New toys.

Well, I was wearing the wrong shoes. The 1120 offers arch support I don’t need and probably exacerbates my supination. I know this. But I wasn’t aware that they are a half size smaller than I need. My 10-11 in normal shoes does NOT translate into the same in running shoes. Apparently, I need to be in 11.5 in women’s and 10 in men’s. Barf. In the right shoes, my feet look like boats.

I took home a Mizuno Wave Precision 9 and an Asics Gel-Nimbus 10 in ungodly large sizes. Totally different shoes, by the way, but both a good type of shoe for my foot (even though Eddie said I would tear through the Mizuno in a mere 150 miles, I suspect meaning due to my biomechanically inefficient stride). The Precision felt light and not particularly flexible, but seemed to make sense to my foot after a half mile or so (they have a fascinating technology, Mizuno running shoes. Read the details on the website). After 3.5 miles I threw on the Nimbi and got back on the treadmill for another 1.5. After the lightweight Precision, the extra-cushioned Nimbus felt almost cumbersome. But wearing the Nimbus also feels like running in pillows probably feels like, which is desirable and good. I think the Nimbus is the true keeper, just because they ought to last longer, but I can’t help adoring the sexy little Mizunos. They’re shiny and red and almost like racing flats. Surely I can keep them just for short runs and racing, right?

So I did about five miles total on the treadmill this afternoon and barely noticed my (almost completely healed) left foot. I think I over-diagnosed. It appears I simply had a bruise. Standout track of the day: “Matter vs. Space,” by Beulah, at 146 BPM.

Sesamoiditis

Well, boo on that run Friday night, because I think I have injured myself. The last mile and a half, I could feel the ball of my left foot hurting, and I thought perhaps I was developing a blister. Still sore and swollen the next day, I asked around at the store and conventional (and some medical) wisdom held that I should take ibuprophen and ice it (which, by the way, is a horrifying experience: try sticking YOUR foot into an ice bath and holding it there 20-30 minutes). Also, for the next time around, I should look for a shoe with more cushioning (particularly since the pain set in as I’m nearing the 300-400 mile marker in my current shoes). As I look at my feet and my stride, I think the 1120 is more of a corrective shoe than I need, anyway, and might over-correct for a problem I don’t have (i.e., I think I underpronate). Anyway, I have quit running for the weekend, iced the foot twice, and taken a few pills. These have resulted in a marked improvement. Failing to find much information online because of an inability to accurately describe my symptoms to WebMD, I stumbled across an article in August 2008’s Runner’s World about sesamoiditis (and, luckily, how to treat it and prevent its return). Figures I would survive knee surgery without slowing down, only to be felled by a less common and decidedly unpronounceable malady.

Here’s to an early rise and run tomorrow, and to new shoes next paycheck!

P.S. Kristina, will keep you posted about the Boston Half. One of the nice things about working at a running store- they completely understand when you request time off for a race.

long run today

Distance: 13.54 miles
Time: 2:30:04
Pace: 11:05/mile
Temperature: 70 degrees
Time of Day: 8:45 a.m.

The malaise is back. Earlier this week I ran 38:34 at what I think was 8:10 pace (I just mapped it so I might have messed up) but noticed that my left hamstring was acting up. I played 187 points of ultimate last weekend (no women subs for seven games) and took so many ibuprofens that I might not have recognized any hamstring injury. Today I stopped running after 2.5 hours because both hamstrings and hip flexors on each leg were starting to cramp up. Arrgh!!

After spending the day helping runners find the shoes and information they need, I put it to practice myself. I now have a semblance of the tools I need to self-diagnose shoe and foot issues. I have a normal foot, normal arch, and can take a totally neutral, cushioned shoe. I happen to run in an Asics Gel-1120, which is more support than I need. It works, so I’m not too concerned at the moment. But you can bet I’m taking advantage of every opportunity to try on shoes at the store in preparation for my next pair!
As for today, I found the post- “Jeopardy!” time slot an ideal time to run. It was nearly dark, so the sidewalks were mostly clear, and the temperature had dropped off considerably.

