What have I done lately

My running self confidence is only as good as my last race, and I wasn't too thrilled with my marathon, so I had been feeling icky and not in any mood to talk about it. But I ran the Santa Cruz 10K today, and while it was not perfect, I am ok with the result. I hacked off 10 minutes off my last 10k, which is great. I definitely still feel the damage done by the marathon in my legs, a lingering weakness. I have had a handful of good runs since the marathon, but nothing great, which includes today's race. So in a way its not totally negative; if I can get through this plateau or funk or whatever it is, I am in a good position to really pick up my pace.

24 miles down!!

... If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. (HDT)

Update

About three weeks ago I did my 20 mile run, and it was ok, but a bit tiring and lactic acid burn at the end! But I am definately picking up speed and strengh, I can feel it. Any my running partner is like SLOW DOWN!!!

I think after this next marathon I am going to aim for faster and harder, not just longer.

So still having knee problems. I think I have eliminated everything else, stretching and the whole RICE system, and so that leaves the shoes. It was a little earlier than what I was planning, but I got them anyway. And they feel MUCH better, I had no idea how trashed my other shoes were. Lets hope this is the source (and the END) of the IT problem

Anima Sana In Corpore Sano

So I busted my knee today. It was in the upper 30s/ low 40s when I started out running today, and my body just never warmed up. And coming downhill around mile 5ish, I tweaked it. I hoped that it would go away if I just kept running (real smart ). So 6 miles later, to no one's surprise, it didn't go away and my knee just locked up. I cannot believe I even made it the length of the trail, and had made it partway back. So I ended up needing a ride back, and being the lame idiot with ice on her knee who totally failed my run. I hope that its just temporary, and that when I wake up tomorrow it will never happened.

Icing it all day. Sucks. I was cold the entire time, and I think that's the base of my problem. So while convalescing away, I bought all this winter running gear.

If you have enough oxygen to lie, then you're not running hard enough

Turkey Trot

10K - 1:05:40

A 10:34/minute pace, which is amazing considering I felt like my appendix was going to burst the entire race.

Back in Black, back on track

The absence of posts last month correlated directly with me going off the rails. Getting off message. Falling off the program. A frustrating and unenjoyable month, both personally and physically. But at the beginning of this month, I drew a line in the sand, and I refuse to let it bleed into December. But the bad does come with the good. The bad being a total weight stagnation (and some seriously bad choices), but the minuscule good is even with my questionable adherence to my program, I have managed to increase my long run distance to 16 miles. And its a real testament to the work in have put in prior to going off the rails, because I barely made it through the lactic acid burn towards the end. I had to take it really slow for the last 4 miles, but I did haul myself through it.

Its strange that I should go off the rails directly on the heels of my 1/2 marathon; self sabotage after a success. But like I said, a line in the sand, and concrete steps to pull myself out of this muck. I have bought some new winter gear, although I still really need more. I booked my hotel. I better have my act together, its 18 miles this weekend! If only I wasn't hungry ALL the time...

Warning

Stay away from the Berry colored Superfeet. They are horrific, no matter what their rep may say to convince you otherwise.

Running updates

Its been awhile, so the updates:

• Last week we ran the Lexington Reservior loop again, and I cut 2 minutes off my pace from the last time around. Honestly, I still felt like I am recovering from my 1/2 and fasting, so I was still lagging at the end. But I felt great the next couple of days - and only minimal ache in the knees (even though I ran down that one huge hill at warp speed). I am so thankful we did some crazy strength work on Tuesday because I felt alot more powerful when taking those hills.
• Amped up the weekday runs to 5-6 miles minimum. So on recovery weeks I should have at minimum 16-18 miles. On expansion weeks it it should be at 20-25 miles. Seems oddly a little on the low side... but I keep being told that its better to undertrain than overtrain and injure.
• This week's run was a recovery run. I got appointed pace leader, which of course lead to chaos. People were making comments on how militant I was on keeping to the run. And then one of my group was sprinting to the end and didn't want to slow down for a van who was backing out and didn't see her, so she threw her water bottle at the van. I was behind her and saw the van owner get out of the vehicle and look all puzzled at what happened. Proving that its safer to always run with an attorney for situations like these.
• Went to the Nike outlet and found out to my dismay that they had all the technical running tights/capris at cut rate prices and NONE in my size.
• Been praying for all my friends who are racing this weekend... a couple of my running partners and running coach are running the Silicon Valley Marathon, my friend Ben doing the US Half across the Golden Gate Bridge, and one of my role models who is running the U.S. Men's Olympic Trials in New York today. I hope their runs are blessed.

