Just breathe

If I can think of one good thing to say about winter, it's that it is better to get sick in the winter than the summer. OK, Christmas is pretty good too.

This week, I was hit with the dreadful "summer cold". It started with a tickle in my throat Monday night and by Wednesday I was at CVS stocking up on decongestants and cough drops. So it was unfortunate for me that I had the 4th Charles River summer series race Thursday night. I'd had a few good runs in a row earlier that week and was hopeful the race would go well.

As I've been having some issues with my Garmin recently, when it started to drizzle during my warm up, I decided to make a quick switch to my regular watch before the race began. In the past, when my Garmin has gotten wet, it has on occasion taken on a mind of its own, showing me the screens it wants, and often not the ones I want to see. So I opted for the sure thing. The miles aren't marked in this race, so I tried to listen for the sounds of Garmins around me to know when I hit approximately each mile.

Mile 1 went ok and I felt fine. Slowly, however, my breathing became labored and I felt like I was working harder, but running slower. My legs wanted to run faster, but I was sucking wind at the pace I was running. So I finished about a minute slower than last month, running 31:57 (which is somewhat debatable, given the back up of folks at the finish line). A bit disappointing, but without making excuses, I knew I didn't feel great that night.

Saturday was my next run. My schedule called for 14 miles - easy for the first 12 and then hard the last 2. I had started feeling better Friday night, so I hoped the cold was working its way out. But after 4 miles, I was feeling winded and I was running slower than I usually do. I made it through my easy 12. The last 2 miles were definitely difficult, but unfortunately, not because I was running all that fast. I still ran those last 2 miles about 1 minute/mile faster than the first 12, but my effort felt like I should have been running a lot faster. About 1/2 hour after my run, my legs did not feel very sore or tired at all, and I knew I could have run faster.

Sunday, hurricane/tropical storm Irene encouraged me to take a much needed couch day to recover from this cold and a busy few weeks in general. By the way, if you have not read Tina Fey's book, Bossypants, it is laugh-out-loud funny and part of the reason I stayed on the couch so long on Sunday. This morning I woke up and had a great run. I'm still a little "stuffy", but hopefully on my way to breathing through my nose again soon! I guess this week I needed to stop and catch my breath.

Right…so that’s what training feels like again…

I finally did it. It took me about 3 ½ months after training for Boston to feel ready to be on a real training schedule again. But last week I took the plunge and started back at it. The BAA Half Marathon on October 9 is my next long race and I’d rather be ready for it than not. So here we go again.

Hills, track workouts, goal pace runs. How did I feel this week? Well, tired, sore, frustrated, hungry, oh, and really sweaty during all these workouts. But also really proud after each one. I figured the first 2-3 weeks are going to be tough. OK, the next 7 weeks are going to be tough, who am I kidding. I’ve become really comfortable with my nice 8:20 pace. And that would be great if I was training for a marathon with a goal of running 3:40:00 this fall. But I’m not. And while it has been nice to run when and how I have wanted the last few months, I’m also getting a little bored.

Jumping right into runs with miles at 35-75 seconds faster than those previous runs takes some physical and mental adjustments. So I tried to cut myself some slack for not being where I want to be, while also pushing through each workout this week. And to be honest, for the most part, I met the goals of each run. Where I didn’t, I have something to aim for in the upcoming weeks.

Tonight was 6 miles with 12x400 on the track. Just the number 12 frightened me, never mind that it was to be run at 5K pace. I procrastinated starting my workout. I reset my alarm after it went off this morning, convincing myself that I'd run better in the evening, and I should get some extra sleep. I eventually made it out. The track is different at 6:30pm versus 6:30am. I dodged several scooters, dogs and footballs that made their way across the infield and onto the track. However, despite a bit of a slow warm-up, I actually did my 12x400, and a bit better than I had expected.

Last Wednesday, I also began a run club at the Whole Foods in Newtonville. As they prepare for their 5K on September 18, several mix1 has partnered with several Whole Foods locations to help folks train, or just find a new place and group to run with. Although the group was small, it was nice to run with some folks I have not seen in a while. A big thanks to Ellen and Amy for joining the run. I’m hoping over the next few Wednesdays a few more folks will be tempted to join me, either for the new route, good company, free mix1 or great prepared foods section at Whole Foods for a post-run dinner.

A good head on my shoulders

The suspense is a killer. You're dying to know...How did she do at Falmouth this weekend?

Well, not great, but not bad. I finished in 55:55, according to my watch and I'm pretty sure the race clock was not more than 16 seconds off. So I can say pretty confidently, at least unofficially, I did not beat my time from 2008.