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 45-50 minutes
Pace: first three miles, around 10:30; the last two, around 9:00
Temperature: 85 degrees
Time of Day: 8:00
Wildlife: dead bunny curled up at the intersection of Green and Groveland, very sad. Then I saw the Silsby bunny in the neighbors’ tree lawn post-run (very much alive) .

Feeling very happy with today’s run. Lots of good music today, but the standout track would have to be “Only the Good Die Young,” by Billy Joel (and hits the BPM jackpot at 158).

Excuses, excuses!

Hi. I’ve not really been good at running this week (two meh treadmill miles on Monday). But I have a couple of good excuses!

1. Insomnia- I couldn’t sleep on Monday night and it kind of threw me off all week.

2. I have just started not one, but TWO jobs! The best part is that one is at a specialty running store, so I am learning quite a bit about shoes, for one, but also about the running community in Cleveland. I think it will be a boon to my fitness (since I am allowed to write up my schedule based on when I run so that it doesn’t interfere with work).

Still thinking about fall races (but feeling less confident about a half-marathon in under two hours): USAF 10K with Jimmy Page on September 20th? Boston half-marathon on October 12th? Both? None of this REALLY matters if I can’t get myself out the door to train, but there’s something about paying for the race that really pushes (shames?) me.

The plan for tonight is five miles in the (hopefully cooling) evening after hydrating all day at the store. Worst case, half an hour or so of speedwork on the treadmill. Must get it into my head that these fall races are only a few weeks away!

Praise be to all who raise their heart beats

I'm happy to rejoice with you about running. I'm also, for personal and professional reasons, anonymous. I'm worried that this blog will eat up much of my time, but the benefits will be:

1) better running & health,
2) a creative writing outlet, and
3) a communal internet space.

This blog is a new relationship for me, so here's the best link I could find on my framework for healthy vs. unhealthy realtionships.

I recently passed a hump point with running. I released myself from having to run 5 km at a time, and have started anew. No more criteria, just free running for now.

3.46 km, jogging and walking, 29 minutes.

Mmm…munching on gnocchi with pesto after what was my best run in recent memory. I don’t know if it was my mood (maybe I should always start off a run grumpy and distracted?), the music (standout track: “Where Is the Love?,” by the Black-Eyed Peas, BPM a mere 94), or the timing (I went out in the evening), but everything just felt perfect. I switched up my two-mile and three-mile routes and ran them out of order, so maybe I tricked myself into thinking it was a shorter run? I think the dusk played a factor, the dying light playing tricks and making me feel speedier. Also, I think I was distracted by the scenery, because, unlike the mid-mornings when I usually run, people are out walking their dogs en masse when it’s a clear and cool evening in August in Cleveland. I had to step around a dog/walker pair at least every block. Saw only two other runners, though: a real jock running shirtless (probably a JCU athlete, newly back on campus), and a young skinny guy with a bouncy gait wearing a shirt from Second Sole (where I’ve never been, and which reminded me that they have a running club that I must check out).

Whatever it was tonight, I am the closest to high from running I’ve ever been. I felt spry and lithe and gazelle-like and indefatigable. I felt like I’d won the race when I pounded into my driveway as the sun went down, and was unsurprised to see that I’d run faster than I expected. Though I have been trying to run more slowly than race pace (my last race, the half, was at 10:11, so I’m aiming for 11:00 or so) on long-ish runs, I think I ran these five miles between 9:45 and 9:30, so it was an unintentional tempo run, I guess.

ONLY one drawback: I realized at about mile 4.9 that my blister from these moccasins (photo from Target.com) had not, in fact, completely healed. But I’m over it.

CRC track workout

A2 400-400-800-400-400-1200-400-400-2000
400s at 1 second per lap slower than current 5k fitness pace, 800s at 5k pace, 1200 at 2 seconds per lap slower, 2000 @ 4 seconds per lap slower than 5k pace. Recovery is 50-90% of the time it took to do the previous interval.

