Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Running Goal Review

At the very end of November, I added a goal in the app I use to track my running (and hiking, sometimes), Map My Run. It was, I felt, a modest goal of 10 miles per week of running. That would just be 5 miles on the weekend for a long run, then 2.5 on two weekdays, typically Tuesday and Thursday for me. And if I was ever short, there was Saturday to make up some miles. 

I made that goal for 11 weeks in a row. And I thought the app would stop tracking the goal once I failed to meet it - or restart the number of weeks. But the goal doesn't appear to care if I meet it or not. It keeps counting. 

And, in an odd way, that encouraged me to pick it up after I dropped it. I still ran that twelfth week, just not the full 10 miles. And there has been a week or two when I didn't run at all - but there are far more weeks that I met the 10 miles or ran some

And that's pretty awesome. Over the course of 20 weeks, starting in late November, when the weather in Boise gets cold (though not very snowy), I managed to run nearly 187 miles. Not the 200 that I would have gotten if I'd kept religiously to the goal, but a whole lot more miles than if I hadn't had that goal motivating me. 

There were weeks when I absolutely did not want to run on a given day. And if that day was a Saturday, and I had miles left in the week, then I pushed through that mental mire and did it anyway. One day, because I skipped Sunday and knew that the following Saturday wouldn't be good for running, I got up early, ran 4 miles at 5 am, and then ran another 3 miles at noon. 

No way I would have tried that without the goal. 

Nor would I have run 4 miles during my lunch break. 

I am going to pause the goal once backpacking season is here. But I will absolutely start it up again in September, because keeping myself conditioned for backpacking is just so much easier than starting fresh every spring.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Mindset

I really, really didn't want to run on Sunday. My stomach felt overfull and bloated. I knew there was some constipation going on, and it would likely be pretty painful to run with. I didn't even feel like eating an omelet for breakfast, so I made one for my husband and then had toast with cream cheese for breakfast instead. Something light. 

I dithered for hours after that. My husband left the house for his run/walk, and still, I sat, and waited to feel better. 

It wasn't happening. The magical time that I was waiting for was not going to come. 

So, I just did it. I got myself ready, and then I got myself out the door and just started running. 

It sucked. 

Not just until I warmed up; the whole run felt pretty damn awful. It's not that my legs or feet couldn't do it - they actually felt pretty good, and if it were up to them, I would have run more than 4 and two thirds miles. But my tummy was not having fun, and it was a mental battle to run as long as I did. 

There's actually a really good reason for me to run when I don't want to. It's great training for backpacking, because that's a sport where sometimes you don't have a choice about whether you'll be hiking that day or how far. It might be raining, even snowing, and you need to get yourself moving, because failing to move is simply NOT an option. 

The 10 miles a week goal has been helping me train my brain. I have been running a lot more often when I don't want to do it trying to meet that goal. And every time I do, I'm not just conditioning my body for backpacking, I'm also practicing that mental push that gets me out of the warm, cozy tent and into the cold and dark with a pack on my back. 

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Running Differences

Last Sunday, I ran 6.87 miles. It was a windy, sunny day, with temps in the 50's at the time I was running. Pretty darn perfect weather for a long run. I layered up, with a tank top underneath a windbreaker. For pants, I did my capri leggings, because I figured my legs would warm up and not need the full length. 

The windbreaker turned out to be a great call, because the wind was pretty darn cold, and gusty. But when I turned in a direction and suddenly the wind wasn't so much of a factor? Total delight to be able to pull the windbreaker down off my shoulders and get some major breeze (and just a bit of tanning). 

I think I could have gone for 7 miles, although I chose not to. That's how good that run felt. 

Totally the opposite of last Sunday's 5.13 mile run. 

The weather was warmer, though still windy, and I wore my sun hat to try and keep cool in the sweltering 70's (they get sweltering after I run a mile or so, trust me). I also ran later in the day, because I slept later. 

But those 5 miles felt so much more difficult (and were much slower) than the nearly 7 a week later. It might be down to the sleep. I went to bed at a reasonable hour the night before the almost 7, and stayed up much later before the 5. And the heat may have been another factor. 

But it still feels weird. 

This Sunday, I hope to run over 7 miles. I suppose I'd better get my running rest. 

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Running

I finally got a 5 mile run again on Sunday. I really want to get up to a 10 mile run by early June, to be in peak condition for backpacking season. If all goes well, I'll be trying for a longer one next Sunday, at least a 10K, if not more. 

Yesterday, I did not want to run at all when it was time to run, but I forced myself out the door. I mean, it was 50 degrees outside, that's practically perfect running weather, especially with the sun shining down, and just enough of a breeze to cool me off once I had warmed up. 

The first mile was no fun, but faster than I expected. I've been doing 13 minute miles lately, with a good mile being 12:25. But this "crappy" first mile came in at 12:02, and I actually did sub-12 on the 2nd mile when I was actually starting to feel good, despite continuing tummy issues. 

Not good enough to go longer than my planned route, but good. And I think if I had kept running, I might have gotten a sub-11 minute mile for mile 3, but I didn't. The time was right to stop, so I stopped and got on with my post-run routine. 

I've been very good about doing my foam rolling after running. I find I do much better when I do the foam roller, especially on the ilio-tibial bands on each side. Strictly speaking, I don't need to roll my back out after a run, but it's my reward for doing the the leg rolling that I do need to do. 

Running is a means to an end for me, a way to try and keep myself in good shape for backpacking when I can't actually go backpacking. I don't expect to become a fast runner, just a runner who doesn't get frequent injuries and who can handle running long distances, even if it takes a long time. I feel I'm well on my way for that goal.