I can’t believe a week has gone by since my last post! It’s been hard to post after my runs, because I’m going out after the kids go to bed, so I don’t have a lot of time afterwards before I go to bed. My nights off from running have been busy with work or other stuff, so I haven’t really had a chance to post earlier. Because I’ve actually managed to get in 4 runs this week, I thought I’d do a mini post on each one.
Sunday July 4
Distance: 9.98k
Time: 1:05:19
I actually sucked it up and did a 10k run after my 12-hour day shift! I felt so hardcore, but really it was a nice run. I would never have had the energy to do this after a day shift at my old job, but my new job is much less physically demanding. It was cloudy all morning, and I was worried that it might even rain, but it was sunny and still warm when I left work. I got off a couple minutes early, so I could get changed into my running gear, stopped at the car to drop off my work stuff, and I was off!
Fortunately the Galloping Goose trail goes right by the hospital so I didn’t have to go far to hit the trail. I basically just turned right at the trail and kept going until my RunKeeper said I did 5k, and then I turned around and headed back. This was the first 10k I’ve done since the marathon, and it went well, except my right foot started to hurt a bit at the 7k mark. It’s the same pain I had after the marathon, only not nearly as bad and it stopped right after my run, making me think the problem is that I need new shoes.
This part of the Goose is actually quite pretty, with a bit of gravelly trail, a corridor blasted between rock, and two bridges. It actually worked out well for my run because I hit the 5k mark right at the Colwood strip, so I would have had to cross that busy intersection to go further. Instead, I got to turn around. It did start to get dark by the end of my run, so I think 10k is probably the furthest distance I would want to go after work, but it’s good to know it’s an option if I need to make up a shorter run.
Tuesday July 6
Distance: 5.13k
Time: 32:41
I started off way too fast for this run, and I paid for it at the end. I could feel that I was going fast at the beginning, but I hoped to keep it up for the rest of the run, and maybe even come in under 32 minutes. I managed to keep up the pace until I finished the hill near Spinnaker’s and then I could feel myself slowing down. I used it all up at the beginning, and didn’t have enough left at the end. It’s definitely one of the things I need to work on, starting slower so I have something left at the end, but not going so slowly at the the beginning that I ruin my time. I guess that’s probably the “secret” of doing shorter distances like a 5k.
Friday July 9
Distance: 5.07k
Time: 32:05
So close to that 32 minute goal! I started slower this time, maybe a bit too slow, but I burned through the rest of the run. We had a bit of a “heat wave” here in Victoria Wednesday and Thursday, but it ended rather abruptly this afternoon when the clouds rolled in. It made for a better run because I was worried about running in the evening when the high for the day was 30 degrees Celsius. I even left a bit earlier than I planned, partly because the kids were driving me crazy, and partly because I knew it wouldn’t be too hot. It was still warm, and it felt muggy; by the time I was done, the sweat was dripping down my face. And there were a lot of bugs out there. I felt a few land on my forehead and I narrowly avoided having one land in my eye. Yuck.
Saturday July 10
Distance: 6.82k
Time: 47:18
I was supposed to do this hills run earlier in the week, but my life got in the way. It was my husband’s birthday on Wednesday, which was a run day, so I planned to get up early on Thursday make up for missing it. That night I could not get to sleep, and the baby kept waking up, so when my alarm went off at 6 am, I turned it off. I didn’t go that evening because I went to the movies instead. So after looking at my schedule, I initially decided to skip the hill run this week. Today should have been a 15k run, but I had to work tonight, which meant an afternoon run. I’ve done longer runs before work before, but as the afternoon progressed, it started to get warmer and warmer. I then decided to do the hill run I skipped and put off the 15k till Monday.
My iPhone said the temperature was 15 degrees, but that must have been in the shade. It was a hot run, and I’m glad I didn’t try for my long run today. I felt fine for the first half, but I started to get thirsty during the second half. I stopped at the water fountain a couple of times, but it wasn’t enough (It probably didn’t help that I had 3 beers last night!). If you look at my RunKeeper for this run, you can see when I started to slow down, right at the end for the last two hills.
