I ran a 10.4k long slow run with the group. I took every walk break, and I kept my pace comfortable. The group was small and I started off in the back of the pack, feeling pretty good and enjoying the conversation. But after the first walk break (when the group reconnects), I found myself with the faster group. I wasn't too worried; I would drop back if/when the pace became uncomfortable.
I never dropped back.
By the end I was surprised to look at my watch and see my pace was sub-6 minutes...varying between 5:30-5:50. I know a lot of runners are going to shake their heads at me and say,"but Laura, that's not a long SLOW run! That's a long, FAST run for you!"
However, I will respond to my unvoiced critics that I was talking in complete sentences the entire way as I carried on a conversation. And I never felt short of breath...okay, that's a lie. I felt short of breath when I went up some of the short, spicy hills that peppered our route, but I recovered quickly.
This year has been a long road back to fitness for me, which I suppose makes sense since I'd taken about 18 months off running before restarting in May. But it's so exciting that I'm seeing consistent improvement from my frustrating, injury-riddled runs over the summer.
Now it's going to be about keeping up my motivation throughout the cold, dark of winter...
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Hidden Gems
We ran an "8-9k" for a long, slow run. The group was large, the day was brisk, and the trail was...stunning.
Winding along a pathway bursting with red, yellow, and green leaves, we came through the thick bush into a wetlands reserve. There, we ran along the boardwalks for a bit before turning back. I felt fit and fast, which is a nice way to feel! I kept with the front group, which consisted of 5 runners including myself.
Total distance: 9.4km
Total time: 59.47min
Average pace: 6:22min/km
It was a bit fast, considering that the pace accounted for our 1min walk breaks. The faster group always runs a bit longer, as during our walk breaks we turn to walk backwards with the goal to reconnect (as much as possible) with slower runners. The entire run I felt fit and strong, which is always a great way to feel.
I hadn't run in that area before, but it was definitely a gem of a running route, especially at this time of year, with the leaves changing colours and many species of birds gathering to fly south. One of the most scenic runs I've done in a while! One of the joys in running is finding those little hidden gems in the neighbourhood.
Winding along a pathway bursting with red, yellow, and green leaves, we came through the thick bush into a wetlands reserve. There, we ran along the boardwalks for a bit before turning back. I felt fit and fast, which is a nice way to feel! I kept with the front group, which consisted of 5 runners including myself.
Total distance: 9.4km
Total time: 59.47min
Average pace: 6:22min/km
It was a bit fast, considering that the pace accounted for our 1min walk breaks. The faster group always runs a bit longer, as during our walk breaks we turn to walk backwards with the goal to reconnect (as much as possible) with slower runners. The entire run I felt fit and strong, which is always a great way to feel.
I hadn't run in that area before, but it was definitely a gem of a running route, especially at this time of year, with the leaves changing colours and many species of birds gathering to fly south. One of the most scenic runs I've done in a while! One of the joys in running is finding those little hidden gems in the neighbourhood.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Comfortably Uncomfortable
A 4-ish k with the group (we ran a total of 4.4k).
There are a lot more people in this round of clinic: enough to split into a fast/medium/slow group. I joined up with the medium paced group. The way out was difficult: I was tired and felt unfit. I ran with a group that - fortunately - also felt the same way. We ran single file in such a way that we were close enough to be considered "running together" but far enough apart not to bother with talking. After the first km we even took turns naturally surging ahead and leading the pace. It was companionable in its silence.
The second half of the run was where I really hit my stride. I was uncomfortable as I pushed myself - a small stitch in my side and heavy breathing kept my thoughts from wandering. But I found my rhythm in that gentle push, and in that rhythm, peace filled me. It's hard to explain that feeling when you find inner peace from a challenging exercise - I can't say I get there all that often - but I was so settled and comfortable in my discomfort that I decided to ignore the second walk break and run on to the finish. I didn't have my fancy Garmin watch, but apparently I was at a sub-6min pace. After so many weeks off running, I'm pretty satisfied with that time. But more than the time, it was a wonderful feeling to find that centre of peace during a challenging run.
There are a lot more people in this round of clinic: enough to split into a fast/medium/slow group. I joined up with the medium paced group. The way out was difficult: I was tired and felt unfit. I ran with a group that - fortunately - also felt the same way. We ran single file in such a way that we were close enough to be considered "running together" but far enough apart not to bother with talking. After the first km we even took turns naturally surging ahead and leading the pace. It was companionable in its silence.