The not great: I have felt really good the last 2 weeks and just expected I would feel good again yesterday. But even during my warm up, I felt a bit sluggish. I was just missing a "bounce" that I was hoping my excitement for the race itself would have helped foster. As a result, I just could not get my legs moving any faster than they were.

The not bad: Although it was not my fastest day, my race was not a total loss. The start was way more crowded than I had remembered and despite that I ran a 7:50 first mile. 7:48 was Mile 2 and I started to slow after that. After running 8:07 for Mile 5, I decided there was still time to salvage the race. Rather than throw in the towel, I picked it back up for 7:58 and 7:52 in the last 2 miles. My mid-run dip is always my challenge and so despite not having the legs I wanted yesterday, at least my head was there.

The good: The Run for the Memory Program is a charity partner with the New Balance Falmouth Road Race and we had 18 teammates running in purple singlets yesterday. I did not fundraise for the event, but those who did have raised almost $30,000 so far.

It was also great to see a few RaceMenu teammates, Greg at the start and Tyler at mile 6. And I swear the final "go Chrissy!" from Kathleen and Shannon just before the finish propelled me to run the last 1/10 of a mile at 6:08 pace (where were those legs earlier?!)

So I'm not super girl, and I can't run a PR every race this summer, just because I'm generally in better shape than a few years ago. But I'm working out those kinks. If in the meantime, I can also keep my head in the race when I need to, I'm achieving some new kinds of personal bests.

Perhaps it's time for a new watch

Saturday morning, like most other Saturday mornings that I run, I woke up, made some coffee and oatmeal and turned new to catch the weather. I got dressed and as I was putting the last few items into my bag, a dry t shirt and towel that came in very handy, I grabbed my Garmin off its charger. As I tossed it in my bag, I happened to notice the screen was blank. Apparently it died while on the charger overnight. With less than 15 minutes to meet my friend Erika, there was nothing I could do to revive my lately not-so-trusty running watch.

As luck would have it, the day I didn't have my Garmin, I ran the furthest I have run since the marathon in April. Fortunately Erika did. So for the first 10.25 miles of my run, she clocked our mileage. We ran a loop from Fresh Pond to the Mass Ave bridge along the Charles and back. When we arrived back at Fresh Pond, Erika took off for home and I stayed to run with the run club at Whole Foods.

In a few weeks, I'll be leading a run club from the Whole Foods in Newtonville, so I wanted to check this one out and see what to expect and to be supportive. Whole Foods is sponsoring a 5K on Sept 18 and mix1 is sponsoring these run clubs to help raise some excitement for the race. The turnout at the run club was modest, but the people were super nice. Group leader Chris did a great job making sure everyone knew where they were going and were having a good time. I was taking notes.

My plan to do one loop around Fresh Pond for about 3 more miles, somehow turned into 2 loops. The loops are ~2.5 miles, but with the back and forth from the parking lot, I'm not really sure what the total distance was. The inaccuracy of my mileage and not knowing my pace would bother me on any day, but because this was a new route and a longer than usual run, it's killing me that I don't know! I'm chalking it up to 15+ miles and will just have to run the route again sometime if I really need to know.

Up ahead is the Falmouth Road Race next Sunday, August 14. This is another of my repeat races from the summer of 2008. That year I ran the race in 55:39, 7:57 pace. The goal next week is to run faster than that. Stay tuned...

Room to grow

I've had a rough time running lately. I'd like to blame it on the heat. And in part, I will. I feel like I've been enjoying running this summer, but as part of that, not really training particularly hard. As a result, I've kind of hit a plateau. I half joked before the Thursday night Charles River race this past week that I was expecting my pace for the 4 mile race would be about the same as my 12 mile run last Saturday. I guess that's the trade-off; I have not dreaded speed work or mid-week tempo runs (because I haven't been doing them) but as a result, I haven't gotten much faster this summer either.

For the record, I did run the race last Thursday faster than the previous 2 of the series by about 7 seconds per mile. But it has got me reconsidering my summer non-training plans...

Recent running performance aside, I squeaked in an 8-mile run on Saturday, but otherwise took a small break from running this weekend. I exchanged my regular weekend miles for holes on the golf course. While home in NY, I went golfing with my dad for a belated birthday present. I admitted to taking lessons before the big event, but I failed to tell him I had never actually hit a real golf ball. Fortunately, my dad is the most positive man in the world and was extremely patient as I suffered through the first 2 holes.

