Sunday, January 17, 2010

Double digits baby!

Yesterday was my first double digit run of this training cycle - 10 miles! Marc had skiing on the schedule so I arranged to run with long time running buddy, Janet. We are pretty evenly matched at the moment, although my training has probably been a bit more consistent and my longest runs a bit longer. Marc has been singing the praises of run/walk and I've used that method too in the past with some success. I prefer straight running, but while ramping up the miles this time, I've decided to complete all my long road runs using run/walk. Whether I use it in the marathon or continue on remains to be decided. And certainly on trails, I'll just run as the trail and my condition dictates.

Janet and I have been running together since approximately 2003, but we haven't done long runs together in quite a while. I had gravitated towards trails and if I was running long on roads, it was usually on a route by the waterfront, mainly on bike paths. However yesterday we chose a route that we've done before that took us through the streets of southeast Portland. Traffic was light and we stuck to mainly sides streets, but I still didn't enjoy running with cars. We ran 4 minutes and walked 1 minute, which was perfect. It had been raining all the previous night, but we managed to hit a clear window for most of the run. I was dressed for rain, but after the first mile I had to take off my coat and gloves. It started raining the last 30 minutes, but by that time I was warmed enough that I didn't need to put them back on. I carried two handhelds, mainly for the practice. In the past I was fine with one, but two seemed to bother me. But they were not a problem at all. I guess some of strength training and upper body work from water aerobics is paying off.

When we were near our homes at about 8 miles, Janet decided to walk and sent me on my way. I carried on and completed just over 10 miles at a 10:50ish pace. I felt great! My legs were a tiny bit sore, but as the day went on I actually felt better. I think I was experiencing that endorphin rush that has eluded me the past 2 years. What a great feeling! Call me crazy, but when I'm in that state I dream of crossing finish lines and doing back to back runs. I wonder how many other 45 year old women get giddy thinking about those kind of things?

Today was supposed to be a short 3 miler but Marc and I extended it to 4+. I didn't get a chance to stretch or do my post-run exercises because immediately after I walked in the door my gut seized up. I'll spare you the gory details because, actually, there aren't any. But the feeling wasn't pleasant. After 4 hours of rest in a fetal position I feel fine. It must have been some weird muscle spasm. And despite the lack of my post-run routine, my legs/hips/back feel perfectly fine right now.

Next week is another cut-back week where my overall mileage stays about the same (low 20's) but my "long" run is only 8 miles. Then I start moving up again. I can't wait.


6 comments:

Joe said...

Great write up...I could sense the "rush" as you wrote it.

The 10:50ish pace at the 4/1 sounds quite good. You should be able to sustain that a good while in training.

So happy for you!!

Backofpack said...

Yay! Ten miles and the run/walk combo sounds terrific. I know a 52 year old woman who gets the same giddy feeling!

Also, to be honest, I can't really figure out where the pilates is infused into the yoga - other than engaging my "powerhouse" while I'm doing it. If we ever get the chance I'd love to give you a mini orientation to Pilates - I think it makes all the difference. (Remember, I used to teach it at the Y. I was trained by a Stott teacher, though I'm not Stott certified because that costs a ton! Didn't seem worth over a thousand dollars for something I did as a volunteer. I am, however, YMCA certified.) (Just in case you were wondering). Hmmmmm...maybe we can find some time before or after R2R.

Darrell said...

How cool to be up to 10 miles. Enjoy the cut back week and then march right on up.

and...there's no shame in the run/walk technique. It is really great for coming back from injury, for sure. It kind of forces you not to do too much too soon, I think.

Gretchen said...

Sweet! You're joy and excitement flow right through the computer screen. :) I love it!

Olga said...

Welcome back to double-digits!

Adelyn said...

Congrats! I got a bit of that high myself after 8.5 miles. Crossing over to those double digits is such a great accomplishment :D