everyone was tired and dying of the heat so it wasn’t a heavy duty run. The one problem with this group is the tendency to share bottles. When someone stops and buys an ice cold bottle of water or beer and offers you a sip, it is hard to pass up. Unfortunately, I must knock this off because I am catching everyone’s colds and have spent more time sick in the last 2 months than I have in the previous 2 years. By Saturday morning I was coughing and am now miserable with another cold. It is very unusual for me to have so much going on in one weekend, so I’m sure this won’t be often repeated. Even so, I need to stay more focused on my health, make sure I get enough rest, and stop pushing so hard with everything else in my life. As much as I would like to deny it, I am neither 20 years old nor healthy; I cannot get away with burning the candle at both ends and expect to finish a marathon.

My Saturday running group, the Osan Bulgogi Hash House Harriers

Marathon training week 1/18

2011-06-26T05:45:00.000-04:00

Time to get back to weekly blogging!!!

       I just completed week 1 of my 18 week marathon training program for the Chuncheon Marathon in South Korea. I will be following Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 program with the slight modification of shifting the days to meet my needs. Everything will be one day earlier so that my long run is on Friday, leaving me Saturday for cross training and Sunday free. My cross training will consist of the stationary bike and a few miles here and there with the local Hash House Harriers.

       Hash House Harriers is definitely not for everyone, but if you can get past the adolescent humor and beer consumption (or embrace it) the runs are tons of fun and consist more of walking and hiking than actually running (although groups can be vastly different). The best part is we run in a big chatty group so at least once a week I am not running alone.

       One other detail that I have made a goal is to run the marathon barefoot. The weather should be good enough on race day and I have all summer to get out the door at 6:30 before the pavement heats up, so I’m shooting for most, if not all of my training runs to also be barefoot. With the exception of the hash run, all miles were bare this week. Hashing barefoot is not an option!

Week 1

Mon: 3 easy miles. I typically HATE runs like this, but they definitely serve a purpose by knocking off the cobwebs created by the previous week’s pace and long runs and loosen me up for Tuesday’s effort.

Tues: 5 mile pace run. Since taking off at full speed is very hard on the body and not easy to do, I start by warming up with an easy 1 mile run and then step it up to my training pace for the assigned distance. This pace should be the pace you plan to run your marathon. The Chuncheon course includes a lot of hills and I am contemplating running a second marathon 2 weeks later to qualify for Marathon Maniacs so I am training as if I plan to run a 4 hour marathon, but will actually hope to end up running at a 4:30 pace on race day. For my pace run I had to push to keep the proper pace, but it was more of a mental issue than a physical one. As the temperatures rise and the distance increases, I’m sure it will get harder.

Wed: 3 easy miles. I did not mind 3 miles so much this time, LOL. I was tired from my run the day before and this was just to keep the rust from settling in. It had rained just before I ran so the air was like molasses. After getting cleaned up from my run I went for my first deep tissue massage. I hope to make this a regular part of my training plan as I definitely have a lot of knots to work out. I was sore the next day, but felt good!

Thurs: Rest day. I am so ready to run and train that it is hard to take a rest day. The first 3 days felt very easy and it was tempting to lengthen a run or two, but I know I need to build gradually and that the mileage will be more than enough very soon.

Fri: LONG RUN!! Once a month, I have managed to get in a run of 10 miles or more so only running 8 this week actually felt wimpy. It was my favorite kind of weather, 65F and pouring rain! I love stomping in puddles and feeling the rain on my skin. My hat keeps it out of my eyes and I was never too warm or too cool. I could definitely have gone longer, but decided to stick to the plan and headed into the gym for stretches and a little hip/core work. The Korean cleaning ladies were not amused with me dripping all over their floor.

Sat: Hash House Harrier run! We actually did a bit more running than usual, about 5 miles total on my feet and since we didn’t head up into the hills there were no hiking or steep climbs. We did do a lot of standing around and walking so it took a couple of hours to cover the distance, but it was fun and gave my muscles a break while still keeping me moving.

So there you have it, my first week done, 17 left to go!

On the Road Again

2011-06-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

    I haven’t blogged in a while. Well, actually I blogged on my notebook and the whole thing disappeared, so it didn’t make it to the internet.

       Mostly I haven’t had much to blog about. The three week long virus really took its toll. Then I had a good week before going on vacation where I busted a toe (either sprained or broken, but definitely purple,) and strained my already over sensitive Achilles. So I have been resting and fighting an RA flare.

       One thing I have been working on lately is running for the fun of it and not letting running run my life. Being on the verge of marathon training, I’m looking at my 18 week plan and realizing this will be my life for the next 4 ½ months. Often, after a course of marathon training, people are burnt out and swear they will never do it again. Most eventually forget their negative feelings and start up the next year, but my goal is not to get to that place. I want to enjoy my training and finish my marathon thinking about the next one. I want to work my training around my life so that I don’t feel like I am giving up living to run. Part of the way I am doing this is by picking a less aggressive training plan than I had originally intended and rearranging the days so that my long run is on Friday, I can cross train by doing an extremely easy run/hike with a fun group on Saturdays, and take Sunday totally off to be ready to start again on Monday.

       I’m also learning not to be a slave to a schedule. I love to count things, nearly to the point of being obsessive so it thrills me to see my miles adding up, calculate my averages, and fill in the pages of my log. Unfortunately, I often get lost in the numbers and fail to listen to my body because I don’t want to fall behind on my mileage goals, but this is a recipe for disaster. I will track my training miles, but if it miss a run, oh well, I’m not going to let it make me a worried wreck about race day. I know I can finish a marathon, training is just about how fast and how I’ll feel the next day. Yes, I’d love to set a personal record, but more importantly I want to ENJOY the process and race!

       I hate when I feel like RA has won a battle so I was really unhappy when I finally caved and went in for a steroid shot. I really didn’t want to resort to steroids again, but after all the things that have added up to set off this flare, I just could not seem to get a handle on it on my own. RA is about staying ahead of the flares and once you get behind the 8-ball it is hard to get ahead of it again. Maybe I should have been patient and let it subside on its own, but I have run out of patience and want to get on with my life. It has been 7 months since my last dose of steroids, which is longer than I have gone in a couple of years so I guess I have made some progress. I nearly had a car accident Wednesday morning because I was so tired I wasn’t paying attention. That was what tipped the scales. I won’t take steroids just to run, but when I become a road hazard, it is time to do something.

       The good news is that I ran 4 lovely miles yesterday with great splits. The first mile was really rough as I was sore and my muscles felt like leaded rocks, but once I was loosened up I felt great. Today I’m hitting the gym and tomorrow I have 2 runs with different Hash House Harrier groups!! They are the most fun people I have ever run with and even the long bus ride to and from the first Hash will be a ton of fun. I needed more raw fun in my life and this has really done the trick! If you are ever in the mood for abject silliness, I highly recommend finding a group near you.

12th Hwaseong Filial Piety Marathon Competition

2011-05-11T03:07:00.000-04:00

Me down front, barefoot

Being associated with the military here has lots of perks. One of which is being invited to fun events like the Hwaseong Filial Piety Marathon Competition. In Korea, all races are called “marathon” (likely something is being lost in translation) so today’s race was actually a half marathon, 10K, or 5K fun run. Either way it was a stunningly beautiful (if a bit warm) day. The City of Suwon provided busses to pick us up at our base and they gave us free registration! Awesome!

       I decided to go for the 10K, which was good because I spent the three days before laid out with a head cold and definitely could not have handled a 13 mile race. Our race started with an immediate downhill, and then a long uphill. That is pretty much how it continued, uphill, downhill, long uphill, longer downhill….. I was a little worried that I would spend a lot of this race walking.

       That was okay though, this time my race was dedicated to a good friend who is battling a far more serious illness, cancer. Bruce went from being obese to a Boston Qualifier and although he never smoked, is now undergoing chemo and radiation therapy for lung and throat cancer. Life can be terribly unfair! For the 12 weeks that he will be in treatment, everyone in our close knit group is dedicating all the miles we run to Bruce to support his fight!

       The race was well run, but the water stops seemed miles apart! The fact is, over a 6 mile course, we probably had 4 or 5 stops, but it was about 70F, 15 degrees warmer than our recent daytime temps, so it felt down right HOT! I had grabbed my 10oz. hand bottle, knowing with a head cold I would need to keep sipping. It worked out really well because I was able to refill it twice and have water the whole way.

       For the most part it was an uneventful race. We ran up and down the hills, did some High-5’s, got a few comments on my feet and my Team Bruce t-shirt, but it was mostly city scape so not terribly interesting and I was totally focused on the road in front of me. I feel bad sometimes when people ask why I didn’t respond when they waved or shouted to me, but when I am running I go into my own little world and totally miss shouts and waves, even though I rarely wear headphones. I could have used music on this run though. Somewhere just past the half-way point I was really beginning to flag so I started reciting long ago memorized poetry, the effort of remembering each stanza kept me focused and moving to the rhythm of the verses.

       5.5 miles in, we turned a corner and I could see the long, long, long stream of humanity slogging up a half mile long hill. UGH! I seriously did not want to run up that hill, but I didn’t want to walk up it either. Most people were walking at this point, the really strong runners having finished 10 minutes or more prior. I focused again on the road in front of me, knowing I was way better off taking it one step at a time than looking at the top of the hill and feeling like it will never get closer. Time is so relative, 5 minutes can seem like a year, and a year can seem like 5 minutes. That half mile felt like it took me an hour!

       As I crested the hill I felt relief and my heart rate settling back down a bit, just .2 miles left to go. Then we turned the corner and the steep downhill we started on suddenly snapped back to the front of my mind. In racing, what goes down must come up and staring me in the face was the payback for my fast start. The last 2/10ths of a mile were steeper and more painful than the half mile climb before it, but at least I could see the finish line! I could also see the clock which was ticking past 55:00, better than I expected under the circumstance. My final Garmin time was 55:14.

       Looking back, I think a lot of my friend’s struggles are reflected in this race. Bruce has a long hill to climb. He understands the baby steps we need to take to gain strength in running and I know he is applying that to getting through his treatment. One step at a time, looking only a few feet ahead, not focused on the top of the hill that seems impossibly far away right now. At some point, he will turn a corner and it will look incredibly steep and scary, but at the top of the hill will be the finish line, ready to welcome a tired, but strong runner into the crowd of proud finishers who would not quit, not matter how hard it got!

VICTORY FOR BRUCE!!

BAREFOOT? INCONCEIVABLE!

2011-04-28T23:06:00.000-04:00

Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

    I recently started posting on the facbook page for a running club not far from me. I will meet a lot of their members at the Barefoot Fest in a couple of weeks and looking through their pictures I see tons of Luna sandals, Vibrams, and other minimal shoes. So I've been slowly sneaking in comments about running barefoot first, running half marathons barefoot with no blisters, improving my running with barefoot, how I will wear Vibrams when it is too cold for barefoot, how you need to feel the road to adequatly change your form, yadda yadda. Then I post a picture and they all say, "OMG, you mean litterally barefoot!" Um, yea.
       I've taken to clarifying with the phrase "Skin on pavement," but people still miss the point. It cracks me up how blind people are when something goes against what they expect. I'm sure 10 years ago if you said you ran barefoot, people would understand you to mean nothing on your feet. Now they just assume you mean a barefoot shoe.

MBC Adidas Marathon Seoul, South Korea

2011-04-11T06:45:00.002-04:00

My First Barefoot Race in Korea

After all my frantic worries, I made it to the race area a little after 8am after almost 3 hours of travel time, ugh. I found my group, put on my bib, sorted my gear, and headed for the bathroom and gear bag check with about 35 minutes to go. The bathroom line, however, was half an hour long and I was really sweating it, but I was very glad I stopped because there were no potty stops on the race route! After the bathroom I dashed to the gear back check, and then to the start. Needless to say I did not get to warm up and reached the back of the crowd just at the gun went off. I wasn’t even sure I was in the right race start as I frantically looked around trying to find someone else with the same color combination on their bib. No one else had red numbers, but they all had pale yellow background so I joined the crowd and shuffled to the start line.

Standing in the shuttle line. Yes, there is such thing as too much sunscreen

I didn’t mind that I was at the back of the pack. I was still fighting the dregs of a head cold and really just wanted to enjoy the race so, no hurry. My plan was to run with the crowd, not zigzagging to maintain a pace, and relax until I was fully warmed up (which generally takes about 3 miles.) As we got on our way, I met and chatted with several runners that were curious about my bare feet. Usually their first question was, have I done this before. Mostly I heard the exclamations of disbelief and surprise, as if I were on a unicycle juggling 50 tea cups. The only somewhat negative comment I heard was from a group of young American girls. I heard the usual, ‘”OMG, she isn’t wearing shoes!” finished with a heavy Valley Girl accented, “but, WHY would you do that?” Hhehehehe. The Koreans were totally supportive, giving smiles, fist pumps, thumbs up, and scattered English words of encouragement. All in all, the reactions weren’t really different from what I had in the US.

By around the 5K mark I was feeling really comfortable and picked the pace up a touch. Since I started at the back of the pack, I had been steadily passing people for a while, but it was hard to do with the crowd so thick. I would speed up or slow down according to the bodies in front of me, not particularly concerned with my pace, but as the group started to thin out it was getting easier to move forward in a straight line. Everyone was in such high spirits! We trundled up and down over passes, and down and through underpasses, with the crowd hooting and hollering to enjoy the echoes. Every time I crested a hill, all I could see was a sea of lime green race shirts spreading out ahead of me like a river.

My pink shirt may have been more shocking than my bare feet

       After the first hour or so I went ahead and put on my headphones. I tend to get a little bored in the middle miles and since I couldn’t really strike up a conversation with a fellow runner, I turned on the tunes and retreated into my head. My music mix is very odd, but that makes me smile. The irony of going from Jonny Cash, to Pink, to Frank Sinatra keeps me pumped up and moving. I never know what will pop up next and A Boy Named Sue is always sure to lighten the mood.

       The weather was perfect! Somewhere in the mid 50’sF with a cloudy sky and slight breeze. Once or twice I felt a bit cool and worried that a drop in temp would be a problem, but it never got colder than that and I never felt hot. That was another God send since in my hurry to get to the start, I had neglected to Body Glide my usual chaffing spots. I had dabbed a bit of Aquaphor before I left the house under my heart rate monitor and where my waist band hits my belly button, but that was it. Thankfully I did not suffer for my neglect! Around 6 miles I thought I was getting a blister on my toe. That was BAD this early in the race, but it never seemed to get any worse. I made a point of stepping on white road lines every so often and glancing back to make sure I wasn’t leaving a blood trail, but I passed all the checks.

       I hate water stops in crowded races and didn’t want to deal with the bumping and jostling that goes on because I’m very likely to get my bare toes stomped on so I wore my hydration belt. It should have been enough water for the race, however, I was not well hydrated to begin with so by the 15K water stop my bottles were bone dry and I was starting to cramp. Thankfully, by then the crowd had thinned considerably so I stopped to get two bottles refilled and proceeded to push some fluids and down a pack of Sports Beans. It worked like a charm, my muscles stopped cramping and my energy picked up in time for a final push.

       With 10 miles behind me I was feeling really good and ready for a final 5K! I picked up the pace once again as many people were petering out and walking. Then, just after 12 miles I looked ahead and saw something NO runner wants to see on a race course. A hairpin turn onto a slope so steep I thought we would be running up stairs! It was our last climb up the river bank to street level and nearly everyone had slowed to a walk. I was determined to keep moving fast though. I managed to maintain a run, albeit a slow run, up the slope and back onto the road. From here it was a gentle uphill grade all the way back to the finish line UGH!

       As we came up to the crowd-lined finish chute I broke into a full sprint, flying past my running club to cheers of “Go Wendy!” and our standard waving! That was SO cool! I’ve never had my own cheering section before!! I crossed the line and hit my Garmin stop, glancing only enough to see 1:58:__ in the numbers, PR!!!

Jim Bates, my buddy from the Peninsula Track Club in VA.
So cool to have a familiar face at the race!

       I really hadn’t expected much from this race. Being under the weather I didn’t feel prepared and I haven’t had a lot of barefoot mileage in the last 8 months, but I think I have turned a corner. When I’m not worried about pace and just there to have fun, I believe the energy that had previously gone into worrying and feeling pressure to maintain my pace, now is going into my running and giving me very positive results.

       After a thorough cleaning and inspection of my feet I found no blisters or damage, YAY! Overall I’m much less sore than I was after my last 2 hour HM 17 months ago and this one was SO much easier. On the other hand, the RA flare that has been annoying me reared its ugly head. My hips were sore for the last 10 miles, not horribly or enough to change my gait, but enough that I worried they would cause me to DNF. They never got worse during the race, although it was pretty rough in the post-race hours and next morning, but they have settled down now and will not be the worse for wear.

       I am really happy with my splits. The first 3 miles were about a 9:20 pace, the next 7 were a steady 9:00 and the last 3+ miles where better than 8:45, including the wicked climb up the river bank! My last full mile was faster than the average pace for my 10K PR in Feb., and my Garmin says the .10 mile sprint across the finish line was at 6:21 mpm! These numbers blow my mind! I had no idea I had that in me, which is exactly why I race, to see what is hidden in my soul and soles.

Koreans really know how to picnic after a race,
they are actually cooking the meat!

www.twitter.com/Barefeeties

Women's History Month 5K, Osan Air Base, South Korea

2011-03-31T20:22:00.001-04:00

I have been dying to take another crack at a 5K PR so I was very happy when it sounded like we were going to have a 5K on base that was a little more organized than the usual fun run. My goal is to break 25 minutes and I've come close, but just haven't quite pulled it off.

The weather was absolutely perfect! Warm sun and cool breeze with temps in the upper 50's that might even have crossed into the 60's, GLORIOUS! I knew there would be a lot of people at this race (for a base run) so I picked out an obnoxious hot pink tu-tu to go with my black compression shorts and tank, and a matching pink anklet, you know, so my feet didn't look so naked :-) When I pulled out of the driveway to head to base, I turned on the radio and AFN was playing Eye of the Tiger, talk about a good omen!!

       My dog, daughter, and I got to the race start really early. I was flying on caffeine and carbs and could barely stand still to sign in. We milled about chatting with people and spotted several people wearing Vibram Five Fingers. About a half hour before the start I took off for a warm up run with my dog. I'm used to the stares, cars slowing down to look, and grimaces from people when they spot my bare feet, but the tu-tu and standard poodle added a whole new dimention. I'm pretty sure they figured I had escaped from the psyche ward.
       After a nice 1.5 miles, in which I had to constantly remind myself to slow down, I returned to the race start, handed the dog off to my daughter and reset my Garmin. The Wing Commander gave a nice speech and then asked the serious runners who were really going for a time to raise their hands. Out of over 100 people, there were maybe 10 of us so we were sent to the front of the start line. I had the distinct feeling that I was going to be face down in the road with 100 foot prints up my back because lined up behind me were about 100 young military guys who may not be "seriously running for a time" but could still run circles around me.
       Needless to say, I took off way too fast. I kept glancing at my Garmin thinking something must be wrong with it. Granted, the road away from the gym starts with a significant down hill, but I still couldn't believe I was running a sub 6 mpm pace. I was stuck between the need to slow down and the fear of getting trampled! My first half mile split was 3:38, GULP! 7:17 pace! As the crowd thinned out I started getting it under control, but then we stopped.
       Yes, stopped. Suddenly up ahead I noticed all the runners bunching up and milling around. WHAT?!? Apparently there was something wrong on the adjacent air strip so they were stopping all traffic on the roads around it. Several of the front runners had gotten past the lead car before they could be signaled to stop so as we stood and waited, they flew by on their way back to the finish. I didn't think we had been standing there that long, but those guys were blazing! At this point any kind of PR was out the window. One's fastest 5K cannot include a 5 minute break before the first mile.
        Fortunately, it hadn't taken me long to pause my Garmin so when they gave us the all clear, I hit the start button and once again and took off way too fast again, but I got it under control and my second split was right on target with 3:53.
     Then we hit the next, WHAT THE HECK! for the day. We were barely over the one mile mark when I realized I could see the water stop and what looked like people turning around just ahead of me. I was thinking maybe on the way back they were going to route us on a different path and add to the route through the buildings.
     Now past the turn around, my third split was 3:55. I was feeling good and getting into my groove and felt like I could maintian my pace for the second half of the race when a woman all in black slowly crept past me. She instantly became my target. I had to pick it up just a touch to stay with her, but I was determined. My 4th split was 3:57, still on track, YES! Although I was beginning to wonder if I could really maintain that pace for another mile and she once again began putting distance between us.
      As we rounded the corner onto the main road, I was scanning for the new turn that would add the needed distance to take us up to 5K and realized it wasn't going to happen, the runners were barreling up the street and making the same turn back into the gym parking lot. I decided to sneak right up on the heels of the lady in black and then blast past her in the final up hill sprint through the parking lot with everything I had left.
       This was a very low tech race. There was a clock, although it was sitting down low on a table by the snacks, so after the first 10 runners crossed the finish line no one else could see it to know their time. There were no bibs, or chips, just someone standing with a piece of paper writing down who came in first second or third. We were told at the start that if anyone was over 40 to please let someone know when we crossed the line.
   As we turned the last corner into the parking lot, I powered up into a full sprint and, pink tu-tu flying, bounded past my target and across the line. It felt really awesome of have that good kick in me and despite the uphill grind. The pace for my last partial split was another 7:17! I say partial split because it was about .4 miles long. The entire race was 2.4 miles. Ummm, that's a 3.8K guys, not 5K!

LOVE the expression on this guy's face. Do you think it was the tu-tu or the bare feet, LOL

I got lots of friendly cheers as I ran in and was told I was the first over 40 woman, YAY! As the rest of the finishers poured in the recorder kept asking for people over 40 to check in. No other woman would admit to being over 40, LOL, and I KNOW I was not the only one. I guess when you are used to racing and having your age posted in the results for all to see you get over being sensitive about it. I tend to forget that other women do not want their age reveled. Hiding age is also a very American thing. Europeans and Asians think nothing of asking you your age and telling you theirs, we are very silly on that point.

For first place I won a nifty etched beer mug, some refrigerator magnets, a keychain pen, and a combination toe nail clipper/bottle opener/money clip (hmmm, open the beer with the thing you just clipped your toe nails with, HAHAHAHAHA)

So, no PR in the 5K today, but now I can focus on the HM in a little over a week. My hip is very sore this morning (remnants of the RA flare) so I'm going to have to baby it for the week and hope for the best on race day. It seems speed work is its undoing so I won't push Wednesday's tempo run. Looking at my heart rates for the race I could have pushed harder. I seem to have lost a bit of VO2max so to get it up without doing speed work I'll get back to spin or the Stair Monster.

Notice the location of the timing clock in the background

I am also experimenting with twitter. I was hoping to be able to tweet from the HM next week, but am still working out the technical issues (it seems everything is complicated in Korea). If you want to check it out, I'm listed as @Barefeeties These will be purely running tweets

Running progress and catching up

2011-03-28T20:05:00.000-04:00

Catching up

       Wow, more than a month has flown by since my last blog! It has been a crazy month too. At the end of February, we went on vacation for a week in Hong Kong. It was a lovely trip with tons of walking, but only one short run. By the time I got home I wasn't feeling too hot, but chalked it up to too much junk food, not enough running, too much walking, and not enough sleep. I got in a lot of miles that first week back, but was feeling really off. Long story short, I had picked up a Giardia infection. A week of antibiotics did the trick, but they sure didn't do much for my running. Infections also make RA flare up so I was battling that as well, feeling 100 years old, but short easy runs helped loosen me up and feel better so I pressed on.

       This past week I have been slowing getting back on track. The temps were into the 40's and as tired as I have been I didn't want to get chilled so I put on my wool socks and Vibram Treks and set off around the flight line. I was cranky, my hip was sore, I didn't want to be out there and I really didn't want to run the 12 miles prescribed by my training plan.

        2 miles later I was HOT! I stopped and touched my hand to the pavement to gauge the temp. YIPPEE! Warm asphalt! I took my shoes and socks off my feet and moved them to my hands (which I'm sure perplexed the people passing me going the other way!) It was just what I needed, my attitude changed instantly! My only regret was having to carry the darn shoes. I tried tucking them in my water belt, but they bounced around too much. The tension carrying them caused was really messing with my shoulders, but not my disposition. The Flight Line is a 6 mile loop and I had started at the Gym so after carrying my shoes for 4 miles I was able to drop them off in my locker and continue on. Of course, half a mile out from the gym I realized I had left the keys hanging in the lock! Granted, the only valuable thing in there were my shoes and in a military gym they wouldn't be bothered. More likely someone would appropriate the lock, but I went back anyway.

       Keys now in my pocket, I set out again to go part way around the Line for an out and back. The would keep me from adding an extra mile to my run and making my husband wait even longer to pick me up. I felt much better not clutching my shoes, but the wind was starting to pick up and making it feel much cooler.

       By the time I got to my turn around point, I had run 9.5 miles and was starting to feel tired. Although I had felt good up to that point, flagging so early meant I'm not quite back to 100%. I walked for a minute or two and headed back to the gym. The wind on the way back was fierce, but I survived and finished my 12 miles. I was fairly happy with my time. Most of my mile splits were below 10 mpm and didn't drop off too much at the end, even with the wind.