At the end of the second to last hill, I had to stop at the light to cross the street. I normally try to keep moving a bit while I wait but I was tired and took a quick rest. This was the first time I ever thought I might be sick during a run, including during the marathon. I managed to finish but I learned to bring some water if I run on warmer days, even if it’s a short run.
So I managed to get in all my runs this week, although I think next week will be a challenge. I only have 1 1/2 days off, and I somehow have to fit in at least 4 runs. I also need to find the time to get new shoes, before I start getting into the longer distances. Wish me luck!
Posted in Running Marathon | 
Tags: hills, iPhone, marathon, RunKeeper, runners, Running | 
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Distance: 6.69k
Time: 44:43
So I made a deal with my husband on Canada Day: he got to sleep in if I got to go for a run before the kids’ bedtime. According to the schedule, I was to do a 6.5k hill run. I couldn’t think of any place I wanted to go, and wasn’t really up to driving anywhere, so I did the same route as last Sunday, only I turned around after about 3.25k.
I found the hills to be easier this time, and I don’t think I slowed down as much. I figured that I should easily finish in less than 45 minutes and I just made it, so I’m still not as fast as before the marathon. I think it’ll take a few more runs to get there.
The weather in Victoria has been pretty un-summery so far. Nice for running because I don’t get too hot, but it would be nice to see some sun. At least it wasn’t raining.
I was supposed to go for a short 5k run on Friday, but I was really too tired and burnt out. It was one of those days where I’m sure I would have felt worse if I made myself go. So I didn’t. I really should have gone after work today, but I came home and had dinner instead.
Now I have a 10k planned for after work tomorrow. I think it’ll be okay once I get out, but it’s kind of a pain to pack my running stuff along with all the other crap I take to work. I figure I’ll just head out on the Galloping Goose after work and run 5k, turn around and head back. I hope it doesn’t take too long, and that it doesn’t rain.
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Distance: 4.92k
Time: 33:05
Yesterday’s run was the first one where my right foot did not hurt at all. And it hasn’t hurt since. So, now I feel like I’ve finished my recovery, and back into training. I know that if I want to run the marathon faster, I have to run faster. I actually thought I was running faster with this one, and was a bit disappointed in my time. But, it was the first run since the marathon where I felt strong, so I know that’s at least as important as being fast.
Now that I no longer feel like I’m recovering, I have re-examined my training plan. I still like it, but I think I can increase the long runs more quickly that a first-timer, because I already have a good base. So, I bumped up the long runs, to get to the distances I did before more quickly, so I can spend more time with the higher mileage. I think this will help me be more used to these distances when the race comes, so that it’s not such a stretch. I also plan to use the shorter runs as “speed” runs, after a fashion. I want to keep this fun, and fun for me is not doing laps on a track. Instead, I think I will try setting a goal pace on my RunKeeper, for faster than my marathon pace. I also plan to continue to do races, although I’m not sure yet if I will get one in for July. The only race I know of is July 25, and I have to work a night that night. Also, I have 20k on the plan, and it’s only an 8k.
In the meantime, I need to find some good hilly areas. I have one good 8k route near my house, but I suspect that I’ll need some tougher hills before too long. Any suggestions?
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: hills, marathon, racing, RunKeeper, runners, Running |
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Distance: 7.91k
Time: 55:02
Yesterday’s run was more than a run. I had missed my “hills” run for the week, so I decided to combine it with the “long” run, to make it a bit of a challenge. But it was more than even that. I needed to push myself, to feel like I was good at this, because my night shift was awful. I won’t go into details, but it was really busy for me; I had three admissions that night, two of which were back-to-back. I felt like I was scramblling just to get caught up all night. Partly because of that, and partly because I haven’t been in this job that long, I made a mistake that resulted in a baby being admitted to the NICU. I felt horrible, which looking back on it, is a good thing. I know what I did wrong, and it will never happen again.