Rock and Roll!

Last long run, plus one more

So our last long run before the race was 9 miles. I sucked!!! I was so tired from mile one, it was dragging myself. i really hope I will be recovered and ready by Sunday. I am still feeling broken down, even though I am on 'vacation' from fasting for the last couple of days. Its a good thing too because i have gastritis which is quite painful. So I am trying to eat properly (not going so well!), rest properly, and just recover for the race.

I went on a run with a couple of people from the Swift Justice team yesterday, a set of intervals consisting of 3 minutes all out max run and then 2 minutes semi recovery running at race pace. I was completely winded. This is what freaks me out, I don't feel like I am very good shape right now in general, and that is making the 1/2 seem very daunting. I suppose I have to budget in my last panic attack and just get it out of my system.

On the tapering front, i resent the idea of tapering more or less. I will taper when saboo gets here because then there will be someone around to physically hold me down.

Reservior Run - 12 miles

Imagine going uphill. Then turning the corner and going uphill some more, and then turning the corner and more and more! Its a good thing I wasn't familiar with the course at all otherwise I would have never even attempted it. Even now I am still not believing I actually did it. It was seriously insane. Started out at Los Gatos High School, then up to the reservoir, around the reservoir and back down. It was so cool and pretty out there, very enjoyable, but the most physically challenging thing I probably have ever done. It was UP from the high school to the reservoir, and then around it, and back down. The steep up was hard, but the steep down was hurt. At bits, especially the trail running bits, it felt a little Lord of the Rings with those long running scenes. And everyone thought I was going to pass out because I was refusing food and water. To tell the truth, my heart rate was so high up, that even if I could eat I would probably puke anyway. It was so pretty up there, I didn't even get tempted to use my ipod. That's the mark of a good run!

The aftermath though... it really really really hurt until iftar that night. After iftar I was just super sore. My guess is that the extreme dehydration has its own special pain. It is nice though, because after doing this run, the 1/2 marathon doesn't seem like such a challenge anymore.

Second Ramadan Run

Last Saturday we broke out of the routine, and took the Guadalupe trail instead. Meh. Running towards an airport isn't that exciting, especially on gravel paths with the whole pebble in the shoe dilemmas. It was a difficult run; I am starting to get fatigued and a little run down from fasting, exhaustion, and work stress. Its hard to sleep these days, trying to get enough water after sunset to sunrise means waking up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom. I haven't had a straight night's sleep in weeks. So in short it was a long ten miles run on the sheer force of my ipod. For added entertainment, one of the guys says well at least it doesn't look like its going to rain, and i subsequently ended up practicing my triathalon skills by swimming the last part of my run. Squishy shoes, ick.

But the upside is that this week's long run is its going to be crazy uphill! A 12 mile run up to the reservoir. Predictably, I am nervous (yah yah everyone's heard it a million times before) - I kind of crapped out 1.5 miles into this run once before, and I wasn't even fasting then.

Eleven Miles!

So I did it... my first long run while fasting. Actually I learned that if I ate a proper breakfast and gave myself time to properly digest (rather than a last minute something), running is MUCH easier. Fancy that... what everyone had been saying is true. So the run itself was great, and everyone was like "whats gotten into YOU??" But afterwards was difficult. My calves and hamstrings were on FIRE, and I had a brutal headache for the rest of the day until I finally ate again at iftar.

The other parts of my training have been ok. Just a little bit of feeling parched, not much else. Definitely not nearly as bad as everyone was making it out to be. But the long run aftermath is definitely difficult. I figure I only have two more long runs to go, since the last week will be tapering, so just got to power through it.

Feet are still hurting though. All swollen and tender. Its to be expected I guess.

RAMADAN MUBARAK!!!

Here it is! Tonight is the first night of ramadan, let the challenge begin....

Chaman: ... your poor trainer

me: i want to do something nice as a thank you (for all of his extra work preparing for ramadan)
but i cannot think what
Sent at 11:29 AM on Wednesday

Chaman: lol leave him alone for two days?

me: OMG
HA HA HA HA HA HA
Sent at 11:34 AM on Wednesday

10 + 3 = 13 miles

This weeks insane assignment was a long run of 12 miles. I consider it a fair use of artistic license to reinterpret that as being the combination of my Friday night and Saturday morning runs. Friday night was fun because it was my first run with Team Swift Justice, where basically I got smoked by everyone else running from Los Gatos High School up to the reservoir. I was about a mile and a half in when I decided this entirely uphill and super dusty run in the shadow of the Henry Coe State Park fire (inhaling ash) was not my scene, so I turned around and went back. The next morning was my long run, ten miles, of which the last mile was just brutal. Not a bad pace though.... kept it between a 10.5-11 minute/mile. It just really hurt afterwards, and I was ravenous. Yikes. Not sure how that will go down next week when I am fasting.