       Monday morning I was feeling it in my hips, but they were now the right kind of sore, the kind you get from pushing you body outside its comfort zone to gain strength, rather than the sore I get from my immune system eating my joints. I'll take the former over the latter any day!
       On the horizon I have a little 5K fun run on base Thursday and my HM on April 10th is coming up fast! I'm not necessarily looking for a PR, mostly just want to have fun, but that is what I said last time :-) My plan, if the weather doesn't change unexpectedly, is to run the half barefoot. It will definitely be interesting to see the reaction of my fellow Korean runners!

Koguryo Marathon 10K, Seoul Olympic Stadium

2011-02-23T06:23:00.000-05:00

I finally ran my first race in Korea!!!

Searching the races for 2011 with the Seoul Flyers Running Club I decided to go for a 10K in the later part of February. I didn’t much care what the swag was, but I did want it to be somewhere that I could get to within a couple of hours. The Koguryo Marathon fit the bill so I signed up. I didn’t realize until we got there that all the races, Full, 32K, Half, and 10K would start and finish inside the Seoul Olympic Stadium! It was really awesome to be in such a great venue, even if the stands were pretty much empty.

The tiny yellow arch in the distance is the finish chute. This place is HUGE!

After meeting up with two other runners (who’s collective ages barely exceed my own), we hopped a bus, then a train, and arrived at the stadium in time to pick up our packets from the tent set up for our running club. Everyone was milling around trying to stop their teeth from chattering with cold and laughing hysterically at the tiny shorts that came in our swag.

Yes, my friends, those shorts I’m holding are not for an infant, they are Korean women’s medium!

The information simply said the race started at 10am. What everyone else knew, but I didn’t, was that by the time they got through all the waves for the marathon, 32K, and half, the 10K would be starting around 10:45. Needless to say I was not properly warmed up at all! Oh well, no matter, I was only running for fun and not expecting a PR. It was all about learning the ropes for Korea and meeting the Flyers.

When they finally called for the 10K, we all crowded behind the start, but first, a little warm up. Of course, I couldn’t understand the words, but you pretty much get the idea when everyone around you puts their hands over their heads and stretches to the right, then left, then shoulder rolls, then everyone puts their arms out and gives a shoulder rub to the person in front of them. Then we all turn around and give shoulder rubs to the people behind us. I must say, the guy in front of me gave a great shoulder rub! Okay, all ready for the start horn.

Some of the Flyer ladies

       Talking to another American runner, it sounded like we were similarly paced so off we went. Leah was great. She was planning about an 8:40 pace, but if she felt good at 3 miles would pick it up. Cool! We chatted while we ran, her giving me tons of info on Korean racing, me prattling on about who knows what. I repeat, I had not warmed up properly, but I didn’t want to lose Leah and be alone the rest of the race so I struggled to keep up with her. We ran around the through the stadium, and then out along the Han River. It was mostly flat with only slight grades up and down along the river bank, but sunny and warm enough to be comfortable. By the time we approached the turn around to head back, I had to stop for water, and that was the end of having a buddy. Leah got ahead of me while I gulped/inhaled a mouthful of water and I was never able to catch her again, she was true to her statement about speeding up if she felt good at 3 miles. No worries, I was on a good pace, finally feeling warmed up, and ready to relax and enjoy my groove.

       Earlier I had set the virtual partner on my Garmin for a 54 minute finish to show another runner how to do it, but I didn’t really expect to run that fast. I had glanced at a few of half mile splits, but was more concerned with my heart rate and having a solid race. Between the part of the race that was through the stadium, and a cluster of huge freeway overpasses that we ran under, my Garmin had lost satellite a couple of times so I didn’t know if it was accurate anymore or not. Once again, I didn’t really care. I watched my heart rate and if it went down too far I stepped it up, but when my “Pace” was saying things like 14:23 and 6:02, I knew I couldn’t trust what I was reading.

        On the return, somewhere between the overpasses and the Stadium, the 10K runners were split off onto another path. It was a little weird because the path had lots of Sunday strollers who were walking 3 abreast with a child in the middle and not paying the least bit of attention to the fact that they were in the middle of a race course! I weaved and dodged, hopped over chunks of old packed snow, and tried to spot the stadium entrance. Finally they turned us right and into the cement arches and darkness. Around we went and then up a steep slope. As I crested the slope, I saw daylight again with a steep slope back down through the stands to the track and finish line. For a brief moment I was sure I was going to make my entrance in a head over heels tumble down the ramp, but I managed to keep my feet under me and even pulled a final kick (although it couldn’t really be called a sprint). I had definitely left it all on the course! The clocks were about 15 feet in front of the finish line. Yes, clocks, one on top of another, 4 clocks. I figured the little one on the bottom must be for the 10K, but I couldn’t believe my eyes, 53:20! Of course, it took me a while to remember to stop my Garmin, so I wasn’t sure what my chip time was, but I didn’t care, had to be a PR!

Gasping for breath I stumbled up to Leah, who had finished about 3 minutes ahead of me, and another Flyer. They told me where to go to turn in my chip and get my medal and snacks. The snacks were weird, but not as weird as when I ran in Thailand. I cracked my drink to discover it was something like ginger Gatorade, which was awesome since I love anything ginger flavored! Then the pint sized banana, and last a pastry with a hot dog in the middle. Even though it was only a 10K race, it had been 5 hours since I ate breakfast so I inhaled everything! After my finish line Kodak moment, we wandered back over to the club tent.

hot dog danish anyone?

Some of the Korean clubs were in full party mode with delicious smelling food wafting from the groups and drinks being passed around. Someone took pity on us and brought us a bottle of Mekgeolli, Korean rice wine. While rather different than the cold beer served to runners in America, it was quite refreshing and tasty. Everyone was really enjoying the sunshine. Down in the stadium, with the breeze blocked, the warmth was amazing and people were sprawled out on the track like starfish on a beach soaking up the rays.

Mekgeolli, Korean rice wine

One of my traveling companions, who is only in Korea for a couple of weeks for a military exercise, won the 32K! The prize was a nice digital camera and very cool trophy.

When it was coming up on 3pm, most everyone had finished their runs and people had been trickling away to head home for some time so our little group from Osan headed south. I was told my final chip time would be texted to me on my phone so it was long after I had tumbled through the front door that I got my final time. 53:10! I hadn’t realized it took me so long to get to the start line! My splits were a total mess. The first mile was way too fast, but the half miles before and after the turn around were my most consistent and average. Each mile after that was slower than the last. I definitely need to work on my pacing again and get a better feel for what I’m going for. I hadn’t practiced 10K pace and it showed. Leah’s finish time was also a PR, I wonder if staying slow the first half helped her.

Finisher's medal

And once again, the Vibrams were a big hit. At one point I had to grab onto a friend to keep the Koreans that were lifting up my foot to examine my shoe from tossing me on my face, LOL.
Next stop, half marathon, Apr 10 Adidas MBC Marathon

On the Road Again

2011-02-11T21:59:00.000-05:00

"You have to erect a fence and say, Okay, scale this." **Linda Ronstadt**
     My running schedule has been so erratic lately. I tend to decide on the spur of the moment what distance I will run. I can plan which days I will run versus spin or weights, but I have been going by feel when it comes to the decision to do intervals, long slow distance, tempo, etc. The weather also plays into the decision, but I have no hard and fast rule for what temperature is my breaking point.

     Wednesday I decided to take advantage of lovely weather and run the flight line. I figured I could run the 6 mile loop and then do 4 more on an out and back to get in a 10 miler. As I approached the 5 mile mark I decided that even though I felt great if I went all the way back to the gym I would likely talk myself out of the last 4 miles. I decided to do an about face at 5 miles and retraced my steps. This was going to be my longest road run in 7 months! The last time I went over 6 miles was my farewell run on The Noland Trail back in early July, so once I had covered the first mile on the trip back, every step was shiny and new.

     I love the feeling of accomplishment when I hit the stop button on my Garmin at the end of a successful run. As I planted my feet in front of the gym I felt fantastic to have finally accomplished a double digit road distance again, but the real thrill came when I got home and uploaded the record to the computer. I didn’t know at all what my pace was because I decided at the start to only go by heart rate and had forgotten to reset my Garmin.

Once I had deleted the extraneous laps, my pace popped up as exactly 10 mpm mile. Not 10:03, not 9:59, but exactly 10:00 even! I thought I must be looking at it wrong to get such a precise time, but the splits added up. When I was running into the wind, I averaged 10:30 mpm and running with the wind I averaged 9:30, but it all broke even at the end. I could definitely have run it faster. There were times when I noticed my heart rate was around 10 beats per minute lower than my target and I push a bit more, but by the end I was coasting a lot and letting my heart rate stay down.

     That was my fastest pace ever for a long slow distance run and has been my goal pace for those runs for a long time. I am so excited to be at this point! In December of 2008, I ran my first 5K with a less than 10 mpm pace and was over the moon. I had pushed myself to my limit that day, maxing my heart rate in the last moments and nearly throwing up on the poor guy removing my chip. If someone had told me I would be able to run that pace comfortably, for more than 3 times the distance, in little more than 26 months, I would have thought they were selling some kind of fake miracle juice!

     No miracles here, just hard work. In the world of running 6 mph pace for a long run is nothing to get excited about, but in the little world that is just me running for me, it is Olympian!

     Next up is a 10K. I think instead of setting a specific time goal, I will just watch my heart rate and do my best. With a little luck I’ll remember to look at the clock at the end!

Ten Miles on a Treadmill

2011-02-05T01:55:00.001-05:00

“Life's rewards go to those who let their actions rise above their excuses.”

**Lee J. Colan**

        My mileage is coming back more each week, despite the occasional set back. After my 25 mile week my back went out (non-running related, too many teenagers in the house at once related,) so I missed about 5 days of running, cutting me back to 10-12 for my weekly mileage. Once the muscle spasms and soreness was gone, I got in a couple of days of good running before a weekend of craziness bumped it to a back burner again. It is SO easy to let excuses take over and keep us from running. Looking at my schedule for Monday morning I knew if I didn’t get my run in before dawn, it wasn’t going to happen. Time to put my money where my mouth is and do it!
      I had hoped to run 10 miles, but I woke up feeling an RA flare in full swing. My jaw was so inflamed I couldn’t open my mouth to eat breakfast and I was wiped out tired, the last thing I felt like doing was go for a run. Fortunately, I knew a good run would get my joints back in motion and bring my energy levels up. Running was my best shot at feeling good fast.
      A glance at the thermometer told me it was going to be a treadmill run. UGH! I headed to the gym with hopes of a 10 miler fading from view, knowing that if my back started to tighten or I totally ran out of steam I could cut it short and simply get off the treadmill.
      Arriving at the gym I organized me things, untangled my headphones, filled my water bottle, said hello to a friend, and then finally ran out of ways to stall and started my run. After less than a mile my body was warning me to plan a bathroom stop soon, rats! I decided to push and try to make it 3 miles. Done!
      I made a quick dash to the ladies room and got back to the treadmill. I was feeling good and loosened up so my next goal was to run through a TV episode I had downloaded to my MP3 player. That took me another 4 miles. Done!
     At that point I was a mere 5K away from a 10 miler and still feeling good. No soreness, no tightening muscles in my back or feet, and no screaming RA joints. I made a break for the water fountain and refilled my bottle, then back on the treadmill for one last stint.
     I had maintained a 10 minute per mile pace thus far, but without the usual incline to simulate a road effort. Mostly I just wanted to get used to running long again. I was irritated with my RA flaring up. With all the things I had to do I simply did not have time for it and was determined to beat it back without having to crawl to my doctor's office for more bone thinning steroids.
     At this point I was starting to flag. With 7 miles and over an hour behind me, I was approaching my limits.
     {Half a mile} come on body, we can finish this
     {1mile} okay, 2/3 of the last 5K done
     {2 miles} Cool, that one went by okay
     {2.5 miles} Just---hang---on---for---5---more---minutes....
     DONE! A 10 full miles. I was exhilarated! As I wobbled off the treadmill with my jellied legs I was felling back in charge. One more step to reclaiming my pre injury levels and a great start to my log for the week. Take that Daily Mile!
     After getting cleaned up I grabbed a 15 minute power nap and faced the day. By the time I collapsed into bed that night I felt good about all the things I had successfully scratched off my to-do list and all the obligations I met, including the most important obligation to myself.
     It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized the extent of what that 10 mile run had done for me. I woke up almost free of RA symptoms! No sore jaw, no stiff feet, and no tin-man shuffle to the coffee pot! The only lingering pain is the hip that has not totally recovered from slipping on the ice last month and even that was better than it was last week. A steroid shot wouldn’t have worked this fast or this completely. I was totally shocked at just how effective my run was. I have no doubt that the same effect could be achieved with other forms of intense cardio so I recommend anyone battling an auto-immune disease to find what works for them, swimming, biking, walking, whatever. I haven’t been able to give up my biologics yet, but I still hold out hope that one day I can let them go too. It only takes one time of feeling the release from RA’s grip to make you a devoted exerciser!

Treadmills and Freezing Temperatures

2011-01-24T20:07:00.001-05:00

“The road to success runs uphill.” **Willie Davis**

       I am enjoying being back to running, but is hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road. Ups and downs are part of every runner’s routine, and I’m certainly no exception. What makes runners different is our ability to stick to our running plan even when we feel like skipping a run or just quitting and going home. It can be a serious challenge to squeeze a run into an action packed day with everyone placing endless demands on your time.

       The hardest part about coming back from an injury is facing the fact that getting back to 100% is a slow process. There are so many components to a good run and each item that is missing adds exponentially to the difficulty of finishing the way you want. While out with an injury, it seems like, “If I could just run, everything would be fantastic.” So when you finally hit the road for your first run, the lack of speed, heavy legs, and screaming muscles are very frustrating! The injury is healed and feels good, but everything else that has been out of use complains loudly making you feel like you will never be a runner again, or question whether you were ever a runner to begin with. Being back to running does NOT mean being back where you left off.

       This past week I finally ran a 25 mile week, but 20 of them were on the treadmill. My goal is to maintain this as my average for the next several months, moving more and more runs to the great outdoors (weather permitting). I will not dive into structured race training, but focus on strength training to build up my hips and core. It is weird for me not to fill my calendar with races, planning my life around structured runs and preset distances, but I can live with the adjustment.

       Running so much on the treadmill has been interesting. I have heard many people over the years complain about running on the roads after spending a lot of time on the treadmill. We are told to set it at an incline to replicate the effort of being on the road, or to set it on a decline to replicate the pounding. In the end everyone agrees that running on the treadmill is easier than running on the road. It may be lack of wind resistance, or the fact that you are not propelling yourself forward, but I find the biggest difference to be mental. When you are on a treadmill you pick a speed, dial it up, and run. It takes will power to not reach up and dial it down when you get tired, but if you can distract yourself with a TV, MP3 player, or chatting with the friend on the next treadmill, you can cease to think consciously about your pace and just keep up with the belt. On the road it is a very different matter. As my mind drifts, I relax and slow down, sailing along at an ever slowing pace until something catches my attention and makes me realize I have dropped my speed and heart rate into a lower zone. Tempo runs in particular are easier on a treadmill. No need to think, just program in the plan and go.

       I also think treadmills produce a different muscle balance. We use so many muscles when running, to keep balanced, move forward and get the next foot out for the next step, but the treadmill leaves some of this out. On a treadmill you don’t work as hard to balance because it is such a smooth consistent surface, devoid of surprises like pine cones, dog poop, or driveway entrances. With the belt moving under you, there is no engagement of the muscles to push your body weight forward. The one advantage is that the process of getting the next leg up and out in front of you is the same. Since treadmill running is easier, you can run “faster” and engage more fast twitch muscles for the same heart rate.

       One other issue with treadmills, I frequently get vertigo and have to grab the hand rails to keep from falling off. On the road or trail, I have been known to close my eyes for a few seconds at a time, but if I do that on a treadmill my head swims and I crash into the hand rail (which is more than a little embarrassing in a crowded gym). I also feel very disoriented and off balance when I get off a treadmill so I have to stand still on it long enough to get my bearings (also mildly embarrassing).

       All and all, I would say treadmills have their place, but I’d rather be on the road, even when it is uphill. (Except today since it is 1 degree Fahrenheit as I type.)

Just a little 5K

2011-01-09T23:36:00.002-05:00

     I’m running again for real, YAY! I say for real meaning I have put in some solid runs and my foot gets better each time. So far I have had no setbacks and I intend to keep it that way! On the treadmill I have worked up to 5 miles and on the road I have run up to 4, including runs on consecutive days, without issues and put in 16 miles this past week. Not a huge distance, but a nice slow return to full miles.

     On Friday I decided to test out my foot with a 5K. Our fitness center holds races every month, but they are just for personal edification. They have a timing clock, people at key intersections to point the runners in the right direction (on the way out, but they disappear on the way back,) and a water stop at the turn around, but no bibs and no one to record your time but yourself.

     I arrived at the gym early enough for a good warm up of a little over a mile with a couple of short strides at the end. Not only was I worried about my foot, but my RA has been flaring in my left hip from slipping on ice so I knew I wasn’t going to push hard. There was a small group of maybe 20 or so runners wearing various levels of clothing. When it is 27 degrees Fahrenheit outside, it is very easy to tell the fast runners from the slow ones. The slow runners look like they are dressed for an Arctic expedition and the fast runners are in shorts and sleeveless shirts! I was somewhere in the middle, but more on the bundled up side, mostly because I was afraid of freezing to death if I had to walk.

     The “director” yelled “GO!” and about half the people heard him and took off, dodging around the confused people that were still standing still wondering what everyone around them was doing. They got the point shortly and we all trundled out of the parking lot and down the road.

     One of the surprises that you find as you progress in distance running is that the distances shrink. The first time you run a 5K, it seems like an incredibly long distance, but by the time you are running 25 to 30 miles a week, 3 miles seems like nothing. Apparently, if you haven’t run outside in months, the distance stretches again and suddenly 5 kilometers seems like a million miles. By the time my Garmin beeped for the 1 mile mark, I felt like I had been running forever instead of 9 minutes! The one comfort was that the leaders were not passing me on the return yet.

     Our path led us through the golf course that has big fountains blasting out of the frozen ponds. This has an effect like snow making equipment creating a mountain of snow around the jet of water so it looks like a little white volcano. On we went, out and around, winding down the crooked street. There was next to no traffic so I drifted back and forth across the road cutting the tangents, pretending I was in a competitive race. Next, the front runners started passing me. I’ve done this enough time to know that this did not mean I was close to the turnaround! One more curve and I could see the poor girl, bundled like Nanook of the North, handing out water cups. I had my own bottle so I didn’t take one, but I did thank her for being out there.

     By this time, I was finally starting to feel fully warmed up and confident. The runner that had been pacing off me for the first mile and a half began to flag. I could tell he was struggling to match me, but as he was petering out I was getting into my groove. I realized after we wound back through the golf course that the orange cones and pointing people were gone. This was my first time through this part of the base so I was glad I could see a couple of runners making the next turn. Unfortunately, after I turned the corner, the runners ahead of me were nowhere to be seen. All the buildings on base look the same so I had a small panic moment wondering where I should turn, but finally found my way back to the gym. My final time was 28:13 which made me happy, but my splits were all over the map. I didn’t run full out and I felt a bubble in my hip most of the way, but my foot was okay and next time I can push a little harder. My total mileage for the week (Mon.-Sun.) was 16 miles with plans for 18-20 next week.

     One last side note: I have started working with a personal trainer to balance my muscles, rebuild my calf, and strengthen more of my body. If it makes me a faster runner, that will be a great perk, but mostly I just want to be fit and healthy and fix the tilt in my hips!

Edited to add: PS No, I did not run barefoot :-) When it is below freezing I wear either Vibram Treks, or Teva Proton water shoes. For the 5K I wore the protons. I wasn't sure about the course and didn't want salty ice water seeping into my toes. The protons can be worn with regular wool socks and are basically a neoprene boot so unless you step in water up to your ankle, feet stay dry. I must admit though, my feet were actually to hot!

What I Teach My Beginning Runners

2011-01-05T02:08:00.001-05:00

What I am teaching my beginners

     People are always telling me, “I can’t run” or “I hate to run.” These statements make me sad because the vast majority of the time the person is not only capable of running, but they can learn to enjoy it too. With my beginner group, my goal is to give them the tools to learn to run and love it.

     We start with form. Everyone that knows me knows I’m a huge proponent of barefoot running because it is gentle on your body and the fastest way to learn the posture and form that is the way our bodies were designed to run. The best time to learn this form is when you are starting out. There are many great websites out there to fill in all the details and ongoing questions but here are a few to get you started. The running barefoot, Barefoot Runners Society, and the barefoot forum on Runner’s World are great resources. If the idea of running barefoot is just too far out for you, you can achieve the same style through Chi Running, Pose Running, and Evolution Running. However you do it, it is important to learn proper body mechanics and most people are shocked to hear that landing on your heels is bad and that a good distance runner should NOT look like a Gazelle racing across a meadow. Distance running is definitely where Turtles can shine. Take a lesson from those turtles, they don’t bounce down the road!

     The next thing I teach is to learn to run SLOW! Running is running. If you always have one foot touching the ground, you are walking. When, for even the briefest of split seconds, you have both feet off the ground you are running. I don’t care if your forward motions amounts to less than 15 minutes per mile, if you leave the ground you are running. Allen Leigh, who is in his 70’s and still an avid runner, started his running career by learning to run in place in his living room before he ever ventured onto the road! Once you learn to run smoothly you can start adding minutes to your running and work on the next goal which is running increasing amounts of time. 30 minutes is a great goal! In that 30 minutes you can take a 1 minute walking break every 5, 10 or 15 minutes or however often you are confortable, but learning to be on your feet for 30 minutes and getting into the habit of doing so 3 or 4 times a week is an important goal.

     Running should not hurt! If running even a few steps makes you winded or sore, you need to back up and work on a walking program until this is no longer the case. When you can walk for half an hour, begin adding in a little running just for a minute or even 30 seconds at a time. Keep your pace to a conversational one. You should always have enough breath to talk, if not then take a walking break or slow down. Running at a speed that increases your fitness and makes you a healthier stronger person does not mean keeping pace with the local track star. Whatever pace gives you a good workout is the pace that is best for you. If everyone out there with you is passing you, that is okay, you are passing all the people that are at home in front of the TV! When my friend and I trained for our first half marathon in 2009, we chatted and blabbered through our weekend long runs that started at 5 miles and worked their way up to 10. Most of the time our pace was around 14 minutes per mile (mpm), roughly the same pace as a good brisk walk. This begs the question, “Why bother running if you can walk that fast?” That would kind of depend on your goal. My goal is fitness, and I know that as I get stronger, I will get faster and that I will need to go faster to maintain the heart rate that gives me a good work out. That 14 minute per mile pace evolved into an 11 mpm pace in less than a year.

     This takes me to the last thing I ask of my beginners. Sign up for a race. Local 5Ks are a real eye opener for new runners. The first time I ran a 5K was the first time I ran 3 miles without walking. The excitement of racing plus my competitive nature pushed me to a whole new level. The crowd made it fun! Running a race is not really about winning, it is about getting out there, meeting other runners, and having a really good time. You find out really quick that the skinny chick that looks fast may just be a recovering couch potato who barely eats and will have to walk half the distance to finish, and the person carrying a whole lot of extra weight may be an endurance power house that will finish, shower, and change clothes before the last person crosses the line because they have a strong heart and big muscles hiding under that extra weight. Sure, an overweight person has to work harder and so probably won’t win, but my point is that you can’t judge a book by its cover, especially in endurance racing. After my first marathon, I heard someone complaining that a “little old lady” was leading the 4:30 pace group (that means she was in charge of carrying a sign that indicates she will maintain a steady pace and cross the finish line in 4 hours and 30 minutes.) I pointed out that that I regularly get left in the dust by little old ladies and that particular little old lady finished almost a half hour before me without breaking a sweat!

     Last, but not least, the issue of weight loss. Most people start running with one major goal: to lose weight. I have to be honest with you, it will take you at least a year to build up enough speed and mileage to burn a really significant amount of calories during your weekly runs. HOWEVER, that is no reason to give up. The best way to do it is to look at running as part of a new lifestyle that incorporates cardio (stationary bike, elliptical, stepmill, rowing machine, aerobics, or walking), weight training, and diet changes along with your running. As you become a stronger runner, more of your time will shift to actually running, but the fastest way to lose weight is to alternate days with running and cardio. If you don’t have a reasonable way to get to the gym, you can always walk on your non-running days. Walking uses different muscles and will still give you a good dose of exercise without the risk of injury that comes with running every day when you are a beginner.

     My final thought is for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis or any other disease that slows you down. Nothing is impossible to overcome. You have to take advantage of the good days to make gains and those gains will help you though the bad days. I know runners with cancer, auto-immune diseases, heart problems, and even cerebral palsy. They enjoy their vigor and strength when they can find it and muddle through the weak days knowing there are better ones ahead. We start small with range of motion exercises, water jogging, walking, anything to get moving and keep going. I personally cannot find a middle ground, it is either keep pushing or curl up and die and I am definitely not ready

First Outdoor Run Following my Stress Fracture

2010-12-26T05:40:00.000-05:00

Running again is so sweet!

