Slow Your Roll

A few weeks ago, I was at a bar dressed in a flowy, bright orange frock to celebrate the 32^nd birthday of a friend.  The theme was neon, and it was completed with beer bongs and a Sublime-singing band that was celebrating the other holiday of the day, 4-20.  That day I met a guy named Fred. (I don’t actually know his real name so I figure Fred works.)  Anyway, Fred found out I was a runner, and he started quizzing me on my races completed along with my finishing times.  Before I knew it, Fred (who I found out was a 4-hour marathoner) was suggesting that it would be beneficial to both of us to run together since we both seem to run at the same 6-7-minute mile pace.  Ignoring the fact that my new friend Fred was running at a 9-minute mile plus pace for his marathon, I explained to him that most of my runs are actually at a much slower than race-pace speed.  Unless I am doing a training run, I am probably running at any easy pace of 8-minute miles or even slower.  Fred didn’t seem to grasp what I was saying, but I felt there was no way he would remember meeting me the next day so the point was moot.

While I may be poking a little fun at Fred, he actually made the incorrect assumption that I would guess most people make, i.e., that most fast runners are out there running fast every day.  In truth, even the most elite runners run slowly sometimes.  In fact, running slowly is good for you!  Running slowly allows your body to use fat for energy, and it will make you skinny!  When you run quickly, your body utilizes more carbohydrates (glycogen) and will eventually start to break down your amino acids (protein) for energy once your glycogen stores are depleted.

At this particular time between race training periods, I personally cherish all the slow, easy runs that make up 99% of my current miles.  True – there are times when it is fun to run fast, but there are also so many enjoyable miles where I can slow down, be lazy, and not worry about pushing myself…at least not that day.

Between my job as a tax accountant in a large privately-owned company, being a homeowner, being a landlord, being a runner, and being a mom to a 7-yr old golden retriever, I constantly feel overwhelmed and burned out.  It’s hard on my mind and body to put in a 10 hour day in the office doing tax returns (no lunch break), come home, change clothes, run, and then finally try to put together dinner at 9:30 pm at night.  One day this past week, I caught a glimpse of myself when I returned home from work; my face was drained of color.  I had dark circles under my eyes.  I looked sickly like a vampire…or a Duke basketball player.  I decided I was so tired that I had to break in to my reserves stashed at the back of my freezer – no not frozen beer (yuck!) but a box of Caramel Delight Girl Scout Cookies.

My granddaddy Paul, who never received a college degree, died at the age of 56 of a heart attack, and my mother always told me that it was a result of him working too hard at his job at the stockyard.  (However, I suspect that the unfiltered Lucky Stripe cigarettes and moonshine that he hid beneath the house had something to do with it as well.)  On the other hand, my parents take naps every day.  And while they have both always put in a good day’s work, I never remembered them not being home for dinner or at the office on the weekends when I was growing up.

This Memorial-Day weekend at my parents’ home on the coast of North Carolina, I finally got to kick back, relax, and just enjoy lounging around the beach house.  I took two-hour long naps in the afternoon, and my wardrobe consisted mostly of yoga clothes and running attire.  Other than my runs, I was pretty much completely worthless.  And that’s ok!  Life goes by too quickly, and it is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of deadlines, house projects, and to-do lists.  Sometimes, you need to take a break from the chaos, and just slow your roll.

This Week’s Mileage: 46

This Week’s Beer Choice: Lagunitas a Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale

Trails & Tribulations

Mud Runs, Spartan Sprints, Warrior Dashes; It seems like half of the races I get e-mails about these days are on trails and involve obstacle courses and rivers of dirty water.  Evidently people pay good money to pretend for two hours that they are at selection week of Army Special Forces.  And they LOVE it! 

Personally though, I have never seen the appeal.  I don’t spend my good money for lululemon so that I can go swim in a pool of mud.  I also don’t feel like I need to tackle these obstacles with dirt below my fingernails in order to feel accomplished.  And lastly, I’ll say it: I don’t want to get hurt.

Today, however, I put aside my fear of broken bones and twisted ankles and did my first ever real trail run.  My guide was a guy friend of mine who just yesterday ran a sub-40 10K on some trails near Davidson, NC.  Running a sub-40 10K on a paved road is impressive, but running a sub-40 10K on narrow trails with twists and turns and constant accelerations is just beastly.  Needless to say, I asked him to take it easy today, and needless to say, he kicked my butt.