It's been a long time since I have learned something new. Learning is fun, but putting it into practice can be frustrating! I don't assume at all I should be good immediately, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to be. Golf is a sport, and I can't help but want to win.

But it got better. So much so that I agreed to play again today. We played a slightly longer 9 hole course. I shot one stroke better than yesterday and overall played much more consistently. Progress.

I'm leaving NY tomorrow well-rested and a bit rejuvenated. Home does that. I'm ready to go back to Boston and play some more golf as well as start thinking about some upcoming races and how I want to prepare for them. My new endeavor and my old favorite...there's still plenty of room to grow in both of these sports.

Running again with an old friend and Happy Birthday DAD!!

Despite some warm weather and a busy schedule, I was able to log 30 quality miles this week. Following my 5 miler along the Jersey shore last Sunday, I was tricked into a treadmill run on Wednesday. While I much rather would have been outside, the sheets of rain falling in Kenmore Square and a 7:00 dinner date with my visiting mom left me resigned to the treadmill for 6 miles of speedwork. Somehow, it wasn't torturous and I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, and the company, at East Coast Grill afterwards.

Friday morning I ran again. Usually Friday mornings runs are not my best and I try to avoid them. Perhaps my legs felt refreshed after yoga Thursday night, or perhaps it was a fluke, but I was cruising. And sweating. And apparently Garmin doesn't like sweat. So while I know I ran well, I was disappointed when I could not turn my watch off for several minutes after I finished, leaving me to only guess what a good Friday morning run I really had.

But the icing on the cake was today's long run. I made it 13.5 miles up and down the Charles, with a detour into Boston. But the best part was the 4.5 miles I ran with my old running pal, Brenna. Although we trained hours together each week before the marathon, we have only run together once since. So it was a real treat. And she always pushes me a bit (even when she says she feels like crap), so I ran a bit better than usual as well.

Finally, I want to wish a big Happy Birthday to my Dad! I've been secretly planning his birthday present for weeks and his email to thank me this week made my day. I could see him smiling as I read it. Although I have never swung a golf club (excluding putters on courses with windmills), my dad consistently asks me to golf with him. I always decline, insisting it would be no fun for me or those behind us, if I were to attempt to play. So in June, I decided my gift to him (and maybe partly to me too) would be to go golfing with him. I officially added a new sport to my resume and I signed up for lessons (And look who made the website!).

I'm heading home at the end of the month and the plan is to play together then. I'm off to the driving range a few more times before then and while I don't think it will be pretty, I'm at least ready to try. Plus, if my dad is half as happy golfing together as he sounded when I told him, then it's all worth it.

Not quite a vacation from running

This weekend I traded my long run for a longer drive. Friday night, I headed south for the Jersey Shore to reunite with 5 college pals. I packed my running stuff, but had already decided I would gladly bypass running this weekend if the plans of the group did not really allow room for it. I was on "vacation" for the weekend, and that meant staying up late, sleeping in, relaxing in the sun and indulging in a delicious menu (that had been decided days ago).

After 6 hours of mild traffic and rain, I arrived! I ate the plate of dinner that had been saved for me and sat around the kitchen table catching up until well after my bedtime. As we made plans for breakfast, I was asked if I was going to run in the morning. Maybe. Saturday morning, there would be no alarm.

I slept past 10:30 on Saturday morning. And it felt amazing. But after a delicious breakfast of fruit, yogurt and bagels and some time to digest, I was eager to check out the boardwalk - in running shoes. So I got dressed and headed out.

I sort of knew what I was setting myself up for, heading out to run at noon in the middle of July. I had no intention of making this a regular "long" run. The goal was just over 7, and while it would be my longest run of the week, it would only be by 1/10 of a mile. As expected, it was hot. But there was a great breeze from the ocean and for the most part, I was so preoccupied taking in the beauty of the beach and people watching, that I didn't really feel so bad until about mile 5. The last 2 miles were hot, but by then, I was almost done and back at the house, the pool was just waiting for me to jump in.

Again this morning I had no intention of running. I woke up before most of the rest of the house and decided to actually go for a walk. When I returned home after about 2 miles and everyone was still asleep, I traded my flip flops for running shoes and decided to take advantage one the beautiful scenery one more time. This time, I ran a 5 mile loop that took me through the neighborhood, up to the boardwalk and then back home. Just in time for breakfast.

On my 6 hour drive home today, I had some time to think about what a great weekend this was. I love my running routes and routines here in Boston, but it was really fun to trade in a few miles for a new place to run. What a treat to have such a beautiful weekend, with great friends...and still squeak in a few runs!