The last time I saw my doc my foot was still sore and I had felt another pop. His suggestion was to continue with walking and going to the gym, but no running for another 6-8 weeks. I tried, I really did, but once I had gone a couple of weeks with no pain I had to try running. I was smart at least, I started on the treadmill so I could stop instantly and it wasn’t such a hard surface. First I ran ¼ mile, then ½, then one whole mile. Each attempt was followed by a day of rest and if my foot started to hurt I would back off. So far so good, next run 1.5, then 2 and finally 3. Once I could run 3 miles on the treadmill with increasing speed in small increments up to 7 mph, I decided to give the road a try.

It was a beautiful day. Following a long stretch of cold weather, the clear sunny day of 41F felt deliciously warm. I had been running in Vibram Five Fingers on the treadmill, or in socks, but I decided it was warm enough for a short barefoot run. We have a nice .75 mile rubber track on our base that is black so it soaks up the sun nicely. Being the wimp that I am, it would have been too cold to run far on asphalt or cement, but the rubber track was only cold in a few places where it was shaded or damp. To stay close to the gym and on the rubber track, I ran 2 out and backs for a total of 3 miles. It was utterly fantastic! Feeling the ground under my feet and the sun on my face was like coming out of a dark depression. I didn’t wear sunglasses, just let the beautiful rays stream into my eyes to lift my spirits and buoy my steps. I made sure I didn’t push my speed and stayed at a conversational pace so I was really surprised to find I had averaged 10 minute miles! I was thrilled to know all my gym time has paid off and have not lost too much ground. I felt strong and rested and flew over the ground like I hadn’t missed a day! It was really hard to stop at 3 miles, but I think I would lose my mind if I had to wait months to run again so the fear of reinjury kept me in check. Even worse what that the following day the temps were even warmer, but I knew my foot was not ready for running 2 days in a row and so I forced myself to wait.

After a day off, I only ran a very slow mile on the treadmill to warm up before doing a grand tour of the Nautilus machines. When I first explored the weight room here at Osan, I hadn’t lifted weights in longer than I care to admit so I was really struggling that first day. However, the weights have been my big stress relief. Lifting replaced running as a way to take out anger and frustration. That first day, I wrote down how much I could lift for three sets of 8-10 reps. Today, I brought that list with me to see how far I have come in the last few months. I was amazed to see that I have nearly doubled the weight on almost all of the machines! Granted, there was one that I couldn’t even use at first because my elbow would lock up painfully, but now I can push 40 lbs! I’m not going to win any contests, and the weights I’m lifting are still pretty pathetic, but improvement is improvement!

I still do not feel totally back in the game. It will take me at least a couple of months to get back to full speed and mileage, but I know I will get there and that I have picked up some new healthy habits to add to my routine. Weights will stay on my workout list, as will spin and my friend, the step mill. It really isn’t healthy to put on blinders and focus solely on one sport or form of exercise. Our bodies need variety as much as our brains. Now, to plan my next race!

The Long and Boring Road: Injury Recovery is the Pits!

2010-11-27T18:48:00.000-05:00

"The function of the press in society is to inform, but its role in society is to make money."

A. J. Liebling

       Let me start by saying, everything is calm and normal here in South Korea. It appears the US news media is having a field day with doom and gloom over the exchange of live fire, but nothing has changed for us here since the initial alert last week.

       Running wise, I have had very little to blog about. The orthopedic surgeon said my foot is not yet healed so he wants me to give it 6-8 more weeks and see him again before I try running. He also told me to knock off hiking as there is too great a chance of re-injury if I step on a rock wrong or stumble on a rut. That was hard to hear as the last tolerable days of weather slip past me on our way into a dark and cold winter.

       My one bright note is that I have a group of beginners that I am working with. This past week 2 moms and a gaggle of kids joined me on the outdoor track to learn how to run and love it. I’m teaching them about form and how to run slowly and smoothly to develop good habits that can keep them running for a lifetime. It was a great experience and everyone left with a smile on their face. I can’t wait for their first spring 5K! With a little luck, I will get to run it with them.

Buraksan Mountain: My New Home Trail Run

2010-11-06T04:10:00.002-04:00

I am so excited! I have found a wonderful new trail that will come very close to my love for The Noland Trail in Virginia. It is Buraksan Mountain in Songtan, South Korea.

       Today was my second foray onto the mountain so I was able to go further than last time. I also took my Garmin with me so I could follow the map back home when I got lost and turned around (it doesn’t take much for me to get lost!) Once again the trail was bustling with hikers and power walkers, although I don’t think I saw any actual runners. My dog and I wandered over single and double track and finally found the main trail. The big surprise was that in the middle of the trail was a huge fitness park full of gym equipment!

       Although I have just over a week before I am allowed to run again, I have to admit to letting myself run down a couple of little slopes, mostly to keep my dog from puling me onto my face, but I didn’t need much encouragement. It felt SOOO good to run even a little. I know my foot isn’t quite ready though. The bone may be pretty much healed, but the lazy muscles are not quite ready to go full force.

       I know there are many spectacular trails in Korea and I can’t wait to tackle them all, but having a lovely trail within walking distance is a huge treat. I think I only made it about 1/3 of the way up the mountain because my round trip was 4 miles and the guide map indicated it is over 5K to the top from the trail head, (I live about a mile from where the trail starts.) It will be a great goal for me to be able to run a full round trip to the top of the mountain. That should be a total of about 8 miles round trip with 3 miles up steep track. If the weather holds, next week’s goal will be to make it to the top!

       I should add that I wore my new Vibram Treks and they were awesome! No one even seemed to notice them, although the very large Poodle commands most of the attention when out and about in Korea so I could have been wearing clown hair and no one would have noticed.

       Here are a few pictures from today.

Part of the fitness park and look out tower

The Trail

There were mirrors in several places, but I can't figure out what they are for

I love the Spirit Poles. They are meant to scare away evil spirits, some are scarier than others

I think the squirrels are way scarier than the poles!

We cal them Bunny Squirrels, Lucy calls them a reason to pull Mom down the trail

Lucy meeting some school boys

The girls usually just whip out cell phones for pictures

For my take on the Korean fitness culture and a few more pictures, please see my guest blogger post on:

Old Man Running

Working Hard At Taking It Easy.

2010-09-20T07:47:00.000-04:00

“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.” Thomas Alva Edison

Following my MRI and visit with the orthopedic surgeon, the final diagnosis is better than I had feared. It is not a ligament rupture; it is a plain stress fracture of the Navicular and possibly also the cuboid, two of the chunky bones on the top of your foot at the ankle. It appears the main culprit was running down hills, something I will have to be very careful with in the future. I was surprised that I had cracked the chunky bone rather than the long thin metatarsals, but there are big ligaments that attach to the chunky ones and pull hard enough to fracture them when pulled over and over and over and over.

So for the next 6 weeks (hopefully not extended to 8) I am sporting this lovely fashion statement.

       Now that I have the Boot, I am realizing what good company I am in. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see someone else hobbling around the base in a matching appliance, and I am on a really small base. The hills here are steep and brutal luring many runners to injury.

       In Virginia, the only hills I had were those on the Noland Trail. One trip around the loop had a gain of over 2,000 ft. over the 5+ miles. I ran that trail 3 times in a row right before I left, (a total of a mile each of ascent and decent), so I thought I was ready for hills, but it consisted of dozens of small hills instead of long continuous ones, and it was a dirt trail which is way less stressful on your body than asphalt or concrete. In addition, I was exhausted with jetlag and stressed from the move, I added hills to every run while maintaining my mileage and pace, I was running on sidewalks instead of the road most of the time, and running both up and DOWN hills. And, of course, I’m an over 40 woman. By adding hills to every workout and not backing off on mileage or intensity, I totally exceeded the 10% rule!

       I was asked on my regular running forum, how I thought barefoot running plays into injuries like this my answer was: In the early stages of barefoot running, being actually barefoot (not in a minimal or "barefoot" shoe) protects you from TMTS (too much, too soon), but once your feet are conditioned for the miles, it is just as easy to overdo it in bare feet as in shoes. I think if I had tried to add speed work to every work out, the bottoms of me feet would have let me know before I got hurt, but hills did not add a challenge for the soles of my feet so I didn't have that warning. Plus I have learned to run on very old rough roads and the roads here on Osan Air Base are pristine. I could probably run a full marathon on them without my feet being tender or blistered. Being barefoot neither protected me from, nor caused my stress fractures. I simply exceeded my limits.

       I was also not listening to my body. I've always been opposed to running streaks because people will run no matter how horrible they feel, not wanting to break their streak. I see now that mileage goals are no better. My goal of 1,000 miles for the year is what blinded me to what I was doing to myself. I didn't want to fall behind on my mileage when I had already lost some ground in the previous week due to the move. Physically, I could easily have cut back on miles and still been gaining conditioning because of the hills, but I was so determined to keep my numbers pumped up that I ignored my better sense and kept going.

       I have never thought much about stress fractures, they were something that happened to other people who weren’t paying attention and pushing too hard. I’ve never broken a bone and always been strong so it simply was not something I was looking for and I had no warning. I did not feel tired on that run, I did not feel like my form was off. I had no soreness anywhere. Nothing physically told me I as over doing it. When I felt the pop in my foot, it felt like a spring "sprung," it really wasn't painful at all, just very strange. At that moment I stopped running and my foot began to feel a bit tender, but on a scale of 1-10 it was only a 2. After a minute or so of walking, I tried running again and it didn't feel any worse so I just slowly finished the last couple of minutes back to my hotel. The next day my foot was sore, but after another couple of days it was no longer tender to walk on and I could jog in circles around my house without pain so I went for a short run. Everything was fine for about 15 minutes and then it suddenly became VERY sore. It actually hurt worse to walk than to run so I turned around and ran back to my car. After that the level of soreness did not waiver. I could not walk, let alone run, so I knew I had really done something this time and went to see a doctor.

       I have been questioned about whether or not my rheumatoid arthritis was a factor in the fracture, but I am confident that if RA was to blame for my stress fracture it would have happened while I was marathon training, in the marathon, or for sure at the 24-Hour Relay. I cannot blame it on anything but my own lack of judgment. I have used some cortical steroids to treat RA, but rarely and not in high doses or for long periods of time. My bones do not show thinning and I have put them to the test before. This is not an RA related injury and in my life the benefits of running still vastly outweigh the risk of injury.

       What I'm hoping to really push is the fact that hills are much more stressful than running on flats so if someone moves from a flat to a hilly area, or goes on vacation from their flat city to the mountains, this is something they really need to watch out for. I knew hills were more stressful, but I hadn't really connected the dots on HOW much more strain they were putting on my body. If I had treated them with the 10% rule and considered 10% as no more than 10% of the running time up or down a hill and no more than 10% of my weekly time totals, instead of just thinking of them as not that much of the total distance, I would probably not be in a boot. I had never heard of anyone getting a stress fracture from running hills and thought I was taking it easy enough by doing some of my running in flat areas. Sometimes these things sneak up on us, but now everyone that has read this blog will hopefully tuck away this grain of information so that if they are ever faced with more hills than usual, it will pop up and remind them that somewhere they read about someone getting a stress fracture from running hills.

       The other lesson I want to stress here is: When something in your foot pops, STOP and do not proceed until you have seen a doctor that has experience diagnosing stress fractures. The general practitioner I saw at first was great, but he didn't know how to manipulate the foot to determine a stress fracture so I was walking around on a broken foot for 2 more weeks (yep, a total of a month walking around on a stress fracture, OUCH!)

       The good news is, I'm cleared for cardio in the gym as long as I can do it with the boot and AND it doesn’t hurt. Since it did hurt my foot to do spin class before, I have been holding back and not going to class, just sticking to the stationary bikes in the cardio room at the gym, but I did sneak in between classes and give it a whirl. I could stand to pedal with the boot on, but I think I need to at least give my foot a couple of weeks of peace before I push it that hard so I will wait a bit to resume spin class. Additionally, I have added to my supplements. I am not usually one to pop pills for nutrition, but some things we just can’t get enough of. I was already taking loads of Vit D, but I have now added calcium and magnesium to make sure I'm getting plenty to build new bone. I see the orthopedic surgeon again later next month and I will sign up for physical therapy to get started on a good and healthy track. The boot isn't so bad, it makes it much easier to walk (it has a rocker on the bottom like all the new power walking shoes, LOL) and keeps my foot from hurting. I am maintaining my goal of at least 5 hour of cardio a week plus some weights and I have actually lost weight, (although my pants are a bit more snug so I know I am losing muscle, not the fat I would like to lose). It is rather disconcerting to see that my right calf is already significantly smaller than my left, but I am definitely not the first person to have to rebuild a muscle after casting so I know it will be back to normal eventually.

       It is killing me to look out from my window and see hills that I know are full of hiking trails (Koreans are very into fitness) and not be able to run them while the weather is beautiful. Of course, I have already found a “Return to Running after Injury” training plan and cannot wait to get to it! Patience, patience, patience! Just 4 ½ more weeks…

Injury blues

2010-08-21T01:08:00.000-04:00

“I'll have a full recovery - that's the utmost physically my body has the ability to heal. Then I will push about 20 percent further, through sheer mental tenacity. If you're not prepared for that, go elsewhere.” Posted on a Bethesda Naval Hospital door by a Navy Seal.

         I am injured. This time it isn’t shin splints, a pulled muscle, over tired legs, black toenails, or blisters. It is a real injury, brought on by running real hills and up and down real stairs, by increasing my mileage and significantly increasing my intensity all at the same time. I know…I should know better. Part of my problem is I didn’t want to lose ground on my 1,000 miles for 2010 challenge, which reminds me why these kinds of goals of miles or streaks are dangerous. They push us to ignore our bodies and keep going. My body sent me a mild reminder with sore calves the first week. I ignored it and kept pushing. Thursday I broke down and went to see a doctor, who said, “Hmmm” and ordered x-rays. The doc called back at 8:30 Saturday morning to tell me he thinks I have a Lisfranc injury. Seriously? Who is Lis Franc and what did I ever do to her? A Google search later I am crossing my fingers, lighting candles, and praying in any way I can think of that this doesn’t require surgery to fix! First thing Monday morning I have to get more x-rays, this time weight bearing, to determine if putting weight on my foot makes the bones move apart (that would be a bad thing.) I will also see the orthopedic doc and am still on for an MRI.
       I have never been so frustrated by not being able to run. There is a whole new world right out my front door and I can’t get to it! I would walk and go on a photo safari, but I can’t even walk right now. Only people that are used to a lot of exercise understand what this does to you mentally. I know I can regain any physical losses, but at this moment the mental stress of not having my number one form of relief taken away is making me crazy! I need to run.
       After moping around and being terribly depressed because I can’t run my race next week, I decided to hit the gym. Last week I tried the recumbent bike, one of my favorites for easy cross training days, but even with an episode of Battlestar Galactica to watch, it was just too boring and not hard enough. Then I tried the elliptical trainer. I can put enough weight on the foot for that, but I just couldn’t get my heart rate up enough and again, SO BORING! Yesterday, however, I tried spin class for the first time.
       I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. My race times are respectable. I can run 10 miles at the drop of a hat and I can run a 3:45x400 a few times in a row, so I’m no slacker. I also knew going in that cycling uses different muscles, but figured I wouldn’t be totally humiliated. Yeh, right. Let’s just say my new goal is to be able to get through this one hour class without having to take an unscheduled break! Not being able to stay up on the pedals because I cannot yet support that much weight on my foot was a lovely excuse, but I doubt I could have done it anyway.
       This is my magic ticket. My heart rate was high, I was sweating and puffing, and I realized this must be a regular part of my routine even when I am back up to full mileage. As runners we know we should cross train, that our quads need building and our core needs to be pumped, but how many of us really take the time to do it right. I think about it, once in a while I poke at it, but I have never really taken the time to build myself up so that I feel as competent working my quads or core as I do running a race. So now is the time. I plan to come out the other end of this injury stronger than when I got hurt. I plan to run a better race, set new PRs, and improve my form; all while taking a forced break from running.
       Injuries can take us down for a while. They can mess with our heads, chip away at our VO2 Max, and undermine our training plans, we can either roll over and take the loses or we can use this time to build strength in other areas. I still have a race on the docket for October. That gives me lots of time to heal, if not a lot of time left to train. However, if I can keep my cardio up and build strength in areas that need shoring up, AND I don’t need surgery, I should still be able to finish with a respectable time. Or, wait for the next race, there is always another around the corner…

Land of the Morning Calm

2010-08-10T04:29:00.000-04:00

       I still feel like we got off the plane yesterday, but we have now been in Korea for two weeks. So far it is mostly involved jumping through all the hoops required of the military, but we have ventured out the gate a little to check out the shopping, and buy cell phones, and are moving into our new home tomorrow (provided the typhoon that hits tonight doesn’t prevent us.)

       All my running has been on base. Not because I don’t feel safe, it is just easier to stay on base for now. I am excited about checking out the local trails and getting familiar with the neighborhood around our house once we move into it, but we just bought a car yesterday and haven’t had much chance to go sightseeing.

       Running on base has been a great challenge though. It is very hilly here, not to mention hot and more humid than Florida! One morning I headed out into fog, despite it being over 80 degrees. I didn’t even think that was possible. It was like running in a steam room. The hills have been great though. At first my left Achilles was really sore from walking all day on steep inclines, but that has settled down and I’m getting more comfortable with the hills.

Running the flight line is great too. It is a 6 mile loop around the air strip that is clean, smooth pavement. Apparently the in thing in Korea is to put down a rubber surface made of ground tires to pad jogging paths. About a mile of the trail near the fitness center is surfaced with it. It is kind of cool stuff, but I would rather run on dirt. There are lots of sidewalks though, something that was seriously lacking in our last home town, so it is easy to avoid traffic and feel safe from traffic.

Out around the flight line things get interesting. I’ve passed groups marching in full combat gear, big camouflaged rocket launchers surrounded by flowers and big white birds, and a corridor where all I can see is the fence on either side of the road topped with endless coils of razor wire

and the occasional cement closet to shoot from.

I’m pretty used to this sort of stuff so it interests me more than it bothers me. I feel safe running the flight line, knowing every part of it is watched for intruders. Best of all there is almost no traffic on the road and it is free of trash or debris. I’m sure I will come back often to run here.

A couple of days ago I traveled up to Seoul to meet my new running club. It was a great visit and quite an adventure, (that included getting back to the bus home with 3 minutes to spare!) I am really excited to run with this group and experience racing in Korea. I am registered for 2 half marathons already, one at the end of this month and another in October. The race this month will be hilly, but beautiful. It is in the DMZ where they have set up a park with hiking trails. I’m not sure about the October race, but the military is sponsoring 150 runners so the race fees and bus are paid for. Woo-hoo, free race! Cut off time for the half is 2 ½ hours so I won’t be mid pack on this one.
For my RA followers, this move has been the best so far. Other than a slight shoulder flare from carrying heavy stuff too far, keeping up with my running has kept things under control. I've been tired and wiped out a lot of the time, but so has the rest of the family so I think it is more a let lag issue than an RA issue.
Things are moving along, we are slowly getting settled and finding a routine. The next chapter in our life has begun!

One last race in Virginia

2010-08-02T06:36:00.000-04:00

Saturday, July 24th, I finally got to meet Rich Walkden and his wife, Anne! They flew down from Vermont to run the Operation Homefront 5K on Fort Story, VA with me. On Friday, when they arrived in Norfolk, Rusty and I just happened to be at the airport picking up our rental car so we got to meet one day early, which was cool because it reassured everyone that none of us were axe murderers :-).

Saturday morning I met them up at the Waffle House across the street from their hotel at 5:45, where Rich and Anne tanked up on coffee, and then we headed to the race start. Despite getting slightly lost because we were talking and not paying attention to where we were going, we managed to get to Fort Story in plenty of time to check in and warm up. There we met Sam, another barefoot runner, and headed off on a warm up. Again, chatter took over and we ran a brisk 2 mi. warm up before we knew it, oops, LOL.

     The race started at 7:30, which was a good thing because it was already stinking hot and sticky! I suggested an 8 mpm pace, thinking they guys might not want to run that slow, but they took me up on the offer and we joined the group at the race start. Anne is new to running so she placed herself further back. We probably should have taken off a little slower, but with a good warm up behind us, I thought keeping an even pace would be good. We were passing people fairly steadily when I heard, “Hey, I just got passed by a girl, in a pink skirt and bare feet!” I hollered back, “You also just got passed by a guy in a red skirt and bare feet!” which brought winded chuckles from the surrounding crowd. (Rich runs in a very cool sport kilt.)

     We sailed past the first water stop without partaking of the H20. I had a hand bottle and I think the guys thought they could just tough it out. About half a mile later, they were regretting it since we popped out of the shade and onto a very sunny loop. Somewhere on that loop we lost Sam. The heat had gotten him and he wasn’t doing well with the rough pavement. Apparently Sam is more accustomed to pristine asphalt :-). I thought it was a pretty choice course, but I’m used to a neighborhood with chip seal so apparently I’m a little tougher than I thought. While Sam tossed his cookies, Rich and I plodded on. Somewhere before the 2 mile water stop I lost Rich. I had been checking for him over my shoulder frequently, but as it got hot and I got more tired, I started focusing on my form and pace and the next time I looked back he was gone. Virginia Beach in the summer is a tad warmer than Vermont and the thermometer was on a steady march to “hot day in Hell” so Rich flagged and took a break.

      At about 2.5 miles I was a cooked goose. My heart rate was out of control so I decided to walk, catch my breath and let my pulse simmer down a bit. By the time I picked up the pace again, I had lost close to a minute and knew my goal time was history. I wasn’t too worried about it though. It was blazing hot and I had been sick all week on top of moving out of the house and into a hotel with only about 5 hours of sleep a night for the past week. Basically, anything below 30 minutes was going to be a victory. At the same time, I still wanted to do my best, and frankly the place medals looked pretty cool, LOL.

     I walked until I hit the shade again, and then picked up my feet for the final half mile. Fortunately, it was early enough that the pavement wasn’t hot or I would have turned that around and run the sunny part, walking in the shade. As hot as it was at not yet 8 am, the shade offered little difference in temperature, but it was enough to pop back to my pace and finish. They were calling out times as we crossed the line and I heard, “25:24!” WHOOT! I really didn’t care that the elusive “sub-25” slipped through my fingers once again. This race was about meeting friends and finding out just what I can do with a wicked head cold :-). Turns out, head colds don’t slow me down much! I even won the cool medal for 3rd place in the 40-49 age group! Rich finished not far behind me in 27:42, which I believe was a PR. Anne did great too, she was disappointed that she wasn’t able to run the whole way, but the heat really got to her too. She managed a good running finish though and was still ahead of several people in our age group, GO ANNE!

     We hung out for door prizes and Anne won a cool blown glass sculpture (which she then had to fit into her back pack for the trip home) and then waved good-bye to Sam before heading back to the Waffle House. We indulged in a hearty breakfast while talking each other’s ears off and then it was back to the airport for Rich and Anne.

     The whole day was a spectacularly good time. Rich and Anne are great people and we never ran out of things to talk about. It was the perfect break between the chaos of leaving one home and moving to another. I couldn’t have found a better way to spend the day!

Good-Bye Noland Trail

2010-07-15T20:58:00.001-04:00

"There comes a pause, for human strength will not endure to dance without cessation; and everyone must reach the point at length of absolute prostration." **Lewis Carroll**

Saturday morning was gray, dripping, and a steamy 80 degrees. I needed to get in a long run, but the thought of 10 miles on wet pavement with bare feet or in soggy VFFs was not inspiring. Running in mud, however sounded like a great idea so I headed out to my favorite trail. If you ever find yourself in Newport News, VA and want to see a little nature, this is the place for it.

I arrived at the trail around 7:30 am, thinking it would be deserted compliments of the rain, but everyone had the same idea. The parking lot was a beehive of activity, people were stretching, organizing their dogs, and topping off water bottles at the fountain. Unfortunately, it hadn’t rained as hard on the trail as it had at my house so the ground was fairly dry, not the playful mud I had hoped for, but still good for running.

The Noland Trail winds around an inlet off the James River with 14 wood bridges crossing the water at various places and giving spectacular views.

Of course, this means hils. Steep grades down to, and back up from, the bridges or galloping up and down from the water’s edge to the next wooded crest. No picture ever really captures the intensity of an incline so nothing here does the difficulty of this trail justice, but I think it is the best hill training on the peninsula! Which isn’t actually saying much, but it is still a great place to run.

About 5 minutes into my first lap I realized I was over dressed. Thank goodness for running bras that are designed to be worn alone. I stripped off my tech shirt and instantly felt better. Of course, my paste white tummy exposed meant I would run into large numbers of people I knew.

I knew this was my last run on The Noland Trail and that I would miss my time here greatly. The trail is a touch over a 5 mile loop and running it has been a great indicator of my progress. The first time I ran it non stop in under an hour I was elated! Anyone that has run it can tell you that you plan to add a good 1.5 to 2 minutes per mile to your pace compared to running on a flat street. On this day, I was taking it slow. I stopped to take pictures, chatted with friends, and really took the time to just enjoy my run without watching my Garmin for pace, time, or heart rate. I just ran.

This is such a tranquil place, there are always birds chirping, squirrels playing chase, and the occasional lazy snake crossing the path. I thoroughly enjoyed the rain pattered through the trees, chasing each other down the leaves to drop with a splash on the trail ahead of me. The air almost immediately absorbed it, turning the whole place into a steaming forest that felt primeval. You can’t let your mind wander too far though because the twists, turns, hills and chunks of wood to protect the trail from erosion makes for some tricky footing. Thankfully, small tree stumps and roots are painted orange so they are hard to miss, but it is easy to get caught up in the wildlife and forget to look down. I’ve never taken a bad spill here, but I’ve stumbled more than once and seen people with bloody knees and elbows emerge from the trail, muttering choice words under their breath.

