Posts Tagged ‘grumpy’
Distance: 16.2 recorded
Time: 1:55:07 recorded
Today’s run was different than most of my runs, for several reasons. Firstly, I decided to run along the Galloping Goose Trail for the first time. Doing a new route is not that unusual, but I didn’t really decide to try it until after I left the house. I contemplated running near Beacon Hill Park, but once I left, I remembered the Galloping Goose and decided to go there. The advantage is that, unlike my last run, the route is linear, so as long as I ran far enough out, I had no choice but to run back. So no wimping out and cutting my run short. I had heard that it was pretty flat, and it was. The only real disadvantage was the traffic lights that I had to wait at along the route. Call me spoiled, but I hate stopping at lights during my runs.
Secondly, I had some serious RunKeeper issues, all due to the phone calls I received during my runs. This is the first time I’ve had problems with RukKeeper since I did a re-install a couple of months ago, and I hardly ever get phone calls during my runs. For some reason today, I got three phone calls during my run. Each time, the RunKeeper application would stop (which it has to do because Apple won’t allow other apps to run during phone calls), but then when I would resume the program, it wouldn’t play any music. So I had to stop the program and restart it again. This happened even when I ignored the phone call, which was really annoying because RunKeeper used to resume on its own after the phone call, as long as you didn’t answer it. So, I actually had three “runs” recorded on my RunKeeper and had to add them up. I’m sure there’s some time/distance missing in between, and I wasn’t able to see my pacing over the whole run.
The other problem was that the program seemed unable to handle having a training program running while the voice prompts were turned on. For both of the longer segments of my run, the voice prompts did not let me know my per-kilometer pace until partway into the run, where it would suddenly start working again.
Finally, I decided to try to incorporate more walking into my runs, to be more like what I’ll be doing during the marathon. On my last half marathon, I used the ratio of a walk break every 5 kilometers for a drink, and a gel every 10 kilometers. This worked well, but I suspect I will need to either take longer walk breaks during the marathon, or to take them more frequently. I had heard about Jeff Galloway’s run/walk method, and although that seemed like too much walking, I decided to try longer, more frequent breaks than I was doing. So today, I set up the RunKeeper for run intervals of 20 minutes, with 5 minute walk breaks.
As mentioned earlier, RunKeeper seemed to have trouble with intervals and with giving my per-kilometer pacing. But aside from this, I’m not sure the walk intervals helped my overall time or energy level for this run. Apparently people have found this run/walk method has decreased their overall run time because they can run faster when they have breaks. I did not seem to run much faster than I usually do, although I can’t be sure because I did not get accurate pacing. As for whether it lowered my overall time, I can’t be sure of that either, because the last time I ran the same distance was in March, and that run was not that great. If I had done this course without walking and kept an even 7 minute-per-kilometer pace, I would have finished only two minutes faster. So maybe I did run faster.
As for my energy level, I was about as tired as I usually am after a longish run. I could have probably kept going, if I had the time and had brought a gel with me. I felt better than I did after my last run, and I certainly wasn’t anywhere near as sore as I was after the half. I guess that’s significant since I’ll have to double that distance in just under 3 weeks.
I think for my final long run, I’ll go back to my break every 5k, but I will take a longer break. At this point, I’m not going for speed, but for distance, so I can afford to take the extra time for more walking. As for the pacing, I probably won’t have the luxury of knowing that during the marathon because I’m positive my iPhone battery won’t last the whole race using RunKeeper. I’ll be lucky if it holds out just playing music. My sister will probably have her Garmin with her, but I doubt she wants to call out our time and pace every kilometer. Maybe every five?
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Posted in Running Marathon | 
Tags: Garmin, grumpy, iPhone, long run, marathon, RunKeeper, runners, Running | 
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Distance: 9.76k
Time: 1:08:34
I really should have not gone out on Tuesday afternoon, and I never say that. It was to be my last long run before the half marathon, and I was going for about 25k. When I left, it was sunny, so I only wore a long-sleeve tee-shirt and shorts. The weather app on my iPhone said it was going to rain, but I was anticipating light rain at worst. As I drove to Elk Lake, I noticed a really dark cloud coming towards me. I considered stopping, but the cloud looked like it was moving quickly, and I thought about how hard it is to fit in these long runs, so I decided to at least give it a try. Besides, I won’t be able to control the weather on the marathon…
It waited until I was out of the car before it started raining, and it quickly turned into hail. I had already started running, but I stopped after only a couple of minutes and turned back to the car. I was really disappointed because I had planned for a long run, and I didn’t know when I would get another chance. Then, it stopped hailing and changed to drizzle. I figured that, as it usually does, that it was only going to hail for a few minutes, and then it would rain. I can run in the rain, even though I wasn’t really dressed for it. I decided since I was already there, and already wet, to stick it out for one lap (10k) and then I could stop if it was still raining. Plus, all the trees would provide some cover, right?