After throwing the frisbee for about fifty minutes, I ran a few laps to warm up and did the following splits:

400 --> 1:56 (7:44 pace)
400 --> 1:54 (7:36 pace)
800 --> 3:59 (7:58 pace)
400 --> 1:53 (7:32 pace)
400 --> 1:51 (7:24 pace)
1200 --> 5:48 (7:44 pace)
400 --> 1:47 (7:08 pace)
400 --> 1:52 (7:28 pace)
2000 --> 9:56 (7:57 pace)

I still need to figure out what my 5K pace is. I wasn't dying after each interval the way I was at Quasar track workouts (where I ran 400m splits in about 1:27). Maybe I have just gotten faster this summer. I signed up for a 5 miler and a 25K in the first week of September--those will tell me if I've actually gotten faster or not!

beep you, malaise

Distance: 5.98 miles
Time: 55:44
Pace: 9:20/mile
Temperature: 72 degrees
Time of Day: 4:00 p.m.

The sun is back and so are my happy spirits. I made a last minute decision to go further down Concord Ave than I usually go (instead of investigating the "butt hill"). I turned left on Walden St because it seemed familiar from my walk to Danehy fields last week. However, once it turned into Reservoir St I realized that Cambridge geography could not possibly be that simple. I asked a kind passerby at the corner of Reservoir St and Huron Ave what the quickest way to the river was, and she directed me right to the intersection of Brattle and Mt. Auburn. Sweetness! The lieutenant of the toes is doing a little better.

At the risk of sounding too cutesy (and with rainbows!)...

Quick three-miler this morning, first since I've been back. I have been out of town (driving through the Catskills, Poughkeepsie, and Ithaca, accompanied by nearly perfect weather and rainbows as apologies when the weather wasn’t quite ideal). There was nothing remarkable about this run: it was my normal route (down Belvoir to Fairmount, east to Green, then back up Green to Baintree, across Belvoir and then home), the weather was pleasant, my joints felt good, and I was generally happy to be out moving again after a few days stuck in a car. A few nights ago, I was talking with a good friend who asked in passing about my running. I talked about mileage and goals and said mostly that I was happy that it was making me feel strong. He said simply, “You always were strong, Wendy; the running just made you realize it.” So today when I ran, I ran with the knowledge that I was already strong, and it made me veritably fly across the concrete, humming “Melt With You,” by Modern English (158 BPM).

the lieutenant of the toes

has fallen off. Rather, the toenail on the ring toe of my right foot has fallen off. With it has gone the malaise...I think. The sun is out, I have a new green quilt, and am feeling more comfortable about school (just crossing my fingers that I'll get a schedule finalized by the end of the week). Today I will try to explore the hills in the Porter Square neighborhood. My friend Sarah had an Olympics party recently, and I accidentally walked up a huge hill to get to her house. She and her roommates apparently all have amazing butt muscles from traipsing up that hill every day--time to fire up the ipod and see if the "butt hill" could be a new place for hill repeats!

the malaise

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 35:15
Pace: 10:05/mile
Time of Day: 10:30 a.m.
Temperature: 66 degrees

Today I have the running malaise. I didn't run on Friday because of an ultimate frisbee tournament on Saturday, and I didn't run on Sunday because I felt like I got hit by a bus when I woke up. I felt the same way I did on one of my first runs in Cambridge--mentally discouraged and slow in spite of the cool weather and the fact that I've been running regularly all summer. Back in June 2007, a 2.5 mile bridge loop felt like a big deal; now that's barely a warmup on one of my long runs. I'm hoping that both the rain and this malaise go away soon.

track workout

Today I went to the Cambridge Running Club track workout for the first time in ages. It felt good to be back!

The workout:

Everyone:
15-25:00 warm-up; drills; 4x100 meter strides

A1 4x2000@ 10k pace; recovery is 50-90% of the time it took to do the previous interval
A2 3x2000 @ 10k pace; recovery is the same as above

I got there late because of traffic so I skipped the warmup, drills and strides. My usual running partner was not there so I decided to go for 9:00 mile pace on the A2 workout.