The majority of the trail is packed dirt, but the steeper sections have fin gravel that can be a bit abrasive on the feet, especially if you aren’t careful and scuff or slide going up or down the hills. The first time I ran this trail barefoot, I made it 4 miles before I stopped to put on shoes. I was too late though, my feet already had several blisters each. Now I can run it more than once the same day without pain or blisters.

On part of the trail, there is an area where the path is covered in broken oyster shells. It is very pretty, but also VERY challenging for a barefoot runner. The first time I came through this area I had to run on the grass at the side of the path or walk carefully over the unavoidable sections (which are short).

       I can now run this part with relative ease. I do have to keep a sharp eye out and maintain my focus, but it only slows me down a little and adds an interesting element to the run.

       At the end of my planned 2 laps I was feeling great. Every mile had been a blast so I wasn’t mentally worn out either. As I stood talking to a friend, it started raining again, a good gully washer this time. I decided not to miss the fun! Quickly, I refilled my depleted water bottles and head out for one more lap. The rain didn’t last long, but I found a few muddy spots and savored the cooler air.

        It was a fantastic 15 miles that left me utterly spent, a wonderful way to say good-bye to my favorite running haunt. I hope I am able to come back someday and enjoy it again, until then it is time to rest and move on to new adventures.

Yorktown Battlefield Independence Day 8K

2010-07-06T09:48:00.000-04:00

"Luck is being ready for the chance"   **J. Frank Doble**
     July 4th arrived with spectacular weather and the promise of a fantastic race day that did not disappoint! My goal for this race was to stay ahead of a 9 mpm pace and place in the top ten so I would have at least one point to get on my running club’s Grand Prix board. I have plenty of volunteer points, but your volunteer points cannot exceed your running points and with marathon training, and other assorted life events, I have not had the chance to run in a Grand Prix race. Since we fly out for Korea the last week in July, this was my last chance to score a running point.

     This 8K is generally a big race for a local venue. Last year there were nearly 450 runners and that doesn’t count the 5K fun run/walk that bleeds off all the slow pokes. The course is on the tourist road through the battle fields so the road is a horribly chewed surface that even people in thick running shoes complain about. I foolishly ran it barefoot last year, when I was new to barefoot running and not at all up to such a rough surface. When the course turned off the road and onto a gravel path I was sunk! When I finally hobbled across the finish line, an hour and 14 minutes after the start, I was the last person in my age group to finish.

     I knew I would have a better time this year. Even barefoot I would have improved, but since I wanted to score Grand Prix points, I decided to run in Vffs. They allow me to be more relaxed and I wanted to really enjoy my last race with the Peninsula Track Club. Since last year’s age group place winners all averaged close to an 8 minute mile pace I had no real hope of placing in the top three, but I knew I could easily score a point or two. My goal was to finish the 5 miles in less than 45 minutes

     I got off to a slow start. Placing myself too far back in the pack didn’t help, but I usually take off too fast so it’s all good. I also goofed up my Garmin so I can only guess at my first mile, but it wasn’t pretty. I didn’t warm up long enough because the porta potty lines were crazy long and this added to the sluggishness for the first couple of miles. Fortunately, once I got rolling I spent the rest of the race passing people. I never stopped to walk, not even on the long uphill slopes where about half the people I passed had dropped into “death march” mode. I just increased my cadence and trundled on.

     My Garmin was set to chirp out half mile laps so I knew I was keeping a decent pace, but the trees were really messing with the GPS so I never knew from moment to moment how I was doing. It was okay though, and probably helped. I just focused on running a pace I felt I could sustain and reminded myself I could only expect to do my best and have fun.

     As I approached the finish line I was thrilled to see the clock still said 44:xx and kicked it up one last notch for a sprint finish. I was thrilled with my 44:38 finish time! I met my person goal and felt well the whole run with no pain and no sudden stiffening after the race.

     The results were posted at one point, but I didn’t even bother to look. I would find out soon enough how many points I scored (you get a point for 10th place, 2 for 9th, etc.) and I was too busy talking to the many people that I will sorely miss when we move. When it was time for the awards ceremony, I cheered and clapped for my friends that placed but wasn’t at all expecting to hear my own name. “Women, 40-44, 3rd place, Wendy Nail!” What????? Whoot! I was so shocked I didn’t even hear my official time called out. It was such a great way to finish my time with PTC. I will see them all once more at the summer picnic the week before we fly, but running is what our group is all about and race days are how I will remember everyone best.

     48 hours after the race: Looking through the final results is making me laugh out loud. It is a total fluke that I won third place. The same pace (8:59) last year would have only pulled 5th place in my age group and had I been running in the next age group up it would have been 8th, next age group down would have been 9th. It was pretty much dumb luck that none of the fast runners in my age group showed up, but I still beat 13 others and am very glad they decided to take it easy on Sunday so I could have a beer glass.

Glass? What glass?

2010-06-18T11:09:00.001-04:00

This is an article I wrote for the Barefoot Runner's Society

“There's nothing neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.”

~William Shakespeare

       One of the first things a barefoot runner is asked by any shod runner they encounter is, “What about glass!?!” I admit, I was a bit worried about this myself when I decided to try barefoot running. In my first weeks of walking, I managed to pick up a tiny crumb of glass up near my toes. No big deal, my dad picked it out for me (yep, 40 years old with my foot in dad’s hands to have my boo-boo fixed, LOL). He gave me a raised eyebrow, “Are you sure this is a good idea?” look, but didn’t say much else. The next month, when I had kicked it up a notch and was running, I picked up another crumb of glass. Keep in mind, on both occasions it wasn’t a big enough piece to stop the run, and I definitely wasn’t bleeding. I was beginning to think this would be a monthly occurrence and began contemplating a shift to minimal shoes instead of barefoot. As the month rolled over, I was expecting my next piece of glass to follow me home. When I felt the expected prick, I hunted around with a needle and tweezers for days, but never found anything. Hmmm, phantom glass.

       I was holding onto the hope that the barefoot runners groups were right, and once I learned to step lightly, I wouldn’t exert enough pressure when contacting the ground to push glass through the skin. It seemed reasonable enough, since one can gingerly pick up bits of a broken glass from the kitchen floor without shedding blood, but the thought of my running lighter than the bone shattering heel stomp I grew up with left me a bit uncertain.

       The good news is, since then I have not picked up another piece of glass in my feet! I’ve never lacerated my foot on a shard, embedded a crumb, or slit a plantar artery. Glass has not been an issue. I have been poked pretty harshly by a stick buried in the grass (which is why I have an aversion to grass – I cannot see through it) and I have had a uncomfortable run-in with a sweet gum ball, but in over 350 barefoot miles, I’ve never had to limp home from an injury that would have been prevented by shoes. I occasionally feel a bit of a prick and pause to brush off my feet, but nothing goes through the rubbery, smooth skin that has developed on my soles.

       Fast forward to this past week. I was out running and thoroughly enjoying the warm pavement as my mind drifted through the bizarre month I had come through, when I suddenly noticed I was running through the remnants of a brown beer bottle. It didn't catch my attention right away as the glass was dark brown and in the shade, but glancing down I saw the tattered label with bits of glass stuck to it and realized I was surrounded by glass for 3 feet in every direction. Thankfully, I didn't stiffen or change my form when I realized it, or I probably would have hit the brakes and slammed my foot into the pavement. I simply stayed my course and waited apprehensively for the inevitable prick of pain heralding a crumb of glass breaking the skin barrier. Nothing happened.

       I have looked into the abyss and no longer fear the sharp teeth of glass. I can stand proud with my fellow barefoot runners and honestly say, the histrionic warnings of the shod are poppycock. Okay, I already knew that, but it is fun to say “poppycock.”

Bull Island 4 Miler

2010-06-06T20:45:00.000-04:00

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” **Aldous Huxley**

          I have been waiting a year for the 2nd annual Bull Island 4 miler in my current home town of Poquoson, VA. In 2009, at the race’s inaugural event, I was just starting to feel good about racing. I had run my first sub 30 5K and had been working all winter on extending my endurance for my first half marathon. I was a brand new member of the Peninsula Track Club, who was timing the race, so I was also enjoying meeting the members and beginning to feel like part of the local running community.

         This year a few things were different. I’m a much more seasoned racer, I know tons of people at the local races, and I have given up traditional running shoes. On the other hand, unlike last year, it was blazing hot and the mosquitoes were out in force. Before the race even started people had given up, not even wanting to try in this heat. I was feeling like I had a slight edge in this case since I have been running mid-day for the last few weeks and am fairly acclimated to the heat.

          The road we were running on is one that has flooded recently and many houses are being repaired so I ran the route a few days ahead of the race to check out the viability of running in barefoot. The asphalt was good, but there were a lot of loose rocks and other debris. I was also worried about how hot the road would get since there was no shade and no grass on the edge of the road to retreat to if I felt like it was getting too hot. With all this in mind, I decided to wear my huaraches. The sole material I chose is very thin, flexible, light weight, and not impervious to rocks, but they did fine on the training run. Needless to say they got a lot of attention at the race start. “Are you running in THOSE?!” One guy yelled, “Cool huaraches!” He told me later he had planned on running in racing flats, but after seeing my huaraches, decided to go bare. It must have worked for him because he won 3rd place overall for the men. The best part of that was knowing I’m not longer the only barefoot runner in town! I hope to run with Elijah again soon!

          The race itself was miserable. I have to laugh at my complaints about the heat and humidity for last year’s race because we would all have killed to have those relatively cool, bug free temperatures again. Unfortunately, I feel like I have lost a lot of speed over the last few months while focusing on distance. I set a much too ambitious goal for my last 5K and burned out so I wanted to set a goal I could stick with and decided that 9 minute miles would be a good place to start under the conditions thinking, if I felt good after the first couple of miles, I could kick it up. I ran a one mile warm up, which served me well because I felt really sluggish at first and needed to get the blood moving in my muscles.

          I didn’t take off too fast, but it took a lot of will power to hold my pace in that heat. I had decided to carry my own drink so at the water stop I just dumped it over my head and kept running. My knee didn’t hurt at all, but I knew from the last couple of weeks that if I stopped and walked, it was going to stiffen up so I kept on running. I had started out pretty far back in the pack, but steadily passed overheated runners one by one. My final finishing time was 35:41, almost a full minute per mile faster than last year! This moved me up from 6th place last year to 2nd (once again missing first by a frustratingly small margin.)

          Just like last year, the best part of the race was beer and pancakes afterwards. Any other time that combination sounds revolting, but after a hard race it is the perfect recovery meal!

          Walking back to my car after the awards ceremony, I was stopped by a couple that said they had seen me running around town. Of course, they thought I was nuts at first, but after a few minutes of answering their questions, they were intrigued and ready to look into it more.

Slacking off

2010-05-24T16:13:00.000-04:00

“Our nature consist in motion; complete rest is death.”

**Blaise Pascal**

       What a crazy month I have been through! So many changes. We have been adjusting to Hubby being home from Afghanistan, jumping through the many hoops it takes to transfer overseas, packed up all of our oldest child’s belongings and hauled them to her new apartment in Florida. Finished the arrangements and attended her wedding, and then beat feet back to Virginia to get our youngest to final rehearsals and performance for the end of the year in Orchestra. Needless to say, running has not been on the top of my list.

      Between recovering from the marathon in March, the ultra in April, and the wedding trip in May, my training miles have been way too limited and my miles per week average has slipped frustratingly low. The stumble, and plain old miles, at Sandy Bottom got to my knee which has also worked to limit my mileage. It has been wildly frustrating to actually have some time to run here and there, and desperately needing it mentally, only to get cut short by a sore knee. In 3 years of running, this is my first knee issue so I was starting from scratch with my research, having never paid attention to complaints about ITBS or runner’s knee.

       I bought a foam roller, which turned out to be one of the most painful exercises I have ever tried. Learned the appropriate yoga poses, added more stretches to my routine (and actually did them), iced, rested, and got back to doing squats. Nothing seemed to help at all. My knee stayed the same level of sore no matter what. Running or not running didn’t seem to matter much, although I did discover running fast was better than running slow, so I did intervals and fartleks. Once in a while my knee would feel a little unstable, like the tendons and ligaments were sloppy, so I played very close attention to form and made sure I didn’t get lax or lose focus.

      I don’t know what finally broke the dam, but I woke up Friday morning with no knee pain at all after running two days in a row through soreness, (not sharp pain, just tenderness.) I took a rest day and ran 7 miles on Saturday and 4 more on Sunday. Finally! A 20 mile week! My knee is so much better. I’m not sure if it is the foam roller, squats, stretches, or what, but I will keep doing them all! I have to admit, I had become very flaky about stretching and wanted very much to believe it didn’t make a difference to injury, but I know now that stretching is going to be a key part of my fitness routine. I suppose there are people out there that are naturally flexible and can get away with never stretching, but I’m definitely not one of them.

       Today is another rest day, but I am looking forward to tomorrow’s run. My goal is 5 miles, aerobic pace, and enjoyable. I think the break from running has been beneficial to me mentally. Although I craved running, I was a little burned out after the ultra and needed to find the joy in it again. If all goes as planned, I will start marathon training again in July for a November marathon in Korea. But then, nothing every goes off as planned in my life…..

Never give up!

2010-05-02T09:36:00.000-04:00

          I had a fun run today. It was a fund raiser for the High School track team so lots and lots of teenagers. Warming up on the track, I had the usual funny looks and questions, “Are you racing barefoot??” YUP! Early in the race I got stuck behind about 6 teenage girls running shoulder to shoulder and asked to get through. They happily made room for me, apologizing and being very friendly. As I passed them I hear. "Hey! Look at that!" "Whoa, she isn't wearing shoes!" "She's barefoot!" "AND SHE'S PASSING US!!" Heard lots more whispers punctuated with the word barefoot, always funny. I was hoping for 8 minute mile max, but I’m not fully recovered from the 50 miler 2 weeks ago so I flamed out half way through the race. Once I had walked, my heart wasn’t in it and I slowed down more than I needed too, I would regret that.

        The course was through a housing area so the asphalt was great, but the path consisted of about 4 out and backs going up side streets, around a chair and back down. Coming up on the finishing chute I could hear someone on my heels and picked up the pace not to be passed. He picked it up too and we duked it out, but I stayed ahead of him and hit the chute first. I was moving so fast I couldn't slow down before crashing into the person in front of me, LOL. We laughed and thanked each other for the final kick. I didn't think I would win anything since the age groups were 10 year spans and I lost so much time in the second half, but I managed a 3rd place medal and got to walk to the front in my bare feet :-)

        I did have some questions and talked to a lady in a boot because she bought Newtons and gave herself a stress fracture over doing it and not transitioning properly (the folks that make those need to include an instruction book!). Someone asked to look at the bottoms of my feet, but unfortunately I have some mild calluses from running in shoes over the winter that are sloughing off so my feet don't look as pristine as they usually do.

        It felt great to run my first 5K in months, even though I wasn't really ready for it. I just looked at the results. The down side is the difference between my time and first place for my age group was 18 seconds, and second place for Women’s Masters was 26 seconds. I could have come in easily 30 seconds sooner if I hadn’t let my pace get to me and given up. Should have, would have, could have, isn’t what does it though and I simply didn’t bring it to the race mentally, my bad.

On the up side:

A) If the age groups had been 5 year groupings like they usually are, I would have had first place.

B) My third place was out of 25 runners in my age group!

C) The guy I sprinted frantically to stay ahead of and beat to the finishing chute was 24 years old, LOL. Hmmm, I wonder how he felt when he saw it was a 41 year old that whooped him, LOL

       So I don’t feel so bad about the time after all. I'll run a 4 miler next month and put my money where my mouth is!

American Cancer Society 24-Hour Relay for Life

2010-04-19T15:39:00.001-04:00

In April of 2009, I joined my husband’s office team in the American Cancer Society 24-Hour Relay for Life. Hubby and I walked a lap (3.75 miles) on Saturday then went back in the wee hours of Sunday and I ran 3 more. I decided then that I would be back next year for 35 miles and someday I would get a 50 mile plaque.

       Fast forward to April 2010 and there I was, at the back of a small pack of Ultra Marathon runners, knowing I would be far away for next year’s race, and that this was probably my one shot for a plaque. I promised myself I would start slow and keep it that way so I walked the first mile and then set my Garmin to beep at me if my heart rate went over 151 BPM (my max is 206 if you want to do the math). Everything was going along swimmingly, we had lots of people, some running as single runners, some in teams like mine where the group wanted to rack up as many miles as possible, and some running a true “one man on the track at a time” relay. The track was shaped like a backwards P so the first ¾ mile or so was the same piece of road as the last. Everyone was chatty and friendly, filled with smiles and waves, friends greeting friends, and people cheering each other on. It really was the most fantastic group I have ever run with!

       The first few laps were great. I was feeling great, the weather was great, my time was moving along great and my hope of meeting my goal was great, I was a very happy camper! Between each lap, I took at least a 10 minute break and put my feet up while noshing on sports gels, or crackers. Each time I passed the lap counting table there were different members of my track club waving hello and cheering. It was fun to see who would turn up next and gave me one more thing to look forward to at the end of each lap.

       After the first 3 laps, I decided to change from my VFFs to trail shoes, mostly just to change things up before I had a problem, but also because my feet were feeling a bit battered, and because it was beginning to rain seriously. The path we were following was and old gravel road with rocks ranging from the size of a pea to the size of my fist, and often they were set it the dirt with one unforgiving corner sticking up to catch a toe or dig into an arch. Ultra runners do not complain about rough terrain, but if we talked about feet, it was the rocks that were cursed. Half way around the lap in my trail shoes my ankles started to hurt, a lot. It was all I could do to keep running. I would have taken them off and run bare, but the rocks were way too wicked for my feet. All I wanted to do was get the lap over with and get back into my VFFs! Strangely, the rain never really bothered me. It wasn’t terribly cold and the trees kept most of it off of us. We had the rain fly from our tent stretched over the table to keep stuff dry and my body was pretty much soaked with sweat anyway. At least the rain relieved the oppressive humidity that had been pressing down on us for the first few hours.

       I started slowing down a little after lap 5. I had been maintaining close to a lap an hour with breaks and had covered almost 19 miles so I relaxed for a while, ate a peanut butter sandwich, and stared lap 6 at about 1pm. The weather was really starting to heat up. Our predicted high was around 70, but it ended up around 80 once the rain clouds cleared and the sun started beating down in earnest. Fortunately, most of the trail was in the woods with just one stretch that was really exposed and sunny. During this lap my husband called to tell me he and my daughter were at the camp. Last year it was a true camp with tents and elaborate set ups to support the runners. This year they wouldn’t allow tents, but people still had awnings and tables full of food and drinks, and were ready to roll out sleeping bags for the night time hours.

       With Hubby to keep me company, we walked a lap to give my legs a break. My hip flexors were screaming and my quads were already getting sore, but the lap of easy walking really helped give me fresh energy and calmed the complaints of my legs. After another all too brief break, Rusty and I decided to run the next lap. Off we went at our slow slogging pace, waving to people we knew or had gotten to know, asking about what lap they were on, saying “Good job!” and continuing on. The end of lap 7 meant I had covered the distance of a full marathon and was just over the half way point! I had used up only 1/3 of my hours and felt good about my time. While we were out, my daughter blew up the air mattress for me so I was able to lie down and elevate my legs for a while before setting out again.

       Lap 8 behind me meant 30 miles done and time to get some dinner! We called a pick up order in to Pizza Hut and I ate two pieces immediately. There are certain times in your life when pizza tastes like Ambrosia of the gods, this was definitely one of them! I dropped Hubby and kid at home and took my pizza back to camp. At this point, the most ambitious member of our team was finishing her 12th lap. She is training for her first full Ironman and could easily have done 75 miles, but she wanted to be done by night fall so she wouldn’t risk getting hurt in the dark and mess up the half ironman she is doing in 3 weeks. By sunset, Brandi had packed up her 50 mile plaque and was gone.

       With too much pizza in my stomach, I started out on lap 9. I was really beginning to drag at this point and not paying attention to what I was doing when I stumbled on a tree root. I have no idea how I managed to catch myself because all I remember was the ground coming at my face and somehow getting my foot underneath me to stop it. It would have probably been the end of the day for me if I had hit the ground because I had both hands out in front of me and surely would have broken something if I had kept going down. Back on my feet I felt okay, other than a little shaken up. I knew I had pulled and jammed a few things and hoped it wouldn’t come back to haunt me later in the race.

       I only vaguely remember lap 10. The sun was setting and I was cursing the fact that I didn’t think to take my flash light as it got darker and darker. I managed to catch a group of walkers near the end and enjoyed the light of their beams for the last mile to camp. 37.5 miles done!

      Now it was seriously dark, but there were still a lot of people out so it wasn’t too creepy. The crowd had thinned down considerably with many people having enjoyed the day and a few laps and headed home. Considering the number of people out there, it was lonelier than you would think. Everyone had strict paces set and joining another runner or walker for any length of time meant sacrificing your own pace to match theirs. A few times I slowed down to enjoy the company of walkers for a while, but there were few runners that go as slow an me and I didn’t want to risk putting too much energy into any one lap to keep up with them, even if I could have. By now there were walkers, shufflers, and the true relay runners that would blow past us like wraiths in the dark, the light from their head lamps sliding by like a train on a prairie. Their approach was heralded only by the crunch of the rocks behind me and then they would disappear into the blackness ahead of me. But for the most part my laps in the dark were alone. I had even abandoned my MP3 player, preferring to be alert to the sounds around me.

       Growing up, I was terrified of the dark and this paralyzing fear stayed with me until I had my first child so I was shocked when I realized I was on the darkest stretch through the woods and not completely freaked out. Looking forwards and back, there was no sign of another runner, not a single glow of a flashlight or head lamp, not a speck of light from the occasional glow sticks to mark the trail, not a single sign of human life beyond the pale glow of my little LED penlight. I felt peaceful and safe. I didn’t even panic when I suddenly heard loud splashing in the canal alone the path. Swinging my light in the direction of the noise, it illuminated a small heard of deer who were much more terrified by the light in the dark than I was by their noisy splashing. I’d like to think my brain registered that loud noises meant something was running away and not sneaking up, but I suspect my brain was simply too dead tired to react.

       I stumbled into camp after lap 12 hungry, sore and exhausted. The jarring stumble on the root in lap 9 was starting to rear its ugly head as a swelling knee. It was after 11pm, long past my bedtime, and I still had 5 miles left to go. The temperatures had been falling all evening and somewhere around sunset the wind had started blowing. By this time it was howling and the stretch of path that had been in full hot sun in the afternoon was now the place where the wind whipped across the shallow lake and nearly blew us off our feet. We were down to two intrepid lap counters, Jerry and Kristin, who were bundled in hats, scarves and mittens against the cold. They never lost their cheer though and encouraged every runner that passed their table with jokes and smiles. All the runners seemed to be at the same level of tired. Anyone left was giving it their all, whether they were on lap 10 or lap 25.

      I was really at my low point. With over 7 hours left to go, I knew I had time to rest and regroup, but wasn’t sure it would be enough. I ate a piece of cold pizza, downed a couple of Tylenol, and crawled into my sleeping bag shoes and all. An hour later the aching in my hips woke me up. Looking around I realized about 30 people had packed up and gone home without my noticing. Many had dropped out, falling short of their goals due to injuries, blisters or just plain utter exhaustion. The camp looked like the night of the living dead, with stiff, sore, cold runners digging in packs and hobbling around like every joint below the waist was frozen. I was no exception. I’m not sure what was harder, talking myself into getting out of my sleeping bag or actually making my legs work enough to get me up. Thank goodness I was close to a picnic table and could use my arms to pull up to a stand! At that point, getting up was about the last thing I want to do, but after having traversed 45 miles, 5 more was too few to give up. Once again I changed clothes to get into something warmer and hobbled to the lap table to start my last full lap. It was a blur, but the feeling of relief when I passed the water can at mile 2 was wonderful.

        Finishing lap 13 meant I had 1.25 miles left to go and the race director and graciously set up a marker so that people going for a 50 mile plaque need only run to the 50 mile sign and back to finish their distance. This was what I planned, just get finished and call it a night. Then I spotted big Ed. Ed had been resting and could barely walk so he was moving at about my speed and had also completed 13 laps. We set off together into the dark and by the time we passed the 50 mile marker, he had talked me into completing the full lap to finish a double marathon distance. Now, big Ed had once been a RIO (navigator) in fighter planes, had worked for NASA, taught public school for 10 years, and is now retired. Ed made that last foray into the woods very entertaining by singing Korean War songs and telling me stories, but foolishly, I stopped thinking and relied on Ed to navigate our way around the last lap, you know, since he was a navigator and all. This was a mistake because by the time I realized we had taken a wrong turn, we were on the wrong side of the lake. I have no idea how far we went, but by the time we got back on track, we decided to just go back to camp. Poor Ed felt horrible for getting us lost, but I assured him that it was okay as he made my last miles very pleasant and I had met my 50 mile goal.

I decided to stay the rest of the night. I wanted to see the finishers get in their last miles, keep the intrepid lap counters company, and watch the sun rise over the lake so I pulled up a chair and bundled into my sleeping bag.