Turns out that cloud I saw should really have been a sign, because it basically hailed on me for more than half of the run. The first 2k was when I got the most wet, because there was very little tree cover, and the hail kept starting up again, just when I thought (hoped) that it was done. At the 4k mark, my frustration got the better of me.I was soaked through, it wouldn’t stop hailing, and I couldn’t even feel my legs they were so chilled. I started to cry. And then I started to sob out of sheer frustration. Messy, had-to-stop-running-because-I-couldn’t-breathe sobs. Once I started to think coherently again, I realized my choices were to turn around and go back the 4k to my car, or keep going the other 6k. I think I kept moving forward because I was too tired to turn around.
After my meltdown, I started to get pissed off. At the weather, at the puddles I couldn’t avoid, so my socks were soaked, at the day for being so crappy. It’s what kept me going through the other half of the run. At the 6k mark, I looked up to see some blue sky and that the worst of the cloud had passed, but it didn’t stop raining until the 9k mark. The tree cover did help during the 8th kilometer, but I was already soaked by then, so it didn’t matter. I finally finished my run and got back to my car. My time was the slowest it had been in a while for 10k, but I didn’t even care. I was so upset, and the worst part is that I still needed to get in my long run before the half marathon.
And just to rub salt in the proverbial wound, as soon as I got out of Elk Lake Park, the sun came out again. I had to put on my sunglasses, for crying out loud. It was surreal, like the rain and hail had been a nightmare that only I had to endure. Now that I have had a couple of days, I know that that run was a survival trial. Even though I didn’t get in my distance, even though I sobbed like a baby, I still did it. If I can do that run, I feel like I can do anything. The weather on the marathon can’t be that bad, can it?
Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: grumpy, hail, long run, marathon, rain, runners, Running |
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Distance: um, 10k
Time: 1:01:04 (official time)
Although I don’t normally get my stuff ready the night before, I was taking the bus and didn’t want to waste time I could be sleeping. So, before I went to bed, I set out my running outfit with by bib number all pinned on and my timing chip on my shoe, made a new play list of all Madonna songs (inspired by that episode of “Glee), and had my ID, money and bus fare all ready to go.
My bib number
I woke up at 6 am (ridiculous for a Sunday morning I’m not working), had coffee and a bowl of cereal, get dressed, and had to re-pin my bib number because it wasn’t flat against my shirt. And, although I’m not usually this vain, I put on some makeup. I had totally broken out in acne, and didn’t want that to be the first thing to show up in pictures. I needed to leave by 7 to catch the bus, but I left a bit early so I wouldn’t miss it. There were 4 of us by the time the bus arrived: me, two other runners, and a little old lady who was smoking while waiting for the bus. Yum.
I arrived downtown by about 7:30but still had to walk from the bus stop to the start line. On the way, I drank an entire bottle of Gatorade, so I wouldn’t have to stop at the water stops during the run. While I walked I noticed that while many runners were wearing their race shirt, lululemon was also very well represented. When I get to the start line I saw that it was divided by time.
I wish! Next year…
I went to the 60+ minutes area, and saw people completely ignoring the signs saying that walkers and people with jogging strollers need to start from another area, and that you’re supposed to wear your bib on the front of your shirt. I contemplated for several minutes how to get rid of the old sweatshirt I was wearing before the run started because nobody else seemed to have done the same thing.
Me, in the aforementioned sweatshirt, pre-race.
I ended up casually “dropping” it at the base of a nearby tree. Just before the race started, I saw old friend that I didn’t know was running the race, and we agreed to try to stay together.
