4 miles with the LA Leggers!

My first run with the LA Leggers was exciting. I arrived at 6:45 am to listen to the lecture on what they expect of us for Mid-Week Training, according to the schedule they put together for this season.

At about 7:25am, we went out to the lawn and found our pace mile group. Though I was assigned the 10 min/pace group originally, I knew they run faster at a little over a 9 minute mile pace to make up for the walking breaks. It works out to a 10 min mile pace overall. Today I joined the 10.5 min pace group and hoped this was the right run pace for me. I was feeling pretty strong until about mile 2.5…I started to really feel the heat & the humidity was getting to me. I could feel me longing & praying for the walk breaks..I knew the pace was too intense for me at this point, especially in this heat.

I completed the run, but really was struggling to keep the pace the last mile (the last bit is uphill on the SM Pier road). We ran in line, two at a time, like Noahs Arc. I have to admit though that it was a beautiful run beachside, down Ocean Ave, onto Santa Monica pier and then onto the boardwalk. We ran South all the down into the City of Venice and back. I learned the run group lingo, learned the arm signals and learned to LOVE the walk breaks, where I could drink water and catch my breath for one whole minute!

We found out at the end, our pace run was 9:45 running and paced overall at 10:15 in the first half and 10:30 second half. We did a 6:1 run/walk ratio (6 minutes run then 1 minute walk). I think I am going to drop down to the 11 min mile group next week to be able to run at a slower pace. One of mentors I talked to afterwards suggested I might want to drop down a full minute…but I am not ready to go that slow yet, I just need to see where I find a comfortable pace but I know I am not quite the 10 min mile group runner yet. But there is time….I am excited to continue and learn how to build my mileage in a safe, effective way.

6 mile run next week!
Dear God, please turn down the heat for the next one!

Bad Run Days

Some days...your runs are just terrible. You start out stiff but usually you warm up quickly and find a stride. Not today.

Today, I began my run slow and tried to include sprints- but when I did the first sprint, I could feel my lungs heavy and I thought I was at the start of an asthma attack. I ran slower and tried to feel out how to proceed. There was some pace I was picking up but I could feel my lungs were not functioning well and it kept rattling thru my mind,  "what did I eat to cause today's asthma?"....it made no sense, and I just knew this run was going downhill quickly.

I conceded that this was going to be a bad run day. I then decided that listening to my body would be the best thing I could do now that I was out in the middle of it. However, I had to walk before I hit mile 2, and walked several more times through my run. I began to suppose at the end that perhaps bad run days exist to make the good run days shine...and just chalked it as another run- none the less. I can be better another day.

THE AHA MOMENT!: I realized on my commute into work today that a brown thick smog was laying over downtown LA- my workplace. Suddenly, it all made sense. the heavy lungs, the lack of ability to take a deep breath, I was suffering from the notorious LA SMOG day. Online Air reports supported my theory and another asthma sufferer at work confirmed they were struggling too. 

I hope it all clears out by Saturday when I must run again with the group- 4 miles. I really do not want another bad run and I don't think it's good to be out exercising in these conditions.  Fingers crossed for a nice strong breeze tomorrow to move all this out! 

Best song on bad a run day : God is a DJ- PINK

God is a DJ

Life is a dance floor

You get what you're given 

It's all how you use it

The Post Race Run

I was pretty sore on Saturday after doing my own personal relay race. Thankfully, while I had misjudged the biking to & from the race, I had the sanity to book an hour and half massage that afternoon.  She saved me though I think she enjoyed it far less with all my "ow!" and " wow that hurts!" remarks during the massage.

Obviously, I had to take Sunday off to rest and recoup but threw in Monday as an additional rest day purely for my own state of mind. And let's be honest, I was scared to run again for fear of feeling all those sore muscles telling me I am not 20 anymore!

So back to my morning 30 minute, 3 mile run... it was not as bad as I anticipated nor was it was good as I had really hoped. I felt the sore muscles out of the gate but once they warmed up,  it was better and as I was beginning to catch my pace and feel a groove, I hit the first hill....it was an ugly run up. All my muscles were screaming at me to walk but I kept running up it, trying to tune them out and concentrate on my music....Thank god a great dance song came on right when I needed it, as I needed some inspiration to get up that hill!  That song pushed me up & over. Amazing how music can help when you exercise!