What I ended up doing was drinking a beer and falling asleep in my chair, dozing on and off while I listened to people talk and count off laps. Just after sun up, the track club president arrived with 4 dozen hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts! It was a perfect end to the day!

Course records were set for the men and the women, 125 and 101 miles respectively.

One week later, looking back

2010-03-28T19:40:00.000-04:00

"The tasks are done and the tears are shed.Yesterday's errors let yesterday cover;Yesterday's wounds, which smarted and bled,Are healed with the healing that night has shed." Sarah Chauncey Woolsey

      It has been one week today since I finished my first marathon and it has been the top of my mind all week. I’m still shocked when I see the medal hanging on my dresser mirror.
       The first couple of days were admittedly tough, my quads and hamstrings were very sore and going down stairs was a challenge (backwards didn’t help either.) This was put to the test on Tuesday night when I escorted 50 teenagers I was chaperoning down 3 flight of stairs, ACK! I made it though, with much laughter and hanging on to the banister rails. I did get on a stationary bike for 20 minutes on Monday, and I think that helped to loosen things up.

       By Wednesday I was down to a minimal level of soreness, not enough to affect movement, but I could still feel the miles a bit. My biggest fear about running a marathon was what the repercussions would be for my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was prepared for a flare up, knowing it was a good possibility after pushing so hard for so long, but it never came.

       Thursday was my first recovery run following Hal Higdon’s reverse taper. It was a tough two miles. My legs felt like lead and I was as tired as I normally would be after 10 miles at a good pace. It definitely helped though, my legs felt good afterwards and I didn’t feel wiped out. I have to admit, breathing deep really made me feel the marathon. Although I was never to the point of huffing and puffing during the race, and I could always talk in sentences, I was obviously breathing harder than a walk in the park and my lungs and chest muscles were reminding me all 5 hours.

       Friday was a rest day and all soreness was long gone. I was starting to feel caught up on sleep (late nights Monday and Tuesday seriously put this off) but still a long way from truly recovered. I can certainly see why they say you need a day of rest for every mile you race, a marathon is not something you get over in a couple of days. (This does not mean no running for 26 days, just that you shouldn’t expect to be up to full mileage for that long.)

       Saturday I ran 3 more miles, feeling even stronger and no longer feeling it when I took a deep breath. The run went well and my dog was very happy to be out trotting through the neighborhood again.

       The schedule for today said “6-8 mile run”. I probably shouldn’t have actually gone as far as 6 miles since the schedule was set up for people that run a lot faster than me and can finish 6 miles in significantly less time, but I did it anyway. I included a lot of walking and chatted on the phone for a good part of it, but it was a comfortable run with a very low average heart rate.

        As for my feet, shins and calves; they recovered much faster than my upper legs. I really expected to have problems there considering the distance and the issues I have had over the last 6 months. My VFFs served me well, but I do look forward to my first truly barefoot marathon. I won’t try to predict when that will be, but it is part of my working plan to continue increasing my barefoot distance and the variety of surfaces I can handle running on. My 2 mile run on Thursday and the 6 miles today were both barefoot, compliments of the lovely weather. (Yesterday was a bit nippy so those 3 miles were in VFFs.)

          All and all I would say my first week post marathon went very well and to me that is the real telling of how I did with the marathon. Not only did I finish, but I finished without any injuries, did not cause a flare up of my RA, and am recovering like a typical marathon runner. What more could I ask for! If I never run any faster and never feel any better after a marathon, I will still be happy to run them. I already can barely remember the misery of those last 6 miles and this is coming from a woman who still remembers every contraction of delivering 2 babies! I will continue to follow the reverse taper schedule up to my Ultra on the 17th of April and then start it all over again. I don’t see this marathon as a onetime flash in the pan, I see it as the beginning of a new stage in my life that I hope will go on for many, many years.

           I certainly plan to train more for my next marathon and I hope eventually to cope better with The Wall. I read in Runner’s World that it takes the average person 4 full training cycles with races to really know what they are doing. I’m sure one never truly stops learning from each and every race, but it is the first few that really open your eyes and make you say, “Okay, NOW I get it!” I also had a great talk yesterday with the lady from my club who ran 50 marathons in 50 states. Picking her brain about her experiences during and after marathons was very encouraging. I’ve learned a ton about running a marathon this week, but I know the distance still has a great deal to teach me and I’m ready to learn!   .....But first I need a few more restful weeks of running to finish recovering :-)

5 wondrous hours

2010-03-22T13:08:00.001-04:00

The challenge today will be summing up a 5 hour race in a blog entry that won’t take too long to read!

       After some scares with the extended forecast, the weather was absolutely perfect. Over 50 when we started and in the mid to upper 60’s by the end. Sun shining, not too much wind, just enough to cool you off when the sun started beating down and several lovely people had sprinklers on for us to run through!

      A total of 2,635 runners finished the marathon before the 7 hour cut off, so the start wasn’t even corralled. Everyone was great though, not too much weaving needed to keep moving. I started near the back knowing my first 2 or 3 miles would be a minute or so slower than my planned race pace to allow me to warm up and not take off to fast.

      Everything started out as planned. Fist we headed south, looped around a bit, went over a bridge to the first turn around point, back over the little bridge, no big deal. Next they took us through part of Camp Pendleton, including a stretch of gravel road that made me glad I had not opted to go totally barefoot. At about the 6 mile mark, I was chatting with a few people and found a running buddy for the day. James used to run marathons, but this was the first one in 5 years so he was taking it easy knowing he hadn’t trained well enough. We had the same planned pace so we just fell into step, talking and running, keeping one foot in front of the other. At around mile 13 we passed his wife and kids who were cheering him on. I waved and said, “He is keeping me going!” He responded, “I’m just trying to keep up with you!” Funny how having someone with you keeps you both motivated!

      At mile 14 we stopped at a porta potty that didn’t have much of a line. We lost a couple of minutes, but it was well worth it! It was really warming up and I was tempted to take on way too much water, but definitely didn’t want to have to stop at a potty again. Mile 15 to 16 is where the mental games started. Conversation had trailed off and I was really having a hard time staying in the game. I know I could keep going that it was all in my head, so I just kept up with James and tried not to think about the miles and my stomach that was threatening to rebel. At mile 19 my mental state perked up, but my body was spent. My brain was saying, YAY, but my body was screaming for mercy. By this time my Garmin was also about 2 tenths of a mile ahead of the markers, which meant I had zigzagged and not cut my tangents well so I’d be running 26.4 instead of 26.2, UGH!

     19.75 was my breaking point. I said good-bye to James and wished him luck and fell back into a walk. After about 5 minutes of walking, I tried a run again. I learned very quickly that the first few steps after walking are murder and it is like trying to run through a vat of tar! Fortunately, this is a good motivator to keep running, even if the run is only slightly faster than the walk. When I passed the clock at the 20 mile marker, it said 3:34. This would have been great if I could have maintained my pace, but at that point it became all about getting back to my car.

      The next 6 miles were the hardest thing I’ve even done. I hurt all over, everyone was shuffling along just trying to fight the pain. By the end of a marathon, you are very much in like company. Everyone around you has been out there for the same amount of time and everyone is hurting. Some people take it with a grain of salt and can still laugh and joke, others are grim and determined and snap at anyone that bumps them at a water stop or gets in their way. Looking up the street it looked like a death march, everyone moving forward, everyone walking, except for the occasional person that would break into a run for a few feeble minutes and then re join the ranks of the marchers. One girl that had been running next to me, veered off into the grass and threw up.

      As we turned left off the main street just before mile 26, and right again onto the board walk, everyone sprung back to life. Within my view were the people that were going to squeak in under the 5 hour mark and they weren’t going to miss it by walking the last .2!

      About 100 feet from the finish line, I spotted a camera man and raised my arms to cheer, and it hit me! I WAS ABOUT TO FINISH A MARATHON!!!! I punched the air with my right hand, then went into a frenzy punching with both fists and screaming YES! while I jumped in the air. I was shocked I had enough energy to do it! The whole crowd around me laughed out loud at my antics. I crossed the finish line beaming and began the collection of swag. First a medal, then a bottle of water, banana, hat, pretzels, granola bar, cookie, and finisher’s t-shirt, all with nothing to put it in so I was juggling so many things I couldn’t make use of any of them!

      I finally managed to stuff down the banana and cookie and bundle everything else up into a manageable mass while stumbled to the festival tent for soup and beer. In the tent I ran into a group of friends from my track club that had run the half. They were all excited for me and gave me lots of hugs and congratulations. After gratefully sucking down the salty soup broth it was time to head back to pick up my daughter on the way home. I wish I could have stayed and joined the party, but I was grateful that my daughter is old enough to spend a few hours alone and that my friend was willing to go out of her way to pick her up and take her to rehearsals so that I could be in Virginia Beach. For a woman with children, training for and running a marathon isn’t just about putting in the time and miles, it is about friends who are willing to help you get past the schedule conflicts so you can run!

      I did get a couple of comments on my VFFs and saw one other marathoner with them on. Mostly people asked how my feet felt. At first my answer was, “Great!” After 20 miles my answer was, “No worse than the rest of me!” At the end I finished with no blisters or hot spots. I admit, my feet were tender on the walk to the car, but frankly the rest of me hurt so much I didn’t really notice. As of this morning, I’m actually less sore than I was yesterday evening, which is a big surprise to me. My feet fell great, my quads and hamstrings are the sorest, and hip flexors are tight and sore, but no joint pain at all and nothing with the sharp pain of injury, just the slow burn of lactic acid. I’m tired and definitely will need a nap today, but I don’t regret running and can’t wait for the next one.
Finish time:     4:54:49

Two Weeks to Shamrock '10!

2010-03-09T15:31:00.000-05:00

“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Francis of Assisi

         I’m so close to the marathon it is scary! The hardest part of the taper is slowing my eating down as much as I have slowed my running and not running harder and faster as the miles decrease.

        Last weekend I had the privilege of running a 5K with a good friend Danielle. She was a cross country runner in high school, but family and life had gotten in the way and she hadn’t run in years. When she was diagnosed with RA she didn’t think she would ever run again. When we met, the fact that I run and have RA blew her away, she was so excited about the prospect of getting back into running and getting back into shape!

         On the day of Danielle’s 5K, I was scheduled for a 16 mile long run so I headed out to the base, ran 4 miles to warm up, and then met her at the 5K start. It had been many years since Danielle had run more than 2 straight miles, but she was determined to finish the 5K without walking. We took it very slow, between 13 and 14 minutes per mile, but she kept running. It was hard for me to imagine that last year at this time, I was training for my first half marathon on this same stretch of blacktop, running at that same pace. Now running that slow just about kills me and I see only a tiny difference in my heart rate by slowing down so dramatically. With only a few beats per minute more, I can run 11 minute miles now.

           We didn’t talk much during the 5K. I would let her know as each half mile mark chirped from my Garmin, but we just ran side by side. As we approached the end and could see the finish line, Danielle was brought to tears. She couldn’t believe she was going to do it, finish a 5K without walking! She choked up so badly she nearly had to walk! Fortunately, she was able to calm down and keep plugging away. We crossed the finish line somewhere around 40 minutes and she was ecstatic! Unfortunately her RA flared up a bit the next day because of the extreme effort, but it didn’t last and she is looking forward to the next 5K in a few weeks.

            It was such a wonderful thing to participate in that special event in her life. I may have been part of the spark that got her going, but the hard work and determination was all Danielle’s. I pointed out that it was almost 2 ½ years ago to the day that I ran my first ever 5K and now, in 2 weeks, I will run my first full marathon. I’m still constantly shocked at my own progress. Some days I feel like I only dreamed that 2 hour finish at the Outer Banks. When I run a 9 minute mile in training I think to myself, “Did I really run this fast for 2 straight hours!” I don’t think this is all that unusual. I think many of us constantly underestimate what our bodies can do. It is our minds that hold us back, not our muscles or bones.

         I realize now that when I run, I may be out there slogging away by myself, but I’m not running alone. When I cross that finish line in two weeks, I will cross it for every person diagnosed with RA, every middle ages house wife, every couch potato that is over 35 and wonders if it is not too late to get in shape. Getting out there as a real person, not some elite Olympian or lifelong runner with long lean muscles and years of training, shows people that marathons are for mortals. Normal people with a little grit and determination can do this. You don’t have to be fast, a 16 mpm average will get you over the line before the course closes. You do have to train, a LOT, marathons are not handed to you. Even walking for 26.2 miles is not something a person in good shape can just decide to do in an instant. It takes planning, hard work, and days of getting out there in all weather. Whether you feel like it or not you have to consistently put in the miles.

           So far this year I have kept up with my written log, recovered from nasty shin splints, and run just over 200 miles (20 of them barefoot). I believe I am a runner. I believe I can run a marathon. I believe I can inspire others to seek more from themselves. I started running because I needed to. I continued running because it helped me so much and I discovered it was something I COULD do for myself. And now, here I am, doing the impossible.

Once in a while you must amaze yourself!

2010-02-21T14:37:00.001-05:00

          That 16 mile run really shook my confidence. I came away from it ready to give up on the marathon in March and put my goal off for another year. I felt like physically and mentally I could never have gone past 16 miles.

          The following week I ran the miles listed on the training plan, but the thought of an 18 mile run was simply beyond me. I ended up running 10, or really 2 fives because I ran the first 5, spent an hour waiting for and talking to my husband on Skype, and then ran 5 more. My RA was bothering me, I hadn’t slept, just felt really beaten and miserable.

           Early last week my track club had a meeting where our guest speaker was a woman that was recently awarded a trophy for having run at least one Marathon in each of the 50 states! To meet her, you would never guess she was so amazing. She does not consider herself an athlete and is very humble and grateful for the opportunities she has had. Her other great physical accomplishment is that she hiked the Appalachian trail in 2000. It took her 5 ½ months! When you meet someone like this, and they aren’t larger than life, don’t have an air of superiority surrounding them, and can just blend into any crowd or situation, you realize that achievement isn’t something you are born to. It isn’t something that should ever be taken for granted, or something that just happens. It is born of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. Everyone has something extraordinary within them, but it takes the right combination of challenge, inspiration, and opportunity to bring it out. All three of these ingredients must be sought; they do not just get handed to you.

           After that meeting, I was once again pumped to run the marathon. I’ve been very irritated by my vacillating back and forth. To be so excited one minute and so defeated the next eats at me. I wanted to feel as excited while running as I did thinking about running and this was the first time those two points have diverged so far. At the end of the 16 mile run, I just wanted to cry and never run again and I had never felt like that at the end of a run, I always felt positive and anxious for my next run.

               So what to do? I started posting to a couple of key forums where I knew I would get bald honest feedback. I posted to the Runner’s World Marathoner’s page asking if I was crazy to try running 26.2 on so little training and with so many issues. I also posted to Hal Higdon’s forum asking if it would be reasonable to run the 20 miler one week early. I was not going to register for a marathon until I knew I could run 20 miles and I really wanted to get it behind me. I also wanted to schedule my 20 when I had nothing else going on so if I really wiped myself out, I could just rest and recover. I received many wonderful supportive messages. Even the ones suggesting I wait gave me good information to work with and helped my decision greatly. I decided to take one last shot at preparing for the marathon.

         When I headed out the door yesterday, it was in the mid 40’s and heading to the 50’s. The sun was out, people were out, and everyone was smiling! I had promised myself that I didn’t have to do 20. I could just go as far as I felt like going and there was no shame in cutting it short if I needed to. As I wound through the neighborhoods I felt strong and ready for many miles. After 6 miles I took my shoes off and ran the next two barefoot. It felt SO good! My feet are soft though from running so much in shoes so when they started feeling a little tender, I went ahead and put my VFFs back on. Around this time my daughter called me on my cell. I’m sure people passing by thought I was nuts for jogging and chatting, but it passed the next hour quickly and was almost as good has having her actually running with me.

           By the time I passed the 10 mile mark, I knew I had a shot at 20. I felt great mentally and physically and was ready to continue for 2 more hours so I headed for the yacht club at the far end of town. I haven’t run out there in nearly a year so it was a nice change of scenery. Once I got to the marina, I stopped in the public restroom for a pit stop and to refill my water bottles. I was really regretting not taking a couple of gels with me. I had planned to just run 5 mile laps and stop at the house each time so I hadn’t stuffed my pockets properly.

           When I turned around to head back, I realized I would be running into the wind all the way home. I hadn’t noticed the wind up to that point so it wasn’t all that strong, but it was enough to make me zip up my vest, put my gloves back on, and pull my sleeves back down. It didn’t slow me down though. I stuck to my plan of running around 11 to 11.5 minute miles and then walking until it averaged out at 12 minute miles.

            When I hit 16 miles I was entering new territory, 4 miles left to go and feeling tired, but good. At 17 miles I was getting a bit worried. I was now 3 miles from the house so I had to finish 20 one way or the other. At 18 miles I was approaching the wall. My quads and back were starting to hurt, my claves were tight, and my shin was started to act up; 2 more miles to go.

            When I turned onto my very familiar street, I was elated. The end was in sight and I was feeling very mentally positive, if physically exhausted. Those last two miles were tough, but still not as tough as the last two of the 16 miler in the snow and sleet. I was home free and felt like I had climbed the highest mountain!

           When I finally stumbled through the front door I was over the moon! My legs were twitching, I was starving, thirsty, and my muscles felt like rocks. I peeled off the outer layers of stinky tech clothes, took a couple of minutes to stretch, downed a protein shake and a bowl of cereal, and made myself a drink to sip at while I iced my calf in front of the computer. And then I registered for my first full marathon!

           I really amazed myself yesterday, which is something we all need to do from time to time. We need to stretch our wings, set impossible goals, and then reach them. We need to know we are better than the doubting voices in our heads, those little gremlins that make us want to give up or say, “I could never do that.” Three years ago, if someone had told me I would run 20 miles and register for a marathon, I would have thought they were daft! To me marathons were for crazy people that were wrecking their health. Well, maybe I’m crazy now, but I’ve never felt better in my life!

Biting off a bit too much

2010-02-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

It doesn't work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps. American Proverb

Biting off more than I can chew is a common theme in my life. Most of the time I can chew fast enough to survive, but sometimes I just have to spit it out and start over.

After my first 10 mile long run of the year I thought to myself, “Hey, maybe I can jump into an entry level marathon training plan and run the Shamrock Full.” I was already trained for HM distance with runs up to 14 miles, so why not just keep going. I decided if I could finish a 15 mile long run and still walk, I would register for the full marathon. Of course, this is a bad time of year for weather and running barefoot or in my Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) is not possible most days, so a little over 2 weeks ago I put on my trail shoes and hit the road in the rain. It is possible to run with near barefoot form in a minimal show if you pay attention, but apparently I was not paying enough attention because by the end of the 4 mile run my shins were tender.

I haven’t had shin splints in a long time and running barefoot has never caused shin splints so I figured if I ran in my VFFs for my long run the next day, I would be okay. It was a total rookie mistake. Although I believe very fervently in barefoot and minimal shoe running, it is not a panacea and you can still easily do too much too soon. I might have been okay with a 15 mile run if I hadn’t spent the morning standing and freezing to death working the finish line of a 10K first. Shivering takes a lot out of you and running when you are tired tends to ruin your form, not a good combination. I went running anyway and after my 15 mile run that afternoon my calves felt like rocks and my shin was very sore. The next morning I could hardly walk because of the shin splint in my right leg, so I did not register for the marathon and took the next two days off.

I should have waited until all the soreness cleared up, but I didn’t. I went for a 4 mile run on Tuesday. It went okay and although my shin was slightly sorer in the morning, it wasn’t as sore as it had been the morning after my 15 miler so I somehow convinced myself that this meant running was helping. When the thermometer hit 50 degrees with dry roads and sunshine, I went for a barefoot run and ran for 8 miles. This was like throwing gasoline on a fire. I could feel burning in my shin, but still thought I could work around it. I finished the 8 miles, but the next morning my shins were horrible again. I never realized just how bad shin splints could get since I’ve never been able to see evidence of one from the outside, but after the 8 mile run my shin looked like someone had hit me with a baseball bat. I had a huge goose egg on the front of my shin and swelling from the top of my ankle to half way to my knee.

I decided it was time to get serious about healing and took the rest of the week off and didn’t try running again until this past Wednesday, nearly a full week. This time I just tried a 3 mile run and it went well. Not totally free of tenderness, but it didn’t seem to make it worse either. The next day I tried 5 miles, still so far so good. I took Friday off and like a total moron resumed my marathon training schedule and ran 16 miles Saturday. It went surprisingly well and probably would have been fine if I had stopped at 14, but of course, I didn’t. I wish I knew what my driving force was because I need to turn it off once in a while. I was miserable, the falling rain and snow mix stung my face, and I hurt all over from being tense. I finished though, all 16 miles. The walk breaks were more frequent at the end and I was down to a 13 minute mile, but I kept plodding until it was done.

This morning my shin hurts and is swollen again so I still haven’t registered for the marathon. I can’t imagine adding another 10 miles to my run 6 weeks from now. Of course, my shin isn’t anywhere near as sore as it was after my 15 mile run, so there is still a part of my brain taunting me and telling me I can do this. I wish I could shut that part up and just let my leg heal. I need to learn when to quit, but I know darn well that I’ll run again on Tuesday after a 2 day rest, and that if I can run Saturday morning, I’ll run another long run. And if I can run after that, I may still register for the full marathon. I know; I’m insane. 18, 14, 20, 12, 8, those are the long runs left on the schedule. I don’t know if I can do them. I don’t know if I even WANT to do them, but I won’t stop trying. I’m still planning on the 24-hour relay in April so I still need to keep adding mileage.

I hadn’t broadcast my intentions about the Shamrock full because I know I’m not really ready and with RA, I need to be more than ready. It just seems like I should try to get my first out of the way in a local race and before we leave the country again. Often announcing a commitment will also make me push myself way too hard, although it worked for me with my first half marathon. The bottom line is that I have too many other things going on in my life to sacrifice them all to meet a goal I am not ready for. I may yet run the full marathon, I may not. It may sell out before I make a decision, but that is okay, there will be others later when I’m more prepared. The only promise I make is that I won’t give up, and that I will work on respecting my body and its limits, which at this point seems harder than actually running 26.2.

2010 is underway

2010-01-16T15:33:00.001-05:00

“The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different,” Peter Drucker

When I write a blog, I often start with a quote that reflects my point or feelings. Sometimes I can’t find anything on the subject at hand, other times there are endless choices to be waded though. It all depends on how many people take issue with it. Change was my key word today, a very popular topic, ruminated on by great minds with statements on both the positive and negative aspects. One thing they all agree on is that change is inevitable and necessary.

Every year is fraught with change, but some years bring bigger changes than others and with it comes stress and the need to protect oneself from the ravages of chaos. My faith protects my soul, but running protects my body and keeps my mind steady. As wimpy as this sounds, my resolution for 2010 is to keep a running log. I don’t want to make grand promises that I can’t keep in the way of distances or times, but writing everything down will be a challenge and will help to keep me on track. I plan to log levels of stress and emotions along with my miles and heart rates. I do have a goal for 1,000 miles this year, but it isn’t a resolution, just a starting point.

This past week I did my first two runs since Chiang Mai. The first 3 mile run was horrible. My legs felt like lead, my heart rate was high, I was out of breath, and felt like a brand new runner. My calves were tight and my ankles were griping by the end. There is a big price when you take a couple of weeks totally off of running, and exercise in general. I did a lot of walking, but not nearly enough to compensate.

My second run was a thousand times better! I felt good and strong and enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it took me so long to get out the door that I could only squeeze in 3 miles, but it was above 50 degrees so I ran them barefoot. My feet have softened up a lot since November, but it felt so good to feel the ground! I had no pain or tightness though; calves were good, as were ankles and knees.

My running club has a few races in the next couple of months, so I’ll run some for fun, but my next A race will be the 24 hour Relay for Life in Hampton. I’ll have 24 hours to knock out all the miles I can, but I can take breaks, naps, meals, and walk with friends along the way. I definitely plan to exceed the marathon distance, am really shooting for 35 miles, but my pie-in-the-sky goal is 50 miles. It will all largely depend on how my training goes for the next couple of months and the weather on race day. I can pitch a tent at the check-in point and each loop is only 3 ¾ miles long, so there are plenty of opportunities to change clothes, gear, shoes, etc. and I won’t need a chase team like I would in a big Ultra. The race is April 17th, 2 days before Rusty is scheduled to board the freedom plane for home. It will be a great way to close out this deployment!

So where do the big changes come in? Of course Rusty coming home will be huge, but it will be more of a return to normalcy than real change. The big change is that we are slated to move this summer. Not just move house, or to a different state, but to Osan, Korea. The other big change is that our oldest daughter is engaged to be married in May. She has been in Florida since August, but it didn’t feel like she had left home because all her stuff is still here, her room is still the way she left it, and at some point she would come home. Now she is coming home only briefly to take it all away and become a grown up. It will be really hard to leave her behind to travel almost half way around the world, but it is wonderful to know she won’t be alone.

In the midst of all this turmoil it will be a real challenge to get my miles in, but it will be crucial to keeping my sanity and maintaining control over my RA. Other than some protesting joints from hauling luggage on and off carts, the trip to Thailand wasn’t too hard on my RA so I am hopeful I will continue to be successful in keeping it at bay through 2010.