I think the race started right at 8:00, but I was too far back to see. The only reason I knew it had started was because people started moving. Slowly I made my way to the start line with the crowd, and it was really packed. Once I crossed the start line, I started running, with my Madonna play list on low volume, and my RunKeeper on. I tried to stay with my friend, and didn’t realize I got ahead of her at first. Then I noticed she wasn’t there and I looked behind me. I couldn’t see her at all, so I decided to go ahead. I ended up going slower than I wanted to (7:09) for the first km because it was so crowded and it was hard to pass people because the road was not that wide through Beacon Hill Park.
From the 2-6k mark, I tried to pick up the pace and was surprised at how many people I passed, but I was also frustrated because I had to dodge so many slower people than me that managed to start ahead of me. I know that I ended up running more than 10k because I had to zigzag around the slow people. It took a little while for me to realize that the slower ones tended to go to the left, and then I tried to stay on the right. But every so often there was a whole group of runners that were going too slow (to me). I was surprised to see this competitive side of myself, not just to beat my last 10k time, but to beat the other runners. I even found myself uncharitably wishing the slower runners would just get out of my way. I almost tripped a couple of times trying to pass people, but somehow I managed to keep my feet.
The drummers around the 2k/6k mark were awesome and very inspiring. From the 2-3k mark, I got to do a great slow downhill, but knew I would have to run back up it soon. This area was more crowded because runners were going both ways, so the road was divided. It was even worse at the turnaround at the 4k mark, and became a gross bottleneck that made me want to scream. The run back uphill from the 5-6k mark wasn’t bad at all; I don’t think I slowed down all that much, but I saw lots of other runners bite the dust. I also saw something that I will never forget. Right around the 5.5k mark, a walker (she was wearing an orange bib) was with a child (I’m assuming it was her son), and she was going the opposite way to me (i.e. she was only at the 2.5k mark). She actually turned around and joined the people going the same way as me! It took everything I had not to yell “cheater!” at her. The only real thing that stopped me was the thought that maybe she knew she couldn’t finish and cut it short. Thinking about it now, if that was the case, wouldn’t she have just left the course? I feel like I should have said something. What is she teaching her kid? That it’s okay to cheat if nobody’s looking? Well, I was looking, and you suck, lady.
After that hill, I got to run downhill for awhile, and once I got past Douglas Street, I didn’t have to share the road with runners (or at this point, walkers) going the other way. So I finally had enough room to move, and started to really pick things up. At around the 6k mark, I found out my time was about 38minutes and I realized I probably wouldn’t get in under an hour but I decided to try anyway. Also somewhere between the 6 and 7k mark, my RunKeeper lost the GPS signal for a bit and I started hearing my splits about halfway between the markers for the rest of the route. Somewhere between the 7 and 8k mark, I heard my time was around 44 minutes. I remember vaguely wondering if I could finish 2.5 k in 15 minutes, but knowing that my fastest time for 2k was about 13 minutes and I didn’t think I do half a kilometer in 2 minutes. Then, about halfway down this hill just before the breakwater, a group of senior ladies were cheering outside their independent living building. They were the best cheerleaders out there, waving their hands and yelling encouragement to the runners. It made me smile and pushed me forward.
Right around the 8 k mark, I was feeling strong and and still hoping against my time that I might be able to pull out a miracle, but I had forgotten all about the hill once the road turns past the breakwater. I managed to make it up okay but I worried that it might have slowed me down too much. I saw lots of runners having to walk and felt glad that I had done this part of the route a couple of times and this hill wasn’t that bad. I heard my 8k split about halfway through (about 50 minutes) and wondered if I could really finish the race in 10 minutes.
The last leg, I was trying to pick up the pace and finish strong, but was thwarted a bit by not-so-favorite Madonna songs playing rather than something more motivational. Not too far ahead of me, I saw two runners dressed up as gingerbread people and I vowed to not let them cross the finish line before me. I succeeded at passing them, just before turning onto Government street and seeing the finish line. I picked up the pace a bit again, but I waited until just before the Wax Museum to “give ‘er” and run as fast as I possibly could to the end. As I flew (to me) by, I saw a few people sitting on the curb with the “catchers”. As I approached the finish, I briefly looked for my Mom in the crowd but there were so many people so I focused everything on getting to that finish line. I started to feel a bit emotional about being almost done and knowing that even if I missed that one hour mark, that I definitely beat my last time. I looked up at the clock and saw the time at 1:09, but I knew my actual running time was faster.