The second half of the run was where I really hit my stride. I was uncomfortable as I pushed myself - a small stitch in my side and heavy breathing kept my thoughts from wandering. But I found my rhythm in that gentle push, and in that rhythm, peace filled me. It's hard to explain that feeling when you find inner peace from a challenging exercise - I can't say I get there all that often - but I was so settled and comfortable in my discomfort that I decided to ignore the second walk break and run on to the finish. I didn't have my fancy Garmin watch, but apparently I was at a sub-6min pace. After so many weeks off running, I'm pretty satisfied with that time. But more than the time, it was a wonderful feeling to find that centre of peace during a challenging run.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Aaaah! Relief!
I returned from my multiple week hiatus and rest period (due to bursitis in my knee) and joined in with a group doing “4k”. I debated to go that far, but decided to give it a try! We went on a new, exciting route which took us up a big long hill and through the community. Well, new for me, but a typical route for the rest of the group. I took the pace nice and easy. But – huzzah! – no injuries the entire length of the route. Time to step it back up a little bit! After running so many weeks battling a minor injury, it certainly felt lovely running injury-free!
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Bursitis
My sister finally convinced me to go to physio to see what the problem is with my poor left leg. I felt a bit foolish doing so. The pain in my left leg is not consistent to one spot, nor is it consistent in when in will show up in the run...if it shows up at all!
But I decided it couldn't hurt anything to go, so today I went back to the same physio who miraculously fixed my right knee; now I had him look at my left knee. I thought he would simply confirm my self-diagnosis and say "tight muscles. Just keep stretching it." Then send me on my merry way.
The actual diagnosis should come as no shock to those who read the title of this blog: bursitis of the left knee.
The cause: running with tight muscles (it always comes back to my tight muscles!)
The treatment: rest.
I've been told bursitis can take just a couple weeks to heal...for those who have only had it for a couple of weeks. Since I've had it for the past few months, the cure may likewise take longer. BUT on the plus side, I now know that all the active massaging and "digging in" to the muscle I've been doing to try and "work out the knot" is actually making it worse. Now it's all about resting and icing; icing and resting.
In the long term, I know I'll be happy to get this cured. In the short-term, I'm bummed to take a few weeks off. This is going to really slow down my momentum.
But I decided it couldn't hurt anything to go, so today I went back to the same physio who miraculously fixed my right knee; now I had him look at my left knee. I thought he would simply confirm my self-diagnosis and say "tight muscles. Just keep stretching it." Then send me on my merry way.
The actual diagnosis should come as no shock to those who read the title of this blog: bursitis of the left knee.
The cause: running with tight muscles (it always comes back to my tight muscles!)
The treatment: rest.
I've been told bursitis can take just a couple weeks to heal...for those who have only had it for a couple of weeks. Since I've had it for the past few months, the cure may likewise take longer. BUT on the plus side, I now know that all the active massaging and "digging in" to the muscle I've been doing to try and "work out the knot" is actually making it worse. Now it's all about resting and icing; icing and resting.
In the long term, I know I'll be happy to get this cured. In the short-term, I'm bummed to take a few weeks off. This is going to really slow down my momentum.
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Just When
Just when I thought my injuries were behind me…
Just when I was feeling fit and fast…
Just when I felt like things were on the upswing…
The tempo run was all-round bad. It started when I found out
we were doing 8k***. 8k! I had misread it as 5k, and mentally had prepared
myself for that distance. Only to find out I was going almost double that. And
to make matters worse (for me), I had forgotten my trusty watch, meaning that I
wouldn’t know my pace or the distance left to run. And for some crazy
reason, the group decided to do a hillier course this time. Ugh.
The evening was hot and windless. We started out as a group
of 4. One of the runners I hadn’t seen in a while, and I was happy to catch up
with her as we chatted along (we talked about scuba diving and paddle boarding,
both awesome sports!). But at the 2k mark, things started to go wrong. I was
hot and tired. My legs felt weak, and I started to get a sharp pain along my
shin. I slowed down my pace a bit, running with one of the guys who was
planning to take it easier.
The only good thing I can say about the run is that it had
lights and a few closed trails/detours, meaning that we took impromptu breaks
along the way to figure out our route or wait for traffic.
The first 4k were mostly uphill. When we got to the halfway
mark, two of the faster and stronger runners (I used to be right with them),
kept going, while the other guy and I turned back. I was suffering! My shin
hurt, my calves hurt, my body felt exhausted, and I was overheated.