Protein Powder Debate

me: Steve wants me to take isopure which wrecked my stomach. its a whey (milk) protein powder with no added carbs so its not supposed to bulk you up. i went to whole foods and i found a soy protein powder that is fermented .. it basically has the same bacteria as yogurt so its supposed to be easier to digest

Saboora: have you tried it yet?
Sent at 11:01 AM on Monday

me: not yet. do you know if better to stick to whey rather than soy?
the only downside of the soy i can see is that it does have a little carbs in it, as opposed to the zero that's in the whey
Sent at 11:03 AM on Monday

Saboora: you're whey past my area of expertise
hahahahaha
Sent at 11:18 AM on Monday

me: omg
say stupid stuff like that, and its going to go on my blog
Sent at 11:21 AM on Monday

9 happy miles in

I decided to do my long run with urban sports run club in willow glen on Saturday morning. I fretted all week about upping the distance (as 8 miles didn't go so well) and how everyone else was going to be so much better than me and I would make an ass out of myself. I showed up though, and there were a million people there (ok, like 40) and all different levels. And they were so friendly!

The running coach in the group I was in (the slower longer distance runners) used the "Galloway method", and we ran 3 minutes and walked 1. It made a world of difference to the nausea and stomach cramps, although I felt like it was cheating cause I wasn't totally miserable. I would honestly consider it wimping out if I hadn't managed to cut down to 11 minutes a mile. (My slow speed is something else I have been fretting about. As you can tell, I spend considerable energy fretting.) And it was wonderful because I found people who ran at the same pace as me, and we chatted the entire way. It was nice to just run in the moment, without having to rely on the crutch of the external stimulus of my ipod to propel myself. It was also wonderful to do my long run at the beginning of the weekend and feel good about it.

The new shoes I got though, they do hurt my feet. I am trying inserts, but the pads of my feet are all tender :(

Do the right thing - keep running

So its going to be 9 miles this week, and its only Wednesday, and I am already exhausted. There is never enough time in the week! Yesterday, I tried something that someone had suggested.... doing a shorter run with sprints of it to open up my stride. It was a good point, because as I add distance, my stride is shortening and it take forever to finish my runs at such a slow pace. I nearly busted a lung, but it was fun until I woke up totally trashed this morning.

My trainer got all frustrated with me yesterday, and starts saying how I am such a perfectionist that I dot all my "i"s and cross all my "t"s, and that everything has to be perfect so I can never be criticized, and was rambling on about something in that vein. I don't understand how its a complaint, I found it flattering. Just like it was flattering when my sister got all frustrated and said I must be a real athlete now that don't listen to her about taking rest days. She got even madder when I was pleased she called me a real athlete. (Something about me missing the point.)

Things they never teach you...

How to have a bad day. Sunday's long run sucked, even though I didn't up the mileage. I ended up doing the 8 miles, but in two segments thanks to some serious GI issues that sidelined me. But there was no way I am going to tell my trainer I didn't finish my assignment.

I understand that not every day is going to be a running record. I even know I am supposed to take time off (which I did for the 2 days before my long run because I was super exhausted). What I don't understand is how to emotionally cope with this. I spent my days off moping that I wasn't out doing something (and seriously sick, don't know why). Then getting back into my run, I nearly killed myself b/c it was just so hard to start again. This why I hate time off, this is why I hate vacations, this is why I hate tapering - when I stop, I can't start again.

The only positive thing to be said is, for the last 3 miles when I FINALLY got back into my stride, I was able to pick up the pace and end the run without vomiting. Minor Victory

8 miles later

I wish running the 8 miles had been as easy as this picture. It hurt way more than the 7 miles did. I think I just don't like doing long runs on the treadmill. Even the treadmill tried to register an objection at having to work so hard and automatically shut down at 90 minutes, nearly throwing me off. (seriously, everyone knows i have a fear of flying off the treadmill). So thanks to this mutiny, I am not exactly sure how long it took, but it was pretty slow going and I think I did it right under 2 hours (maybe 1:47ish).

Pain factor: left calf has a small tear i think, and right IT band.. right where it run through my hip - I can feel it coming off its track when I walk. Doesn't hurt, but definitely doesn't feel good either.