Running is what is making the move to Korea possible. With Rheumatoid Arthritis, I should be disqualified from accompanying my husband, largely because they do not have a rheumatologist on staff. However, when my husband contacted the person in charge of signing the necessary waiver, he was able to add that I ran 3 half marathons this year, with my fastest being sub 2 hours. The doc was impressed (his best time was a few seconds slower than mine), and said if my RA is under control enough to allow me to train for endurance races, then there was no reason to say I couldn’t come to Korea. YAY!! I knew running was helping me, but I had no idea how far that help would go!

So my future is packed with change. I can’t even picture my life 8 months from now. All I know is I will be putting one foot in front of the other, and writing it down in my log book, adding up my miles, and looking ahead to new challenges. Hmmmm, maybe I’ll shoot for the Seoul Marathon for 2011…

PS, just got in from a 10 mile run, it was great!!

Chiang Mai Half Marathon race report

2009-12-27T04:37:00.001-05:00

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

We planned this trip months and months ago. My youngest daughter and I would spend Christmas with my parents in Thailand while my oldest was working at Disney World and my Husband was deployed to Afghanistan. While thinking about what I wanted to do during our visit I looked up races in Thailand on the off chance that there would be a local 5 or 10K while I was in Chiang Mai. I was so excited when I discovered I would be there for the 4th annual Chiang Mai Marathon, especially since they also had a half marathon and 10K at the same time.

The race was scheduled for the 27th, so after arriving in the early morning hours of the 17th (following 23 hours of flying in 3 planes, and 7 hours of layovers in Atlanta and S. Korea) I followed a light taper/continuation of my running from the Outer Banks half marathon. My runs were going really well, despite the ubiquitous exhaust fumes and warm tropical climate, so I was looking forward to a great race. Unfortunately, at dinner Christmas Eve, my stomach started acting up. I ended up being up all night throwing up (sorry, TMI, but nothing pulls every muscle in your body like that!) and spent all of Christmas day feeling like I had been beaten up by a whole baseball team. I thought I was done for, it seemed like there was no way I was going to recover enough to even crawl a race, let alone run for over 2 hours.

However, on the morning of the 26th I actually felt a little hungry and could eat rice and leftover turkey. I felt much better, but definitely not in race condition. I decided that one more day would be enough to at least walk the course so I went ahead and registered. Everyone thought I was nuts except the couple down stairs that were planning to run the full marathon. Only another runner could really understand why I was still planning to run this race. So I spent the day eating as much rice and turkey as I dared (which wasn't much) and drinking electrolytes. Despite several naps and sleeping the whole day before, I still managed to get to sleep about 8:30.

My alarm went off this morning at 3:10, UGH! The full marathon started at 4 and the half started at five, so the runners down stairs had arranged a taxi to pick them up at 3:15 and then come back to get me an hour later. As soon as I got up, I drank a huge glass of the electrolyte drink, nibbled some toast and turkey and had a little Asian banana (about half the size of the ones back home.) Foolishly, I went for a cup of coffee, I'd regret that for hours!

The Tha Phae Gate was a beehive of activity. They used the same arch for the start of the full and half marathons, and then 10K and kids’ fun run, with one race starting each hour. To prove you were at the start, you had to go to "Check in" where they drew a blue line on your bib with a Sharpie. There were maybe 150 runners so everyone was over the start line within a minute. I had met lots of people and a great guy from Washington State ran with me for the first 7 miles. He was probably around 60 and had lived and run all over the world. Now he runs slow and for fun, but he spent the first hour and 20 minutes telling me about running in Athens, Greece, Paris, France, and dozens of other places. I really credit him with surviving this race because he totally took my mind off of how cruddy I felt and kept me going until past the point of no return. He also kept me from worrying about the fact that I had no idea where I was or how to follow the course!

When we hit the turn around, we nearly missed it. They handed us water, waved flash lights in our faces to get our attention, gave us rubber bands with a piece of blue yarn tied on to prove we made it that far, and signaled us to go back the other way. I'm sure some people missed the point because one couple that I had talked to before the race, and could see for the first 5 miles, never passed us on the way back!

At about mile 8 I was beginning to feel the lack of food over the previous few days. Earlier, when we passed tables set up to give food to the Buddhist monks, the smell turned my stomach and brought my coffee to my throat, so the thought of eating my Sports Beans or Gel did not appeal to me at all. In hind sight, I really should have choked down the beans. I finally waved on my adopted running buddy and took my first walking break. It was still full dark at this point and I was feeling really low, but now there was nothing to do but keep going. Thankfully, most of the race was along a canal where the main traffic runs and things hadn't really gotten started for the day so the exhaust fumes weren't too bad. As the sun started to brighten the sky, I realized I was surrounded by probably 100 roosters! Every person that has 10 square feet of dirt has chickens, and they are the most pitiful looking chickens you ever saw, but they crow with the best of them and every rooster in Chiang Mai was trying to outdo his neighbor. Thankfully, that cacophony kept me distracted (that and trying not to kick or step on them.)

Miles 9 and 10 seemed like they went on for hours. I was so tired and wanted to stop so badly, but I wanted it over with more so I kept putting one foot in front of the other. The traffic was getting thicker as we approached the old city, but they had great control on the intersections with the Thai Royal Army lined up every 10 feet to make sure the cars didn't run down the racers.

As I reached the old walls I knew I was getting close. I had been running for 2 hours and 8 minutes and had 2 miles left to run. If I could just kick it back up to 11 minute miles and skip my last walking break, I might come in sub 2:30! It was just the incentive I needed to focus my mind and motor on. As I hit mile 12, I had 12 minutes left, the darn .1 was gonna get me if I didn't keep pace! Suddenly, I turned a corner and saw the finish line, WHA!! Now, I know Garmins loose a little distance when you make a lot of turns, but I KNOW I didn't make enough turns to lose almost .8 miles! Honestly though, I was so glad to see it I really didn’t care. The finish line had 3 chutes, one each for the full, the half, and the 10K and I was so focused on keeping moving I nearly went down the wrong chute! I crossed the line just over 2:23, I couldn't believe it! Keeping with the low tech theme, they drew another blue line on my bib to show I crossed the finish line and checked for my rubber band with yarn. Anyone who placed in their age group was given a plastic card with their place on it and were sent to a table to have their name recorded for the awards ceremony.

My mom was waiting for me at the finish. No one expected me to finish that early, I was even carrying taxi money in case I couldn’t get back on my own, but she couldn't wait to get down to the race finish and just happened to have walked over to scope it out when she spotted me. As I came out of the chute, I was handed a medal and a plastic grocery bag that contained a vegetarian sausage biscuit thing, half a sandwich (with who knows what on it), a bottle of water, and a bottle of electrolyte drink. Needless to say, I threw away the food as soon as I could. They also had home made rice soup that was probably wonderful, but still not on my edible list, and boxes of soy milk. I didn't feel like I wanted anything, but standing around talking my calves and toes all suddenly started cramping horribly. As fast as I could, I downed my sports beans and the drink they gave me. I must have been really low on salt because about 10 minutes later everything started to relax.

I wish I could have stayed for the awards show, but I was done in and ready for a shower and nap. Now, 9 hours later, I'm feeling pretty good. I have bland food in my stomach, I've had a nap and shower, and rubbed Tiger Balm on nearly every joint. Looking back at my race report, I realize it begs the question, why didn’t I just run the 10K. Well, it never occurred to me! I didn’t have to run, I could have quite and no one would have faulted me, but I needed to test my metal once again and I passed with flying colors.

PS I ran in VFFs :-)

Chiang Mai Run

2009-12-19T04:49:00.000-05:00

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” Buddha

I woke up this morning at 6:15 (a huge improvement over yesterday,) and decided to go for a run. The morning sun was just beginning to turn the mountain pink and purple and the city had a misty haze of fresh rain from a torrential tropical downpour in the night. We had the windows open so the sounds of a few scooters and people beginning their day drifted in, a lovely change over the midday din of thousands of trucks and motor bikes.

I dug around to collect my gear and get out the door without waking anyone else and headed for the Chiang Mai University campus about 1.3 miles away. By the time I had dressed and reached the main street then traffic had already quadrupled! Fortunately, this main street has a sidewalk. Unfortunately, that is where everyone parks their scooters so it was slow going as I picked my way around vehicles, damaged cement, trees, dogs, and business signs.

Finally I reached the University and lost most of the traffic. There I found lovely paths that were much less treacherous and lots of other people walking or running. A couple of times I let my mind wander, enjoying the beauty of the lush greenery and interesting surroundings, and nearly collided with another pedestrian because I had forgotten to keep left instead of right.

After I had run about 3 miles, I set my Garmin for “back to start” hoping to retrace my path. Having no information on the streets though, it tried to take me back as the crow flies. By the time I realized this I was totally turned around and had no idea where I had turned to get where I was. I knew I was still on the campus, so not too terribly lost, and the Garmin does have a compass (a feature I had never had show up before.) I also had my parents address and enough money for a Tuk-tuk to take me home if I got to far afield.

I worked my way to the corner of the campus, headed back towards the main street, and found myself up against one major obstacle, the City Moat. Ooookaaayy. I ran along the moat, running parallel to where I needed to go, trying not to get run over on a street with 4 lanes of traffic each way and no sidewalk. The neighbor that will be running the full marathon next week told me always to run WITH traffic in Chiang Mai. He said he knew that it was totally counter intuitive, but that all the cars and scooters are used to dodging obstructions in the road and your best bet is to be headed in the same direction so they have more time to spot you and go around. That is the huge difference between Chiang Mai and Naples, Italy. In Italy they TRY to hit you! In Chiang Mai, Thailand, they try to miss you.

Eventually I found the bridge that the marathon neighbor had told me about. It is totally crumbling and blocked off for car or scooter traffic, but is apparently deemed perfectly safe for pedestrians. Unfortunately, as far as I could see in either direction it was the only way across the moat, it was starting to get hot, and my lungs were beginning to protest about the car exhaust which was getting so thick I was affecting visibility. I said a prayer and ran over the bridge. I probably would have shut my eyes too, but if the cement started to fall away, I wanted to know when to jump!

At that point I could see the high rise my parents condo are in, so I wound my way through little side streets, packed full of homes and business with everyone sweeping their part of the street and setting up their shops for the day. Humorously, NO ONE noticed my VFFs. I was just another crazy Farang in weird clothes (Shamrock Marathon tech shirt, running skirt, striped socks, and 4 bottle Fuel Belt.)

No, I was not running barefoot. Even the Buddhist Monks do not go barefoot in this city. So far I have seen a few barefoot early in the morning when they go begging for their breakfast, otherwise they are in flip-flops (if they are young) or very nice hiking sandals if they are older.

By the time I finally arrived back at the condo, I had run 7 miles (two more than planned) and walked up 9 flights of stairs. There is an elevator, but unless I’m laden with groceries, I’ve made a habit out of taking the stairs in order to speed my acclimation to the heat, humidity, and slight altitude. We shall see how effective it has been on race day!

Despite the traffic, winding alleys, and chaos, my run relaxed me and really helped me shake off the last of the jet lag. I was refreshed and ready to begin the adventures of the day and I know I will get a great night’s sleep tonight. Running is where I find peace in the land of Buddha.

Between races

2009-12-12T19:25:00.001-05:00

“I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” **Elbert Hubbard**

I’ve been a real slacker since my last half marathon, but my running is back on track so I think my blogging should be too. :-)

Recovering from the Outer Banks Half Marathon was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I really pushed my limits for that race which, when added to the fact that I was tired before I hit the start line, and then didn’t rest enough after the finish, made for several weeks of feeling like something the cat dragged in. It was worth it though!

I also made a real mistake in not letting my calf fully heal before trying speed work again. I’ve had a couple of instances of stepping down off of a stool or something similar and re-injuring it, in addition to running sprint intervals. I’m fine if I run at a consistent pace of 9 minutes per mile or less with a proper warm up, so I decided to enter a 5k with my track club last weekend. I’m sure I would have been fine if I had stuck to the plan: warm up, go easy, and enjoy the run. However, I waited too long to start my warm up so it wasn’t long enough for the cold conditions, and then I decided to add a 100 yard sprint to the end of my warm up. This was MONUMENTALLY stupid as I managed to pull my calf before the race even started. Irritated as I was, I ran it anyway and managed to do almost an 8 minute mile for the first mile and then spent the rest of the race limping back.

In the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten in a few 3 to 5 mile runs, one 13 miler, and one 10 miler with a couple more weeks to go, so I won’t be totally out of shape for my half marathon on the 27th. I haven’t decided yet how I’m going to approach that one though. Between 12 hours of jet lag, an increase of 1,000 ft. of elevation, weather change from 30 degree days to 90 degree days, and probably not getting in a lot of miles for the next couple of weeks, I will probably just take it slow and easy and enjoy the run. Mostly I’m looking forward to a few weeks of 90 degree days!

I doubt I will do any more totally barefoot runs for the year, so I’ll go ahead and state that my barefoot mileage for the year is 258.5! My running total for the year is approaching 800 miles.
I did not run the Atlanta Half Marathon. It was a huge disappointment to have to give up my trip, but I needed to take care of my dog and frankly I wasn’t up to running another 13 miles that soon after the Outer Banks race so it wouldn’t have gone well anyway. I’ll settle for 3 half marathons in a year, assuming nothing gets between me and the race in 2 weeks. I’m happy with my totals and do not need to compare them to anyone else’s. I’ve made great strides this year and met several goals earlier than expected and even met a couple of new ones I hadn’t considered at the beginning of the year! I’ve battled a bit with RA flare ups, but mostly I have been able to keep it under control. I still have that 25 minute 5k to beat and the long term goal of a 4 hour marathon that is probably still a couple of years away. I have more than enough to look forward to in the next year, including my husband returning from Afghanistan and lots of fun races with friends. It will be very cool to see the elites of South East Asia pass me on the Marathon course in a couple of weeks. How many sports are there where you can compete on the same course at the same time as world competitors!

OBX race report

2009-11-15T15:59:00.002-05:00

The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” Leo Tolstoy

The Outer Banks Marathon weekend was amazing! Almost a year ago, I started planning this trip with some of my running friends. In that year, we connected across the states via facebook and became an amazing support group. The changes that happened through the year were astounding, but 6 of us made it to the start line, one for the 8K, 4 for the half marathon, and one for her first ever full marathon.

The weather was amazing, getting a little warmer each day until I woke up to warm, sultry beach air and knew I would run my half marathon barefoot. I had old socks and 99 cent flip flops to wear while standing around on the cold asphalt so my feet wouldn’t be numb at the start. My friend Cathy and I decided to do a quick warm up for about 10 minutes so I ran in my socks, adding nearly a mile before the start of the race.

They started us in waves with guns for the elites, 6 to 8 minute milers, 9 to 10, etc. so I located the 2:00 pacer and wormed my way to his area after dropping my socks and flip flops on the side lines. He confirmed we would be keeping a steady pace from start to finish, including the dreaded bridge to Maneto Island. I was nervous, but ready to get going.

The first 6 miles were a breeze. I was chatting away with other people in my pace group, cracking jokes and laughing without ever being out of breath. I loved how comfortable I was. I could see how easy it would be to run too fast at the start, but I stuck with the advice I have been given and stayed with my planned pace. A couple of miles in, a guy caught up to me and said, in a very curious voice, “I just noticed you aren’t wearing shoes.” We had a nice chat about barefoot running, benefits, where to find info, etc. and he continued on his way. Occasionally, I would hear comments behind me as people spotted my feet, but they weren’t as shocked or laughing as people were at the 10K, half marathon runners are much more serious. My one scary moment in the race came when someone tripped on my foot. I don’t know how it happened, if she was cutting behind me or I was trying to get past her, but suddenly I realized her foot was hooked on mine and she was headed for the asphalt. Without thinking I reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to her feet, asking if she was okay. She gave me a weird look, like “what the heck just happened,” but we never broke stride, both of us just kept running.

At one point we turned off to wind our way though some housing tracts. In these areas the asphalt was very rough and my feet were still cold, so they stung a bit and I was a little concerned about how I would keep up the 9:05 minute miles we were pulling if it didn’t smooth out, but eventually we turned back onto the main road and it got easy again. We could see the bridge and Manteo Island, which brought on the jokes about, “Look, there’s the finish!” while we were still many miles away. I was a little worried about the bridge, which I knew would be scored concrete like the twin bridges race back in June, but the bridge was very comfortable to my feet and the roads had been well swept of debris.

The bridge had been my biggest fear. By mile 10, things had started to be a bit more difficult. The easy relaxed pace of the first half had given way to having to push to keep up with the pacer. Conversation was trailing off and most of the people around me were concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Looking up the bridge, it was an unbroken sea of people. I picked a song I used to sing to my kids at bed time and decided not to look up until I had run though all the verses, “Young Mr. Moon flew away in the night…” “…chanson pour toute le monde”, and there I was cresting the hill with the pace group, having lost no time. Down the other side we went, trying not to get carried away, but glad to have the hard part behind us. On the back side of the bridge I spotted my track club’s photographer, so cool to see a friend! We yelled hello, and on I went.

Somewhere at about 11 and a half miles, I hit a wall. Not a huge wall, but suddenly I was REALLY tired and wanted to quit in the worst way, but I kept telling myself, just 15 more minutes, just 10 more minutes, just 5 more minutes, and there it was! The finish line!! With the last bit of life left in me, I kicked it up and pulled a few feet ahead of the pacer. The Queen of England could have been high fiving the finishers in full regalia and I wouldn’t have noticed, all I knew was I crossed the timing mat.

Crossing the finish line meant coming to a sudden stop at the traffic jam of runners collecting medals, visors, water, Gatorade, and stampeding the food table. My head spun from the sudden halt and I was afraid I would pass out from not cooling down properly. Slowly, I walked through the gamut and made my way to the oranges and bananas. I downed both the water and the Gatorade is single swigs, realizing how dehydrated I was when my toes started curling with cramps. I hobbled over to the trash can to toss my orange peels and saw a runner in Vibrim Five Fingers talking to someone saying it was only bad once when he stepped on a rock. I had caught up with him near the finish line and laughingly told him to man up, referring to my bare feet, but he just picked up his pace and didn’t get the joke. When I pointed to my feet and said, “This is why I was saying ‘man up’” his eyes about popped out of his head, it was a cool moment.
It was a hard run, but the last couple of miles weren’t as hard at last week’s 10K so I knew I could talk myself through it. My feet fared well, one very small blister on the ball of one foot and one blistered toe, but they were dried up and fine by the next day. My friend that ran the full, on the other hand, had several huge blisters on her feet.

So now I have one more half marathon behind me, and one more ahead of me next month. My goal for the next couple of HMs is to continue to finish under 2 hours, but to be able to do it more comfortably and get more accustomed to the distance. I haven’t made any decisions about when I will start training for my first full, but it will be in the next 2 years, I’m sure. This weekend is dedicated to putting my yard back together after a strong Nor’easter, but next weekend I will return to my long runs.

Wicked 10K Race Report

2009-11-03T08:20:00.001-05:00

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.
**Thomas Foxwell Buxton **

It has been a weird couple of weeks. After my calf injury, I didn’t run for a couple of days and then went back to my training plan and ran 5 miles on Saturday, three of them at HM race pace. After the run, my calf felt good and the next morning it felt the best it had since the injury so I knew I was better off to keep running carefully than to rest more. So Sunday I went ahead and ran my 12 mile long run. With all the progress I have made, I felt it was time to step up my long run speed and keep it at 11 minutes per mile. It worked out great! I finished my run in just under 2:12 and felt really good, not over tired or sore. The calf felt great too, a little tight, but not too bad. At that pace, I would still have a PR of 26 minutes better than last time!

A few minutes after I got home from the 12 mile run, my neighbor stopped by. She had her dog with her so while we talked, my puppy hopped and played around her very patient older dog. We do this all the time and Lucy stays with Kramer, showing no interest in anything else, until this time. I don’t know what got into her, but she saw a car coming and decided to catch it! Unfortunately, she did catch it, and in the process her foot was run over and crushed. It was beyond horrible! We got to the emergency vet clinic where we spent the next several hours before leaving her there for the night. In the end, she is okay and should have no problems after her 6-8 weeks in a splint/cast, but it was a really scary couple of days.

Needless to say, it was an extremely stressful few days. At first they thought her injury was much worse and the stress of worrying about her, the vet bills, and canceled plans, had me exhausted and not sleeping or eating well. By the time the day came for my 10K, I was still tired, had hardly run all week, and had lost 4 pounds from all the stress. My friends that were going to go with me to cheer me on had to cancel to fly home for a funeral so I headed out to the race alone and feeling defeated already.

There were 5,000 registered racers with friends in tow so the boardwalk was a mad house. This is not the first race put on by this company here in Virginia Beach so I was appalled at the lack of organization. There was nothing to give people an idea where to line up, so there were walkers, with strollers even, at the front and anyone trying to set a consistent pace spent the first mile or two dodging people and trying to break through groups walking 4 or 5 abreast. I managed to keep my tongue in check and didn’t yell the profanities that were popping up in my head, but a couple of people got a pretty good elbow.

After the first couple of miles, people thinned out a bit and it got easier to maintain my pace. I had my virtual partner set up on my Garmin so I could catch up to pace if I walked at a water stop or got stuck behind people. By mile 3, I was already feeling tired, but I knew I was prepared for this speed and distance so it was all in my head. My super-hero cape had also turned into a bit of a problem. Running against the wind, it created a lot of drag. Running with the wind it tangled up in my ankles and drove me nuts so I carried it draped over my arms for most of the run. I seriously considered ditching it in a trash can, but it would have taken too long to get all the safety pins undone to get it off.

When I reached the 4 mile water stop the conversation in my head started:

I can’t do this for two more miles!
Yes you can
It is a lot hotter than it was supposed to be
So what, you trained all summer
I’m tired; I haven’t had enough rest this week
Oh well
I’ve been under a lot of stress
Tough luck
This cape is heavy
You picked the costume
The wind is blowing hard
It will be blowing next weekend too
My calf is starting to hurt
Hold your form!
I’m really tired!
NO EXCUSES!!

I finished with a chip time of 54:08. My Garmin, set for the 10K distance, thought I was done 9 seconds before I crossed the line, which shows how much I lost dodging walkers at the start! That’s okay though, what I most wanted was the confidence to join the 2 hour pace group for the Outer Banks half next weekend and now I have it.

After the race, I picked up my free beer and waded into the cold ocean to cool my tight calf. It was so peaceful standing there with the waves lapping at my legs and carrying away the pain and strain. Later I talked to people that had seen me running barefoot and wanted to know more. It really was fun hearing the reactions as I ran. All my previous runs have been small local ones where most people either knew about my barefoot running, or saw me around the start. This race was huge though, with literally thousands of runners, each one I passed was shocked. I heard everything, surprise, horror, laughter, and the inevitable, “OMG, we just got passed by someone in bare feet!”

Although the costumes were a kick, the race wasn’t as much fun as I had hoped. My head really wasn’t in the game, it was home with my dog, or in Kabul with my husband, and the crowd was just too much. I’m okay with that many people for a half marathon or farther, but I think I like the smaller races for short distances. I was 31st out of 363 finishers, which just doesn’t have the same ring as 3rd out of 36, and there wasn’t a single familiar face at the finish line.

Next week OUTER BANKS!!

Acceptance

2009-10-23T13:41:00.000-04:00

"Everything changed the day I understood that if I was to become a runner, I would have to run with the body I had." John Bingham, The Courage to Start

I read this quote in the blog of my friend Amy and it really struck me. I need to take it to heart and stop beating myself up every time I step on the scale. Amy will be part of my group at the Outer Banks in a couple of weeks running the full marathon, her very first! She inspires me. Amy learned to swim recently so she could compete in a triathlon and hasn’t let anything stop her. This is what I love about running, all the people overcoming their fears and getting out there even though they aren’t top athletes, even though they aren’t going to win, but just to be part of something and show they can do it.

We are all up against our own bodies. Maybe we carry a few extra pounds that slow us down, maybe we have nagging injuries, illnesses, or busy lives, but we get out there and run. Images like Paula Radcliffe sitting in the curb, head in hands, remind us this is not unique to amateurs, but we keep running. When we can’t run, we obsess about it.

I blew it last week. I’ve been doing too much speed work, desperate for the sub 54 10K that will give me the confidence to try to break 2 hours in the half marathon at OBX. “Desperate” is the problem. As I hurdled down the street, doing an 800 meter interval, I leaped off the curb and landed with a sickening pain in my calf. It was such a graceful leap. I was enjoying every moment of being airborne, planning to land with the precision of a ballet dancer in toe shoes, instead I nearly crumpled to the ground. 1 ½ weeks to the 10K, 2 ½ weeks to the half marathon, and I’m limping down the street trying to figure out who to call to pick me up. After a few minutes on the curb I started walking, bending my knees and finding a way to walk without pain. Once I got the walking down, and realized I still had over a mile to go, I tried a slow jog. I was able to very slowly plod home (turned out that jogging hurt less than walking) and won’t try running again until Saturday. If I can’t run Saturday, I won’t run at all for a week. It will be a long stressful week, but better a week than a month or a year.

So, I’m on a forced running vacation, but it won’t be forever.

Surround yourself with great people!