After I crossed the finish line, I checked my RunKeeper. 1:01:18. Just over an hour, but only slightly disappointed because I beat my last 10k race time by about 5 minutes. Not only that, but I remember really struggling with the distance on that run and feeling much more tired. I felt good after this race, tired but not exhausted. Instead of going to the food area, which was just a sea of people, I met my mom on the other side of the barrier and we decided to walk up to Starbucks for a coffee. I briefly wondered if I was missing part of the whole “race experience” by not lining up with my fellow runners for bagels, bananas and chocolate milk, but just didn’t want to wait in a crazy line up. We actually had good timing because everyone was still down at the harbour, so the Starbucks wasn’t busy yet. Had a dark cherry mocha, which was better than any old bagel.
My kind of post-race fuel-up. Plus a free sample!
Post-race at Starbucks.
I can now say that even with the crowds, this was the best race I’ve done yet. I felt great the whole time; in fact, it’s funny to think how long my other 10k seemed, when this one didn’t seem to take long at all. And, although it was frustrating to navigate through such a large crowd, it was cool to be part of such a large race. I did learn a couple of valuable lessons to take to my next race, especially my next shorter race:
- I was totally right on the money to not stop at the water stations. They were crowded and by giving them a wide margin I avoided having to run on a bunch of empty paper cups. Plus, I wasn’t wearing any water.
- I know I’ll be faster next year, but I need to make sure I’m fast enough to get a different coloured bib. It must be a little less crowded closer to the start line.
- Don’t underestimate the hills. I didn’t feel like I slowed down much on them, but my RunKeeper says otherwise. That being said, the slow, steady incline at the 5k mark that everyone seemed to dread only slowed me down by about a minute. Not too shabby.
- Although you don’t want to start too fast, don’t start too slow, either. I really think that my chance at beating one hour was ruined the most by my slow first km. I’ve read so much about getting a negative split and not starting too fast, but I really don’t think I needed to worry about saving energy. I had more than enough to burn and could have really started off faster.
Every race has been a good learning experience for me, and I think each one gets me more prepared. I only have one more race before the marathon in June, and it’s the Kool Half Marathon Relay, which is more about having fun than winning. Speaking of having fun, another valuable lesson is to always have a good victory beer after the race.
Here’s mine! And here’s to all the runners who did it, the organizers who planned it, and to the volunteers who made it happen. See y’all next year!
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: Crowded, grumpy, hills, iPhone, lululemon, racing, RunKeeper, runners, Running, Times Colonist 10k |
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Distance: 10.49k
Time: 1:09:49
Today was the first run after 4 full days off, which is way too long. Yesterday, after a not-so-great evening, I actually had what could best be described as a temper tantrum. Complete with slamming doors and tears. At least I didn’t lay down and stamp my feet, although I wanted to. So today, I went out, and I was so happy to be running that instead of doing my usual 5k, I kept going. And did my route twice.
The weather was optimal, with only a slight breeze. My knees were completely cooperative, and I had energy to burn. I was a bit worried that I had started too fast, with my first kilometer done in about 6:30. But I managed to keep every km under 7 minutes for a new 10k PR. This has inspired new hope that just maybe my goal of an hour for the Times-Colonist may be doable. Because even though I ran 10k faster than I have before, it was an easy run. I could have worked harder. So just maybe, in about two weeks, I will.
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: grumpy, racing, runners, Running, Times Colonist 10k |
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Distance: 4.82k Saturday, 4.96k today
Time: 34:52 Saturday, 34:23 today
You know those perfect runs, the ones where the weather is just right, and you feel like you could go forever? Today was not one of those runs. Today was one of those just-get-it-over-with runs, where I felt grumpy heading out and didn’t feel any better coming back. I know that part of it was that I had a bad day at work yesterday, and I just didn’t have the normal attitude I have when I run. Normally, I’m glad to get out of the house and push myself a bit, although my last two times have been a bit slow. I’m also usually feel much better after my run, but not today.
The weather went from cloudy to sunny with rain, and then a headwind picked up just before the last bit of my run. I know this didn’t help me feel any better, especially since my right knee also started to hurt near the end of the run. Again, it stopped hurting after my run, so I’m just waiting for it to go away (I hope).
On the good side, I got my new headphones yesterday, and they work well. They stay put in my ears, and sound good. I’m trying to figure out a place to put them so the cat won’t get at them, but also so that I won’t forget to bring them. Any suggestions?
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: earphones, grumpy, knee injury, rain, Running, windy |
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