The excursion started out poorly when I got lost on the back roads of South Carolina, but I finally found my way to an old farm complete with cottages, a dairy barn, and fields of wide-open spaces.  After spending all week within a three-mile radius amongst the hustle and bustle of center-city Charlotte, it was nice to get away from the tall skyscrapers where I worked and the little bungalows with tiny yards that are tightly packed side-by-side in my urban neighborhood.  It was also refreshing to truly unplug – no computers, no cell phones, no wifi, & almost no other people.

Starting out on the trails, I could barely take my eyes off the ground a few feet ahead of me.  While my running partner was forging ahead easily leaping over roots and rocks, I lingered behind almost tiptoeing over the uneven ground.  “Are you looking around or do you have to watch where you are stepping the whole time?” I asked. 

“I’m pretty good at feeling the ground with my feet so I don’t have to watch out for any small obstacles.”  Literally two seconds after his reply, he hits a small stump and goes sailing through the air.  Later in our run, he was equally unlucky when he slipped on some rocks and soaked one foot in the stream.  For the next mile, every other foot strike, I could hear a squish sound, and I cringed at how annoying I knew it must be for him.

While my running partner had a few hiccups during our run, I certainly was in no better shape.  I did something I rarely do on runs…I sweated.  And profusely.  And my breathing became more labored.  In my head, I thought this was going to be an easy eight-miler, but it turned out to be the hardest run I’ve had in weeks.  I was as focused as I would be on a training run, mentally present for every step and constantly checking in with how my body was responding.  I used muscles that I hadn’t used in a while and in ways that have never been used before.  I jumped over rocks and trees.  I ran up hills.  I ran down hills.  I ran several times over swinging bridges that were bouncing up and down after my 150 lbs friend hopped over them.  I was afraid that I was either going to bounce right over the roped side or fall down from a loss of equilibrium.  Thankfully, I didn’t drink too much beer the night before or I can only imagine what could have come up!

After 8.5 miles (or more like 9.5 since our Garmin watches didn’t work well in the woods), I was tired, thirsty, itchy from the tall grass we ran through, and ready to get back to the city for a cool shower.  Even through the discomforts of the run though, I felt surprisingly satisfied, as if I had just discovered a whole new way to run and train.  No, you won’t find me in any mud runs any time soon, but I do hope to incorporate some trails in my running schedule.  While I absolutely believe that trails will give your body a good workout, I also think that perhaps the most important aspect of trail running is the requirement to be present in your run and thus, present in that particular moment of your life.  I am as guilty as anyone of constantly allowing myself to be distracted by e-mails, text messages, notifications, etc.  I may be always looking ahead or reflecting on the past or trying to escape from my cubicle or a crowded elevator.  But today, out on the trails with no real working technology, I was reminded how peaceful it is to live without distractions and just in the moment.

This Week’s Mileage: 44

This Week’s Beer Choice: A local favorite - Bird Song Higher Ground IPA  (Here’s a link to where you can try one of their beers: http://www.birdsongbrewing.com/beerfinder.html)

A Girl & Her Shoes

A couple of weeks ago, I opened up my “Running Miles – Post Marathon” excel file to do a quick sum of the mileage I had put on my latest pair of Brooks PureCadence running shoes.  I felt sure that I was due for another pair, but I wasn’t quite sure of the extent of the damage I had put on my current ones.  According to the Brooks Running website, you should expect shoes from the PureProject line to last approximately 250-300 miles.  I quit adding my miles when I hit 750.

The next day I signed online to my Amazon account to purchase my third pair of the women’s PureCadence running shoes.  I didn’t really even consider switching it up a bit.  And why should I?  Why risk injury in transitioning to new shoes when I loved these shoes?  They were lightweight, comfortable, and most importantly….Pink!

However, when I went to make my selection, I was disappointed to find that they were out of stock of my 9.5 shoe size (I may be a little girl but I got some feet!).  I then jumped over to the Brooks website and had the same results.  Then, it sunk in.  Oh no, don’t tell me, they’ve discontinued my shoes!!