2009-10-04T19:37:00.005-04:00

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." **Mark Twain**

Running has been one of the best avenues I’ve ever taken. It has made me stronger, it has made me healthier, and it has given me goals to work towards and meet, but the best part is the people. Both on-line and in person, the people I have met have been the happiest most supportive group ever. It doesn’t matter if someone can run a 15 minute 5K, they are totally supportive and cheer on the person struggling to cross the line after 45 minutes. Everyone cheers for your new personal record and commiserates with you when a run goes badly. No one is forgotten. From the youngest kid running their first 5K, up to the octogenarian who lost count decades ago, they all get cheered and high fived.

I’m getting more accustomed to running 5Ks so I don’t get nervous, although I still get pumped. I recognize people, wave and hug, encourage the people I pass and give ‘at-a-boys to those that pass me. Once in a while you see a hyper-competitive person grumbling over their time, but they are few and far between. I know, regardless of how I’m feeling, or what is going on in my life, that going to a race, either to run it or work it, will be a happy time that will lift my spirits and buoy my soul.

Friday afternoon, I wasn’t feeling well. I have been letting my circumstances get to me and was battling a major pity party and an RA flare. I had a stuffed up head, no energy, just generally feeling cruddy, but I wasn’t sure if I really had a bug or was just stressed. I figured, if I was really sick, I could just DNF on the run, but if it was stress, the run would be the best thing for me.

Once I was there and warming up, I felt great. A full page article pulled from my blog was in the new news letter so lots of people were asking me about my bare feet and commenting on my article. Okay, so now I had to run well or look like a goof. Additionally, my husband, who would rather avoid crowds and not stand around waiting for me for half an hour, had come out to see me run one last time before heading to Afghanistan and I wanted to show off for him. Our daughter stripped off her shoes and ran the kids’ one mile fun run barefoot. She said several people asked her, “You’re are a Nail, aren’t you?” I was so tickled. I’ve been hoping to interest her in running without pushing her and she really had a great time.

It was finally gun time. I sailed through the first mile, but totally botched the water stop at the mile mark. There was a darling little girl, about 5 years old, holding out a cup of water. She was kind of hard to reach, but I went out of my way so she would feel good about helping. Unfortunately, just after I got hold of the cup, my hand slammed into the hand of the next guy holding a cup and sent both cups flying. It was warmer out there than I had expected and I REALLY wanted that water, so before my brain kicked in a loud expletive slipped out, SH**! I turned around and started back to grab again for water, but of course, I had sent the last two cups flying and they were turned around picking up refills. Apparently when I thought, “Oh, to he** with it,” I thought it out loud because a few people that had watched the whole thing chuckled at me. Okay, 1 mile in and I’ve already traumatized a 5 year old, sheesh. By the water stop at mile 2, I was parched and really wishing I had carried my own bottle. Not wanting a repeat of the last stop, or to inhale my last chance for hydration, I decided to make a Jeff Galloway stop and walked for one minute. Water in I was ready to do the last mile. I was feeling pretty good about my pace, but didn’t look at my Garmin. My best is my best, and knowing my pace wasn’t going to make me go faster. I was really pouring it on during the last mile and started to get a little light headed, not good, time to throttle back a little. Apparently I had my Garmin set for a max heart rate because at this point it was beeping at me constantly and I’m sure the people around me wanted to rip it off my wrist and shove it down my throat.

As I approached the finish line, I could see the clock 25:XX , dang, no sub 25 today. Oh well, let’s see what I CAN do. The official time was 25:45, second place for my age group. I can’t help but wonder if I hadn’t messed up at the water stop or walked for a minute could I have finished sub 25? Maybe, maybe not, maybe next time. That is what it is all about, getting out there again and again, doing a little better each time, reaching a little higher, and being surrounded by friends who are truly great.

Be an Eagle, GET OVER IT!

2009-09-27T16:27:00.000-04:00

Every plant knows this: It’s only when you get crap thrown on you that you really start to grow. ** Scott Sorrell**

It has been a very long and stressful week since my 5K PR. The 9 miles on Sunday went okay, but I was pretty worn out from the race. The rest of the week went pretty much downhill from there. I think I am more stressed about Rusty leaving than I have let myself feel. Unfortunately, rheumatoid arthritis is very sensitive to stress and I have been getting little red flags all week. Saturday, I worked two back to back races, 5K and half marathon, and several hours of standing followed by a 5 mile run was too much for my feet. Saturday night they swelled up like balloons.

I was so upset that I let myself go on a major pity party this morning. I typed a long whiny blog about the details of each crummy run and all the things I hate about arthritis. Then I decided to get the heck over it. I put on my Brooks running shoes and wore them around the house for a while to see how my feet felt with some padding and then decided to hit the road.

I took it very easy and walked a tenth of each mile, but I felt good and got slightly faster as the miles went by. Now I’m tired, but it is a good tired, not the sick tired that I was afraid I would be. I’m still a bit tender from the RA, but my mind feels better and I’ve gained a lot of confidence knowing that if I had run my half marathon today, even being under the weather, I could have finished and probably even improved my time. Running in shoes was the pits, but worth the price to be able to run. Hopefully by my next run on Tuesday I will be back to bare, but if not, that is okay too, as long as I can run.

26:09!! CNU Race Report

2009-09-19T19:55:00.004-04:00

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." **Sir Winston Churchill***

It has been a crazy couple of weeks since I last posted! We had a wonderful time at Disney World and I took the whole week off from running. At the beginning of the week I kind of felt like I was fighting a cold so with all the running around the parks, I decided I’d be better off getting all the rest I could and not pushing with morning runs.

My first run after vacation was rough though. My feet were sensitive from being in sandals all week and I felt rusty from not running. It was tough to talk myself into getting out there and doing it, but once the 4.5 mile run was behind me I felt much better. The next day was speed work with a mile and a half warm up and 4 Yasso 800’s. The Yassos went really well, between 4 and 4:15 with the last one just barely under 4! That last Yasso was amazing because for the first time I got that flying feeling I have heard runners talk about. I felt like I was just gliding over the surface and could go on forever.

The following day, Thursday, was an easy 3 mile recovery run. I should have lifted weights afterwards, but decided to skip it so I wouldn’t be sore for my 5K today. Friday was a rest day, but we decided at the last minute to go for one more theme park day while Rusty had time off and went to Buschgardens Williamsburg for the day. There was hardly anyone in the park and the weather was perfect so we rode roller coasters until we were sick and then watched shows. It wasn’t as long of a day as a day in Disney, but my legs and back were still pretty tired by the time we got home. I started rethinking my 5K, especially when I couldn’t find my race flyer with directions and times.

This morning, Rusty put his hand on my shoulder at 6:32 and asked what time I needed to be up for my run, ummm, 6:00! Not a good start. I threw down some coffee and a banana, grabbed my gear with a bottle of Gatorade and some sports beans. Without a clear idea of where I was going, I headed out the door for the 8am start hoping the start was where I thought it was. At least running late didn’t leave me time to contemplate throwing in the towel on this one. I didn’t feel rested after the long day yesterday and I REALLY wanted to go back to bed, but I was on a mission and didn’t have time to think.

I did find the registration table on time, after walking around for 10 minutes, handed in my check and started warming up. By 7:55 I was warmed up and ready to go when someone told me the kids run started at 8 and the 5K started at 8:30. Dang, all warmed up with nowhere to go. I wasn’t alone, there were a bunch of people griping about the unclear start time so we all stood around getting cold and then had to warm up again. Along the way, I had the usual bunch of funny looks when people realized my feet were bare, but no questions at this point. I guess they assumed I'd put them on for the race.

At 8:30 we were ready to roll so about 200 runners lined up for the start. I spotted a runner that I know is fast, but I know is also injured and thought maybe I could keep up with her today. This was my first 5K where I actually warmed up before the race so for once I was able to start off at speed and not crash a mile into the run.

At mile one I felt pretty good, but was questioning my sanity about keeping up such a hard pace. I was intentionally not looking at my Garmin and just going by feel with the occasional glance at my heart rate. Susan, the runner I was pacing off of, had realized I was on her heels and since she knows I’m slow decided to kick it up a notch to stay ahead of me. I stayed on her heels through the first and second mile, but by mile 3 she started pulling ahead.

As we hit the 2 mile mark, there was someone calling out times. I really didn’t want to know so I stuck my fingers in my ears and repeated, “I don’t want to know!” about three times. When I took my fingers out of my ears he was laughing at me, but didn’t call my split. Near the end of the third mile, I was in trouble. My breathing was getting tough, my legs were tired, and I was mentally not there. I could still see Susan, but I knew I’d never pass her in the final stretch. As we turned the last corner, I was able to pull a last bit from the tank and picked it up for the last 100 yards or so. I didn’t look at the clock because I didn’t want to know yet what my time was. I stopped my Garmin at the finish line and was aggravated by the stack up to turn in our tags. I don’t do well going from full speed to full stop and was worried that the drop in blood pressure would make me pass out in the chute! Fortunately I was able to keep the black spots at bay, turn in my tag, and walk my cool down. When I finally took a peak at my Garmin, it said my time was 26:07!!!! WHOOT!!

My mile splits were 8:16, 8:18, 8:30 with my final 1/10th mile sprint below an 8 minute mile, so although they weren’t negative splits, they weren’t terribly far off. I managed to pull of 2nd for my age group with a clock time of 26:09! That was way cool! I finally feel like part of the group now and can’t wait for my next 5K. If I’m more rested, have a calmer morning, and warm up right, there is a good chance I will improve on my time. The best part was all the questions about being barefoot. People take more notice when you are doing something different and finish with a good time!

Next hurdle? Tomorrow’s 9 mile long run!

8 Barefoot Miles

2009-09-06T22:17:00.001-04:00

"There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but only one view." **Harry Millner**

I've been a really lazy blogger lately, mostly because I haven't had all the much to post about. I just finished week 5 of my half marathon training plan and am feeling really good about how it is going. I've done nearly all my training barefoot, the only shod running being when I wear my VFFs for group runs on really rocky trails.

My times are improving nicely and giving me hope of actually running at respectable speeds one day, LOL. I've been posting to Hal Higdon's forums to get better coaching on my training plan (what better than to go to the source!) I've picked up a lot of good info there and had many questions answered by Hal Higdon himself. For interval training I have been doing Yasso 800's under 4.5 minutes for 4 repeats. I'll test this new pace in a 5K on Sep. 19th and see if I can sustain it for 3.1 miles straight. To curb the incessant hunger that has been waking me up an hour early, I have added a bedtime shot of protein powder. It seems to be working nicely and I'm continuing to see a downward trend on the scale. Ideally I'd like be to down about 10 pounds by November, which should be totally doable if I don't get too out of control on vacation next week.

Today was my longest barefoot run ever! Saturday was a 3 mile pace run so I ran a little over a mile to warm up and then ran 3 miles at %80 HRR (heart rate reserve.) I don't know if I could actually keep that pace up for an entire half marathon, but that is the target zone for an HM race so I thought I would give it a try and just go by heart rate without looking at my pace. It turned out that I had 2 miles at about 9:30 and one at 8:58. I was totally stunned! Needless to say, I was tired after that run. My feet were tender, although undamaged, and after my run I went to a race expo to pick up some needed gear and decided to do that all barefoot too.

Anyway, on to my point, by Saturday evening my feet were sore for the first time since I started running barefoot. I don't mean tender as in hot spots, blisters, or damaged skin, but a deep in the tissues tired like they had had a very good workout. Apparently this is a pretty common feeling for most beginner barefooters, but owing to my barefoot youth and my propensity to go barefoot in my house, my feet have been fine with my only limiting factor being the skin on the bottoms. I was a little worried about running 8 miles on sore feet, but decided they weren't too bad off.

I really didn't want to run today and nearly talked myself out of it. I was really tired from the pace run, but that is the point behind running hard the day before your long run, it teaches your body to keep going when it is tired. It was hot out, I was tired, I was hungry, I had a lot to do, we had company coming for dinner, my list of excuses was as long as my arm, but I kept moving forward, headed for the door. It was definitely one of those less fun runs. Every mile felt like slogging through molasses and I never did get my second wind. Usually by the time I pass the 3 mile mark I perk up for a couple of miles, but not today. I kept going though, up and down dead end streets, with every return tempting me to short cut home. My feet were starting to sting so I concentrated on relaxing and keeping my form good while watching my heart rate to keep it at about %70.

About half way though the run I started taking walking breaks. I don't usually take walking breaks on long runs, but I was SO tired! My running pace was staying around an 11 minute per mile pace, but the walking breaks added up to bring the whole run to a 12:15 pace, which is still about a minute per mile faster than my long runs were back in January so it wasn't too disappointing. I finished my 8 miles without being too sore or damaging my feet and now I have it behind me. Week 5 is done and I have a new record distance for barefoot running. Next week is a fall back week and we are going to Disney World. So, although I will be on my feet plenty, I'll get in a tempo run before we fly out on Tuesday, and then probably let it go for the rest of the week. If I really feel like a run there is a 1.5 mile track at the hotel, but I'm guessing several days on my feet will be enough stress for my body :-)

Bye Bye Birdie

2009-08-24T07:46:00.004-04:00

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is not safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing" ***Helen Keller***

Week three is behind me! It was a good fall back week, despite my deviations from the plan. I won't be able to push the envelope so much later and I have a few little warning signs that my RA is threatening to flare so I’ll behave myself and stick to the plan more.

I was supposed to do 3 miles of a general run on Thursday and rest Fri/Sat with a 5K Sunday, but since I couldn't find a Sunday 5K and my husband's group from work were running my favorite trail for military PT I decided to skip my Thursday run and do 5 with them. This trail is a lot of steep ups and downs with many of the hills having boards to terrace them so it is quite technical and definitely killer. I set a 12 minute per mile pace, which is pretty ambitious for me on this trail. I've run this trail in under an hour before, and I've run it barefoot before, but this was my first attempt at finishing under an hour AND barefoot.

Happily, I managed to maintain my pace and met my time goal. I didn't watch my heart rate during the run, but now looking at my stats I think I probably ran a bit too hard for the temps. It was definitely a Lactate Threshold run which isn't too smart on a fall back week. I'll do a little strength training tomorrow and then do a short easy run on Sunday before the next week starts.

Saturday I worked a race with my running club. I LOVE working races, all the fun without the blood, sweat and tears :-) I got to do timing again. Apparently most people don't like to do timing so when they pull out the machines everyone looks really busy, LOL. I get a real charge out of cheering everyone on as they hit the chute and observing all the different levels of intensity on people's faces, judging who did their best and who was out for a stroll. It was very hot and sticky and one woman managed to cross the line looking perfect, every hair in place, make-up fresh, and no sweat spots anywhere! Obviously, she could have done better. Other people staggered across the line well after her, soaked in sweat, looking like they were in dire pain. They are the ones I cheer hardest for because they are working their hearts out, even if it did take them 55 minutes to finish a 5K.

Anyway, I met my running group Sunday morning at 7 and it was lovely. We had an outrageous storm the evening before so the temps were down and the humidity was tolerable. Water still dripped from the trees, but the sky was blue and people were out fishing and enjoying the day. I ran with another relaxed runner and did between 12 and 12.5 minute miles for three miles and then walked the last two back. My heart rate for the 3 miles of running was at a nice %60, other than the spike at the beginning for taking off too fast :-) The guy I ran with is over 6 ft. tall so the walking at the end just about killed me! I'd have done better to just trot beside him, but I didn't want to run more than 3.

We were running in an area that that was new to me so I wore my VFFs and was very glad I had. It was all cut limestone gravel, my most hated surface, but the VFFs saved the run. I'm going to the Expo for the Virginia Beach Rock & Roll HM in a couple of weeks and plan to try on racing flats to see how they feel. I can’t imagine them being comfortable at this point, but it would be good to at least get a real idea of how much the weigh and how the heel feels.

In non-running news, today is my daughter’s 18th birthday and her launch. We left for the airport at 4am to send her to her college internship in Florida. It is only a 5 month internship, but she plans to stay in Orlando one way or the other to work and continue school so this is my first taste of empty nest. It is softened by the fact that we will see her in a few weeks when we go to visit Rusty’s family (so he can say good-bye before leaving for Afghanistan), but she will be working and not playing in the theme parks with us. They grow up much too fast!

Week 2 Int. Half Marathon Training

2009-08-16T19:08:00.002-04:00

"Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year. "

**Franklin Pierce Adams**

I have now finished the second week of the Int. HM plan and I'm feeling really good about it. Even though I kind of blew my 3 mile pace run yesterday by doing a 5K pace instead of HM pace, I still managed my 6 mile long run this morning and it went well. I maintained about a 13 mpm pace to keep my heart rate down in the heat, (80 degrees, 80% humidity). My plan for the half marathon is a pace of slightly better than 12 minute miles, with the hope of a few 11 minute miles for a target finishing time of 2:30:00.

I can very comfortably run 6 miles, which wasn't the case at the beginning of the year so I'm already ahead of where I was when I was just starting my first HM plan near the end of last year. I do have two extra weeks programmed into my training plan so I can slow things down a bit if need be, and I have a 10K (Virginia Beach Blue Moon Wicked 10K, Oct. 31st) planned the week before the HM. I hope to run for a PR with a goal of finishing in less than an hour.
Yesterday I ran in my minimal shoes (Vibrim Five Fingers Sprints) because of the rough roads, but my 6 miles today were all barefoot. No joint pain, sore hips, tight back, or calves. My only problem this weekend is that I wore a cotton tank top today and didn't think to Body Glide under my upper arms, ouch! This was my second 6 mile barefoot run and I have one very small blister on the ball of my foot. I tend to twist my left foot when it hits the ground if I'm not paying attention so I know I slacked off on form at some point.

I’m really happy with how I have been doing since I switched back to Enbrel to treat my RA. I rarely take Naproxen so I have no more need of constant Aciphex and I have cut drastically back on Flexeril (which I was only taking ½ dose of) and can count on one hand the number of Darvon I’ve taken in the last month. Even when it is happening to me, I have a hard time believing how dramatically running controls my RA! Since I feel best when I’m working the hardest, I’m confident that I will keep getting stronger and faster. A marathon still seems impossible, but I seem to have a knack for doing the impossible lately, so who knows when I’ll make the breakthrough to my first 20 mile training run!

ASYMCA Mud Run: Race Report

2009-08-11T18:53:00.003-04:00

"We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing. " **Anon**

I’ve been waiting 2 years to do the ASYMCA Mud Run and finally got my chance. Road races are fun, trail races are better, and obstacle races are the craziest and most fun of all! The location brought back a whirlwind of memories, but most of all it was the most challenging race I have run to date. It was also perfectly suited to my barefoot tangent.

The race was held on the Little Creek Amphibious Base in Norfolk Virginia, right on the edge of Virginia Beach. 20+ years ago I worked in the medical clinic as a Navy Corpsman with the Reserves so driving through the gate and onto the base brought back a flood of memories. I was allowed to work full time for the better part of our year in Virginia, so it was more than just weekends. I knew the base, and saw the SEAL team guys pass through our halls, but never knew what happened to any of them because the day after we left Virginia Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and we were off to Italy for forward deployment.

With all that in my head, I lined up with the third wave of the start. There were nearly 2,000 runners in all, most participating in teams, and many wearing their combat boots and camouflage pants. The waves were sent out with 5 minutes between each, and we all headed off for the first mile on the beach. Everyone headed straight for the water to run on the packed damp sand, but three times we were directed back up the beach to clamber over huge piles of soft sand, or through pits full of salty, muddy water. Thankfully, after the first mile, we turned off the beach and were greeted with a water stop. I gulped from one cup while pouring a second over my head, successfully washing salt into my eyes. We crossed a piece of asphalt topped road and turned onto a forest path. This was WONDERFUL!! The ground was packed sand that quickly turned to a blanket of pine needles as it wound through the trees. It obviously was not a wildly used trail and in most places it was impossible to pass people, which slowed progress down quite a bit and forced anyone who wanted to pass into a sprint through the occasional break in the trees. This was also where we crossed our deepest water hazard. It was a surprisingly deep channel, owing to the recent rains, and we all plunged into the chest deep water single file, laughing hysterically.

The tree-lined path gave way to sandy dunes as we emerged and headed back toward the beach. This brought us nearly to the start where the crowds of spectators got a chance to cheer and photograph the runners as we approached the second water stop. Turning inland again, we ran on roads that changed constantly from asphalt, cement, and dirt before heading back into the trees. People were starting to flag at this point, myself included. My quads and glutes were screaming from all the sand dunes and my legs felt like lead. Then there was the wall. I was kind of expecting something more intimidating, but was glad that it was only about 5 ft. high. I had to stand in line for my turn to climb over and managed to get in two running steps so I easily got my leg up and over the first time. I was worried about dropping down onto my ankle that has been giving me fits for weeks, but I landed well and continued my run. The last mile of the run was up and down the sand dunes, snaking around to get the distance in. I kept turning corners and thinking, “Oh no! Not another hill!” Very few people were running at this point and we all trudged along with people shouting the remaining distance. It would have been better if they had been a little consistent, LOL. Everyone seemed to have a different idea of how far it was to the end.

Our last major obstacle was the water crawl. Frankly, collapsing to my hands and knees to crawl seemed like a pretty good idea at that point, plus the water was cool and refreshing, despite being totally opaque with mud. Unfortunately, the bottom was course sand that ground painfully into my knees, making me very grateful when I crawled under the last wire and could stand up to finish the race. The crowd at the finish line was huge and cheering everyone on. Through the chute, I stopped to take off the timing chip that had been digging into my ankle for 8 kilometers and found my family. I had made it back in time to see my daughter run the kids’ one mile fun run. She isn’t a big fan of running, but she gave it her best shot and got a lovely finisher’s medal. I was proud of her for doing it even though she would have preferred to sleep in and watch TV in the air conditioning.

All in all, it was a really fun race. I was good and dirty by the end, but you really had to make an effort to get totally muddy. The serious mud hounds did belly flops into each water hazard just to get muddier. The best part, though, was the teams. There were teams of every configuration from all male, to all female, co-ed, all military, all in boots, you name it. Other teams were there to specifically honor a friend or family member that is a fallen hero; those teams were the most touching of all. The teams were required to cross the finish line together, no one left behind. Listening to them as they encouraged each other and worked together to keep the team moving was very inspirational. At one point I passed a group of military guys and heard combat poetry being shouted out loud and clear. I don’t remember the exact words, but what I heard went something like this:

We fought all day
We fought all night
We fought until our gun barrels glowed red and we were out of ammunition
Then it was time for had to hand combat…

I will never be a combat soldier; I will never know what they go through or what a day is like facing a fierce and determined enemy. I don’t have to live in the sand and muck, day in and day out, to do my job. I can only admire them and do what I can on the home front to support them and their families. It was an honor and a privilege to share the race course with our military and a joy to see everyone having so much fun.

P.S. I’m now on week two of Hal Higdon’s Intermediate Half Marathon training plan. Being back to a regular running routine is improving my RA and my sleep patterns dramatically. I feel so much better! My ankle isn’t totally healed, but since it wasn’t a running injury, it is healing and not being aggravated. As long as I don’t put my foot down and then turn or twist, it is fine.

2009-08-01T19:51:00.001-04:00

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." **Jim Ryun**

Today was the Coast Guard 5K and I was feeling really good about being back to running. While organizing my gear, directions, and plan, I saw that most of the race was on the same rough roads as my fateful 4th of July race and it immediately struck fear in my heart. I simply didn't look forward to it. I decided to carry my VFFs and put them on when the road got rough, but the minute I stepped out of the car, I knew I needed to put them on from the start. I felt a little defeated having to give in to shoes already, but I really wanted to just run for fun, no worries about time, take it easy on my ankle, and NOT be in pain the whole time.

Standing at the start, I got a few comments and questions about my weird shoes. One seasoned runner said, "I hope you have a good heel pad in those." Of course my answer was that I didn't need one because I don't land on my heels. He furrowed his brow and said, "Forefoot strike, eh."

I wasn't in a hurry so I hung at the back of the pack and started passing people shortly across the start line. Not far into it, I was starting to think that maybe I had lost more ground than I thought during my injury recovery, but then I realized we were on a pretty good incline, ugh. Not the best way to start a race! I plugged along, purposefully not looking at my Garmin and just going by my breathing. By the first mile mark I was really happy. I felt good, I was still passing people and my ankle didn't hurt at all. I was feeling warmed up and picked up the pace a little. I thought again how glad I was to have my VFFs on. As much as I love running barefoot, if it is miserable and no fun I'll give up. Better to take a break than throw in the towel.

When I hit the second mile mark I decided to increase my speed again, but I started getting a stitch when I hit the next hill so I relaxed a bit. All through this mile I was constantly doing form checks. It is a lot like learning to drive a car. At first you are totally conscious about checking mirrors, position of hands on the wheel, signaling, turning, it is all conscious and consumes all your attention. Relearning to run properly is the same way. I'm constantly thinking, "Am I landing on my forefoot or my heel? Am upright? Am I picking my feet straight up? Are my feet falling inline in front of me? Are my hips moving, or are they stiff? Are my shoulder and neck relaxed?" Pretty much every time I checked, there was something to be corrected. If I let my mind wander for a few minutes, there were more things to correct. However, as time went on, the interval between the correction and the detail falling apart again got longer. I look forward to not having to think about it, but it is going to take a while to break these bad habits!!!

When I turned the last corner, with about 50 yards left to go, I punched it! I sprinted for all I was worth and crossed the finish line with a Garmin clocked speed of 6:20 minute mile!!!!! WOW! I had no idea I could do that! Granted, I only sustained it for about 10 seconds, but WOW!!! My final time wasn't all that impressive, 31:20 clock time (edited to add, the official posted time was 31:34, don't know what happened to those 14 seconds), but considering the heat, my time off, and my history, I was quite happy with that :-) My splits were great:
Mile 1: 10:55
Mile 2: 9:58
Mile 3: 9:40

Unfortunately, I don't know my final Garmin time because I forgot to hit the stop button until an hour later, no biggie.