With 93% humidity this morning, I finished my run a sweaty mess but happy that first run back is out of the way!  Onward and upward! 

Best song for getting up that hill or picking up your pace: Mr Saxobeat- Alexandra Stan

Fastest pace: 9:27

Avg Pace: 10:40

Distance: 3.12

Race day!

I did it! Completed my first 10k (run only) race! I feel great that I did it but there are definitely things I would do different.

First, I would not have biked 8 miles to get to the race, run 6.2 miles then bike home another 8 miles! My legs were tired before I got there and I underestimated how far it really was from home. I was tired after the race and having to do the ride home again AFTER just running a 10k - what was I thinking???

I ran the first 3 miles straight thru and afterwards did an inconsistent  run/walk the rest of the race, walking thru water stations or when I was feeling a little tired. I ran at 10 min pace first 3 miles then slowed it down after at about 3.5 miles in,  finishing the race at around 1:05 - (final race time not in yet).

There was a man in his 60's running near me keeping me motivated and was so happy running- high fiving the other old guys running as we ran past them on the other side of the street. He said I was looking strong and said he was very old, slow and likely senile but I told him he looked pretty strong to me running this race and told him if he can do it, I can do it!

I think next time I will walk more regularly and I need to work on turning off the time clock in my head.  They screamed the time at you at each mile marker, which made it hard to stop when I thought I was doing pretty good on time..I can see how running with a group or pace group could really help me get thru these in the future. Looking forward to it!

Now I am at home icing my sore knee, and made an hour & half massage appointment to celebrate!  I can't imagine how I will do that half marathon yet but good to know I am getting stronger every run! 

Best motivating race song: Jackson Five- Dancing Machine

10k or bust

Well, I wish I could write that I was feeling totally ready for this run but considering I only ran 3 miles this week and was stressed out in continual corporate meetings instead - I am feeling physically & emotionally unready for a challenging run. Add in dancing into the night mid week in ridiculously high heels and having swollen, tender and blistered feet, this is likely the worst prep I could have possibly done for a long timed run.

Did I mention that I also have to ride 6 miles to the run first??? Aaaaaah!!!!!!

Ok- at this point, tomorrow's race  is about finishing a 10k and not about form, timing, or pace. I am going to take this run slow and easy before I have to ride the additional 6 miles back home. (Sigh)

Thank god for real training on the horizon that I can feel good about! 

Wish me luck on this one! 

Running in numbers !

Today I joined the LA Leggers! A Santa Monica based running club that trains runners to do half marathons and more specifically the LA Marathon next March. There must have been 200 people there all with the same dream and scared look on their faces. The best surprise to me - most of them were not that 'Uber fit' athlete you imagine taking on a marathon. They looked like regular people, all shapes & sizes!

I was tired (5:30 am wake up) and nervous going to the new member orientation but immediately all my fears were put to rest. I met some people, compared goals and listened to the leaders talk about how they work and what to expect. Many are simply walking the marathon, others are just slow runners with a goal…I began to feel more at ease and more like I fit in this group of hopefuls.

We then got into small groups and did a timed mile- they ask you to not race but to run a comfortable speed to carry a conversation but to be honest it is really hard not to race those around you. I had to pull myself back a couple times but still came in at 8:59 and was then put into the 10:00 min mile group. (though thankfully, I am told I can vacillate between running groups on days I feel faster or slower)

Following registration I picked up our training kit and shirt and met my minute mile leaders. Quick intros and discussion on tips for my upcoming 10k and they wished me well and gave me happy "See you in 2 weeks!"

I am both scared and excited to begin and now they have me wondering if I can take on the LA marathon next March with the rest of them...hmmm, maybe….but maybe I should take this one week at a time, no need to jump ahead of myself just yet.

And, I am off to races! Today I made a promise to myself aloud,  I WILL run that half marathon- and after that- well, hope springs eternal! 

5 Mile run accomplished !

My run this week was probably not my best- but I did it... I ran 5 miles and actually I think I ran more than that but how much more is still in question. It seems as I was rounding my way closer to home I checked my iPhone run tracker app to see if I might need to add another block or two to get to 5 miles. At that point I see 4.65 miles and realize I just need another block run and back and I have hit my goal! Tired but still determined, I ran around the block and as I was rounding the corner to my house, I was dragging and looked at my tracker to see if I might have already hit it and I can walk finally....but instead I see 4.65 again!!!  WHAT?????!!!!! 