My results:

1) 2:08.53, 2:05.83, 2:05.80, 2:07.50, 1:57.71, total = 10:25.98, pace = 8:20.8

2) 2:09.11, 2:02.11, 2:01.74, 1:57.50, 1:51.94, total = 10:02.86, pace = 8:02.3

3) 2:00.27, 1:57.34, 1:56.12, 1:55.58, 1:46.69, total = 9:36, average = 7:40.8

I am proud of myself--I did a lot better than 9:00 mile pace today! I think I got in 5K pace mode by mistake though. I'm looking forward to next week.

short run today

Distance: 4.64 miles
Time: 40:11
Pace: 8:40/mile
Temperature: 63 degrees
Time of Day: 7:00 p.m.

As I walked back to my apartment after a stomach cramp 40 minutes into my run, I looked up at the gray sky and thought, "the weather's finally starting to turn again." I'd felt this way in May when I ran the Boston Run to Remember--back then, the hints of sun that hit my shoulders felt like a sweet contrast to the chilly wind of late winter/early spring. My tan is starting to fade and the days during which I curse the "hot Mexican sun" for making my Propel turn warm after a mile are now few and far between. Sigh...guess it's time to retire the Champion sports bras and bring out the shirts...I almost miss D.C. heat and humidity.

Wendy 2, deer 0

I arguably ran eight miles this morning…closer to ran six and walked here and there to a little over eight miles covered. Ostensibly, the walking bits were where/when I wanted to take in the scenery along the towpath (map at left courtesy of orcno.com), but I’ve also felt kind of sluggish lately (although when I got back to the car and checked the time, I realized I must have been running faster than I thought). I’m not sleeping well, and have resorted to sleeping pills on more than one occasion. Then again, if I were running more, I think I’d be sleeping better…

It was the first time I’ve run the towpath alone. I saw slugs (out in full force, maybe 50 of them here and there), two matching caterpillars, a heron, a few sparrow-type birds, and had a showdown with a deer. This happened the last time I ran the path, too. Deer are a little scary up close; they look like they could kick you to next week, particularly if they seem to be guarding a fawn. These park deer seem to be fairly used to people on the path and this one merely stared back at me as I slowed my approach, then shuffled off to the side to let me pass. Unfortunately I didn’t see any eaglets, though the park website says it's out and we can make noise on the path again.

I’m frustrated that my endurance seems to have taken a beating, though I didn’t feel that tired when it was over. I think I need to work on slowing myself down, and running steadily (though I keep reading that interspersing bouts of walking in a long run can improve endurance over time, better than running alone). By now, a few hours after showering and lunching, I feel strong. If only I could have felt this capable while actually RUNNING.

And guess which four-mile “interval” run I didn’t do yesterday? Yep, THAT one. I think I ran early enough this morning to allow myself to make it up tomorrow afternoon, even if I follow it up with an easy five-miler on Friday morning. Weekend off!

Standout track of the day: “M 79,” Vampire Weekend (BPM unknown, but it’s not for pace, it's for joy!)

By way of introduction...

Thank you, Kristina, for inviting me along! I hope that by writing a little about my running, I can keep from boring my non-running friends, as well as be inspired by (or an inspiration to) you and James and anyone who reads this blog.

As for today, I did a run/walk for three miles around my neighborhood. I hadn’t intended to walk at all, and wanted to go a full five, but the humidity was oppressive come mid-afternoon. Now, normally I would have run around 7:00 this morning. Lately, though, without NEEDING to get up for anything, I’ve become a big fan of the snooze button. I probably should have just run on my treadmill to stay in the air-conditioning, but I wanted to be outside. And for the most part, it felt really good: light on my feet, quick pace, joints and form solid.

I got to test out my running mix, which I’ve been rebuilding since I got a new computer last week. Using beaTunes, I analyzed my library to ascertain each song’s BPM, aiming to add only those from the high 140s-160 to my running mix. It’s an imprecise science, but I now have a little red shuffle loaded with ten hours of run-worthy music that’s mostly of the right speed (“Hey Ya!” hits the BPM sweet spot and clocks in at 159, which should have me running something around a 9-minute mile, depending on stride. I tend not to time myself beyond checking the clock when I leave and come back. As long as I have an idea of where I’m at, speed-wise, I feel comfortable just logging the miles and building up endurance). Standout track of the day: “Always Something There to Remind Me,” Naked Eyes (149 BPM).

