Saturday, December 16, 2006
Steady as She Goes
Today's Run: 5.25
Run Time: 1:14:00
Total Miles to Date: 181.3
Thoughts on the Run:
Today was another "tentative" run. I am still recovering from the ITB so I did not want to push it.
The original plan was to do a 3.7 mile loop and let the rest of the runners break off to continue without me.
I debated whether or not to bring my dog, Lizzie, and finally decided against it - I wanted to focus on the run and not keeping track of her.
When the alarm sounded at 6:00AM, I tried to talk myself out of going. I went online, saw that it was close to freezing, and sent an e-mail saying, "Don't count me in." After taking Lizzie outside, I realized, "I'm awake, it's a beautiful day, and what better way to start the weekend than to go to beautiful Kennesaw Mountain?"
So, I buzzed Paul, the runner I was to meet, and let him know I was coming after all. I dragged myself into my car and rolled out. Since I knew it would be a short run, I didn't bother with any bottles or hydration. I had a granola bar, a Cuban coffee, and a glass of water before heading out.
This run was very instrumental for me, because Paul taught me something I've known I must do but let ego keep me from doing it: run my training pace. In other words, I've been pushing a lot of my runs too hard. While shooting for a 9-minute or 10-minute mile pace (mpm) during a race is fine, training means spending some time doing it slower and building a base. It's obviously the paces I was used to were pushing my limit. Low heart rate training means keeping the heart rate low ... and while I have not been measuring it, the gasping and having to walk etc means I definitely have not been doing that.
So, we started off at a nice, steady, 13mpm pace. It felt great and gave me ample time to warm up. I noticed that the combination of taking a week off and doing the slower pace meant I had energy and was able to tackle the hills without breaking pace.
We stopped in the second mile for an "unscheduled restroom break" and I did not stop my watch so that mile was done in 15:48. The rest of the splits were 14:07, 14:27, 13:15, and 13:06 paces (3:14 for the last 1/4 mile) respectively.
There is a lot to be said about running a little slower. I was able to remain consistent. I could tackle the hills with no problem and still had reserves. My ITB did not flare. It was tender during the run but not a problem. In fact, after getting to the end of one-half of the loop, I decided I would make this a 5 mile out-and-back instead of the 3.7-mile loop and continued on.
It was great. I enjoyed the run more than many I've been on in the past several weeks. It didn't feel like I was struggling to move, to breathe, to make it to the next marker and to finish. It was how running should be - enjoying the moment, being aware of the deer, trees, sunshine, and everything else around and within. I just had a blast and found I wasn't shuffling my feet or looking to the next marker.
It was doing this slow, steady pace back that I realized my ego has really been impacting my runs in a negative way. It's nothing huge, but I want to be that 7-minute runner over distance. And sure, it's possible, but not without the right training. And what I need now is base building. I need to pile on the mileage. I need to get to the ultramarathon distances without injuring myself, and if it takes me a snail's pace to finish, at least I'll be finishing. Once I build that foundation, then I can start focusing on speed and tempo - but why complicate it?
Honestly, I realized I'd have to come here and post my 13-minute paces. 10 sounds so much better! But then with this run, I put it in perspective. To me, it was a slow, easy 5 mile run. Rewind to 2000. I stepped foot on a treadmill weighing 245 pounds. I couldn't run, so I had to speedwalk. I ended up doing a combination of running and jump-roping for some time as I shed the pounds. When I ran my first 4 mile run, I finished in tears. I came home excited and told my wife, "Honey, you WON'T BELIEVE THIS ... I just RAN FOUR MILES NON STOP!" So why am I sweating the small things, or comparing myself to others?
Silly, but it took this nice, slow run to put it in perspective. 2007 is not my year to compete with other runners. It's my year to find ME and to accomplish the goal I set out to accomplish - running my first ultramarathon. It's not about blazing through a 5K race with 6:30 miles ... there's time for that down the road. It's about a steady, consistent effort. About taking my plan and sticking with it (my plan has tempo, but these runs are every other week, where I was getting eager every time I did a short run and pushing those into tempo paces ... not wonder I pushed my ITB to the limit).
So, I'm refocused. I just am amazed at how WONDERFUL this run felt. I know I could easily have done that for 5 more miles, then 5 more after that, and felt good doing it. I also knew I shouldn't push it, my ITB is still healing, so I headed back and finished.
At the finish line I did quite a bit of stretching. Normally I would drive home and then have stiff, sore legs getting out. Today, they felt fine ... I really do feel 100%. Now I'm debating what distance I'll target tomorrow, or if I'll take it off, but I'm ready to jump back into the program this week ... only INTO the program, not out of the program. No more pushing it fast and hard and trying to get ahead of myself. Let's build this baseline, get the distance under my belt, and do it safely. I've got plenty of time in the future to hone my speed, pace, and the rest. Now I'm just hungry for the distance.
I look forward to the quality of my runs this week, now that I've decided to be a part of them instead of forcing myself through them.