I realized at that moment I must have hit the stop button somehow when I checked it...my heart sank.  I am exhausted, and I have no idea if I just hit my all time best distance or not. As I walked back the rest of the way, I was angry and disappointed. Can I really celebrate an estimated win? 

I remembered that I still had my fitbit tracker on and synced it with my iPhone - it said I had hit over 5 miles but it is also not the most accurate in matching my tracker and it underestimates often. But somehow it all felt anticlimactic and I was disappointed I had no record of the great run I had anticipated. 

It took me most of this week to get over it and let go of perfection, I need to enjoy the fact that I did what I set out to do- run 5 miles!!! 

I am stronger than I thought I was and getting stronger and that is enough. 

Sidelined by a virus.

So my run on last Tuesday was horrible - 3.23 mi, 11 min/mi but I felt awful. I could not figure out why it was so hard and I began to doubt that I will ever be able to do a half let alone the upcoming 10k. You doubt yourself on bad run days- negative thoughts fill your mind...what are you  doing??? You are not a runner! How on earth will you run the 10k and its right around the corner..3.23 just nearly killed you!

My legs were hurting, my body was not feeling it and I just decided to stop & rest. However, the next day I felt worse and I began to get a fever intermittently. No appetite, feeling super tired, and I just simply could not shake the fever for more that a couple hours with advil.  I stayed home from work 2 days last week and did not exercise. I was still thinking the whole time I laid on the sofa resting and sleeping, that I may end up regressing from being sick and not running. I worried about the first day back...Would I have lost the momentum I gained thus far?

Saturday: Still not feeling 100% but feeling better than I had all week. I was supposed to join the LA Leggers, a local running/training club that helps people train for Half & Marathons, on Saturday for orientation & a timed run to know what group I would be running with from August thru next March. Thankfully, they have another orientation next Saturday which I will make- come hell or high water!

Sunday: I felt more like myself and went for a short run- it was hard, my body was still kinda fighting me but I got interupted on my cell phone nearing mile two and had to run home to see a friend that dropped by that morning. To be honest, I was grateful she interuppted my run, I had more time to recoup and still got a short little run in my weekend. Tomorrow I will run for distance- 5 miles, I hope! I have my 10k run on Aug 24 which is right around the corner! I have to make up for lost time and get back some self confidence in my running abilities! To my surprise, running is not just a test on my body's fitness & endurance, it is also becoming very challenging for me mentally.

Wish me luck tomorrow morning!

Hills & sprints

After doing nothing yesterday and eating 3 cupcakes while watching TV...I decided to vary my run today. I took on the higher hilly neighborhoods of Redondo. With a cloudy day and a late start - you would think 68 degrees would feel better but with 85% humidity, my run was a muggy one. 

Beautiful homes help break up the thoughts of taking on each hill and higher climb as I rounded each corner. The downhills were sweet relief! I ended the run with a cool down walk and added all out sprints all the way home. None the less I had a great and challenging run that was not based on my time or distance, just me vs. me. The hardest person to please. 

Today's run: 2.6 mi

Weight: post cupcake day- 131

Pace: 11:18 (with 8:36 at fastest clearly downhill)

Music : P!NK

Tough Thursday turns Great!

After 2 days off not exercising (due to a conference) getting in a good run this morning I knew would be challenging. I decided to just go out and see how I feel & go with it. 

I have to admit at the start I was still half asleep. I felt like I was fighting the first mile- and having the news reported  in my ears did not provide any inspiration. Lucky for me, the streaming radio signal fell out and while in mid run I had to take my iPhone out of the arm band and choose my playlist music. The tunes really helped me get up some of those hills. Oh no! I had suddenly realized, was I trying for distance, pace or simply running to run?

I had set the meter on my cell but was running without a clear intention and now well into my run...I was so tired when I started that I was just putting myself in motion to help me feel better. I decided to just run slow and steady and not try to improve anything...but the longer I was out the more I wanted to run. So today I was out for over 45 minutes and I was thrilled to have done so non-stop..and on a day I was feeling so blah at my start!! 

I think I am on my way to becoming that runner after all! 

Today's run: 4.57 miles

Weight: after the conference I was too afraid to get on the scale!

Pace: 11:19 ish

Music: Gnarls Barkley