Well, as shoe companies do, Brooks had come out with an updated model, the PureCadence 2. Not much had changed except for a redesigned upper and different colors (gone was my beloved pink).  I considered chancing it and just purchasing the newer model, but I decided that it may be time to make a real change.

I remember when I first walked in to the local Try Sports shortly after signing up for my first marathon.  I had recently read the best selling Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. (If you haven’t read it.  Read it!)  I was convinced that running shoes were the source of all our injuries and that I shouldn’t even be wearing shoes!  I half expected to walk out with some Vibram FiveFingers, but Joe the Salesman curbed my desires with a pink pair of PureCadences.  And then I had my first running shoe crush.  When I left the store that day, I couldn’t wait to take my new shoes for a spin around town.  And then we made memories of races, track repeats, training runs, and one nasty spill on a local road being repaved, and my crush turned in to love.

Since my current love had run its course, I took the opportunity to reexamine what I wanted in a shoe.  I found myself reading reviews, googling random athletic brands, and of course, revisiting the relatively new debate on barefoot running. I do think that I am a pretty reasonable person (at least before a few beers) and when it comes to barefoot running, I gotta say...It just makes sense.  Like sugar, make-up, & boobs, when it comes to running, natural is better.

Last weekend, ironically as I was about to head out for a run, the doorbell rang.  “They’re here!” I announced to my equally excited Golden Retriever.  I ran up to the door (barefoot, on my toes) to retrieve my package and then tore in to the box.  There, lighter, less cushioned, and more flexible than my last pair, was my next love, the PureConnect.

This Week’s Mileage: 42

This Week’s Beer Choice: Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA

Read more about Christopher McDougall and the barefoot running debate at http://www.chrismcdougall.com/barefoot.html

Brews and Running Shoes

Like most good stories, this one starts with a few beers.  It was almost a year ago when I was enjoying some cold ones (Sweetwater 420 & Bell’s Two Hearted if I remember correctly) at a friend’s pool.  Somehow the conversation had drifted from boys, to summer travel plans, to a half-marathon in Charlotte that fall.  I had recently gotten back in to running as therapy to escape from my crappy job & crappy boyfriend (both of which I did quit).  I thought running a half-marathon would be an excellent idea given my recent return to running and the fact that I had never run a half-marathon before (neither an actual race nor a 13.1 miles run).  My friend encouraged me to sign up for the half that day because the prices were going up the following day.

After too much sun and probably too much beer, I strolled back to my apartment to get ready for the night’s festivities.  Never to miss out on saving a few dollars, it didn’t take me long to crack open my laptop & google “Thunder Road Half-Marathon.”  As the search results pulled up, I was in for a surprise…there’s a full marathon too?  Well hell, why run a half if there’s a full? 

That day may have forever changed my life.  It has, at the very least, changed my life this past year. 

The next day, all sobered up, the full weight of my impulse purchase sank in.  I had no clue how to train for a marathon.  Tempo run?  Does that have something to do with the music you are listening to on your iPod?  Like many people, my initial goal was solely to complete the marathon.  Check that box on the bucket list.  However, I am still amazed at what training can do to the body (and the mind).  I still remember when the idea of a BQ (Boston Qualification) first crept in to my mind.  According to Hal Higdon, who taught me so much & cured me of my marathon ignorance in his book Marathon: Ultimate Training Guide, I should not even think about a BQ since it was my first marathon.   Well, sorry Hal.  I thought it.  And as my strength & confidence grew, I began to think, I probably won’t get a BQ, but I think it’s a possibility.  About a month later, I thought, I think I have a real shot at coming in right under the 3:35 qualification time.  By race day, I thought, I got this.  I completed the Thunder Road Marathon in 3:16:11, about 20 minutes under the BQ cutoff.

I am now coming up on a year of consistent running, and I think it’s safe to say I’m hooked.  I recently signed up for my second marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon this fall in DC.  I am already getting butterflies in my stomach about that race.  Training starts in just six weeks, and I will be tracking my progress through this blog.  I also hope to share some of the life lessons running has taught me and in case you wanted to know, what exactly I’m thinking about when I’m out running for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon.

This Week’s Mileage: 40

This Week’s Beer Choice: A Go-To Fav: Flying Dog’s Snake Dog IPA