Until next time,
Jeremy Likness
Run Time: 1:14:00
Total Miles to Date: 181.3
Thoughts on the Run:
Today was another "tentative" run. I am still recovering from the ITB so I did not want to push it.
The original plan was to do a 3.7 mile loop and let the rest of the runners break off to continue without me.
I debated whether or not to bring my dog, Lizzie, and finally decided against it - I wanted to focus on the run and not keeping track of her.
When the alarm sounded at 6:00AM, I tried to talk myself out of going. I went online, saw that it was close to freezing, and sent an e-mail saying, "Don't count me in." After taking Lizzie outside, I realized, "I'm awake, it's a beautiful day, and what better way to start the weekend than to go to beautiful Kennesaw Mountain?"
So, I buzzed Paul, the runner I was to meet, and let him know I was coming after all. I dragged myself into my car and rolled out. Since I knew it would be a short run, I didn't bother with any bottles or hydration. I had a granola bar, a Cuban coffee, and a glass of water before heading out.
This run was very instrumental for me, because Paul taught me something I've known I must do but let ego keep me from doing it: run my training pace. In other words, I've been pushing a lot of my runs too hard. While shooting for a 9-minute or 10-minute mile pace (mpm) during a race is fine, training means spending some time doing it slower and building a base. It's obviously the paces I was used to were pushing my limit. Low heart rate training means keeping the heart rate low ... and while I have not been measuring it, the gasping and having to walk etc means I definitely have not been doing that.
So, we started off at a nice, steady, 13mpm pace. It felt great and gave me ample time to warm up. I noticed that the combination of taking a week off and doing the slower pace meant I had energy and was able to tackle the hills without breaking pace.
We stopped in the second mile for an "unscheduled restroom break" and I did not stop my watch so that mile was done in 15:48. The rest of the splits were 14:07, 14:27, 13:15, and 13:06 paces (3:14 for the last 1/4 mile) respectively.
There is a lot to be said about running a little slower. I was able to remain consistent. I could tackle the hills with no problem and still had reserves. My ITB did not flare. It was tender during the run but not a problem. In fact, after getting to the end of one-half of the loop, I decided I would make this a 5 mile out-and-back instead of the 3.7-mile loop and continued on.
It was great. I enjoyed the run more than many I've been on in the past several weeks. It didn't feel like I was struggling to move, to breathe, to make it to the next marker and to finish. It was how running should be - enjoying the moment, being aware of the deer, trees, sunshine, and everything else around and within. I just had a blast and found I wasn't shuffling my feet or looking to the next marker.
It was doing this slow, steady pace back that I realized my ego has really been impacting my runs in a negative way. It's nothing huge, but I want to be that 7-minute runner over distance. And sure, it's possible, but not without the right training. And what I need now is base building. I need to pile on the mileage. I need to get to the ultramarathon distances without injuring myself, and if it takes me a snail's pace to finish, at least I'll be finishing. Once I build that foundation, then I can start focusing on speed and tempo - but why complicate it?
Honestly, I realized I'd have to come here and post my 13-minute paces. 10 sounds so much better! But then with this run, I put it in perspective. To me, it was a slow, easy 5 mile run. Rewind to 2000. I stepped foot on a treadmill weighing 245 pounds. I couldn't run, so I had to speedwalk. I ended up doing a combination of running and jump-roping for some time as I shed the pounds. When I ran my first 4 mile run, I finished in tears. I came home excited and told my wife, "Honey, you WON'T BELIEVE THIS ... I just RAN FOUR MILES NON STOP!" So why am I sweating the small things, or comparing myself to others?
Silly, but it took this nice, slow run to put it in perspective. 2007 is not my year to compete with other runners. It's my year to find ME and to accomplish the goal I set out to accomplish - running my first ultramarathon. It's not about blazing through a 5K race with 6:30 miles ... there's time for that down the road. It's about a steady, consistent effort. About taking my plan and sticking with it (my plan has tempo, but these runs are every other week, where I was getting eager every time I did a short run and pushing those into tempo paces ... not wonder I pushed my ITB to the limit).
So, I'm refocused. I just am amazed at how WONDERFUL this run felt. I know I could easily have done that for 5 more miles, then 5 more after that, and felt good doing it. I also knew I shouldn't push it, my ITB is still healing, so I headed back and finished.
At the finish line I did quite a bit of stretching. Normally I would drive home and then have stiff, sore legs getting out. Today, they felt fine ... I really do feel 100%. Now I'm debating what distance I'll target tomorrow, or if I'll take it off, but I'm ready to jump back into the program this week ... only INTO the program, not out of the program. No more pushing it fast and hard and trying to get ahead of myself. Let's build this baseline, get the distance under my belt, and do it safely. I've got plenty of time in the future to hone my speed, pace, and the rest. Now I'm just hungry for the distance.
I look forward to the quality of my runs this week, now that I've decided to be a part of them instead of forcing myself through them.
Until next time,
Jeremy Likness
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