One of the reasons I left my other position was that I was worried about becoming too hard. Surgical nursing requires a certain amount of internal armour, just to be able to work with people that are suffering and in pain, not to mention navagating oceans of bureacracy every day. Those that wear their hearts on their sleeves are easily crushed on surgical floors. In contrast, I find working on mother-babe to be much different. For the most part, you are working with families at the happiest part of their lives. It doesn’t happen with every family, but with some you get to feel that, in a small but significant way, you are helping to make their experience even better. But without that armour, if something goes wrong, you feel it much more keenly. When it happens to a baby, you feel awful.
It’s been over five years since I’ve been the new kid on the block, and it’s not always a comfortable place to be. Although I was ready to leave that floor, I was good there. Not the best nurse, but good. I could walk into a room and tell right away if someone was not right, and I knew exactly what to do, and more than once helped keep a patient from going sour. I didn’t even realize how much I missed that until I didn’t have it anymore. Working with babies is a completely different world from adults. When they start to go bad, it can happen quickly and seemingly without warning. I know at least part of why I felt so bad was that when the baby went bad, I felt helpless, and I’m not supposed to be the helpless one. I’m supposed to be the one who knows what to do. I know that it’ll come with time, but it’s still not a good place to be.
So yesterday I did a harder run, and the longest run I’ve done since the marathon. I’m good at running, or at least I’m better than I used to be. I needed to have that feeling of competence, of strength, of setting a challenge and meeting it. Needed to be working my body and having nothing to think about but my breathing and my feet hitting the pavement. And Lady Gaga. Do I feel less bad about that shift? Not really. But I know that I can do better. I used to be content with being a good nurse, but running has taught me that I don’t have to be settle, and that I can always strive to be better, even if I don’t reach it. Now I want to be a great nurse. And I don’t have to accept anything less.
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Distance: 4.75ish k Tuesday, 4.91k today
Time: 45:00ish Tuesday, 32:24 today
So I’ve done two runs now since the marathon. On Tuesday, I met my friend Erika and we went for a nice, easy run on the Walkway (I don’t think it was as easy for Erika, though!). She hasn’t been running much lately, although she did the TC10K last April. It was a good pace for me, since it was my first run since the marathon, my right foot was not 100%, and it had been a week since my last run. It was a lovely evening to be out, still sunny and warm, but without the heat of the day. I’m hoping that Erika and I can go running together on a regular basis. It’s great to have the company, and maybe it’ll help keep some runs relaxing, instead of always trying to beat my last time. That being said, I have put up a tentative training schedule, to prepare for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon (formerly the Royal Victoria Marathon) in October. It’s pretty tight, because I had to work around my work schedule. You can see the new schedule by clicking the tab above.
Today was supposed to be a 6.5k hill run, but I was too tired, and it was 7:45 pm by the time I left the house! So I switched it to a short run, and I plan to do the hill run tomorrow. I was pretty grumpy when I left, and actually kicked the car when the RunKeeper pro app wasn’t able to find a GPS signal (I also forgot my armband so I had to carry my phone the whole run). I needed some Linkin Park music, and it helped get me motivated. I finished in 32:24, which isn’t my fastest time, but it’s pretty good. Too bad I don’t know what my splits were. When I got home, I reinstalled the RunKeeper pro app and synced it to my iPhone, so it seems to work now.
Anyway, as I already mentioned, I’m planning to run another marathon in October. It may seem crazy, or even too soon, but I really want to try for it. In fact, once I got home and was able to lift my leg up high enough to get into the car, I knew I wanted to do another marathon. Only this time, I want to be faster. I’m pretty sure I could finish another one in 5:15:00, but my goal is under 5 hours. I realize that while my heart may want to run another 42.2k in only 16 weeks, my legs may not be up for it. So, as part of my plan, I will evaluate how I’m doing at the 6 week mark. Far enough in that the long runs are getting long, but not so far in that feel like I’m in too deep. If, at the 6 week mark I’m having trouble fitting in the runs, or if I’m struggling with the distances, I will cut back and train to do the half marathon instead.
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: armband, iPhone, RunKeeper, runners, Running, Times Colonist 10k |
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