The best part of the race set-up was that just past the finish line there were two huge ice chests filled with ice water and washcloths! Each person got a sopping ice-cold cloth to mop their brow and wipe down their scorched limbs. It was amazing! They also had a great snack table with plenty for everyone. I hung around for the awards and strolled around a car show for a few minutes before wandering back to my car to go home.

It was a great day, I feel privileged to have been able to race, and blessed that my ankle healed so quickly and that my RA is being beaten back into submission.

The Sweet Taste of Pavement

2009-07-27T19:01:00.002-04:00

"Fall seven times, stand up eight" **Japanese Proverb**

I haven't had much to blog about lately as I've been patiently waiting for my ankle to heal before trying to run on it again. I'm up against starting to train for my next half marathon and another setback for being impatient and stupid would really throw a serious wrench into my plans!

My parents were visiting so I was doing a lot more walking than I should have, which probably slowed healing by at least a week. At one point, I decided to wear my good running shoes for the day, hoping the support and cushioning would help my sore ankle and making being on my feet all day more comfortable. I hated every minute that they were on my feet and after less than an hour I was carrying them over my shoulder. At that point, there was only a small area of flexation that hurt and I simply couldn't avoid it in stiff shoes, so I was much more comfortable in bare feet, and the dirt paths in the Indian village and Jamestown fort felt wonderful under my toes.

Finally today, I felt no tenderness or pain when I took a few running steps across the living room. As I dug out my running clothes and Garmin, my dog went nuts! She was so excited to run again, almost as excited as I was. We headed out the door into air as hot and thick as a Louisiana Bayou. After a 5 minute warm up, we took off running. It felt great! My ankle had that soft tugging of fresh healing and the stiffness that goes with it, but otherwise, no soreness. I ran easy, staying at a relaxed comfortable pace and finished my mile in what seemed like way too little time. In truth, it took me 11 minutes to run the mile, which is actually a minute or two faster than my usual relaxed pace :-)

My dog actually didn't do as well. The heat was too much for her and I had to pass her off to my mom, who was walking and carrying water, after about 8 minutes. I'll have to get up much earlier if I'm going to take her with me again during summer.

My feet had really gotten lazy during the 3 week break, but they did well with no blisters. Once, I wasn't paying attention to the road and managed to hit a rock just right, so I have a slightly bruised spot, but nothing serious and it will be good in another day or two. This coming Saturday, I have a 5K race with my running club and I can't wait! I'm sure I won't set a PR, but it will feel so good to be back in the game it hardly matters! One more week of testing the waters with my ankle and then training begins in earnest!

Upcoming races:
Coast Guard Day 5K, Aug. 1st
AFYMCA Mud Run 8K, August 8th
Outer Banks Half Marathon, November 7th
Atlanta Half Marathon, November 26th
Chang Mai Thailand Half Marathon, Dec. 27th

Most Challenging Run

2009-07-05T17:18:00.004-04:00

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." **Malcolm Stevenson Forbes**

Sometimes things can go very wrong, but turn out right. Yesterday was one of those days. Earlier in the week I had hurt myself doing a stretch with the wrong form in my yoga class. I’m sure I should have let the 8 kilometer race go and just helped out, but I figured I’d run anyway and just take it easy and enjoy the scenery. After all, the race was through the Yorktown Battlegrounds on a beautiful Independence Day!

We were tardy getting out the door and it was a long walk from the parking lot to the race start so, by the time I threw in a last minute port-a-potty stop, I barely made it to the back of the crowd when the start was signaled! There were only about 400 people so it didn’t take all that much time to get to the start line, but it struck me right away that the pavement was very washed out and rough. No matter, I thought, I can deal with it by running in the grass at the side of the road. This worked for about ¼ mile.

The road continued to get worse as we entered the woods. The areas on the side of the road turned into weeds that concealed big chunks of rocks and gravel, with trees and shrubs very close to the road. I found if I looked for places where the top layer of pavement, a coarse later addition to the original pavement, was worn away it was smooth enough to be comfortable, but this too was short lived. All I could think about was running fast. I wanted this race over as soon as possible and the faster I ran, the less it hurt. Unfortunately, I couldn’t maintain that speed for long.

The terrain changed constantly: wooden bridges, woods, fields; sometimes there was a nice grassy shoulder, other times it was steep and uneven. My hips were starting to hurt from all the crazy angles and constantly being ready to recover from stepping into a hole or unseen hazard hidden in the grass and weeds. I’m sure I added a lot of distance to my run, zig-zagging back and forth across the road looking for the least chewed up patches of pavement, or a bit of softer even grass on the other side.

I was sorely tempted to flag down the little gas powered golf cart that was zipping around and beg it for a ride to the end, but that would mean admitting defeat. If I arrived at the finish line by anything other than my own two feet, everyone would simply nod and say, “Of course it is too hard to run barefoot! Were you crazy?” My ankle hurt, but not as bad as the soles of my feet. I was tense and exhausted from the extreme concentration it took to keep my footing in the tangles of rocks, roots, and weeds on the side of the path. Every muscle in my body ached, but I was making good time. As the miles ticked away, I started thinking again that I could make it.

Then, with 1.3 miles left, the runners were directed off road onto a narrow gravel path. You would think that after the horrible pavement, gravel wouldn’t be much worse, but it was big chunks of cut limestone, and they were the last straw. There was no side of the path to escape to. The path itself was so narrow that I had to stop walking and stand aside in places to let runners pass me. I had no idea how far we had to continue on the gravel, but there was only one way out, and that was to keep moving forward. I dug deep and continued to gingerly pick my way across the gravel like a cat in a puddle.

Finally, with about ¼ of a mile left, I was back on the pavement, but it wasn’t welcoming at all. As we came out of the woods, the open field next to the road was recently mowed and very dry so the blades of hay were sharp and deeper than my ankle. I had to get pretty far off the road to get away from the rocks, and then cut back across to go through the finishing chute. I’ve never been so happy to see a finish line in my life!!! My husband met me with my slides and I put them on before I even handed in my tag or left the chute! Humorously, the curmudgeon from my track club, who has been the only person to be sarcastic and derisive about my barefoot running, was just outside the end of the chute. He glanced down at my feet and said, “That is cheating to be running in those!” As if I had run 5 miles in my sandals! I was in no mood to be nice so I shot him a withering look and said, “I did NOT put these on until AFTER I crossed the finish line!” He shrank back, muttering an apology and I walked on. My husband, who was pretty much done with standing around bored, wanted to get home to prepare for holiday guests so we headed straight back to the car.

After a cool shower and careful scrubbing of my feet, I looked them over for damage. I was amazed to find I didn’t have a single blister! I am, however, rather bruised, my ankle is tender again, and my hips will be sore for a couple of days. When all is said and done, I believe this race did a lot for improving my form. I had to be totally precise in how I set down and picked up my feet, no matter how tired I got. I had to use my abs and hips to control my gait, and had to keep going when I wanted nothing more than to take my ball and go home. This was one of the most mentally challenging things I’ve ever done.

I believe we benefit every time we challenge ourselves and rising to a challenge, even a self imposed one, builds strength. We can sit around and let our muscles atrophy until we are too feeble to get out of a chair, or we can hit the gym and build muscles so they are there when we need them. I believe mental fortitude can be similarly built by finding challenges and rising to the occasion. Our lives are too easy for normal daily activities build our bodies enough, and it is the same for our minds. In our safe little world, we are often complacent, jaded, and totally unprepared when tragedy strikes. As I prepare to send my first born across the country, and my husband across the world, I wonder if I will have the strength to deal with the realities that may come my way. During the course of the race I was called a warrior, said to have iron feet, and told I am tough. I don’t think I am any of those things; I’m just a lump of coal hoping that someday I will have the strength of a diamond when I need it.

**Special thanks to Mike Angelo, the Peninsula Track Club photographer, for the great pictures!**

If running barefoot is a mistake, it is mine to make

2009-06-29T11:35:00.001-04:00

"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."
**Mahatma Gandi**

I had a fantastic run today. It wasn’t long (only 3 miles), it wasn’t fast (actually, I didn’t check so it might have been), but I was focused and it was beautiful outside with the birds and trees, and all the things that make it wonderful to be outside and full of life.

I’m learning to be much less conscious of running barefoot. Not that I don’t watch the road, pay close attention to my form, or forget that I’m shoeless, but rather that I don’t brace myself for comments or funny looks by people I pass. It adds to the sense of freedom when you can finally let go of the fear of scrutiny.

On Saturday, I met a couple from my running club at the trail head for a 5 mile run. The whole area was buzzing with activity, people stretching, chatting, beginning and finishing their runs or walks. I had never seen so many people there at once! With so many people came many comments: “Where are your shoes?” “Did you forget your shoes?” “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” Some people are just looking for a smile and a wave, others really want an explanation. When that is the case, I’ll talk with them for a few minute, enjoying how they relax as the understanding of what I’m doing takes away the concern and tension on their faces. In one case, a gentleman was very worried that I didn’t know what I was in store for. He kept listing the hazards of rocks, twigs, gravel, and broken oyster shells one at a time, as if one more danger would snap me back to reality and send me scrambling back to my car for my running shoes, horrified at the near miss by disaster. There was only one negative response, an old granny pushing a stroller scowled at me with all the disdain and disapproval she could muster. I found it rather sad that she would waste so much energy on a complete stranger that was not threatening her in any way.

Sunday I was sore from a couple of blisters obtained while sliding up and down the hills on the trail, probably because I wasn’t focused enough on my form, due to the overwhelming heat and humidity dominating my thoughts. I figured 3 miles around the neighborhood would be alright though, so I clipped the leash of the dog, and headed out. Again, it was hot and sticky and I had to stop 3 or 4 times to give water to my panting pooch, who was becoming less and less enthusiastic about “walkies” by the minute. Unfortunately, with my focus on the dog, and still being tired from the day before, my form was horrible and I ended up with sore calves and stinging feet.

Which brings me to today. I really didn’t feel like running, my feet hurt, it was already getting hot, and I was tired from not sleeping well, but I knew I wouldn’t get to run tomorrow and with a race coming up on Saturday, I needed to get my runs for the week in early so I can rest for a couple of days before the race. I decided not to take the dog, but to really focus on my form and figure out what is giving me blisters. The first mile was agonizing. I didn’t want to be there, but I concentrated on keeping my torso straight, my knees bent, picking up my feet, and staying aerobic. The second mile was better and I was finally feeling into the groove enough to let my mind wander a bit. Near the end of the second mile, I passed an older lady out for a walk who looked at me astonished, and blurted, “You’re running without shoes?!” To which I replied, “Yes, Ma’am!” Her comeback was, “[laughing] You must be from Carolina.” “Nope, California.” I could hear her laughter as we continued in our opposite directions. Shortly after beginning my last mile, a police officer on a motorcycle rolled up next to me. I thought to myself, “Oh great, here it comes, he is going to tell me I have to have shoes on.” The police in my little town are well known for being a bit over the top, mostly because they don’t have a lot to do. He looked at me curiously, no doubt watching my body language to get a read on whether I was up to no good or not, and then started the usual conversation, “Runnin’ without shoes?” “Yes, Sir” followed by my list of reasons to run barefoot. He responded with chatter about how he never wore shoes as a kid, slipping in a question about where exactly I lived, and for the next half mile we discussed kids, TV, races etc. By the end of the interview, I guess he decided I was harmless, told me to have a Blessed Day, and motored away. I’ll never know if he spotted me on a routine round of the neighborhood (I’ve never seen a motorcycle cop in my neighborhood in 2 years of running here) or if someone called to complain about a raving lunatic running barefoot down the street, but it is nice to know I passed the test and now have police consent to be running unshod.

Hills, Heat, and Bare Feet: 10K race report

2009-06-21T12:16:00.004-04:00

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.”
**Thomas J. Watson**

WOW! What a day! I ran my first barefoot (BF) race!

I signed up for the "Chesty" Puller Memorial 10K, long before I considered running it BF. I was warned it was a tough one, just like its name sake, the Marine hero Chesty Puller. We ran past his childhood home, up over a huge bridge, back over the bridge, and then over and back on another huge bridge. That is 4 Bridge crossings in 6.2 miles, with the thermometer nearing 80, and the humidity at about 90%. I haven't run a 10K since the Turkey Trot back in November of 2007, when it was cool and flat, so I really wasn't planning on a personal record. Once I decided to run it BF, my goal was simply to finish without shoes or blood.

The number one question I was asked was, "Why are you running barefoot?" My answer was honed down to: 1. To improve my running form, 2. To rebuild the muscles in my feet, 3. To slow or halt the damage of RA to my toes, and 4. To decrease the impact on my joints when I run. Generally the person would focus on one of these and ask more questions.

I got a lot of positive comments along the route, including a shout of, "Impressive!" from one of the front runners passing me after the turnaround, COOL! The best part was that my back didn't ache after my run, and any joint that started to hurt caused me to reassess my form and fine tune it, which always made the tenderness fade away. My single biggest problem was the bridges. Not because they were high, which they were, or because they were steep, which they also were, but because the concrete was grooved to give the cars traction. The grooves consisted of a deep ¼ inch wide cut, every ½ inch. I had to really focus hard on my form to keep from scuffing my feet going up or down. There was also a lot of debris on the road. I'm guessing there are a lot of logging trucks that pass through this area because the side of the road was littered with large and small chunks of wood, in addition to the usual gravel and junk that accumulates on the side of the road. It turned out that the wood wasn't a problem, and I only hit one rock hard with the outside edge of my foot. I ran the next 10 minutes with that foot falling always on the painted white line and by the time I had to turn off, it was feeling much better. With ½ mile left to go, I was feeling a blister coming on just below my second toe. Again, I checked my form, relaxed, and focused on not popping it with a twist or a scuff of my foot. It worked because my Garmin recorded my last .1 of a mile with a 7.5 minute per mile sprint and my blister never opened up.

The break down of the mile splits were:
Mile 1 (11:31) "Okay, cool, I can do this, the pavement isn't too bad."
Mile 2 (11:42) "Yikes! That is a really big bridge!"
Mile 3 (11:02) "So far so good, the bridge isn't so bad, I can do it again. This is a nice neighborhood, kind of need to resurface the road though."
Mile 4 (11:41) "Crap, another dang bridge."
Mile 5 (11:07) "OMG, will this bridge ever end!"
Mile 6 (11:14) "This road is a LOT rougher than it was on the first pass."
Mile 6.1 (0:40) "To heck with it, I'm sprinting across the finish line!"
Post race, "Can I have a second bottle of water to pour on my steaming feet?"

Sitting on the steps watching the awards being given, I talked to a couple full of questions. The wife, who won the first place plaque for my age group, was really interested in how BF running has taken away my back pain, a constant problem for her. I lamented the fact that if I had been 6 months younger, I would have had a 3rd place plaque (seriously, who would have thought women over 40 were SO fast!) All in all, I may have limped a bit walking back to my car, but it was so worth it! I'm tired, but not as tired as I usually am after a race. My feet are a bit sore from the blisters, but not from the muscle fatigue that I usually have after a long run. Most of all I'm excited to be part of the small minority that has the courage to kick off their shoes and go for it.

Morning after post script: This morning the mild tenderness in my hips (most likely due to hills) is gone, the blisters are dried and don’t hurt, and everything else feels great! I’ll take a couple of days off to rest, but I can’t wait for my next barefoot adventure!

Feeling Prepared

2009-06-06T07:10:00.001-04:00

Feeling prepared

I have to type fast this morning because it will be a crazy day! The packed schedule for this weekend is what prompted me to run my long run yesterday. I knew I would feel better knowing I had it behind me.

It was the first really good running day we have had in a couple of weeks. Temps were in the very low 70's, overcast skies, and almost drizzling, MY FAVORITE!! Actually, totally perfect would have been temps in the 60's, but heck, for June in the South I'll take it.

I started out with plans to just make it a 6 mile LSD, but most of all, I didn't want to watch my Garmin like a hawk. I needed a relaxed feel good run so, although I did take it with me and wore my chest strap, I put it on my fuel belt and left it alone. My first 4 miles were at a comfortable pace, breathing easy 3 steps in and 3 steps out, with the occasional yawn or deep cleansing breath. As usual, the first mile was tough, second was comfortable, third was tough, and the rest was smooth sailing.

After mile 4 I decided to step it up and finish my run strong. I push some, but not hard, again avoiding my Garmin and going by feel and breathing. At mile 5 I decided to do a complete 10K, and really push my last 1.2 miles. As I stepped it up, warmed up and feeling really good, I increased my breathing rate, but never pushed to the point of huffing and puffing. The temp had crept up a bit and I was drenched in sweat, but it was still comfortable and not stifling like a few days ago. I finished feeling exhilarated, but drained. I definitely put in a good effort, but not a race effort.

When I got home and checked my Garmin, I was really pleased with my result. My slow comfortable miles had been around a 12:35 mpm, my slightly stepped up mile was 11:24 and my last fast mile was 10:15! The total for my 10K distance was almost to the second the same as the 10K I ran a year and a half ago, and I was really pushing then. I have a couple more weeks to get ready for my 10K on June 20th, but I'm really feeling good for a PR, despite the warnings I've gotten about the bridges. The biggest factor will be the weather. If it is hot and sticky, I won't shave much time off, but if it is cool, I will be golden!!

Bull Island 4 Miler Race Report

2009-05-31T18:23:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful day in Poquoson, our current home town. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze and the bugs weren’t out yet. Poquoson is known for being the worst mosquito breeding ground in the area, so beating the bugs is a common running goal around here.

Our race started at the Poquoson Yacht club, a lovely little place way out on the far edge of town. I arrived, picked up my t-shirt and number and pulled off my overshirt to line up. It was really humid, despite the breeze and I knew, even though it was in the low 70’s, that the heat was going to get me before this was over, so I wore a running bra that didn’t have to be covered, knowing I was not going to be the only one with my tummy getting fresh air. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good night’s sleep. I had woken up twice with cramps in my calves, which I haven’t had in years, and the dog got me up at 2:30 to go out. Along with being tired, I was just feeling off, but I lined up near the middle of the pack, and got ready to go.

As usual, the part of the pack I was in took off faster than I expected so right off the bat I was doing a 10 mpm pace. My goal was for that to be my average so I figured what the heck, I would just roll with it and try to keep that pace. I had my Garmin set up for a 40 minute/4 mile quick work out and turned on Fred, my virtual running partner. I decided not to look at time or heart rate, but just to try to stay a few steps ahead of Fred and monitor my breathing.

The first mile was rough as always. I was thinking I wasn’t going to reach my goal feeling so crummy and it was just too humid. I felt like I couldn’t get a good breath, or that there just wasn’t enough oxygen in the air. The second mile was better, I was starting to loosen up and get into a good rhythm and my breathing was a steady three steps in, three steps out. Early in this mile I started seeing the front runners passing me going back. At first I thought, “Oh good, I’m near the turn around.” Yeah, not so much. By the time I hit the turnaround most of the racers had passed me, including some really small kids and a couple of people that didn’t look like they could run to the end of a driveway. Being stomped on by 8 year olds does not do my ego any good! At the turn around I grabbed two cups of water. The first one I dumped down my back and front, the second I drank, and inhaled a little which gave me a momentary coughing fit (I know, I should know better by now.) The turnaround marked the beginning of my least favorite mile, #3.

The third mile is always my worst. For some reason my mind really messes with me here which is why I don’t care much for 5Ks, it is over just after the worst part. I needed to pick it up a little as I had lost a few seconds at the turnaround so I was behind Fred. I passed Fred not long after, but my breathing was beginning to deteriorate. I was breathing 3 in 2 out, then 2 in 2 out. The middle half of the race was through houses so the breeze was gone, and with it all the fresh air. I was really feeling like I wasn’t getting any air at all and my stomach was turning on me. I was thinking, here I am, wearing the skimpiest outfit I had ever run in, and now I’m going to be on the side of the road puking while everyone passes me, great!

I managed to hang on though and started into the last mile. I felt like I was still miles and miles from the finish line. Ahead of me were marshes with the black top winding through them in an endless ribbon. The runners were scattered as far as I could see, forward and back. Knowing this was my last mile lifted my spirits. If I could just hang onto this pace for 10 more minutes, I would be done and have met my goal. With about 2/3 of a mile left, I had to walk. I just felt like I couldn’t breathe and it was really getting to me. I walked for what seemed like ages, but I caught my breath a little and started to run again. With ½ mile left to go, I could see the tree tops and building where the finish was and decided to give it all I had. I gave in to running one breath in, one breath out and pushed. I caught and passed Fred (drop dead Fred!) and dug deep. I crossed the line with the clock reading 39:14. I DID IT!! One more goal met!
After drinking a bottle of water and walking around long enough to cool down, I finally headed into the yacht club for breakfast. The food was free for the runners and we each got orange juice, a cup of fresh fruit, three pancakes, and a beer. I think you have to run a few hard miles to really appreciate how a cold beer compliments pancakes.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, they gave out awards and turned us loose. My track club (of which I think I’m the newest member) had a pool party just down the street. This is the second time I’ve participated with the group and I have to say it is a fantastic bunch of people! It isn’t a hyper competitive or cut throat group, it is more of a social group that likes to have a good time, and we definitely did.

My next race is a 10K in 3 weeks. I was hoping to be ready to run a sub-60 minute race, but from the descriptions, this one won’t be it. There are a lot of steep bridges to cross, but it will be fun and bring me one step closer to my goal. I’m not in a hurry; I have the rest of my life to get there…

My Newest Adventure

2009-05-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

"When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of hell." **Brian W. Aldiss**

I'm not sure how it started, where I first noticed this new movement in the running community. Maybe it was the article on the guy that ran the marathon barefoot to provide shoes for the homeless, or the article in Runner's World that talked about a famous running coach that made his team compete barefoot in the snow (they won!). However, somewhere the spark struck me and kindled a fire.
The next step that added to the flame was downloading an audio version of Born to Run. Listening to tales of ultra marathons, Tarahumara Indians, and a cure for most running injuries, fascinated me. I have not been plagued with injuries, but the idea of cutting joint impact by 50% definitely made me want to give barefoot running a try.
So why was a 40 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis so willing to give up her precious shoes? Simple, I hate them. Of all the things that disappeared from my life, being barefoot was probably one of the least important, but strangely it was still very emotional. When the joints in my feet are inflamed, it is like walking on marbles and my feet get wider. For two years this meant I could not walk comfortably in anything but trainers with the most cushions that existed. I had to give up all cute shoes, pumps, sandals, boots, anything hard or narrow and bare feet even on carpet.
I grew up in Southern California, 3 miles from the beach. We only wore shoes to school, in the coldest part of winter, and maybe when we went to the store. Even when we wore shoes, they were as minimal as possible. My earliest baby shoes are white leather sandals and my senior year of high school was spent in one single pair of pink OP flip flops that were paper thin by the end of the year, but never blew out. I ran, rode my skateboard, climbed trees, and had my first kiss in bare feet. Bare feet are what feel natural to me, whether it is in my home, on the grass in my yard, or trying to get from the snack shack back to my towel across scorching sand. I mourned being trapped in shoes.
Now, with my RA mostly under control, I'm spending a lot less time in shoes. The thought of carrying that into my running life is exhilarating! The more I read, the more convinced I am that not only is running good, running barefoot is better. Unfortunately, to get my feet back to kid-tough is going to take time. At first it felt crazy, but after my first few tentative walks, being barefoot started to feel more comfortable so I started to do some running. Next, I bought a pair of Vibram Five Finger (VFF) shoes so I could continue to build up the long dormant muscles in my feet while I waited for the soles to get used to the idea. Of course, running barefoot takes a very different form and I immediately went out and practically destroyed my calves by running 3 miles on my toes (not a recommended running form). With my calves finally healed and a few barefoot miles tacked onto the end of my shod runs (I'm sure the neighbors think I'm nuts for running with my expensive running shoes in my hands) I decided I was ready for my favorite trail in bare feet. Fortunately, I at least had the intelligence to carry my VFFs with me in case things got to dicey. Unfortunately, I did not have the good sense to put them on for four miles and now have blisters all over the bottoms of my feet, DUH! I would have been okay if the trail had been all dirt and flat, but this trail is steep, graveled, and I was using my feet as brakes to slow down my very exuberant puppy (who could tow sleds down the street easily).
So now I sit with my feet grumbling, wondering how long it will take them to heal so I can try again. I would love to walk out into the world and never wear shoes again, but I know that is not only socially unacceptable, but also maybe a tad unrealistic when the snow hits. Although I still feel like an uncoordinated dork trying to relearn how to run in bare feet, I do think it is one of the most liberating things I have done in a long time. I believe all healthy people find little ways to revisit childhood, whether it is with roller coasters, race cars, or being silly with our kids. To totally leave behind freedom and frivolity is to die completely inside. I've always loved bucking the trends with clothes, hobbies, or philosophies so to throw away an opportunity to run barefoot through the neighborhood because someone might think it is unseemly, or I might get hurt, seems crazy to me, especially when I now believe it is the far healthier way to run. More importantly, to let barefoot running pass me by would be to deny the child that still lives within me, the one that I need to truly live.