Running in Ramadan

So my training for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon is going to take me through Ramadan, and Eid. People keep trying to talk me out of it saying its going to be too hard, or going to take away from the Ramadan experience. Fundamentally, I just bristle at the idea that I shouldn't undertake something in Ramadan because I want to have the easiest experience ever. I am not a big fan of the sleep all day through the fasting, and then gorge all night crowd. As for taking away from my Ramadan duties, Inshallah if I super schedule everything, I should still be able to fit it all in - especially since I am thinking of doing my training right after suhoor.

Training wise, I am really hoping to ramp up quickly before Ramadan so I can just sustain that level of training through the month. I am just constantly thinking about how the fuel mechanics are going to work. I have solicited advice from everyone I could possibly think of, and I am just trying to sort through the information. As with my running program in general, I am constantly surprised at the positive support from unexpected places and people.

5 Mile Marker

So last night I finally got in the 5 mile run that my trainer was convinced I could do. It started out as a four mile easy run, and admittedly a little late in the evening. It was so painful, although not from the running mechanics as much as from my GI tract just tying itself into knots. When I hit mile four, I knew had enough in me to go further, so I just kept pushing it, although towards the end even sipping water was difficult. I knew I was beat, but when I slowed down to walk, nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't even handle being on the treadmill for the cool down, I went straight to the lockeroom and locked myself in the toilet stall convinced I was going to puke. Thankfully, I calmed down enough to leave (half an hour later!!) and went back to the floor to stretch. Not that I wanted to, but I did want to be able to walk the next day. I managed to get through as much as I could, dreading what was going to happen the next morning at my super early training session.

Wouldn't you know it, I woke up this morning (after a fitful night of tossing and turning) and I am perfectly fine. No soreness, no weird pains. My trainer says I have a mental block and basically I psych myself out on the distances. I don't doubt it. A mind is a dangerous thing to have, especially a paranoid delusional one like mine :)

Slightly off subject, but funny (oh, and I LOVE Jane Austen)

Mark Twain's reaction (to Austen) was revulsion:
"Jane Austen? Why, I go so far as to say that any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book."

New Day, New Race

Details:
San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon - October 14. I am running team Swift Justice for the Santa Clara University George and Katherine Alexander Legal Clinic.....

Website: http://www.scu.edu/law/kgaclc/news_events.html

Part lofty goal, part paranoid delusion.

Running for myself

So I have had a block the last couple of days about the race. Something felt heavy, like something was holding me down, holding me back. Definitely some performance anxiety, probably because I am treating this a little too much like the bar exam. So of course I didn't buy too much into the tapering, and I always kind of feel like I am not ready. The anxiety felt like the time I fell asleep with my Barbri book on my chest, and I couldn't breath. Some how the block was released during yoga yesterday. The instructor made us do some of the poses and transitions with our eyes closed because we spend so much energy keeping up with others and being concerned with how we look, that we lose the inward vision. It was a psychological release, and I refocused on something that is so easily forgettable - that I am running this race for myself. I am not running it for my family or for my trainer or to prove I can do it. I am just simply running for myself, to please myself, to make myself happy.

So, running for myself, I hope to win for myself.

saturday?? sunday!

saturday - running at the los gatos creek trail with my first torturer, uh .. trainer... Somehow it was uphill both ways. Sinister!!!


sunday - ouch ouch and ouch. like the worst knot in my back. it was all crunchy and ouch. the massage therapist said its one of the worst she's ever dealt with.

training with a head injury

My trainer thought it would be fun to kill me this morning (canonballs??). So now my hip flexors hurt. Thanks alot. Also, should I take a hint that a bunch of the exercises could easily cause head trauma, esp. with an clumsy person like me who drops things unless I actively remember to hold on to them....

5k = 3.1 miles

2.5 weeks to go till race day. I have done it twice now.... last time I timed at 42 minutes. Praying for under 40 minutes on race day.

I have to say I never really thought I could do it. At best, I had told myself I needed to run 2 of the 3 miles. Its really crazy, considering it was only January when I was home, and I could not even run a quarter of the track without screaming out in pain (ridiculous - 1/16 of a mile). All the old aches and pains are gone, replaces by newer different ones. Gotta have friends, I guess.

Life's essentials: cross training with spinning with my sidi bullets, stretching, advil, my asics gel kayanos, luna bars, and i suppose my trainer. Oh, and my training spreadsheet that I have been driving people nuts with.

Daal. Lots of daal. Daal-khor

B: yogurt, coffee, eggs, and fruit
L: Luna bar
D: Daal!!!!