The rest of the week will go ideally a bit like this: four to five miles of play-list “intervals” tomorrow (i.e., I set the treadmill pace to whatever speed gets my feet pounding in time to whatever song pops up, so I only have to keep up any pace for about three minutes), a pre-dawn eight-miler on the towpath on Wednesday, yoga and relaxation on Thursday, and five-miler through my neighborhood early on Friday. Weekend will be off as I will be out of town (though I’m not flying, so I should have the extra cargo space to take my shoes, just in case…).

Okay, and so you know where I’m headed long-term, my goals for the next few months are thus: bump my mileage up from around 20 to around 30 miles a week (this may be optimistic) and get my half-marathon time to two hours or under (I did the Cleveland half in May in 2:13) for a as-yet-to-be-determined half-marathon in October. Suggestions, anyone?

shaking up the playlist

I am pondering a Harvard stadium run (provided that no teams are practicing there) tomorrow...and a more vicious playlist to inspire the breaking of more running goals and generally being a fierce panda.

Debuting this 3 hour playlist on the iPod tomorrow. I'm trying to get psyched for 18-20 mile runs now!

1. "Sorry" - Madonna
2. "The Hand That Feeds" - Nine Inch Nails
3. "Enter Sandman" - Metallica
4. "Come As You Are" - Nirvana
5. "Voodoo People" - The Prodigy
6. "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC
7. "Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. "Hot For Teacher" - Van Halen
9. "Seven Nation Army" - White Stripes
10. "Bring Me To Life" - Evanescence
11. "Sexual" - Amber
12. "Evenflow" - Pearl Jam
13. "Banquet" - Bloc Party
14. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
15. "We Will Rock You" - Queen
16. "The Bad Touch" - Bloodhoung Gang
17. "Comfort Eagle" - Cake
18. "Rock and Roll" - Led Zeppelin
19. "Girls" - Beastie Boys
20. "Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
21. "You Oughta Know" - Alanis Morrissette
22. "Beware Of The Boys" - Panjabi MC feat. Jay-Z
23. "Basket Case" - Green Day
24. "American Girl" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
25. "Intergalactic" - Beastie Boys
26. "Somnambulist" - BT
27. "Laid" - James
28. "Remember The Name" - Fort Minor
29. "The Way You Wear Your Head" - Nada Surf
30. "Don't Stop The Music" - Rihanna
31. "Dancing With Myself" - Billy Idol
32. "You Really Got Me" - Van Halen
33. "Hella Good" - No Doubt
34. "Get It Together" - Beastie Boys
35. "Only" - Nine Inch Nails
36. "Shut Up and Drive" - Rihanna
37. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley
38. "Get By" - Talib Kweli
39. "Used To Love U" - John Legend
40. "Lucifer" - Jay-Z
41. "Superstar" - Jamelia
42. "Breathe" - The Prodigy
43. "Self-Esteem" - Offspring
44. "U + Ur Hand" - Pink
45. "Tambourine" - Eve
46. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey
47. "fhqwhgads" - Strong Bad

I am also getting the following on Amazon once I'm employed again:
"Take California" - The Propellerheads
"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor
"Superhero" - Jane's Addiction
"Here I Go Again" - Whitesnake
"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" - Dropkick Murphys
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" - Def Leppard
"Rebel Yell" - Billy Idol
"I Kissed a Girl" - Katy Perry

Thanks to Sahan for providing me with Rocky and girl-on-girl songs.

long run today

Distance: 14.66 miles
Time: 2:35:56
Pace: 10:39/mile
Temperature: 76 degrees
Time of Day: 7:17 a.m.

I tried to make it to 15.5 miles today but only got to 2:35. The humidity was worse than on my last long run and I took a bottle of water instead of Propel. I thought that eating a lot of pasta might have canceled out my lack of sleep, but it did not. I'll try for 15.5 miles again next week.