I never bring water for less than 12k, and I’ve never had
strong reason to feel that this is a bad idea. Usually, I find hydrating before
and after the run is enough. But when my running buddy cracked out his water a
couple of times to take a drink, it looked like liquid gold. The brief thought
of stealing his water flashed through my mind more than once, but I held
strong. I did talk to him about my goal of doing my first marathon next year,
and he was slightly horrified with me. I think he felt I was out of my depth,
jumping from a 10k to a marathon. And maybe I am. But I have a full year to
figure it out!
We finished with a total distance of 8.08km in 55 minutes –
including the stops along the way.
I chose to forego a proper cool down in favour of guzzling
some cold water. I couldn’t seem to get enough of it! I did do some gentle
stretching, but not enough. When I got home I was a wreck. Thirsty, a little
nauseated (?from chugging water or overheating or not cooling down
properly…pick one), and could barely walk because my legs were so sore!
Not my finest hour. Running can do that to you. On a good
day, you have every confidence and happiness in the world. On a bad day, it’s
all you can do to hold your head up and put one foot in front of the other.
While I prefer the good days, I know it can be the bad days that force you to
rely on the mental strength rather than the physical strength.
***Despite the fact this is being posted right after the other 8k tempo, please note that these runs are, in fact, almost 1 week apart!
***Despite the fact this is being posted right after the other 8k tempo, please note that these runs are, in fact, almost 1 week apart!
Friday, August 11, 2017
Faster Runs with Slower Walks
8k tempo! Oh, boy!
We kept in a tight group for the first part. One thing I'm very grateful for is that - despite the small numbers in the 10k clinic - a lot of runners are at my pace or faster, which allows me to push myself.
The route we took was, ironically, one of the first routes we did for our 8k long slow distance! Now we were doing the same distance, but at a "push" pace instead of a "gentle" pace.
There were four of us running and we had some of what I call "natural jostling" along the trails for the first 4k. By natural jostling, I mean that at times some runners would pick up and take the lead and other runners would fall back, then at another time that runner in the back would pick up and run harder, etc. Not competitive jockeying for position, just naturally shuffling around in the pack depending on how you felt.
By the second 4k though, the group had spread out. There were two much faster runners. On another day, I think I could have held my own with them. But the day after 6 hill repeats (6 hill repeats!) I was a little fatigued and it was all I could do to hold the pace. So off they went to pick up the pace at the end, and I just focused on maintaining a strong finish.
But I admit, I did have a little competitiveness in me (I was running with all guys, after all!), so when everyone pulled in at the finish line of 7.7km, I kept going to make it a round 8k.
Interestingly, running with the group and running by feel on tired legs made for some inconsistent km markers, which I only noticed after I finished. The breakdowns by km was as follows:
5:57 / 6:22 / 5:56 / 6:21 / 5:46 / 6:30 / 5:46 / 6:44
Now, to be fair, I never stopped my watch for our 10:1 walk breaks, so that would also affect the speed of each km marker as well, but if you look at it overall, the kms without the walk breaks got consistently faster, while the kms with the walk breaks got consistently slower. Hmmm.
Total time: 49:28min
Total pace: 6:11min/km
We kept in a tight group for the first part. One thing I'm very grateful for is that - despite the small numbers in the 10k clinic - a lot of runners are at my pace or faster, which allows me to push myself.
The route we took was, ironically, one of the first routes we did for our 8k long slow distance! Now we were doing the same distance, but at a "push" pace instead of a "gentle" pace.
There were four of us running and we had some of what I call "natural jostling" along the trails for the first 4k. By natural jostling, I mean that at times some runners would pick up and take the lead and other runners would fall back, then at another time that runner in the back would pick up and run harder, etc. Not competitive jockeying for position, just naturally shuffling around in the pack depending on how you felt.
By the second 4k though, the group had spread out. There were two much faster runners. On another day, I think I could have held my own with them. But the day after 6 hill repeats (6 hill repeats!) I was a little fatigued and it was all I could do to hold the pace. So off they went to pick up the pace at the end, and I just focused on maintaining a strong finish.
But I admit, I did have a little competitiveness in me (I was running with all guys, after all!), so when everyone pulled in at the finish line of 7.7km, I kept going to make it a round 8k.
Interestingly, running with the group and running by feel on tired legs made for some inconsistent km markers, which I only noticed after I finished. The breakdowns by km was as follows:
5:57 / 6:22 / 5:56 / 6:21 / 5:46 / 6:30 / 5:46 / 6:44
Now, to be fair, I never stopped my watch for our 10:1 walk breaks, so that would also affect the speed of each km marker as well, but if you look at it overall, the kms without the walk breaks got consistently faster, while the kms with the walk breaks got consistently slower. Hmmm.
Total time: 49:28min
Total pace: 6:11min/km
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